UIT LRC – B U L L E T I N இன்றைய தினம்… அக்ட ோபர் 17 - இன்று உலக வறுறை ஒழிப்பு தினம்
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The augmented classroom
USHA RAMAN
It is an ongoing debate among college and university teachers: whether or not allow digital devices in the classroom. The opinion is fairly evenly divided between those who believe that they are distractions and therefore should be banned, and those who believe that students who access the reading material on their tablets and laptops (and increasingly, on their smartphones) should be allowed to do so. I read about one professor who asked students to drop cellphones on a tray at the entrance of the class and pick them up on their way out. I have been in conflict about this and I can’t say I lean heavily one way or another; my approach has been to ask students not to use their phones for communication while in the class but recognise that they may want to refer to the texts we are discussing — and any measure that saves paper is welcome. I have never explicitly banned devices but do lay out expectations of attention and participation in class. By and large, this has worked. Lately I’ve come to the realisation that, with certain rules in place, having connected devices in the classroom can help one’s learning experience. Of course, nosing around on social media is a complete no-no. As is browsing cat videos on YouTube or Instagram. But the access to the Internet can augment the discussion in significant ways. Instructors and course facilitators have always used technology to illustrate or extend the material in a lecture, but students are generally passive recipients in such cases. Occasionally, you may have to do an in-class group project for which you are asked to use the Internet. But how about accessing the Internet in a dynamic, integrated way as you listen to the lecture or participate in a discussion? These days, there is a lot of talk about virtual reality and augmented reality. The first is about simulating an experience and the second is about adding layers of
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information to a given object or situation (thus ‘augmentation’). So what I am suggesting is the careful and limited use of the Internet to bring in new layers of information that can enrich the classroom experience. This is of course, only if the instructor already permits use of devices, or if you are able to convince her that it would be a good idea to do so, for the reasons that follow. Keeping up: In most college and university classrooms, particularly in the social sciences, classes are organised around material or texts that you are expected to read before the class and which the lecturer will explain or discuss. Many students avoid bulky paper copies of articles or books and prefer e-versions. Whether you are using a laptop or a tablet or a phone, you can carry your entire reading list with you, and refer to texts easily. You can link related texts and look at materials across the term, to see how they build upon each other. Clarifying: You can use the Internet to perform quick searches on terms that you do not understand or that are unfamiliar with. While it is always good to raise questions in class, sometimes it may happen that there is no opportunity to do so or it is just difficult to catch the teacher’s attention. In large classes, it may be difficult to have every doubt clarified by the teacher. For those who are shy or unwilling to be in the spotlight, it may be difficult to ask questions. Extending: This is where true augmentation comes in. You can use the Internet to find out more about what is being discussed and bring the information into the discussion. Last week, I was in a seminar where a speaker was brought in on a live video feed (on Skype). As he talked about his project, students in the classroom were able to look at his website and gain a fuller understanding of his work. For instance, as he described the field site that he was investigating, students searched for the site online and learned a little bit not only about the geography but also the specific context of interest to their subject — in a way filling out the picture he was sketching. So, during the Q and A session, they were able to ask slightly more informed questions. We have all grown accustomed to multi-tasking and parallel processing. We listen to music as we study, we flit from window to window doing a bit of this and that; we may be reading in one screen and writing in another. Why not put this facility to good use and allow connectivity to help us delve deeper into subjects even as we listen to lectures or participate in class discussions? I’m not suggesting that we take our attention away from the focus of a lecture, or from what the instructor wishes you to do — but instead, enhancing that attention by filling the gaps at the point they are perceived. The author teaches at University of Hyderabad and edits Teacher Plus. Email: usha.bpgll@gmail.com Having connected devices in the classroom can help one’s learning experience.
