Human-Centered Design focuses on the analysis, specification and involvement of a product's end users as driving elements in the design process. The primary research objective of the case-study... Show More

Human-Centered Design focuses on the analysis, specification and involvement of a product's end users as driving elements in the design process. The primary research objective of the case-study presented in this paper is to illustrate that it is essential to include users with special needs into all major steps of designing a web-portal that provides services to these special users. But how can this be accomplished in the case of users with special cognitive and affective needs? Would the “classical” Human-Centered Design Process (HCD) be sufficient or would it need to be adapted and complemented with special procedures and tools? In this paper the design team shares the strategies they adopted and the experiences they gained by including users with dyslexia in the design of the LITERACY Web-Portal. Besides providing insight into the special effort and steps needed to adapt HCD for users with special needs, the paper encourages application designers to include end-users even though - or particularly because - they have needs that are special and critical for the adoption of the product.

In literature, e-learning plays an important part in improving the needs of learners and educators, as well as other stakeholders and institutions. However, this research indicates that e-learning... Show More

In literature, e-learning plays an important part in improving the needs of learners and educators, as well as other stakeholders and institutions. However, this research indicates that e-learning is often used as a repository for uploading academic materials, without taking into consideration characteristics of the learner. This investigation examines a variety of techniques adopted from e-learning, adaptive learning and User Modelling to suggest improvements within industry. Throughout the paper, there will be a strong influence on how future PLEs should be designed and tailored to challenge the end users' perception of on-line education to meet the future needs of the learner, the educator and the institution. Focusing on future trends would allow developers to encapsulate learners motivational and learning needs. These aspects would enable designers to improve usability, functionality and reliability. PLEs are not just a collection of applications tailored towards personalisation, they are significantly more important than that. These systems are designed to be a functioned application/platform/management-system that promotes and encourages Personalised Learning. The research found within the case studies have shown that concepts of PLEs have contributed towards the learners' experience.

Computational thinking is a necessary skill, but developing it among young learners can be a difficult process. Wolfram Research, known in part for its accessible Wolfram Language and complex... Show More

Computational thinking is a necessary skill, but developing it among young learners can be a difficult process. Wolfram Research, known in part for its accessible Wolfram Language and complex computational tool Mathematica, has recently developed new initiatives for introducing computational thinking to novice learners. These tools help make computational thinking accessible to students across the K12 curriculum.

This article describes a research project for exploring learning activities with Raspberry Pis in four school contexts in the UK. The aim of the project was to compare different learning designs... Show More

This article describes a research project for exploring learning activities with Raspberry Pis in four school contexts in the UK. The aim of the project was to compare different learning designs, which had the shared objective of developing computational competencies, to investigate how these designs might simultaneously develop critical understanding of both the practices of Computing and students' own learning with respect to those practices. The study used a novel ‘before/after' implementation of Q methodology in combination with participant observations and reflective interviews with twenty-eight pupils. Findings suggested that where pupils were already predisposed to future involvement in Computing practices, working with Raspberry Pis did develop critical understanding, in ways that were less dependent on learning design. For those who had a more naïve or indifferent view of Computing, the pedagogy was most influential on how student perspectives developed, a pedagogy of expressibility being the key to supporting greater criticality.

This article outlines a case study in which the author employs a Raspberry Pi 3 miniature computer as a Digital Signage System, which can be managed from either laptop, smartphone or desktop... Show More

This article outlines a case study in which the author employs a Raspberry Pi 3 miniature computer as a Digital Signage System, which can be managed from either laptop, smartphone or desktop computers. The author presents it as a case study that high school students (and their teachers) can follow, as a collaborative project that delivers a cost effective and flexible, digital signage system for their school. While it does not require any coding on their part, it presents an excellent use of ICT, by configuring multiple interrelated hardware and open software, in a school community setting, that would fit in with many contemporary digital technology curriculums.

This article investigates the use of Raspberry Pi and Scratch to introduce novice high school students to computer programming during a short interaction. Results show that, with only a four-hour... Show More

This article investigates the use of Raspberry Pi and Scratch to introduce novice high school students to computer programming during a short interaction. Results show that, with only a four-hour engagement, students show a significant increase in programming self-efficacy. Furthermore, results show that this increase is the same for both males and females. This provides promising results for those who wish to effectively introduce programming to novices, even over a short engagement period.