title: Using an interactive whiteboard and a computer-programming tool to support the development of the key competencies in the New Zealand curriculum

authors: Harlow, Ann

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: Does children’s use of the software Scratch provide potential for the enhancement of key competencies as they work in pairs at the interactive whiteboard (IWB)? This article looks at how children using Scratch collaborated and managed their projects as they set about designing, constructing, testing and evaluating a game for others to play, a task that provided a sustained challenge over six weeks and beyond.
The findings showed that the key competencies of participating, contributing, and relating to others were enhanced by the collaborative use of Scratch at the IWB, and that creative and conceptual thinking processes were sustained. Children became increasingly adept at using Scratch, and some children, previously thought to have poor social skills, began to articulate their understandings to others. While a guiding and scaffolding role was evident in teachers’ actions, close monitoring of group progress and direct input from teachers is required to keep the challenge high but achievable, and to extend children’s knowledge and thinking as they use Scratch at the IWB.

text: Using an interactive whiteboard and a computer-programming tool to support the development of the key competencies in the New Zealand curriculum Does children’s use of the software Scratch provide potential for the enhancement of key competencies as they work in pairs at the interactive whiteboard (IWB)? This article looks at how children using Scratch collaborated and managed their projects as they set about designing, constructing, testing and evaluating a game for others to play, a task that provided a sustained challenge over six weeks and beyond.
The findings showed that the key competencies of participating, contributing, and relating to others were enhanced by the collaborative use of Scratch at the IWB, and that creative and conceptual thinking processes were sustained. Children became increasingly adept at using Scratch, and some children, previously thought to have poor social skills, began to articulate their understandings to others. While a guiding and scaffolding role was evident in teachers’ actions, close monitoring of group progress and direct input from teachers is required to keep the challenge high but achievable, and to extend children’s knowledge and thinking as they use Scratch at the IWB.

year: 2011

title: CatchIt: Capturing Cues of Bookmarked Moment to Feed Digital Parrot

authors: Alyamani, Hasan Jamal

subjects: Augmented memory system

abstract: CatchIt is a mobile application which aims to capture information about moments in a user’s life in a semi-automatic way. The captured moments are then ready to be fed into an augmented memory system for later retrieval.

In CatchIt, the time and location contexts of the captured moment will be saved automatically from the system and GPS respectively once the user bookmarks the moment with the ability of modifying them later; whereas the desired other context, people, will be saved manually. The user of CatchIt also can capture further details (contents) of the moments by different ways: taking notes (textual information), taking photo, recording video, and recording audio. Additionally, the user can revise an earlier moment if the user wishes to. Later on, the user can transfer the selective bookmarked moments into the augmented memory system called the Digital Parrot.
The implementation of CatchIt is the central focus of this study. To do so, the requirements of CatchIt are specified based on results of a previous study and from a scenario. The conceptual architecture and the user interface of CatchIt are designed according to the CatchIt requirements. The user interface is implemented in addition to the database where is the captured information from the user interface will be stored in and retrieved from.
Evaluating the usability of CatchIt will come next. In the evaluation, the study will involve three sessions: (1) initial questionnaire to know more about the preferred capturing ways of different scenarios, (2) testing the applications where an existing mobile application, Hansel, will be tested for the same length of testing CatchIt (one week for each) and (3) a guided interview which will extract the usability of CatchIt comparing with Hansel on one hand and adding a new contact to the phone using the application Contacts. An additional goal of the last session of the study will be to extract the feeling and the interests of using CatchIt.
The results of this study indicated the user interface of CatchIt needs to be even easier to use. The findings of the study form the foundation for further work to improve the user interface of CatchIt and to understand more of the user needs of such mobile capturing application.

text: CatchIt: Capturing Cues of Bookmarked Moment to Feed Digital Parrot CatchIt is a mobile application which aims to capture information about moments in a user’s life in a semi-automatic way. The captured moments are then ready to be fed into an augmented memory system for later retrieval.

In CatchIt, the time and location contexts of the captured moment will be saved automatically from the system and GPS respectively once the user bookmarks the moment with the ability of modifying them later; whereas the desired other context, people, will be saved manually. The user of CatchIt also can capture further details (contents) of the moments by different ways: taking notes (textual information), taking photo, recording video, and recording audio. Additionally, the user can revise an earlier moment if the user wishes to. Later on, the user can transfer the selective bookmarked moments into the augmented memory system called the Digital Parrot.
The implementation of CatchIt is the central focus of this study. To do so, the requirements of CatchIt are specified based on results of a previous study and from a scenario. The conceptual architecture and the user interface of CatchIt are designed according to the CatchIt requirements. The user interface is implemented in addition to the database where is the captured information from the user interface will be stored in and retrieved from.
Evaluating the usability of CatchIt will come next. In the evaluation, the study will involve three sessions: (1) initial questionnaire to know more about the preferred capturing ways of different scenarios, (2) testing the applications where an existing mobile application, Hansel, will be tested for the same length of testing CatchIt (one week for each) and (3) a guided interview which will extract the usability of CatchIt comparing with Hansel on one hand and adding a new contact to the phone using the application Contacts. An additional goal of the last session of the study will be to extract the feeling and the interests of using CatchIt.
The results of this study indicated the user interface of CatchIt needs to be even easier to use. The findings of the study form the foundation for further work to improve the user interface of CatchIt and to understand more of the user needs of such mobile capturing application.

