Readable letter size and visibility for overhead projection transparencies

Conclusions The results of this investigation would indicate that the smallersize letters (elite and pica) should be avoided in the preparation of projectuals—certainly for viewing distances beyond 20 feet. Further investigation could be, and probably should be, conducted at distances less than 20 feet to determine if anything significant would be lost by employing these smaller sizes for the closer distances. The smaller sizes are likely to be sufficient for distances of 20 feet or less. At further distances where larger-size letters are needed, probably the most feasible approach would be to use the primer type¹available in many schools. It is quite interesting to note that four of the five grades found the 6/32 inch primer size type with serif to be more readable than the 6/32 inch bulletin type without serif. Many casual observers would erroneously suggest that the simple bulletin type would be less confusing and thus more readable. Needless to say, this observation may be a phenomenon of the sample and might not similarly be observed in a replication of the study. The largest size, that which was commercially recommended (8/32 inch), did not appear necessary; the 6/32 inch elite type (primer size) was statistically equal to the larger size in four of the five grades, while in the remaining grade, the primer size actually surpassed the commercially recommended size. The three largest sizes showed approximately equal, minimal change from closer to further viewing distances. In future studies, initial measures should be made of the visual acuity of the subjects to control this possible source of variation. Additional attention also needs to be paid to the characteristics of specific letters which make them more difficult to read, regardless of size.     

Marketing the recreational sublime: Jumbo Wild and the rhetorics of humans in nature

Since Carleton Watkins and Ansel Adams captured the sublime landscapes of Yosemite, immense technological changes have occurred that demand we revisit discourses about the sublime. Panmediation combined with ever-reaching capitalist practices have shifted the ways in which the sublime is imaged, conceptualized, and utilized. In this paper, we turn to DeLuca and Demo’s (2000. Imaging nature: Watkins, Yosemite, and the birth of environmentalism. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 17(3), 241–260.) and Stormer’s (2004. Addressing the sublime: Space, mass representation, and the unpresentable. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 21(3), 212–240.) essays on the sublime to trace the trajectory of the sublime’s domestication and the ways in which its use in contemporary environmentalist discourses, led by corporations like Patagonia, have reinforced human–nature binaries and anthropocentric discourses. To do so, we examine the 2015 documentary Jumbo Wild, which represents one example of a new turn in depictions of the sublime—what we term the recreational sublime—and how it is rhetorically grounded in visual discourses.     

Wireless laptops in English classrooms: a SWOT analysis from Singapore

This paper presents illustrative findings from a one‐year pilot study undertaken in the English department of a high school in Singapore that was in the first year of implementing a one‐to‐one wireless laptop programme. The findings show that learning was often constrained by lecture‐style presentations and overt test preparation. Despite widespread access, the students rarely explored new media as alternative sources of legitimate knowledge and missed opportunities to investigate mobile technologies as sites for meaning‐making and knowledge construction. The paper concludes with a call for teachers to design language learning and assessment tasks that embrace a wider set of twenty‐first century skills, knowledge and dispositions.

Radiolaptops in englischen Klassenzimmern: eine SWOT‐Analyse aus Singapur

Dieses Papier präsentiert beispielhafte Ergebnisse einer einjährigen Pilotstudie, die in der englischen Abteilung einer Höheren Schule in Singapur im ersten Jahr der Einführung eines drahtlosen Laptop‐Programms durchgeführt worden ist. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Lernen häufig durch vorlesungsartige Präsentationen und offenkundige Test‐Vorbereitung behindert wurde. Trotz des breit‐möglichen Zugangs erforschten die Studenten selten neue Medien als alternative Quellen legitimer Kenntnisse und verpassten so Gelegenheiten, bewegliche Technologien als Mittel für bedeutsames und kenntnissbildendes Lernen zu untersuchen. Das Papier schließt mit einem Aufruf an Lehrer, für das Fremdsprachenlernen aktuelle und den heutigen technischen Möglichkeiten angemessene Beispiele zu entwickeln.

Les ordinateurs portables sans fils dans les classes d’anglais: une analyse SWOT (forces et faiblesses) à Singapour

Cet article présente les résultats significatifs d’une étude expérimentale d’un an lancée dans le département d’anglais d’un lycée de Singapour qui se trouvait dans la première année de mise en place d’une programme d’ordinateurs portables sans fil individuels. Ces résultats montrent que l’apprentissage était souvent gêné par des présentations en forme de cours magistral et un bachotage avoué en vue de l’examen. En dépit de la grande facilité d’accès, les élèves ont rarement exploré les nouveaux medias comme autant de sources nouvelles d’un savoir authentique et ils n’ont pas saisi l’occasion d’étudier si les nouvelles technologies pouvaient être des lieux de production de sens et de construction du savoir. L’article se termine sur un appel aux professeurs pour qu’ils conçoivent des tâches d’apprentissage et d’évaluation de la langue qui couvriraient un éventail plus large de compétences, de connaissances et d’attitudes propres au 21^e siècle.

