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Digital Resources and Children’s Learning: Parental Perception During the Pandemic

2021 , Alvites-Huamaní C. , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Acosta-Vargas P.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted family life around the world. Families had to adapt to teleworking and online learning to maintain young children’s learning at home. During quarantine and nationwide school closures, parents of young children and children with disabilities had to act as teachers, therapists and caregivers. The role of parents gained relevance and it was needed to be able to guide their children to use technology during online learning. Digital resources provided an opportunity for children to keep learning, take part in games and keep in touch with their friends and teachers. But it increased access online brings heightened risks for children’s safety, protection and privacy, so it is necessary that parents observe their children and support them. In this context, this paper presents the perception from parents about on the use of digital resources and techno-logical tools that teachers applied before and during pandemic. This study surveyed 773 Peruvian parents to know which of the resources used by teachers helped their children to understand the content of the course and which of tools allowed a better interaction with their classmates and teachers. According to the results of the survey, the most used resource before pandemic has been WhatsApp (32.1%), followed by office tools (Word or Excel 20.3%) and email (8.7%). However, for carrying out online activities during the pandemic the most digital used resource by the teachers has been WhatsApp (29.9%), then YouTube (17.6%), Google Drive (16.7%) and Google Docs. (7.9%). Regarding to a good interaction to increase a better interaction between their classmates and teacher were Zoom (61.7%), Google Meet (25.1%) and WhatsApp (11.6%). These results suggested that the use of digital resources and technological tools during the pandemic has been problematic and challenging for families. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Artificial Intelligence and Tomorrow’s Education

2021 , Cóndor-Herrera, Omar , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Ramos Galarza, Carlos

Nowadays, there is a rapid technological progress around the world that has enabled realities long ago unimaginable. We live in a technological era that represents new possibilities and challenges for society, and for the educational models in each country [1]. Research on smart education, which has forced the educational community to rethink on new ways of learning and teaching has been developed globally. Due to the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), the educational model for both, teachers and students will change. Nevertheless, to transform educational systems, it is necessary to update and train students, educators, and administrators effectively [2]. This research aims to describe the possible applications of AI in education from: 1) the automation of administrative tasks; 2) collection and analysis of information [3] to create smart content; 3) the implementation of virtual assistants in the teaching-learning process; 4) the potential delivery of lectures by humanoid robots with AI. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Analysis of the Employment Rate of People with Disabilities in Ecuador

2021 , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Guadalupe-Lanas, Jorge , Jadán Guerrero, Janio

In Latin America and the Caribbean, approximately 12% of the population has some type of disability, 80% of them are unemployed and the 20% who have a job do not have the same conditions as the rest of the employees. To address this, public policies have been proposed and implemented with a focus on the labor insertion of people with disabilities. In this context, people living with a disability find it more difficult to find a job. They are less likely to be employed compared to people without disabilities. This article analyzes the employment of people with disabilities in Ecuador. Since Ecuador is considered a developing country, employment plays a fundamental role in the economic development of the population, particularly of people with disabilities. We want to identify the occupation rate in the formal market in Ecuador, establishing the percentage of participation by type of disability. In addition, an analysis will be carried out according to the affiliated institution in which it is active. The research is descriptive, and the data recorded in official sources were analyzed. We conclude that the employment rate of people with disabilities is only 15.3%, and that people with intellectual disabilities have the lowest employability rate, at 7.5%. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Creation of a Children’s Application to Prevent Cyberbullying

2023 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Acosta-Rodas P. , Bolaños-Pasquel, Mónica

Cyberbullying is the intentional and continuous abuse or aggression through the use of technological devices and the Internet. In cyberbullying, there is a dynamic of violence between an aggressor and a victim. This type of practice is very common nowadays, since human activity on the Internet is very important, for example, through the use of social networks, learning on virtual platforms, interaction in videoconferences, online video games, etc. The great problem of cyberbullying lies in the high damage, and it generates in the mental health of the victim, which in many cases can lead to suicide. With this background, this article presents the conceptual design of an application for children that seeks to prevent cyberbullying in the context of children. This smartphone application aims to help children to become aware of their behavior and impact within the virtual spaces in which they coexist. This work seeks to reduce the problem of cyberbullying in the school context. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Cognitive Interventions Based on Technology: A Systematic Literature Review

2021 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Cóndor-Herrera, Omar , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Bolaños-Pasquel M. , Cedillo P.

This article reports a systematic review of research done about the positive impact of cognitive treatment for people with some type of brain disorder through the use of inclusive technologies. The article collected 21 publications of high impact magazines uncovering that countries such as Spain, France, and Russia have a significant number of contributions on this topic. Inclusive technological innovations which are intended for work on brain functions such as attention, memory, verbal fluency, problem-solving and behavior regulation have been mainly developed in devices such as Tablets and Robots. The data discussed highlights the need to continue in this line of research to determine the effect of this type of intervention, as well as the future projection of developing new technological devices facilitating human brain functions. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Q’inqu: Inclusive Board Game for the Integration of People with Disabilities

2020 , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Altamirano, I.

