Remote Learning and Broadband Connectivity
Friday, November 19th, 2010
WiZiQ is a Web based platform for learning and teaching online, any subject. Virtual classrooms that use images, PowerPoint presentations and documents, full way audio and video sharing and live chat can make education delivery highly effective and also enhances the interaction amongst the participants. What is more, WiZiQ is free to join.
A blogger who used the technology to tutor students remotely reports that both he and his students were thrilled with the experience, and that the students learnt what they were taught. However, there were some audio/video issues that marred the sessions. The audio and video broadcasts were out of sync and the sessions ended up with the teacher using IM and whiteboard.
WiZiQ provided surprisingly prompt support to the feedback about this experience (they could do it because the India-based company has easy access to relatively inexpensive tech support and can provide feedback quickly to its customers.
The support email diagnosed the problem as low bandwidth at the students’ end, and also contained tips on how diagnose it in future sessions. Presenters can access the students’ bandwidth information and tailored the broadcast accordingly.
What this experience highlights is the need for universally available good bandwidth to benefit from the latest online education delivery technologies. These modern technologies can enable anyone anywhere access quality education, provided bandwidth is available.
Read the blog post at ZDNet Education.
Tags: broadband connectivity, education delivery, information technology
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Preparing Educators to Develop Whole Persons
Monday, October 25th, 2010
According to a report of National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) of the USA, little effort has been made to base school reform and educator preparation on the developmental sciences. There is a growing volume of evidence that developmental issues have a significant impact on students’ learning.
“A well-functioning school, or a good school culture and climate, can seamlessly reinforce and build on development that took place before school. A dysfunctional or ineffective school environment can interfere with the development of all students, but particularly among those who did not have a good pre-school experience,” said James P. Comer, M.D., M.P.H., Director of Yale Child Study Center School Development Program (SDP).
Many teachers and administrators do not know how to create a school climate or culture that will intentionally focus on development. Teacher education programs need to:
inlcude coursework in the developmental sciences including cognitive science
integrate academic study with opportunities to implement developmental best practices in schools and classrooms
Education policy makers have to consider child and adolescent development issues while designing standards and assessments of student and teacher performance. This is particularly important in developing the approach to turn around low-performing schools.
Read about the NCATE findings and recommendations at Corner School Development Program.
Tags: child and adolescent development, cognitive science, education
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Cognitive Science and Society
Saturday, October 16th, 2010
Cognitive science is apparently hard to define with different defintions emphasizing cognition, information processing, mind and behavior, human intelligence and so on. Is this science being applied to solve the practical problems of our society?
Human personality is developed by both genetics and early experiences during childhood. If parents and teachers are adequately aware of the knowledge gained about early childhood development, it could enable them to control the experiences of children more purposefully. And such control could help develop the children into healthy adults able to function positively in society.
Of particular relevance is childhood education. Enriching the early experiences of children can have positive outcomes, according to findings of the science. How this finding is applied depends on the educational policy adopted by concerned policymakers. Equally important is the need to recognize those periods of childhood development when experiences have particularly strong impact and to ensure that children receive rich experiences during those periods.
Deliberate attention needs to be paid to the different dimensions of development – cognitive, emotional and social. Merely trying to cram information into an unreceptive mind or developing math or other skills will not produce the kind of adults that society needs.
Read views about neuro-education initiatives and other topics at the BrainBlogger.
Tags: child development, childhood experiences, cognitive science, education
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Computer Science Education Week in the U.S.
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
The week from December 5 to 11, 2010 is to be the Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) according to resolution H.Res. 1560 passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. As outlined at the CSEdWeek website, computing has come to touch everyone’s daily life. It also drives innovation and economic growth, provides rewarding job opportunities and equips students with 21st century skills.
A number of resources are listed at the CSEdWeek website. These include:
* A link to the Computing Careers website that explains the opportunities in the field and how to get trained to tap these
* A model curriculum for K-12 Computer Science that can help students develop computational thinking skills, e.g. how to prevent a computer from sending out spam mail
* A kit for use by educators to create awareness about and interest in a computing career. The kit consists of posters, information and digital media
Computing education needs to be rigorous to produce skilled persons who can apply the immense power of computing to practical problems. Such education should impart thinking skills in addition to technical skills to create a generation that can cope with the challenges in an ever changing field.
Visit the CSEdWeek website.
Tags: computing education, csedweek, information technology
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Developing Scientists of Tomorrow
Saturday, September 18th, 2010
Children are naturally inquisitive, eager to learn all the intricacies of what they see. However, unless nurtured, this inquisitiveness is not developed. In fact, inquisitiveness might even be discouraged and the child taught to accept “authority” without question. Are such children obedient to authority likely to become scientists who are supposed to question even “obvious” statements?
Recent K-12 U.S. education standards mention competence in scientific investigation as a key curriculum goal. From early grades on, children should learn to:
* Formulate a question
* Design an investigation
* Analyze data
* Draw conclusions
Even the National Council of Teachers of English (a non-scientific subject) mention their goal as: “Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources … to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.”
To be effective, it is necessary how the cognitive skills involved in such activities actually develop, and how these can be supported through education. The natural curiosity of children need to be developed into full “scientific thinking” habits. And this needs a clear definition of what scientific thinking involves.
All of us, from childhood, tend to construct “theories” that help us make sense of what we see. And these theories tend to be revised in the light of new experience. Scientific thinking can, for example, probably be defined as the conversion of the above “unconscious” process into a formal thinking process.
Read the article Science Learning by pearlfreeman elaborating on this topic.
