Use Of Laptops Research Articles

Effect of changes in head postures during use of laptops on muscle activity of the neck and trunk

Effect of changes in head postures during use of laptops on muscle activity of the neck and trunk

Computers and productivity: Evidence from laptop use in the college classroom

This paper evaluates the effect of classroom computer use on academic performance. Using a quasi-experimental design and administrative data, we find that computer use in college classrooms has a negative impact on course grades. Our study exploits institutional policies that generate plausibly random variation in laptop use within the classroom. Compared to students who are not affected by computer policies, students who are induced to use computers in class perform significantly worse and students who are influenced not to use computers perform significantly better. We find that the negative effects of computer use are concentrated among males and low-performing students and more prominent in quantitative courses.

Performance Analysis of Mobile Data Offloading in Heterogeneous Networks

An unprecedented increase in the mobile data traffic volume has been recently reported due to the extensive use of smartphones, tablets, and laptops. This is a major concern for mobile network operators, who are forced to often operate very close to their capacity limits. Recently, different solutions have been proposed to overcome this problem. The deployment of additional infrastructure, the use of more advanced technologies (LTE), or offloading some traffic through Femtocells and WiFi are some of the solutions. Out of these, WiFi presents some key advantages such as its already widespread deployment and low cost. While benefits to operators have already been documented, it is less clear how much and under what conditions the user gains as well. Additionally, the increasingly heterogeneous deployment of cellular networks (partial 4G coverage, small cells, etc.) further complicates the picture regarding both operatorand user-related performance of data off loading. To this end, in this paper we propose a queueing analytic model that can be used to understand the performance improvements achievable by Wi-Fi-based data off loading, as a function of Wi-Fi availability and performance, user mobility and traffic load, and the coverage ratio and respective rates of different cellular technologies available. We validate our theory against simulations for realistic scenarios and parameters, and provide some initial insights as to the offloading gains expected in practice.

Proctoring to improve teaching practice

Universities organise digital summative assessments in special assessment computer rooms and they conduct strong restrictions on the resources. This policy assures safety and security of assessments but obstructs authentic problem solving where open resources are needed. A digital assessment room is also not a proper solution when students for some reason cannot attend the assessment on campus. We present three scenarios from the science and mathematics teaching practice at the University of Amsterdam in which we have used proctoring to create the flexibility of online exams that was needed. Online remote proctoring of computer screens on the campus and/or students at home enabled (1) more authentic exams by allowing open resources, (2) use of own laptops (BYOD) in a regular lecture room, (3) off campus online exams as a part of an online programme, for example, at home anywhere in the world. We have shown that proctoring is not just a different way to control students using computers, but that it enabled improvement of the quality of learning processes in which summative assessments are an integral part.

Teaching concurrent and parallel programming by patterns: An interactive ICT approach

The use of programming patterns is considered to be a conceptual aid for programmers for developing understandable and testable concurrent and parallel code which is not only well built but also safe. By using programming patterns and their implementations as computer programs, difficult new concepts can be smoothly taught in lectures to students who before trying this teaching approach would have been reluctant to enroll on Parallel and Concurrent Programming courses. The approach presented in this paper consists in changing the traditional programming teaching and learning model to one where students are first introduced to syntactical constructs through selected introductory program code-patterns. In the theory lessons that follow, through the use of laptops with multi-core processors and access to the Virtual Campus services of our university, the students are easily able to implement and master the new concepts as they are taught. This teaching experiment was implemented to teach a concurrent and real-time programming course which is part of the computer engineering (CE) degree and taught during the third semester of the CE curriculum. Evaluation of the students’ academic performance when they had been taught with this approach revealed a 20.6% improvement in the students’ end-of-course grades.

Postural risks and musculoskeletal discomfort of three preferred positions during laptop use amongst students

The need to access information technology in modern day occupations has encouraged the use of laptops on a daily basis. It is assumed that using a laptop in a static position over a prolonged period of time may cause postural risk as well as musculoskeletal discomfort. A previous study identified 3 most preferred positions assumed during laptop use. This study investigates the postural risk involved during laptop use by students while assuming these 3 preferred positions. It also investigates the musculoskeletal discomfort experienced by students during laptop use as well as the methods students employ to alleviate this discomfort. A quantitative, cross-sectional study design was used amongst a sample of 72 third year academic students from the University of the Free State. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire and the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment tool (RULA). For all 3 positions, 69.1% of participants scored in the postural risk category 3-4, indicating a low postural risk. Most participants (62.5%, n=45) experienced musculoskeletal discomfort with regard to pain or numbness, stiffness and spasms with 95% CI for prevalence [51.0%; 72.8%]. Stiffness in the neck was experienced by 47.2% (n=34) participants and spasms in the neck experienced by 44.4% (n=32). Tendencies and statistical significant differences are indicated between genders for adaptations made during laptop use. A recommendation for further study could be to investigate the postural risk involved while the students assume their most preferred posture within the 3 positions. Key words: laptop, university students, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), postural risk, musculoskeletal discomforts

