Towards a Conceptual Model of Media Education : A Finnish Perspective

Over the past couple of decades, media education has evolved from a relatively novel area of study to become an established and thriving field which has captured the attention of scholars, educators, stakeholders, and policy makers worldwide. Media education elements such as media literacy, digital literacy, and digital citizenship have become somewhat familiar terms and have grown into burgeoning fields of study in their own right. Over the years, there has been a wealth of literature and theories centred around media education, fuelled by the exponential growth of online and digital media, constantly advancing digital technology, and an ever-evolving media landscape. Despite this, there seems to be a void in the literature when it comes to the conceptualization of media education and its many elements in a way which encapsulates and unifies the various theories and schools of thought. This paper is an attempt to fill that gap and provide an illustrative, concise, and cohesive conceptual model of media education based on media education theories in the Nordic tradition, as viewed from a Finnish perspective. It aims to contribute towards the theoretical understanding of media education as a concept, as well as provide a comprehensive description of media education from a Finnish perspective for students, educators, and policy makers.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Media Education in Finnish Teacher Education: A Case Study of Pre-Service Teacher Education Students

The highly digitalized and media saturated lives of people around the world has engendered the need for media education across every stratum of society. This media landscape has created some unique opportunities as well as challenges, thereby warranting the implementation and integration of media education. Arguably, the best place to begin introducing comprehensive and systematic media education is in the classroom, at the school level, and within the curricular scaffolding of the compulsory education system. Towards this end, The Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education was designed to include media education elements in the form of the transversal competencies of ‘ICT Competence’ and ‘Multiliteracy’. The curriculum requirement for the inclusion and assimilation of media education in comprehensive schools, combined with the aforementioned media landscape which children and youth inhabit, logically entail that teachers in Finland be prepared and equipped to teach about the media as well as with the media. Contrary to this, recent studies have shown that pre-service teachers in Finland do not receive adequate training and education in media education. This study seeks to elucidate this conundrum by investigating the presence of media education in the class teacher education programme at a local university in Finland from the perspective of pre-service teacher students. It will shed light on the understanding of media education among these pre- service teachers, their experiences and challenges with media education, their perceptions regarding their own media education competencies, as well as their needs and opinions relating to media education. In doing so, this study will also explore their willingness and preparedness to incorporate the transversal curricular components of ICT Competence and Multiliteracy into their future classrooms. This thesis is positioned within the theoretical framework of media education theory and conceptualized within the Nordic approach to media education. It will also provide a conceptual model for media education which is based on the Nordic perspective. This is a collective case study employing in-depth qualitative interviews, and is approached through the lens of the interpretivist research paradigm. The findings of the study show that from the perspectives of teacher students, the presence of media education in the curriculum of teacher education is limited, undervalued, invisible, outdated, and shallow, among other things. This study reveals the need for the integration of media education into the teacher education curriculum as well as the need for further research in this area

Media Education in Finnish Teacher Education: A Case Study of Pre-Service Teacher Education Students

The highly digitalized and media saturated lives of people around the world has engendered the need for media education across every stratum of society. This media landscape has created some unique opportunities as well as challenges, thereby warranting the implementation and integration of media education. Arguably, the best place to begin introducing comprehensive and systematic media education is in the classroom, at the school level, and within the curricular scaffolding of the compulsory education system. Towards this end, The Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education was designed to include media education elements in the form of the transversal competencies of ‘ICT Competence’ and ‘Multiliteracy’. The curriculum requirement for the inclusion and assimilation of media education in comprehensive schools, combined with the aforementioned media landscape which children and youth inhabit, logically entail that teachers in Finland be prepared and equipped to teach about the media as well as with the media. Contrary to this, recent studies have shown that pre-service teachers in Finland do not receive adequate training and education in media education. This study seeks to elucidate this conundrum by investigating the presence of media education in the class teacher education programme at a local university in Finland from the perspective of pre-service teacher students. It will shed light on the understanding of media education among these pre- service teachers, their experiences and challenges with media education, their perceptions regarding their own media education competencies, as well as their needs and opinions relating to media education. In doing so, this study will also explore their willingness and preparedness to incorporate the transversal curricular components of ICT Competence and Multiliteracy into their future classrooms. This thesis is positioned within the theoretical framework of media education theory and conceptualized within the Nordic approach to media education. It will also provide a conceptual model for media education which is based on the Nordic perspective. This is a collective case study employing in-depth qualitative interviews, and is approached through the lens of the interpretivist research paradigm. The findings of the study show that from the perspectives of teacher students, the presence of media education in the curriculum of teacher education is limited, undervalued, invisible, outdated, and shallow, among other things. This study reveals the need for the integration of media education into the teacher education curriculum as well as the need for further research in this area

Daya Antibakteri Ekstrak Etanol Bawang Sabrang (Eleutherine americana) terhadap Shigella dysentriae dan Salmonela enteritidis