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Your library is your portrait. Holbrook Jackson
UIT LRC – B U L L E T I N Moving beyond the solar system to exoplanets
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Indian efforts in studying both theory and observations are sizeable, from looking out for exoplanets in the Mount Abu Infrared Observatory and through Astrosat, to theoretical work on evolution of the solar system and methods of detecting exomoons, as was evidenced by the presentations in the IIA-ISAC National Symposium on Exoplanets, held in Kodaikanal, earlier this month.
SHUBASHREE DESIKAN Much discussed were the Indian facilities, especially, the PARAS-1 spectrograph, which is part of the Mount Abu Infrared Observatory which hosts a 1.2-metre telescope, focussed on detecting exoplanets. This unit began taking data in 2012. Located at an altitude of about 1,700 m, this spectrograph enjoys around 220 cloudless nights each year. This facility is soon to be upgraded with a 2.5 m telescope, and PARAS-2, as it is known, is expected to see first light in 2020.
An artist's rendering of the Kepler space telescope in space.Photo: AP
Ever since the first exoplanet (51 Pegasi b) was discovered in 1995 by Michael Mayor and Didier Queloz, there has been renewed activity and interest in this field. The Kepler and K2 missions of NASA have identified thousands of planet candidates. Now there are nearly 5,000 planet candidates, and of these, some 3,397 have been confirmed as planets, according to the NASA exoplanet archive. The latest entry into the list of confirmed exoplanets is Kepler-56 d, which was added on 13 October. This planet has an orbital period of 1,002 days, accurate to five days, and a mass of nearly 5.61 times that of Jupiter. It is a massive planet that orbits its star Kepler-56 whose radius is about 4.23 times the sun’s radius and which is about 1.32 times as massive as the sun. This planet is only the third to be discovered orbiting its star Kepler-56. Being very massive, its presence was originally inferred by the periodic changes in Kepler-56’s radial velocity. The star itself is a red giant, much larger but dimmer than our sun, and this system is unlike the majority of known star systems hosting planets in that the axes of revolution of two of its planets (Kepler-56 b and c) are tilted with respect to the stars axis by 45 degrees. It was this tilting that led to the inference, and later discovery, of the existence of a massive third planet. The discovery of these systems that differ from our solar system has led to astronomers rethinking their models of the origin and structure of planetary systems. While initially, based on the structure of our solar system with its eight planets, scientists believed that smaller rocky planets would form closer to the star and huge, massive, gaseous ones would orbit at a distance, this belief was shaken by the very first exoplanet seen – 51 Pegasi b. This planet has about half the mass of Jupiter and orbits its star at close quarters – only about 0.05 Astronomical Units (AU, one astronomical unit is the average distance between the earth and the sun).
Models of exoplanets show that there are 14 types of planets. These can be pure water planets, carbon planets, hydrogen planets, and so on. Our solar system has only five types, perhaps as an indication that if we must expect something, it is the unexpected!
University of Tasmania offers two fully accredited Engg. courses The University of Tasmania, Australia, offers two fully accredited Engineering courses - the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and the Master of Professional Engineering. The undergraduate course is a four-year full-time one with embedded Honours and common first 3 semesters, which moves into specialising in Civil or Mechanical or Electrical disciplines in the second year and then offers a choice of different specialisations. The Master of Professional Engineering (Specialisation) in Civil and Structural Engineering is 2-3 year full-time postgraduate qualification that also offers the option of credit for prior learning for students from the same engineering specialisation. The programme covers Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering (Steel and Timber), Transport engineering and project management, along with geotechnical and rock engineering giving students an opportunity to apply for jobs not only in residential projects but also for mining and government infrastructure projects. The University works with industry partners, especially in renewable energy, power systems and industrial control systems and the programs are recognised by Engineers Australia and Washington ACCORD making it a globally recognised qualification. It comes with 13 weeks of internship giving students the opportunity to understand the Civil Engineering culture in Australia.
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Your library is your portrait. Holbrook Jackson
UIT LRC – B U L L E T I N
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Your library is your portrait. Holbrook Jackson