School Computer Lab Research Articles

To use virtual gamification through the wordwall platform in high school for understanding genetics and its relation to cancer

Genetics-related topics are complex, and students often struggle to grasp them. Therefore, the use of educational games is recommended, as they incorporate methodologies that connect theoretical knowledge with playful elements. This study aimed to assess the contribution of a game created on the Wordwall platform to high school students' understanding of genetics and its relationship with cancer development. To achieve this, a questionnaire was administered, consisting of questions at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels, to assess students' prior knowledge of the subject matter. Following this, a lecture was delivered, explaining genetic concepts and processes while relating them to various malignant neoplasms. Subsequently, students were provided with a link to access the educational game via WhatsApp, using their smartphones. Those without electronic devices completed the virtual activity using school computer lab computers. After playing the game, an increase in the percentage of correct answers was observed at all three knowledge levels: basic knowledge increased by 43.85%, intermediate by 35.9%, and advanced by 43.3%. Participation in the interactive game facilitated a better understanding of the subject matter for students and encouraged skills such as logical reasoning, creativity, problem-solving, and socialization among peers.

Peningkatan Penggunaan Social Learning Network Bagi Siswa-Siswi SMP Negeri 2 Syamtalira Aron Kab. Aceh Utara

Today the development of the internet is increasing rapidly and has penetrated into several fields, including the field of education. Learning media also develops and creates a Social Learning Network. Edmodo is an online learning medium that combines several Learning Management Systems and Social Network features into a Social Learning Network specifically made for educational purposes. To obtain an effective learning process, teachers and students must have innovative and interesting learning media, this is what is experienced by SMP Negeri 2 Syamtalira Aron North Aceh Regency. Teachers of SMP Negeri 2 Syamtalira Aron North Aceh Regency have carried out training on increasing the use of Edmodo learning media, but students still have not used social network-based learning media. This is the background for the service team to provide training on "Increasing the Use of Social Learning Network for Students of SMP Negeri 2 Syamtalira Aron North Aceh Regency ". This activity was held at the Syamtalira Aron 2 Public Middle School Computer Lab using lecture methods and hands-on practice. The participants of this training were 30 people, all of whom were students of SMP 2 Syamtalira Aron North Aceh Regency. The activity lasts for one day with a duration of four hours. Through this activity, it is hoped that the participant's skills and understanding will increase regarding the use of the Edmodo learning social network

Student motivation and engagement in maker activities under the lens of the Activity Theory: a case study in a primary school

Makerspaces are an area that is of increasing interest in education. While studies exist about makerspaces in tertiary education, not many studies have explored makerspaces in primary and secondary education. The current study focuses on pupils’ motivation and engagement in makerspace activities—digital fabrication and physical computing—in the context of a primary school, using the Activity Theory as its theoretical framework. The study follows an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Primary school pupils participated in a six-week design-based makerspace programme in a Fablab and a school computer lab, and they completed a survey and participated in focus group discussions afterwards. Both quantitative and qualitative findings showed that pupils perceive maker activities as being motivating (in terms of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, interest/enjoyment, satisfaction) and engaging (in terms of behavioural, cognitive, emotional, and social engagement). The Activity Theory provides further insights on how motivation and engagement in makerspaces relate to the components of the activity system. The study advocates for the use of maker activities in the primary classroom. Implications on educational practices and future research are discussed.

The Role of Technology in the Learning Process: A Decision Tree-Based Model Using Machine Learning

Machine learning approaches may establish a complex and non-linear relationship among input and response variables for the assessment of the Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) database and show indicators that may contribute to monitoring the quality of education. This paper uses extensive experimental databases from public schools, consisting of a case study in Brazil, to analyze data such as the physical and technological structure of schools and teacher profiles. The research proposes decision tree-based machine learning models for predictions of the best attributes to positively contribute to IDEB. It employs a newly developed SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) approach to classify input variables, so to identify variables that impact the most the final model; a non-probabilistic sample was used, composed from three official databases of 450 schools, and 617 teachers. Results show that the number of computers per student, teachers’ service time, broadband internet access, investments in technology training for teachers, and computer labs in schools are the variables that have the greatest effect on IDEB. The model applied shows high prediction accuracy for test data (MSE = 0.2094 and R² = 0.8991). This article contributes to improving efficiency when monitoring parameters used to measure the quality of a teaching-learning process. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-SIED-020 Full Text: PDF

The Role of Technology in the Learning Process: A Decision Tree-Based Model Using Machine Learning

