Multimodality in the Art & Media Arts Classroom: A Qualitative Study of Multimodal Literacies as They Appear in Art & Media Educator Classroom Curriculum and Practice

As a visual arts educator, I understand the unique opportunities students have to learn by making, inventing, and creating, to communicate their ideas. The work of the New London Group (2000), the more recent National Core Arts Standards and the National Core Media Arts Standards (2014) and the New York Arts & Media Arts Standards (2017) have significantly influenced this study by reinforcing both the necessity and potential to both art and media arts teaching practices in developing greater applications for multimodal literacy theory, defined by the National Council of the Teachers of English as “Integration of multiple modes of communication and expression that can enhance or transform the meaning of the work beyond illustration or decoration” (2005). The purpose of this study is to better understand if and how art and media arts educators include multimodality in planning and executing visual art experiences for K-12 students by examining their association with and their definitions of multimodality. By providing a rich description, I hope to create a shared meaning in order to understand the context that reflects a slice of art teacher culture, (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). Through this multisite case study, nine visual art educators’ planning and practice around multimodal literacies was explored through participant observation for one week at each site and formal interviews conducted after the week ended. Multiple modes of data was collected from each site including field notes, teacher artifacts, still photography, audio recording and video recording. Analysis of this data showed that although most participants could not define multimodal literacies, most were planning and practicing their teaching with multimodal literacies in varying degrees, such as incorporating more web content, popular culture video clips and movement exercises when presenting content to students. Media arts teachers showed the most evidence of using multimodal literacies in teacher planning and practice. Analysis of the data presented four themes: participants infused multimodal literacies in planning their visual and media arts curriculum even though the term was unfamiliar; as they became familiar with the term multimodal literacies, participants’ perception was that they used many of these strategies to support students in their teaching practice; visual and linguistic modes were privileged in delivering art and media content in curriculum planning and teaching practice and participants utilized the aural, gestural and spatial modes far less than the visual and linguistic modes in planning and practice. The findings suggest that additional coursework around ideas of multimodal literacies, consistent with visual arts and media arts standards, should be added to visual and media arts teacher preparation programs for pre-service teachers and that districts should add additional professional development around ideas of multimodal literacies to practicing teachers. This training would prepare teachers to address a variety of abilities, learning styles and the delivery of instruction to best provide quality visual and media arts education to all students

Effects of Grazing Season on Physico-Chemical Characteristics and Fatty Acids of Nutritional Interest of Caciocavallo Palermitano Cheese

The aim of this work was to evaluate, in the different production seasons of the year, the physico-chemical quality of an artisanal cheese traditionally obtained from autochthonous grazing cows, with particular reference to fatty acids (FA) of nutritional interest that play an important role in the risk or prevention of some human pathologies. For this purpose, cheeses were sampled in 11 farms, repeating the samplings in 3 different periods of the year (summer, autumn–winter, and spring) when the productive conditions of the pastures varied. The cheeses produced in the spring period, when cows ingest a greater amount of grazed forage, resulted in a more adequate composition of the main FA, which are recognized as having a health effect, such as α-linolenic, trans-vaccenic, rumenic, docosapentaenoic (DPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. Branched-chain FA were found in greater quantities in spring cheeses, as well as in summer ones. The FA composition of cheeses produced in the different seasons was reflected in some nutritional indexes that also resulted as more suitable in cheeses obtained in the spring period. The positive effects induced on the FA profile of cheeses are presumably linked to the diet of autochthonous cows, which is mainly based on forage from natural pastures. Therefore, the results obtained confirm the benefits of grazing, which is able to guarantee the production of healthier cheeses for consumers

Effect of the inclusion of fresh lemon pulp in the diet of lactating ewes on the properties of milk and cheese

