Articles

European Young Innovators Forum, in partnership with Huawei, launched the 3rd edition of Inno Apps2016 , an interesting competition for apps developers! This year the focus is in on the IoT (Internet of Things), as a crosscutting technology domain and on Smart Cities as a vertical application area, to address the specific challenges related to Safe Cities . Learn more about InnoApps 2016 : http://bit.ly/InnoApps16

Twitter:

1. Interested in #smartcities & #IoT? @EYIF & @HuaweiEU launched the 3rd #InnoApps2016 Challenge. Send your application http://bit.ly/InnoApps16

2. Passionate about #smartcities? Our partners from @EYIF invite you to register for #InnoApps2016: http://bit.ly/InnoApps16 (+ pic)

3. Have a bright idea for # SmartCities App? If so, send your application for # InnoApps2016 & you can win €20.000! http://bit.ly/InnoApps16

Facebook [with #] /LinkedIn [without #]:

Do you have a bright idea for a #SmartCities App? If so, send your application for # InnoApps2016 and you can be the winner of €20.000! Find more details on http://bit.ly/InnoApps16

For groups:

Hi All! European Young Innovators Forum, in partnership with Huawei, launched the 3rd edition of # InnoApps2016 , an interesting competition for apps developers! If you have any bright idea Smart Cities, check the rules and don’t hesitate to apply! http://bit.ly/InnoApps16

 

 

by Olga Bedrina, Internet Communication Manager for Animatron, an online collaborative animation Screen Shot 2016-07-22 at 11.21.30 AMmaker

According to the Visual Teaching Alliance, 90% of secondary students are visual learners, which means that using visual aids in class can dramatically improve learning and help students retain more from what they hear. While traditional whiteboards are still very helpful, educational technology has evolved greatly in recent years, offering educators a wide range of tools to keep students more engaged and ignite their passion for learning. In this regard, animation is the way to go.

So, why is animation so powerful?

  1. It resonates with students and makes them excited about learning. Students often do not feel like many school topics are relevant to them, so they zone out, and it’s difficult to bring them back on track (ask any teacher explaining the US Constitution to 9th graders!) Using animation allows teachers to stick to something students can associate themselves with, and it’s within human nature to stay focused and learn more when we see something relevant to us. It’s a great way to help students feel in control of the process. All students are creative; the big task of a teacher is to unleash creativity and put it in students’ hands. Using animation in the teaching/learning process helps students have that “Aha!” moment and makes them feel like real creators. 3.
  2. It’s a great way to help students feel in control of the process. All students are creative; the big task of a teacher is to unleash creativity and put it in students’ hands. Using animation in the teaching/learning process helps students have that “Aha!” moment and makes them feel like real creators. Animation is abstract. Let’s imagine you see a live picture of a house. You will probably start thinking whether you like the house, would you like to live in it or not, what color is the house, etc. However, when you see a cartoon picture of a house, you just see it as a concept, an idea of a house and everything it represents (e.g., family, childhood, a place to live, etc). In this sense, animation simplifies visual storytelling and makes it easier for students to abstract.
  3. Animation is abstract. Let’s imagine you see a live picture of a house. You will probably start thinking whether you like the house, would you like to live in it or not, what color is the house, etc. However, when you see a cartoon picture of a house, you just see it as a concept, an idea of a house and everything it represents (e.g., family, childhood, a place to live, etc). In this sense, animation simplifies visual storytelling and makes it easier for students to abstract.

As Laura Bates put it in her article on benefits of using animation in class, “Using animations is a great way to improve different skills of kids such as reading, writing, storytelling, decision making, problem-solving as well cognitive, social and innovative skills. It’s sure to facilitate learning of the kids and boost the way you are teaching”.

There are many ways how you can implement animation in the classroom.

History Classes

When studying pioneers’ migration routes and trails, ask students to draw and animate them. Children remember things when they are unique and fun, so implement new tools and ideas to make learning engaging.

Another example would be to ask students to create a video presentation and tell their family story in a visual way. Encourage students to use their family photos, relevant music and video, to personalize the presentation. Screen Shot 2016-07-22 at 11.39.10 AM

My American Story by Emily Nguyen

Project American: My Story by Chloe Starbird and by Jesse Bray (Mr. Bray)

STEM

There are some processes, especially those in Physics, that are best illustrated with motion. Thus, use animation to demonstrate them or better yet, ask students to create a project and explain the topic. These are some ideas for studying Archimedes screw and a lever.

Screen Shot 2016-07-22 at 11.39.37 AM  simple machines Copy 2 by Dmitry Skavish and Dmitry Skavish

Archimedes Screw by Dmitry Skavish

 

Some of the other ideas for using animation videos in class include the following:

  • explaining the water cycle
  • studying shadows
  •  getting acquainted with electric current
  • getting acquainted with electric current
  • telling students about Brownian motion
  • studying types of friction

When checking the students’ knowledge on the subject after having covered new material, give students an option: whether they would like to write an essay on the topic or demonstrate their knowledge with an animated project. You will be surprised to see how excited the kids get about animation.