Los ordenadores portatiles inalámbricos en aulas de inglés: un analísis SWOT (puntos fuertes y debilidades) en Singapur

Este artículo presenta unos resultados ilustrativos de un estudio piloto de un año llevado a cabo en el departamento de inglés de un colegio de Singapur que se encontraba en el primero año de la aplicación de un programa de ordenadores individuales inalámbricos. Esos resultados muestran que el aprendizaje fué frecuentemente dificultado por presentaciones de tipo «lección magistral» y preparaciones dirigidas solamente a los examenes. Aunque el acceso era muy fácil, los alumnos han poco explorado las posibilidades de los nuevos medios como fuentes alternativas de conocimientos legítimos y no consiguieron aprovechar oportunidades de examinar el potencial de las tecnologías móviles como lugares de producción de sentido y de construcción de conocimiento. La conclusión del artículo contiene un llamamiento a los profesores para el diseño de tareas de aprendizaje de idiomas y de evaluación que abarquen una gama más amplia de competencias, conocimientos y aptitudes del siglo 21.     

Lifelong Learning and T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets [1]

This article challenges the dominant policy discourse about lifelong learning as a tool for economic productivity and competitiveness, and proposes the alternative language of poetry as a means to return to the vision of lifelong learning as a process of "learning to be", as first proposed in Edgar Faure et al. 's (1972) landmark UNESCO report of that title. T.S. Eliot's classic poem Four Quartets is examined as an example of poetic work that articulates a richly nuanced view of lifelong learning as a process of grappling with major existential questions about identity and existence. The prospect of truly learning to be, as Eliot shows us, is not a straightforward task of acquiring government-sanctioned skills, knowledge, and attitudes, but one of venturing into the dark unknown, and "costing not less than everything" in the process.     

Towards the ‘informed use’ of information and communication technology in education: a response to Adams’ ‘PowerPoint,habits of mind,and classroom culture’

PowerPoint, the widely‐used slide‐show software package, is finding increasing currency in lecture halls and classrooms as the preferred method of communicating and presenting information. But, as Adams [Adams, C. (2006 Adams, C. 2006. PowerPoint, habits of mind, and classroom culture. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 38(4): 389–411. [Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) PowerPoint, habits of mind, and classroom culture. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 38(4), 389–411] attempts to show, users may not appreciate that PowerPoint invites and seduces educators to reshape knowledge in particular ways to the detriment of analytical thinking and interpretive understanding. Using Adams’ material as a stimulus, we argue that digital presentation tools (along with other items of information and communication technology) can be utilized to facilitate conversational dialogue between students, their instructor, and their peers without much additional knowledge or effort. The key that unlocks the affordances of PowerPoint is ‘informed use’. This concept is explained and illustrated with an example that shows technology being used in a particular context to achieve a particular set of instructional outcomes.     

The new higher education reality: what is an appropriate model to address the widening participation agenda?

Along with the massification of higher education comes a need for new models to support the success of greater numbers of diverse students. A greater proportion of these students are ‘non-traditional’ in terms of preparedness, socioeconomic status and geography. This paper introduces an Associate Degree model designed to support this new higher education reality of broader student cohorts, thin regional markets and cross-sectoral collaboration. Background literature on challenges facing the higher education sector and its prospective students is presented, with a particular focus on regionality. An argument is made for the role of curriculum and pedagogy as enablers of non-traditional student success. This is supported by the results of a mixed-methods exploratory study. This Associate Degree model was attractive to students and institutes. Students experienced similar levels of challenge, workload and progress to their traditional peers. While technology was essential for the success of the model, it played a supporting role to the relationships and multiple modes of learning it facilitated. This article provides insights for institutions seeking to address the broadening participation agenda.     

Examining Student Digital Artifacts During a Year-Long Technology Integration Initiative

This study was situated within a year-long, statewide technology integration initiative designed to support technology integration within science, technology, engineering, and math classrooms. It examined the elements used in student artifacts in an attempt to investigate trends in digital artifact creation. Among several conclusions, this examination highlighted areas of significant improvement in student use of technology, such as an increase in the creation of PowerPoint presentations and the inclusion of multimedia elements. The study also highlighted areas for improvement, such as the low cognitive demand for content in the majority of the artifacts.     

Content Analysis in Computer-Mediated Communication: Analyzing Models for Assessing Critical Thinking Through the Lens of Social Constructivism

Abstact

This article reviews content analysis studies aimed to assess critical thinking in computer-mediated communication. It also discusses theories and content analysis models that encourage critical thinking skills in asynchronous learning environments and reviews theories and factors that may foster critical thinking skills and new knowledge construction.     

Educational distance from the perspective of self‐direction: an analysis

To establish which factors predict student intentions to contribute towards an OpenCourseWare site, an online questionnaire was distributed among University of Queensland students via email. The 320 participants completed items that were based on the theory of planned behaviour and were designed to measure attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. Measures of altruistic motivation were also included as a predictor for intentions to contribute. Overall, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and altruistic motivation explained 43.1% of the variance in students’ intentions to contribute. Attitudes and altruistic motivation were the strongest predictors, accounting for 7.49% and 7.12%, respectively, with subjective norms accounting for 3.9%. Perceived behavioural control was not found to contribute to the explanatory model. The implications for universities creating new OpenCourseWare sites are discussed. Further research should investigate the effects of barriers on student intentions to develop and contribute and should examine the determinants of faculty support.