Vision for Learning (Part II): A Tool for Educators to Assist in the Detection and Treatment of Vision Difficulties

Optometrists (ACBO) (2013c, para. 2) recognises that vision is a key sense in the classroom – playing a major role in a vast array of skills, particularly literacy skills such as reading, spelling and writing. The Children’s Vision Information Network [CVIN] (2013d, para. 2) reports that around 20 % of school-aged children struggle to read. When considering vision as a possible cause of difficulty it is useful to note that the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometrists (2013c, para. 3) warns that “many students ’ visual skills are not able to meet the demands of typical classroom learning situations. However, it must be recognised that not all children with learnin

A survey of simulation techniques in commerce and defence

Despite the developments in Modelling and Simulation (M&S) tools and techniques over the past years, there has been a gap in the M&S research and practice in healthcare on developing a toolkit to assist the modellers and simulation practitioners with selecting an appropriate set of techniques. This study is a preliminary step towards this goal. This paper presents some results from a systematic literature survey on applications of M&S in the commerce and defence domains that could inspire some improvements in the healthcare. Interim results show that in the commercial sector Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) has been the most widely used technique with System Dynamics (SD) in second place. However in the defence sector, SD has gained relatively more attention. SD has been found quite useful for qualitative and soft factors analysis. From both the surveys it becomes clear that there is a growing trend towards using hybrid M&S approaches

Between emotion, imagination and cognition: Play as a hybrid neuro-evolutionary concept in bridging Saussure, Hegel and Alexander von Humboldt

This study seeks to discover hidden links between Saussure’s Third Course of Lectures on General Linguistics, Hegel’s Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics / Philosophy of Mind and Alexander von Humboldt’s Cosmos. To begin with, the notion of play is employed to examine the interplay between our emotion, imagination and cognition, and to examine how such a composite of faculties serves to unify conceptualizations of communication-modelling systems, philosophical hermeneutics and moral psychology in our times. At discovering a certain future-oriented and symbiotic scheme of time implied in these theories, the inquiry moves on to engage with certain perspectives on the evolution of our verbal and nonverbal capacities. Further, observations concerning the actual functioning of mirror neurons in humans are introduced to revise our understanding of the enactive power of nonverbal capacities such as feeling and imagining. The hypothesis made by neuropsychologists concerning the correlation between the mirror and sign systems reveals signifi cant connections between Saussure, Hegel and Humboldt: our emotions and imagination are as schematic and extensive as our speech acts in teaming up with diverse beings and pushing for new solutions and deeper understandings. Finally, this study draws on implications of the empowered sign-cum-mirror system for revisiting certain controversial issues such as the emergence of language-ready brain and the urgency of overcoming eeriness in our linguistic and artistic world-making. It is suggested that we employ our capacities as a somatosensory system so as to on the one hand observe the changing coordination between our body and mind, and on the other, generate rewarding strategies for a greater success at dealing with intriguing patterns found in art, nature and culture

Socio-Economic Impact of Artisanal Mining of Blue Sapphire on the Mambilla Plateau

Blue sapphire gemstone has been mined on the Mambilla plateau and traded in different parts of the world including Thailand and Sri Lanka over the years. However, the new Mambilla blue sapphire discovered recently has generated a lot of excitement in the global community because of its high quality. This discovery has led to a general rush by the people in the area mostly youths into artisanal mining of the blue gemstone. This study examines the process of artisanal mining of blue sapphire and the socio-economic impact of the mining on the environment. Data were generated through interviews with key stakeholders. Ethnographic observation of the mining site was conducted during the fieldwork. Information was also collected from relevant secondary sources including reports, books and journal articles. The Information obtained from the individual interviews and focus group discussions was content-analyzed and subjected to descriptive analysis. The finding of the study shows that the artisanal mining of the blue sapphire has created employment opportunity to the teaming jobless youths in the area. This has attracted many people from within and outside the country to the area. Although the mining of the sapphire has created wealth to the people, the negative impacts of the mining is also a major concern as large tract of forest cover and scarce agricultural land in the area are loss in the process of sapphire hunt. This study therefore recommend for the need to put in place framework that integrates the artisanal miners fully into the productive sector of the national economy and advocacy campaign to enlighten artisanal miners on the direct link between their operations and environmental degradation and the need for adoption of sustainable method of mining. Keywords: Artisanal, Blue sapphire, Impact, Mambilla and Socio-economic