Languages

When studying a difficult topic, animation is great for engaging students into a conversation. For instance, when learning contractions, use animation to show what exactly that apostrophe in the phrase “I haven’t” stands for. When memorizing new words, ask students to make an animation demonstrating a new word or phrase. Once they finish, they own the word, which makes it so much easier for them to keep it in their minds.

Animation is also great for studying foreign languages. Ask students to make a cartoon and record voice-over to practice pronunciation and grammar.

Animation for Collaborative Learning

Most educators strive not only to teach figures and bare facts but also teach students how to think and solve problems. In this regard ability to work in a team is one of the most essentials skills students need to learn (in fact, it is also one of the 10 skills employers most want to see in employees, according to Forbes). Assignments like group projects can help build some of those skills; however, the traditional educational paradigm of teachers instructing students who are isolated at their desk doesn’t build up real collaborative skills.

Animation is great for collaborative learning and encouraging students to share the knowledge. Asking students to work on an animated project together is a wonderful way of encouraging them to learn from one another, exploring together and developing communication skills.

Keep It Diverse

Incorporating animation into the teaching/ learning process might be advantageous for both students and teachers. However, we should always keep in mind that just like with any other tool, animation is not the point of the lesson, it’s the vehicle that gets us there. Combine animation with other tools in your arsenal, and you will quickly notice how more engaged students are in class.

 

 

Imagine leading global technology companies – Apple, Google – uniting to reimagine the future of education. Imagine world-leading universities – Harvard, Johns Hopkins, London School of Economics, King’s College London, the University of Manchester, Queensland University of Technology – coming together to reimagine the future of education. Imagine both of these groups joining forces in one place, and imagine them being joined by a group of enthusiastic innovators from across the world. Imagine them, imagining how academics, technology practitioners, and top global investors can work together to solve problems facing, and create opportunities for, the world of higher education.

Imagining this won’t be necessary if you were at the 2015 Reimagine Education Conference, held in Philadelphia last December – and nor will it be necessary for those attending this year’s edition, now open for delegate registration. The conference, organised by QS Quacquarelli Symonds – compilers of the QS World University Rankings – the Wharton School, and the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, will again bring together world-class universities, technology companies, and prominent global investors to discuss how the world can improve teaching, learning, and employability.

This year’s conference will feature four main tracks, each devoted to a different strand of the educational world. The conference organisers – unifying the corporate and the pedagogical – recognise that education is the broadest of churches; the conference structure is designed to provide all attendees with a focus and a voice. The first track concerns itself with hybrid learning and e-learning, while the second moves away from this explicit focus on EdTech: it is concerned with Learning Assessment, Teaching Delivery, and Presence Learning.

The third track focuses on Nurturing Employability, Ethical Leadership, and Sustainability, while the fourth will be explicitly concerned with the ways in which EdTech – namely, ICT Tools – can transform education. Each track comprises keynote speeches and panel discussions led by luminaries in the specific area, numerous networking opportunities, and presentations from relevant finalists of the 2016 Reimagine Education Awards.

Prominent figures at last year’s conference included Jaime Casap, Chief Education Evangelist at Google; Huntingdon D. Lambert, Dean of Continuing Education at Harvard University; Jim Shelton – former Deputy Secretary of Education for the Obama Administration; and Jeremy Rifkin, bestselling author of The Third Industrial Revolution. They were joined by 330 delegates from six continents, and representatives from prominent media institutions across the world – including Caroline Howard, Senior Editor at Forbes, and Sean Coughlan, Education Correspondent at the BBC.

The conference, as in previous years, will also represent the culmination of the Reimagine Education awards competition. Featuring 14 award categories upon which the conference tracks are broadly based, it is designed to award the most innovative projects, initiatives, and ideas in the world of education – and the trailblazers that bring them into being. The winner of the Overall Award will receive US$50,000 for their efforts, and global visibility for their successful project. Six of these award categories are designed to focus specifically on innovation in the Information Technology sector, including the inaugural Best Use of ICT Tools Award.

The opportunities for educators and trailblazers seeking to be a part of Reimagine Education are greater than ever before this year; the organising committee have this year invited prominent global investors, who will be providing delegates with Connect 1-2-1 session. These are designed to allow those with successful project ideas to discuss feasibility, investment, and implementation with those who can help make imagination reality.

For more details about the conference and/or competition, visit www.reimagine-education.com, or contact Serena Ricci at reimagine@qs.com.

