Computer-Based Learning Environments and Problem Solving


Book Description

Most would agree that the acquisition of problem-solving ability is a primary goal of education. The emergence of the new information technologiesin the last ten years has raised high expectations with respect to the possibilities of the computer as an instructional tool for enhancing students' problem-solving skills. This volume is the first to assemble, review, and discuss the theoretical, methodological, and developmental knowledge relating to this topical issue in a multidisciplinary confrontation of highly recommended experts in cognitive science, computer science, educational technology, and instructional psychology. Contributors describe the most recent results and the most advanced methodological approaches relating to the application of the computer for encouraging knowledge construction, stimulating higher-order thinking and problem solving, and creating powerfullearning environments for pursuing those objectives. The computer applications relate to a variety of content domains and age levels.




Guided Reflection


Book Description

"...an important text for practitioners...this text is a valuable tool that develops self-inquiry skills." Journal of Advanced Nursing Reflection is widely recognised as an invaluable tool in health care, providing fresh insights which enable practitioners to develop their own practice and improve the quality of their care. Guided Reflection: A Narrative Approach to Advancing Professional Practice introduces the practitioner to the concept of guided reflection, in which the practitioner is assisted by a mentor (or 'guide') in a process of self-enquiry, development, and learning through reflection in order to effectively realise one’s vision of practice and self as a lived reality. Guided reflection is grounded in individual practice, and can provide deeply meaningful insights into self-development and professional care. The process results in a reflexive narrative, which highlights key issues for enhancing healthcare practice and professional care. Reflection: A Narrative Approach to Advancing Professional Practice uses a collection of such narratives from everyday clinical practice to demonstrate the theory and practicalities of guided reflection and narrative construction. In this second edition, Chris Johns has explored many of the existing narratives in more depth. Many new contributions have been added including several more innovative reflections, such as performance and art.These narratives portray the values inherent in caring, highlight key issues in clinical practice, reveal the factors that constrain the quest to realise practice, and examine the ways practitioners work towards overcoming these constraints.




Near Field Communication (NFC)


Book Description

This book provides the technical essentials, state-of-the-art knowledge, business ecosystem and standards of Near Field Communication (NFC)by NFC Lab – Istanbul research centre which conducts intense research on NFC technology. In this book, the authors present the contemporary research on all aspects of NFC, addressing related security aspects as well as information on various business models. In addition, the book provides comprehensive information a designer needs to design an NFC project, an analyzer needs to analyze requirements of a new NFC based system, and a programmer needs to implement an application. Furthermore, the authors introduce the technical and administrative issues related to NFC technology, standards, and global stakeholders. It also offers comprehensive information as well as use case studies for each NFC operating mode to give the usage idea behind each operating mode thoroughly. Examples of NFC application development are provided using Java technology, and security considerations are discussed in detail. Key Features: Offers a complete understanding of the NFC technology, including standards, technical essentials, operating modes, application development with Java, security and privacy, business ecosystem analysis Provides analysis, design as well as development guidance for professionals from administrative and technical perspectives Discusses methods, techniques and modelling support including UML are demonstrated with real cases Contains case studies such as payment, ticketing, social networking and remote shopping This book will be an invaluable guide for business and ecosystem analysts, project managers, mobile commerce consultants, system and application developers, mobile developers and practitioners. It will also be of interest to researchers, software engineers, computer scientists, information technology specialists including students and graduates.




Robust Adaptive Dynamic Programming


Book Description

A comprehensive look at state-of-the-art ADP theory and real-world applications This book fills a gap in the literature by providing a theoretical framework for integrating techniques from adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) and modern nonlinear control to address data-driven optimal control design challenges arising from both parametric and dynamic uncertainties. Traditional model-based approaches leave much to be desired when addressing the challenges posed by the ever-increasing complexity of real-world engineering systems. An alternative which has received much interest in recent years are biologically-inspired approaches, primarily RADP. Despite their growing popularity worldwide, until now books on ADP have focused nearly exclusively on analysis and design, with scant consideration given to how it can be applied to address robustness issues, a new challenge arising from dynamic uncertainties encountered in common engineering problems. Robust Adaptive Dynamic Programming zeros in on the practical concerns of engineers. The authors develop RADP theory from linear systems to partially-linear, large-scale, and completely nonlinear systems. They provide in-depth coverage of state-of-the-art applications in power systems, supplemented with numerous real-world examples implemented in MATLAB. They also explore fascinating reverse engineering topics, such how ADP theory can be applied to the study of the human brain and cognition. In addition, the book: Covers the latest developments in RADP theory and applications for solving a range of systems’ complexity problems Explores multiple real-world implementations in power systems with illustrative examples backed up by reusable MATLAB code and Simulink block sets Provides an overview of nonlinear control, machine learning, and dynamic control Features discussions of novel applications for RADP theory, including an entire chapter on how it can be used as a computational mechanism of human movement control Robust Adaptive Dynamic Programming is both a valuable working resource and an intriguing exploration of contemporary ADP theory and applications for practicing engineers and advanced students in systems theory, control engineering, computer science, and applied mathematics.




