A survey of high school students with ubiquitous access to tablet PCs

This paper presents findings of a study of high school students participating in a tablet PC (TPC) programme. Primary areas of interest were students' experiences with and attitudes about the TPCs, physical discomfort associated with use of TPCs and temporal and task-driven patterns of TPC use. Data were collected via questionnaire and computer use-monitoring software. Results showed students' attitudes were generally quite positive towards the TPCs, although they did not tend to think TPCs had improved their grades, few disagreed that TPCs were a distraction in class, and visual and musculoskeletal discomfort was prevalent. Understanding how to use the TPC and recognizing its organizational capacity were associated with several positive attitudes towards the TPC, including making school more enjoyable. Children's exposure to computers will only increase, so study of the many dimensions of their impact is critical in order to understand what is effective, constructive and healthful for children.     

平板电脑研究综述

从操作系统、硬件、应用等方面对平板电脑的市场进行了分析,并作出了相应的总结和预测。     

Testbeds for ubiquitous robotics: A survey

The growing interest in ubiquitous robotics has originated in the last years the development of a high variety of testbeds. This paper presents a survey on existing ubiquitous robotics testbeds comprising networked mobile robots and networks of distributed sensors, cameras and smartphones, among others. The survey provides an insight into the testbed design, internal behavior and use, identifying trends and existing gaps and proposing guidelines for testbed developers. The level of interoperability among different ubiquitous robotics technologies is used as the main conducting criterion of the survey. Other features analyzed include testbed architectures, target experiments and usability tools.     

Personalised ubiquitous file access with XML Web Services

The explosion of new types of end-user devices, as well as the increase in the number of users with broadband connection in private households, opens up the opportunity to provide access to documents and services residing in the home domain from remote locations. Also, the increased mobility of users, as well as the need to be able to work in all locations, further adds to the requirement of remote document access. The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, it introduces the Mobile Home Access system, which simplifies remote access to resources in a home domain. The Mobile Home Access (MHA) system is based on the Service-Oriented Computing concept and realized using XML Web Services for communication between the home domain and the end-user device, while employing the Common Internet File System (CIFS) network file system to allow appropriate file access in the home domain. The second contribution is the mechanism whereby such a service can be deployed when network elements like firewalls and NAT routers are introduced. The challenge of establishing a connection from a remote device is general for both client–server services and peer-to-peer services. The paper proposes and describes a design and implementation of a solution using XML Web Services technologies, and thus shows how NAT traversal technology can be integrated with such middleware. The third contribution of this paper is a performance analysis of the current implementation of the Mobile Home Access service. The results of the analysis should be interesting for the applicability of XML Web Services in mobile computing in general.     

MMORPGS and cognitive performance: A study with 1280 Brazilian high school students

The present paper attempts to empirically study the cognitive impacts of Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) in uncontrolled contexts in light of the Cognitive Mediation Networks Theory, a new model of human intelligence that aims to explain cognition as the result of brain activity combined with the information-processing done by external structures such as tools, social groups and culture. A sample of 1280 students Brazilian high school students answered a form inquiring about socio-demographic information plus the use of computer games, and also was submitted to a short knowledge exam and a mini psychometric test. The findings indicated that, due to their underlying structure and sociocultural nature, MMORPGs are associated to a greater level of insertion into the Digital Age, higher levels of logical-numerical performance, and better scholastic ability. Finally, suggestions are made for future studies on the subject.     

Activity-oriented access control to ubiquitous hospital information and services

In hospital information systems, protecting the confidentiality of health information, whilst at the same time allowing authorized physicians to access it conveniently, is a crucial requirement. The need to deliver health information at the point-of-care is a primary factor to increase healthcare quality and cost efficiency. However, current systems require considerable coordination effort of hospital professionals to locate relevant documents to support a specific activity. This paper presents a flexible and dynamic access control model, Activity-Oriented Access Control (AOAC), which is based on user activity to authorize access permissions. A user is allowed to perform an activity if he/she holds a number of satisfactory attributes (i.e. roles, assignments, etc.) under a specified condition (e.g. time, location). Results of AOAC implementation in a realistic healthcare scenario have shown to meet two important requirements: protecting confidentiality of health information by denying an unauthorized access, and allowing physicians to conveniently browse medical data at the point-of-care. Furthermore, the average execution time was 0.078 s which allows AOAC to work in real-time.     