For more information follow us on Twitter at @ReimagineHEdu, email serena@qs.com, or give us a call at +44(0)20 7284 7287.

We look forward to seeing your application materials, and welcoming you to the Reimagine experience.

Sincerely,

Serena Ricci on behalf of

Yoram (Jerry) Wind
The Lauder Professor
Professor of Marketing
Director, Wharton SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management
Nunzio Quacquarelli
Managing Director
QS Quacquarelli Symonds

Call for Papers

International Journal of Computer Science Education in Schools (IJCSES)

is a double-blind peer reviewed, open access online journal.

The main objective of IJCSES is to develop a research network in teaching and learning in Computer Science Education in schools and related topics through high-quality research that focuses both theory and practice. This would enable academics and educators who are interested in research about theoretical developments in Computer Science Education to access most recent studies. The network would also provide a communication point for teachers who are interested in engaging in research projects, but not feeling confident.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Computer Science Education
  • Computing
  • Theory of computation
  • Programming language theory
  • Algorithms and data structures
  • Psychology of Computing
  • Computational Thinking
  • Teacher Training in Computer Science
  • Programming theory
  • Creativity and Computing
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer graphics and virtual reality
  • Computer Game Design in schools
  • Text based coding
  • Visual coding
  • Teacher research in Computing

The journal welcomes studies from diverse research orientation. Studies that are based on qualitative data, such as case studies and historical analysis, are equally highly regarded as studies based on quantitative data.

IJCSES is inviting papers for Vol. 1 No. 1 which is scheduled to be published on October 31, 2016. Last date of submission: September 30, 2016.

Registration and login are required to submit items online and to check the status of current submissions. For more information, visit the official website of the journal www.ijcses.org

With thanks,

Editors:

Yasemin Allsop

Dr. Sue Sentance

 

Submit an article to ICT in Practice Summer 2016 issue and be part of our educational technology community. The deadline for submitting your article is June 30th.

Important points

Make sure that it is your work
It is written in a simple language away from jargon.
It is related to ICT in education, nothing else…
It is at least 2 A4 and max 4 A4 pages long.
Send your articles to chris.carter@concordiashanghai.org with the subject line ‘submit an article’.

by F.Günseli ÖZKAN. R.Tayfun GEDİK www.office-fr.com, http://elearning-turkey.eu, gozkan@office-fr.com


 

Introduction:

A nos jours, grâce aux environnements sociaux et éducatifs reliant les communautés virtuelles sectorielles, la formation ne se limite plus à la classe. Elle se transforme en solutions tout à fait exclusives du fait de la caractéristique globale et durable des compétences professionnelles. En fait, ni les développeurs des technologies de l’information, ni les décideurs et acteurs qui influencent les politiques éducatives n’ont su prévoir la vitesse de l’impact sur l’éducation des technologies émergents. L’internet s’est introduit à l’improviste dans notre vie quotidienne en tant qu’un instrument servant à développer les compétences et la connaissance.

Ceci se base sur deux raisons :

La pression de la concurrences sur les qualifications professionnelles force les standards des expertises. Parallèlement, les technologies offrent des outils illimités pour accéder à l’information. Par ailleurs nous observons un nouveau profil d’apprenant qui adore la technologie et préfère un accès rapide à l’information, d’autre part nous faisons face à des acteurs de l’éducation professionnelle se positionnant distancés à la technologie.

Pour le succès d’un programme éducatif en ligne il importe de bien analyser ces deux profils. Ceci concerne toutes les étapes de l’apprentissage allant du design de l’interface web à l’architecture, des paramètres d’enregistrements aux méthodologies etc. Dans cet article nous allons passer en revue l’expérience acquise durant un programme pilote en ligne exécuté dans le cadre d’un projet européen LLL programme, exécuté à l’internationale avec la participation de plus de mille bénéficiaires.

Nom du projet :

“ F4ESL ,Cours sur la Législation Européenne sur la Sécurité Alimentaire du Champ à la Fourchette” Profil participant: Licence, maitrise, Phd En langues: Anglais, Turque, Bulgare

L’objet: Cours en ligne pour enseigner la législation européenne sur la sécurité alimentaire Bénéficiaire cible: Ingénieur en agriculture, ingénieur alimentaire et stagiaires. Les cours sont préparés en collaboration avec les projets partenaires sous la coordination du projet leader KSL, Kalite Sistem Merkez Laboratuarlar grubu (TR), L’Universite Agricole Nitra, Slovaquie, TACIYL l’Institut Espagnole des Technologies Agricoles Castilla et Leon , office-fr Turquie, L’Association de la Sécurité Alimentaire, Accent Consultance Bulgarie, SKY Consultance qualité, Tr, Le Ministère turque de L’Agriculture, la Direction en charge du Controle et Protection Alimentaire, Les services Alimentaire et Vétérinaire de Lettonie, Le syndicat des Employeurs de l’Industrie Alimentaire, l’Association des Exportateurs Alimentaires.

