Internet Scout Project
Electronic sensors exist in many facets of our lives, from measuring operating conditions of our vehicles to adjusting the temperature of our homes. They can even mean the difference between life and death when used to monitor patients in emergency rooms. Even though sensors work transparently in their multitude of functions, their importance cannot be understated.Sensorland (1) has basic descriptions of a wide variety of sensors and related concepts. Out of the 50 items in the list, some have f
Jurisdiction in Cyberspace
At its core, jurisdiction is about the boundaries of a sovereign's exercise of its power. What are reasonable constraints on its reach, such that faraway or otherwise unconnected people and institutions can be called to account by the sovereign? Closely related are concepts of choice of law - exactly which sovereign's law to apply to a situation that spans multiple jurisdictions - and venue, which determines the physical location in which the parties are best served to settle their dispute. The
Valdosta State University's Virtual Museum of Fossils
Valdosta State University's Virtual Museum of Fossils offers information on animals since the Precambrian era. The website offers two navigation options. In the Find an Animal section, users can view fossils by clicking on different areas of the geologic timescales for Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, Invertebrates, and Vertebrates. In the Choose a Time section, students can learn about the major characteristics of each era. For each period, this link also offers a map of the world, the characteristics
Internet Scout Project
This remarkable Web site contains descriptions and animations of nineteen different kinds of engines. Engine types include internal combustion, steam, and sterling engines, and each page shows how the piston, crankshaft, and other components move together to generate power. The animations demonstrate the processes of intake, compression, and exhaust. Some of the featured engines have more detailed descriptions than others, and oftentimes, a brief account of the engine's history is included. One
The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
An introduction to programming and the power of abstraction, using Abelson and Sussman's classic textbook of the same name. Key concepts include: building abstractions, computational processes, higher-order procedures, compound data, data abstractions, controlling interactions, generic operations, self-describing data, message passing, streams and infinite data structures, meta-linguistic abstraction, interpretation of programming languages, machine model, compilation, and embedded languages.
CARRRE : un modèle de caring pour le support aux communautés d'apprentissage
Nous présentons un cas de formation à distance à l'Université de Central Floride regroupant 1200 étudiants chaque semestre. Après une étude exploratoire auprès des apprenants et des enseignants, nous nous interrogeons sur l'efficacité des EIAH dit « socialement prescriptifs ». Malgré des règles précises, les apprenants quittent l'environnement de la formation et se regroupent sous forme de communautés d'apprentissage efficaces. Après avoir exploré les différentes théories dis
Hitler and the Third Reich
This is a module framework. It can be viewed online or downloaded as a zip file.
As taught in Spring Semester 2010.
The Third Reich is one of the most notorious, discussed and horrific periods of our age and although it is also very well researched, still raises many questions: How could a man like Hitler gain so much power? How could a whole nation ‘fall’ for the Nazi ideology? Why the Jews ..?
In this module we will aim to deal with these and other questions about the time between 1933
Learning Objects 4: Applications, Implications, & Future Direction
This is the fourth and final book of this series on Learning Objects (LO). Whereas the first three books were essentially concerned with current developments in the field, this book presents a wide-ranging series of discussions of potential and probable developments in the field. Part I encompasses Chapters 1 through Chapter 5. The focus is upon LO within the context of e-learning and online learning. We realize that our authors (like us) often use the terms "e-learning" and "online learning" in
Studying Changes in Learning Environments BroughtAbout by ICT-Based Systems
Aim of our work is to briefly introduce the main aspects of a methodology for the analysis of individuals and environmental changes brought about by the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in learning environments. The theoretical framework underpinning our work is that of Activity Theory. More specifically, we draw on the Cole and Engeström modelling of the complex relationships between elements in an activity. We have worked out our contribution on the basis of th
The Grid
The class forms a “Presidential Task Force” for a week, empowered by the president to find answers and make recommendations concerning the future of the national power grid. Task force members conduct daily debriefings with their research team and prepare a report and presentation of their findings for the president, using an actual policy document as a guide. Although this activity is geared towards fifth-grade and older students and Internet research capabilities are required, some portion
MemoNote, un outil de gestion des connaissances personnelles pour enseignants à base d’annotation
Cet article vise à proposer un outil de gestion des connaissances personnelles (PKM) à base d’annotations, MemoNote, dédié à l’enseignant considéré comme un travailleur intellectuel. Me-moNote utilise l’activité annotation de l’enseignant pour mémoriser sa conception per-sonnelle du document en particulier aux niveaux pédagogiques et domaine, qu’il pourra réutiliser par la suite. Cet article identifie les trois dimen-sions nécessaires à l’annotation dans un tel outil de
The roles of models in Artificial Intelligence and Education research: a prospective view
In this paper I speculate on the near future of research in Artificial Intelligence and Education (AIED), on the basis of three uses of models of educational processes: models as scientific tools, models as components of educational artefacts, and models as bases for design of educational artefacts. In terms of the first role, I claim that the recent shift towards studying collaborative learning situations needs to be accompanied by an evolution of the types of theories and models that are used,
Supporting teachers when diagnosing their students in algebra
In this paper we will describe our current work on the Lingot project. We
will focus on the description of a software called « Pépite », the objective of which is
to help teachers diagnose their students' algebra competencies. Then we will show
how different uses of Pepite by teachers lead us to define several types of diagnosis in
order to fit better various users' needs.
Futurelab: Social software and learning
This report explores the relationship between the emergence of social software and the personalisation of education. It suggests that there is a changing view of what education is for, with an emphasis on the need for young people to develop the skills necessary for today's evolving global knowledge economy. Alongside this development is the rapid growth of social software, characterised as software that supports group interaction, and by combining these two trends there is significant potential
Let the Sun Shine!
Students learn how the sun can be used for energy. They learn about passive solar heating, lighting and cooking, and active solar engineering technologies (such as photovoltaic arrays and concentrating mirrors) that generate electricity. Students investigate the thermal energy storage capacities of test materials. They learn about radiation and convection as they build a model solar water heater and determine how much it can heat water in a given amount of time. In another activity, students bui
A River Ran Through It
Students learn how water is used to generate electricity. They investigate water’s potential-to-kinetic energy transformation in hands-on activities about falling water and waterwheels. During the activities, they take measurements, calculate averages and graph results. Students also learn the history of the waterwheel and how engineers use water turbines in hydroelectric power plants today. They discover the advantages and disadvantages of hydroelectric power. In a literacy activity, students
Thar She Blows!
Students learn about wind as a source of renewable energy and explore the advantages and disadvantages wind turbines and wind farms. They also learn about the effectiveness of wind turbines in varying weather conditions and how engineers work to create wind power that is cheaper, more reliable and safer for wildlife.
Work and Power: Waterwheel
Investigating a waterwheel illustrates to students the physical properties of energy. They learn that the concept of work, force acting over a distance, differs from power, which is defined as force acting over a distance over some period of time. Students create a model waterwheel and use it to calculate the amount of power produced and work done.
Power to the People
Students read and evaluate descriptions of how people live “off the grid” using solar power and come to understand better the degree to which that lifestyle is or is not truly independent of technological, economic and cultural infrastructure and resources. In the process, students develop a deeper appreciation of the meaning of “community” and the need for human connection. This activity is geared towards fifth-grade and older students and Internet research capabilities are required. Po
A Case of Innovation
A white paper is a focused analysis often used to describe how a technology solves a problem. In this literacy activity, students write a simplified version of a white paper on an alternative electrical power generation technology. In the process, they develop their critical thinking skills and become aware of the challenge and promise of technological innovation that engineers help to make possible. This activity is geared towards fifth grade and older students and computer capabilities are req