Information Systems for Indian Languages


Book Description

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems for Indian Languages, ICISIL 2011, held in Patiala, India, in March 2011. The 63 revised papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 126 paper submissions (full papers as well as poster papers) and 25 demo submissions. The papers address all current aspects on localization, e-governance, Web content accessibility, search engine and information retrieval systems, online and offline OCR, handwriting recognition, machine translation and transliteration, and text-to-speech and speech recognition - all with a particular focus on Indic scripts and languages.




Technology-Enhanced Learning


Book Description

Technology-enhanced learning is a timely topic, the importance of which is recognized by educational researchers, practitioners, software designers, and policy makers. This volume presents and discusses current trends and issues in technology-enhanced learning from a European research and development perspective. This multifaceted and multidisciplinary topic is considered from four different viewpoints, each of which constitutes a separate section in the book. The sections include general as well as domain-specific principles of learning that have been found to play a significant role in technology-enhanced environments, ways to shape the environment to optimize learners’ interactions and learning, and specific technologies used by the environment to empower learners. An additional section discusses the work presented in the preceding sections from a computer science perspective and an implementation perspective. This book comes out of the work in Kaleidoscope: a European Network of Excellence in which over 1,000 people from more than 90 institutes across Europe participate. Kaleidoscope brings together researchers from diverse disciplines and cultures, through their collaboration and sharing of scientific outcomes, they are helping move the field of technology-enhanced learning forward.




The World Is Open


Book Description

Discover the dramatic changes that are affecting all learners Web-based technology has opened up education around the world to the point where anyone can learn anything from anyone else at any time. To help educators and others understand what's possible, Curt Bonk employs his groundbreaking "WE-ALL-LEARN" model to outline ten key technology and learning trends, demonstrating how technology has transformed educational opportunities for learners of every age in every corner of the globe. The book is filled with inspiring stories of ordinary learners as well as interviews with technology and education leaders that reveal the power of this new way of learning. Captures the global nature of open education from those who are creating and using new learning technologies Includes a new Preface and Postscript with the latest updates A free companion web site provides additional stories and information Using the dynamic "WE-ALL-LEARN" model, learners, educators, executives, administrators, instructors, and parents can discover how to tap into the power of Web technology and unleash a world of information.




Cybernics


Book Description

Cybernics plays a significant role in coping with an aging society using state-of-the-art technologies from engineering, clinical medicine and humanities. This new interdisciplinary field studies technologies that enhance, strengthen, and support physical and cognitive functions of human beings, based on the fusion of human, machine, and information systems. The design of a seamless interface for interaction between the interior and exterior of the human body is described in this book from diverse aspects such as the physical, neurophysiological, and cognitive levels. It is the first book to cover the many aspects of cybernics, allowing readers to understand the life support robotics technology for the elderly, including remote, in-home, hospital, institutional, community medical welfare, and vital-sensing systems. Serving as a valuable resource, this volume will interest not only graduate students, scientists, and engineers but also newcomers to the field of cybernics.




Instantaneous Power Theory and Applications to Power Conditioning


Book Description

This book covers instantaneous power theory as well as the importance of design of shunt, series, and combined shunt-series power active filters and hybrid passive-active power filters Illustrates pioneering applications of the p-q theory to power conditioning, which highlights distinct differences from conventional theories Explores p-q-r theory to give a new method of analyzing the different powers in a three-phase circuit Provides exercises at the end of many chapters that are unique to the second edition




Action Research in Practice


Book Description

Action Research in Practice presents a collection of stories from action research projects in schools and a university. Topics include discussing action research, social research and partnerships in research.