Notre Approche:

Les règles et standards visant une standardisation des droits sur les propriétés intellectuelles, les infrastructures de communications, les matériaux d’apprentissage, les softwares se développent d’une grande vitesse. Le monde, axé sur la valeur économique de l’usage des technologies de l’information dans les secteurs non TIC et grâce aux standards qui le permettent, s’oriente de plus en plus vers la production des matériaux d’éducation bon pour tous.

Aussi bien au sein des Universités que dans le secteur public et privé, des projets géants sont déployés à l’international. De ce fait, dans ce projet, nous avons développé nos cours et leçons dans les standards internationaux, éditable et réutilisable. Comme les outils de l’éducation se diversifient durant la formation en ligne par rapport à l’éducation traditionnelle nous avons intégrés tous les outils disponible de Moodle dans notre plateforme. Les outils de communication, dictionnaires en trois langues, forum, chat , vidéo, facilités y ont été implémentés. Comme les cours étaient en trois langues, notre budget n’a pas permis l’intégration de sons aux leçons, de ce fait elles ont été conçues sans son. Les matériaux éducatifs ont été préparés sous le format de Scorm 2004 , implémenté sur la dernière version de Moodle. Nous avons aménagés les utilités catégorisation, statistique, évaluation et reporting de Moodle suivant nos objectifs d’apprentissage. Nous avons crée un environnement déployant toutes les sources et outils de Moodle.

Les objets d’apprentissages ont été développés pour chaque leçon dans les standards internationaux, sous le format Scorm 2004, ces paquets de Scorm indépendant, réutilisable et modifiable chacun de 15-20 minutes ont été implémenté au sein du plateforme. Nos paquets Scorm, sont d’une interopérabilité reconnue, peuvent communiquer avec différent LMS’s. Dans les cours, le parcours d’apprentissage est contrôlable . Chaque leçon offre un environnement contrôlant les séquences et le processus. Des accents flash en sont utilisés. Des règles régissent le rythme et le surf à travers les leçons. Le fait que chaque leçon est indépendant permet une flexibilité pour des modifications ultérieur.

Nos objets d’apprentissages et le plateforme LMS «F4ESL» que nous avons modifié d’après nos besoins, ont été fortement appréciés par les étudiants, enseignant du point de vue de sa facilité d’usage, son indexation interne, le déploiement des sujets, matières, contenu et son accessibilité. Nous disposons de tous les outputs des sondages effectuées à travers les cours, ainsi que tous les “records” des bénéficiaires durant l’apprentissage.

Les partenaires ont fourni, le scenario d’apprentissage, les textes, images, vidéo relatifs aux cours au fur et à mesure du développement de chaque leçon. Les documents instructifs relatifs à l’utilisation du plateforme et les règles régissant ont été préparés et intégrés tout au début du lancement des cours, ainsi que la biographie des enseignants, leur adresse électronique, les liens de références, l’aménagement des outils de communication et d’instruction ont été mis en exécution en premier lieu. Les bénéficiaires ont été sélectionné et inscrits. Ils ont accedé aux cours, un service de support leur à été disposé, les étudiants et enseignant ont été autorisé a télécharger leur propre document.

Les cours n’ont pas été développé sous le format d’ebook. Le scenario d’apprentissage en respecte les besoins des bénéficiaires sous une forme particulière à ce sujet. Les matières et contenus sont bien categorisés et facile à suivre, encouragent l’usage des méthodologies d’apprentissage similaires.

