There are many factors that influence technology integration in the classroom such as teacher willingness, availability of hardware, and professional development of staff. Taking into account these elements, this paper describes research on technology integration with a focus on principals' attitudes. The role of the principal in classroom practice was found to be substantial. The purpose of this research was to assess the current attitudes concerning technology integration in schools from the school principal's perspective. This research investigated the value principals place on using technology in student learning, what principals believe prevents teachers from succeeding in technology integration, what can best facilitate teacher development, and if principals perceive peer coaching or mentoring to be a viable option. The research herein consisted of a survey and an interview to help assess principals' attitudes regarding the importance of technology integration, the perceived challenges and whether or not teacher coaches are a viable option for the future. This examination concluded that most principals in this research study value technology in education, perceive teacher willingness and professional development to be the strongest obstacles, and think teacher coaches would be a viable option for success. This study sheds light on a couple of paths for future research.
Background: The aim of this study was to compare the short-term and intermediate-term efficacy of acupuncture plus fire needle therapy with that of acupuncture alone in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis (LE). Methods: Thirty-eight patients with LE who had persisted for at least 2 months were enrolled in this prospective, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled pilot trial. Twenty-one patients were randomized to the acupuncture plus fire needle group and 17 to the acupuncture-only group. The primary outcome was the visual analog scale pain score for the previous 24 hours and the secondary outcomes were the maximum grip strength, Patient-rated Forearm Evaluation Questionnaire score, and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-form Health Survey score. The values at baseline (pretreatment), at the end of treatment, and at 3 months after treatment were used to assess the short-term and intermediate-term effects of treatment. The data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and t test. Results: Within-group analyses showed better results for acupuncture plus fire needle therapy in the short term and intermediate term. Differences in the severity of pain and secondary outcomes were significant in the intermediate term in the acupuncture group. At the end of treatment, none of the differences in outcome scores were significant, except for maximum grip strength in the affected hand in the acupuncture group. No significant between-group differences in short-term or intermediate-term outcomes were observed. Conclusion: Acupuncture plus fire needle therapy was effective in the short term in patients seeking improvement of LE. Twelve treatments were effective for relieving pain and improving disability in the intermediate term in patients with chronic LE in both study groups. The findings of the pilot study confirm the feasibility of proceeding to a larger randomized controlled study of the longer-term effects of acupuncture plus fire needle therapy in patients with LE.
The lumbar annuli of rats flown on COSMOS 2044 were compared with those of three control groups and a tail-suspension experimental model. The wet and dry weights of the annuli were significantly smaller (P less than 0.05) in the flight group than in three control groups. The collagen-to-proteoglycan ratio was significantly greater (P less than 0.001) in the flight group than in the three control groups, but there were no detectable changes in the relative proportions of type I and II collagen or in the number of pyridinoline cross-links. When the annuli were immersed in water for 2 h, more proteoglycans (P less than 0.001) leached from the annuli of flown rats than from the tissue of control animals, suggesting abnormal or smaller proteoglycans. Safranin-O indicated a normal spatial distribution of the proteoglycans within the annulus. Tail suspension did not affect the size of the annuli, but more proteoglycans (P less than 0.05) leached from the tissue of suspended animals than from the normal annuli. The reasons for smaller disks and the abnormal ratio between the fibrous collagenous network and the proteoglycan gel in the flight group are unknown at this time. It is, however, probable that these changes may affect the biomechanical functions of the annulus, although they may be temporary and totally reversible if injuries are avoided in the interim period.
The flipped classroom is an instructional method that can provide additional face-to-face interaction time with students in the classroom by minimizing the amount of direct instruction used in a traditional classroom setting. In this study, students in a high school Algebra 2 class who experienced a flipped classroom environment were surveyed to examine their attitudes, perceptions, and engagement of the flipped classroom and the elements that contribute to learning mathematics. The survey also addressed how the flipped classroom could be a motivating factor in learning mathematics. The survey used both quantitative and qualitative research measures to provide a broader understanding of how students perceive the attributes of flipping the classroom. In addition, student interviews helped gain insight into participants' feelings, attitudes, motivation, and engagement about mathematics due to the flipped classroom. Researcher observations and notes provided information as to student engagement within the classroom as a byproduct of using the inverted classroom instructional strategy. The results revealed that the perceptions and attitudes of the participants were ISSN 2162-6952 2015 www.macrothink.org/jse 287 generally positive in the flipped classroom environment. The students were motivated to use the web-based instructional videos to prepare for their expected learning outcomes. Journal of Studies in Education
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