ICT in schools

I do not intend to comment on our OLPF project other than to say that I hope it overcomes the challenges it faces and achieves significant success.Likewise the ICT for schools programme being run by the Ministry of Education. However, on this front there is recent news of interest.

An article reported in the Antigua Observer describe a soon-to-be-published study by the IBD which quotes a source as saying:

“It is vital for governments to conduct careful evaluations of these initiatives and, particularly, to budget enough resources to train teachers and develop adequate software for students. Countries cannot expect that learning will improve with simply greater access to computers. Quality of use is crucial.”

and

“The evidence so far indicates that programmes that overlook teacher training and the development of specific software may yield very low returns. Also, rather than doing homework or studying, children with weak adult supervision at home may spend more time using computers in ways that do little to boost their educational achievement”

It would seem that an effort is being made to avoid these pitfalls but it will not be easy given our resources. What ever happens we need to patiently learn from the successes and failures and move on from there. Endless finger-pointing is not productive.

Links
The IDB study
The “pilots disorder” continues to provoke controversy about the use of ICT for Education
Worst practice in ICT use in education

China projected to be top in science output

By 2013 China is projected to surpass the USA in numbers of published scientific papers according to a Royal Society report. According to the BBC:

"By 2008, the US total had increased very slightly to 316,317 while China's had surged more than seven-fold to 184,080.

Previous estimates for the rate of expansion of Chinese science had suggested that China might overtake the US sometime after 2020.

But this study shows that China, after displacing the UK as the world's second leading producer of research, could go on to overtake America in as little as two years' time."

Heavy rain in Guyana - animation

I have downloaded a series of infra-red satellite images from the GOES web site and created an animation for the period Monday 17.15hrs on Feb 21 to 02.15 the next morning. It will play once - refresh to play again. If it does not play then click it.
The red and white show where heavy rain is likely to be occurring. Heavy rain was falling much of Monday in Georgetown.
Notice that the clouds do not come in off the Atlantic but form over Guyana. This make forecasting difficult.
Our Hydromet office here uses the same source for their forecast page.

Exoplanet news

Exoplanets are planets around other stars. NASA has just announced the probable discovery of another 1000 or so exoplanets. Five or so may even be like the Earth but we will not know much about them for a few years yet. Why is this important? Finding other Earth-like planets is likely to change our view of the universe. Until recently many felt that our planet was unique - now it seems that it may be far from that. From Scientific American:

"A newfound planetary system has six worlds, five of which rank among the smallest known, and the list of unconfirmed candidates has swelled to four figures"

"...it will be a few years yet before Kepler is able to identify a true Earth analogue—a small planet on a one-Earth-year orbit around a sunlike star."

Link
"Astronomers have identified some 54 new planets where conditions may be suitable for life." - BBC

Intertropical Convergence Zone again

For this month there has been a large low pressure region stationary over the Amazon which seems to have prevented the ITCZ from moving south since all easterly winds are being forced to go northwards around the depression. Just my guess as to what is happening...