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By The Numbers |
Indian nationals accounted for 157,726 (37.8 percent) of the 409,619 H-1B admissions in the US in 2008.
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Exams alert |
SBI 2009 PO Exam shall be conducted in second week of October 2009 and Last week of November 2009. |
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Thus Spake |
Life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understood. |
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Interesting Facts |
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Airplanes: Airplane engines may be classified as driven by propeller, jet, turbojet, or rocket. Most engines originally were of the internal-combustion, piston-operated type which may be air or liquid-cooled.
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Did you know |
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Ferrari: Enzo Ferrari is the founder of the Ferrari range of cars. Apart from the mobile, Ferrari also has perfumes, sunglasses and laptop computers under its brand name. The horse icon was designed by a Turin based company Cerrato and was engraved by Incerti for Ferrari Scaglietti models. |
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Interactive Whiteboards augmenting classroom teaching |
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Interactive whiteboards in the classroom are usually used as presentation media with annotating features - combining slide presentation with graphic chalkboard functionality. The requirements for a software environment that exploits the potentials of interactive whiteboards in the face-to-face classroom setting, |
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Smile Please..! |
The story of the bats |
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Two vampire bats wake up in the middle of the night, thirsty for blood. One says, "Let's fly out of the cave and get some blood."
"We're new here," says the second one. "It's dark out, and we don't know where to look. We'd better wait until the other bats go with us."
The first bat replies, "Who needs them? I can find some blood somewhere." He flies out of the cave.
When he returns, he is covered with blood.
The second bat says excitedly, "Where did you get the blood?"
The first bat takes his buddy to the mouth of the cave. Pointing into the night, he asks, "See that black building over there?"
"Yes," the other bat answers.
"Well," says the first bat, "I didn't."
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The preacher buys a parrot
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A preacher is buying a parrot.
"Are you sure it doesn't scream, yell, or swear?" asked the preacher.
"Oh absolutely. It's a religious parrot," the storekeeper assures him.
"Do you see those strings on his legs? When you pull the right one, he recites the lord's prayer, and when you pull on the left he recites the 23rd Psalm."
"Wonderful!" says the preacher, "but what happens if you pull both strings?"
"I fall off my perch, you stupid fool!" screeched the parrot.
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From The Editors Desk |
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Heartiest Greetings!
In this issue of Youniverse, we have presented an article on "Interactive Whiteboards augmenting classroom teaching", the article provides Introduction on the new and upcoming technology for classrooms.
Our regular section on "Exam Alerts" informs you of the important dates of the upcoming entrance examinations. The section on "Complex simplicities" provides an introduction to the concepts of Graphical User Interface and Instructional design.
More >>
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Complex Simplicities |
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A graphical user interface (GUI) is a type of user interface which allows people to interact with electronic devices such as computers; hand-held devices such as MP3 Players, Portable Media Players or Gaming devices; household appliances and office equipment with images rather than text commands. A GUI offers graphical icons, and visual indicators, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation to fully represent the information and actions available to a user. The actions are usually performed through direct manipulation of the graphical elements.
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Instructional design |
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Instructional Design (also called Instructional Systems Design (ISD)) is the practice of maximizing the effectiveness, efficiency and appeal of instruction and other learning experiences. The process consists broadly of determining the current state and needs of the learner, defining the end goal of instruction, and creating some "intervention" to assist in the transition. Ideally, the process is informed by pedagogically and andragogically (adult learning) tested theories of learning and may take place in student-only, teacher-led or community-based settings. The outcome of this instruction may be directly observable and scientifically measured or completely hidden and assumed. |
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Interesting Facts |
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Airplanes: Airplane engines may be classified as driven by propeller, jet, turbojet, or rocket. Most engines originally were of the internal-combustion, piston-operated type which may be air or liquid-cooled. Seventy-five thousand engineering drawings were used to produce the first Boeing 747. The first United States coast-to-coast airplane flight occurred in 1911 and took 49 days. A Boeing 737 weighing 150,000 pounds (68,000 kg) must deflect about 88,000 pounds (40,000 kg) of air over a million cubic feet (31,500 cubit meters) down by 55 feet (16.75 m) each second while in flight. The fastest passenger aircraft was the concorde but its no longer in service. The fastest aircraft is SR-71 Blackbird -hypersonic aircraft. |
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Cell phones: The difference beween a walkie talkie and a cell phone is that walkie talkies can communicate as far as 1000 ft. and cell phones can transmit several miles away from the cell tower. The first truly mobile phone (one that didn't require its own case for transportation) went on sale in 1985. Cell phones (telefone celular) came into existence because of the invention of hexagonal cells in 1947, for the base stations by Bell Labs engineers at AT&T. Up to 60% of the radiation emitted by a typical cell phone, (enough to cause heating), will be absorbed by the user's head. |
