Teachers learning to use the iPad in Scotland and Wales: a new model of professional development

In learning to use a new technology like the iPad, primary teachers adopt a diverse range of experiential, informal and playful strategies contrasting sharply with traditional models underpinning professional development which emphasise formal courses and events led by ‘experts’ conducted in formal settings such as the school. Since post-PC devices like the iPad have been linked with transformational educational learning, there is an imperative to better understand how teachers can be encouraged to use them more effectively. Despite their growing popularity in schools, there is little research to indicate how and under what circumstances teachers learn to integrate these technologies into their daily practices. This paper uses data collected from two national studies of iPad use in Scotland and Wales to propose a new model of professional development. This model reflects findings that the teachers reject traditional models of sequential, or staged, professional development (often led by external providers or ‘experts’), in favour of a more nuanced and fluid model where they learn at their own pace, in a largely experiential fashion, alongside their pupils in a relationship which reverses the traditional power nexus. The model has the potential to inform professional development for both trainee and serving teachers in learning to use the iPad in the primary classroom

Factors Influencing Attitudes towards Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Amongst Undergraduates: An Empirical Study Conducted in Kuwait Higher Education Institutions (KHEIs)

The increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) in higher education has largely been explored in relation to undergraduates’ attitudes to ICT usage at university. However, the success of ICT in any learning institution, including higher education institutions (HEIs), depends on the attitudes of undergraduates to using ICT in their daily learning. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the critical factors impacting on ICT use amongst undergraduates in their learning at Kuwait universities. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was appliedto achieve this study aim. A sample of 717 undergraduates was subsequently selected from both a government (state-funded) and private university in Kuwait. The critical factors examined here include the type of university (government or private), the language (medium) of the learning and ICT support. Mixed methods, namely quantitative and qualitative methods, were implemented for the corresponding data collection. The quantitative results suggested that ‘usefulness’ and ‘ease of use’ of ICT are key dimensions of undergraduates’ attitudes to its utilisation in learning. Another result showed that the factors examined had a direct impact on undergraduates’ attitudes. Moreover, the qualitative results suggested that th

Factors Influencing Attitudes towards Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Amongst Undergraduates: An Empirical Study Conducted in Kuwait Higher Education Institutions (KHEIs)

The increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) in higher education has largely been explored in relation to undergraduates’ attitudes to ICT usage at university. However, the success of ICT in any learning institution, including higher education institutions (HEIs), depends on the attitudes of undergraduates to using ICT in their daily learning. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the critical factors impacting on ICT use amongst undergraduates in their learning at Kuwait universities. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was appliedto achieve this study aim. A sample of 717 undergraduates was subsequently selected from both a government (state-funded) and private university in Kuwait. The critical factors examined here include the type of university (government or private), the language (medium) of the learning and ICT support. Mixed methods, namely quantitative and qualitative methods, were implemented for the corresponding data collection. The quantitative results suggested that ‘usefulness’ and ‘ease of use’ of ICT are key dimensions of undergraduates’ attitudes to its utilisation in learning. Another result showed that the factors examined had a direct impact on undergraduates’ attitudes. Moreover, the qualitative results suggested that th

Vocabulary Acquisition via Drama: Welsh as a second language in the primary school setting

This paper tests a new method of teaching vocabulary to young second language learners through the medium of drama, specifically the effect of drama teaching techniques on vocabulary acquisition among primary school learners of Welsh. Vocabulary Acquisition via Drama (VAD) is based on principles derived from both process drama and communicative and task-based approaches to language teaching, and involves three phases: pre-drama, drama and post-drama activities. The research design involves two experimental and one control group, and a pre-post-retention test format on three measures of vocabulary acquisition: picture naming, sentence formulation and improvisation tasks. Results show a beneficial effect for VAD. The discussion section of the paper addresses the potential contribution of this approach to teaching second/foreign language vocabular

Suppression of bitterness using sodium salts

Bitterness is an ongoing taste problem for both the pharmaceutical and food industries. This paper reports on how salts (NaCI, NaAcetate, NaGluconate, LiCI, KCI) and bitter compounds (urea, quinine-HCI, caffeine, amiloride-HCI, magnesium sulfate, KCI) interact to influence bitter perception. Sodium salts differentially suppress bitterness of these compounds; for example urea bitterness was suppressed by over 70% by sodium salts, while MgSO4 bitterness was not reduced. This study indicated that lithium ions had the same bitter suppressing ability as sodium ions, however the potassium cation had no bitter suppression ability. Changing the anion attached to the sodium did not affect bitter suppression, however, as the anion increased in size, perceived saltiness decreased. This indicates that sodium\u27s mode of action is at the peripheral taste level, rather than a cognitive affect. A second experiment revealed that suppressing bitterness with a sodium salt in a bitter/sweet mixture causes an increase in sweetness. This suggests adding salt to a food matrix will not only increase salt perception, but also potentiate flavor by differential suppression of undesirable tastes such as bitter, while increasing more desirable tastes such as sweet.<br /

Sensory characterization of the irritant properties of oleocanthal, a natural anti-inflammatory agent in extra virgin olive oils

