Preparing prospective teacher education students at two-year post secondary institutions: an assessment of proficiency in technology usage

The purpose of this study was to examine the proficiency or lack of proficiency of prospective teacher education students at two-year community colleges to use and integrate instructional technologies. In addition, this study also examined the perceived perceptions of prospective teacher education students levels of preparedness to use instructional technologies in their future classrooms. Participants in the study were students in a teacher preparation program. The survey was administered to students from six community colleges in the southeastern part of the United States. The Prospective Teacher Education Students Survey was developed and administered to a sample of 109 prospective teacher education students. Results of the study revealed a low proficiency in technology use for database, ethical use understanding, and spreadsheet. Prospective teacher education students reported greater proficiency in computer operation, word processing, and internet use. Low frequency and effectiveness were reported in the use of technology mediated instructional strategies for synchronous communication and simulations. Results indicated higher frequency and effectiveness in technology mediated instructional strategies for word processing and Internet use by students. Generally, students perceived their level of preparedness to implement various technology skills as somewhat well prepared . Descriptive statistics, raw percentages, and independent t-tests were used to analyze the data

The Soviet Union and Czechoslovak socialism, 1968

During the brief period in Czechoslovakian history from January until August of 1968, First Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, Alexander Dubcek, attempted to bring about socialism with a "Hwan face. 11 Dubcek initiated numerous liberal reforms in economics, foreign relations, and the control of the mass media. He also continued reforms previously begun before his rise to power. The new attitude on the part of the Czechoslovak government became a source of concern for the Soviet Union and eventually generated a sharp Russian response. Freed from censorship by the reform government, the Czechoslovak mass media uncovered and reported material which proved to be embarrassing to the Soviet Union. Eventually, the Communist Party's political control in Czechoslovakia was endangered when the unrestrained press, headed by liberals, campaigned against hard - line Co!11ll1unists at the various political levels in Czechoslovakia. Many top - ranking Communist officials lost their positions to liberals because of the pressure exerted on them by the press. In addition, the Action Prograne of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic encouraged all citizens to express their opinions and offer suggestions to the government, so that the liberal regime coL1.ld formulate policies that expressed the interests of all the people. Soviet confidence in the Czechoslovak Communist Party ' s ability to remain the leading force in Czechoslovakia was weakened by the unhampered activities of the mass media. Czechoslovakia's pattern of socialism also challenged the Soviet Union's socialist system in economic matters . Under the leadership of Alexander Dubcek , the central planning system in the economy lost its monopoly of power as the Action Prograne of the Czechoslovak Communist Party laid plans for the sharing of responsibilities in economic planning with interest groups and individuals . The Dubcek government also made use of a market regulated economy , rather than a government regulating system, and a wage system based on incentive instead of wage levelling. Czechoslovakia’s greatest threat to the Soviet Union lay in the development of broader economic and diplomatic relations with the German Federal Republic. Czechoslovakia's liberalizing trend in the mass media and the economy l ed that nation to a rapprochement •Jith West Germany. The Soviet Union felt t ha t its security was in danger because of the cordial relations between Czechoslovakia and the German Federal Republic . The liberal Dubcek government resisted any attempts by the Soviet Union to permanently station divisions of Warsaw Pact troops within Czechoslovakia . The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in August, 1968, provided a means of achieving the military objective of placing what the Soviets felt well reliable troops on the East - 'Jest border in Czechoslovakia. The invasion also provided a means of ending the liberalization of the Czechoslovakian mass media and gave the Soviet Union a more advantageous position in dealing with 1·Jest Germany's advances toward Eastern Europe. Not all of the invasion results were positive gains for the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies failed to establish legitimate reasons for intervention. After the invasion , no Czechoslovakia;, authority would admit to having extended an invitation to invade . Resistance by the Czechoslovak people toward the invading troops, even though passive, was obvious to the watching world. Consequently, the majority of the world's Communist parties condemned t he invasion as an act of imperialism. As a result of the Soviet intervention into Czechoslovakia ' s affairs the Soviet Union seems to have created more problems than they have solved. By its decision to invade, the Soviet Union increased the disunity and distrust within the Soviet socialist bloc nations

A comparison of personality variables of college women physical education majors who were successful in student teaching with those who were less successful

The personality of the teacher has an unconscious effect on the minds of the students; it can induce them to learn, to misbehave, to be happy, to be unhappy, to resent school and to love school (19:38-40). An employer will seldom hire a teacher without a personal interview and (or) references concerning the personality of the teacher. If personality is so important for effective teaching, it would seem that it has a special implication for the teacher training institutions in the selection and guidance of students. The institution has an obligation to the students and to the profession to graduate only those young women who have the qualifications of a successful teacher (53). "No school is greater than its staff" (28:119); thus, the education of the nation can be of no higher quality than the quality of individuals who are certified as teachers

The climate crisis, climate anxiety and children’s rights: a psychological perspective on human health and security

The climate crisis affects children’s well-being and threatens future generations’ enjoyment of the right to the highest standard of health and security. This paper discusses a submission by the PSI Special Interest Group in Human Rights and Psychology to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. As health profession stakeholders we highlight how environmental degradation and children’s awareness of climate change present an important linkage to children’s mental health. We provide a psychological health account of climate anxiety and its effects on children, and a psychological perspective on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child regarding health and participation. We detail how interventions mindful of children’s educational and participatory capacity offer the potential to moderate effects of climate anxiety. We discuss limitations of the term ‘climate anxiety’ for describing the experience of children from the Global South, preferring a narrative of physical and mental health parity

Siderophore Biosynthesis But Not Reductive Iron Assimilation Is Essential for Aspergillus fumigatus Virulence

The ability to acquire iron in vivo is essential for most microbial pathogens. Here we show that Aspergillus fumigatus does not have specific mechanisms for the utilization of host iron sources. However, it does have functional siderophore-assisted iron mobilization and reductive iron assimilation systems, both of which are induced upon iron deprivation. Abrogation of reductive iron assimilation, by inactivation of the high affinity iron permease (FtrA), has no effect on virulence in a murine model of invasive aspergillosis. In striking contrast, A. fumigatus l-ornithine-N 5-monooxygenase (SidA), which catalyses the first committed step of hydroxamate-type siderophore biosynthesis, is absolutely essential for virulence. Thus, A. fumigatus SidA is an essential virulence attribute. Combined with the absence of a sidA ortholog—and the fungal siderophore system in general—in mammals, these data demonstrate that the siderophore biosynthetic pathway represents a promising new target for the development of antifungal therapies

Human rights and psychology in the Republic of Ireland: Aspirations for everyday practice and introducing the Kyrie Farm model

The Republic of Ireland is introducing major human rights-based reform to its mental health laws. This paper outlines the new legal landscape in which psychologists must operate against the backdrop of present-day effects of Ireland’s dark legacy of institutionalisation. A rights-based approach aims to positively transform mental health service delivery and we advocate for person-centred treatments as the ‘new normal’. We summarise the recent advocacy work undertaken by the Psychological Society of Ireland’s Special Interest Group in Human Rights & Psychology. Finally, we present an innovative best practice case promoting future rights-based delivery via the Socio-Ecological Model of Health – Kyrie Farm