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Wednesday June 15th, 2016
cisadmin
In Events

RRI and Active Citizenship

RRI and Active Citizenship through teaching science in the context of the PARRISE European project

by Eleni A. Kyza, Yiannis Georgiou, Andria Agesilaou & Andreas Hadjichambis

The 1st round of the PARRISE Cyprus TPD program was completed with a national conference entitled “RRI and Active Citizenship through teaching science in the context of the PARRISE European project”. The conference took place at the Cyprus University of Technology on June 11th, 2016, from 8.30-13.30. The aim of the conference was to give the opportunity to the different science education stakeholders in Cyprus (e.g. policy-makers, academics, school administrators, science education teachers, parents and students), to learn about the PARRISE project and its philosophy, focusing on the PARRISE Cyprus teacher network activities in 2015-2016, and to participate in a public discussion about Science Education in Cyprus.

A total of 90 stakeholders responded positively to our invitation and attended the 1st national PARRISE conference at Cyprus. The conference started with a greeting from Dr. Eleni A. Kyza, coordinator of the PARRISE Cyprus project, a greeting from Dr. Demetrios Mappouras, Inspector of Biology at the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture, and a greeting from Mrs. Chrystalla Koukouma, Inspector of Chemistry at the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture.
Next, Dr. Kyza, gave an introductory speech presenting the PARRISE Cyprus project. During her presentation, Dr. Kyza highlighted the goals and philosophy of the PARRISE project, introduced the Socio-scientific Inquiry-based Learning (SSIBL) framework and presented the main actions which were realized during the PARRISE 2015-16 TPD courses.

After that, the local PARRISE 2015-16 teachers presented the SSIBL modules they had developed and implemented, while also sharing their views on this process.

As one teacher participant stated:

“Designing our SSIBL module was real fun. Employing a participatory design process allowed us to interact with other colleagues, to exchange our views and ideas, and to collaborate on developing innovative teaching material for our students.”

Another teacher commented afterwards:

“It was a really interesting experience, as we also had the opportunity to implement the SSIBL module within our science classrooms. This allowed us to integrate the SSIBL framework into our teaching practice.”

In addition, 16 posters, prepared by the participating students and teachers, were posted outside the auditorium throughout the event allowing attendees to learn more about the classroom implementations and giving the opportunity to PARRISE teachers and students to present their work to everyone during the breaks.

As reported during the poster session by one student:

“With our participation in the PARRISE project we have learned how to act as future citizens. In particular, we learned to be active citizens and to look out for the most sustainable solutions.”

On the same note, according to another student:

“The topic we have investigated was very interesting. We have realized that as responsible citizens it is important to shape our personal views about the different socio-scientific controversies, so that we can create a better future for us and for the future generations.”

The programme continued with a presentation by Mr. Yiannis Georgiou, Research Associate of PARRISE Cyprus; the presentation focused on the evaluation of the SSIBL implementations. During the presentation, Mr. Georgiou highlighted the effectiveness of the SSIBL-based implementations in terms of promoting students’ motivation, scientific thinking and active citizenship.

The conference concluded with a discussion about the goals of science education in Cyprus, including the main problems and challenges encountered in the local educational system.

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Monday May 2nd, 2016
cisadmin
In Events

The App Inventors Experience

The “App inventors” experience: Empowering students to change their community through blocks-based visual programming

During the Spring semester of 2016, the MCL Research Group enacted the “App Inventors” program with a total of 18th graders from Laniteio A’ Lyceum.

The program aimed to enhance students’ awareness of contemporary socio-scientific issues and help them develop computational thinking skills. As part of the program, students were divided in pairs; each pair employed the App Inventor web-based app.

The App Inventor web-based application was developed by Google’s Mark Friedman and MIT Professor Hal Abelson. The App Inventor transforms programming from complex language of text-based coding into visual, drag-and-drop building blocks. Tools such as MIT’s App Inventor (Abelson, 2009), a visual programming language with “low threshold, high ceiling” potential, seek to demystify computers and empower, by allowing users to easily design and run their own mobile apps.

The program aimed to help students learn how to program and develop mobile applications to investigate socio-scientific issues. In particular, during the program, the students participated in a sequence of experiential activities, aiming to develop their knowledge and skills on the follow topics: (a) the use of new technologies to produce digital stories or interactive digital games through programming, (b) the development of creative thinking, (c) raise awareness on contemporary socio-scientific issues, and (d) take active citizenship actions on these issue.