year: 2012

title: Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in New Zealand: phylogeny and structural biology

authors: Claire Vignette, Mulholland

subjects: tuberculosis

abstract: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an obligate human pathogen and is the primary causative agent of tuberculosis. New Zealand has a relatively low incidence of tuberculosis disease, however, Māori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) and Pacific People are disproportionally affected. Molecular typing shows that approximately two-thirds of M. tuberculosis isolates from New Zealand-born patients can be assigned to clusters of related strains. The largest M. tuberculosis cluster in New Zealand is known as the ‘Rangipo’ cluster and is predominantly found in Māori. This strain has been the source of several tuberculosis outbreaks over the last 30 years and anecdotal evidence suggests it may be particularly virulent. Two other large clusters, known as the ‘Southern Cross’ and ‘Otara’ clusters, most commonly occur in Pacific People.
Here, whole genome sequencing, phylogenetics and structural biology were used to investigate evolutionary origins and functional consequences of genomic diversity in New Zealand M. tuberculosis clusters, with a particular focus on the Rangipo strain. Analysis of Rangipo strain non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) identified bacterial genetic factors that may contribute to the high transmissibility of this strain. The F420-dependent oxidoreductase Rv2893 harbours a Rangipo-specific G72S mutation encoded by a nsSNP. H37Rv and Rangipo Rv2893 structures were solved and show the effect of this G72S mutation. Binding of the F420 cofactor was confirmed and characterised. SNP analyses also guided the optimisation of a diagnostic assay for rapid Rangipo strain classification at low cost and with high discriminatory power. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the Rangipo and Otara clusters belong to a larger M.tuberculosis clade of French/European origin that is also prevalent in indigenous populations in Canada. Molecular dating indicates dispersal of this clade to the South Pacific was driven by expanding European trade networks in the early 19th century and identifies host factors that have contributed to the dispersal and expansion of the Rangipo and Otara strains.
Overall, these results show that relatively recent changes in host ecology have likely played a crucial role in driving the success of the Rangipo strain in New Zealand and point to bacterial genetic factors that may influence its virulence and thereby also contribute to its prevalence.

text: Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in New Zealand: phylogeny and structural biology Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an obligate human pathogen and is the primary causative agent of tuberculosis. New Zealand has a relatively low incidence of tuberculosis disease, however, Māori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) and Pacific People are disproportionally affected. Molecular typing shows that approximately two-thirds of M. tuberculosis isolates from New Zealand-born patients can be assigned to clusters of related strains. The largest M. tuberculosis cluster in New Zealand is known as the ‘Rangipo’ cluster and is predominantly found in Māori. This strain has been the source of several tuberculosis outbreaks over the last 30 years and anecdotal evidence suggests it may be particularly virulent. Two other large clusters, known as the ‘Southern Cross’ and ‘Otara’ clusters, most commonly occur in Pacific People.
Here, whole genome sequencing, phylogenetics and structural biology were used to investigate evolutionary origins and functional consequences of genomic diversity in New Zealand M. tuberculosis clusters, with a particular focus on the Rangipo strain. Analysis of Rangipo strain non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) identified bacterial genetic factors that may contribute to the high transmissibility of this strain. The F420-dependent oxidoreductase Rv2893 harbours a Rangipo-specific G72S mutation encoded by a nsSNP. H37Rv and Rangipo Rv2893 structures were solved and show the effect of this G72S mutation. Binding of the F420 cofactor was confirmed and characterised. SNP analyses also guided the optimisation of a diagnostic assay for rapid Rangipo strain classification at low cost and with high discriminatory power. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the Rangipo and Otara clusters belong to a larger M.tuberculosis clade of French/European origin that is also prevalent in indigenous populations in Canada. Molecular dating indicates dispersal of this clade to the South Pacific was driven by expanding European trade networks in the early 19th century and identifies host factors that have contributed to the dispersal and expansion of the Rangipo and Otara strains.
Overall, these results show that relatively recent changes in host ecology have likely played a crucial role in driving the success of the Rangipo strain in New Zealand and point to bacterial genetic factors that may influence its virulence and thereby also contribute to its prevalence.

year: 2019