Les cours ont été fortement apprécies par les bénéficiaires , d’après un sondage effectue (%95-98) auprès des bénéficiaires. Les étudiants sont invités dès leur accès au plateforme à respecter le code d’utilisation, les propriétés intellectuelles des contenus et d’accomplir les taches clairement définis au lancement des cours. Durant les cours, l’attitude des bénéficiaires a été suivi quant’ à l’apprentissage, la communication, les tests, et le forum. L’atout additionnelle des LMS par rapport à l’éducation traditionnelle est sa fonctionnalité de traçabilité. Cette fonctionnalité n’est pas très bien connu par les bénéficiaires. Au fur et à mesure de l’avancement des cours, cette capacités a été de temps en temps dévoilé par l’administrateur ou découverte par les bénéficiaires mêmes. Âpres avoir réalisé que leur succès et suivis, ils se sont beaucoup plus concentré aux cours. Finalement ils ont complété 35 leçons groupées sous 5 modules, ont été forcé à compléter une évaluation du cours après chaque module. Ils ont été invite une évaluation finale après l’ensemble des cours. Nous avons observé les dernières 24 heures un rush des participants souhaitant le compléter à la dernière minute. Les cours ont été lancé en premier lieu en anglais, le profil de bénéficiaire était comme suit: des cadres travaillant dans les institutions internationales en matière de la sécurité alimentaire, des académiciens et des professionnels du secteur privé. Ils ont complété une forme sur le web, sélectionné d’après les critères pré établies sur leur métiers ou sur leur précédente formation. Les identifications et mots de passes de chaque bénéficiaire leur ont été communiqué peu avant le lancement. Les 415 premier participants ont eu plein accès au plateforme durant deux mois 24 heures sur 24. Ils ont été invité à changer leur identifiant et mot de passe à leur premier accès. Cependant nous avons observé que certains utilisateurs ayant oublié leur mot de passe ont rencontré certaines difficulté à le récupérer par leur adresse électronique du fait qu’ils avaient apposé une différente adresse (de celle utilisé lors de l’inscription aux cours). Quelque bénéficiaire qui se sont inscrit en utilisant deux adresses de messagerie différentes ou bien qui ont utilises la même adresse électronique et deux noms differents, ont naturellement été inscrits mais pas admis aux cours. Une autre expérience découlant des services de support : l’accès aux cours qui est limité à 1 seul utilisateur a été refusé aux utilisateurs qui avaient oublié de fermer leur compte sur un autre ordinateur ou bien qui on partagé leur identifiant et mot de passe avec quelqu’un d’autre. Ces cas nous ont été signalé comme problèmes techniques or, il s’agissait des problèmes d’utilisateurs.

D’autre part, les utilisateurs ont souvent confondu les notions «accès web»et «accès LMS», ont fait part des problèmes d’accès au plateforme, pourtant ils essayaient leur identifiants sur la page d’accueil au lieu d’aller sur l’LMS.

C’est pourquoi, nous avons décidé d’ajouter dans le futur une note explicative à l’attention des bénéficiaires au moment de l’envoi des identifiants par email et ajouter un visuel sur la page d’accueil.

Du fait que les bénéficiaires du premier cours ( en anglais ) venaient de 55 pays (de different time zones) cette situation a créé des difficultés durant les services de support.

Pour le second et le troisième cours, le plateforme initiale structuré en anglais a été lancé en deux nouvelles langues le turque et le bulgare. 700 nouveaux bénéficiaires ont été inscrits a cette phase. Nous avons reçu au total 2026 candidats, après une sélection initiale, plus de 1000 participants ont été inscrits et bénéficié des cours. Les deux mois consacré à chaque langue a été est satisfaisant du point de vue de l’apprentissage. Nous estimons aussi utile de conseiller de temps en temps aux bénéficiaires de ne pas attendre la dernière minute pour compléter les cours. Il sera aussi utile de les informer que leur parcours d’apprentissage concernant l’accès, les leçons suivis, les enquêtes remplis, test etc sont tous enregistrés par le système. Concernant les tests, nous avons due envoyer à certains utilisateurs à titre de justification. Les copies d’écrans relatives à leur activités au sein du plateforme…

Des le début, toutes les phases se sont déroulé en ligne de l’annoncement des cours, à la sélection, l’inscription, l’évaluation, le reporting et la certification. Deux services de support l’un administratif l’autre technique ont été lancés. Les examens ont été effectués à base de module, les questions sont sélectionnés randonnées à partir du récipient de question. Les examens étaient limites au temps. Les utilisateurs ont bénéficié de 3 accès, le meilleurs point a été pris en considération. L’obligation d’accomplir toutes les modules est sollicité. Finalement les utilisateurs ont demandé un examen de compensation pour refaire les modules qu’ils n’ont pas réussi.

Sources:

-F4ESL – From Farm to Fork European Food Safety Legislation Training Programme Lifelong Learning Program (LLP) “Leonardo da Vinci” (2009-1– TR1–LEO0508647).

-SK/01/B/F/PP-142 243 – Online Distance Learning Module in European Agrarian Law by The Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra.

-http://www.office-fr.com

-http://elearning-turkey.eu

Du fait que les cours sont clôturés en 2012, les liens du projets ne sont plus actifs mais les cours sont disponibles en soft format: http://www.f4esl.eu , http://trainee.f4esl.eu

Version turque de l’article : http://www.midasebook.com/dosyalar2/eogrenme2.pdf page 389 Hard copie: E-Learning en Turquie, etat des choses et examples publication de l’Universite Anatolie

Teaching kids Big Data and applying these concepts to the study of History through the PBL approach by Chris Carter and Peter Tong, Ph.D.


