Fair use versus fair return: copyright legislation and its consequences.

The purpose of this article is to examine the ramifications of legislative recognition of the concept of fair use in the Copyright Act of 1976. The fair use concept, while of small consequence in its normative origins, has turned out to be the foundation of the most perplexing and divisive issues in the new legislative guidelines governing copyright. Legislative recognition of the concept of fair use, coupled with enormous growth of a new technology--extending from xerography to on-line database systems--creates de facto exemptions to both the intent and content of new copyright guidelines. The issue is not one of limiting use or suppressing information, but of mechanisms for safeguarding the rights of copyright holders, be they authors or publishers, and insuring the free flow of information by providing a proper return on both intellectual creativity and capital expenditures. The authors argue that the elimination, or at least curtailment of fair use doctrine, coupled with an increase in technological approaches to reporting of secondary use of copyrighted material, will benefit all sections of the knowledge industry. Authors will receive proper royalties on use; publishers will be able to sell more books and journals at lower prices; and librarians will be liberated from extensive chores such as monitoring usage or determining fee schedules and transferences. The issue is one of fair return--an issue obscured and ultimately subverted by fair use.     

Teacher ratings of student engagement with educational software: An exploratory study

The quality of students' learning engagement may significantly influence their learning. Can teachers accurately judge student learning engagement with educational software? In this exploratory study, 3 fifth-grade teachers used a seven-level taxonomy to rate the frequency of different forms of engagement among 42 students interacting with different types of educational software. Teachers spontaneously treated the seven levels of engagement as a continuum, rating students highest on one level or a set of contiguous levels. Teachers generally agreed when ranking students by their typical levels of engagement, but disagreed regarding the actual frequencies of different engagement types. Ratings of software engagement conceived of as interpretive activity were correlated significantly with student reading test scores. Given the authentic classroom conditions in which this study took place, the results are promising for the classroom utility of the seven-level conception of student engagement with software.     

Perceptions of the usefulness of the IEP by teachers of learning disabled and emotionally disturbed children

The present study used questionnaires to examine the perceptions of the usefulness of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) by teachers of emotionally disturbed and learning disabled children. Teachers surveyed indicated that the IEP does have some general utility for them and their students. However, the majority of respondents also indicated that the IEP does not usually assist them in planning day-to-day instruction. Additionally, they do not refer to the actual IEP document very often, nor is it particularly accessible to them. It was concluded that the IEP will not qualitatively affect the education of handicapped students unless it guides the delivery of services on a daily basis.     

Huitzilopochtli: The Will and Resiliency of Tucson Youth to Keep Mexican American Studies Alive

In response to the banning of Mexican American Studies in Tucson, students in the newly formed Chican@ ¹ Traditionally the term “Chicano” would be used for individuals of Mexican descent in the United States, and “Latino” is a pan-ethnic term that is inclusive of the people of South American and Central American descent. Due to the gendered nature of languages, the use of Chican@ and Latin@ have become more commonly used in Educational, Feminist, and Ethnic Studies scholarship as a representation of both Chicanas/Chicanos and Latinas/Latinos. It is a way to embrace equality and respect toward everyone. View all notes Literature, Art, and Social Studies program displayed their resiliency in the face of the oppressive actions of the Tucson Unified School District and the state of Arizona. This article serves as a platform for the voices of these dedicated youth who continued their educational and activist journey on Sundays throughout the 2012–2013 academic school year. The students share their impressions of why the Chican@ Literature, Art, and Social Studies program was important to them and how the curriculum, pedagogy, and relationships with classmates and their teacher shaped their continued struggle to revive Mexican American Studies for future generations and the transformation of the world.     

Effects of group reflection variations in project-based learning integrated in a Web 2.0 learning space

A Web 2.0 environment that is coupled with emerging multimodal interaction tools can have considerable influence on team learning outcomes. Today, technologies supporting social networking, collective intelligence, emotional interaction, and virtual communication are introducing new forms of collaboration that are profoundly impacting education. In this study, an empirical analysis was conducted on a Web 2.0 learning space designed to promote and support project-based group learning. Three different group reflection (GR) methods (i.e., self-reflection, GR, and instructor-supported reflection) were implemented for a micro community of undergraduate students completing a team project. Findings from this study suggest that promoting and supporting ‘deep learning’ through GR is essential for team project learning in a Web-based community. In addition, effective instructor intervention is a crucial component leading to better group performance. In terms of group learning evaluation rubrics, structural equation modeling revealed that the level of activeness in online contributions may not be as important as the evidence of collective reflection and critical thinking in team learning scenarios.     

READINESS AND ATTITUDES AS INDICATORS FOR SUCCESS IN COLLEGE CALCULUS

This study examined student indicators for success in entry-level college calculus. An attitude toward mathematics inventory, course performance, readiness assessment, and student interviews were used to determine characteristics and behaviors of students who succeeded in the course. In addition to student indicators, difficult topics and suggestions for improvement in the course structure were identified. While the focus of this study was on student indicators, the analyses of instructor interviews were included in order to compare their views with those of the students. The quantitative analyses showed that high school grade point average and the Calculus Readiness Assessment had positive significant correlations with course performance. The strongest positive significant correlation, however, was between attitude (Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory overall and confidence subscale) and course performance.     

Clinically Meaningful Change Estimates for the Six-Minute Walk Test and Daily Activity in Individuals With Chronic Heart Failure

Purpose

The purpose of the present pilot study was to provide a preliminary estimate of the minimum detectable difference (MDD) and minimum clinically important difference (MCID) of the six-minute walk test (6MWT) and daily activity in outpatients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Methods

A convenience sample of 22 adults with stable New York Heart Association Functional Class II and III CHF performed two baseline 6MWTs separated by 30 minutes of rest. Subjects then wore a triaxial accelerometer for 7 days to monitor daily activity. After 7 weeks of usual care, subjects again wore the accelerometer for 7 days and then returned to the clinic to complete the Global Rating of Change Scale (GRS) with regard to their heart disease and perform another set of 6MWTs. For the 6MWT, the MDD was calculated using the two baseline 6MWT distances. For daily activity, the MDD was calculated using two methods: (1) day-to-day test-retest reliability during baseline monitoring, and (2) baseline to follow-up test-retest reliability in those who reported no change on the GRS. The MCID for the 6MWT and daily activity was calculated using the mean and 95% confidence interval (CI_95%) for those subjects who reported ‘improvement’ on the GRS.

Results

The MDD at the CI_95% for the 6MWT was 32.4 meters. The MCID for the 6MWT was 30.1 (CI_95% 20.8, 39.4) meters. The MDD for daily activity was 5,909 vector magnitude units (VMU·hr.⁻¹) The MCID for daily activity was 1,337 VMU·hr.⁻¹ There was good alignment of the MDD and MCID for the 6MWT, suggesting that clinically meaningful change is approximately 32 meters. However, the calculated MCID was substantially less than measurement error as represented by the MDD, indicating that the MCID was underestimated in this sample or that daily activity may be robust to change in overall disease status.Key Words: six-minute walk test, daily activity, heart failure, clinically meaningful change     

“They’re Going to Forget About Their Mother Tongue”: Influence of Chinese Beliefs in Child Home Language and Literacy Development

Early Childhood Education Journal - The primary aim of this study was to explore and understand Chinese American parents’ language and literacy beliefs, perceptions, and practices with regard...