Factors enabling the use of technology in subject teaching

online-masters-and-phds.com - Photograph by Trent Deberry

Author: Begum Cubukcuoglu, Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus

The importance of information and communication technologies in the teaching and learning process has been proven by many research studies to be an effective way of supporting teaching and learning. Although many teachers do not use new technologies as instructional tools, some are integrating information and communication technologies innovatively into their teaching. There are a number of factors which encourage these teachers to use information and communication technologies in the teaching and learning environment. This article discusses the factors that encourage Turkish Cypriot teachers to integrate technology into the classroom. 

Zimbabwe: With a Radio Ban, Mugabe Sharpens the Old Enemy's Weapon

allafrica.com - Harare — Even 33 years after Zimbabwean independence, President Mugabe remains a harsh critic of the white colonial government's system. But through the latest radio ban, he is imposing the same oppressive tactics that he himself once fought against to liberate his people. As I write, Zimbabwe's statutes are still being starched with the state oppression that Mugabe himself once fought against. A case in point is the state's latest ban of small wind-up radios with a short-wave dial.

 

Technology, teachers, and training: Combining theory with Macedonia’s experience

online-masters-and-phds.com 

Authors:
Laura Hosman, Illinois Institute of Technology, USA
Maja Jagev Cvetanoska, YES Network Project, EDC/USAID Macedonia

Numerous developing countries are currently planning or executing projects that introduce technology into their educational systems. This article asserts that such projects will have limited long-term success or impact until they are reconceptualized to incorporate three transformative concepts: teachers play the key role in determining the success or failure of such projects; change is a years-long process and not a one-time event; and teachers need ongoing support to adopt the technology and should be treated as stakeholders in the innovation-adoption process.

Africa: Laser Scanner Detects Malaria Infections in Seconds

allafrica.com - Researchers had developed the first non-invasive method of detecting malaria infection using a laser beam scanner. The painless test appears to be 100 percent accurate and does not require using any blood. Currently, the gold standard of malaria testing is examining a blood smear under the microscope for evidence of the deadly parasite. A diagnosis requires trained technicians, expensive equipment and time, things that are not always available in poorer and more remote parts of the world.

 

Using multimedia technology to build a community of practice: Pre-service teachers’ and digital storytelling in South Africa

online-masters-and-phds.com - Article by: Agnes Chigona, Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Employing the theory of Community of Practice (CoP), this paper shows how the use of multimedia led a group of pre-service teachers to build a community of practice in the process of completing their individual digital stories for assessment. The paper is focused on a group of diverse pre-service teachers doing their final year at a teacher education institution in Cape Town.

Trials to begin on new degradable surgical implant

m.bbc.co.uk - By Adam Brimelow, Health Correspondent, BBC News

Researchers in Oxford have developed a degradable implant which they say has huge potential to improve surgical success rates. The protective patch, which wraps round soft tissue repairs, will be trialled in patients with shoulder injuries. It is hoped in time this approach could help patients with other conditions including arthritis, hernias and heart defects.

The prospect of animated videos in agriculture and health: A case study in Benin

online-masters-and-phds.com - Woman from Kobli, Atakora. Photograph by: Jacques Taberlet

Article by: Julia Bello-Bravo, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
Elie Dannon, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, Benin 
Tolulope Adebimpe Agunbiade, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA 
Manuele Tamo, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, Benin 
Barry Robert Pittendrigh, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA

Cell-phone ready educational videos, translated into local languages, are a very recent phenomenon in developing nations. One of the reasons for the emergence of this approach is due to the scarcity of other forms of educational materials with appropriate content for low literate learners. Additionally, the World Wide Web (WWW) has very little to offer in regards to audio-visual training materials that could be used to educate people in their own local languages without the need for literacy. Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO) creates and works with local groups to deploy educational videos in local languages facilitating access to information and knowledge to individuals in the developing world. This paper is based on a survey conducted with 83 individuals on the perception of three SAWBO educational animations – neem extracts for insect control, cholera and malaria prevention; and their potential as training tools for health and agricultural extension in Benin. 

Artificial intelligence to help disaster aid coordination

zunia.org - The “fragmented” coordination between relief actors in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan last month underscores the need for artificial intelligence to streamline disaster response, says a team behind such an effort. The ORCHID project — a consortium of UK universities and private firms — aims to make this possible by combining human and artificial intelligence into an efficient complementary unit known as a Human Agent Collective (HAC).

The computer systems being developed can assume tasks such as directing surveillance drones, resource management and search planning, says David Jones, head of Rescue Global, the disaster response organisation responsible for testing the software next year.

“Coordination of such a large response [after a disaster] is so challenging without technological assistance that makes data more accessible,” he tells SciDev.Net while on mission in the Philippines. “Bringing humans and artificial intelligence together is the only way to get the job done better.”

The usage and impact of internet enabled phones on academic concentration among students of tertiary institutions

online-masters-and-phds.com - Ibadan street scene. Attribution: Dassiebtekreuz

Article by: Emeka K Ezemenaka, Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique (IFRA), Nigeria

The usage of Internet enabled phones has been a 21st century phenomenon that spreads for different purposes and functions. This study looks into the usage and perceived effect implications internet enabled phones have on the academic performance of the tertiary students using University of Ibadan students in Nigeria as a case study.

William's on his way – and Cambridge should be ashamed

theguardian.com - After graduating from Cambridge this summer, I temped in a diesel factory to save money for my Master's. They were used to students in the factory, but they didn't get many from Cambridge. Telling people where I'd studied usually resulted in a bit of a double take and a question along the lines of: "What, the posh one?" Yes, the posh one.