Comparative study of netbooks and tablet PCs for fostering face-to-face collaborative learning

With the recent appearance of netbooks and low-cost tablet PCs, a study was undertaken to explore their potential in the classroom and determine which of the two device types is more suitable in this setting. A collaborative learning activity based on these devices was implemented in 5 sessions of a graduate engineering course of 20 students, most of whom were aged 22-25 and enrolled in undergraduate computer science and information technology engineering programs. Student behavior attributes indicating oral and gesture-based communication were observed and evaluated. Our findings indicate that in the context in which this study was undertaken, tablet PCs strengthen collective discourse capabilities and facilitate a richer and more natural body language. The students preferred tablet PCs to netbooks and also indicated greater self-confidence in expressing their ideas with the tablet’s digital ink and paper technology than with the netbooks’ traditional vertical screen and keyboard arrangement.     

Exploring acceptance of intelligent tutoring system with pedagogical agent among high school students

Universal Access in the Information Society - An intelligent tutoring system (ITS) provides universal access to education, which is an emerging paradigm of modern education. ITS is an educational...     

Using e-portfolio for learning goal setting to facilitate self-regulated learning of high school students

ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore the influence of using e-portfolio for learning goal setting on self-regulated learning. The subjects were 40 second-year students (18 males and 22 females) taking the ‘Webpage Design’ course of the Department of Information Technology in a vocational high school. The experimental teaching lasted for ten weeks, and the students used e-portfolio for learning goal setting. The t-test result showed that the students’ self-regulated learning after using e-portfolio for learning goal setting is better than that before goal setting. The regression result showed that goal setting performance significantly and positively influences self-regulated learning. In other words, having goal setting or better goal setting leads to better self-regulated learning. Finally, limitation and recommendations for future work are proposed.     

Observations of achievement and motivation in using cloud computing driven CAD: Comparison of college students with high school and vocational high school backgrounds

Cloud computing technology has matured as it has been integrated with every kind of digitalization processes. It offers numerous advantages for data and software sharing, and thus making the management of complex IT systems much simpler. For education in engineering, cloud computing even provides students with versatile and ubiquitous access to software commonly used in the field without having to step into an actual computer lab. Our study analyzed learning attitudes and academic performances induced by the utilization of resources driven by cloud computing technologies. Comparisons were made between college students with high school and vocational high school backgrounds. One hundred and thirty-two students who took the computer-aided designing (CAD) course participated in the study. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used as the fundamental framework. Open-ended sets of questionnaires were designed to measure academic performance and causal attributions; the results indicated no significant differences in the cognitive domain between the two groups of students, though it is not so in both the psychomotor and the affective domains. College students with vocational high school background appeared to possess higher learning motivation in CAD applications.     

A survey of techniques for remote access to home networks and resources

Consumer Electronics devices are becoming network enabled, and along with smart phones and personal computers, they are all interconnected in home networks with broadband Internet connectivity. This sets the opportunity of making the home network, its devices and content accessible from the Internet, allowing the home owners to remotely access their connected home any time, any place, using any device. This paper provides a holistic overview of the “Remote Acces” topic, presenting all the problems and issues that make it challenging in different contexts, and most importantly analyzing six techniques and methods for enabling the remote access scenarios. It is a guide created by the combination of scientific research, extensive industrial experiences and first hand participation in relevant standardization activities.     