Same but different? An examination of Swedish upper secondary school teachers’ and students’ views and use of ICT in education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine Swedish upper secondary school teachers’ and students’ views and use of ICT in education.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 25 individual teachers and 39 students in small focus groups were interviewed. A qualitative content analysis was performed using NVivo11. The analysis was conducted in three steps: with each individual teacher, the student groups and the cohort of teachers and students. A comparative analysis was also conducted.FindingsThe teachers’ views and use of ICT are diverse. Teachers and students identify similar challenges when using ICT in education, e.g. time and subject, the shortcomings of a school’s learning management system (LMS) and teachers’ digital competence. Students report an extensive out-of-school use of smartphones and an extensive in-school use of laptops and LMS.Research limitations/implicationsThe relatively small number of teachers and students in three schools make generalisations difficult. The examination of teachers’ and students’ views and use in the same context reveals new knowledge.Practical implicationsThe study may influence teachers’ use of ICT in education, based on a better understanding of students’ use.Social implicationsThe study may lead to a better understanding of teachers’ and students’ different perspectives and a more enhanced and sustainable in-school use of ICT.Originality/valueThe originality is that teachers’ and students’ views and use of ICT in education are examined at the same time. The paper contributes new knowledge about how teachers and students conceptualise and use ICT in upper secondary school practices.

Effective Office Ergonomics Awareness: Experiences from Global Corporates.

Background:Use of laptops and hand-held devices increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). More time spent on this activity adopting faulty postures, higher the risk of developing such injuries. This study addresses training on office ergonomics with emphasis on sustainable behavior change among employees to work in safe postures, as this is a top priority in the corporate environment, today.Aim:To explore training intervention methods that ensure wider coverage of awareness on office ergonomics, thereby promoting safer working and suggesting sustainable programs for behavior change and job enrichment.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted (2012 - 2017), encompassing corporate office employees of multinational corporations selected from India, Dubai (U.A.E), Nairobi (East Africa), Durban (South Africa), South East Asian countries (Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka).Participant employees (n = 3503) were divided into two groups to study the effect of interventions'; i.e., (a) deep training: 40 minute lecture by the investigator with a power point presentation (n = 1765) using a mock workstation and (b) quick training: live demonstrations of 10 minutes (n = 1738) using a live workstation.Results:While deep training enhanced awareness in 95.51% and quick training in 96.59% globally, the latterwas much appreciated and educated maximum employees. From statistical analysis, quick training was found superior in providing comprehensive training and influencing behavior modification in India, but all over the world it was found highly superior in knowledge enlargement, skills enrichment in addition to providing comprehensive training (P < 0.05). In countries, located to West of India, it significantly influenced behavior modification.Conclusion:As because few employees attend deep training lectures, the quick 10-minute program is highly promising as it is practical, replicable, yields increased awareness with wider employee coverage in a much shorter time, instilling a feeling of caring and confidence amongst them towards a robust office ergonomics program. This could lead to propose as a best practice for corporate offices globally.

Web-based KAP Intervention on Office Ergonomics: A Unique Technique for Prevention of Musculoskeletal Discomfort in Global Corporate Offices.

