Technology,Professional Development and Innovations: assessing change

ABSTRACT

A telecommunications and multimedia inservice project, called Telecommunications, Environmental Education, and Multimedia (TEEM), in Arizona USA, includes the study of an evolving professional development venture that connected university‐based preparation with the ongoing education of teachers that was school based, teacher determined, and aligned to K‐12 content. This paper describes that project, its components and its intent to pro‐actively move beyond traditional forms of inservice efforts through a number of innovations which create change. Within the context of this project, the authors describe a “circling” process that accompanies the continuously evolving professional development efforts to remain teacher and school focused.     

Housing Price Poses Great Pressure on the Young and Their Parents

5元、10元、20元……15万元人民币整整数了3个小时. 2012年11月28日,一对夫妇背着两大包钱,来到位于乌鲁木齐市卫星广场附近的一家售楼中心为儿子买房,15万的首付款中有8万元是零钱,这可让售楼中心工作人员好一顿忙活.他们接受采访时说:"我们是在农场开小商店的,存了4年的钱,还借了7万,终于凑够给儿子付首付的钱了."许多父母为了给儿女凑首付,生活辛酸不易,面对这样的情况,我们不禁要好好思考下,在如今房价高涨的压力下,年轻人该如何正确看待买房一事.     

Researching embodiment in movement contexts: a phenomenological approach

This article takes a phenomenological approach to understanding embodiment in relation to teaching and learning taking place in movement contexts. Recently a number of studies have pointed to the potential that phenomenology has to understand the meanings and experiences of moving subjects. By presenting two examples of our own work on embodied learning, and discussing these in light of a distinction between phenomenology as philosophy and as methodological orientation, our aim is to move beyond the recent celebration of the potential of phenomenology, and show concretely and practically how phenomenological approaches to embodiment can be performed. We hold that it is necessary to give the notion of embodiment a form, content and substance, which is informed by empirical work.     

Seven-Year Outcome of the Vermont Intervention Program for Low-Birthweight Infants

We compared 24 low-birthweight subjects of an experimental intervention (LBWE), 32 no-treatment controls (LBWC), and 37 normal birthweight (NBW) subjects. The intervention involved 7 hospital sessions and 4 home sessions in which a nurse helped mothers adapt to their LBW babies. At age 7, LBWE scored significantly higher than LBWC on the Kaufman Mental Processing Composite (p less than .001), Sequential (p = .02), and Simultaneous (p = .001) Scales, after statistical adjustments for socioeconomic status. LBWE did not differ from NBW (F less than 1). These results bear out a divergence between the LBWE and LBWC that first became statistically significant at age 3. The findings suggest that the intervention prevented cognitive lags among LBW children, and that long-term follow-ups are needed to evaluate the developmental effects of efforts to overcome major biological and environmental risks.     

What words and where? Applying usability testing techniques to name a new live reference service

OBJECTIVE: A user-focused design approach was taken to develop a new "live reference" service at the Health Sciences Library, University of Saskatchewan. The name of the service, the placement of the links, and the design of a graphical button were seen as key elements in creating service awareness and its subsequent use. METHODS: To ensure library users recognized and understood the label for the new service, selected library users were given an opportunity to choose a phrase that would best describe the service. The top two preferred phrases were then placed on the library Web pages as text and graphic images for further testing. Some pages had links in multiple locations to determine which placement worked best. Task-based usability testing was carried out with participants who were unaware of the new service. Participants were observed as they completed seven Website tasks arranged in increasing levels of difficulty to see whether they would notice the live reference service and seek assistance. RESULTS: The high level of recognition and use of the service indicate that the label name and link placement were effective with library Website users. CONCLUSIONS: Using user-centered design methodology helped ensure that the new live reference service was visible and used and demonstrated the effectiveness of the user-centered design approach for adding new services to an existing Website.     

Publishing in Scotland: Reviewing the Fragile Revival

A comparison of analyses of the Scottish publishing industry carried out in 1992, 2002 and 2007 underscores the fragility of the sector within a small country within the English-language community. A number of indices reveal either stability or stagnation and the picture emerges of the remarkable tenacity of publishing in Scotland. Although there is already a significant and vital element of state support for publishing in Scotland, further intervention will be necessary to ensure fulfilment of its potential.