Who makes better use of technology for learning in D&T? Schools or university?

University teacher training departments have many functions in their role as Schools for Initial Teacher Education (ITE), these include accrediting qualified teacher status, teaching subject knowledge and pedagogy, and influencing change in a school subject's content and pedagogy. This paper discusses this latter area. It can be easy for teacher training in universities to become ivory towers, modelling new ideas for curriculum delivery and content in a 'bubble' away from the real world of the school classroom. A centre of design and technology (D&T) education at an English university has undertaken research-led developments in the use of web 2.0 technologies and technology enhanced learning (TEL), modelling how they can be used in the classroom. The research examined in this paper is the next stage of the centre's curriculum development to ensure the relevance of the university curriculum content and practices. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the use of TEL in secondary schools is inconsistent and sporadic with D&T teachers using TEL, with minimal awareness of research available, which could inform their practice. This impacts on the centre's trainee teachers as they begin teaching in schools during their final year of the course, with a possible unrealistic expectation of how TEL is used in schools, based on their university experiences

Infrared Spectra and Spectral Energy Distributions of Late-M- and L-Dwarfs

We have obtained 1.0-2.5um spectra at R~600 of 14 disk dwarfs with spectral types M6 to L7. For four of the dwarfs we have also obtained infrared spectra at R~3000 in narrow intervals. In addition, we present new L' photometry for four of the dwarfs in the sample, which allows improved determinations of their bolometric luminosities. We resolve the L-dwarf Denis-P J 0205-1159 into an identical pair of objects separated by 0.35". The spectra, with the published energy distribution for one other dwarf, are compared to synthetic spectra generated by upgraded model atmospheres. Good matches are found for 2200> Teff K>1900 (spectral types around M9 to L3), but discrepancies exist at Teff> 2300 K (M8) and for Teff<1800 K (L4-L7). At the higher temperatures the mismatches are due to incompleteness in the water vapor linelist. At the lower temperatures the disagreement is probably due to our treatment of dust: we assume a photospheric distribution in equilibrium with the gas phase. We derive effective temperatures for the sample from the comparison with synthetic spectra and also by comparing our observed total intrinsic luminosities to structural model calculations (which are mostly independent of the atmosphere but are dependent on the unknown masses and ages of the targets). The two derivations agree to ~200 K except for the faintest object in the sample where the discrepancy is larger. Agreement with other temperature determinations is also ~200 K, except for the L7 dwarf.Comment: 31 pages incl. 5 Tables and 12 Figures, accepted by ApJ for Feb 2001 issu

A Neptune-mass Planet Orbiting the Nearby G Dwarf HD16417

Precision Doppler measurements from an intensive 48 night "Rocky Planet Search" observing campaign on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) have revealed the presence of a low-mass exoplanet orbiting the G1 dwarf HD16417. Subsequent Doppler observations with the AAT, as well as independent observations obtained by the Keck Planet Search, have confirmed this initial detection and refine the orbital parameters to period 17.24+/-0.01 d, eccentricity 0.20+/-0.09, orbital semi-major axis 0.14+/-0.01 AU and minimum planet mass 22.1+/-2.0 Mearth. HD 16417 raises the number of published exoplanets with minimum masses of less than 25 Mearth to eighteen. Interestingly, the distribution of detected sub-25 Mearth planets over the spectral types G, K and M is almost uniform. The detection of HD 16417b by an intensive observing campaign clearly demonstrates the need for extended and contiguous observing campaigns when aiming to detect low-amplitude Doppler planets in short period orbits. Perhaps most critically it demonstrates that the search for low-mass Doppler planets will eventually require these traditional "bright-time" projects to extend throughout dark lunations.Comment: To appear in Ap

A detailed analysis of the HD 73526 2:1 resonant planetary system

We present six years of new radial velocity data from the Anglo-Australian and Magellan Telescopes on the HD 73526 2:1 resonant planetary system. We investigate both Keplerian and dynamical ( interacting) fits to these data, yielding four possible configurations for the system. The new data now show that both resonance angles are librating, with amplitudes of 40 degrees and 60 degrees, respectively. We then perform long-term dynamical stability tests to differentiate these solutions, which only differ significantly in the masses of the planets. We show that while there is no clearly preferred system inclination, the dynamical fit with i = 90 degrees provides the best combination of goodness-of-fit and long-term dynamical stability.Peer reviewe

On the Double Planet System Around HD 83443

The Geneva group has reported two Saturn-mass planets orbiting HD 83443 (K0V) with periods of 2.98 and 29.8 d. The two planets have raised interest in their dynamics because of the possible 10:1 orbital resonance and the strong gravitational interactions. We report precise Doppler measurements of HD 83443 obtained with the Keck/HIRES and the AAT/UCLES spectrometers. These measurements strongly confirm the inner planet with period of 2.985 d, with orbital parameters in very good agreement with those of the Geneva group. However these Doppler measurements show no evidence of the outer planet, at thresholds of 1/4 (3 m/s) of the reported velocity amplitude of 13.8 m/s. Thus, the existence of the outer planet is in question. Indeed, the current Doppler measurements reveal no evidence of any second planet with periods less than a year.Comment: 26 pages incl. 3 tables and 8 figures; uses AASTE