Cansu Cigdem Aydin

Open source learning management systems in e-learning and Moodle

In the last decade, the effect of Internet usage in education has increased gradually and new technologies have improved students learning. By using distance learning tools, the student education can be more flexible with respect to place and time constraints. So, students can access information in every time and everywhere either in libraries or during the lectures. As is widely known that, distance learning is costly, and cost-effectiveness becomes more important as the institutions become large-scale providers of distance education. Cost which is the most important disadvantages of distance learning according to traditional learning environments can be removed with the extensive features of the Open Source Software. Generalizing the usage of Open Source Software will provide development of learning tools and increases the educational quality. As far as the literature is reviewed, not much research has already been conducted about the comparisons of open source learning management systems in distance education. In this study, some analyses and comparisons were made about open source learning management systems and Moodle was outstanding with many features among other LMS that aims to improve the educational quality and include the tools that an e-learning system should have.

Design and Development of a Smart Storytelling Toy.

Because computers generally make children passive listeners, new technological devices need to support childrens storytelling activities. This article introduces the StoryTech, a smart toy that includes a virtual space comprised of computer-based graphics and characters as well as a real space that involves stuffed animals, background cards and a receiver panel. When children put real objects on the receiver panel, the computer displays related backgrounds and characters. Through this flexible context, children are expected to tell a story about what they see on the screen. The aim of this article is to present the development period of the StoryTech and to provide design principles for smart toy technologies based on the usability study. The article focuses on attributes of new technology and the significance of supporting storytelling activities to find the best combination of and moderation between real and virtual spaces.

User study of a new smart toy for children's storytelling

This article introduces StoryTech, a smart storytelling toy that offers children a mixed reality environment in which to tell imaginative stories. During usability testing, an empirical study was carried out with 90 child participants. The findings indicated that StoryTech creates a rich storytelling experience, especially for ages five and six.

Smart Toy Based Learning

This chapter examines the general characteristics of and related recent research on smart toys. Smart toys can be defined as new forms of toys featuring both tangible objects and electronic components that facilitate two-way child–smart toy interactions to carry out purposeful tasks. In this chapter, smart toy based learning projects are discussed and the characteristics of smart toys as cognitive tools to facilitate learning are analyzed. This chapter also covers the relationship between smart toys and children’s developmental stages—with a particular focus on motivation—in order to understand smart toys’ potential effects on children.

How Assessment System of an Open Source Learning Management System Can Be Integrated to a Remote Laboratory Application? Problems and Solutions

Most of the education programs need an assessment system for formative and summative evaluation purposes. Similarly, in the ERRL* project which is a distance remote radio frequency laboratory application, assessment system is required. However, developing an assessment system cost is very high and requires some extra time for testing and development purposes. Open source systems provide these services in a standard way. Since the source is open, it is possible to make some modifications to better adapt these systems to the requirements of developed systems. Similarly, in the Moodle part of the system we need to integrate the test and the experiment platforms. In order to better guide the learners in the system, they should take some tests about the devices and the theoretical content included in the system. It is important to prevent users who do not have the enough knowledge directed to the experiments platform. These testing requirements should be integrated into the remote laboratory system, so that, the learners should not need to jump between different systems and interfaces. This article presents implementation process of open source learning management system softwares assessment module to a remote laboratory application and it also discusses the advantages, disadvantages of using an open source Web based assessment system.