Using Digital Tools to Foster Critical Inquiry

How do adolescents use digital media as tools in ways that go beyond simply extracting information or playing games to engaging in the literacy practices involved in critical inquiry activities?published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Of Goats and Men

In the small, coastal town of Monterey, California, a tidy residential community called Deer Flats perches on one of the nearby hills. From up there, on a clear day, of which there are many, one may, if one chooses, watch the bay and the boats that sail upon its waters, and catch the failing rays of sunlight at dusk. The houses are well kept, the people industrious, and for the most part civil, if not particularly cordial. They enjoy walking their dogs and tending their front yards. Lately, however, because of the drought, the lawns have browned and withered. The “flats” is a misnomer. Not unlike the fictional Tortilla Flat, the neighborhood is actually quite hilly. The community is surrounded by a greenbelt containing a stand of Monterey pines, a tree peculiar to the region and vigilantly safeguarded by the city arborist. But over the years a dense carpet of desiccated vegetation beneath the stately trees became a concern because of the threat of fire. The members of the homeowners’ association, in their august wisdom, devised a plan to mitigate this danger and, at the same time, demonstrate their ecological awareness. They hired goats

Filtering of Calcium Transients by the Endoplasmic Reticulum in Pancreatic β-Cells

AbstractCalcium handling in pancreatic β-cells is important for intracellular signaling, the control of electrical activity, and insulin secretion. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a key organelle involved in the storage and release of intracellular Ca2+. Using mathematical modeling, we analyze the filtering properties of the ER and clarify the dual role that it plays as both a Ca2+ source and a Ca2+ sink. We demonstrate that recent time-dependent data on the free Ca2+ concentration in pancreatic islets and β-cell clusters can be explained with a model that uses a passive ER that takes up Ca2+ when the cell is depolarized and the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration is elevated, and releases Ca2+ when the cell is repolarized and the cytosolic Ca2+ is at a lower concentration. We find that Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release is not necessary to explain the data, and indeed the model is inconsistent with the data if Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release is a dominating factor. Finally, we show that a three-compartment model that includes a subspace compartment between the ER and the plasma membrane provides the best agreement with the experimental Ca2+ data

An examination of press coverage and public comment on educational issues

This study was conducted to assess the volume and nature of the treatment of education by the press and the public, as contained in the opinionated sections of daily newspapers. The researcher also sought to determine the nature of the relationship between press coverage and public comment on educational issues. -- The data for the study were obtained by examining the opinionated sections - editorials, columns, letters to the editor, and articles - published in the three daily newspapers of Newfoundland and Labrador during a five-year period, from January 1, 1979 to December 31, 1983. All items concerned with primary, elementary, and secondary education were classified in order to make possible a description of the volume and nature of the treatment. -- Some of the general findings which resulted from this analysis were: -- 1. The volume of press and public expressions directed towards education fluctuated over the period, the amount being proportionate to the degree of controversy surrounding specific issues at a particular time. -- 2. Although much press coverage and public comment was classified as being critical of educational decisions and practices, almost all of these items were aimed at improving the quality of education. -- 3. Issues related to teachers, the curriculum, and school administration ranked among the top four issues in volume with both press coverage and public comment. -- 4. Student-related issues were treated favourably by the press and the public. The press were completely supportive of denominational education, while public contributors gave favourable treatment to teacher-related matters. The majority of press coverage and public comment was classified as being critical towards bussing, the curriculum, and the reorganized high school program. -- 5. Public contributors were more prone than members of the press to voice strong positions on issues, the former embodying more critical, more supportive, and less neutral statements than the latter. -- 6. Press and public responses to previously-published items were predominantly contrary to opinions voiced by the instigating writers. However, members of the press tended to agree with the instigating items more often than did public respondents