Oleocanthal is an olive oil phenolic possessing anti-inflammatory activity. Anecdotal evidence suggests that oleocanthal elicits a stinging sensation felt only at the back of the throat (oropharynx). Due to this compound possessing potentially health-benefiting properties, investigation into the sensory aspects of oleocanthal is warranted to aid in future research. The important link between the perceptual aspects of oleocanthal and health benefits is the notion that variation in sensitivity to oleocanthal irritation may relate to potential differences in sensitivity to the pharmacologic action of this compound. The current study assessed the unique irritant attributes of oleocanthal including its location of irritation, temporal profile, and individual differences in the perceived irritation. We show that the irritation elicited by oleocanthal was localized to the oropharynx (P &lt; 0.001) with little or no irritation in the anterior oral cavity. Peak irritation was perceived 15 s postexposure and lasted over 180 s. Oleocanthal irritation was more variable among individuals compared with the irritation elicited by CO2 and the sweetness of sucrose. There was no correlation between intensity ratings of oleocanthal and CO2 and oleocanthal and sucrose (r = &ndash;0.15, n = 50, P = 0.92 and r = 0.17, n = 84, P = 0.12, respectively), suggesting that independent mechanisms underlie the irritation of CO2 and oleocanthal. The unusual spatial localization and independence of acid (CO2) sensations suggest that distinct nociceptors for oleocanthal are located in the oropharyngeal region of the oral cavity.<br /

ACCESS OF COMPOUNDS TO THE VOMERONASAL ORGAN IN PINE AND MEADOW VOLES

Neuroendocrine responses play a critical role in reproduction in every mammalian species, including voles (Richmond S. Stehn, 1976). Disruption of these normal responses can result in: (1) abnormal sexual maturation; (2) abnormal or absent female cycles; (3) pseudopregnancy; (4) blocked pregnancies; or (5) the total absence of courtship and mating. Each of these factors in turn plays a considerable role in population dynamics, especially population density. Therefore, mechanisms which disrupt normal neuroendocrine function could affect population dynamics and reduce population density by affecting changes in one or many of these reproductive processes

Enhancing Nature Connection and Positive Affect in Children through Mindful Engagement with Natural Environments

Nature connection, which describes a positive relationship between humans and the rest of nature, has been recognised as a worthwhile goal of all education. Given its association with wellbeing, as well as the fact that it can predict ecological behaviours in children, there have been several calls for it to become central to environmental education, and an important tool in tackling climate change. Previous research has reported the success of short-term interventions in increasing nature connection in children, but to date no empirical studies have looked at how mindful engagement with nature can promote both nature connection and positive affect. This study took place in a nature reserve in Wales and included n = 74 children, aged 9–10, who took part in three mindful activities. Pre- and post- measures included nature connection and positive/negative affect. Analysis showed a significant small to medium effect of the activity on nature connection. Moreover, positive affect significantly increased post-activity, while negative affect showed a small decrease

Spiritual moments making music in nature. A study exploring the experiences of children making music outdoors, surrounded by nature

Outdoor learning is recognised internationally as an essential part of a child’s holistic education and children’s wellbeing can be improved when being outdoors surrounded by nature. However, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests children are becoming disconnected from nature. This study investigated the experiences of six classes of children aged 7–11 years from six primary schools making music outdoors in rural locations in Wales over a two-year period. Groups of children from each school undertook semi-structured interviews using video-stimulated reflective dialogue (VSRD). Their teachers also took part in semi-structured interviews, without VSRD. The data suggest children’s music making involved interactivity with nature provoking biophilic responses. The analysis revealed they experienced extraordinary, transcendent or what might be called spiritual moments. Evidence is analysed with conceptions of spirituality, communitas and philosophy of dialogue

Immunization Alters Body Odor

Infections have been shown to alter body odor. Because immune activation accompanies both infection and immunization, we tested the hypothesis that classical immunization might similarly result in the alteration of body odors detectable by trained biosensor mice. Using a Y-maze, we trained biosensor mice to distinguish between urine odors from rabies-vaccinated (RV) and unvaccinated control mice. RV-trained mice generalized this training to mice immunized with the equine West Nile virus (WNV) vaccine compared with urine of corresponding controls. These results suggest that there are similarities between body odors of mice immunized with these two vaccines. This conclusion was reinforced when mice could not be trained to directly discriminate between urine odors of RV- versus WNV-treated mice. Next,we trained biosensor mice to discriminate the urine odors of mice treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; a general elicitor of innate immunological responses) from the urine of control mice. These LPS-trained biosensors could distinguish between the odors of LPS-treated mouse urine and RV-treated mouse urine. Finally, biosensor mice trained to distinguish between the odors of RV-treated mouse urine and control mouse urine did not generalize this training to discriminate between the odors of LPS-treated mouse urine and control mouse urine. From these experiments, we conclude that: (1) immunization alters urine odor in similar ways for RV andWNV immunizations; and (2) immune activation with LPS also alters urine odor but in ways different from those of RV and WNV