This conceptual paper discusses how we can consider a particular city as a smart one, drawing on recent practices to make cities smart. A set of the common multidimensional components underlying the smart city concept and the core factors for a successful smart city initiative is identified by exploring current working definitions of smart city and a diversity of various conceptual relatives similar to smart city. The paper offers strategic principles aligning to the three main dimensions (technology, people, and institutions) of smart city: integration of infrastructures and technology-mediated services, social learning for strengthening human infrastructure, and governance for institutional improvement and citizen engagement.

https://inta-aivn.org/images/cc/Urbanism/background%20documents/dgo_2011_smartcity.pdf

Conceptualizing smart city with dimensions of technology, people, and institutions

This paper examines how secondary teachers of the core subjects of English, mathematics, and science have begun to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) into mainstream classroom practice in English schools. It draws on an analysis of 18 focus‐group interviews with subject departments in these fields. Evident commitment to incorporating ICT was tempered by a cautious, critical approach, and by the influence of external constraints. Teacher accounts emphasized both the use of ICT to enhance and extend existing classroom practice, and change in terms of emerging forms of activity which complemented or modified practice. A gradual process of pedagogical evolution was apparent; teachers were developing and trialling new strategies specifically for mediating ICT‐supported learning. In particular, these overcame the potentially obstructive role of some forms of ICT by focusing pupils’ attention onto underlying learning objectives.

/pdf/teacher-perspectives-on-integrating-ict-into-subject-3uh6g20r0j.pdf

Teacher perspectives on integrating ICT into subject teaching: commitment, constraints, caution, and change

Theatre of the Oppressed

For many years, researchers have searched for the factors affecting the use of computers in the classroom. In studying the antecedents of educational computer use, many studies adopt a rather limited view because only technology-related variables, such as attitudes to computers and computer experience were taken into account. The present study centres on teachers' educational beliefs (constructivist beliefs, traditional beliefs) as antecedent of computer use, while controlling for the impact of technology-related variables (computer experience, general computer attitudes) and demographical variables (sex, age). In order to identify differences in determinants of computer use in the classroom, multilevel modelling was used (N=525). For measuring primary teachers' use of computers to support the leaching or learning process a modified version of the 'Class Use of Computers' scale of van Braak et al. [van Braak, J., Tondeur, J., & Valcke, M. (2004). Explaining different types of computer use among primary school teachers. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 19(4), 407-422] was used. The present article supports the hypothesis that teacher beliefs are significant determinants in explaining why teachers adopt computers in the classroom. Next to the impact of computer experience, general computer attitudes and gender, the results show a positive effect of constructivist beliefs on the classroom use of computers. Traditional beliefs have a negative impact on the classroom use of computers.

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/444938/file/6814213.pdf

The impact of primary school teachers' educational beliefs on the classroom use of computers

Given the prevalence of computers in education today, it is critical to understand teachers' perspectives regarding computer integration in their classrooms The current study surveyed a random sample of a heterogeneous group of 185 elementary and 204 secondary teachers in order to provide a comprehensive summary of teacher characteristics and variables that best discriminate between teachers who integrate computers and those who do not Discriminant Function Analysis indicated seven variables for elementary teachers and six for secondary teachers (accounting for 74% and 68% of the variance, respectively) that discriminated between high and low integrators Variables included positive teaching experiences with computers; teacher's comfort with computers; beliefs supporting the use of computers as an instructional tool; training; motivation; support; and teaching efficacy Implications for support of computer integration in the classroom are discussed

http://ictintegration.weebly.com/uploads/4/2/8/4/4284170/identifyingdiscriminatingvariablesbetweenteachers.pdf

Identifying discriminating variables between teachers who fully integrate computers and teachers with limited integration