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Golf facts: The longest 'put' in history was measured at 140 feet and 2 ¾ inches on the 18th hole at St. Andrews golf course. It was shot by Bob Cook on October 1, 1976. The World's Highest Golf Course is the Tactu Golf Club in Morococha, Peru, which sits 14,335 feet above sea level at its lowest point. Tiger Woods was introduced to golf at nine months of age by his father. The longest golf course in the world is the par 77 International Golf Club in Massachusetts which measures a fearsome 8325 yards. 22.8% of golfers are women. The word golf does not mean "Gentleman Only, Ladies Forbidden". In 1586 a woman played golf for the first time. The first woman-player was the queen of Scotland - Maria Stuart. The youngest golfer to achieve a hole in one was Matthew Draper in 1997 at the age of 5. |
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Billiard: Pool evolved from a lawn game similar to croquet played sometime during the 15th century in Northern Europe. Pool is one of the safest sports in the world. Before the invention of celluloid and other new-age plastics, billiard balls were made out of ivory. Billiards was the first sport to have a world championship (1873). The first plastic was used to make billiard balls. The material was used by Isaiah and John Wesley Hyatt to enter into a contest to find a new material for billiard balls. |
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Did you know |
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Ferrari: Enzo Ferrari is the founder of the Ferrari range of cars. Apart from the mobile, Ferrari also has perfumes, sunglasses and laptop computers under its brand name. The horse icon was designed by a Turin based company Cerrato and was engraved by Incerti for Ferrari Scaglietti models. Ferrari cars not only come in Red, the factory also offers a choice of 18 colors. Best selling Ferrari of all is the 1986-89 328 GTS (6,068 made). The world’s fastest Ferrari, the F60, was debuted in April 2002. The automatic transmission was introduced in 976 Ferrari 400GT. Most expensive Ferrari was a 250GTO which changed hands for £7.2m ($12m). Ferrari of Italy is the |
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| oldest and most successful team left in the Formula One championship. Notable Ferrari drivers include Tazio Nuvolari, Jose Froilan Gonzalez, Juan Manuel Fangio, Luigi Chinetti, Alberto Ascari, Wolfgang von Trips, Phil Hill, Olivier Gendebien, Mike Hawthorn, Peter Collins, Giancarlo Baghetti, John Surtees, Lorenzo Bandini, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Jacky Ickx, Mario Andretti, Clay Regazzoni, Niki Lauda, Carlos Reutemann, Jody Scheckter, Gilles Villeneuve, Didier Pironi, Patrick Tambay,Rene Arnoux,Michele Alboreto, Gerhard Berger, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Jean Alesi, Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. |
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Sea Turtle: The biggest sea turtle in the world is the Leatherback Turtle, which can be found in most of the oceans of the world. These monsters are sometimes eight feet long and can weigh as much as 1500 pounds. This huge turtle has a smooth, leathery skin to which hard, bony “armor” is attached. They spend their whole lives in the oceans, except for the yearly trip the females make to a sandy shore on which they lay their eggs. The mother turtles use their flippers to climb high above the reach of the tide, where they dig a hole. They deposit the eggs in the hole, cover them up with mud, and head back to their home in the sea for another year. When the eggs hatch |
the baby turtles race as fast as they can for the safety of the water, hoping to get there before they are gobbled up by some predator looking for an unusually tasty meal. Like many other giant animals, leatherbacks are not often found in zoos or aquariums. They don't do well in captivity. |
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Toothpaste: Toothpaste is an abrasive paste (an abrasive is something that will scratch or grind something). In the case of toothpaste it grinds away the leftover food and plaque on your teeth, with the help of your toothbrush. The abrasive in toothpaste is called Dicalcium phosphate dihydrate and it makes up about a 5th of a tube of toothpaste. The flavors of toothpaste are usually from plants like Spearmint and Peppermint. Most toothpastes are sweetened with artificial sweetener. The world's oldest-known formula for toothpaste used more than 1,500 years before Colgate began marketing the first commercial brand in 1873, has been discovered on a piece of |
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dusty papyrus in the basement of a Viennese museum. In faded black ink made of soot and gum Arabic mixed with water, an ancient Egyptian scribe has carefully described what he calls a "powder for white and perfect teeth". When mixed with saliva in the mouth, it forms a "clean tooth paste". In the fourth century AD, the ingredients needed for the perfect smile were one drachma of rock salt - a measure equal to one hundredth of an ounce - two drachmas of mint, one drachma of dried iris flower and 20 grains of pepper, all of them crushed and mixed together. |
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Python "Nightmare":Africa's largest snake the ill-tempered, 20-foot-long (6.1-meter-long) African rock python is colonizing the U.S. state, new discoveries suggest. Six African rock pythons have been found in Florida since 2002. More troubling, a pregnant female and two hatchlings have been found, which means the aggressive reptiles have set up house. It is more dangerous than even the Burmese pythons which are known to eat alligators, So far, the giant snakes have been found only in a single square mile (2.6 square kilometers) of suburban area west of Miami. What's "really scary" is that the new invaders only have to cross the road to enter Everglades National Park, where Burmese pythons have already eaten thousands of native animals. In its native habitat, sub-Saharan Africa, the African rock python eats small mammals, antelope, warthog, herons, and other animals. |
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Interactive Whiteboards augmenting classroom teaching |
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| Introduction |
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Interactive whiteboards in the classroom are usually used as presentation media with annotating features - combining slide presentation with graphic chalkboard functionality. The requirements for a software environment that exploits the potentials of interactive whiteboards in the face-to-face classroom setting, integrating various applications within a unique technical and visual framework. An interactive whiteboard, or IWB, is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface, where users control the computer using a pen, finger or other device. The board is typically mounted to a wall or on a floor stand. They are used in a variety of settings such as in classrooms at all levels of education, in corporate board rooms and work groups, in training rooms for professional sports coaching, broadcasting studios and more. |