This study investigated the effects of fresh lemon pulp (FLP), as a natural antioxidant in the diet, on the intake of feed and the production of milk and cheese of Valle del Belice lactating ewes during the hot summer in Sicily. A total of 15 second-lambing ewes, kept individually in 3  7 3 m pens, were divided into 3 homogeneous groups fed with 3 diets in a 3  7 3 Latin square design, with 3 experimental phases of 21 days each. The diets were: mixed hay ad libitum plus 600 g/day of concentrate (FLP0); mixed hay ad libitum plus 400 g/day of concentrate and 1 kg/day of FLP (FLP1); and mixed hay ad libitum plus 200 g/day of concentrate and 2 kg/day of FLP (FLP2). Nine experimental Pecorino cheeses were manufactured with bulk milk collected at the end of each phase from each group. The ewes of each group showed the same dry matter (DM) intake (2 kg/day/head), but the FLP2 group received lower (P = 0.001) net energy for lactation (NEL) than other groups (2.13, 2.36, and 2.31 Mcal/day per head for FLP2, FLP0, and FLP1, respectively). The FLP constituted 9% and 16% of the total DM intake in the FLP1 and FLP2 groups, respectively. In general, the daily milk yield was low, reflecting the effect of the high environmental temperatures, and was lower (P = 0.001) in the FLP2 group than in the other groups (323, 355, and 369 g/day for FLP2, FLP1, and FLP0, respectively), probably due to the lower daily energy intake. Milk protein (P = 0.046) and casein (P = 0.033) percentages were higher in the FLP2 group than in the FLP1 group; the FLP-fed groups had higher levels of (P = 0.011) milk urea than the FLP0 group, due to a higher (P = 0.001) CP/NELratio in the ingested diet (96.4, 95.8, and 95.3 g/Mcal for FLP2, FLP1, and FLP0, respectively). The fatty acid composition of milk from FLP2-fed ewes was higher in vaccenic (10.6 vs. 7.96 mg/g fat; P = 0.031) and rumenic acids (6.21 vs. 5.30 mg/g fat; P = 0.048) than that in milk from FLP0 ewes. The characteristics of the cheeses were not influenced by the diet, with the exception of the total content of phenolic compounds (P = 0.011) and antioxidant activity (P = 0.051), both of which were higher in cheeses made with milk from FLP-fed ewes

Fatty acid composition of salami made by meat from different commercial categories of indigenous dairy cattle

In autochthonous dairy cattle farms, the production of salami could represent an alternative commercial opportunity. Therefore, a study was carried out to investigate the fatty acid (FA) composition of salami made using the meat from grazing (GB) or housed (HB) young bulls and grazing adult cows (AC) of Cinisara breed. The products were manufactured by adding 20% of pork lard. Animal category influenced the FA composition, although the addition of lard mitigated the differences found in fresh meat. The salami from GB showed higher polyunsaturated FA content (p ≤0.01) and, in particular, a higher level of linoleic acid (p ≤0.05), than from other animal categories. Salami made from AC meat showed lower polyunsaturated/saturated FA ratio (p ≤0.05), but a better n-6/n-3 ratio compared to HB (p ≤0.05), due to the lower content of linoleic acid. Multivariate analysis showed an important influence of animal category on FA composition due to age, feeding system and meat fat content of animals, despite the addition of lard

Fatty acids as biomarkers of the production season of caciocavallo palermitano cheese

This experiment aims to evaluate the potential of fatty acids (FA) of Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese as biomarkers of production season and pasture-based diet. A total of 48 cheeses were made in the four seasons with milk from two farms that raised cows of Cinisara breed. The animals were fed on pasture with supplementation of wheat bran and wheat straw in the barn, and in summer also with Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes. The chemical composition and FA profile of cheese were influenced by the season and not by the farm. In particular, cheeses produced in spring were characterized by higher protein and lower fat, and showed higher contents in trans-vaccenic acid, α-linolenic acid, rumenic acid, n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), and total PUFA. In winter, the lower availability of grazing forage, requiring a higher level of feeding integration, was responsible for an increase of saturated FA (SFA). The multivariate analysis distinguished clearly the cheeses made in winter and spring, while those produced in autumn and summer showed some overlapping points. Further investigations should be carried out to evaluate the effects of type and level of feeding integration on the presence of FA more suitable to be used as biomarkers of period and diet

