title: Using Scratch to facilitate mathematical thinking

authors: Calder, Nigel Stuart

abstract: This article reports on a research project that examined the ways that 10-year-old students, who were using Scratch for coding, engaged with mathematical ideas. Interactive software is emerging that has cross-curricula implications and facilitates thinking in rich, problem-solving environments. Scratch, a free-to-use graphical programming environment provides opportunities for creative problem solving. When students process mathematics through digital technologies, the digital pedagogical media influences the learning process and students’ understanding emerges in distinctive ways. The children used Scratch to create mathematical digital learning objects, including games. An interpretive approach was undertaken, with the data collected over a two-week research period. The students wrote daily blogs articulating their progress and reflections. Students and the teacher were interviewed, and classroom observations (both written and photographic) were recorded. The findings suggest that mathematical thinking, including geometry and problem-solving processes, was facilitated through this process. Together, these findings indicate that teachers should not only use Scratch in primary school classroom programmes to develop coding skills but also be aware of its potential to facilitate thinking in other related areas.

text: Using Scratch to facilitate mathematical thinking This article reports on a research project that examined the ways that 10-year-old students, who were using Scratch for coding, engaged with mathematical ideas. Interactive software is emerging that has cross-curricula implications and facilitates thinking in rich, problem-solving environments. Scratch, a free-to-use graphical programming environment provides opportunities for creative problem solving. When students process mathematics through digital technologies, the digital pedagogical media influences the learning process and students’ understanding emerges in distinctive ways. The children used Scratch to create mathematical digital learning objects, including games. An interpretive approach was undertaken, with the data collected over a two-week research period. The students wrote daily blogs articulating their progress and reflections. Students and the teacher were interviewed, and classroom observations (both written and photographic) were recorded. The findings suggest that mathematical thinking, including geometry and problem-solving processes, was facilitated through this process. Together, these findings indicate that teachers should not only use Scratch in primary school classroom programmes to develop coding skills but also be aware of its potential to facilitate thinking in other related areas.

year: 2018

title: An investigation of soil moisture associated with ephemeral streams, Wright Valley, Antarctica

authors: Shanhun, Fiona L.

abstract: Ephemeral streams in Wright Valley, Antarctica, are fed by glacial melt and flow for between four and ten weeks annually. Hyporheic zones develop concomitantly with ephemeral stream channels. These zones are areas of saturated or moistened soil, depending on their proximity to the stream. The hyporheic zones are laterally extensive, and may represent a greater proportion of total meltwater than surface water in the stream channel, thus exacerbating the risk of accidental contamination of streams. The hydrological system in Wright Valley is closed, with streams flowing inland to Lake Vanda via the Onyx River. 

This study aimed to quantify the extent to which liquid moisture was present in soils associated with Goodspeed Stream, in order to better predict the vulnerability of stream margins to impacts of human activities. Soil samples were collected from transects across the Goodspeed lower alluvial fan and analysed for gravimetric moisture content, electrical conductivity, and particle size distribution. A pedotransfer function was used to estimate soil moisture potential in order to show the direction of water movement across the lower alluvial fan. Climate data including air temperature, soil temperature, and total solar radiation were measured; stream flow in Goodspeed Stream was estimated. 

The Goodspeed Stream near-stream and extended hyporheic zones were identified. Distal components of the hyporheic zone were also identified at distances of up to 7 4 m from Goodspeed Stream. 

Soil gravimetric moisture content increased with soil depth and proximity to Goodspeed Stream. Distal components of the hyporheic zone observed at distances of 21, 59 and 74 m from Goodspeed Stream had relatively high gravimetric moisture contents (up to 7%; 88 in visibly dry soils was 0.6%). The distal hyporheic zones have the potential to develop into flowing stream channels during periods of increased melt. 

Soil electrical conductivity ranged from 34 - 10520 μSiem. Salts precipitated at the soil surface were concentrated at the western-most edge of the extended hyporheic zone and on raised bar features across the fan, highlighting zones of movement and evaporation of soil moisture. The particle size distribution of the <2 mm fraction was relatively uniform across the fan, being dominated by medium sand (45%). 

Soil moisture potential decreased with distance from Goodspeed Stream, indicating that small spills occurring outside the extended hyporheic zone would be driven laterally across the fan, away from the stream. Spills within the extended hyporheic may be incorporated into Goodspeed Stream. Large spills anywhere on the Goodspeed lower alluvial fan would migrate downwards to ice cement before flowing down-slope under gravity towards the Onyx River. 