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"Interactive whiteboards are used in many schools as replacements for traditional whiteboards or flipcharts. They provide ways to show students any thing which can be presented on a computer's desktop (educational software, web sites, and others). In addition, interactive whiteboards allow teachers to record their instruction and post the material for review by students at a later time. This can be a very effective instructional strategy for students who benefit from repetition, who need to see the material presented again, for students who are absent from school, for struggling learners, and for review for examinations. Brief instructional blocks can be recorded for review by students they will see the exact presentation that occurred in the classroom with the teacher's audio input. This can help transform learning and instruction."
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| Operation |
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The interactive whiteboard (or its pen) is connected to a computer through a wired medium (USB, a serial port cable) or with a wireless connection (Bluetooth). Usually, the device driver software is loaded onto the attached computer where it enables the Interactive Whiteboard to act as a Human Input Device (HID). The interactive whiteboard usually becomes active once connected and the driver is running. |
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These are some resources for interactive whiteboards. Some are specific to a certain brand, but the ideas can still be used on most of them. Save lessons to present to students who were absent. Create video files to teach a software application, a lesson, or as a review to be posted to the server or web. Example- How to create a graph in Excel or how to burn projects on to cds. |
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Presentations created by student or teacher |
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Students create e-folios including samples of their work and narration |
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Digital storytelling & Brainstorming |
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Take notes directly into PowerPoint presentations |
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Reinforce skills by using on-line interactive web sites |
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Creating a project calendar |
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Teach editing skills using editing marks |
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Use in the 6 trait writing process |
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Use highlighter tool to highlight nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. |
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Use it with Kidspiration or Inspiration |
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Teaching students how to navigate the Internet |
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Illustrate and write a book as a class. Use the record feature to narrate the text. |
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Diagramming activities |
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Graphics and charts with ESL learners and special ed students. |
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Teaching vocabulary & Electronic Word Wall |
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End each day by having students write one thing that they learned |
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In all subjects, IW-based lessons in both schools are generally divided into two or three distinct parts. Teachers log on to the IW at the start of the lesson, and begin with revision of previously covered material and an introduction to the day's topic. Revision time is normally brief - around five minutes - and includes some question and answer interaction. The IW is used to remind students of previously covered content, and if the day's topic is new, to present statements of learning aims and objectives. Teachers then move on to introduce new material, typically using the IW as a whole-class teaching tool for a maximum of twenty minutes, during which time there is further question and answer interaction. In the second part of lessons, students work on designated learning tasks, either as individuals, or in pairs or small groups. Teachers move around the class, responding to questions and offering help. Some lessons conclude with a return to whole-class use of the IW, typically used this time as a vehicle to show and discuss students' work, and to sum up the lesson. Students' work may be selected and presented by the teacher, or students may be invited to the front of the class to show their work through the IW. |
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The IW is used in the schools to support four main aspects of whole-class teaching, with variations from lesson to lesson depending on the demands of the subject and individual teachers' approaches: |
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Giving software demonstrations |
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Presenting and discussing information and learning resources in a variety of formats |
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Facilitating explanation of concepts, models, ideas, etc. by both teachers and students |
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Enabling students to show, and receive feedback on, their work |
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| Presenting information and learning resources |
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The IW offers an easy and effective means of demonstrating software |
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Using IW-based resources reduces time spent in writing |
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It is easy to draw on a greater number and wider variety of information and learning resources |
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IW resources can be used flexibly and spontaneously in response to different needs |
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Materials generated in the classroom can be saved and re-used |
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Students can be encouraged to use Internet-based information resources independently |
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Facilitating classroom interaction and activity |
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The IW frees up time for interaction and task-related activity |
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The IW is an effective stimulus for teacher-student interaction |
