Measurement of three-dimensional hand kinematics during swimming with a motion capture system: a feasibility study

Current trends in swimming biomechanics are focused on accurate measurements. Nowadays, reliable calibration methods have been proposed to reach an accuracy of about 1 mm on rigid structure. But the question remains about the final accuracy for three-dimensional hand kinematics measurement during the underwater phase of front crawl swimming. Furthermore, most research is based on manual tracking with two or more cameras. In this paper we propose a protocol to acquire three-dimensional hand kinematics when swimming in a specific pool with a motion analysis system behind windows. Results highlight the benefits of using such a system in terms of accuracy and feasibility: the time allowed for post-processing is ten times lower and the quantified improved accuracy is better than with manual tracking.     

Re-Entering the Sporting World: China's Sponsorship of the 1963 Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO)

Prior to the 2008 Olympics, China's most sustained support of an international multi-sport event came in 1963 when it contributed significantly to the financing of and then dominated the medals table at the inaugural Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO), held in Jakarta. GANEFO is a singular moment through which to understand politics and sport in the 1960s. This article is a consideration of China's role in GANEFO, and the West's response to China's involvement. It explores the ways in which China used the event to navigate issues of international and regional geopolitics, and considers the diplomatic and sporting corridors within which GANEFO resonated. GANEFO was a platform through which geopolitical tensions were revealed, and China engaged in propaganda campaigns directed at the West and positioned itself to win allies among the decolonising countries of Asia and Africa – astride the artificial boundary that separated the Second and Third Worlds. China's interest in and the West's response to GANEFO reflected the ways in which anti-communist Cold War politics were conflated with racialised, post-colonial discourses and tension between Second World powers.     

Consultation,negotiation and compromise: the relationship between SENCos,parents and pupils with SEN

One outcome of the UK Government's commitment to inclusive educational policies was an increase in the number of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) being taught in mainstream schools. From the perspective of SENCos, this article analyses whether parents and pupils are able and willing to influence the development of SEN provision and distribution of SEN resources, both of which aim to ensure that pupils have more meaningful experiences of mainstream education. The findings of the study cast light on the power and influence of parents when it comes to SEN provision and resources, the importance of consulting parents and the ways in which parents empower SENCos to make decisions on behalf of themselves and their children. The importance of negotiating and attempting to seek a compromise with pupils was another key issue identified in the article. Ultimately, however, the power to decide where resources go and what is done with them appears to reside with SENCos.     

Teachers as Carers: A Case Study of a Secondary School's Pastoral Process

This paper describes the review and evaluation of the house/pastoral system at the Anglican Church Grammar School. The main findings were: an overwhelming acceptance of the house system; a high level of caring and commitment; and a desire to offer new challenges and support to permeate the whole educational process. There was also an almost total disregard for and antagonism towards the tutorial system. Based on interviews with staff, a representative staff working party agreed the changes that needed to be undertaken and improvements were made. The approach to the evaluation is an example of collaboration.     

The Quality of Message Ideas,Thinking and Interaction in an Asynchronous CMC Environment

One of the major shifts in education today under the influence of information and communication technologies is that there is an increased tendency toward the use of computer-mediated communications (CMC). CMC has developed an assortment of methods from simple e-mail to wireless instant messages and synchronous and asynchronous discussions. A large portion of the research in this area focuses on the pedagogical aspects of CMC particularly on the use, strategies, effectiveness and the integration of the new technologies for teaching and learning. Some studies investigate different perspectives of interaction like keeping track of asynchronous discussion, quality of participation, interaction and collaborative or group learning. This paper reports findings from the study that examines the quality of message ideas, thinking and interaction in an asynchronous CMC environment in a teacher training institution. The authors suggest some practical strategies in the implementation of asynchronous discussions in CMC environment. La qualité des messages d’idées, de la pensée et de l’interaction dans un environnement CMC asynchrone. Un des changements majeurs dans l’éducation aujourd’hui sous l’influence de l’information et des technologies de la communication est une tendance accrue À l’usage des communications par ordinateur (Computer-mediated Communications CMC). CMC a permis le développement de tout un assortiment de méthodes depuis de simples e-mail jusqu’À des messages sans fil instantanés et des discussions synchrones et asynchrones. Une grande partie de la recherche en ce domaine est centrée sur les aspects pédagogiques des CMC en particulier sur l’emploi, les stratégies, l’efficacité et l’intégration des nouvelles technologies pour l’enseignement et l’apprentissage. Certains études examinent les perspectives différentes de l’interaction. Telles que garder la trace des discussions asynchrones, la qualité de la participation interaction et l’apprentissage en coopération ou en groupe. L’article rapporte les résultats de l’étude qui examine la qualité des messages d’idées, la pensée et l’interaction dans un environnement de CMC asynchrone dans un établissement de formation des enseignants. Les auteurs suggérent des stratégies pratiques dans l’introduction de discussions asynchrones dans un environnement CMC. Die Qualität der übermittlung von Ideen, Denken und Interaktion in einem asynchronen CMC Umfeld Eine der wichtigsten Umstellungen der heutigen Ausbildung ist die unter dem Einfluss von Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien verstärkte Tendenz, rechnergestützte Kommunikation (computer-mediated communications:CMC)