Aims:The purpose of this study was to evaluate web-based Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) intervention on office ergonomics – a unique method for prevention of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) – in corporate offices that influences behavior modification.Background:With the increasing use of computers, laptops and hand-held communication devices globally among office employees, creating awareness on office ergonomics has become a top priority. Emphasis needs to be given on maintaining ideal work postures, ergonomic arrangement of workstations, optimizing chair functions, as well as performing desk stretches to reduce MSD arising from the use of these equipment, thereby promoting safe work practices at offices and home, as in the current scenario many employees work from home with flexible work hours. Hence, this justifies the importance of our study.Objective:To promote safe working by exploring cost-effective communication methods to achieve behavior change at distant sites when an on-site visit may not be feasible.Materials and Methods:An invitation was sent by the Medical and Occupational Health Team of a multinational corporation to all employees at their offices in Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia to take up an online Nordic questionnaire, a screening tool for musculoskeletal symptoms, shared in local languages on two occasions – baseline evaluation (n = 240) and a follow-up evaluation after 3 months (n = 203). After completing the baseline questionnaire, employees were immediately trained on correct postures and office ergonomics with animation graphics. The same questionnaire was sent again after a 12-week gap only to those employees who responded to the baseline questionnaire on initial assessment.Statistical Analysis Used:Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 software and variables were compared using odds ratio as well as Chi-square test.Results:Of the 203 employees who responded, 47.35% had some musculoskeletal symptoms. Among them 58.7% had lower back pain, 46.9% had upper back pain, 44.1% had wrist pain, 39.5% had shoulder pain, and 37% had knee pain. The percentages are high as some participants had multiple complaints i.e. 2 or 3 complaints. However, only 40% of these employees had ongoing symptoms at the time of evaluation (past 7 days). A subsequent 3-month evaluation after web-based intervention showed a significant 41–50% decline in ongoing symptoms.Conclusions:We conclude that newer technology using web-based animation graphics is a highly efficient technique to create office ergonomics awareness and has the potential to become a best practice in countries where language is a communication barrier and an on-site visit may not be feasible due to meagre resources.

Characterization of Wireless Multidevice Users

The number of wireless-enabled devices owned by a user has had huge growth over the past few years. Over one third of adults in the United States currently own three wireless devices: a smartphone, laptop, and tablet. This article provides a study of the network usage behavior of today’s multidevice users. Using data collected from a large university campus, we provide a detailed multidevice user (MDU) measurement study of more than 30,000 users. The major objective of this work is to study how the presence of multiple wireless devices affects the network usage behavior of users. Specifically, we characterize the usage pattern of the different device types in terms of total and intermittent usage, how the usage of different devices overlap over time, and uncarried device usage statistics. We also study user preferences of accessing sensitive content and device-specific factors that govern the choice of WiFi encryption type. The study reveals several interesting findings about MDUs. We see how the use of tablets and laptops are interchangeable and how the overall multidevice usage is additive instead of being shared among the devices. We also observe how current DHCP configurations are oblivious to multiple devices, which results in inefficient utilization of available IP address space. All findings about multidevice usage patterns have the potential to be utilized by different entities, such as app developers, network providers, security researchers, and analytics and advertisement systems, to provide more intelligent and informed services to users who have at least two devices among a smartphone, tablet, and laptop.

Situational Domestication and the Origin of the Cafe Worker Species

Given the pervasiveness of free Wi-Fi zones in cafes, use of laptops, tablets and smart phones supports the transformation of cafes from social spaces to work spaces for many customers. In this article we analyse, on the basis of an ethnographic study of individuals’ laptop work in urban cafes in Norway and the UK, (1) what it is about cafes that makes people visit them for working purposes, and (2) how individual laptop work changes the social life of such venues. By linking our analysis to theories of communal processes and the domestication of technologies, we put forward the concept of ‘situational domestication’, encompassing the aspects of socially embedded individual working. Consequently, the close study of how cafe spaces are being used for work offers insights into how progressively technologised work and work habits influence not only work itself, but also public space at a broader level.

Two Stage Approaches for the Detection and Suppression of Typed Keystrokes in Speech Signals

In recent decades, keystroke suppression has got a particular attention due to the increasing use of laptops and computers to capture audio in various communication scenarios such as meetings, audio/video instant messaging etc. In many of these situations, a unique problem of additive keystroke transient noise is faced. Because of the non-stationary, short time and abrupt nature of the keystroke transient, it has been a challenging task for many years. In this paper, two new twostage approaches for the suppression of keystrokes are proposed. In the first stage the speech is estimated using supervised sparse non-negative factorization, which is common in both of the methods. Then, in the second stage, keystrokes are detected and are suppressed by replacing the corrupted speech frames with the corresponding estimated speech frames obtained in the first stage using two new techniques, which is the core contribution of this work. Experimental results show that the proposed approaches exhibit good performance without significantly degrading the quality of speech.

Differential patterns of laptop useandassociated musculoskeletal discomfortin male and female collegestudents.

