Ten Quick Tips for Using a Raspberry Pi

Much of biology (and, indeed, all of science) is becoming increasingly computational. We tend to think of this in regards to algorithmic approaches and software tools, as well as increased computing power. There has also been a shift towards slicker, packaged solutions--which mirrors everyday life, from smart phones to smart homes. As a result, it's all too easy to be detached from the fundamental elements that power these changes, and to see solutions as "black boxes". The major goal of this piece is to use the example of the Raspberry Pi--a small, general-purpose computer--as the central component in a highly developed ecosystem that brings together elements like external hardware, sensors and controllers, state-of-the-art programming practices, and basic electronics and physics, all in an approachable and useful way. External devices and inputs are easily connected to the Pi, and it can, in turn, control attached devices very simply. So whether you want to use it to manage laboratory equipment, sample the environment, teach bioinformatics, control your home security or make a model lunar lander, it's all built from the same basic principles. To quote Richard Feynman, "What I cannot create, I do not understand".Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Sale the seven Cs: Teaching/training aid for the (e-)retail mix

The ‘4Ps’ of the marketing mix have long been popular with students, tutors, trainers and practitioners as a learning and teaching aid. The purpose of this paper is to present an equivalent tool for retail and e-retail: ‘Sale the 7Cs’. The approach is by reference to other authors’ versions of the marketing, retail and e-retail mixes, distilled into a simplified framework: C1 Convenience; C2 Customer value and benefit; C3 Cost to the customer; C4 Computing and category management; C5 Customer franchise; C6 Customer care and service; C7 Communication and customer relationships. This simplified mnemonic is new for (e-)retail. Mini case examples are used to illustrate the applicability. These have a practical value for trainers and educators as specimen answers to activity exercises. Retailers may find the convenient 7Cs structure useful when planning strategies and tactics

Do-It-Yourself Empowerment as Experienced by Novice Makers with Disabilities

Recent HCI research has highlighted the potential afforded by maker technologies for supporting new forms of DIY Assistive Technology (DIY-AT) for people with disabilities. Furthermore, the popular discourse surrounding both the maker movement and disability is one of democratisation and empowerment. Despite this, critics argue that maker movement membership lacks diversity and that within DIY-AT, it is seldom the people with disabilities who are creating such designs. We conducted a qualitative study that explored how people with disabilities experience the empowering potential of making. We analysed online videos by makers with disabilities and conducted fieldwork at two makerspaces. These informed the design of DIY-Abilities, a series of workshops for people with disabilities in which participants could learn different maker technologies and complete their own maker project. Through analysis of participants’ narratives we contribute a new perspective on the specific social and material capacities of accessible maker initiatives

The Makey Makey Inclusive Tangible Interface and its Educational Perspectives

Traditional human-computer interaction using a keyboard and mouse attached to a computer has been modified with the emergence of technologies that incorporate resources into clothing, furniture and everyday objects. These technologies open up new opportunities for designers to create innovative forms of interaction based on gestures, body movements or physical manipulation of real objects. One such innovation is the tangible interface, which allows computer users to interact with digital systems through the manipulation of physical objects. The Makey Makey interface, for example, is a printed circuit with a microcontroller that allows everyday objects to be used as computer keys. This paper presents a literature review of reported experiences with Makey Makey, the objective being to explore new educational and inclusive perspectives. For that, the main researches related to Makey Makey from 2012. The methodology used is characterized by the Goal-Question-Metric (GQM) protocol and included 14 articles in total. The results showed that the circuit can be used in several contexts, with important reports from the medical field with patients with cerebral palsy from the perspective of inclusion and motivational activities with the elderly. In addition, it was possible to verify that the contexts are varied, including entertainment, fun, games and a multitude of possibilities in the pedagogical area, especially if we consider their insertion in Early Childhood Education, integrating music and stimulating inventiveness.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades PID2019-105455GB-C31Junta de Andalucía P20_0064

Accessibility in the Theatre

In the fall of 2016, I received the opportunity to participate in the Chicago Semester. Through this program, I was able to participate in an internship at a theatre in Chicago and get credit hours from that instead of academic classes. I interned at Lifeline Theatre in Chicago\u27s northernmost neighborhood, Rogers Park. Most of what I did was box office work, but I also worked on financial reports, marketing, and a little bit of everything it takes to run a theatre. Of all the things I learned during the semester, the most important one was the need for accessible theatres. Erica Foster, the head of accessibility at Lifeline, gave me the initial spark that brought this thesis to life and all the tools I needed to begin my research. I got to learn about teach type of accessible performance Lifeline put on, as well as help put them together and sit in on them to experience it. I also got to sit in on workshops held by the Chicago Cultural Access Center (CCAC), where they talked about accessibility and the law, service animals, and creating DIY Open Captions. Chicago was a wonderful experience, not only because it is a great place to life and explore, but because I learned so much about working in the theatre and how to make a theatre accessible to everyone. I hope that this thesis can serve as a guide for theatres who want to take the next step into a more inclusive environment

Becoming eco-responsible, active citizens through participation in the Eco Ambassadors project - a reflective analysis

This article offers a reflective analysis of the Eco Ambassadors Project as an example of the some of the ways in which learning about environmental issues and active citizenship can be encouraged and enabled through collaboration and negotiated participation. Some policy background to the project is given, followed by a critical consideration of the theoretical framework of situated learning and participation in a community of practice in relation to the project alongside theories of citizenship. Three activities undertaken during the project are highlighted and these are critically examined in relation to the theories under consideration. The paper argues that the theoretical framework of learning by participation can usefully augment and help better explain how learners develop their identities as citizens, and that through participation people can become active members of communities that are environmentally and politically aware

Open educational resources : conversations in cyberspace

172 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.Libro ElectrónicoEducation systems today face two major challenges: expanding the reach of education and improving its quality. Traditional solutions will not suffice, especially in the context of today's knowledge-intensive societies. The Open Educational Resources movement offers one solution for extending the reach of education and expanding learning opportunities. The goal of the movement is to equalize access to knowledge worldwide through openly and freely available online high-quality content. Over the course of two years, the international community came together in a series of online discussion forums to discuss the concept of Open Educational Resources and its potential. This publication makes the background papers and reports from those discussions available in print.--Publisher's description.A first forum : presenting the open educational resources (OER) movement. Open educational resources : an introductory note / Sally Johnstone -- Providing OER and related issues : an introductory note / Anne Margulies, ... [et al.] -- Using OER and related issues : in introductory note / Mohammed-Nabil Sabry, ... [et al.] -- Discussion highlights / Paul Albright -- Ongoing discussion. A research agenda for OER : discussion highlights / Kim Tucker and Peter Bateman -- A 'do-it-yourself' resource for OER : discussion highlights / Boris Vukovic -- Free and open source software (FOSS) and OER -- A second forum : discussing the OECD study of OER. Mapping procedures and users / Jan Hylén -- Why individuals and institutions share and use OER / Jan Hylén -- Discussion highlights / Alexa Joyce -- Priorities for action. Open educational resources : the way forward / Susan D'Antoni

Technology for Older Adults: Maximising Personal and Social Interaction : Exploring Opportunities for eHealth to Support the Older Rural Population with Chronic Pain

Funding The TOPS project is supported by an award made by the RCUK Digital Economy programme to the dot.rural Digital Economy Hub, award reference EP/G066051/1.Peer reviewedPublisher PD