Dra. Badilla-Quintana, María Graciela

We are living through a cultural transition, characterized by technological disruption and the erosion of the modern ideology, which are redefining the behavior of citizens in their physical and digital spaces. Virtuality emerges as a new human dimension, making it necessary to rethink social and educational paradigms for a new two-dimensional citizen. In this context, the psychometric features and validation procedure of an instrument (B-PLE) for analyzing Personal Learning Environments (PLE) in students of higher education institutions in the Biobío Region of Chile are described. There were four phases to the validation method: (i) content validity, as determined by six experts in education and ICT; (ii) pilot test, with a non-probabilistic sample of 327 subjects; (iii) principal components analysis (PCA); and (iv) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results of the dimensional analysis made it possible to define the structure of the new instrument, explaining 72% of the total variance. The reliability analysis yielded an alpha coefficient of 0.92. The confirmatory factor analysis showed fit indexes that support the proposed theoretical model. In conclusion, the instrument was composed of three latent variables: Open learning (OL), with six questions, Information management (IM), with two questions, and Knowledge creation and transfer (KCT), with three questions.

Contemporary society is going through a cultural transition that leads to new conceptions about the ways in which human beings organize socially and communicate. This process of deep social and cultural transformations is characterized by a technological disruption, in which virtuality forms a new dimension that behaves as an extension of human intelligence. This new form of human interaction impacts on the social imagination, demanding one to rethink social and educational paradigms for the two-dimensional citizen. In this context, this research article describes the sociological importance and the process of social adaptation of users to a personal learning environment (PLE). It includes the validation process of an instrument for the study of the PLE of 8th grade students belonging to 15 schools in the Biobío Region of Chile. A PLE is a frame of reference that can help to understand how two-dimensional citizens socially adapt and influence the sustainability of local and global systems. The validation method for this instrument considered four stages: i) Expert judgment: considering the opinions of six educators and experts in information and communication technologies (ICT); ii) a pilot test: that included a non-probabilistic sample of 472 subjects; iii) a principal components analysis (PCA); and iv) a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The Questionnaire on Work Habits and Learning for Professional Futures and the Context Questionnaire SIMCE TIC were used as a reference. When performing a psychometric analysis, a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.89 was obtained. This confirms that the adaptation of the instrument is good. The results of the dimensional analysis help us define a structure for the new instrument considering three components that explain 55% of the total variance. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed adjustment indexes that support the theoretical model proposed for the PLE study. In conclusion, the instrument was composed of three latent variables: Open self-regulated learning (OSRL) with eight questions, information management (IM) with four questions, and creation and transfer of knowledge (CTK) with four questions

The strong connection between technologies and globalization has made the phenomenon of interculturality increase at a global level. The aim was to determine the perception of teachers and students in the use of a Model of Talent Management for interculturality. A virtual learning environment (VLE) was used to link teachers and students of 5 schools in disadvantaged context of Chile through collaborative learning. The research is interpretive and positivist based on qualitative method approach, with quantitative contributions. Results show that talents of the students contribute to the formation of cultural identity that gives uniqueness to the human group to which they belong and the perception of teachers is that the phenomena of acculturation, enculturation and transculturation processes occur in learning linked to the management of the talents of students in intercultural contexts. With respect to the proposed model, trends indicate that it is possible to diagnose and promote talent through collaborative learning and intercultural dialogue. As for technology, it could be argued that it has reshaped relations between different cultures.

Mobile devices are efficient tools of language learning since they enable students to learn and practice anywhere and anytime with personalized content and progress. The article analyzes the incorporation of the use of mobile devices for teaching English as a second language in higher education. This research was developed on a positivist paradigm, with a descriptive and quantitative methodology. The sample was formed by 32 students of Basic English courses belong to DUOC UC Institute, in Chile who practice their writing skills through systematic activities developed during 2013 in the Virtual Platform Blackboard. The results of this study suggest that students reacted positively to the use of technology, but expressed concern about the technological difficulties. Main findings confirm that the use of technology enables student's practice of English, transforming and improving the learning environment inside of the classroom and students feel comfortable and secure because they have a teacher and technology's support.

Incremental Prototyping Method is an engineering methodology which is presented as appropriate to collect progressive contributions of users and experts of technological solutions that are designed to meet educational challenges. This paper presents the design process that is based on four circuits: theoretical, pedagogical, and technological and management. These circuits involved experts from different disciplines such as; computer engineering, computer science education, graphic design and communication and education. Results show educational platforms which are the result of a recurring review process of the developed technological products and the inclusion of quality standards. That ensures the usability of the product; this means that the product must be coherent and consistent with the educational purpose for which it was initially required.

This article presents some results obtained partially during the first year of the TYMMI project. TYMMI’s aim is to strengthen the professional performance of pre-service teachers in the real classroom. Through the design of a free immersive virtual world Open Sim we have developed a technology readiness for 27 pre-service high school English teachers who are preparing their career at Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepcion, in Chile. Initial results show some evidence of working in a three dimensional environment and in a virtual learning platform (called EV@ supported by Moodle) through Sloodle. One of the first findings we have gathered are: motivation for using these environments, strengthening ICT skills, and also technological difficulties for the development of the academic activities of interaction during teaching practices.

The aim of this quantitative, exploratory and descriptive research is to know if teachers that work in intercultural contexts develop ICT competences by using virtual platforms. The innovation of the teaching-learning processes is promoted through the virtual platform, keeping a connection by forming school networks among schools in indigenous contexts. 51 teachers from 10 schools from the Bío–Bío and Araucanía regions in Chile were part of the development of the networks. The main results show that the participant teachers increased their ICT competences in the different dimensions of the use of the ICT: pedagogical management, knowledge management, deepening of knowledge; and social, ethic and legal dimensions, by applying the knowledge and talent management models.

El dominio de la tecnología es fundamental para los estudiantes de pedagogía para proponer estrategias metodológicas, didácticas y evaluativas que les permita responder adecuadamente a las demandas del sistema educativo actual. Esta investigación se enfoca desde una perspectiva cuantitativa, con aportes cualitativos, a través de un diseño no experimental descriptivo, a conocer cuál es el nivel de adquisición de las competencias tecnológicas (TIC) de los estudiantes de la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción (UCSC) en cinco dimensiones relacionadas con el uso e implementación en contextos personales y pedagógicos. La muestra se constituyó de manera aleatoria por 681 estudiantes pertenecientes a seis especialidades de las cohortes 2007, 2009 y 2011 de: pedagogía en educación general básica, educación de párvulo, educación diferencial, pedagogía media en lenguaje y comunicación, pedagogía media en inglés y pedagogía media en biología y ciencias naturales. Los principales resultados indican que los estudiantes poseen un nivel adecuado de competencias TIC requeridas por el Gobierno de Chile; sin embargo, las dimensiones “pedagógica” y “gestión del conocimiento” son las que presentan mayores debilidades. Además, las percepciones de los estudiantes se enfocan a resaltar la necesidad de una formación con mayor apoyo de tecnologías, tanto en la aplicación como en su integración curricular.