Parenting style and parental monitoring with information communication technology: A study on Japanese junior high school students and their parents

Data were collected from 286 pairs of Japanese junior high school students and their parents to explore the association between parenting style and the intention to use monitoring systems incorporating advanced information technology such as GPS devices and IC cards. Results indicated that a majority of the participants had not experienced advanced monitoring systems, but more than half of the parents had some degree of intention to use them. The relationship between the intention to use monitoring systems and two types of parenting styles (i.e., responsiveness and control) reported by both parents and children was investigated. Categorical regression analyses revealed that parenting style was a predictor of the intention to use monitoring systems, with parent-reported control being the most significant predictor of parents’ intention to use. Child-reported responsiveness also had a significant positive effect on child’s intention to use, whereas child-reported control did not have such an effect. It became clear that parenting style was differently affected the intention to use advanced monitoring systems between parents and children; the significant predictor of parents’ intention to use is their tendency of control and that of children’s to use is their perceived responsiveness.     

Effects of computer-assisted instruction on performance of senior high school biology students in Ghana

This study investigated the comparative efficiency of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and conventional teaching method in biology on senior high school students. A science class was selected in each of two randomly selected schools. The pretest-posttest non equivalent quasi experimental design was used. The students in the experimental group learned science concepts (cell cycle) through the CAI, whereas the students in the control group were taught the same concepts by the conventional approach. The conventional approach consisted of lecture, discussions and question and answer teaching methods. Mann–Whitney U tests were used to analyze students’ pretest and posttests scores. The results indicated that students that were instructed by the conventional approach performed better on the posttest than those instructed by the CAI. However, the performance of low achievers within the experimental group improved after they were instructed by the CAI. Even though the CAI group did not perform better than the conventional approach group, the students in the CAI group perceived CAI to be interesting when they were interviewed.     

An analysis of multiple factors of cyberbullying among junior high school students in Taiwan

Cyberbullying, as a serious kind of repeated, intentional, and harmful aggressive behavior, cannot be ignored. In light of the limited studies and inconsistent findings on the matter, this study explores cyberbullying’s frequency and other factors (gender, academic achievement, types of technologies used, and anonymity) relevant to both the issue itself and the East Asian context. The interrelationship of different roles (bullies, victims, and bystanders) in cyberbullying is also examined. A survey was conducted with 545 Taiwan junior high school students. The results indicate that male students were more likely to bully others in cyberspace and that cyberbullying was not affected by one’s level of academic achievement. Regarding the various technologies and various country-specific cyberbullying forms pertinent to technology users, instant messenger (IM) users experienced significantly more cyberbullying than users of other technologies. The survey results also indicate that the anonymity of cyberbullying was not a pertinent factor. The study found that the dominant attitude toward cyberbullying was indifference, raising alarms about the lack of cyberbullying prevention. Peers, who were the people most teenagers would likely turn to when experiencing cyberbullying, usually took no action because of their tendency to avoid conflicts and to maintain group harmony. In its interpretation of the findings, this study emphasizes Taiwan’s context, including Confucian philosophy.     

PyPnetCDF: A high level framework for parallel access to netCDF files

A Python tool for manipulating netCDF files in a parallel infrastructure is proposed. The parallel interface, PyPnetCDF, manages netCDF properties in a similar way to the serial version from ScientificPython, but hiding parallelism to the user. Implementations details and capabilities of the developed interfaces are given. Numerical experiments that show the friendly use of the interfaces and their behaviour compared with the native routines, are presented.     

Analyzing academic achievement of junior high school students by an improved rough set model

Rough set theory (RST) is an emerging technique used to deal with problems in data mining and knowledge acquisition. However, the RST approach has not been widely explored in the field of academic achievement. This investigation developed an improved RST (IMRST) model, which employs linear discriminant analysis to determine a reduct of RST, and analyzed the academic achievements of junior high school students in Taiwan. An interactive interface was created so that students could answer questions to predict their academic achievement and they could learn essential skills for improving their academic achievement. Empirical results showed that the IMRST model selects crucial information from data without predetermining factors and can provide accurate rates for inference rules. Hence, the developed IMRST model is a promising alternative for analyzing academic achievement data.     

