Problem Solving Strategies and Metacognitive Skills for Gifted Students in Middle School

This study is conducted to investigate if the designed four-step method strategy (GEAR strategy adapted from Polya, 1973) in solving math problems has improved students’ performance scores and enhanced the metacognitive skills of gifted students. The respondents of this study include middle school gifted students who took math eight course in the school year 2013-2014 at Westdale Middle School in East Baton Rouge Parish School System. There are four classes of math eight gifted students who participated in the study. The classes were chosen randomly for experimental and controlled group and were equalized on the basis of the pre-test results of the Module 1 Edusoft Test and the Metacognitive Activities Inventory (MCAI) questionnaire form. During the 4-week period, the experimental group received GEAR strategy while the controlled group used any method they had learned in solving math word problems systematically or nonsystematical way. After the 4-week training period, the results of paired-sample t-test showed that the experimental group’s post-test scores on Module 2 Edusoft test have increased but not overwhelmingly, however, there is a significant difference of their MCAI post-test. The results imply that GEAR strategy does affect the metacognitive skills of middle school gifted students in problem solving and creates a marginal improvement on their classroom performance. This study provides the discussions, implications, and suggestions

Radioactive Decay using Stella and AgentSheets

The topic of our Challenge Project is the half-life of radioactive elements. We chose this topic for several reasons. The 8th grade curriculum includes the investigation of fossils and radioactive elements. Students often have difficulty understanding and relating to this natural event since it cannot be observed. They do not see how it affects their lives today. Mrs. Java and I decided to have at least two of the investigated elements be related to medical procedures. The students are able to relate what they have learned and see how this information has an impact on peoples’ everyday lives. The radioactive elements used for the Challenge Project were: Carbon-14 that changes to Nitrogen; Iodine-131 that changes to Zenon-131; and Technetium-99 that changes to Ruthenium-99. The students were familiar with Carbon-14 since they read about the Ice Man and radiocarbon dating. Iodine-131 is use in medical procedures when diagnosing and treating cancer and thyroid problems. Technetium-99 is used to make images for the skeleton and heart muscle. It is also use for specialized medical studies on many other organs in the body. We chose to use two programs, Stella and Agent Sheets. Stella is a good program for the students to build models. It demonstrates the exponential decay of the radioactive elements. The students do not have to know a formula to build the model. Stella uses graphs and data tables to display the exponential decay of the elements. They can see the graphs being constructed at a slow pace and the data accumulated. The second program we chose was Agent Sheets. This program is good because the students have the visual representation of the element decaying over time. The students were then able to use the calculators with the Stella Program. They calculated the amount of time each segment on the data table represented in relation to their element’s half-life in Stella. The students are also able to calculate the amount of time each click represents when changing the parent element into the daughter element in the Agent Sheets Program. Exposing the students to new technology and experiences helps them learn in a different and more exciting way. They are able to construct concrete models that represent abstract natural events. Students can then calculate or predict outcomes that may not otherwise be experienced. They are able to see visual representations, learn how the information is applicable, making the concept or idea real to their everyday lives. Please unzip the attached files for a wealth of additional information

IMPLEMENTASI ALGORITMA FAST CORNER DETECTION DALAM PERANCANGAN APLIKASI PENGELAN HEWAN BERBASIS AR

The purpose of this study was to present findings on endangered species, specifically focusing on endangered animals worldwide. Several species were selected for investigation, including orangutans, Komodo dragons, Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), Javan rhinos, Amur leopards, and vaquitas (Phocoena sinus). Augmented reality, a technology that merges the real and virtual worlds through computer devices, was employed by the author to develop an animal recognition application. The aim was to create an engaging educational tool, particularly targeting school children, to facilitate learning about endangered animals. The research progressed through three stages: gathering information on endangered animals globally, examining existing augmented reality applications, and designing markers for detection using the fast corner detection algorithm. Android, a Linux-based mobile operating system, offered an open platform for developers to create applications compatible with various mobile devices. Consequently, the outcome of this study manifested as an augmented reality-based application that delivers comprehensive information on endangered species. The application's potential to serve as a captivating medium for education and knowledge acquisition is highly anticipated

WHY SERVICE DESIGN MATTERS: THE CASE OF NATIONAL LIBRARY OF LATVIA

In the digital age when many organizations initiate and experience transformations as a reaction to wider societal changes, there is discussion about functionality, usability and availability of library services. Studies report a decreasing number of library visitors as result of the pervasive presence of the Internet as a faster source for getting resources, public`s lack of knowledge about the library services, etc. To maintain relevance for the public, more libraries apply principles of service design to provide an effective customer experience. For national libraries websites are of high importance as gateways to library resources and media to communicate institutions` objectives. The aim of this article is to analyse how the principles of service design are reflected in the online services offered by the National Library of Latvia. The research methods rely both on secondary data on audience needs and involve application of the service design principles to the website of National Library of Latvia. Results highlight the majority of analysed libraries apply the basic principles of service design and the focus is to provide the user friendly experience in libraries` databases and repositories. The website of the library provides limited user friendly experience in library`s and only partially follows the principles of service design.

