Background: The use of electronic interventions to improve reading is becoming a common resource. This systematic review aims to describe the main characteristics of randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies that have used these tools to improve first-language reading, in order to highlight the features of the most reliable studies and guide future research. Methods: The whole procedure followed the PRISMA guidelines, and the protocol was registered before starting the process (doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/CKM4N). Searches in Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science and an institutional reference aggregator (Unika) yielded 6,230 candidate articles. After duplicate removal, screening, and compliance of eligibility criteria, 55 studies were finally included. Results: They were research studies on improving first-language reading, both in children and adults, and including a control group. Thirty-three different electronic tools were employed, most of them in English, and studies were very diverse in sample size, length of intervention, and control tasks. Risk of bias was analyzed with the PEDro scale, and all studies had a medium or low risk. However, risk of bias due to conflicts of interest could not be evaluated in most studies, since they did not include a statement on this issue. Conclusion: Future research on this topic should include randomized intervention and control groups, with sample sizes over 65 per group, interventions longer than 15 h, and a proper disclosure.

El mind uploading es el acto de transferir una mente de su sustrato original (el cuerpo biológico de la persona) a otro sustrato, que puede ser también biológico, o bien robótico o incluso digital. Esta propuesta se enmarca en el movimiento transhumanista y tiene como objetivo último la inmortalidad personal más allá de la duración temporal del cuerpo biológico. La tesis de este artículo es que el mind uploading es una propuesta que se presenta principalmente como tecnológica, pero que, en realidad, tiene implicaciones a muchos otros niveles: antropológico, cultural, político, etc., por lo que requiere una reflexión más profunda. Por ello, se analizan en este artículo dos dimensiones del mind-uploading: su posibilidad real de realización y su deseabilidad, sin pretender tanto dar respuestas finales como suscitar preguntas que se dan muchas veces por descontadas.

El ser humano es un ser peculiar, ya que participa de diversos ámbitos sin agotarse en ninguno de ellos. En este artículo se elabora un análisis compara-do del ser humano con otros seres: los animales no humanos y las máquinas. De esta forma, se pretende poner de manifiesto las coincidencias y diferencias y, así, intentar bosquejar lo específicamente humano. Respecto a los animales, el ser humano comparte una dimensión biológica ¿no solo material, sino también psi-cológica¿ pero su condición de ser espiritual hace que el resto de dimensiones ¿incluido el propio cuerpo¿ tengan una orientación distinta. Respecto a las máquinas, si bien han demostrado una cierta ¿inteligencia¿, es siempre una racio-nalidad prestada, que carece de la condición de ser libre tan propia del ser humano. Precisamente, esta capacidad de destinarse y entregarse es la caracterís-tica más propia humana.

This text introduces three different educational applications aimed at children with atypical development. These applications are the result of joint work carried out in collaboration between Universidad Pública de NavarraUPNA (Spain) and Fachhochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt-FHWS (Germany). In all three cases, attempts have been made to contact potential end users of the applications in connection with content development, but also to have such users use and assess the new applications. The technologies employed are not strictly the same in all cases, but basically what has been used is ¿natural interaction¿, whether it be gesture- and/or posture-based or natural speech; these developments are supported by different kinds of devices (computers, tablets, projectors and screens). To a greater or lesser extent, the three applications have been tested, and in all cases the three lines of work have been confirmed. The first of these is related to the use of remote sensors and natural interaction (through Kinect) to work on social skills, performance of everyday tasks, and postural education. The application is being implemented in a special education school, and by an association of families with atypical development children. The second line of work is related to music learning through music, image and natural interaction (using tablets and/or interactive whiteboards). In this case, and after several tests carried out in formal education (primary, secondary, and special education) and non-formal special education, a decision has been taken to pursue this line of work in primary schools (between 7 and 11 years of age) and in special education. Finally, in connection with the third application, more focused on the autism spectrum, the response of children with general communication disorders to ¿speaking machines¿ has been observed. This project has involved important difficulties, as dealing with natural language is highly complex; however, some interesting lines of work have been identified, such as combining natural language and body language (using Kinect) as a combined project.