Situating multimodal learning analytics

The digital age has introduced a host of new challenges and opportunities for the learning sciences community. These challenges and opportunities are particularly abundant in multimodal learning analytics (MMLA), a research methodology that aims to extend work from Educational Data Mining (EDM) and Learning Analytics (LA) to multimodal learning environments by treating multimodal data. Recognizing the short-term opportunities and longterm challenges will help develop proof cases and identify grand challenges that will help propel the field forward. To support the field's growth, we use this paper to describe several ways that MMLA can potentially advance learning sciences research and touch upon key challenges that researchers who utilize MMLA have encountered over the past few years

Exploring children's designs for maker technologies

There is growing interest in maker technologies around how they can be included in school curriculums to engage children with science subjects and about their use to explore new creative possibilities. Given that maker technologies are currently unfamiliar to most children across the world this work sought to use these technologies to investigate whether technology experience has an influence on design within a making context. A study was carried out with 29 participants aged 8-9 that involved a design task and a scaffolded making task based around a physical game using Arduino. Half of the participants completed the making task first then the design task, the other half completed the design task first then the making task. The design ideas created were then coded on 5-point scales for complexity of construction and novelty of concept, the coders also looked for evidence of transference from the making task to the design ideas. Results indicated that completing the making task prior to the design task increased the mean complexity of construction score. No clear evidence was found of elements from the making task being transferred into the design ideas. In addition to the specific findings about technology influence on design, the paper offers more general insights for those working within this space

Estudo sobre o acolhimento de crianças e adolescentes em instituições para pessoas com deficiência

Este artigo tem como objetivo investigar as instituições de acolhimento para pessoas com deficiência no estado de São Paulo, assim como analisar o acolhimento de crianças e adolescentes nestes serviços. Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa, de caráter descritivo e corte transversal. Na primeira etapa de coleta de dados, o estudo realizou um mapeamento das instituições em diferentes cadastros, de livre acesso, dos serviços públicos e conveniados, ligados à gestão federal, estadual e municipal nas áreas da infância, assistência social e saúde. Na segunda etapa, a coleta de dados ocorreu por meio da leitura de prontuários em uma instituição específica. Como resultado, o estudo indica ausência de tipificação única ou regulamentação específica, assim como a falta de práticas de desinstitucionalização e desarticulação com a rede intersetorial. Os resultados revelam, também, que a internação de crianças e adolescentes é recorrente nessas instituições e retratam características desta prática: ocorrência de transinstitucionalização, internações via determinação judicial e falta ou precariedade de serviços territoriais e de ações intersetoriais. Por fim, é apontada a necessidade de implantação de redes substitutivas e desenvolvimento de ações intersetoriais de atenção para crianças e adolescentes. Além da fundamental relevância de aprofundamento sobre a população institucionalizada.This study seeks to investigate the care institutions for people with disabilities in São Paulo State and analyze the admission of children and adolescents to these services. This is a qualitative descriptive study with a cross-sectional sample. In its first stage, this study mapped the institutions in different free-access registers of public and contracted services, tied to federal, state, or municipal management in the areas of childhood, social assistance, and health. In its second step, data were collected by reading the medical records of a specific institution. As a result, this study points to the lack of a single typification or specific regulation, the absence of deinstitutionalization practices, and the lack of coordination with the intersectoral network. Results also show that the recurrent institutionalization of children and adolescents in these institutions and describes the characteristics of this practice: the occurrence of transinstitutionalization, hospitalizations via judicial determination, and lack or precariousness of territorial services and intersectoral actions. Finally, this research points to the need for implementing substitutive networks and developing intersectoral actions of care for children and adolescents and highlights the key relevance of further developing knowledge about the institutionalized population

Machine and human observable differences in groups’ collaborative problem-solving behaviours

This paper contributes to our understanding of how to design learning analytics to capture and analyse collaborative problem-solving (CPS) in practice-based learning activities. Most research in learning analytics focuses on student interaction in digital learning environments, yet still most learning and teaching in schools occurs in physical environments. Investigation of student interaction in physical environments can be used to generate observable differences among students, which can then be used in the design and implementation of Learning Analytics. Here, we present several original methods for identifying such differences in groups CPS behaviours. Our data set is based on human observation, hand position (fiducial marker) and heads direction (face recognition) data from eighteen students working in six groups of three. The results show that the high competent CPS groups spend an equal distribution of time on their problem-solving and collaboration stages. Whereas, the low competent CPS groups spend most of their time in identifying knowledge and skill deficiencies only. Moreover, as machine observable data shows, high competent CPS groups present symmetrical contributions to the physical tasks and present high synchrony and individual accountability values. The findings have significant implications on the design and implementation of future learning analytics systems

Exploring Problem-Based Learning for Middle School Design and Engineering Education in Digital Fabrication Laboratories

