Exploring the Secret Garden: the growing importance of ICT in the home

The use of ICT (information and communication technology) in homes is growing faster than its use in schools and colleges-and there are already more systems in homes than in educational settings. This article argues that we should attempt to enter the area which most research on ICT in education tends to ignore: the secret garden of the learner at home. It is based partly on two pilot case-studies of secondary schools and a small sample of their students. Given the paucity of research in this area the article poses more questions than it answers. What are the implications of ICT use at home for teachers in schools? Do home systems interfere with school education or can they be used to enhance it! How should teachers respond to, and assess, work done using home ICT? Is the home situation widening the gap between one set of pupils (the "haves" of ICT) and another? Suggestions for school policies and action research for the future are put forward

Science Education for Citizenship and a Sustainable Future

In this article Jerry Wellington argues very strongly in favour of the role of science in citizenship education. He emphasizes the need for knowledge, skills and action and suggests areas and ways in which pupils can be engaged in the struggle for a sustainable future where interdependence and interconnectedness mesh well with notions of equity and justice

Essential and Fixed Oils of Kansas Plants

The following report deals with those Kansas plants (one or two trees included) which are known to yield or are suspected of yielding essential and fixed oils . No cultivated plants have been considered. Bernard B, Smyth's "Check List of the Plants of Kansas", published in Topeka, 1892, was used. This is the most complete catalog of Kansas plants available at the present time. The numbers to the Left of the botanical names refer to those of this check list . A new flora of the state has been in preparation for several years since the publication of the list mentioned above, but it is still unfinished. Wherever possible the analyses of the contained oil is given or else references where that information may be found. In many cases the analysis of the plant merely mentioned the presence or even suspected presence of an oils

The effects of different cultural backgrounds on teamwork on construction site

The intent of this research is to investigate the impact of different cultural backgrounds on construction teams. Human relations have an important role in the productivity and rate of disputes of a project team when there is a good relationship between the team members, the team may be more effective in achieving the planned goals

Social Marketing Strategies for Stigmatized Target Populations: A Case Example for Problem Gamblers and Family Members of Problem Gamblers

Advertising theory and accompanying research literature are in their infancy when it comes to advertising services to stigmatized populations. We know very little about what messages will impact potential clients of services and what messages could even be harmful to potential clients and to society’s shaping of social issues. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the views of problem gamblers and family members of problem gamblers in developing 10 foot by 20 foot billboards to promote a local problem gambling service. Participants identified issues such as photographs of money being a trigger to gamble, guilt and shame being emotions that would turn them off of the advertisement, and a fear of the advertisement leading to a scam or hoax. More research and theory development on stigmatized populations is necessary to better promote services to stigmatized populations and to avoid contributing negatively to social issues

Growth factors in lung development and disease: friends or foe?

Growth factors mediate tissue interactions and regulate a variety of cellular functions that are critical for normal lung development and homeostasis. Besides their involvement in lung pattern formation, growth and cell differentiation during organogenesis, these factors have been also implicated in modulating injury-repair responses of the adult lung. Altered expression of growth factors, such as transforming growth factor β1, vascular endothelial growth factor and epidermal growth factor, and/or their receptors, has been found in a number of pathological lung conditions. In this paper, we discuss the dual role of these molecules in mediating beneficial feedback responses or responses that can further damage lung integrity; we shall also discuss the basis for their prospective use as therapeutic agents