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Saturday, May 5, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Understoodit Lets Students Voice Their Confusion Without Having to Raise Their Hands
Over the course of the last few years, more and more "clickers" have found their way into college classrooms. These little devices allow teachers to request real-time feedback from their students through short quizzes and surveys. Toronto-based developer Liam Kaufman, however, thinks that a simpler application that just tells teachers whether their students are confused or not could help improve learning significantly. Students, after all, often hesitate to raise their hands and tell their professors when they aren't able to follow - especially in large lecture classes. With Understoodit, Kaufman hopes to give these students the ability to voice their concerns quietly.best buy black friday deals thanksgiving crafts matt cassel snowman playstation network down houston astros google music
Simons Foundation Chooses U.C. Berkeley for Computing Center
[unable to retrieve full-text content]The Simons Foundation plans to announce on Tuesday that the University of California, Berkeley, will be the home of a new center that combines computing theory with fields like biology or economics.
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Video: Mother of missing soldier speaks out
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The Wanted Move On From Christina And Take Aim At Britney Spears
'[Britney's] bouncers came down with her and told us to face the wall,' says Siva Kaneswaran.
By Gil Kaufman
The Wanted
Photo: Getty Images
If you're having trouble keeping the latest wave of British boy bands straight, just remember this one simple trick: The Wanted are the ones who talk tons of smack.
After tearing into "The Voice" coach Christina Aguilera by calling her a "total bitch" last week, and then kind of apologizing , the boys turned their verbal cannons on another ex-Mouseketeer.
Sitting down for another radio interview in New York on Monday (their people should really consider keeping the boys off N.Y. radio, just sayin'), the lads opened up about a rather unpleasant interaction with Britney Spears' security team in November.
They said they were personally invited to open Brit's show in Manchester and by all accounts the hook-up went swimmingly, with a cute photo op and a follow-up tweet from Spears in which she wrote, "So the boys from @thewantedmusic came to my Wembley show & we hung out backstage! Love them!"
But member Tom Parker revealed that, "We signed a confidentiality thing that we should never say anything about what happened, but let's tell it anyway." That prompted Siva Kaneswaran to open up the legal Pandora's box and spill, "I was in the hallway with me tour manager. Basically we were looking with a laptop, trying to get WiFi ... facing the middle of the hallway. [Britney's] bouncers came down with her and told us to face the wall."
"As Miss Spears is walking through," added Parker. "We're like come on!" But, since they are nice boys, Kaneswaran said, "We turned around and I faced a wall for about 10 seconds until she got really far away."
They didn't wait long to walk this one back a bit, though. Jay McGuiness quickly followed-up with another patented Wanted semi-apology, explaining, "But honestly when we actually met her person to person, she was so down to earth. You can tell she's a total Southern girl and Nathan [Sykes], when he was a kid, won a singing competition. She was one of the judges or something. And she gave him a kiss, it was one of his first kisses as a kid. So he got to meet her again and support her."
Last week, when MTV News' Sway spoke to the boys they were in a similarly feisty mood, with Parker claiming that Justin Bieber had smacked Kaneswaran in his crown jewels when they performed with "Boyfriend" singer. "He [Kaneswaran] came up to me in the dressing room and said, 'Why's he picking on me?'" Parker joked.
As for Spears, at the time, Sykes said, "She's lovely as well. We haven't really met people who aren't very nice and Britney was just very, very nice. She was kind of what you'd expect her to be, very happy and American." And, Parker said, even though her bodyguards were kind of scary, Britney, he said, had "lovely teeth."
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Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Mount Etna erupts for 7th time this year
Sicily's Mount Etna wowed onlookers and researchers with yet another spectacular show last week. It was the restive peak's 25th dramatic lava display since the volcano ramped up activity in January 2011, and the seventh so far this year.
Signs the mountain was primed for yet another paroxysm first appeared on the morning of April 21, when Mount Etna sent out small plumes of ash.
However, it wasn't until nearly two days later, early on April 23, that observers spotted a tiny trickle of lava spilling from the mountain.
As the day wore on, lava issued from several vents high atop the volcano in fits and starts, according to Boris Behncke, a volcanologist with Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, reached by email.
Behncke, a scientist and accomplished photographer, captured the above photograph at about 8:20 p.m., local time, on April 23.
The mountain was taking its time, Behncke wrote in a description of the evening. It didn't explode with its full fury until the wee hours of April 24, when it sent up fountains of lava for about 25 minutes.
Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. Between January and August 2000, the mountain experienced 66 of these episodes of "lava fountaining," and a total of 250 since 1995.
The mountain experienced two similar eruptive events earlier in the month. Behncke caught the volcano's spectacular April 1 display on camera.
Although those who live near the mountain have grown used to its rumblings, Behncke said this most recent event was somewhat unusual.
"What is quite fascinating this time is the rather heavy fallout of pyroclastic material," he said. The mountain blanketed areas as far as 12 miles (20 kilometers) away with ash and scoriae ? small, porous and very light fragments of basaltic rock.