: Optimizing the design and operation of an Urban Water System (UWS) faces signiﬁcant challenges over its lifespan to account for the uncertainties of important stressors that arise from population growth rates, climate change factors, or shifting demand patterns. The analysis of a UWS’s performance across interdependent subsystems beneﬁts from a multi-model approach where different designs are tested against a variety of metrics and in different times scales for each subsystem. In this work, we present a stress-testing framework for UWSs that assesses the system’s resilience, i.e., the degree to which a UWS continues to perform under progressively increasing disturbance (deviation from normal operating conditions). The framework is underpinned by a modeling chain that covers the entire water cycle, in a source-to-tap manner, coupling a water resources management model, a hydraulic water distribution model, and a water demand generation model. An additional stochastic simulation module enables the representation and modeling of uncertainty throughout the water cycle. We demonstrate the framework by “stress-testing” a synthetic UWS case study with an ensemble of scenarios whose parameters are stochastically changing within the UWS simulation timeframe and quantify the uncertainty in the estimation of the system’s resilience.

Stress-Testing Framework for Urban Water Systems: A Source to Tap Approach for Stochastic Resilience Assessment

Narrative theory or narratology is the systematic study of narrative and narrative structure [3]. It provides the necessary theoretical tools that can help scrutinize the various ways in which narrative is formed and is deciphered by an audience. In this paper, we suggest the use of narrative theory as: (a) a means to a detailed deconstruction or engineering of a collaborative design process, and (b) an analytical device for the in depth exploration of the design space.

Collaborative design as narrative

Abstract. Motivated by the challenges induced by the so-called Target Model and the
associated changes to the current structure of the energy market, we revisit
the problem of day-ahead prediction of power production from Small
Hydropower Plants (SHPPs) without storage capacity. Using as an example a
typical run-of-river SHPP in Western Greece, we test alternative forecasting
schemes (from regression-based to machine learning) that take advantage of
different levels of information. In this respect, we investigate whether it
is preferable to use as predictor the known energy production of previous
days, or to predict the day-ahead inflows and next estimate the resulting
energy production via simulation. Our analyses indicate that the second
approach becomes clearly more advantageous when the expert's knowledge about
the hydrological regime and the technical characteristics of the SHPP is
incorporated within the model training procedure. Beyond these, we also
focus on the predictive uncertainty that characterize such forecasts, with
overarching objective to move beyond the standard, yet risky, point
forecasting methods, providing a single expected value of power production.
Finally, we discuss the use of the proposed forecasting procedure under
uncertainty in the real-world electricity market.


/pdf/day-ahead-energy-production-in-small-hydropower-plants-2thz9vym.pdf

Day-ahead energy production in small hydropower plants: uncertainty-aware forecasts through effective coupling of knowledge and data

In this work we present the architecture of a Web-based system for argumentation (iArgue) that couples collaboration scripts with argumentation. The system takes into account latest research on collaboration scripts and implements script mechanisms for fading, rotation and repetition. The main goal of building this system is to investigate the fading mechanism and its impact on micro-script internalization and acquisition of argumentation skills.

iArgue: A Web-Based Argumentation System Supporting Collaboration Scripts with Adaptable Fading

The paper presents a novel approach to collaborative design of educational software with students, one that asks the participants for the formation and use of fictional characters -- design alter egos -- as a means towards eliciting requirements and design ideas. In order to evaluate the suggested approach, we conducted 12 collaborative design sessions with the participation of 54 undergraduate university students (aged 19 to 24) for eliciting requirements for the design of an ideal course website. The analysis of the results showed that the design alter egos liberated the majority of the students from the fear of straightforwardly exposing themselves, supported and enhanced their introspection, stimulated their creativity and helped to establish an informal and constructive atmosphere throughout the design sessions. We suggest the use of design alter egos as an engaging and effective supportive technique for co-designing educational software with students.

Ioannis A. Tsoukalas

Papers

Stress-Testing Framework for Urban Water Systems: A Source to Tap Approach for Stochastic Resilience Assessment

Collaborative design as narrative

Day-ahead energy production in small hydropower plants: uncertainty-aware forecasts through effective coupling of knowledge and data

iArgue: A Web-Based Argumentation System Supporting Collaboration Scripts with Adaptable Fading

Design alter egos: constructing and employing fictional characters in collaborative design sessions