A survey on cyber attacks against nonlinear state estimation in power systems of ubiquitous cities

It is well-known that critical infrastructures would be targets for cyber attacks. In this paper, we focus on the power systems (i.e. smart grids) in ubiquitous cities, where every meter is linked to an information network through wireless networking. In a smart grid system, information from smart meters would be used to perform a state estimation in real time to maintain the stability of the system. A wrong estimation may lead to disastrous consequences (e.g. suspension of electricity supply or a big financial loss). Unfortunately, quite a number of recent results showed that attacks on this estimation process are feasible by manipulating readings of only a few meters. In this paper, we focus on nonlinear state estimation which is a more realistic model and widely employed in a real power grid environment. We category cyber attacks against nonlinear state estimation, and review the mechanisms behind. State-of-the-art security measures to detect these attacks are discussed via sensor protection. Hope that the community would be able to come up with a secure system architecture for ubiquitous cities.     

A high school program in computer science

A team of researchers and educators has introduced a computer science curriculum into Israeli high schools. This curriculum combines conceptual and practical issues in a zipper-like fashion. Its emphasis is on the basics of algorithmics, and it teaches programming as a way to get a computer to execute an algorithm. It has been proposed by a committee formed in 1990 by the Israel Ministry of Education     

A survey on ultra wide band medium access control schemes

Ultra wideband (UWB) technology based primarily on the impulse radio paradigm has a huge potential for revolutionizing the world of digital communications especially wireless communications. UWB provides the integrated capabilities of data communications, advanced radar and precision tracking, location, imperceptibility and low power operation. It is therefore ideally suited for the development of robust and rapid wireless networks in complex and hostile environments. The distinct physical layer properties of the UWB technology warrants efficient design of medium access control (MAC) protocols. This paper introduces the unique UWB physical characteristics compared to the existing wireless technologies and discusses current research on MAC protocols for UWB. This report surveys most of the MAC protocols proposed so far for UWB, and may instigate further activities on this important and evolving technology.     

Developing Web-based assessment strategies for facilitating junior high school students to perform self-regulated learning in an e-Learning environment

This research refers to the self-regulated learning strategies proposed by Pintrich (1999) in developing a multiple-choice Web-based assessment system, the Peer-Driven Assessment Module of the Web-based Assessment and Test Analysis system (PDA-WATA). The major purpose of PDA-WATA is to facilitate learner use of self-regulatory learning behaviors to perform self-regulated learning and in turn improve e-Learning effectiveness. PDA-WATA includes five main strategies: ‘Adding Answer Notes,’ ‘Stating Confidence,’ ‘Reading Peer Answer Notes,’ ‘Recommending Peer Answer Notes’ and ‘Querying Peers’ Recommendation on Personal Answer Notes’. Using these strategies, examinees are allowed to add answer notes to explain why they chose a certain option as the correct answer and state their confidence in their own answer and answer notes, for peers’ reference. In addition to reading peer answer notes, examinees can also recommend peer answer notes as valuable references. The recommendation information can also be queried by all examinees. Quasi-experimental design was adopted to understand the effectiveness of PDA-WATA in facilitating learner use of self-regulatory learning behaviors to perform self-regulated learning and in improving learner e-Learning effectiveness. Participants were 123 seventh-grade junior high school students from four classes. These four classes were randomly divided into the PDA-WATA group (n = 63) and the N-WBT group (n = 60). Before e-Learning instruction, all students took the pre-test of the Learning Process Inventory (LPI), used to understand how often learners use self-regulatory learning behaviors in the learning process, and the pre-test of the summative assessment. After a two-week e-Learning instruction, the students all took the post-test of the LPI and the summative assessment. Results indicate that students in the PDA-WATA group appear to be more willing to take the Web-based formative assessment than students in the N-WBT group. In addition, PDA-WATA appears to be significantly more effective than N-WBT in facilitating learner use of self-regulatory learning behaviors to perform self-regulated learning and in improving their e-Learning effectiveness. Moreover, this research also finds that in the PDA-WATA group, there is no significant difference between the learning effectiveness of students with a low level of self-regulated learning and students with a high level of self-regulated learning, but similar result cannot be found in the N-WBT group.