Areas vulnerable to accidental spills and physical disturbance were highlighted on oblique photographs. Three vulnerability zones were identified based predominantly on the observed extent and movement of soil moisture. Zone 1 designates stream channels or surface waters and near-stream hyporheic zones, Zone 2 encompasses extended hyporheic zones, while Zone 3 applies to soils of alluvial fans, including distal hyporheic zones. Recommendations were made as to the types of activities permissible in each of the three zones.

text: An investigation of soil moisture associated with ephemeral streams, Wright Valley, Antarctica Ephemeral streams in Wright Valley, Antarctica, are fed by glacial melt and flow for between four and ten weeks annually. Hyporheic zones develop concomitantly with ephemeral stream channels. These zones are areas of saturated or moistened soil, depending on their proximity to the stream. The hyporheic zones are laterally extensive, and may represent a greater proportion of total meltwater than surface water in the stream channel, thus exacerbating the risk of accidental contamination of streams. The hydrological system in Wright Valley is closed, with streams flowing inland to Lake Vanda via the Onyx River. 

This study aimed to quantify the extent to which liquid moisture was present in soils associated with Goodspeed Stream, in order to better predict the vulnerability of stream margins to impacts of human activities. Soil samples were collected from transects across the Goodspeed lower alluvial fan and analysed for gravimetric moisture content, electrical conductivity, and particle size distribution. A pedotransfer function was used to estimate soil moisture potential in order to show the direction of water movement across the lower alluvial fan. Climate data including air temperature, soil temperature, and total solar radiation were measured; stream flow in Goodspeed Stream was estimated. 

The Goodspeed Stream near-stream and extended hyporheic zones were identified. Distal components of the hyporheic zone were also identified at distances of up to 7 4 m from Goodspeed Stream. 

Soil gravimetric moisture content increased with soil depth and proximity to Goodspeed Stream. Distal components of the hyporheic zone observed at distances of 21, 59 and 74 m from Goodspeed Stream had relatively high gravimetric moisture contents (up to 7%; 88 in visibly dry soils was 0.6%). The distal hyporheic zones have the potential to develop into flowing stream channels during periods of increased melt. 

Soil electrical conductivity ranged from 34 - 10520 μSiem. Salts precipitated at the soil surface were concentrated at the western-most edge of the extended hyporheic zone and on raised bar features across the fan, highlighting zones of movement and evaporation of soil moisture. The particle size distribution of the <2 mm fraction was relatively uniform across the fan, being dominated by medium sand (45%). 

Soil moisture potential decreased with distance from Goodspeed Stream, indicating that small spills occurring outside the extended hyporheic zone would be driven laterally across the fan, away from the stream. Spills within the extended hyporheic may be incorporated into Goodspeed Stream. Large spills anywhere on the Goodspeed lower alluvial fan would migrate downwards to ice cement before flowing down-slope under gravity towards the Onyx River. 

Areas vulnerable to accidental spills and physical disturbance were highlighted on oblique photographs. Three vulnerability zones were identified based predominantly on the observed extent and movement of soil moisture. Zone 1 designates stream channels or surface waters and near-stream hyporheic zones, Zone 2 encompasses extended hyporheic zones, while Zone 3 applies to soils of alluvial fans, including distal hyporheic zones. Recommendations were made as to the types of activities permissible in each of the three zones.

year: 2005

title: Microsoft Translator Hub for Māori language

authors: Keegan, Te Taka Adrian Gregory

subjects: computer science

abstract: Recent improvements in Machine Translation (MT) software has opened new possibilities for applications of automatic language translation. But can these opportunities exist for the smaller, minority languages of the world? Training data was collected for the language pair of Māori and English which was used to build an MT system using Microsoft’s Translator Hub software. A comparative analysis was undertaken with this system and Google Translate. Various MT metrics and analysis software was considered before deciding to use the Asiya toolkit to undertake the comparative analysis. Māori language experts were also used to provide a human perspective on the output translations. The overall results showed no significant difference in the translation quality produced by the two systems. Despite some misgivings around the accuracy of the translations these results do show promise for MT usage by minority languages.

text: Microsoft Translator Hub for Māori language Recent improvements in Machine Translation (MT) software has opened new possibilities for applications of automatic language translation. But can these opportunities exist for the smaller, minority languages of the world? Training data was collected for the language pair of Māori and English which was used to build an MT system using Microsoft’s Translator Hub software. A comparative analysis was undertaken with this system and Google Translate. Various MT metrics and analysis software was considered before deciding to use the Asiya toolkit to undertake the comparative analysis. Māori language experts were also used to provide a human perspective on the output translations. The overall results showed no significant difference in the translation quality produced by the two systems. Despite some misgivings around the accuracy of the translations these results do show promise for MT usage by minority languages.

year: 2018