Latent factors on the design and adoption of gamified apps in primary education.

The main objective of this research is to determine the perception of teachers about the elements that increases the educational effectiveness of gamified apps in primary education. A methodology based on an importance-performance analysis was daeveloped, using a structural equations model to calcuate the degree of importance of each variable. The sample was formed of 212 Spanish teachers with experience using educational apps in the teaching-learning process. Six categories were identified as precursors of educational effectiveness: (1) curriculum connection, (2) feedback and operational experience, (3) assessment and learning analytics, (4) sustainability (Protection Personal data), (5) equal access and (6) flow. These six categories enhance the three traditional areas of gamification intervention: cognitive, emotional and social. In this sense, the design and adoption of an educational gamified app should: (1) establish a clear link between the game and curricular content and competence development; (2) promote self-regulated learning through individual and collaborative activities; (3) offer adapted learning by integrating differentiated personalized learning pathways; (4) integrate learning analytics that can be consulted by teacher, student and family; (5) comply with data protection regulation and promote a safe, sustainable and ethical use of the information generated; (6) take into account different levels of functional diversity. When the gamified app design incorporates these attributes, primary education teachers perceive that such resources can be integrated effectively into the teaching-learning processes.

Augmented Reality, a Review of a Way to Represent and Manipulate 3D Chemical Structures.

Augmented reality (AR) is a mixed technology that superimposes three-dimensional (3D) digital data onto an image of reality. This technology enables users to represent and manipulate 3D chemical structures. In spite of its potential, the use of these tools in chemistry is still scarce. The aim of this work is to identify the real situation of AR developments and its potential for 3D visualization of molecules. A descriptive analysis of a selection of 143 research publications (extracted from Web of Science between 2018 and 2020) highlights some significant AR examples that had been implemented in chemistry, in both education and research environments. Although the traditional 2D screen visualization is still preferred when teaching chemistry, the application of AR in early education has shown potential to facilitate the understanding and visualization of chemical structures. The increasing connectivity of the AR technology to web platforms and scientific networks should translate into new opportunities for teaching and learning strategies.