This is a research study of design and engineering classes that use a problem-based learning (PBL) approach in digital fabrication makerspaces in two middle schools. In these studies, teachers employ a PBL approach and provide an ill-structured problem scenario to facilitate design and engineering lessons in the FabLab (fabrication laboratory). Students in each school tackled different challenges that they defined for themselves in groups. This study provides examples of student-student interactions separated into key themes—defining specifications with teammates, personal exploration, and communication about discoveries. This study also provides examples of teacher-student interactions, and themes include demonstrations with tangible objects, discussing prototype failure, and managing behavioral issues. The purpose of this study is to provide insights about PBL in a nontraditional, technology-rich FabLab environment

Reasoning Strategies in the Context of Engineering Design with Everyday Materials

‘‘Making’’ represents an increasingly popular label for describing a form of engineering design. While making is growing in popularity, there are still open questions about the strategies that students are using in these activities. Assessing and improving learning in making/ engineering design contexts require that we have a better understanding of where students’ ideas are coming from and a better way to characterize student progress in open-ended learning environments. In this article, we use a qualitative analysis of students’ responses (N = 13) in order to identify the origins of their ideas. Four strategies emerged from this analysis: unexplained reasoning; materials-based reasoning; example-based reasoning; and principle-based reasoning. We examine key characteristics of each strategy and how each strategy relates to learning and expertise through in-depth case studies. Furthermore, we identify how these four strategies are a complement to prior work on analogical problem solving and creativity, and offer a number of unique contributions that are particularly relevant for engineering education. Finally, we include two coding schemes that can be used to classify students’ responses. Studying reasoning strategies in this way is a fruitful means for characterizing student learning in complex learning environments. Moreover, understanding reasoning strategies impacts the nature of student–teacher discussions and informs how to help students progress most effectively

EDUCAÇÃO MAKER: ONDE ESTÁ O CURRÍCULO?

The Maker Movement has been observed by educational institutions, contributing to the growing interest in implementing maker education in K-12 and higher education. However, the examples of this implementation show that the maker activities are not yet integrated with the curriculum. The objective of this article is to understand how maker education can be integrated into the k-12 curriculum. As for the methodology it were used the qualitative approach and visits to institutions that were implementing maker education. Based on these experiences, it was possible to categorize the material collected into two groups of activities: those developed in schools, but not related to the curriculum; and those related to one or two subjects in the curriculum. Finally, based on the case studies described and the readings, it is suggested how the implementation of maker education can be carried out in k-12 education. The focus of this education should not only be the teaching of disciplinary content through maker approaches, but be able to create conditions for the student to become aware and understand the curricular concepts that are present in the products they build.El Movimiento maker ha sido observado por las instituciones educativas, contribuyendo al creciente interés en implementar la educación maker en la educación básica y superior. Sin embargo, los ejemplos de esta implementación muestran que las actividades maker aún no están integradas con el currículum. El propósito de este artículo es comprender cómo la educación maker puede integrarse en el currículum. Con este fin, se utilizó el enfoque documental y la visita a las instituciones que están implementando la educación maker. Con base en estas experiencias, fue posible clasificar el material recolectado en dos grupos de actividades: las desarrolladas en las escuelas, pero no relacionadas con el currículum; y los relacionados con una o dos asignaturas del currículum. Finalmente, con base en los estudios de casos descritos y las lecturas realizadas, se describe cómo la implantación de la educación maker puede llevarse a cabo en la educación básica. El enfoque de esta educación no solo debe ser la enseñanza de contenido disciplinario a través del maker, sino también ser capaz de crear condiciones para que el estudiante tome conciencia y comprenda los conceptos curriculares que están presentes en los productos que construyen.O Movimento Maker tem sido observado pelas instituições educacionais, contribuindo para o crescente interesse pela implantação da educação maker tanto no ensino básico quanto no superior. No entanto, os exemplos dessa implantação mostram que as atividades maker não estão ainda integradas com o currículo, especialmente com as disciplinas de ciência, tecnologia, engenharia e matemática ou artes, história etc., ou seja, o STEM-ampliado. O objetivo desse artigo é entender como a educação maker pode ser integrada ao currículo do ensino básico. Para tanto foi usada a abordagem documental e a visita à instituições que estão implantando a educação maker. Com base nessas experiências foi possível classificar o material coletado em três grupos de atividades: as desenvolvidas nas escola, porém não relacionadas com o currículo; as que estão relacionadas com uma ou duas disciplinas do currículo; e as que integram diferentes disciplinas do STEM-ampliado. Finalmente, com base nos estudos de casos descritos e nas leituras realizadas é retratado como a implantação da educação maker pode ser realizada no ensino básico. O foco dessa educação não deve ser apenas o ensino de conteúdos disciplinares por intermédio do maker, mas ser capaz de criar condições para que o aluno tome consciência e entenda os conceitos curriculares que estão presentes nos produtos que constroem