Creating Creative Technologists: playing with(in) education

Since the industrial revolution, the organization of knowledge into distinct scientific, technical or creative categories has resulted in educational systems designed to produce and validate particular occupations. The methods by which students are exposed to different kinds of knowledge are critical in creating and reproducing individual, professional or cultural identities. (“I am an Engineer. You are an Artist”). The emergence of more open, creative and socialised technologies generates challenges for discipline-based education. At the same time, the term “Creative Technologies” also suggests a new occupational category (“I am a Creative Technologist”). This chapter presents a case-study of an evolving ‘anti-disciplinary’ project-based degree that challenges traditional degree structures to stimulate new forms of connective, imaginative and explorative learning, and to equip students to respond to a changing world. Learning is conceived as an emergent process; self-managed by students through critique and open peer review. We focus on ‘playfulness’ as a methodology for achieving multi-modal learning across the boundaries of art, design, computer science, engineering, games and entrepreneurship. In this new cultural moment, playfulness also re-frames the institutional identities of teacher and learner in response to new expectations for learning

Wpływ dodecylosiarczanu sodu na zachowanie termoczułych polimerów i ich mieszanin w roztworze

The process of thermal aggregation in water of thermoresponsive (co)polymers poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) PNIPAM, poly{[di(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether methacrylate]-co-[oligo(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether methacrylate]} P(D-co-O300), the bioconjugate of P(D-co-O300) with the peptide metenkephalin (MetDns) and their mixtures was investigated. The effect of the SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) addition on the behavior of thermoresponsive chains was evaluated by UV-Vis (ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy) and DLS (dynamic light scattering) methods. It was found that the presence of SDS influences the polymer transition temperature. It also reduces the size of the aggregates, which explains the higher transmittance value of the solution above phase transition.Zbadano proces termicznej agregacji w wodzie termoczułych (ko)polimerów PNIPAM [poli(N-izopropyloakryloamidu)], P(D-co-O300) [poli(metakrylanu eteru monometylowego glikolu dietylenowego-co-metakrylanu eterumonometylowego glikolu oligoetylenowego)], koniugatu P(D-co-O300) z peptydem metenkefaliną (MetDns) oraz ich mieszanin. Metodami UV-Vis (spektroskopia w ultrafiolecie i świetle widzialnym) i DLS (dynamiczne rozpraszanie światła) oceniono wpływ dodatku dodecylosiarczanu sodu (SDS) na zachowanie termoczułych łańcuchów. Stwierdzono, że obecność SDS wpływa na temperaturę przejścia polimerów. Powoduje także zmniejszenie rozmiaru agregatów, co wyjaśnia większą wartość transmitancji roztworu powyżej przejścia

Modulation of the effective salience of a stimulus by direct and associative activation of its representation

In 2 experiments, rats received exposure to presentations of a footshock preceded by a given cue. In the PRf (partial reinforcement) condition, this cue also occurred in the absence of the shock; in the CRf (continuous reinforcement) condition, it did not. Subsequent testing in which a new stimulus was used to signal the shock (Experiment 1) showed that the shock was more effective as a reinforcer for the PRf than for the CRf group. In Experiment 2, the shock was used as a conditioned stimulus signaling food delivery, and it was found that conditioning occurred more readily in the PRf than in the CRf group. These results accord with the hypothesis that preexposure to the shock results in a decline in its effective salience but that experience of a cue that signals shock in the absence of the shock itself attenuates this effect and helps maintain stimulus salience