The bacteria Shigella dysentriae and Salmonella enteritidis are gram-negative bacteria in the family Enterobactericeae that cause gastroenteritis. Sabrang onion (Eleutherine americana) is a family Iridaceae, containing flavonoids, alkaloids and saponins. The aims of this study was to determine the antibacterial ablitiy and contact time of ethanol extracts sabrang onion on Shigella dysentriae and Salmonella enteritidis. Research methods of Laboratory experimental. The antibacterial ability of sabrang onions was measured by the agar diffusion modification method and contact time was measured based on the minimum kill concentration values ​​of Shigella dysentriae and Salmonella enteritidis. Research data analyzed with One way ANOVA. The results of ethanol extract of Sabrang onion have antibacterial ability against Shigella dysentriae and Salmonella enteritidis, there is a correlation between the concentration of Sabrang onion extract on inhibition zone diameter. The contact time for Shigella dysentriae showed ethanol extract of Sabrang on minimal kill concentration with an 8 hour contact time had a bactericidal effect with the result of a decrease in the number of bacteria 1000 times on the initial inoculum. The bactericidal effect on Salmonella enteritidis shows ethanol extract of Sabrang onions at a minimum kill concentration with contact time of 5 and 10 minutes. Ethanol extract of Sabrang onion has antibacterial ability against Shigella dysentriae and Salmonella enteritidis. There are differences in the antibacterial effects of ethanol extracts of Sabrang onions against Shigella dysentriae and Salmonella enteritidis at the same contact time with different minimum kill concentration.Bakteri Shigella dysentriae dan Salmonella enteritidis merupakan bakteri gram negatif dalam famili Enterobactericeae penyebab gastroenteritis. Bawang sabrang (Eleutherine americana) adalah family Iridaceae, mengandung flavonoid, alkaloid dan saponin. Tujuan penelitian mengetahui daya antibakteri dan waktu kontak dari ekstrak etanol bawang sabrang terhadap Shigella dysentriae dan Salmonella enteritidis. Metode penelitian eksperimental laboratorium. Daya antibakteri bawang sabrang diukur dengan metode modifikasi difusi agar, sedangkan waktu kontak diukur berdasarkan nilai konsentrasi bunuh minimal Shigella dysentriae dan Salmonella enteritidis. Data penelitian dianalisis dengan  One way anova . Hasil penelitian ekstrak etanol bawang sabrang mempunyai daya antibakteri terhadap Shigella dysentriae dan Salmonella enteritidis, terdapat korelasi antara konsentrasi ekstrak bawang sabrang terhadap diameter zona hambat. Waktu kontak terhadap Shigella dysentriae menunjukan ekstrak etanol bawang sabrang pada konsentrasi bunuh minimal dengan waktu kontak  8 jam mempunyai efek bakterisidal dengan hasil laju penurunan jumlah bakteri 1000 kali terhadap inokulum awal. Efek bakterisidal terhadap Salmonella enteritidis menunjukan ekstrak etanol bawang sabrang pada konsentrasi bunuh minimal dengan waktu kontak 5 dan 10 menit. Ekstrak etanol bawang sabrang memiliki daya antibakteri terhadap Shigella dysentriae dan Salmonella enteritidis. Terdapat perbedaan efek antibakteri ekstrak etanol bawang sabrang terhadap Shigella dysentriae dan Salmonella enteritidis pada waktu kontak yang sama dengan konsentrasi bunuh minimal yang berbeda

Model-based estimation of knee stiffness

During natural locomotion, the stiffness of the human knee is modulated continuously and subconsciously according to the demands of activity and terrain. Given modern actuator technology, powered transfemoral prostheses could theoretically provide a similar degree of sophistication and function. However, experimentally quantifying knee stiffness modulation during natural gait is challenging. Alternatively, joint stiffness could be estimated in a less disruptive manner using electromyography (EMG) combined with kinetic and kinematic measurements to estimate muscle force, together with models that relate muscle force to stiffness. Here we present the first step in that process, where we develop such an approach and evaluate it in isometric conditions, where experimental measurements are more feasible. Our EMG-guided modeling approach allows us to consider conditions with antagonistic muscle activation, a phenomenon commonly observed in physiological gait. Our validation shows that model-based estimates of knee joint stiffness coincide well with experimental data obtained using conventional perturbation techniques. We conclude that knee stiffness can be accurately estimated in isometric conditions without applying perturbations, which presents an important step toward our ultimate goal of quantifying knee stiffness during gait

Control strategies for active lower extremity prosthetics and orthotics: a review

Technological advancements have led to the development of numerous wearable robotic devices for the physical assistance and restoration of human locomotion. While many challenges remain with respect to the mechanical design of such devices, it is at least equally challenging and important to develop strategies to control them in concert with the intentions of the user. This work reviews the state-of-the-art techniques for controlling portable active lower limb prosthetic and orthotic (P/O) devices in the context of locomotive activities of daily living (ADL), and considers how these can be interfaced with the user’s sensory-motor control system. This review underscores the practical challenges and opportunities associated with P/O control, which can be used to accelerate future developments in this field. Furthermore, this work provides a classification scheme for the comparison of the various control strategies. As a novel contribution, a general framework for the control of portable gait-assistance devices is proposed. This framework accounts for the physical and informatic interactions between the controller, the user, the environment, and the mechanical device itself. Such a treatment of P/Os – not as independent devices, but as actors within an ecosystem – is suggested to be necessary to structure the next generation of intelligent and multifunctional controllers. Each element of the proposed framework is discussed with respect to the role that it plays in the assistance of locomotion, along with how its states can be sensed as inputs to the controller. The reviewed controllers are shown to fit within different levels of a hierarchical scheme, which loosely resembles the structure and functionality of the nominal human central nervous system (CNS). Active and passive safety mechanisms are considered to be central aspects underlying all of P/O design and control, and are shown to be critical for regulatory approval of such devices for real-world use. The works discussed herein provide evidence that, while we are getting ever closer, significant challenges still exist for the development of controllers for portable powered P/O devices that can seamlessly integrate with the user’s neuromusculoskeletal system and are practical for use in locomotive ADL