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More science news from msnbc.com
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James Cameron adds color to his deep-sea tale
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Filmmaker James Cameron is fleshing out his deep-sea adventure tale with personal details as well as comparisons to another one of his passions ? space exploration.
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- Mount Etna erupts for 7th time this year
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James Cameron adds color to his deep-sea tale
Behncke said it's likely that strong winds at the time of Mount Etna's explosive eruption, as opposed to any unusual volcanic activity itself, were likely the culprit behind the unusually large area covered with volcanic material in the aftermath.
"I am happy the wind did not blow into the direction of our home," Behncke said. "Cleaning up this sort of material is a pain in the neck."
Reach Andrea Mustain at amustain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @AndreaMustain. Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter@OAPlanet and onFacebook.
? 2012 OurAmazingPlanet. All rights reserved. More from OurAmazingPlanet.
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A-levels not equipping students with appropriate mathematical skills
New evidence shows that A-levels in a range of subjects fail to equip students with an appropriate level of mathematical skills.
This, and research revealing the differences in mathematical difficulty between different exam boards? papers, has led leading learned societies and education experts to make recommendations for the upcoming A-level reform.
SCORE (Science Community Representing Education), a collaboration of leading science organisations, publishes a new report today, Friday 27 April, which analyses the?type,?extent?and?difficulty?of mathematics? within the 2010 A-level examination papers for the three sciences ? Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
Also published today, is the Nuffield Foundation?s analysis of the mathematical content in six other A-level subjects that require quantitative skills (Business Studies, Computing, Economics, Geography, Psychology and Sociology).
The reports consider whether the type of mathematics in the examinations was suitable for progression within the subject?s field (type), the proportion of the examination that depended on mathematical knowledge (extent), and the complexity of the mathematical questions (difficulty).
Mathematical content in Physics, Biology and Chemistry
Professor Graham Hutchings, Chair of SCORE, said, ?Our findings are worrying.? A significant proportion of the mathematical requirements ? put in place by the examinations regulator, Ofqual, for each of the sciences -? were simply not assessed and, if they were, it was often in a very limited way and at a lower level of difficulty than students will need to progress to degree level or into relevant employment.
?Mathematics enables students to understand and describe many scientific phenomena.?? Without learning some mathematical techniques, students are missing out on gaining a full understanding of the scientific ideas.?
The proportion of the assessments that required the use of mathematics varied between exam boards? papers for each subject and the level of difficulty of the mathematics ? judged by number of steps in a calculation, the complexity of the question and the familiarity of the context ? also varied.
Professor Hutchings continues, ?A framework must be developed to regulate the way mathematics is assessed within science A-levels to ensure parity across exam boards. We would also like to see a review of the current mathematical requirements for each of the sciences at A-level to ensure the inclusion of underpinning areas of mathematics within that science.
?These reports identify the important role professional bodies can play in A-level design.? As independent organisations, capable of bringing together teachers, academics and representatives from industry, the professional bodies are perfectly placed to ensure A-levels are fit for purpose and could provide the basis of a National Subject Committee for the development of A-level qualifications.?
Mathematical content in Business Studies, Computing, Economics, Geography, Psychology and Sociology
The disparity in mathematical content across exam boards was even greater in the A level assessments in the Nuffield Foundation study. For Psychology, for example, one exam board required students to use mathematics in exam questions worth just 10% of available marks, but, for another, this figure was over 40%. This is despite psychology having mathematical requirements set by Ofqual in its subject criteria, akin to the three sciences.
The amount of mathematics required to earn a particular grade is also affected by which units of study the school or student chooses, and by which questions students choose to answer in exams. For example, two students studying Business Studies could get the same grade, with one using no mathematics at all, and another gaining almost 50% of their mark from exam questions that require mathematical work.
The report concludes that with the exception of Computing, the variation in mathematical content is so great that the qualifications do not give universities or employers a meaningful indication of the level of mathematical skill or understanding of students who have them.
Anthony Tomei, Director of the Nuffield Foundation, said, ?It is a common complaint from higher education that students come unprepared for the quantitative demands of their subjects, so the question of what mathematics should be required in A level teaching is important.
?These findings are timely given the current review of A-level content.? Subject communities and universities should take the opportunity to agree the appropriate mathematical content of their subjects and to work with exam boards and Ofqual on the best way to assess mathematical skills in a consistent manner.?
Research for both reports was undertaken by subject expert groups ? comprising practising A-level teachers, teachers with experience in curriculum research and individuals working for exam boards as markers. For the SCORE study, an online survey was undertaken to ask stakeholders in subject communities whether they felt the mathematical content of the examinations was appropriate for progression.
The research was undertaken in response to evidence that two-thirds of undergraduates do not have the necessary mathematical skills for their course (ACME,?Mathematical Needs, 2011).
For further information about SCORE?s report, contact IOP Senior Press Officer, Joe Winters.
For further information about Nuffield Foundation?s report, contact the Foundation?s Communications Manager, Frances Bright.
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