<p> Many school districts across the United States are spending large amounts of financial and employee resources on the implementation of technology enhanced personalized learning (TEPL) tools. There is little empirical understanding of the success, concerns, and characteristics of TEPL implementations and the learning environments they enable. This exploratory study used a qualitative descriptive methodology to survey and interview TEPL administrators in an effort to understand their perspectives on TEPL characteristics, definitions of success, concerns, and a general description of how TEPL tools are implemented in their learning environments. </p><p> Along with confirming six characteristics previously identified (dual role of the teacher, diagnosis of characteristics, a student culture of collegiality, an interactive learning environment, flexible scheduling/pacing, striving for authentic assessment), this study found that administrators consider student choice and teacher comfort with technology as additional learning environment characteristics. Results also show that administrators define success through external measurement, are concerned with professional development, and how to leverage limited resources. The subjects indicated that the definitions of success and administrator concerns evolve over time. Finally, this study found that large variance exists in learning environments when considering online vs. face-to-face instruction, school size, number of users, grade level use, focus and perceived effectiveness of the tool. Recommendations were made for future research, including analysis of two newly identified characteristics, deeper exploration of learning environments, and further exploration of external measurement's sub-components. Recommendations for practitioners include considerations for their success definitions, allowing for the two additional learning environmental characteristics, and initial allocation of resources.</p>

<p>In the past decade, the amount of scientific data collected and generated by scientists has grown dramatically. This growth has intensified an existing problem: in large archives consisting of datasets stored in many files, formats and locations, how can scientists find data relevant to their research interests? We approach this problem in a new way: by adapting Information Retrieval techniques, developed for searching text documents, into the world of (primarily numeric) scientific data. We propose an approach that uses a blend of automated and curated methods to extract metadata from large repositories of scientific data. We then perform searches over this metadata, returning results ranked by similarity to the search criteria. We present a model of this approach, and describe a specific implementation thereof performed at an ocean-observatory data archive and now running in production. Our prototype implements scanners that extract metadata from datasets that contain different kinds of environmental observations, and a search engine with a candidate similarity measure for comparing a set of search terms to the extracted metadata. We evaluate the utility of the prototype by performing two user studies; these studies show that the approach resonates with users, and that our proposed similarity measure performs well when analyzed using standard Information Retrieval evaluation methods. We performed performance tests to explore how continued archive growth will affect our goal of interactive response, developed and applied techniques that mitigate the effects of that growth, and show that the techniques are effective. Lastly, we describe some of the research needed to extend this initial work into a true &ldquo;Google for data&rdquo;. </p>

To find a shape in an image, a technique called snakes or active contours can be used. An active contour is a curve that moves towards the sought-for shape in a way controlled by internal forces - such as rigidity and elasticity - and an image force. The image force should attract the contour to certain features, such as edges, in the image. This is done by creating an attractor image, which defines how strongly each point in the image should attract the contour. In this thesis the extension to contours (surfaces) in three dimensional images is studied. Methods of representation of the contour and computation of the internal forces are treated. Also, a new way of creating the attractor image, using the orientation tensor to detect planar structure in 3D images, is studied. The new method is not generally superior to those already existing, but still has its uses in specific applications. During the project, it turned out that the main problem of active contours in 3D images was instability due to strong internal forces overriding the influence of the attractor image. The problem was solved satisfactory by projecting the elasticity force on the contour’s tangent plane, which was approximated efficiently using sphere-fitting.

<p> Compliance with regulations may not automatically produce a secure infrastructure. In the United States energy critical infrastructure sector, compliance with regulatory cyber security standards may not necessarily mean that an entity would be able to withstand a cyber attack on critical assets potentially supporting the reliability of the Bulk Electric System (BES). This qualitative exploratory inquiry study researched technical opinions of cyber security professionals in the energy critical infrastructure industry regarding the effect of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards on the reliability of the BES. NERC entities had been required to be compliant with the standards for several years at the time this study was undertaken. There has been speculation regarding the efficacy of the standards to impact the reliability of the BES. However, there was a lack of scholarly or professional literature confirming assumptions concerning BES reliability. In this study, data was gathered through interviews with individuals who were CIP implementation experts. The purpose of this study was to identify a theme or themes regarding changes in the reliability of the BES as a result of the NERC CIP standards implementation. Interview data from the study generated 9 themes including a theme for the research question indicating that reliability of the BES had improved as a result of the implementation and enforcement of the CIP standards. Some of the more prominent themes included NERC fines having influenced entities in the implementation of the standards; entities have been more concerned about CIP compliance than securing their equipment; and entities have removed equipment from their facilities in order to avoid the requirements, and the associated expense, the standards would demand.</p>