The educational inclusion of people with disabilities continues to be a great challenge for society. Due to the field’s diversity and complexity, people with disabilities have few opportunities to be integrated into educational activities or even entertainment. This article describes a novel educational resource developed within the field of applied technologies. Q’inqu is an inclusive board game that encourages the family and educational inclusion of people with disabilities. Q’inqu is a Quechua word meaning “Labyrinth”. This is a metaphor for the challenges faced by families living with a person with disabilities, and it also reflects its narrative structure based on the “Legend of the Incas’ treasure”. Q’inqu has the general theme of a traditional board game where turns are taken until the treasure is found. What makes it different is the integration of inclusive elements through the use of technology. There are cards with a braille code, a rectangular board with high relief, and a circular board with textures. An App reads QR codes and also patterns, which present additional information based on augmented reality. These features provide support to blind players and to those who are unable to read, making the game both entertaining and educational. Q’inqu was developed and tested by a multidisciplinary team of 80 people, which included students and professionals from design, education and pedagogy. The most relevant result was that out of 367 ideas that were presented, it was awarded first prize in the category Toys for children with disabilities in the CMA contest held in Ecuador. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Introducing Gamification in Professional Training

2021 , Alvear H. , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Jadán Guerrero, Janio

The incorporation of game elements in non-game contexts is a subject of interest in various sectors, such as business, marketing, engineering, medicine, and military. Gamification and serious games have been involved in the rapid adaptation of professional training. The main goal of game thinking is to motivate and engage learners by using game-like techniques. This paper introduces gamification as an innovative approach for police officers to develop the required competencies for upholding the ethics, principles, and values that the Ecuadorian institution and society demand of them. The aim of gamification is to improve the quality and efficiency of the transfer from theory to real-life practice in police training. The paper focuses on the use of technology in a gamified virtual learning environment that simulates scenarios based upon common incidents reported to Ecuadorian police. The evaluation was conducted with 50 police officers. Our initial evaluation demonstrates that gamification has the potential to be scaled to force-wide proportions. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Financial Marketing at the Border: A View from Customers

2022 , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Quinde-Sari F. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Ramos Galarza, Carlos

Border activities are developed with unconventional rules or are not aligned with large cities in their total context. Thus, the modalities of exchange of currency between borders, is an activity that is carried out personally and without intermediaries, that is, person to person, both on one side and the other, the rules of the sale of currency are governed in some way with the limits that are established in each country, there are more bands in which the money changers move. The exchange is carried out in a public square, in which the marketing is done by shouting to attract customers, in this sense the question arises, how well known or used are the digital media of financial entities on the border? A survey was carried out on the clients of two financial entities on the Colombian-Ecuadorian border, to establish how well known and used digital media are by clients and if the website complies with or maintains any marketing strategy toward the client. The results of the exploratory factor analysis identified two factors: functional and safety. On the other hand, convergent validity is favorable with a mean variance extracted close to 0.5. Evidence that the factorial structure establishes a timely adjustment for the confirmatory factor analysis. The hypothesis has been proven that frontier financial institutions are ready to jump into the third stage of the expanded e-commerce model. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Technology in Favor of Disability: Prevalence Study in Ecuador

2021 , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Acosta-Rodas P. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Ramos Galarza, Carlos

People with disabilities and special needs are very important part of the society, their needs have not been covered over time. Globalization and technological development helped identify the importance of various groups with disabilities. In Ecuador, this identification allows this social group to be visible and particularly people with visual disabilities, who represent approximately 11% of the population with disabilities. The objective of this research is to identify Ecuador’s cities that maintain a higher prevalence of people with disabilities. To comply with the study, a descriptive analysis was conducted from public information about people registered by the authorized government control body. Obtaining this information makes it possible to establish a baseline of attention with real data, which allows getting a greater focus on the development of this social group and the attention they should receive. © 2021, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Model for Generation of Profiles for Persons with Disabilities in e-Learning Environments

2020 , Sanchez-Gordon S. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Nunes I.L.

Education is a fundamental human right recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Current e-Learning environments enable education at large scale with reduced costs. Unfortunately, persons with disabilities (PWD) experience barriers to access these platforms and the educational resources they host. To contribute with solving this problem, this study presents a model for the generation of profiles for PWD in e-Learning environments. The model proposed in this study allows registering accessibility needs and preferences regarding the use of different sensory modes for the perception and understanding of information depending on the current life situation of the PWD. The model is based on the specification IMS Access for All 3.0 PNP and the standard ISO/IEC 24751-2. The validation of the model was carried out with a high-fidelity functional prototype that was tested with automated tools and by users with blindness, low vision and color blindness. © 2020, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.