 

“Information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. Each grows out of the other, and we need them all.” – Arthur C. Clark, Scientist and Author

We would add that data is not even information. Data is potential, nothing more. Data in its raw form is like an unpolished diamond: it is of no value until it is analyzed, tabulated and presented in a form that is understood. Mathematicians, statisticians, scientists and computing scientists transform raw data into comprehensible and usable information. Big Data Analytics (BDA) is the current term used to describe the process of harvesting fantastic amounts of raw data and transforming these data into valuable information that can be understood and used productively to gain insights into trends that are otherwise invisible. People in diverse fields ranging from business, economics, social sciences, arts and humanities, and the hard sciences are realizing the need for understanding what Big Data is and how it can be applied to benefit the commercial, industrial, and academic fields.

At Concordia International School Shanghai we offer a Big Data Analytics (BDA) course, thus providing an opportunity for a paradigm shift in teaching. However, there are no established teaching resources of any kind for Big Data at the high school level and, as with any new subject, it has to start somewhere. The course instructor took the opportunity to teach this course using a “guide on the side” approach, a teaching method discussed by Alison King in College Teaching, “From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side.”(1) This is a very powerful method of teaching where students are being “guided on the side” by the teacher, as opposed to listening to the “sage on the stage” teaching method where the teacher directly delivers information to the students. In today’s learning environment where new subject matters and information are rapidly evolving, it is very difficult to assemble current material from which students can refer. Hence, it is important for students to learn how to teach themselves, how to develop learning material and techniques, how to look for information and how to effective communicate that information to others. In accordance with the proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” these learning skills not only allow students to learn subject matter in the classroom, but also give students the tools to teach themselves in future new subject areas. The goal of an educator lies beyond the mere retention and application of knowledge, and extends to the ability to create a confident learning environment, where students gain confidence in their learning abilities and become confident in their roles as lifelong learners.

Through this method, students are empowered by their independent learning abilities and, as a result, they feel a greater sense of achievement in both their education and in themselves.

Teaching BDA is most efficient when the teaching method reflects the open-ended and perpetual nature of information as it currently materializes. At the high school level, the methodology of a BDA course delivery refers to King’s “guide on the side” teaching method. The teacher is required to have a structured framework of clear guidelines, objectives and goals for the course. This teaching method also allows the teacher to bring out the strengths and insights of their students while allowing students to make improvements to their areas of weakness, through the students’ investigation of the subject matter.

This new course is designed as a peer-learning course with the teacher in a facilitator role. For this pilot course, students deliver the daily lessons under the teacher’s guidance. The source materials for each lesson primarily come from Viktor Mayer-Schönberger’s and Kenneth Cukier’s Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think(2), further clarified through images, video clips, and short readings that bring the lessons to life.

While the general concepts of Big Data are taught through student lecture style and peer discussions, the practical learning of this course occurred through its applications. The teacher incorporates both group and individual projects in coordination with the BDA course educational goals, with reference to Bloom’s taxonomy as checkpoints: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. The students are given in-class time for peer discussions and to further research the materials taught after each lecture. At the end of each subsection the students orally present their knowledge and comprehension of the material by creating summaries of topics through multiple means of delivering understanding of the contents.

Since this course is designed to be student-centered and to highlight the students’ strengths and interests, students are required to research their topic of interest on Big Data applications. However, the final presentation is more than a summation of their research interests; it requires a large-scale (1.8m x 2.0m) info-graphic and presentation to the school’s administration team, the head of school and the parent community, many of whom are industry professionals. The opportunity to present these findings to an audience of high-level business people takes advantage of the human resources available in the community and adds a level of achievement for the students: professional interaction and showcasing.

The course connects students to their school, and local and global communities, in addition to the academic community. Big Data university academicians are brought in as guest lecturers via Skype. The guest lecturers are an important element of this course as they provide external feedback from experts and give students a prime opportunity to learn the relevance and potential of Big Data in post-secondary education and beyond.

The course opens doors to real-world exposure and networking opportunities for the students. One of the students now has a head start in her academic career as she networked with one of the guest professors, and is now collaborating with the professor on an undergraduate research project that she will complete upon entering university. While this student is only one among many examples, the overall outcome of the course surpasses initial expectations, including in the realm of cross-curricular cooperation.

One such cross-curricular endeavor currently in process is applying Big Data tools to the study of History. The collaboration began as a serendipitous conversation between the Big Data and Advanced Placement European History teachers. The conversation quickly led to applying Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to BDA, focusing on a question of history. Problem-Based Learning is “a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge.”(3)Two clear and concise videos explaining PBL are Project Based Learning: Explained(4) and Introduction to Project Based Learning (PBL) Process(5). The most organized and useful site for instructors who are considering PBL is Buck Institute for Education(6).