<p> Increasing technology intervention in rural schools is still a herculean task, especially with the lack of adequate infrastructures and limited resources. The purpose of this quantitative, causal comparative study was to determine the impact of technology interventions on student achievement in rural Nigerian schools. The study explored the differences in student achievement in mathematics and English between technology and nontechnology schools and established a relationship between teachers' level of technology implementation and student achievement. The convenience sample comprised 2,369 examination scores in mathematics and English of Senior Secondary Level 2 (SS2) students and purposive sampling of 34 teachers who participated in an online survey. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), the level of technology implementation (LoTi) framework, and Pearson's correlation coefficient test. The results showed significant differences in student achievement between technology and nontechnology schools. However, the LoTi framework results indicated a low level of technology implementation in classroom instruction and no significant relationship between teachers' technology integration and student performance. Thus, the mere presence of technology seems to have more impact on student grades than the ways in which teachers use it. This study is resource material for stakeholders in education to ascertain the technology that worked best, teachers' professional development, and other infrastructures, prior to the deployment of technology interventions. The results could be useful for increasing teachers' technology integration and improving student performance, thereby leading to positive social change.</p>

This study examines Colombian teachers' use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as teaching and learning tools from a social cognitive perspective. Personal and environmental factors were studied in order to understand what predicts the use of computers and the Internet within the population of Colombian teachers. The variables used as predictors for use of ICTs were chosen following Ertmer's (2005) description of first—and second—order (internal and external) barriers for technology integration, as well as Becker and Riel's (2000) categorization of teachers' professional engagement levels. These variables are self-efficacy beliefs regarding technology use for pedagogical purposes, beliefs about the perceived value of computers for instructional purposes, professional engagement, demographic and contextual variables (e.g. age, gender, grade level, discipline). Use of ICTs was categorized following types of uses proposed by Bebell et al. (2004) in the USEit project. The types of ICT uses introduced in the present study are Grading, Planning, Students Use (advanced use and routine use), Professional Communication and Delivering Instruction. Participants included 241 school teachers who responded to an online survey consisting of 32 questions. The results of the study suggest the importance of teacher leadership, measured here through variable professional engagement as well as teachers' self-efficacy in the process of adopting ICTs for pedagogical purposes. Surprisingly, beliefs about the perceived value of computers for instructional purposes did not predict, as hypothesized, teachers' use of ICTs. In line with previous studies, this research found that Colombian teachers use ICTs more for administrative tasks than for teaching and learning purposes. Most demographic and contextual variables were not predictors of use of ICTs.The findings of this study inform the design of interventions to improve Colombian teachers' use of ICTs as teaching and learning tools. This study also contributes to knowledge by exploring teachers' self-efficacy and beliefs from the perspective of professional engagement. / Cette étude examine comment les enseignants colombiens utilisent les Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (TICs) comme instruments d'appui à l'apprentissage d'une perspective sociocognitive. La recherche s'est portée sur les caractéristiques personnelles et les facteurs liés à l'environnement qui peuvent permettre de comprendre ce qui influence l'utilisation des ordinateurs par les enseignants colombiens. Les variables utilisées comme prédicteurs de l'utilisation des TICs ont été choisies en relation aux barrières de premier et second ordre (internes et externes) à l'intégration des technologies identifiées par Ertmer (2005), ainsi qu'à la classification des niveaux d'engagement professionnel des enseignants développée par Becker et Riel (2000). Ces variables sont l'auto-efficacité par rapport à l'utilisation des technologies, les croyances par rapport à la valeur des ordinateurs, l'engagement professionnel, et les variables démographiques et contextuelles (âge, sexe, niveau de la classe enseignée, matière).Les différentes catégories d'utilisation des TICs sont celles proposées par Bebell et al. (2004) dans le projet USEit, à savoir l'Administration des Notes, la Planification, l'Utilisation par les Etudiants (usage avancé et usage routinier), la Communication Professionnelle, et l'Enseignement. 241 professeurs ont participé à une enquête par Internet comportant 32 questions. Les résultats de l'étude soulignent l'importance des caractéristiques de leadership des enseignants, mesurées ici par la variable d'engagement professionnel ainsi que l'auto-efficacité dans le processus d'adoption des TICs à des fins pédagogiques. Un des éléments surprenants dans les résultats fut l'observation que les croyances sur la valeur attendue de l'utilisation des ordinateurs ne sont pas corrélées avec l'utilisation des TICS par les enseignants. En accord avec les résultats des études précédentes sur ce sujet, cette étude a trouvé que les enseignants colombiens utilisent les TICs plus pour des tâches administratives que pour améliorer l'apprentissage des élèves. La plupart des variables démographiques et contextuelles n'ont pas d'influence sur l'utilisation des TICs. Les résultats de cette étude peuvent servir à orienter la conception d'interventions pour améliorer l'utilisation des TICs à des fins pédagogiques par les enseignants colombiens. Cette étude contribue aussi à une meilleure compréhension de l'auto-efficacité des enseignants par rapport à leur engagement professionnel.

