Archive for: January 2005
§ ¶Advocating for Mixed Methods
EdWeek writes about a recent conference co-sponsored by the NRC, APA, AERA, and NSF to focus attention on the value of mixed methods in education research.
“There is unprecedented interest now in the methodological quality of studies in education,” said Martin E. Orland, the director of the National Research Council’s center for education, which hosted the event.
He said that interest has grown since the Bush administration began its push for “scientifically based research” in education following passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001.
Federal definitions of such studies favor randomized experiments over other study methods.
The problem, some education researchers contend, is that while randomized studies can determine whether an intervention works, they cannot answer key questions about why it works, they can’t tell whether it works better where it’s well implemented, and they can’t pick up on any unexpected side effects.
§ ¶UW KidTech Blog Lives Again
Phil Bell is teaching his graduate level KidTech course this term, and his students are busy keeping the KidTech blog active. Here’s the course synopsis.
Emerging technologies are becoming increasingly interwoven into the everyday activities of children and adolescents. This course explores how that is happening and to what known effect. We will explore social, cultural, linguistic, cognitive, and affective dimensions of how kid’s and teens use pervasive computer technologies (e.g., cell phones, digital toys, blogs, online communities, videogames, and instant messaging). Ethnographic fieldwork will accompany an exploration of the literature.
(Phil ran this course last year too; that blog is archived.)
§ ¶QuickTime Conversion Tools
I used to use MediaCleaner (back when it was called that) to do batch processing of QuickTime files. Nice solution, heavy price tag. QuickTime Player does pretty much do anything I need for single files, but it’s not easily scriptable. Now I see that David van Brink has a set of free command line tools that cover a lot of the same ground, and are by their nature highly scriptable. He writes:
I started writing these because I had a specific task — converting a bunch of Prelinger archive MPEG files into a more tractable QuickTime format. And running QuickTime Player on them one at a time was far too tedious. But then it got out of control, and the qt_export tool started looking quite presentable. So here they are for your use and enjoyment.
I’m looking forward to trying them out.
§ ¶Working in Cafes
Wired has a nice article up about a Delicious Monster, Seattle-based software company that works out of coffeehouses, buying lattes in lieu of paying rent.
I can relate. Inquirium’s other members live and work in Chicago, while I live in Seattle. I often work outside the house. Most independent coffeehouses out here provide free wifi, so it’s pretty easy to be productive (and support other small businesses). The best thing for me about reading the Wired article was discovering a new place to try.
§ ¶Support Tsunami Relief Groups
There are several sites (among them BBC UK, Google, and US AID) that make it very easy to donate to support relief efforts for those hit by the recent earthquake and tsunami. I’d suggest supporting existing organizations with the infrastructure and experience to contribute quickly.