Machine learning approaches may establish a complex and non-linear relationship among input and response variables for the assessment of the Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) database and show indicators that may contribute to monitoring the quality of education. This paper uses extensive experimental databases from public schools, consisting of a case study in Brazil, to analyze data such as the physical and technological structure of schools and teacher profiles. The research proposes decision tree-based machine learning models for predictions of the best attributes to positively contribute to IDEB. It employs a newly developed SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) approach to classify input variables, so to identify variables that impact the most the final model; a non-probabilistic sample was used, composed from three official databases of 450 schools, and 617 teachers. Results show that the number of computers per student, teachers’ service time, broadband internet access, investments in technology training for teachers, and computer labs in schools are the variables that have the greatest effect on IDEB. The model applied shows high prediction accuracy for test data (MSE = 0.2094 and R² = 0.8991). This article contributes to improving efficiency when monitoring parameters used to measure the quality of a teaching-learning process. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-SIED-020 Full Text: PDF

Real Objects Understanding Using 3D Haptic Virtual Reality for E-Learning Education

In the past two decades, there has been a lot of work on computer vision technology that incorporates many tasks which implement basic filtering to image classification. The major research areas of this field include object detection and object recognition. Moreover, wireless communication technologies are presently adopted and they have impacted the way of education that has been changed. There are different phases of changes in the traditional system. Perception of three-dimensional (3D) from two-dimensional (2D) image is one of the demanding tasks. Because human can easily perceive but making 3D using software will take time manually. Firstly, the blackboard has been replaced by projectors and other digital screens so such that people can understand the concept better through visualization. Secondly, the computer labs in schools are now more common than ever. Thirdly, online classes have become a reality. However, transferring to online education or e-learning is not without challenges. Therefore, we propose a method for improving the efficiency of e-learning. Our proposed system consists of two-and-a-half dimensional (2.5D) features extraction using machine learning and image processing. Then, these features are utilized to generate 3D mesh using ellipsoidal deformation method. After that, 3D bounding box estimation is applied. Our results show that there is a need to move to 3D virtual reality (VR) with haptic sensors in the field of e-learning for a better understanding of real-world objects. Thus, people will have more information as compared to the traditional or simple online education tools. We compare our result with the ShapeNet dataset to check the accuracy of our proposed method. Our proposed system achieved an accuracy of 90.77% on plane class, 85.72% on chair class, and car class have 72.14%. Mean accuracy of our method is 70.89%.

Adaptation of the school computer lab to the conditions of educating persons with special educational needs in the Polish educational system – a case study

Adaptation of the school computer lab to the conditions of educating persons with special educational needs in the Polish educational system – a case study

Students Career Readiness: Issues and Evidence from Mawuko Girls Senior High School in Ho Municipality

The purpose of the study was to examine the issues and evidence of the career readiness of students in Mawako Girls in the Ho Municipality. Utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed method research design, a sample of one hundred and thirty students from Mawuko Girls Senior High School and ten teachers, from a population of 484, (comprising of 412 students and 72 teachers), were used for the study. A self-developed questionnaire (0.85) was used for students’ data collection and as an interview guide for teachers. The study was guided by four research questions. Percentages and weighted means were used to analyse the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the quantitative data. The findings of the study revealed the following: Mawako Girls students have a good level of career awareness. Additionally, students acquire information on careers from the school. electronic media, newspapers, magazines, teachers, and friends. Finally, students are faced with four major challenges as they make their career choices, namely: lack of funds to pursue required courses for the job they want to do in the future; lack of the required information for career choice-making; acceding to the career choice preferred by parents and guardians; and finally, a lack of teachers to teach required subjects for students’ preferred careers. The study recommends that the headmaster of the school should insist that students receive career guidance once they are admitted into the school. The school's library should be furnished with adequate magazines and newspapers since students read them for various reasons, including information about their career choices. The school should be connected to the World Wide Web to create a good source for educating pupils with career information. Finally, the school's computer lab must be well-equipped with internet connection and computers so that students can research careers on their own.