Specifications of view services for GMES Core_003 VHR2 coverage

For the so-called DataWareHouse concept (DWH) within the GMES Initial Operations period 2011-2014, data access management is funded through a Delegation Agreement between the EC and ESA. The Core_003 VHR2 dataset is one of the satellite coverages that are defined as CORE datasets within the DWH with fixed specifications which will be of-fered to a broad range of users and activities. JRC was asked by DG Enterprise to provide technical specifications for the implementation of a view service for the Core_003 datasets as part of the Administrative Arrangement n. 5 between DG Enterprise and JRC. This report provides an overview about different view service types with their specific characteristics and use cases. Since compliance with INSPIRE implementing rules is a goal to be achieved by GMES services, the spe-cific requirements of INSPIRE for view services have been taken into account. The Core_003 datasets have been ana-lysed with regard to their parameters that are important for the inclusion in view services. Based on the results of the analyses, recommendations are given for the implementation of the view services as well as for the data processing and configuration of the Core_003 datasets.JRC.H.6-Digital Earth and Reference Dat

Music as an educative enrichment medium for the remediation of children with reading problems

Bibliography: leaves 168-172.The primary focus of this dissertation was work with a group of children who were experiencing problems in reading and to formulate strategies which incorporates an innovative approach using music. Many learning problems encountered today could be avoided if children's earliest backgrounds were rich in songs, poems set to music, nursery rhymes and musical games. It is necessary for a child to experience rhythm in every possible way to enable him to read with a flowing rhythm and a pleasant intonation. A child must be able to feel and experience the rhythm of the spoken word by repeating rhymes, phrases, chanting children's names, for example. This is done by tapping the word, using body movements (clapping, stamping) and transferring this rhythm to percussion instruments while experiencing the speech rhythm. Many approaches have been used with children who are disabled readers and none use music as a tool. The progress of these children has therefore been slow, tedious and not always successful. Music has not been used before as an approach to assist children with reading disabilities. In this dissertation it has been proved that music helps children overcome their reading problems, as it is the only approach which offers total involvement of the child and therefore the best results are achieved. All children involved in the research enjoyed the activities and derived great pleasure from performing them unaware that the process of remediation was taking place

Assumption Food Pantry Website and Multimedia Content

The capabilities of technology today can solve problems that have plagued mankind since the establishment of civilization. In its assent over the past decade or two, technology has been leveraged to close gaps in communication, cure diseases, and explore propel mankind into a new renaissance, one in which information is more bountiful and accessible than ever before. Although the project I embarked on a little more than a year ago will not solve global woes or usher in the next great evolution of our social existence, it is using technology for the betterment of mankind nonetheless. Sophia Bernard and I created our capstone from the need to use our educations for the betterment of society and to utilize digital, social, and multimedia for a good cause. The manifestation of this endeavor took shape in our partnership with Assumption Food Pantry in north Syracuse. This food pantry serves hundreds upon hundreds of those in need in the Syracuse area, a region of the state that has experienced notable atrophy over the past decade and took an especially hard hit during the recession. We set out to make Assumption Food Pantry a visible and vibrant entity by immersing them in a full digital creation campaign. By creating a website that is not only aesthetically appealing and functional, not also easy for pantry administrators to use on the back-end, we hoped to help them spread their message, recruit volunteers and become more visible for sorely-needed government grants. By presenting them with a social media proposal and setting up their social media accounts, we aimed to help them connect with their clients, their volunteers, and engage in conversation in the nonprofit community. By developing Public Service Announcements and short documentaries, we hoped to shine a light on what exactly it is to work at a food pantry, and more importantly, what it means when one is on the receiving end of this service. Sophia and I knew we could use our skills in technology and media creation to help an organization that not only needs it, but thoroughly deserves it. Taking into consideration our specific specialties, Sophia and I decided to split the work by focus. Sophia came up with the concept for all of the films, filmed them and edited them into the packages available on the site. I took charge of the technological aspects, researching the needs of the pantry, assessing the technological capabilities of the pantry administrators, designing and implementing the website, and creating guides to allow the pantry to be able to make their own changes and updates. It is with joy that we deliver our products over to Assumption Food Pantry, and with hope that we yearn to see these products draw in new volunteers, provide information to the needy, make the pantry more visible for grants, and see a real connection made between the Assumption and all who wish to enter into some kind of relationship with them. This project was challenging in a spattering of ways. It compelled me to take tangents of my own education and connect the dots between them to be able to deliver this final product. although it may be with higher blood pressure and a tad less hair that I deliver this project, the challenges have been far eclipsed by my satisfaction with it and with my optimism that Sophia and I have been able to make a difference