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Herald Sun
Rio's primary energy 'play' is hydro power for its aluminium. In contrast to BHPB, Rio has of course been in 'consolidation' mode. ...

Citrus originates in tropical and subtropical southeast regions of the world. The fruits are notable for their fragrance, partly due to flavanoids and limonoids contained in the rind, and most are juice-laden. The juice contains a high quantity of citric acid, giving them their characteristic sharp flavor. They are also good sources of vitamin C. Lemons [...]

A consultation meeting on the anthracnose disease in mango was tackled in a consultation meeting facilitated by Dr. Teodoro Solsoloy, assistant director of the Bureau of Agricultural Research. Among the participants were Roberto C. Amores, president of Philfoodex and CEO of a mango exporting firm, Director Ricardo Cachuela of the Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension, [...]

Adventure Travel Media Source
Adventure Travel Media Source (press release)
The Great Bear Lodge was built with a commitment to low-impact ecotourism and is run on wind, solar and micro-hydro power. Meals are prepared with fresh, ...

Located at 1628 West Williams Drive, Alpha Energy, a member of Total Power Solutions provider The Alpha Group, recently completed the construction and commissioning of a 21kW Elevated Solar PV Grid-Tied structure for Cox Communications in Tucson, AZ.

Located at 1628 West Williams Drive, Alpha Energy, a member of Total Power Solutions provider The Alpha Group, recently completed the construction and commissioning of a 21kW Elevated Solar PV Grid-Tied structure for Cox Communications in Tucson, AZ.

Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C. is pleased to announce results for the fourth quarter of 2009 for the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI) by the firm's Cleantech Group, along with the year end 2009 results.

Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C. is pleased to announce results for the fourth quarter of 2009 for the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI) by the firm's Cleantech Group, along with the year end 2009 results.

Best Rank's new Cloud-Based Site Search technology is the first development of a cloud-based software product suite to reduce costs along with environmental impact.

Best Rank's new Cloud-Based Site Search technology is the first development of a cloud-based software product suite to reduce costs along with environmental impact.

A group of wind energy executives as well as the CEO of the American Wind Energy Association called on the U.S. Congress today to quickly enact a strong federal renewable energy standard in order to save American jobs. They also stated that they would fight the recently introduced Schumer legislation that could cripple the industry.

American Superconductor Corporation has received an additional follow-on order for US $10 million worth of wind turbine core electrical components from China's CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co. Ltd. (CSR-ZELRI).

NRG Systems this week introduced a 34-meter system to support small-scale wind energy projects and wind energy research. The 34-meter complete system includes a tubular tilt-up tower, a SymphoniePLUS 15-channel data logger, three NRG #40C anemometers, a wind vane and parts.

Flood is one big problem of rice farmers in Barangay Papaya in San Antonio, Nueva Ecija. The place is low-lying so when it rains heavily ricefields here are submerged for more than a week, with water depth reaching 1.5 meters. Like other farmers in the community, 74-year-old Aquilino Sicat and his son Mario have tried flood-tolerant [...]

One of the major innovations of OLPC consists in the idea that a computer given to a single child (also called 1:1 computing) is the best way to enhance the pupil's ability to learn effectively. It's called ONE-laptop-per-child after all.

In a recent article in ScienceDaily, strong evidence is presented that shows that 1:1 computing allows students in these programs to outperform their peers in traditional classrooms. According to findings of studies published in the Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment:

1:1 laptop use works Students who have participated in 1:1 computing report higher achievement and increased engagement. This new collection of articles brings together some of the best evidence to date on the implementation and impacts of 1:1 computing.

All of the studies that examined the impact of 1:1 computing on student achievement found that students in the 1:1 settings outperformed their traditional classroom peers on English/Language Arts standardized tests by a statistically significant margin. Study authors also reported on evidence of increased student motivation and engagement, as well as changes in teachers' instructional practices.

This is great news for OLPC. So far the evidence of the effectiveness of 1:1 computing was circumstantial and anecdotal. These are the kind of studies that OLPC should have not only follow closely, but also actively sponsor, and possibly enhance with their own on-the-field experiences and surveys. Although that was never done, it is never too late for OLPC to back up such studies, and to provide additional supporting data.

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Teachers matter in 1:1 success

Regardless of the OPLC involvement, the outcomes of these studies is clear. Is this a clear strong, although indirect victory or endorsement for OLPC? Not really. The article clearly states:

"One of the most salient findings was the critical role that teachers played in the success of each 1:1 program," Bebell said. Additional factors critical to student success across 1:1 technology settings included:

1. Having a strong commitment from school leadership
2. Developing consistent and supportive administrative policies
3. Creating professional development opportunities for teachers, particularly the sharing of best practices

This doesn't work

It appears that the key for success of the 1:1 computing initiative are teacher involvement and a strong school commitment. In other words, handing out laptops to individual students and let them to learn independently, is not what is found to work effectively. Teachers' involvement, training and professional development is the real key for success. Unfortunately, on a global scale OLPC performs poorly in this regards.

Teachers' training and professional and curricula development is left to local groups and and it happens countries where the role of teachers has been recognized. It should not be a surprise to note that in these countries the OLPC initiative is known to have been the most effective. When such local involvement of teacher' training and curricula development was missing, the program has not shown any significant sign of success.

Therefore, having a global push for sharing experiences, promoting teachers' collaboration and training is the determining factor for the success of the overall OLPC effort.

It is unfortunate and heart shuttering to witness OLPC lack of recognition of the relevance of teachers involvement in the learning process. A laptop will never be able to replace a teacher. It will only be an effective tool for students to improve their learning and teacher to extend their teaching. Scientific evidence now backs this strongly. Let's hope OLPC will follow.

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SeeSouthernForests.org provides a new way to learn about, and protect, the forests of the southern United States.

Changes over a large area are often hard to see. This can be especially true when it comes to forests where incremental forest loss often goes unnoticed until it is too late. A new website and report by the World Resources Institute seek to change this and allow people to visualize the trends and drivers of change affecting southern forests.

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One of the major innovations of OLPC consists in the idea that a computer given to a single child (also called 1:1 computing) is the best way to enhance the pupil's ability to learn effectively. It's called ONE-laptop-per-child after all. In a recent article in ScienceDaily, strong evidence is presented that shows that 1:1 computing allows students in these programs to outperform their peers in traditional classrooms. According to findings of studies published in the Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment: 1:1 laptop use works Students who have participated in 1:1 computing report higher achievement and increased engagement. This new collection of articles brings together some of the best evidence to date on the implementation and impacts of 1:1 computing. All of the studies that examined the impact of 1:1 computing on student achievement found that students in the 1:1 settings outperformed their traditional classroom peers on English/Language Arts standardized tests by a statistically significant margin. Study authors also reported on evidence of increased student motivation and engagement, as well as changes in teachers' instructional practices. This is great news for OLPC. So far the evidence of the effectiveness of 1:1 computing was circumstantial and anecdotal. Nicola Ferralis http://sites.google.com/site/maboudiangroup/group-members/nicolaferralis

Thousands of small-scale hydroelectric projects could power 850,000 homes and produce 1.5 percent of the UK's electricity needs, according to a recent UK Environment Agency study.

AWEA and the wind energy industry reacted strongly to an initiative by four Senators that would suspend crucial renewable energy development incentives in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that the industry views as a huge success and a lifeline in the economic crisis.