Overall, these activities enabled the students to develop simple apps and check their functionality on their mobile phones or on tablets supplied by our research group. Once familiarized with the app creation software (AppInventor), students worked in groups to develop their own apps focusing on a variety of socio-scientific issues, such as waste management or food conservatives.

The program takes place simultaneously in schools in Germany and USA, in cooperation with the Saarland University (Germany) and the Penn Graduate School of Education (USA).

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Tuesday December 8th, 2015
cisadmin
In Events

Teacher Professional Development (TPD) Courses in Cyprus

by Eleni Kyza, Yiannis Georgiou, Andreas Hadjichambis, & Andria Agesilaou

Our first TPD program began on October 24, 2015 with a group of 48 in-service science teachers (biologists, chemists, primary education science teachers) and will run until May 2016. The TPD adopts a model of teachers as learners, designers and reflective practitioners. Teachers work in eight different design groups, organized according to discipline and level of teaching (primary, lower secondary or upper secondary education). The TPD is composed of five face-to-face meetings, each one lasting six hours, and bi-weekly video-conferences of each design team to coordinate the design of the SSIBL modules.

Figure 1: Screenshot from the “Meat safety” learning environment

The main goal of the face-to-face meetings is to familiarize science teachers with the underlying philosophy and the operationalization of the SSIBL framework. Each f2f meeting consists of several experiential activities. For instance, during the first and second face-to-face meeting, our science teachers took on the role of students and investigated the controversial topic of antibiotics in meat, using an online learning environment designed by the local PARRISE team. The “Meat safety” learning environment (see Figure 1) encompassed all four aspects of the SSIBL framework (scientific inquiry, socio-scientific issues, active citizenship leading to responsible research and innovation). The science teachers, working in groups, were assigned one of the stakeholder roles involved in this controversy (e.g. concerned scientists, farmers, medical industry, government agencies, public interest organizations against antibiotics). They were then asked to develop an argument that would answer the driving question (“Should antibiotics in livestock be banned?”) according to the stakeholder’s role they had adopted. Arguments were captured in google docs, to facilitate group work and sharing. At the end of this activity teachers reconvened as a plenary and each group participated in a public debate around the topic (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Teachers reconvened as a plenary and participated in a public debate about the controversy

Following this activity, in which teachers became the learners, the teachers were asked to work as reflective practitioners, and analyze the learning module and its potential to promote the four dimensions of the SSIBL pedagogy.

The next face-to-face meetings included brief introductions of each of the SSIBL dimension, along with experiential activities to foster a grounded understanding of the SSIBL framework. Each meeting also included time for teachers to work in their design teams. This type of TPD experiences, structured around exemplary SSIBL material, and including a variety of presentations, discussions, experiential activities and design time allows teachers to conceptualize the SSIBL pedagogical framework, while also affording opportunities to elaborate and operationalize its main dimensions. In this context, the face-to-face meetings are purported to function as a mechanism for our web-based meetings during which the PARRISE teachers work collaboratively to design SSIBL-based activities for their science students.

Monday September 7th, 2015
cisadmin
In Announcements

EARLI 2015 – REPORT

The EARLI and JURE 2015 conference in Limassol, Cyprus.

A report by the organisers.

The 16th Biennial conference of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction and the 19th JURE conference took place at the coastal city of Limassol between August 23-August 29, 2015, and were hosted by the Cyprus University of Technology. The conferences were co-organized by the Department of Communication and Internet Studies at the Cyprus University of Technology and by the EARLI association. The organization of the EARLI 2015 conference coincided with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the EARLI, which first took place in Leuven, Belgium in June 1985 and the 20th anniversary celebration of the JURE conference.

The theme of this year’s conference was “Towards a Reflective Society: Synergies between Learning, Teaching and Research”. Reflective citizenship lies at the heart of contemporary societies. The 21st century calls for a re-definition of the forms of knowledge, skills and competences that are necessary for the advancement of our societies. While the focus on basic skills and the need for disciplinary knowledge cannot be ignored, there is a need to work towards increasing the reflective capacity of our societies. The EARLI 2015 theme emphasized research-based learning and instruction and highlighted the crucial role of the systematic investigation of learning and teaching as a mechanism for promoting innovative and creative thinking and sustaining long-term societal growth.