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine factors that may have influenced the decision to implement tablet technologies within classroom environments. These factors were grouped and limited to three distinct areas: social and political influences, perceived benefits of implementation, and influence of varying types of hardware, software and operating systems. Results indicate that if technology leaders felt external pressures to keep pace with technological advancements of other corporations, they were more likely to report pressures from the other social political factors being studied. Multiple perceived educational benefits were identified including improvement to classroom instruction, increased differentiation of instruction, enhanced collaboration, better communication and positive public responses. Hardware preferences were found to describe the characteristics found in the Apple line of products. Despite the identification of these perceived educational benefits, a majority of those responding felt that tablet devices did not impact student testing achievement.</p>

<p> Teachers at Mason County High School are changing from predominantly teacher led instruction to increased student engagement by providing blended learning opportunities through technology integration. Every student and teacher at Mason County High School was provided an iPad as a resource to enhance instruction. The purpose of this case study is to document the journey of Mason County High School's iPad 1:1 implementation. A result of the case study was the creation of an iPad 1:1 Integration Guide. The Integration Guide is a beneficial resource for any school considering an iPad 1:1 implementation. The iPad 1:1 Integration Guide was created using iBooks Author, available for download on iTunes University. Findings from the research are embedded into the 1:1 iPad digital integration guide. Chapters of the integration guide consist of the following: </p><p> Chapter 1 - Introduction. The iPad 1:1 Journey documented as a Case Study. Why make the transition to Next Generation Learning with an iPad 1:1? </p><p> Chapter 2 - Administrative Considerations. Planning, Collaboration, Cost Analysis, End User Device, and Implementation Considerations. </p><p> Chapter 3 - Instructional Components. Professional Development / Next Generation Learning, Delivery of Instruction, Content Delivery, iPad Resources and Educational Apps. </p><p> Chapter 4 - Technical Aspects. Cloud Based Computing, Network Infrastructure, Deployment / Mobile Device Management, Technical Assistance and Next Generation Classroom Equipment. </p><p> Chapter 5 - Student Impact. Data Analysis Method and Local Context, iPad Focus Groups, Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), Achievement and Cost Analysis.</p>

<p> The security of digital information is paramount to the success of private organizations. Violating that security is a multi-billion-dollar criminal business and exploiting these vulnerabilities creates a single point of failure for operations. Thus, understanding the detection, identification, and response to information security incidents is critical to protecting all levels of infrastructure. The lived experiences of current professionals indicate 10 unique themes in regards to how information security incidents are addressed in private organizations. These unique themes led the researcher to offer several conclusions related to the importance of planning, communication, offensive capabilities, and integration with third-party organizations. Information security incident management is accomplished as an escalation process with multiple decision points leading to a restoration of services or security. The source of the incident is not often sought beyond the first external IP address but their purpose and intent are essential to information security incident management. The key lessons learned from professionals include the importance of having a plan, training the plan, and incorporating the human elements of security into information security incident response. Penetration testing as well a knowledge about threat and attack patterns are important to information security incident management for detection, containment, and remediation. External organizations play a major role in the management of information security incidents as fear, incompetence, and jurisdictional issues keep the private sector from working with government, military, and law enforcement organizations. These themes have wide reaching implications for practical application and future research projects.</p>

<p> Social computing networking is fast becoming a part of how project managers interact, communicate, and conduct business with each other. This quantitative, non-experimental, survey research addressed the extent to which social computing networking (SCN) affects workplace engagement and ethical workplace behaviors of project managers within public sector organizations. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-17) and the Workplace Ethics Behavior Survey (WEBS) were used to measure the constructs. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and hypothesis testing using correlational and multiple regression analysis. The study combined social identity theory with empirical findings from business ethics and workplace engagement research. The accessible population was 116 project managers from the public sector in the southeastern regional area of the United States. The results indicated that a significant, positive relationship did exist between social computing networking and workplace engagement. Additionally, there was a significant, positive, relationship between social computing networking and ethical workplace behaviors. Each null hypothesis was significant at a .05 level and rejected in consideration of the alternate hypothesis. The findings provided insight and increased understanding of project manager needs for engagement and helped determined how organizations can respond to such needs. Consequently, Project Management policies on social networking and expected ethical conduct should be understood by all users. Corporate policies on social computing networking should balance the employer's and employee's interests relevant to workplace engagement and ethical behaviors for a more positive, productive, and secure workplace.</p>