Laptop computers have surpassed desktop computers in popularity, especially among college student users. The portability of these devices raises concerns regarding healthy usage patterns in different settings and there is aneed to investigate the postures with which these devices are being used and associated reports of musculoskeletal discomfort. This study investigated the configurations in which laptops are used and the prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort associated with laptop use in asurvey of college students. The purpose of this was to identify differences in discomfort and/or postural choice between males and females. Asample of 90 male and 96 female college students completed an online questionnaire consisting of demographic questions, musculoskeletal discomfort indicators and questions regarding configurations of laptop use. Over 53% of participants reported experiencing musculoskeletal discomfort while using alaptop computer, with females reporting ahigher prevalence of neck discomfort (p = 0.05) and shoulder discomfort (p = 0.006) than males. Participants reported using alaptop most commonly in positions at a desk and on abed. Females were more likely than males to use alaptop on abed with the computer positioned on their lap or with their legs crossed (p < 0.05). Males were more likely than females to work in positions necessitating alarge trunk deviation to operate the laptop (p < 0.05), such as "sitting on a sofa with your feet on the floor (knees at 90°), bending over to use laptop that is resting on a coffee table or ottoman in front of you". Asignificant proportion of college students report experiencing musculoskeletal discomfort associated with laptop computer use. Sex differences exist in both choice of configurations and musculoskeletal discomfort associated with laptop use. Due to the portability of laptop computers, they are used in avariety of configurations and environments. This study identifies anumber of different ways that laptop computers are used that have not been considered in previous research. These patterns of laptop use can be used to inform future work on the impact of technology use on discomfort.

Is Permitting Student Use of Laptops in Class a Good Idea? 'It Depends' - A Variety of Approaches is Best

This brief paper describes this writer's observations regarding the use of laptop PC's by law students in her classes. This professor decided to set some conditions on the use and non-use of laptops to test the waters, and to see if some conclusions could be drawn as to whether students' use of this technology helps or hinders the learning process. This paper describes what was learned.

Análisis del uso educativo y social de los dispositivos digitales en el contexto universitario panhispánico

&lt;p&gt;El objetivo de esta investigación ha sido analizar de forma general y comparada entre España e Hispanoamérica el uso que los estudiantes universitarios realizan de los dispositivos digitales móviles con fines educativos y sociales. Se analiza una muestra total de 886 estudiantes (442 españoles y 444 hispanoamericanos) correspondientes a cinco instituciones universitarias españolas y cinco hispanoamericanas. La metodología de investigación se desarrolla a través del análisis factorial y la comparación inter-grupos mediante pruebas no paramétricas. Los resultados generales en ambas zonas geográficas muestran que el uso educativo se concentra principalmente en el empleo de la tableta y el ordenador portátil para la búsqueda de información académica, el estudio y la consulta de servicios universitarios. Asimismo, las diferencias más significativas entre estudiantes españoles e hispanoamericanos muestran que en España se utiliza más la tableta y el “smartphone” para el estudio y en Hispanoamérica, el ordenador portátil.&lt;/p&gt;

A systematic review of media parenting in the context of childhood obesity research.

BackgroundWe conducted a systematic review to obtain studies on childhood obesity and parenting published between 2009 and 2015, and draw out those studies with a particular focus on media parenting. Our analysis addresses two major aims: 1) to describe how media use and media-related parenting practices and skills are operationalized in studies and 2) to explore whether studies measured ecological factors (e.g. individual-, family-, and community-level factors), which could be associated with media parenting practices.MethodsUsing a standardized, multi-stage process, we identified and screened articles focused on parenting and childhood obesity (N = 667). Studies were eligible for this analysis if they measured media parenting and/or the home media environment, resulting in a sample of 103 studies. We used quantitative content analysis to code the full text articles for content related to our study aims; analyses were performed using SAS 9.4.ResultsSeventy nine percent of studies measured media use, 82 % measured media parenting, and 65 % measured the home media environment. Studies measuring media use focused on a limited number of devices; while all studies measured child/parent use of televisions, only 3 % measured use of smartphones, 1 % measured use of laptops, and no studies measured use of tablets. Measures of parenting practices focused largely on rules specific to limiting screen time. Although 60 % of studies measured at least one ecological factor, child-specific and neighborhood/community-level factors were rarely measured.ConclusionsMore detailed measurements of media use that reflects current technology trends and diverse contexts of use are needed to better understand media use and parent regulation of child media exposure. Measures of the ecological context can more fully assess factors impacting media parenting and, subsequently, child risk for overweight and obesity.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-2981-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Reading for 11–13-year-old students in the digital age: New Zealand case studies

ABSTRACTIn New Zealand schools, the focus continues to be on improving the reading achievement of all students situated across a range of socio-economic groups. This is particularly so for our young adolescent students, where research investigations have indicated some concerning trends which influence reading development for this age group. This research explored 11—13-year-old students in six case-study schools in New Zealand. Year 7 and 8 teachers and the principals of the six schools were interviewed. The research found changing use of information communication technologies to engage and motivate these young adolescents in reading. In some of the case-study schools, the increased use of iPads and laptops during reading facilitated a means of high interest engagement in reading for contextual purposes. The variance of access to a reliable infrastructure impacted on some schools’ ability to effectively integrate digital technologies within their literacy programmes.

