The tools used in learning processes are in a continuous state of flux. One of the most significant changes is the application of Information and Communications technologies (ICTs) to educational contexts. This provides new possible ways to carry out learning activities, new learning services, the possibility to use new kinds of contents and activities, etc. However, ICTs have not provided as many advantages as they were supposed to, so changes are necessary. In this context, a new set of tools, Web 2.0, offers a new way to understand the Web, in which the user is the centre. Further, users can cooperate in order to define contents. This concept is also applied in technology-mediated learning but there are important problems when one tries to integrate such tools and concepts with existing systems. This paper explores the integration of these tools in traditional learning environments, the various possibilities and their advantages and drawbacks. After that, an interoperability scenario is described and two experiences are presented to show how 2.0 tools can be integrated in learning activities, and its effect in educational process.

Current research examines the need for design and validation of a unifactorial scale to measure attitudes of university teachers with regard to ICT. The main goal of this study is to achieve a simple scale, composed of a single factor contributing a clearly reliable measure with acceptable content and factorial validity. A case study is presented, which has been developed with the teaching staff of the University of Salamanca (Spain). In this case study, an expert content validation was done at a first stage. After that, an attitude scale regarding the usage of ICT in teaching was applied with a representative sample of teachers (N = 2329; n = 161). An individual analysis of the items was made with the obtained results and then a Cronbach's alpha based reliability test was carried out to show the internal consistency of the survey. Finally, an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was applied to prove its structural soundness and unifactoriality. The main conclusion of this paper is to offer to the scientific community a tool with adequate psychometric properties that gives added pedagogical value to the introduction of ICT in higher education teaching.

Abstract

In the past two decades, large-scale assessment schemes, such as PISA, have been set up at an international level as accountability tools for education systems, whose results and conclusions bear relevant repercussions for education systems and policies around the world. While the guidelines for student sampling and exclusion are explained in detail and applied consistently in all countries to ensure comparability, there is some leeway for countries to control the participation of Special Education Needs (SEN) students in the test.This paper discusses the lack of transparency regarding the participation of SEN students in PISA, relying on literature to fill in the gaps that are encountered in the documentation provided by the OECD. It also reviews the difficulties faced both by SEN students and researchers wishing to focus on the results of this particular collective, presenting the main conclusions drawn by researchers on this field.The paper concludes with a reflection on the need for further research and a higher transparency regarding both the participation of SEN students in PISA and the publication and report of their results.

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