As with every EARLI conference, the preparations begun right after the end of the EARLI 2013 conference in Munich and spanned over two years. Many members of the EARLI community were involved in this process, as, in addition to the conference organizing committee, the organization was also steered by the International Programme Planning Committee and Scientific Panel, the EARLI Executive Committee, and included input from the SIG coordinators, especially in involving reviewers and in deciding the invited keynote speakers. The review process involved over 370 reviewers and the final scientific programme included more than 3000 unique contributors (authors or co-authors) from 48 countries. The programme was impressive in its cover of a wide variety of research, cultural contexts and methodological traditions.

We next present a highlight of the scientific and social events of the conference.

The JURE 2015 pre-conference

The EARLI organization attaches great importance on the development of young researchers. Between the 23rd and 24th of August 2015, the JURE (Junior Researchers of EARLI) pre-conference took place. The JURE 2015 conference, which was co-chaired by Dr. Maria Solomou, special scientist at the Department of Communication and Internet Studies, and Mr. Yiannis Georgiou, a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Communication and Internet Studies, attracted more than 300 people from all over the world. A total of 157 submissions were presented at the JURE conference (paper presentations, poster presentations and round tables), while 15 workshops were given by established researchers from the field of learning and instruction.

The EARLI 2015 opening ceremony

The conference opening ceremony on Tuesday, August 25, attracted many EARLI 2015 delegates who enjoyed the traditional dance performance by the Limassol Folklore Association and were treated to Cypriot traditional sweets. Eleni A. Kyza (Conference President) and Iolie Nicolaidou (Conference Manager) welcomed the EARLI attendees and provided an overview of the schedule and events for the EARLI conference. Professor Toula Onoufriou, Vice Rector of Academic Affairs at the Cyprus University of Technology, welcomed everyone on behalf of the University.

A rich scientific programme

The conference was well attended by 1800 researchers and had the invaluable contribution of more than 125 volunteers from all over Cyprus. Each one of the five days of the conference consisted of 21-30 parallel sessions with an average number of four presentations in each session. In total, over 1500 contributions were presented in different formats (symposia, paper presentations, poster presentations, ICT demonstrations, workshops, round tables and keynote speeches). The presentations were grouped in 47 scheduling categories based on the various research areas of EARLI.

Invited Keynotes

During the three of the five days of the conference, three parallel keynote speeches were held by nine well-known academic keynote speakers (Prof. Clark Chinn, Rutgers University, USA, Prof. Andreas Demetriou, University of Nicosia, Cyprus, Prof. Yrjö Engeström, University of Helsinki, Finland, Prof. Tina Hascher, University of Bern, Switzerland, Prof. Christine Howe, University of Cambridge, U.K., Prof. Leonidas Kyriakides, University of Cyprus, Cyprus, Prof. Marcia Linn, University of California Berkeley, USA, Prof. Jane Oakhill, University of Sussex, U.K., and Dr. Anna Südkamp, Technical University Dortmund, Germany). All presentations are available at the EARLI 2015 YouTube channel.

Presidential Address and the recipients of the EARLI 2015 Awards

On the evening of the first day of the conference the President of EARLI (2013-2015) Professor Costas P. Constantinou (University of Cyprus) presented an inspiring speech at the lovely open-air municipal theatre.

The event continued with the presentation of the EARLI 2015 awards. The Erik De Corte Award, which recognizes young, promising scholars in the field of Learning and Instruction was presented to Dr. Bjorn de Koning, from VU University, The Netherlands. The Outstanding Publication Award was presented to Dr. Cornelis J. de Brabander (Leiden University, Netherlands) and Professor Dr. Rob L. Martens (Welten Institute, Open University of the Netherlands) for their paper “Towards a unified theory of task-specific motivation”, which was published in Educational Research Review. The Oeuvre Award, which recognizes lifetime, outstanding contribution to scholarship and research was presented to Professor Dr. Monique Boekarts, from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. Congratulations to all!

The end of Presidential Address and Awards included two special citations for two members of the EARLI community who have contributed a considerable amount of their personal and professional time in the last decades to the service of the EARLI association. The special citations went to Filip Dochy, who is stepping down as EARLI Managing Director after 10 years, and Costas P. Constantinou, who is stepping down from EARLI president and EC member. Warm thanks went to both of them for their continuous efforts to strengthen the EARLI association.