Effects of foal presence at milking and dietary extra virgin olive oil on jennet milk fatty acids profile

TwelveRagusanajennetswerestudiedtoinvestigatetheeffectsof dietaryextra Twelve Ragusana jennets were studiedtoinvestigatetheeffectsof dietaryextra studied to investigatetheeffectsof dietaryextra the effects of dietaryextra dietary extra virgin olive oil and thepresenceofthefoal duringmilkingonmilkfattyacids(FA)profile.At20, 50 thepresenceofthefoal duringmilkingonmilkfattyacids(FA)profile.At20, 50 he presence of the foal during milking on milk fatty acids (FA) profile. At 20, 50 and 90 days post-foaling, each jennet was milked 4 times per day. The feeding system and the milking procedures are given by Alabiso et al. (2009). FA profiles of the composites from milkings without foals (1MNF+3MNF) and with foals (2MYF+4MYF) were analyzed by gas chromatography. Dietary oil had no significant effect on milk yield or fat content but increased the proportion of C18:1 (n-9) in milk. Jen- net milk had a beneficial FA profile compared to bovine milk and thus would be suitable for consump- tion by infants suffering from cows milk protein allergy, however, augmentation of the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated FA content warrants further study

Effects of the foal at the milking and dietary supplementation with extra virgin olive oil on jennet milk production

The effects of the foal at the milking and the extra virgin olive oil supplementation in the diet, on the milk obtained by 12 Ragusana jennets were studied. The jennets were each fed 3.5+1.5 kg/d of concentrate+bran, and hay ad libitum. They were divided into 2 equal groups with one group receiving an additional dietary supplement of 100 ml/d of olive oil. Milk was collected at day 20 post foal- ing and every 15-18 d for 5 times. At each collection period jennets were milked 4-times per day. At 07:30 h foals were separated from the jennets and after a 4 hour interval were milked manually (1MNF;1st milking, foal absent). At the end of the 1MNF, each jennet was milked again, with the foals kept near the udder, but prevented from suckling (2MYF; 2nd milking, foal present). After 2MYF, foals were removed a second time and the sequence repeated after another 4 hour interval for the 3rd (3MNF) and 4th (4MYF) milkings. Milk yield was recorded at each milking and samples analyzed for qualitative variables. The milk yield was 26% higher than that reported by Giosue et al. (2008) in similar conditions. The milk fat content were positively influenced by the presence of the foal at the milking but was not effect by the dietary supplement of olive oil

Responsible Research and Innovation in Science Education: the IRRESISTIBLE Project

The EU funded IRRESISTIBLE-project (Project Coordinator: Jan Apotheker, University of Groningen, Netherlands) develop activities designed to foster the involvement of high school and elementary students and the public in Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). In the project, awareness about RRI is raised in two ways: increasing content knowledge about research by bringing topics of cutting edge research into the program; fostering a discussion among the students on RRI issues about the topics that are introduced. Responsible Research and Innovation focuses on six key issues: Engagement, Gender equality, Science education, Ethics, including societal relevance and acceptability of research and innovation outcomes , Open access, Governance. The project combines formal and informal teaching to familiarize schoolchildren with science. Sixteen partners in ten countries are involved and coordinated by Science LinX. Each participants will establish a community of learners (CoL). The communities include school teachers together with university experts in the field of science communication and science centre staff. Each CoL will develop materials that the teachers will use at their own schools and students will develop an exhibit for a science centre in their own country. Once they have completed their teaching module, the teachers will each train five colleagues, in using the developed modules from the first year. Ultimately, this project will train almost ten thousand pupils to consider the social impact of scientific research