Facebook: Privacy and Popularity

This paper explores the social networking site, Facebook, and examines its popularity as well as privacy concerns associated with it

An American in Canterbury: Blogging My Experiences

A student attends classes at Christ Church University in Canterbury, England and shares her thoughts and experiences in a series of blogs

Implementing Computer-Assisted Language Learning in an ESL Program Serving Adult Refugees From Vietnam: Findings From a Qualitative Case Study.

This qualitative case study explored the implementation of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in an ESL program serving adult refugees and immigrants from Vietnam. The case consisted of two sub-cases: implementation of CALL in the beginners\u27 class and implementation of CALL in the advanced beginners\u27 class. The investigation, which lasted 46 weeks, was intense and holistic. The researcher was also the administrator of the refugee program. The research methodology used was largely qualitative in design, so that an emic understanding of how the innovation impacted the actors and brought about change in the learning environment could be constructed. Quantitative research methods were employed to clarify patterns in the data that had emerged during fieldwork. Three main areas of inquiry emerged during the research process, which can be grouped according to issues having to do with the following: implementing CALL; teaching with CALL; and learning with CALL. In each of these areas the main focus of inquiry became the perspective of one of the three groups of actors who composed the case, i.e. the administrator, the teachers and the students, respectively. Major findings indicated that the implementation of the innovation required the administrator to assume new organizational roles involving the coordination of the target system. During the implementation process it became apparent that good teaching was essential in making the most effective use of CALL, and that training in second language pedagogy needed to be incorporated into CALL workshops. The addition of the computer lab to the physical environment of learning necessitated major changes in the logistics of learning, which led to changes in the organization and content of classroom lessons. The two project teachers\u27 perceptions of the importance of CALL in how they viewed themselves as teachers and planned their lessons differed considerably. Most students enjoyed and felt they benefited from studying English with computers. However, older students with very low English proficiency were unable to sustain an interest in CALL. Factors that appeared to play a role in engaging and maintaining student interest in CALL included student motivation, age, English proficiency, previous education, and compatibility of lab partners

The design and analysis of a complete hierarchical interface for the multi-backend database system.

http://archive.org/details/designanalysisof00weisNAN

Reference conditions for restoration of heterogeneous Mediterranean wetland are best defined by multiple, hydrologically diverse sites

In a mediterranean climate, the vegetation of embanked salt marshes can vary considerably in time and space to obscure the definition of reference condition for restoration purposes. The aim of our study was to find a basis for defining reference vegetation for the reinstatement of a wetland hydrological regime on abandoned agricultural land. We investigated five reference sites surrounding a 2,668 ha restoration site in the Doñana National Park (southwest Spain). Environmental conditions were monitored on a sampling grid for seven years: surface elevation and hydroperiod were mapped (using LIDAR -Light Detection and Ranging- and satellite imagery, respectively) and rainfall, soil salinity and soil pH were recorded. The reference sites collectively encompassed the range of elevation and environmental conditions at the restoration site, although none individually was representative. The vegetation at the reference sites was sampled annually at fixed grid points. Hierarchical cluster analyses identified assemblages of perennial and annual species that were differently distributed among the reference sites. BIO-ENV analysis showed that the distribution of perennial assemblages was determined by elevation, annual hydroperiod, and salinity. More labile annual assemblages were loosely associated with particular perennial ones. Species composition fluctuated over the seven years, in concert with rainfall and hydroperiod, but showed no directional change. Understanding the hydro-chemical drivers of spatio-temporal variation in vegetation across multiple sites has established a rationale for defining reference conditions for large, heterogeneous wetland restoration sites

Équinoxe de septembre

En féconds héritiers du monde gréco-romain, ce mois-ci nous faisons la part belle à l’art de la mosaïque. Toutefois, loin des larges plaques de marbre, d’émail ou de verre…Loin des 475m2 de l’extraordinaire « mosaïque du chœur » de la basilique (du Sacré-Cœur) de Montmartre, nous mettons notre pierre colorée à l’édifice et réinventons l’opus tessellatum des maîtres grecs au moyen d’une « mosaïque des confins ». Les tailleurs de pierres ont laissé place à nos photographes hors pair, troquant l..

Du tourisme de masse au tourisme durable ?

Tourism is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. Ever more informed about the consequences of mass tourism and sensitized to Sustainable Development, consumer-tourists are gradually formulating the demand for more sustainable tourism