The event concluded with a spectacular reception at the gardens of the Patticheion Municipal Museum Gardens, accompanied by the sounds of jazz music.

Social events

The EARLI 2015 conference programme included many social events, which gave the participants the opportunity to interact in a more relaxed setting. These events included the “Lunch with the Professors”, the “Doctoral Consortium Lunch”, the SIG dinners on Wednesday evening and the spectacular Gala dinner by the St. Raphael resort marina. The gala dinner attracted 600 delegates who enjoyed cypriot and international cuisine and danced to local and international music.

Closing ceremony

The conference continued until Saturday afternoon. The well-attended closing ceremony included the announcement of the EARLI 2017 conference and the passing of the EARLI baton from the EARLI 2015 conference president to the EARLI 2017 conference president, Professor Eero Ropo, who presented the site of EARLI 2017, Tampere, Finland.

Thank you!

In 2015 the EARLI organization celebrates 30 years since its founding. The Cyprus University of Technology was proud to host the conference at such a historic, for the EARLI association, time. Everyone in the center of Limassol have felt the pulse of the conference, as delegates circulated daily from the area of the medieval castle to the Rialto theatre. The organizing committee of the conference would like to thank the Rector and the vice-Rectors of the university, the university officials and all the administrative staff and volunteers who participated and supported the conference. Special thanks are due to all organizing committee members who have worked with tremendous dedication for the success of such an international scientific conference.

Conference website
Conference photos
EARLI 2015 ΥouTube channel

Wednesday March 18th, 2015
cisadmin
In Announcements

EARLI Conference 2015

16th Biennial EARLI Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction

25-29 August 2015

The European Association for Research in Learning and Instruction (EARLI) conference is one of the largest and most important educational research conferences at European level and worldwide. It is an excellent opportunity to be updated on research about learning and teaching approaches related to educational and other learning environments.

The 16th Biennial Conference of the will take place in Limassol, Cyprus at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) from the 25th to the 29th of August 2015.

The theme of the EARLI 2015 conference is “Towards a Reflective Society: Synergies between Learning, Teaching and Research”. The EARLI 2015 theme addresses the emphases of the conference on research-based learning and instruction, while highlighting the crucial role of the systematic investigation of learning and teaching as a mechanism for promoting innovative and creative thinking and sustaining long-term societal growth.

Reflective citizenship lies at the heart of contemporary societies. The 21st century calls for a redefinition of the forms of knowledge, skills and competences that are necessary for the advancement of our societies. While the focus on basic skills and the need for disciplinary knowledge cannot be ignored, there is a need to work individually and collectively towards increasing the reflective capacity of our societies. This means that different stakeholders, such as learners of different ages and stages, teachers at all levels, and researchers need to focus on being reflective in their practices and need to synchronize efforts, so that we can all reach the ambitious goal for education as an integral and productive force of an innovative modern society

For more information please visit the EARLI 2015 website.

Thursday April 10th, 2014
cisadmin
In Events

Digital Literacy and New Media

On Thursday, April 10, 2014, the master’s program “New Technologies for Communication education media and Learning” hosted by the Department of Communication and Internet Studies at the Technological University of Cyprus, and the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, co-organized the event “Multiple Literacy in the 21st century Society “. During the event that met a great success, three different talks took place.

Dr. Elena A. Kyza, Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication and Internet Studies at the Technological University of Cyprus and coordinator of the master’s program “New Technologies for Communication and Learning”, focused on the European aspect of Digital Literacy and New Media.

Mrs. Anastasia Economou, Head at the Department of Educational Technology at the Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus, presented a variety of actions related to Digital Literacy and New Media in Cyprus and raised questions relating to media literacy in the school curriculum.

Ms. Antigoni Themistokleous, Officer at Cyprus Radio Television Authority focused on the role of the Radio Television Authority and the policies followed, in order to improve media literacy levels in Cyprus as well as to promote critical thinking among the citizens.

This was followed by an open discussion during which the attendees could raise their own questions.

Monday February 4th, 2013
cisadmin
In Events

Digital Interactive Stories

On February 4th, 2013, an outstanding public lecture focusing on interactive technologies for enriching the experience of visiting a museum, took place at the Cyprus University of Technology. The event was organized as part of the Master Program of “New Technologies for Communication & Learning”, hosted by the Department of Communication & Internet Studies.

