Air Vehicle Safety Prevention and Protection System (AVSAPPS)

 

“Affectability in Educational Technologies” Socio-Technical Definition and Description

Hayashi and Baranauskas (2019) discuss the affectability associated with the XO Project (2010) insertion of laptops into the Padre Emílio Miotti School in Campinas, Brazil.  The researchers applied an adapted version of the Semiotic Onion and the science of design models developed by Stamper (1993) and Baranauskas (2009) to research the technical, formal, and informal effects associated with the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organization laptop donation to the school (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2019).  The researchers also investigated the affectability of laptop insertion into the education process regarding emotional and hedonic responses. 

Based on the data collected from workshops and class participation observation, the researcher represented the affectability results of four case studies.  Results for the first case, “transforming homework assignments,” indicate that integrating homework in the classroom provides the following benefits (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2019):

Allows teachers to help the students develop emotional management strategies for homework.  

Provides the capability for students to search for sources during class.

Gives teachers insights into the emotional responses of the students during topic discovery.

Enables teachers to help students understand the assignment and overcome other difficulties.

As a supplement to traditional homework that the student completes at home, performing homework in the classroom can “become something interesting and fun” (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2019).

Another case, “Integrating the School in Interdisciplinary Activities,” involved performing scenario planning to develop multiple “Scenarios of Use” for the laptop. The scenarios helped to identify ways to integrate the laptops into the coursework for a given subject.  For one of the scenarios, “Student and Consumption at Home,” the student used the laptops to take pictures at home and then perform discipline-specific activities related to the course subject.  The research results indicate that the interdisciplinary approach fostered a “sense of engagement” for the students, as demonstrated by more interested and motivated students (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2019).

Due to increased computer usage caused by the XO project donation, technical support demand at the school exceeded its capability.  The school implemented a “student monitor” program where older students tutored younger students on computer issues.  In addition to increasing technical support capacity, the program provided “emotional and affective responses” and valuable learning experiences for the tutors in technical, formal, and informal aspects (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2019).

In contrast with the Miotti XO program successes, multiple informal, formal, and technical aspects were experienced (Hayashi & Baranauskas, 2019). Challenges include:

Some teachers were uncomfortable with the technology.

Some teachers were concerned about the impact on the education plan.

The possibility of theft if the student took the computers home.

The lack of Internet availability or adequate response times in the classroom.

Not enough wall sockets or extension cords in the classroom.

Except for the theft concern, each of the other challenges could targeted for future mitigation. For example, integration of the laptop into the curriculum may address teacher concerns about the education plan, more training may help the teachers become more comfortable with the technology, and additional funding can be utilized to address the internet and wall socket concerns.

Critical Evaluation

The researcher demonstrated evidence-based writing by providing supporting qualitative and quantitative data and over forty references to justify the research basis, structure, and results.  The researchers also used the “MEAL Plan” (Thompson Writing Program Duke University, n.d.) to provide a main idea, evidence, analysis, and link to the research objectives for each topic presented.

The researchers' use of the Semiotic Onion highlights a primary research contribution: identifying informal, formal, and technical issues associated with the Miotti study.  Table 1 concisely summarizes the issues associated with each layer of the Semiotic Onion.

The author also provided emotional and affective aspect results for each case scenario presented and efficiently summarized the results in Table 2.  The results support the assertion that in addition to evaluating the technological aspects of such projects, affectability should be included in the research design. 

The research results answered, “How can a new technology be implemented in schools in a way that makes sense to the users?” However, the results apply only to a specific culture and school.  More research is needed to determine if similar results apply to other cultures and schools with similar cultures.

References

Baranauskas, M.C.C. (2009) Socially Aware Computing. Proc. of the VI International Conference on Engineering and Computer Education, Buenos Aires, 1-5.

Hayashi, E. C. S., & Baranauskas, M. C. (2013). Affectibility in Educational Technologies: A Socio-Technical Perspective for Design. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 16(1), 57-8. https://coloradotech.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/affectibility-educational-technologies-socio/docview/1287029534/se-2Tuovila, A. (2023, May 27). Forecasting: What It Is, How It’s Used in Business and Investing. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/forecasting.asp

Stamper, R. (1993) A Semiotic Theory of Information and Information Systems. Invited papers for the ICL/University of Newcastle Seminar on Information.

Thompson Writing Program Duke University (n.d.). Paragraphing: The MEAL Plan. Writing Studio. https://twp.duke.edu/sites/twp.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/meal-plan.original.pdf

XO Project (2010) XO na Escola e Fora Dela: Uma Proposta Semio-Participativa para Tecnologia, Educação e Sociedade. CNPq, 475105/2010-9 (http://www.nied.unicamp.br/xounicamp/ last accessed on September, 20th 2012).