Importance of digital close-range photogrammetry in documentation of cultural heritage

It is an indisputable reality that the most important thing for transmitting cultural heritage to posterity is a sensitive documentation. Up to the present there have been many developments in documentation of cultural heritage by developing technology, and contemporary documentation techniques have progressed speedily. In time, modern methods have become preferable to conventional methods in architecture generally in the existent state and in determination of deformations and preparation of measured drawing projects of historical edifices. Digital and 3D data, rich visual images obtained by digital close-range photogrammetry, and orthophoto images of edifices, are governed and shepherded in documentation and future conservation projects. Also, these methods supply much ease, precision and time-saving in measured drawing projects when compared with conventional methods. In this study, contributions of digital close-range photogrammetry to measured drawing projects were evaluated. A historical building, which had been exposed to fire two times in Konya (Turkey), was photographed and its situation before and after the fire was demonstrated. In addition, the building's measured drawings of facade and its 3D model were completed using digital close-range photogrammetry. The building's present status and its reconstruction project is indicated and how digital close-range photogrammetry contributes to measured drawing, reconstruction and restoration projects is presented. Furthermore, the significance of present-day use of digital close-range photogrammetry in the acquisition of data and preparation of measured drawing projects for historical buildings is emphasized. This study has been completed by photogrammetrists, architects, urban planners and restorers.     

The Selection of a Children's Librarian: OWA (Ordered Weighted Averaging) as a New Model

ABSTRACT

This article aims to demonstrate how to objectively select the best children's librarian from all children's librarian candidates by using OWA (Ordered Weighted Averaging) technique as a new model. Firstly, we described 14 professional criteria that must be met by 4 different candidates (c₁, c₂, c₃, and c₄). Secondly, we determined ‘the importance weights of professional criteria (u)’ and ‘the extent to which the children's librarian candidates meet these criteria (b)’. In order to determine the values of u and b, we changed the linguistic values such as good, bad, or important into the numerical values. Thirdly, we calculated the final performance scores of all children's librarian candidates by using the formula OWA. Finally, we selected the candidate 4 (c₄) who earned the highest score (0,645) in total as the best children's librarian.     

Using Pictorial Glossaries as an Accommodation for English Learners: An Exploratory Study

In this article we explore the use of pictorial glossaries as an accommodation for English learners (ELs) with entry and emerging levels of English language proficiency. Drawing on survey responses from 98 middle school ELs and cognitive interviews with 10 of the survey participants, we examined the participants’ preferences and experiences with using accommodations and explored how some of them responded to NAEP mathematics items using pictorial glossaries. Our findings showed that the participants viewed the use of pictures, videos, and translations as useful, but they did not have a lot of experience using these types of accommodations. Also, we found that the pictorial glosses sometimes helped ELs with understanding the local meaning of words in the mathematics problems but not with the global meaning conveyed at the sentence level in the problems.     

The impact of transactive memory system and interaction platform in collaborative knowledge construction on social presence and self-regulation

The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of transactive memory system (TMS) and interaction platforms in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) on social presence perceptions and self-regulation skills of learners. Within the scope of the study, social presence perceptions and self-regulation skills of students in collaborative groups constructing knowledge in wiki, blog, podcast and Facebook platforms in CSCL processes were compared. The study is designed as a pretest and post-test control group study and was carried out with 97 university students. Social presence and self-regulation scales were administered as pretest in the study. At the end of process, social presence, self-regulation, transactive memory scales and semi-structured student opinion forms were administered as post-test. When the findings were examined, it was seen that interaction platforms and the TMS level of the group did not have a significant impact on social presence perception individually; yet common impact of these two variables was significant. When the impact of interaction platforms and the TMS on self-regulation skills was examined, it was found that whilst interaction platforms had a significant impact, the TMS alone and interaction platforms–TMS common impact were not significant.     

Spatial estimates for a system of coupled parabolic-hyperbolic equations under nonlinear boundary condition

The aim of this study is to present spatial estimates of Phragmen-Lindelof type for a dynamical system. We show that an appropriate measure of the solutions either tends to infinity by exponential rate or decays to zero by exponential rate.     

Developing Children's Views of the Nature of Science Through Role Play

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of using role play (portraying a scientist's life story) on the children's views of the nature of science (NOS). The study was carried out at the Children's University of Trakya in Turkey during the summer of 2010. The participants consisted of 18 children, aged 10–11. They met for 10 days for approximately 3 h per day. All children completed the pre- and post-tests including 16 open-ended questions in order to reveal changes in their views of the NOS prior to and at the completion of the role-play activities. The results revealed that the children had more informed views of the target NOS aspects in comparison with their views prior to the role-play activities. A large majority of the children (around 80–85%) started out with naive conceptions of the target NOS aspects. Following the role-play activities portraying scientists’ lives, there was a 40–45% positive change in children's views of the tentative, empirical and creative/imaginative aspect of the NOS, and a 50–60% positive change in their views regarding the subjective/theory-laden and social–cultural embeddedness of science. The most substantial change occurred in their views concerning scientific method, with a shift of 72%. The percentage of informed views on images of scientists showed diversity. Overall results indicate that role-play/drama-oriented activities portraying scientist's life stories could be used as one of the exciting, informative and constructive ways of developing understanding of the NOS among children.     

Academic and Non-Academic Staff's Psychological Contract in Turkey

Studies of psychological contract as part of organisation-individual agreements have become important in recent years. This study determines views, about the psychological contract, of academic and non-academic staff and managers in faculties of education in Turkey. A total of 442 employees at 11 state universities in Turkey were included in the research. 'Psychological Contract Inventory' and 'Psychological Contract Measures', designed by Rousseau were utilised during the development process of the data-gathering tool. After the adaptation work, the scale consisted of 68 items under three sections and seven subscales. The results showed that academic staff and executives considered that their university carried out its obligations towards the staff at a 'moderate' level, whereas the non-academic staff considered it 'insufficient'. The academic and the non-academic staff considered that the employees carried out their tasks at a 'maximum' level, whereas the executives considered it 'moderate'.