Authors:
Christos Goumopoulos
1
;
Olga Fragou
2
;
Nikolaos Chanos
3
;
Konstantinos Delistavrou
4
;
Ioannis Zaharakis
5
;
Vasilis Stefanis
2
and
Achilles Kameas
4
Affiliations:
1
Computer Technology Institute and Press and Aegean University, Greece
;
2
Computer Technology Institute and Press, Greece
;
3
Hellenic Open University, Greece
;
4
Computer Technology Institute and Press and Hellenic Open University, Greece
;
5
Computer Technology Institute and Press and Technological Educational Institute of Western Greece, Greece
Keyword(s):
UMI Technologies, STEM Education, Internet of Things, Ubiquitous Computing, Communities of Practice.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer-Supported Education
;
e-Learning
;
e-Learning Hardware and Software
;
e-Learning Platforms
;
Information Technologies Supporting Learning
;
Simulation and Modeling
;
Simulation Tools and Platforms
Abstract:
Currently, there is a growing research interest on emerging technologies, such as, ubiquitous computing, mobile computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), collectively mentioned as UMI technologies. The proliferation of UMI technologies will not only change the way we live but can also offer new learning opportunities. At the same time, there is an increasing need for skills that are associated with the UMI domain in the labour market. The Umi-Sci-Ed is an EU project which explores ways to shed new light into this training aspect by introducing several model educational scenarios that incorporate UMI technologies, in order to cultivate relevant competences on high school students. This paper reports initial results achieved in this context. In particular, we give an overview of the key components of the UMI-Sci-Ed platform that aims to support the activities of Communities of Practice involved in STEM education. Students through a mentoring mechanism are provided with training mater
ial, IoT hardware kits and software tools to explore UMI technologies through hands-on activities. In this framework, example educational scenarios and the corresponding UMI applications developed are presented. The hypothesis is that the learning process can be empowered by using such UMI applications as students are provided with meaningful opportunities to participate in the learning process such as in terms of building applications that are relevant to the subject they like and having active interactions within student groups in a way that practical experiences can provide them a rich context to grasp scientific knowledge. Finally, the results of a preliminary evaluation of the proposed approach in the context of an educational workshop are discussed.
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