Philosophy of Technology Assumptions in Educational Technology Leadership

A qualitative study using grounded theory methods was conducted to (a) examine what philosophy of technology assumptions are present in the thinking of K-12 technology leaders, (b) investigate how the assumptions may influence technology decision making, and (c) explore whether technological determinist assumptions are present. Subjects involved technology directors and instructional technology specialists from school districts, and data collection involved interviews and a written questionnaire. Three broad philosophy of technology views were widely held by participants, including an instrumental view of technology, technological optimism, and a technological determinist perspective that sees technological change as inevitable. Technology leaders were guided by two main approaches to technology decision making in cognitive dissonance with each other, represented by the categories Educational goals and curriculum should drive technology, and Keep up with Technology (or be left behind). The researcher concluded that as leaders deal with their perceived experience of the inevitability of technological change, and their concern for preparing students for a technological future, the core category Keep up with technology (or be left behind) is given the greater weight in technology decision making. A risk is that this can on occasion mean a quickness to adopt technology for the sake of technology, without aligning the technology implementation with educational goals

PREDICTING POTENTIAL ASCOSPORE DOSE OF VENTURIA INAEQUALIS (CKE) WINT IN COMMERCIAL APPLE ORCHARDS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE (MODELING, EPIDEMIOLOGY, DISEASE MANAGEMENT)

A theoretical model (Prot. Ecol. 5:103-125) was the framework of a study of factors affecting the number of Venturia inaequalis ascospores per m(\u272) orchard floor per season (PAD) in New Hampshire apple orchards. PAD was calculated as the product of scab lesions per m(\u272) leaf tissue at leaf fall, pseudothecia per lesion, asci per pseudothecium, the proportion of the orchard floor covered by leaf litter at bud break, and ascospores per ascus. Disease incidence and the proportion of lesions that formed mature ascocarps were strongly correlated; lesion fertility was directly proportional to disease incidence at leaf fall. Most lesions from commercial orchards did not produce mature ascocarps. However, even when disease incidence was near zero, approximately 3% of the lesions formed mature ascocarps. Mechanisms were discussed by which sexual reproduction could occur when the probability of pairing of compatible mating types was remote. Infertile lesions were associated with aborted ascocarps as observed by Keitt and Palmiter (Amer. J. Bot. 25:338-345). The number of asci per ascocarp and the number of ascocarps per lesion did not differ on McIntosh, Cortland, or Delicious leaves. Leaves decayed primarily during winter and only slowly from bud break to petal fall. PAD varied from 13 to 44,544 ascospores/m(\u272)/season in orchards where 0.04% and 9.32% of the leaves were infected the previous autumn, respectively. A model proposed by Van der Plank was used to compute time differences ((DELTA)t) in the onset of scab epidemics based on differences in PAD. Spray programs for apply scab could be delayed by 2-22 days in commercial orchards depending on PAD and the value of Van der Plank\u27s infection rate (r)

Were Any of the Founders Deists? (Chapter 5 of The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Politics in the U.S.)

Excerpt: Scholars and popular authors regularly assert that the founders were deists. For instance, historian Frank Lambert asserts that the “significance of the Enlightenment and Deism for the birth of the American republic, and especially the relationship between church and state within it, can hardly be overstated.” Law professor Geoffrey R. Stone similarly contends that “deistic beliefs played a central role in the framing of the American republic … [and the] founding generation viewed religion, and particularly religion’s relation to government, through an Enlightenment lens that was deeply skeptical of orthodox Christianity.” For a final example, the dean of American historians, Gordon S. Wood, opines that “The Founding Fathers were at most deists – they believed God created the world, then left it alone to run …

Examining Philosophy of Technology Using Grounded Theory Methods

A qualitative study was conducted to examine the philosophy of technology of K-12 technology leaders, and explore the influence of their thinking on technology decision making. The research design aligned with CORBIN and STRAUSS grounded theory methods, and I proceeded from a research paradigm of critical realism. The subjects were school technology directors and instructional technology specialists, and data collection consisted of interviews and a written questionnaire. Data analysis involved the use of grounded theory methods including memo writing, open and axial coding, constant comparison, the use of purposive and theoretical sampling, and theoretical saturation of categories. Three broad philosophy of technology views were widely held by participants: an instrumental view of technology, technological optimism, and a technological determinist perspective that saw technological change as inevitable. Technology leaders were guided by two main approaches to technology decision making, represented by the categories Educational goals and curriculum should drive technology, and Keep up with Technology (or be left behind). The core category and central phenomenon that emerged was that technology leaders approached technology leadership by placing greater emphasis on keeping up with technology, being influenced by an ideological orientation to technological change, and being concerned about preparing students for a technological future

James Wilson, a Man for All Seasons (Chapter 7 of The Political and Legal Philosophy of James Wilson 1742-1798)

Excerpt: This work began with the claim that James Wilson was one of the most important, yet one of the most frequently overlooked, founders. It has attempted to demonstrate that he merits examination because of his significant role in the founding period. Wilson\u27s contributions as a member of Congress, constitution maker, law professor, and Supreme Court justice should not be overlooked. But his political significance does not necessarily mean that his political theory is worthy of attention

Modality

A survey of the connection between grounding and modality, in particular supervenience. The survey explores three possible connections between grounding and supervenience: (1) supervenience can be analyzed in terms of grounding, (2) grounded facts supervene on their grounds, and (3) grounding and supervenience overlap in their theoretical roles

Constitution and Dependence

Constitution is the relation that holds between an object and what it is made of: statues are constituted by the lumps of matter they coincide with; flags, one may think, are constituted by colored pieces of cloth; and perhaps human persons are constituted by biological organisms. Constitution is often thought to be

Roger Sherman, Oliver Ellsworth, and the Formation of America\u27s Constitutional Order (Chapter Five of Great Christian Jurists in American History)

In 1822, former President John Adams wrote to the biographer John Sanderson that Roger Sherman was one of the most cordial friends which I ever had in my life. Destitute of all literary and scientific education, but such as he acquired by his own exertions, he was one of the most sensible men in the world. The clearest head and steadiest heart. It is praise enough to say that the late Chief Justice Ellsworth told me that he had made Mr. Sherman his model in his youth .... [He] was one of the soundest and strongest pillars of the revolution. Among the important participant~ in the War for Independence, the Constitutional Convention, and the First Federal Congress, few had as much influence on the creation of America\u27s constitutional order as Sherman and Ellsworth. And none of the more famous founders regularly referenced by students of the era represent as well the 50-75 percent of Americans in this era who were Calvinists

Latin American Growth in the 21st Century: The "Commodities Boom" That Wasn't

Latin America's economic growth rebound in the 2000s is often attributed to a "commodities boom," which implies that the region's growth was stimulated by sizable increases in the price of commodity exports. This paper looks at whether the data support such a conclusion. It finds that there is no statistically significant relationship between the increase in the terms of trade (TOT) for Latin American countries and their GDP growth. There is, however, a positive relationship between the TOT increase and an improvement in the current account balance. It may be that this allowed countries to avoid balance of payments crises or constraints

Are Shorter Work Hours Good for the Environment? A Comparison of U.S. and European Energy Consumption

European employees work fewer hours per year -- and use less energy per person -- than their American counterparts. This report compares the European and U.S. models of labor productivity and energy consumption. It finds that if all countries worked as many hours per week as U.S. workers do, the world would consume 15 to 30 percent more energy by 2050 than it would by following Europe's model