A previous example of historians using Big Data techniques at the post-graduate level can be found in comparisons of American colonial life in the Chesapeake and Massachusetts Bay regions. Prior to recent work historians had little statistical means to put numbers to the arguments, being built largely on primary source documents of the individuals who lived in the regions. Applying Big Data techniques historians slowly, tediously, built data sets from “records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths; property-holding and tax records; civil or criminal court records; military records; ship manifests; slave auction records(7); and cemetery records …” that heretofore had survived separately in numerous archives. By using techniques commonly found in Big Data (aggregation of data, data overlay, anomaly detection, clustering, behavioral analytics, etc.) Historians found hard evidence of shifts in cultural patterns that had previously only been inferred. A stronger case for the economic models being the driving force behind colonial choices emerged.

Working with the AP European History teacher, BDA students took on a similar task of building data sets and applying Big Data techniques to history. The students examined economic data from European countries from the years 1900 to 1939, focusing on the five major players involved in World War II. Their focus question was, to what degree can unique economic stresses account for Germany’s election of Hitler to guide the German state in 1933? Touch-points were created as the project moved forward. Cobbled from notes, these steps were:

• Collect data

• Organize data into logical sets

• Examine data for patterns, anomalies, and changes over time – Visualization of data begins here

• Arrange data sets into logical order – Primary and Secondary sets begin here

• Overlay data sets to look for correlations and addition patterns

• Cut data to tell a story

• Visualize data into a “dashboard” that is clear

• Present data visualizations and insights to authentic audience

Time being limited the data-gathering portion was necessarily truncated. B.R. Mitchell’s International Historical Statistics: Europe 1750-2005 (8)served as the source for all economic data. After data sets were painstakingly created, the analysis began. Immediately the teacher became the guide and coach, not the expert.

The students generated the questions, found the answers, and taught each other. For a teacher used to being in the front of the classroom it was a significant learning experience. The students’ insights gained from analyzing the data demonstrate the degree of critical thinking and learning taking place. Sample questions generated, researched, answered and taught among the students include:

• What do I do with missing data? Not every year for every country is recorded.

• Can forms of alcohol consumption be rough substitutes for a “hopefulness” or “hopelessness” index?

• Is petroleum production or gasoline production a better indicator of economic strength?

• Which resources are linked with each other, and which ones have priority over the others?

With the end of the semester the data sets were compiled, annotated, and placed in a Google Drive folder for pass-through to the next class. The entire exercise occupied approximately seven hours of classroom time. Next semester the Advanced Placement European History students will pick up the challenge. With the data sets assembled, these new students will analyze the results to answer the question that began the process.

Samples of student analysis follow:

“Electricity Output-Germany has the most output and a more drastic increase. … USSR held the last place output quantity until 1932 when their output quantity surpassed that of Italy and continues to drastically increase, hitting a peak in 1941. This indicates a quick development in technology and economy in … USSR as their electricity output increases. At the same time, technology in Germany was the best at the time, and rapidly improving. The contrast of outputs shows us the different development patterns of two countries …”

“Output of Artificial and Synthetic Fibers: The numbers for all five countries started about the same … The number constantly increased. Starting from 1935, the differences between the countries are starting to show. Even though all the numbers are getting larger, the output of Fibers started to increase significantly in Germany. Germany reached its highest point in 1942, … probably used to make new clothes for soldiers, build military tents, etc. because it was cheap and stronger. After losing WW1, Germany was probably starting to prepare the gears for soldiers to fight the next battle.”

“Beer + Wine Output / Sail + Steam Ships / Coal Import + Export Correlation: There is a correlation between unemployment/beer + wine production in Germany. Around 1930 unemployment was highest, beer production was highest (probably happiness factor). When Hitler [was] elected in 1933 unemployment was starting to decrease as well as beer production but wine production spiked around 1933-1934. As WWII is starting [in] 1939, beer production started to rise again, but unemployment was decreasing probably because of war.

One … important factor is that steel production started spiking once Hitler rose to power, and kept increasing by a huge amount. Steel is made to use guns, so since Hitler’s rise to power, he was probably preparing for war or manufacturing because steel production just spiked once Hitler was in power. Other countries such as USSR and UK started increasing as well exactly on 1933, so something interesting is happening … Electricity usage started rapidly increasing for Germany, so electricity + steel is probably for industrialization.”

Upon reflection, the lessons learned were both skill- and content-based, and practical. The students learned to apply their BDA knowledge in a practical exercise that pushed them to work collaboratively, problem-solve creatively, and think deeply. For the instructors it was an exercise of discovery, as the students proved worthy of the challenges set before them. The instructors became sources of wisdom, rather than founts of knowledge. Teachers and students worked cohesively toward a common objective in a collegial spirit of mutual respect. The student-focused nature of the exercise meant a level of discomfort for the instructors, as powers over class direction and time utilization were shared. Yet the uneasiness reduced over time as the instructors learned to trust the students and the students, recognizing the responsibility given them, grew in maturity and responsibility. The time spent in class was the most sustained, focused, and cooperative we had ever experienced. We look forward to continuing the exercise in the next semester.