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The IW is an effective means of enabling students to present and discuss work |
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Educational impact |
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The IW seems to make learning more enjoyable and more interesting |
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The IW can help teachers to give more effective explanations |
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The IW may help to improve learning outcomes and increase learners' motivation |
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Enabling students to show, and receive feedback on, their work |
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Projector: Allows a computer display to be projected onto the whiteboard. 'Short Throw' projectors are available from some manufacturers that mount directly above the board minimizing shadow effects. 'Ultra Short Throw' projectors are even more effective. |
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Track: Allows the whiteboard to be placed over a traditional whiteboard or tackboard to provide additional wall space at the front of the room. Some tracks provide power and data to the whiteboard as well. |
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Mobile stand: Allows the interactive whiteboard to be moved between rooms. Many are height adjustable as well. |
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Printer: Allows copies of the whiteboard notes to be made. |
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Slate or tablet: Allows students control of the whiteboard away from the front of the room. |
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Personal Response System: Allows students to answer test questions posted on the whiteboard or take part in polls and surveys. |
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Wireless unit: Allows the interactive whiteboard to operate without wires to the computer, e.g. Bluetooth. |
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Remote control: Allows the presenter to control the board from different parts of the room and eliminates on-screen toolbars. |
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| Conclusion |
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New technologies pose challenges for schools in terms of support and the learning required by all. But they also offer enormous opportunities to integrate the curriculum, to engage students in learning, and to provide skills for a digital age. |
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Graphical User Interface |
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A graphical user interface (GUI) is a type of user interface which allows people to interact with electronic devices such as computers; hand-held devices such as MP3 Players, Portable Media Players or Gaming devices; household appliances and office equipment with images rather than text commands. A GUI offers graphical icons, and visual indicators, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation to fully represent the information and actions available to a user. The actions are usually performed through direct manipulation of the graphical elements.
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A GUI uses a combination of technologies and devices to provide a platform the user can interact with, for the tasks of gathering and producing information. A series of elements conform a visual language have evolved to represent information stored in computers. This makes it easier for people with little computer skills to work with and use computer software. The most common combination of such elements in GUIs is the WIMP ("window, icon, menu, pointing device") paradigm, especially in personal computers.
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Available commands are compiled together in menus, and actions are performed making gestures with the pointing device. A window manager facilitates the interactions between windows, applications, and the windowing system. |
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In personal computers all these elements are modeled through a desktop metaphor, to produce a simulation called a desktop environment in which the display represents a desktop, upon which documents and folders of documents can be placed. Window managers and other software combine to simulate the desktop environment with varying degrees of realism. |
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Instructional design |
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Instructional Design (also called Instructional Systems Design (ISD)) is the practice of maximizing the effectiveness, efficiency and appeal of instruction and other learning experiences. The process consists broadly of determining the current state and needs of the learner, defining the end goal of instruction, and creating some "intervention" to assist in the transition. Ideally, the process is informed by pedagogically and andragogically (adult learning) tested theories of learning and may take place in student-only, teacher-led or community-based settings. The outcome of this instruction may be directly observable and scientifically measured or completely hidden and assumed. There are many instructional design models but many are based on the ADDIE model with the phase's Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. As a field, instructional design is historically and traditionally rooted in cognitive and behavioral psychology. |
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From The Editors Desk |
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| Kayalvizhi M.S |
| Email - kayal@mindlogicx.com |
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| Heartiest Greetings! |
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In this issue of Youniverse, we have presented an article on "Interactive Whiteboards augmenting classroom teaching", the article provides Introduction on the new and upcoming technology for classrooms.
Our regular section on "Exam Alerts" informs you of the important dates of the upcoming entrance examinations. The section on "Complex simplicities" provides an introduction to the concepts of Graphical User Interface and Instructional design.
We hope you would find the information presented in this issue of Youniverse interesting and useful. |
We welcome your thoughts, views, comments and suggestions to share information as knowledge. |
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| Editor |
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Feedback |
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Please provide us with your feedback on how you feel about the Youniverse newsletter.You can also send us your queries on the VEDAS services. |
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