Open Social-Shared Animated GIFs for Peer-to-Peer Teaching and Learning

In the open-shared teaching and learning space, the complexity of the shared learning contents vary. These range from stand-alone items and digital learning objects to full learning sequences and sets of resources. One humble object is the animated GIF, lightweight motion images used in graphical user interfaces (GUIs), expressive memes and commentary, emoticons, and other applications. Animated GIFs are fairly easy to create; they may be integrated into learning documents (handouts, slideshows, articles) and other objects, and it plays offline (and without the need for any downloadable player). This work involves an analysis of some available animated GIFs for education in social imagery collections. Based on findings, this work explores the viability of animated GIFs for various open-shared learning applications globally and some potential strategies and tactics, given real-world limits.

“Computational Thinking” From Pre-K to Graduate Studies to Life

If societies are to advance, they have to be able to harness the capabilities of their technologies in broad and efficient ways. One such technology is computation, writ large, which has crept into so many aspects of modern life. “Computational thinking,” as a bridge between people and computation-based and generalizable problem solving, is a multi-step approach that has seeped into pre-K through graduate school in formal (accredited) learning, nonformal (non-accredited) learning, and informal (byproduct) learning. This work explores what peer-shared open-learning resources are available for this approach based on a multi-channel search of the Social Web through social imagery, shared (digital) learning objects, shared slideshows, and social videos.

Tactical and Substantive Educational Templates on Formal Open Learning Content Sharing Repositories and Referatories

To enable more efficient work, educational templates have been created for various contexts: online learning, assessments, video creation, document creation, and others. This work involves the exploration of 191 template-related digital learning objects shared on a learning object repository/referatory, an LMS-related object-sharing site, social slideshow sharing site, and social video sharing site, as an environmental scan. This work culminates in a definition of a “tactical and substantive educational template” (TASET) as a collaborative object and various requisite features for quality and heritability.

Teaching Physics to Students With Intellectual Disabilities Using Digital Learning Objects

Digital Learning Objects (DLOs) as pedagogical complete structures of learning content contribute to science education. DLOs especially in the form of interactive simulations seem to be promising tools in physics teaching and learning for students with intellectual disabilities (ID). This study used an AB single subject design to evaluate the effects of four DLOs on students’ learning of transverse waves and simple pendulum motion in a special education high school setting. A functional relationship was found between students’ correct responses concerning both scientific terminology and physical phenomena understanding during probe sessions and the DLOs intervention. In addition, a social validity assessment that evaluated students’ attitudes on learning, quality, and engagement, showed that the DLOs helped students with ID to acquire physics content. The students also reported satisfaction from using the DLOs. Suggestions for future research include the design of DLOs especially for students with ID.

The Challenging Aspects of Digital Learning Objects Usage in a Primary School During the Pandemics

The COVID-19 pandemic situation forced to look for other ways to provide continuous education around the world, which highlighted the importance and necessity of online education platforms and digital learning object (DLO) while going through this shift (Zhou et al., 2020; Viner et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020). Teachers, in primary schools as well, had to reorganize completely their curriculum and assignments to adapt them to the virtual environment. This paper, based on the experiences of primary school teachers, aims to reveal the challenges faced by the teachers when within two weeks all Lithuanian schools and universities had to switch to remote education from face-to-face education and when the adoption of DLOs moved from optional to compulsory ‘mode’ as learning process became remote. The research problem is analyzed primarily by revealing the theoretical aspects of the research, i.e., the concept of the DLO, the specifics of the adoption of DLOs in primary education and the challenges considered through the types of barriers. The findings indicate that teachers experienced challenges of practical training, issues in pupils’ assessment due to the lack of participation in the process of assignment completion, time constrain, different computer systems used, issues of online security, internet access and support. The study also identified the challenges of practical origin, namely, difficulties in keeping pupils’ concentration and attention throughout the lesson, lower level of teacher’s control during lessons as well as differences in pupils’ technical skills to use computers. Received: 2 August 2021 / Accepted: 20 August 2021 / Published: 5 September 2021

Digitalization of language teaching of bilingual children: Practices in Russia and abroad

Цифровизация образовательного процесса, получившая ускорение в эпоху пандемии, диктует необходимость изучения эффективных моделей взаимодействия обучающего с цифровыми технологиями, что обусловило актуальность данного исследования. В целях выделения ключевых принципов применения цифровых ресурсов в билингвальном (мультилингвальном) дошкольном образовании авторы провели онлайн-опрос, позволивший исследовать мнения и образовательные практики родителей и педагогов, работающих с детьми-билингвами 3 - 8 лет и применяющих компьютерные, мобильные и другие цифровые технологии в программах развития русской речи в России и за ее пределами. Результаты свидетельствуют о растущей востребованности мультимодальных цифровых обучающих объектов, ориентированных на детей дошкольного возраста, и необходимости развития профессиональных компетенций педагогов как медиаторов знаний. Полученные в ходе эмпирического исследования данные позволили авторам сформулировать важные принципы интеграции цифровых обучающих объектов, которые могут быть рекомендованы для рассмотрения родителями и педагогами, участвующими в развитии речи детей дошкольного и раннего школьного возраста. The digitalization of the educational process accelerated in the era of the pandemic calls for the study of effective interactional models between the learner and digital technologies, which explains the significance of this study. In order to highlight the key principles of the application of digital resources in bilingual (multilingual) preschool education, the authors conducted an online survey on the views and educational practices of parents and educators working with 3 - 8 years old bilinguals using computer, mobile and other digital technologies in Russian speech development programs in Russia and abroad. The results demonstrate the growing demand for multimodal digital learning objects aimed at preschool children and the need to develop the professional competences of educators as mediators of knowledge. The findings from the empirical study allowed the authors to formulate important principles for the integration of digital technologies, which could be recommended for consideration by parents and educators involved in speech development of early childhood and primary education.

Business as Usual or Digital Mechanisms for Change?

Mathematics classrooms have a long history of what has been termed ‘unidimensional' character: a proclivity for student practice routines and teachers as experts and keepers of knowledge. This study investigates affordances of student-created digital learning objects (SC-DLOs) as transformative, design-for-learning practices in the hands of students. Historical distinctions are drawn between digital learning objects (DLOs) and digital learning artefacts (DLAs) primarily for teacher assessment of student learning. SC-DLOs are conceived as students' design for learning for the peer learning community. Hence, SC-DLOs have additional and different learning potential that aligns with 21st century skill development. A corpus of mathematics SC-DLOs (n=155) were analysed from learner blogs (Year 7-8) in a 1:1 digital initiative in New Zealand. A mixed-methods approach was used to investigate features of students' multimodal design for learning. A framework of implications informs and problematises understandings of transformative digital creation by students in mathematics.

Implementation of Digital Learning Objects as Innovation in the Classroom Activities

Recent and ongoing technological advancement has resulted in omnipresence of technology everywhere. More importantly, the use of technology has become characteristic of today's education. Pedagogy as it is traditionally understood is now changing more swiftly than ever before. Scholars suggest that such shift is natural and needed because Industry 4.0 requires the type of education that anticipates and meets its demands or helps to solve its challenges. Even though technology-enhanced learning (TEL) promises positive changes, the lifetime of the smaller TEL units, namely digital learning objects (DLOs), is not necessarily a long one. In scientific discourse, there is considerable criticism towards unsustainable use of technology and innovative teachers' practices. The main research question focuses on what peculiarities and, especially barriers, occur when teachers implement DLOs and what aspects should be highlighted in teacher training programs for the adaptation to be implemented successfully.