REFERENCES

(1)Alison King, “From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side,” College Teaching 41, no. 1 (1993): 30–35.

(2)Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, Kenneth Cukier, and Viktor Mayer-Schonberger, Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think (United States: Eamon Dolan/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014).

(3)“What Is PBL? | Project Based Learning,” accessed November 30, 2015, http://bie.org/about/ what_pbl.

(4)Buck Institute for Education, “Project Based Learning: Explained,” YouTube, December 9, 2010, posted November 30, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8.

(5)David Lee EdTech, “Introduction to Project Based Learning (PBL) Process,” YouTube, May 12, 2015, posted December 5, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08D0dBGIzYQ.

(6)“Project Based Learning,” 2015, accessed November 23, 2015, http://bie.org/

(7)William Bruce Wheeler and Susan D. Becker, Discovering the American Past Vol. 1: A Look at the Evidence to 1877 (United States: Houghton Mifflin (Academic), 2002).

(8)Brian R. Mitchell, International Historical Statistics 1750-2005: Europe (International Historical Statistics Europe), 6th ed. (Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008).

We asked Anthony Allday, computing leader at Sacred Heart Primary School in London and Craig Keaney a primary school teacher from Liverpool about their experiences of implementing the new Computing Curriculum. We know that it has been a challenging year for many schools and hope that finding out about how others are managing the changes will provide you with useful information.


 

Could you please introduce yourself?

CraigMy name is Craig Keaney, I currently work at a primary school in Liverpool as a year 6 teacher, other roles include: Computing Leader and E-Safety Coordinator. I am a CAS Master Teacher and HUB Leader.

 

Have you started to teach the new Computing curriculum in your school? How is it going?

The new curriculum was implemented at the beginning of September 2014. As a starting point, teachers began to look at ‘unplugged computing’ followed by simple algorithms. Over the term, I began researching a scheme that we could adapt to fit our school, and so began using a scheme created by a local City Learning Centre, adapting it to fit our needs.

After some teething problems in the first year, as a staff, we have become more confident and enthusiastic in teaching the subject.

What are the main challenges you came a cross when teaching the new computing curriculum?

One of the main challenges we faced was teacher subject knowledge and confidence in teaching the new curriculum. This challenge was identified before we implemented the teaching of computing. As a result, alongside the teaching of the scheme, a number of staff meetings were held to develop and support skills required, in addition to having ‘drop-in’ sessions for teachers. This had an impact on the scheme I had adapted, as the scheme relied of a prerequisite of skills, which we had not fully developed.

Over the last year, teachers in school have worked hard to develop and learn the necessary skills, including learning from the children. This has had a impact on teacher confidence. There continues to be support in place for teachers, if needed, an opportunities for them to attended CPD. It is the hope that, as the skills develop, we will be able to have our own scheme rather than using a established scheme to support teaching.

It is also worth mentioning that amongst staff there was a misconception that the new curriculum was all about coding. The teachers in school did need reassuring that there are elements of the ICT they know still in the program of study.

What about children, what is their opinion of the computing lessons? Do they think, feel different?

The majority of the children have really enjoyed the new curriculum, in my personal opinion, I think it is because it matches the skills of the ‘modern technological child’, compared with the old curriculum. The children have been enthusiastic to show what they can do: from creating games, to augmented reality and most importantly [to them], creating vast structures in Minecraft.

I have noticed that there is a gender divide in knowledge and enthusiasm in the lessons. The boys have show more enthusiasm and stronger skill set than the girls, and from speaking with other teachers in the area this appears to be a common tred. As a result, I have tried to link lessons to a topic they find interesting.

Do you think parents are aware of the curriculum changes? Any reaction?

The biggest reaction I have seen from parents, is not about the ‘coding’ aspect of the curriculum, but the e-Safety aspect. The parents in our school want to learn more about how they can make sure their children are safe whilst online, wether being on the Internet, on Smartphones, texting and most importantly, social media and games consoles. To accommodate this reaction we have held meetings for parents to learn about the benefits of technology, and importantly the dangers that come with it.

Any advise to schools who are still confused about where to start?

• From my experience over the last couple of years, the three best pieces of advice I could offer are as follows:

• You’re not alone – make links to other schools, including secondary schools, and use the resources available to you, such as CAS Master Teachers.

• Make sure there is support structure in place for teachers so they can develop their skills and boost their confidence. Don’t forget to use the knowledge of the children; it gives them a great sense of pride.

• If you want to devise a scheme for your school, make sure you know the skills of your teachers and use that to inform what you do. There are free schemes available that can be used help write a scheme that fits your school, but also includes the support needed to boost necessary skills and subject knowledge. Don’t make my mistake and adapt too much in the first instance.