zu benutzen. CMC hat ein ganzes Arsenal von Methoden entwickelt, von der einfachen E-Mail bis zu drahtlosen Nachrichten und synchron oder asynchron geführten Diskussionen. Die Forschung in diesem Bereich konzentriert sich hauptsächlich auf die pädagogischen Aspekte von CMC, besonders auf die Nutzung, die Strategien, den Wirkungsgrad und die Möglichkeiten der Einbindung der Neuen Technologien zum Lehren und Lernen. Einige Arbeiten erforschen die verschiedenen Perspektiven

der Interaktion wie das Verfolgen von asynchronen Diskussionen, die Qualität der Beteiligung, der Interaktion und Zusammenarbeit oder dem Lernen in Gruppen. In diesem Beitrag wird über Ergebnisse der Studie zur Untersuchung der Qualität der übermittlung von Ideen, Gedanken und Interaktionen in einem asynchron arbeitenden rechnergestützten

System (CMC) einer Lehrerfortbildungseinrichtung berichtet. Die Autoren erläutern praktische Strategien zur Einbindung asynchroner Diskussionen in eine CMC-Umgebung.     

The Realities of Translating Research into Classroom Practice

This paper synthesizes key findings to facilitate the translation of research into classroom practice and provides guidelines for how effective instructional practices might be implemented, supported, and sustained in schools. Excerpts from a case study are presented to show how research‐based instructional approach translates into classroom practices in a local school district that tailors the approach to the realities of the local situation. In this paper, we review what the research suggests are the functions that allow a person in a leadership role to facilitate the translation of research into classroom practice. We describe how these functions were used to translate research into classroom practice in 2 school districts that are part of the Elementary and Middle School Technical Assistance Center (EMSTAC) project, a national research‐to‐practice effort. Examples of how these principles were put into practice and why different technical assistance approaches were used to implement research‐based practices in a primary and middle school setting are discussed. We conclude with reflections on the intricate nature of effecting change at the local level, and the progress that can be made within those intricacies.     

Book Reviews

Serial Publications: Guidelines for Good Practice in Publishing Printed and Electronic Journals, 2nd edition, by Diane Brown, Elaine Stott and Anthony Watkinson Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers 2003, £27 (members), £30 (non‐members), 108 pp., paperback. ISBN 0‐907341‐22‐5. Available from http://www.alpsp.org/pub3.htm The Case for Institutional Repositories: A SPARC Position Paper prepared by Raym Crow, SPARC Senior Consultant Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, Washington DC. Release 1.0, 2002. Available at: www.arl.org/sparc The Case for Institutional Repositories: A SPARC Position Paper prepared by Raym Crow, SPARC Senior Consultant Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, Washington, DC. Release 1.0, 2002. Available at: www.arl.org/sparc Internet Law: Text and Materials by Chris Reed Butterworths Tolley, 2000, £24.95, paperback. ISBN 0406981418 Intellectual Property Law by Lionel Bently and Brad Sherman Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001, £32.99 (paperback), 1136 pp. ISBN 0‐19‐876343‐3 Clearing the Way: Copyright Clearance in UK Libraries by Elizabeth Gadd LISU Occasional Paper no. 31, Library & Information Statistics Unit (LISU), Department of Information Science, Loughborough University. ISBN 1 901786 51 X Electronic Journals and User Behaviour: Learning for the Future from the SuperJournal Project by David Pullinger and Christine Baldwin Deedot Press, 2002, £14.95. ISBN 0‐954‐2924‐0‐5 Electronic Ecology: A Case Study of Electronic Journals in Context by Karla L. Hahn Association of Research Libraries, 79 pp., 2001, $45. ISBN 0‐918006‐46‐1 The Transition from Paper: Where Are We Going and How Will We Get There edited by R. Stephen Berry and Anne Simon Moffat American Academy of Arts and Sciences, published online (2001): www.amacad.org/publications/trans.htm The Transition from Paper: Where Are We Going and How Will We Get There edited by R. Stephen Berry and Anne Simon Moffat American Academy of Arts and Sciences, published online (2001): www.amacad.org/publications/trans.htm E‐Serials, Publishers, Libraries, Users and Standards, 2nd edn, edited by Wayne Jones The Haworth Press Inc., 2003, 294 pp. paperback ISBN 0789012294