Inclusão digital nas escolas do campo

O artigo que se apresenta busca entender como são utilizados os laboratórios de informática e o uso das Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (TICs) nas escolas do campo da 17ª Coordenadoria Regional de Educação do Estado do Rio Grande do sul. Sendo assim, tem como objetivo geral analisar como as TICs por meio dos Laboratórios de Informática Educativa (LIES) estão sendo utilizadas como ferramentas de apoio pedagógico nas escolas do Campo. Foram pesquisadas dezesseis escolas do campo, para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa buscou-se como aporte metodológico o estudo de caso, tendo como instrumento de coleta de dados questionários aplicados a todos envolvidos no processo, quais sejam: equipe diretiva das escolas, educadores e educandos, além de pesquisa bibliográfica que buscou entender como se consolidou o programa nacional de tecnologia educacional lançado pelo governo federal em 1997, no que diz respeito a implantação de laboratórios de informática nas escolas. Os resultados encontrados apontam para ainda se faz necessário formação para os educadores para implementar em suas práticas pedagógicas a utilização dos recursos disponíveis nos LIES e também a necessidade de manutenção dos equipamentos fornecidos pelo governo.

Uma experiência utilizando a plataforma HYPATIAMAT no ensino do Teorema de Pitágoras

O objetivo deste trabalho é relatar uma experiência de interação com alunos do 9º ano em uma escola municipal do estado de São Paulo com a plataforma educacional Hypatiamat, especificamente no que tange ao estudo relacionado ao teorema de Pitágoras. Essa pesquisa-ação foi desenvolvida com 24 alunos, mediados pelo professor, no laboratório de informática da escola e teve como finalidade principal acompanhar a evolução da aprendizagem dos participantes durante a utilização da plataforma. As etapas da pesquisa consistiram na aplicação de uma avaliação diagnóstica sobre o conteúdo relacionado ao teorema de Pitágoras, antes e após a interação dos alunos com a plataforma; na utilização desse recurso por um período de dez aulas nas quais foram acompanhados e medidos pelo professor pesquisador; e, por último, na aplicação de um questionário sobre a experiência vivenciada. Os resultados mostraram que a maioria dos estudantes, cerca de 87,49%, aprenderam satisfatoriamente o conteúdo proposto por meio da Plataforma Hypatiamat. A partir das respostas dos questionários foi possível perceber, também, que os estudantes gostaram e utilizariam novamente esse recurso durante as aulas, apesar de optarem frequentemente pelo método expositivo, típico do ensino tradicional, sobretudo quando a atividade requer habilidades mais complexas de leitura. Sendo assim, podemos concluir que a plataforma favoreceu e contribuiu com a aprendizagem dos alunos pois, por meio do acompanhamento e das avaliações realizadas pelo professor, verificamos que os alunos compreenderam os conceitos envolvidos nos exercícios e desenvolveram os cálculos corretamente.

Utility of Computer Labs in Secondary Schools as Perceived by Students With Diverse Demographics

The accessibility of modern computer technologies in schools is increasing all over the globe. Generally, the presence of a well-equipped and functional computer lab facility in school provides the opportunity not only to modernize educational methods but also to augment students and teachers’ interest towards the efficient use of computer technology along with access to quality education. In line with prevailing global trends, federal and provincial governments in Pakistan especially Government of the Punjab also made concerted efforts to provide computer lab facility in secondary schools in past two decades. In this context, this article mainly focused on examining the usefulness of computer labs for enhancement of secondary school students learning experiences. Descriptive survey design was used to achieve the objectives of this study in which a self-developed questionnaire designed on Likert five-point format was administered to 320 sample students selected from 32 secondary schools using cluster and stratified random sampling techniques. Both the descriptive (i.e., percentage, mean, SD) and/or inferential statistics (i.e., independent-sample t-test) were used to analyze collected data. The results revealed that secondary school students believe, with a higher level of consensus, that computer labs are useful for enhancement of their learning. Some concerns, however, were also highlighted by students regarding the availability of required physical facilities in computer labs. It was recommended for school authorities to provide well-equipped and fully functional computer labs in schools to achieve maximum benefits for students.

O uso do aplicativo Socrative como ferramenta de engajamento no processo de aprendizagem: uma aplicação das Tecnologias Digitais de Informação e Comunicação no ensino de Física

