Special Topics in Software Engineering:

Cooperative Learning in ICT Tools-supported Environments

Education is before a paradigm change in Hungary as well, which brought into life the project method. Team-work is a new education strategy. During the education of any special subject it is possible and also advisable to rely on the opportunitics of informatics and multimedia devices that become more diverse. The possibility of information search on the Internet and the role of visible and invisible web in our life are emphasized. For the protection of digital content it is essential to identify the content that we want to protect, this is achieved with DOI (Digital Object Identifier). In introductory of the course we summarize these concepts, their relations and their role in common and higher education, illustrated with presentations and short movies made in team-work.

After this fundamentals, social aspects of the cooperative learning and the differences between traditional and cooperative groupwork will be overviewed. After dividing pupils into groups the ability of collaboration among them has to be developed. They have to learn those techniques that are needed for co-acting.

Accessing and the possibility of spreading of knowledge is getting better and better. Besides the appearance of PCs in schools with even more colourful softwares (Word, PowerPoint, Movie Maker, Producer, Flash) using them in the frameworks of special subject education (e.g. with the help of teacart) and the even more effective Internet access, the tools of the third millenium are also advancing (tablePC, electronic diary, the new generation of interactive tables).

Merely the appearance of these tools has already made the informatical joining up of the whole society reasonable. As pupil, teacher or parent distinct level and form of informatic basics is indispensable. There are several forms for acquiring knowledge, extension of knowledge beyond the training in school system (ECDL, EPICT,..)

If the same time the effect of the Informational and Communicational Technologies are increasingly noticeable in the higher education too. The students require the use of informatic tools in the course of learning. The ability of using digital technology is developing earlier among those students who are professionally motivated. Though in consequence of the considerable growing of the curriculum that students have to learn, many times only passing of knowledge appears as the aim of education, the projects enhance the separateness of students. Acquiring the competencies that their latter workplace expects from them is becoming easier. Not at all just the same to them if they have to suffer along boring lectures or they can augment their knowledge during jovial, active work. Within the frame of course you can see details from the presentations of my own students, which were made in team-work and from films which demonstrate how to use the table PC and the interactive table. Following this your students have to make this material too.

Lecturer

Dr. István Füvesi, University of Szeged, Department of Informatics
fuvesi@inf.u-szeged.hu

Dates

Working Environment

Exam

To be announced.