Tags: cognitive science, education, scientific thinking, thinking skills
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India Develops a Computer to be priced $35
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
A low cost access-cum-computing device was unveiled by India’s Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on July 22. The device is expected to cost Indian Rupee 1500 (around US $35) when it becomes available in 2011, and is meant primarily for students and teachers.
The device has a touch-screen and video-conferencing facility, and uses a memory card instead of hard disk to store data. Reports also mention that it will come with an unzip tool, multimedia content and a searchable PDF reader. Development work is now in progress to make the device work on solar power.
The computer has been developed using mostly parts available off-the-shelf though some new technology involved is being considered for patenting. The ultimate aim is to reduce the price to $10 and research will be continued at Indian Institutes of Technology and other technical institutions to achieve the price, and also quality, goals according to the minister.
The issues of distribution and connectivity are being worked out to reach 200 million children across the country. Nearly 8,500 colleges already connected under the National Mission on Education through Information and Technology (NMEICT) program. High quality e-content is being developed at these colleges and this content will become available to children through the low cost computing device.
For fuller details, read the news at The Hindu.
Tags: education delivery, information technology, low cost computing device
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Cognitive Science in Education
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
WestEd’s National Center for Cognition and Mathematics Instruction (NCCMI) is redesigning its existing mathematics curriculum using principles of cognitive science to improve student outcomes. It will use current cognitive science knowledge about how we acquire, retain and transfer knowledge for the redesign project. The project will then evaluate whether the new curriculum has indeed improved students’ mathematics achievement.
The project focus will be on the widely used Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) curriculum for middle schools. The evaluation of the revised project will be done through multiple studies.
The team that will execute the project includes experienced and accomplished experts in cognitive research, mathematics instruction specialists, assessment and measurement experts, curriculum writers, professional developers and national advisers.
WestEd will work on the project along with partners such as CMP, Carnegie Mellon University, Temple University and other universities, and Apple Computer Inc. They will also establish a diverse community of users to learn from and apply the NCCMI research.
WestEd is a research, development and service agency that works with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity and improve learning. The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences is funding the research.
Read more at WestEd website.
Tags: cognitive science, education, imparting knowledge, student outcomes
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Nanoeducator to Train Students in Nanotechnology
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
The potential of nanotechnology in solving some of the greatest problems we face, including sustainable and non-polluting energy, is becoming increasingly evident. At the same time it is extremely difficult to work with matter at nanoscale (a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter). The risks of working with materials at this scale (which can permeate the human skin, for example) is also a major factor.
Education on all these aspects is essential if nanotechnology is to fulfill its promise.
Nanoeducator is a device that was developed by two Russian foundations, Foundation of Assistance to Development of Small Forms of the Enterprises in Scientific and Technical Sphere and Foundation of education and science (Alferov’s foundation).
The device includes a basic scanning microscope (SPM) and other incidentals, including a text book that teaches how to use SPM microscopy and nanolithography fundamentals. It comes with scientific training software that works under Mac OS or Windows XP. The student oriented device can be used for applications in biology, materials science, data storage devices, micro and nano structures and inspection of parts made with MEMS technology.
The device can be used in AFM, AFM lithography and STM modes. The software can be used for STM manipulation and image processing/analysis.
Read more at NT-MDT page.
Tags: education, nanotechnology, training device
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Catching Them Young with Nanotechnology
Sunday, April 25th, 2010
The Oklahoma Nanotechnology Initiative (ONI) seeks to create statewide awareness about emerging nanotechnology in the state of Oklahoma. It also seeks to explore the potential of nanotechnology industry and what it can do for Oklahoma. In particular, ONI seeks to encourage nanotechnology businesses to select the state as their location.
The ONI website provides information about everything nano. There are sections for nano news, nano products, nano companies in the state, nano t-shirts and a nanotechnology video, among others. There is even a small window for streaming nanotechnology tidbits. One great initiative is a PowerPoint presentation on Nanotechnology for Students.
The presentation starts with the attention catching statement that the ‘Next “Big Thing” is very, very, very small,’ and goes on to quote The National Science and Technology Council, “Nanotechnology is an enabling technology that will change the nature of almost every human-made object in the next century.”
“Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter at nanometer scale to create novel structures, devices and systems,” the next slide begins to elaborate on the applications of the technology. New materials (structures), sensors (devices) and NEMS (nanoelectromechanical systems) are provided as examples, to arouse the curiosity of the curious.
The presentation includes links to several educational resources on nanotechnology such as NanoKids for students and NanoZone for teachers. There are also links to more advanced resources such as the nanotech page of NASA.
ONI seems determined to catch them young with nanotechnology.
Tags: education, nanodevices, nanomaterials, nanosystems, nanotechnology
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Master of Science Program in Computer Science and Journalism
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
The Columbia University School of Journalism is launching a dual masters program in journalism and computer science, in association with the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at the New York university. The proposal is now awaiting the approval of the country’s Department of Education.
The program will involve two semesters of coursework in journalism and three in computer science.
The university spokesperson pointed out that with the unprecedented access to news now possible, the present should be the golden age of journalism. More people have access to news and they have access to more sources.
The spokespeson felt that most news organizations have not fully embraced the digital revolution. The proposed course is intended to train journalists who also have computer-related technical skills such as data mining and computational imaging, for example.
Graduates from the course will have “both the editorial and technological skills to produce new applications and online tools that could help redefine journalism in a fast-changing digital media environment.”
This is believed to be “he first truly integrated program of its kind,” according to a univesity spokesperson. The news report adds that the Columbia University School of Journalism, established in 1912, became the first graduate school of journalism in America in 1935.
Read the news release at redOrbit.
Tags: education, information technology, journalism and computing, masters program in journalism
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