Flexible Work Arrangements: Improving Job Quality and Workforce Stability for Low-Wage Workers and their Employers

In 2009, workers and their families across the country felt the impact of serious economic downturn, with unemployment reaching a 26-year high. While recent news suggests things may be improving, we cannot forget that for many low-wage and hourly workers -- who now represent over a quarter of the U.S. workforce -- the recession only exacerbated their ongoing struggle to hold down quality jobs while caring for their families. Low-wage workers face many of the same challenges that the rest of us face in reconciling our work, family and personal lives, but for many of these workers, it\u27s simply a whole lot harder. Low-wage workers are more likely to face involuntary part-time work, rigid or unpredictable schedules, or night, evening and weekend work, all of which can have serious consequences for families, including unstable and inadequate child care, poor health outcomes, family instability, missed work, lost and unstable income and job loss

Auditing the ICT experiences of teacher education undergraduates

The importance of teacher education graduates having appropriate information and communication technology OCT) for learning competencies and experiences is well documented. However, without well developed processes for auditing the ICT experiences of undergraduates it should not be assumed that teachers enter their profession with the required ICT competencies to support their students' learning. This paper reports on the first phase of a project to audit the ICT experiences of teacher education undergraduates. It finds that the individual experiences of undergraduates can vary considerably depending on their choice of majors, electives or specialist teaching areas. It further finds that high percentages of students perceive themselves to have no competency with a range of ICT applications that would support the more motivational and interesting aspects of ICT integration for student learning

Generalized Affine Coherent States: A Natural Framework for Quantization of Metric-like Variables

Affine variables, which have the virtue of preserving the positive-definite character of matrix-like objects, have been suggested as replacements for the canonical variables of standard quantization schemes, especially in the context of quantum gravity. We develop the kinematics of such variables, discussing suitable coherent states, their associated resolution of unity, polarizations, and finally the realization of the coherent-state overlap function in terms of suitable path-integral formulations.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, no figure

Measuring the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the classroom

In 2003, the ICT Curriculum Integration Performance Measurement Instrument was developed from an extensive review of the contemporary international and Australian research pertaining to the definition and measurement of ICT curriculum integration in classrooms (Proctor, Watson, & Finger, 2003). The 45-item instrument that resulted was based on theories and methodologies identified by the literature review. This paper describes psychometric results from a large-scale evaluation of the instrument subsequently conducted, as recommended by Proctor, Watson and Finger (2003). The resultant 20-item, two-factor instrument, now called Learning With ICTs: Measuring ICT Use in the Curriculum is both statistically and theoretically robust. This paper should be read in association with the original paper published in Computers in the Schools (Proctor, Watson & Finger, 2003) that described in detail the theoretical framework underpinning the development of the instrument

Dennis Watson

Mr. Watson was a Business major and a Political Science minor in the Class of 1950. He is a member of Phi Gamma Delta. This interview was conducted at Westminster Village in Bloomington

Behavioral thermoregulation in the American lobster Homarus americanus

It is generally accepted that water temperature has a strong influence on the behavior of the American lobster Homarus americanus. However, there is surprisingly little behavioral evidence to support this view. To haracterize the behavioral responses of lobsters to thermal gradients, three different experiments were conducted. In the first, 40 lobsters acclimated to summer water temperatures (summer-acclimated, 15.5±0.2 °C, mean ±S.E.M.) were placed individually in an experimental shelter, and the temperature in the shelter was gradually raised until the lobster moved out. Lobsters avoided water warmer than 23.5±0.4 °C, which was an increase of 8.0±0.4 °C from ambient summer temperatures. When this experiment was repeated with lobsters acclimated to winter temperatures (winter-acclimated, 4.3±0.1 °C), the lobsters (N=30) did not find temperature increases of the same magnitude (∆T=8.0±0.4 °C) aversive. The second experiment was designed to allow individual summer-acclimated lobsters (N=22) to select one of five shelters, ranging in temperature from 8.5 to 25.5 °C. After 24 h, 68 % of the lobsters occupied the 12.5 °C shelter, which was slightly above the ambient temperature (approximately 11 °C). In a similar experiment, winter-acclimated lobsters (N=30) were given a choice between two shelters, one at ambient temperature (4.6±0.2 °C) and one at a higher temperature (9.7±0.3 °C). Winter-acclimated lobsters showed a strong preference (90 %) for the heated shelter. In the final experiment, summer-acclimated lobsters (N=9) were allowed to move freely in a tank having a thermal gradient of approximately 10 °C from one end to the other. Lobsters preferred a thermal niche of 16.5±0.4 °C and avoided water that was warmer than 19 °C or colder than 13 °C. When standardized for acclimation temperature, lobsters preferred water 1.2±0.4 °C above their previous ambient temperature. Collectively, the results of these studies indicate that lobsters are capable of sensing water temperature and use this information to thermoregulate behaviorally. The implications of these findings for lobster behavior and distribution in their natural habitat are discussed