Não é de hoje que os métodos e salas de aula essencialmente tradicionais deixaram de proporcionar um ensino que seja motivador. De fato, a revolução digital causada pela hiperconexão, a disponibilidade e o acesso à informação têm transformado profundamente as relações sociais, com reflexo direto na forma como se ensina. Esse quadro faz emergir a necessidade de se analisar os impactos do uso das tecnologias na educação e, assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar uma investigação realizada com 70 alunos do 3º ano do Ensino Médio em uma escola da rede privada da Capital Paulista, onde se utilizou o aplicativo Socrative como ferramenta de engajamento no processo de aprendizagem na disciplina de Física. Após se familiarizarem com a ferramenta, a partir de uma experimentação no laboratório de informática da escola, os alunos começaram a utilizá-la em atividades realizadas fora do ambiente escolar. No final do ano letivo, os estudantes avaliaram o aplicativo por meio de um questionário, onde destacaram os aspectos positivos e negativos e como seu uso influenciou o envolvimento no processo de aprendizagem. O estudo evidenciou que a interação aluno-aplicativo-celular promoveu melhor engajamento dos estudantes, fato confirmado a partir da efetiva participação nas aulas “virtuais” realizadas fora do ambiente escolar tradicional e das respostas ao questionário aplicado. Deste modo, concluiu-se que o uso das Tecnologias Digitais de Informação e Comunicação (TDICs) constitui uma alternativa eficiente e viável, que deve ser considerada quando se repensa na forma como ensinar e buscar objetos de transformação da sala de aula tradicional em um modelo que estimule o estudante na construção do conhecimento.

TRABALHO COLABORATIVO NO USO DE SOFTWARE DE GEOMETRIA DINÂMICA

A escola, assim como todos que a compõem, não vive isolada, mas inserida num contexto que deve ser usado a favor de seu desenvolvimento, e para o desenvolvimento profissional de seus docentes. Nesse sentido, este trabalho buscou examinar a importância das interações entre professores, promovendo uma cultura profissional colaborativa que partilhe dúvidas e incertezas, para alcançar um objetivo em comum, e promover um aprendizado eficaz da geometria, por meio da interação com as tecnologias, tão presentes fora dos muros da escola. Assim, analisamos um projeto mineiro que apresentou, na parceria entre escola e universidade, a estrutura de debate e discussão sobre o uso das novas tecnologias para o auxílio de ensino de matemática/geometria. Este texto apresenta uma pesquisa qualitativa, com acompanhamento semanal no campo empírico representado pelo laboratório de informática da escola, onde aconteceram a maioria das atividades propostas.

Instrument Design Diagnostic Test Three-Tier Multiple Choice Redox Material with Redox Diagnostic Test Software (RDT)

This study aims to design a diagnostic test instrument misconceptions of Reduction and Oxidation reaction (redox) methods of Three-Tier Multiple Choice by developing Redox Diagnostic Test (RDT) software. The use of RDT can produce diagnostic test results of students' understanding immediately after the process of testing work. The understanding profiles experienced by the students in each class can be automatically captured so that the understanding of students' understanding time becomes shorter than the manual way. Although the testing work is done online, students cannot access the software outside the school computer lab so as to avoid the student dishonesty in the test. The research method used is Research and Development (R & D). The research model adopted in the Four-D development model with the research stage that is, define, design, develop, and dissemination. The result of content validation gets a score of 47 is on a very feasible criterion, so also media validation get score 28,5 is at very reasonable criteria. The results of the analysis of the level of understanding show that the test instrument using RDT software can diagnose understanding students well. Based on the small and large scale test set 19 item questions used in the test instrument. The result of instruments reliability test on the large-scale test by using KR-21 formula is 0,72 which belongs to a good category.

An Implementation of the Cloud Based School

Recently, cloud computing switched from being an experimental technology assisting everyday users through various cloud based applications. In a similar fashion, the use of cloud computing can improve the logistic infrastructure of the school computer labs and promote the introduction of innovative educational practices to the teaching of computer science related courses, as well as courses of different disciplines. Due to the economic crisis faced by many European countries, Greece included, the cost of continuously upgrading school computer labs, in order to follow the latest technological trends, is forbidden. Cloud computing provides an affordable solution to this problem by enabling the reuse of the existing computer equipment of the school computer labs and investing exclusively to the cloud computing infrastructure, an investment which is much lower than that of upgrading all school computer labs. This article presents a proposal of an implementation of the cloud computing based school. The conducted experiments indicated that this implementation could support the teaching process with respect to Computer Science, Information and Communication Technologies applications for Secondary and Primary Education schools.

An Implementation of the Cloud Based School

Recently, cloud computing switched from being an experimental technology assisting everyday users through various cloud based applications. In a similar fashion, the use of cloud computing can improve the logistic infrastructure of the school computer labs and promote the introduction of innovative educational practices to the teaching of computer science related courses, as well as courses of different disciplines. Due to the economic crisis faced by many European countries, Greece included, the cost of continuously upgrading school computer labs, in order to follow the latest technological trends, is forbidden. Cloud computing provides an affordable solution to this problem by enabling the reuse of the existing computer equipment of the school computer labs and investing exclusively to the cloud computing infrastructure, an investment which is much lower than that of upgrading all school computer labs. This article presents a proposal of an implementation of the cloud computing based school. The conducted experiments indicated that this implementation could support the teaching process with respect to Computer Science, Information and Communication Technologies applications for Secondary and Primary Education schools.