Editorial for EAIT 2016, Issue 3

Some of you will have read the 2015 OECD report: “Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection” which indicates that, based on an analysis of PISA data, where ICT is used in the classroom its impact on student performance is mixed, with no appreciable improvements in student achievement in reading, mathematics or science. Is the OECD right in their assessment? Are we wasting our time with using ICT in education? How do others see this? It would be good to have some articles on this important topic in future issues of EAIT. Beginning this issue is an article from Martin Tallvid (University of Gothenburg, Sweden), titled: “Understanding teachers’ reluctance to the pedagogical use of ICT in the 1:1 classroom”. The article begins by noting the emergence of one laptop per student-initiatives (1:1) as a solution to disappointment with the pace of transformation of teaching methods in schools. Many research studies, however, have indicated that despite major expenditure, increased access and improved technical equipment, few teachers have integrated ICT in the curriculum in a way that leads to significant changes in classroom practice. The article explores teachers’ reluctance towards the pedagogical use of personal laptops in secondary schools and identifies five different, but overlapping, patterns in the explanations for their reluctance: lack of technical competence, not worth the effort, insufficient material, diminishing control and lack of time. “Politic of security, privacy and transparency in human learning systems” is an article by Adil Jeghal, Lahcen Oughdir and Hamid Tairi (University of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Taza, Morocco). This article looks at the important role of Information Security, especially in newer education environments such as e-learning environments. The authors point out that the preservation of confidentiality has become a major issue for the majority of applications that process personal information and that the sensitivity of this information requires creators to set rules for the sharing and use of access control policies. Educ Inf Technol (2016) 21:499–502 DOI 10.1007/s10639-016-9479-8

Teachers’ First-Year Experience with Chromebook Laptops and Their Attitudes Towards Technology Integration

Because mobile technology has become so obvious in a child’s life, use of it for teaching and learning has become a necessity. This study investigates use of Chromebook laptops in 6–12 grade classrooms in relation to teachers’ experience. We employ a mixed method approach. First, we study how teachers’ years of teaching and numbers of technological tools they have are related to their comfort of teaching with Chromebook laptops, as well as their attitudes change towards technology after teaching with a Chromebook for a year. Second, to have more specific thoughts about teachers’ Chromebook experience, we conducted qualitative analyses to hear teachers’ voices. Of the 658 6–12 grade Mathematics and English teachers from 30 schools invited to be part of the study, 553 teachers completed the survey. We utilized Pearson Product correlation for the first question. A paired-sample t test was run to examine whether teachers’ attitudes towards technology use changed after teaching with Chromebooks for a year. For the qualitative part, we used a Phenomenological approach to analyze what teachers felt about their experience with Chromebooks. We found that teachers’ comfort of teaching is not significantly correlated with their years of experience. As expected, there was a statistically significant relationship between the number of technological tools they had and their comfort of teaching with technology. Teachers’ attitudes significantly decreased after teaching with Chromebooks for a year. Teachers complained about excessive blocking and lack of tech support, along with some suggestions including filtering and proper training, both for teachers and students that is for a smoother transition from traditional teaching to Chromebook-integrated teaching. Findings and implications are presented to help schools improve technology integration in the discussion and conclusion parts.

Learning consumption: Media, literacy, and the legacy of One Laptop per Child

ABSTRACTThis article examines one of the largest interventions in computer-based learning currently underway, the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project, with 2.5 million laptops in use worldwide. Drawing on 2010 and 2013 fieldwork investigating a project in Paraguay with 10,000 of OLPC's “XO” laptops, I explore the ways in which participants interpreted leisure laptop use as “learning.” I show that the most captivating uses of the laptops were not “productive” or programming-centric, as OLPC's developers hoped, but “consumptive” and media-centric, focused on music, videos, and video games. I discuss the learning benefits and drawbacks of this use, as understood by participants and in light of education research, and in light of the broader context of transnational corporations interested in marketing to these children. In the process, I weigh OLPC's utopian dreams against the interests of the child beneficiaries, concerns of media imperialism, and a potential shift in the meaning of computers.