An Overview of Teaching and Research Using SAP R/3

Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) provide comprehensive business functionality in an integrated fashion using a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure. Never before have businesses had the opportunity to integrate their applications, standardize their systems, and provide a process-centered perspective to their business. Over the past few years, some of the companies that develop and market ERP solutions have provided a special arrangement that encourages Universities to incorporate ERP concepts and technologies into the education process. In this presentation, the authors intend to share their experiences as members of the SAP University Alliance program. As members of this alliance, the authors have hands-on experience working in the SAP R/3 environment and exposing students to valuable business and business systems concepts

Delivery of Community Services to Deaf Persons

Non

Farm to School: A Market Analysis

This paper explores the potential for the National Farm to School Program to effectively engage with Georgia’s public schools in order to reduce local food insecurity and improve the quality of nutrition provided to students. A survey was conducted with the specific goals of assessing: first, the current and future impact Farm to School has and will potentially have on the Georgia economy through schools purchase of local foods; second, the potential market for farmers; third, school administrators willingness to buy local food by Georgia; forth, the level of infrastructure available within schools to prepare fresh, whole foods; and fifth, the perceived opportunities and challenges to buying and preparing local food. University of Georgia collaborated with the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Organics to develop a survey that met the objectives as defined above. There were twenty-five questions total and most answers were formatted in a multiple-choice selection with an option to write any additional comments. The survey was distributed by the Department of Education to 158 public schools in Georgia, and collected, a total of 93 responses. From the data, it was concluded that the willingness to participate exists, as well as the tools necessary for participation. What appears to be missing is the infrastructure that would allow schools to purchase food easily and frequently. Most schools noted that they would be willing to interact with an online platform that would put them in contact with local growers and sellers.Farm to School, Georgia, Local foods, public schools, survey data for local buying, food security, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty,

Panel: Teaching with Enterprise Systems

Enterprise Systems (ES) and other large software packages have become a critical component in most large and many medium and small-sized companies. These companies need employees with ES experience to help them install, extend, and achieve benefits from these systems. The challenges universities face in implementing an ES into a curriculum and in achieving educational benefits from such implementations differ from those of business organizations, but are no less difficult. This panel is designed to contribute to the ability of many more universities to provide a stimulating ES-based educational environment for students. It will address issues such as: ES educational objectives and audiences, ES-based skills for students, the ES software suites being used, ES textbooks, lab exercises and cases, technical infrastructure support issues, acquiring support and maintaining commitment from the school and its faculty, faculty resistance and how to overcome it, training the faculty, and achieving your ES educational objectives. This panel is composed of educators with many years of experience in providing an ES educational environment. They will present the lessons they learned from their experiences and will answer questions posed by the audience. For further information on their ES educational activities, see (Antonucci, Corbitt, Stewart and Harris, 2004; Corbitt and Mensching, 2000; Fedorowicz, Gelinas, Usoff and Hachey, 2004; Stewart, Tracy, Boykin, Najm, Rosemann, Carpinetti and Watson, 2002; Strong, Johnson and Mistry, 2004; Watson and Schneider, 1999)