Constraints Hindering Adoption of ICT in Government Secondary Schools in Tanzania: The Case of Hanang District

This paper addresses teachers’ skills on ICT Integration in teaching and learning and constraints that hinder the adoption in Government owned secondary schools. The study employed a cross-section research design which guided the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. Simple random sampling was employed in the selection of participants of which data were collected from 75 teachers in government secondary schools, 15 Heads of Schools, 1 DEO and 3 Quality Assurers. Questionnaires and interviews were used to obtain data. Qualitative data were analysed through content analysis while descriptive statistics was used to analyse quantitative data with the aid of SPSS version 21. The findings revealed that, most of the secondary school teachers had minimal skills of integrating ICT in teaching and learning due to different challenges such as lack of ICT facilities, inadequate computer labs in schools, and inadequate pre-service and in-service teachers training. Finally, the paper recommends a holistic approach in harmonising the curriculum requirements and the ICT policy strategies so as to create awareness among teachers, thus develop the required ICT pedagogical skills.

Learning Potential in Narrative Writing: Measuring the Psychometric Properties of an Assessment Tool.

Objective: The Computerized and Dynamic Writing Test (TIDE) is designed to examine the learning potential of adolescents in narrative writing. This was a validation study of the TIDE based on its internal structure. Learning potential is responsible for cognitive modifiabilty according to the Theory of Cognitive Structural Modifiability (CSM) developed by Feüerstein.Method: Included 304 participants between 10 and 17 years of age from schools in the South of Brazil. The data collection involved student groups that were divided according to age and school grade. Each participant reponded to the TIDE for an average of 50 min in the school's computer lab. The participants' selection criteria were: being regularly enrolled in the fifth to eighth grade and providing an informed consent form signed by a responsible caregiver.The exclusion criteria included: neurological problems, having been held back in school for two or more years, not cooperating, not completing the test for any reason and physical conditions impeding the assessment.Results: The Kendall test indicated agreement between two evaluators, who corrected the participants' first and second texts that resulted from applying the TIDE. The TIDE is divided into three modules. Factor analysis was applied to the first module (pre-test), which revealed a division in two factors, and to the second module (instructional module), which was divided in three factors. The reliability of the TIDE items was verified using Cronbach's Alpha with coefficients >0.7. The analysis of the third module (post-test) was based on McNemar's Test and showed statistically significant results that demonstrated an evolution in the participants' learning potential.Conclusion: The TIDE proved to be valid and is considered a relevant tool for speech, language, hearing, psychological and educational assessment. The original nature of the tool presented here is highlighted, based on the dynamic assessment method, offering data on a narrative writing learning method as well as its possible adaptation to other contexts and languages. In addition, the computer-based nature of the tool is emphasized, enabling its more precise application and analysis of participant performance, in addition to its lower cost, reduced application bias and ability to test more than one person simultaneously.

Using Video to Automatically Detect Learner Affect in Computer-Enabled Classrooms

Affect detection is a key component in intelligent educational interfaces that respond to students’ affective states. We use computer vision and machine-learning techniques to detect students’ affect from facial expressions (primary channel) and gross body movements (secondary channel) during interactions with an educational physics game. We collected data in the real-world environment of a school computer lab with up to 30 students simultaneously playing the game while moving around, gesturing, and talking to each other. The results were cross-validated at the student level to ensure generalization to new students. Classification accuracies, quantified as area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), were above chance (AUC of 0.5) for all the affective states observed, namely, boredom (AUC = .610), confusion (AUC = .649), delight (AUC = .867), engagement (AUC = .679), frustration (AUC = .631), and for off-task behavior (AUC = .816). Furthermore, the detectors showed temporal generalizability in that there was less than a 2% decrease in accuracy when tested on data collected from different times of the day and from different days. There was also some evidence of generalizability across ethnicity (as perceived by human coders) and gender, although with a higher degree of variability attributable to differences in affect base rates across subpopulations. In summary, our results demonstrate the feasibility of generalizable video-based detectors of naturalistic affect in a real-world setting, suggesting that the time is ripe for affect-sensitive interventions in educational games and other intelligent interfaces.

The Exploitation of Instant Messaging to Monitor Computer Networks Using XMPP: A Study Focuses on School Computer Labs

The Exploitation of Instant Messaging to Monitor Computer Networks Using XMPP: A Study Focuses on School Computer Labs