Rancang Bangun Aplikasi Drone Simulator Berbasis Android Menggunakan Game Engine Unity

Abstrak— Drone merupakan sebuah teknologi yang sedang populer pada saat ini. Akan tetapi untuk membeli sebuah drone tidaklah murah dan beresiko akan terjadi kerusakan pada saat proses belajar mengendalikannya. Namun dengan adanya teknologi digital, seseorang dapat dengan mudah belajar menggunakan teknologi manual dalam bentuk virtual atau biasa yang disebut dengan simulasi atau simulator. Keuntungan yang diberikan oleh simulator sendiri yaitu biayanya yang relatif lebih murah dibandingkan biaya untuk membeli peralatan yang sesungguhnya seperti drone. Agar memudahkan seseorang dalam belajar menggunakan drone, dibuatlah aplikasi bernama Drone simulator. Aplikasi tersebut memberikan fitur dimana pengguna dapat menerbangkan drone dengan kontrol yang mirip dengan drone asli. Aplikasi tersebut berjalan pada platform android sehingga dapat digunakan dimana saja. Dalam pembangunan aplikasi tersebut, metode pengembangan sistem yang digunakan adalah metode SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) dengan model waterfall dengan alur analisis kebutuhan sistem, perancangan, implementasi, testing dan pemasaran. Dari hasil pengujian yang dilakukan, aplikasi berjalan dengan baik tanpa adanya error pada pengujian black box testing dan didapatkan nilai yang cukup baik dari hasil uji kuisioner yaitu sebesar 73% dari 45 responden.Kata Kunci— drone; simulasi; simulator; digital; Drone Simulator; waterfall; testing; black box testing

Pusat Pagelaran Seni di Kota Ngawi

Ngawi City is one of the areas that still keep the activities and efforts to preserve art activities, which will continue to grow. because it is always held annual activities as a form of art conservation activities as well as a means of tourism to attract domestic and international tourists. so it takes place to adapt and support the arts activities, considering the activities that are always implemented, but the City of Ngawi itself has not had a special building of art. With the building of this special arts building, artists will be more readily available at the training ground and have a place to perform. Keywords: Art activities center, preserve, art, Ngawi City

PERBANDINGAN ANTARA NILAI RASIO NEUTROFIL LIMFOSIT (NLCR) PADA ANAK DENGAN DEMAM DENGUE DAN DEMAM BERDARAH DENGUE

Latar belakang: Infeksi virus dengue pada manusia mengakibatkan spektrum manifestasi klinis yang bervariasi. Kriteria WHO (2011), terdapat beberapa hasil pemeriksaan darah seperti leukosit, trombosit, hematokrit yang berperan penting dalam perjalanan klinis infeksi dengue. Didukung penelitian sebelumnya mengenai NLCR sebagai prediktor atau marker inflamasi. Tujuan: mengetahui perbedaan antara nilai rasio neutrofil limfosit (NLCR) pada anak dengan DD dan anak dengan DBD. Metode: Penelitian observasional analitik dengan rancangan belah lintang (cross sectional). Pengambilan subyek dilakukan dengan cara consecutive sampling. Subyek penelitian adalah 46 pasien infeksi dengue yang dirawat inap di RSUP Dr. Kariadi dan RSND Semarang periode 2015-2017. Data yang dikumpulkan adalah usia, jenis kelamin, status gizi dan NLCR. Hasil: Terdapat perbedaan nilai rasio neutrofil limfosit yang bermakna secara statistik (p<0,001) antara pasien DD dan DBD. NLCR pada DBD (0,55 (±0,33 SB)) lebih rendah dari pada DD (1,8 (±1,23 SB)). Rerata neutrofil pada DBD (1530 sel/ul) lebih rendah dari pada DD (2384 sel/ul). Rerata limfosit pada DBD (3251 sel/ul) lebih tinggi dari pada DD (1659 sel/ul). Tidak terdapat hubungan yang bermakna antara umur (p=0,748), jenis kelamin (p=0,555) dan status gizi (p=0,289) terhadap kelompok DD dan DBD. Kesimpulan: Rerata nilai NLCR pada demam berdarah dengue lebih rendah dari pada demam dengue. Kata kunci: NLCR, demam dengue, demam berdarah dengue

Pusat Pagelaran Seni di Kota Ngawi

Ngawi City is one of the areas that still keep the activities and efforts to preserve art activities, which will continue to grow. because it is always held annual activities as a form of art conservation activities as well as a means of tourism to attract domestic and international tourists. so it takes place to adapt and support the arts activities, considering the activities that are always implemented, but the City of Ngawi itself has not had a special building of art. With the building of this special arts building, artists will be more readily available at the training ground and have a place to perform. Keywords: Art activities center, preserve, art, Ngawi City