Through her lecture entitled “Experiencing the museum through digital interactive stories tailored to each visitor”, Dr. Roussou (www.makebelieve.gr) focused on how a visitor could digitally interact with the exhibits of a Contemporary Museum. Using as a case study the new Acropolis Museum in Athens, Dr. Roussou explained the rationale behind the design and implementation of AR applications to enrich the museum visitor’s experience. This work was carried out under the European program Cultural Heritage Experiences through Socio-personal interactions and Storytelling (CHESS), which is funded by the European Commission.

The lecture was followed by an open discussion during which the attendees could raise their own questions. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Eleni A. Kyza, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Master’s program in “New Technologies for Communication & Learning”.

Thursday March 22nd, 2012
cisadmin
In Events

Kargo Takip Sistemi ile Gönderileriniz Her An Elinizin Altında!

Günümüzün hızla ilerleyen dünyasında, gönderilerinizi takip etmek ve güvende tutmak daha da önem kazanmıştır. Aras Kargo Takip, MNG Kargo Takip, UPS Kargo Takip, PTT Kargo Takip ve Sürat Kargo Takip gibi önemli lojistik şirketlerinin gönderi takip hizmetlerini tek bir çatı altında buluşturan kargo takip sistemi ile artık gönderilerinizin durumunu anlık olarak öğrenmek çok daha kolay ve hızlı!

 

  • Aras Kargo Takip: Gönderilerinizi Aras Kargo ile güvenle yolladıysanız, onların nerede olduğunu takip etmek artık sadece birkaç tık uzaklıkta. Aras Kargo Takip sistemi ile gönderi süreçlerinizi en ince detayına kadar öğrenebilirsiniz.

  • MNG Kargo Takip: MNG Kargo’nun geniş dağıtım ağı ile gönderileriniz dünyanın dört bir yanına taşınıyor. MNG Kargo Takip ile gönderi sürecini yakından takip edebilir, alıcıya en hızlı şekilde ulaşmasını sağlayabilirsiniz.

  • UPS Kargo Takip: Uluslararası gönderilerin güvencesi UPS, kapsamlı takip hizmeti ile gönderi sahiplerine büyük kolaylık sağlıyor. UPS Kargo Takip ile gönderilerinizin sırasını takip edebilir, gecikme olmadan alıcılara ulaşmasını sağlayabilirsiniz.

  • PTT Kargo Takip: Ülkemizin köklü kuruluşlarından PTT’nin modern kargo takip sistemi ile gönderilerinizin durumunu en güvenilir şekilde öğrenebilirsiniz. PTT Kargo Takip ile gönderilerinizin her adımını izlemek artık mümkün.

  • Sürat Kargo Takip: Adından da anlaşılacağı gibi Sürat Kargo, gönderilerinizi en hızlı şekilde yerine ulaştırmayı amaçlıyor. Sürat Kargo Takip ile gönderilerinizin hızlı ve güvenilir teslimatını yakından takip edebilirsiniz.

Neden Kargo Takip Sistemimizi Kullanmalısınız?

  • Zaman Tasarrufu: Gönderilerinizin nerede olduğunu anlık olarak öğrenerek zamanınızı verimli bir şekilde kullanabilirsiniz.
  • Güvenlik: Gönderilerinizin güvenliği sizin için önemliyse, kargo takip sistemi ile her aşamayı gözlemleyebilirsiniz.
  • Hızlı Bilgi Edinme: Alıcılarınıza hızlı ve doğru bilgi sağlayarak müşteri memnuniyetini artırabilirsiniz.
  • Kolay Kullanım: Kargo takip sistemimiz kullanıcı dostu arayüzü sayesinde herkes tarafından kolayca kullanılabilir.
Kargo takip süreçlerinizi en iyi şekilde yönetmek ve gönderilerinizin güvende olduğunu bilmek istiyorsanız, Aras Kargo, MNG Kargo, UPS Kargo, PTT Kargo ve Sürat Kargo gibi büyük lojistik firmalarının takip hizmetlerini bir araya getiren kargo takip sistemimizi kullanabilirsiniz. Gönderilerinizi takip etmek artık parmaklarınızın ucunda!
Not: Bu yazı sadece örnek bir tanıtım metnidir. Kargo takip sistemi hakkındaki güncel bilgileri, firmanın resmi web sitesinden almanız önemlidir.
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