Video Conferencing Technology and Education
This is the first in a series of articles focusing on video conferencing and education. Part 1: The Teaching Predicament primarily focuses on the dilemma that educational institutes around the world have been facing in terms of teaching.
Over the recent years, visual communication as an effective tool to enhance delivery of education has gained a lot of traction. Educational institutes are constantly faced with the challenge of maintaining consistency and quality of teaching over geographically dispersed branches. For instance, will a student enrolled in an undergraduate business studies program at a top tier American university experience the same teaching quality in the Middle East or Europe? The answer to this question will most likely be ‘not quite’. Although there are a number of variables at play here but the most fundamental challenge is access to the same quality of instructors across geographical regions. Geographical regions can typify different branches in the same city, across cities, countries and continents. Maintaining teaching standards across continents is even a bigger challenge given the social, cultural and ethnic divides.
A traditional approach to somewhat alleviate the problem is to fly in faculty periodically to conduct workshops. However, this can prove to be very costly and cumbersome. Technology has an answer for this common and age-old problem. Although video conferencing solutions have been around since the 1980s, they’ve never been so affordable and accessible as they are today. Visual communication technology has advanced leaps and bounds making it highly immersive and interactive. More importantly, … Read more
Machine Vision Systems: Basic Things to Know
A machine vision system is based on a technology that uses imaging-based inspection for a variety of applications like robot guidance, process control, and automatic inspection, just to name a few. Actually, machine vision involves a lot of technologies, expertise, methods, actions, integrated systems, hardware products, and software to name a few. Let’s find out more about it.
There is a difference between computer vision and machine vision. Basically, this system tries to create an integration between current technologies in fresh ways and implement them in order to resolve real world problems.
The machine vision process involves planning the project details and then finding solutions. And the process begins with imaging and moves towards the automated analysis of the required information like images.
Imaging based Inspection
Primarily, the visual inspection machines are used for image-based inspection and robot guidance. The first step involves the image acquisition, which is taken using lighting, lenses and cameras.
MV software programs are used in combination with digital image processing for the extraction of required information.
Equipment
The typical parts of an automated inspection system include output devices, software, image processors, camera and lighting.
Imaging
The imaging device can be part of the unit or may work independently. If it is part of the machine, it is known as the smart sensor or smart camera. When it’s used as a separate unit, the connection is made to the intermediate hardware, a frame grabber or a processing appliance.
Although traditional imaging is also used in machine … Read more
How to Choose and Play Slot Machines – Increase Your Slot Machine Winnings
If you want to learn how to play slot machines, then read this. You will learn how to choose the best slots that can let you increase your slot machine winnings.
When you play slots, it is always nice to use a lot of helpful strategies. This is because having good strategies will allow you to win big amounts of profits. Slot machine games are fun games to play and are suitable for having a wonderful past-time. The game can even be more fun when you know how increase your chances of winning.
Slots can be categorized as the easiest casino games to play. However, to increase you chances of winning you need to know how to choose the best machine which can provide you with the best payouts. Upon entering the casino, you will see a lot of machines. The sounds and the bright lights can really be very attractive. If you are tempted to play, do not immediately pick a favorite machine. You need to identify first which machine is a hot slot or a cold slot.
There are no exact concepts or guidelines in identifying which slot is hot or cold. But in common cases, most of the casinos have like certain patterns in arranging the good and the bad slot machines in terms of payouts and jackpot prizes. Usually, slots located near winning claims booth are the best ones to play with. This is because casinos want to attract other people to play slots as they … Read more
Computer Cookies: Are They Good or Bad?
Explaining “Cookies” (the non caloric ones that reside in your computer!)
You can’t talk about all those nasty ‘things’ that can ‘attack’ your computer while you are surfing the Internet, like viruses or spyware, without talking about ‘Cookies’. But what are they and are they really bad for my computer?
Ok, first let’s define the term, and then we’ll explain the good and the bad about it.
Cookie(s):
A small data (text and numbers) file (piece of information) created by a Web server (large computer that stores web sites) that is stored on your computer either temporarily for that session only (the time that you spend on a web site) or permanently on the hard disk (persistent cookie). Cookies provide a way for the Web site that you visit and go back to visit again, to identify users and keep track of their preferences. Amazon and Barnes and Noble online are very creative in the use of their cookies that get generated when you visit.
Here’s an example from my computer from visiting the Disney.com website:
CP null*disneyworld.disney.go.com/1088 1761935360 30785590 403215680 29726670*
Notice that the only thing in that string of text and numbers that you can recognize is the name of the website. The rest of the information is simply a set of numbers that only a computer can understand.
Why are cookies important to you? Well, you would not be able to browse through the Web as you are currently used to if you had cookies restricted on … Read more
Writing Technology Grants Can Create New Things
Many “invention-minded” individuals and organizations are embarking on a challenge of initiating the development of new technologies that will benefit society and the greater good. New technology projects may sound and look great, but the question is, how are they going to pay for the expenses?
To get these ideas started and transformed into a concrete reality, funding programs and resources are made available to help projects with funding needs even during tough economic times.
Building a relationship
Writing technology grants to get funded is like building a relationship. As a grant seeker, you need to initiate and establish rapport with philanthropic foundations and organizations. You need to communicate with people who can sympathize to your mission and purpose and understand your current need. Ultimately, you need to articulate well your case in a written proposal.
This relationship does not end right after you successfully obtained a funding assistance. As a recipient, you need to maintain open communication, make a follow-up report throughout the funding period, and carry out an evaluation strategy to show how your project has succeeded as planned. Aside from a strong background history, having a long-term communication will definitely earn the trust of funding sources.
Let them realize how your discovery and/or invention helped and will help people become smarter, work better, and more efficient. Let them realize how the financial assistance played and will play a significant contribution.
Developing a plan
As part of your strategic planning, you, as a fund seeker, need to develop … Read more
Impacts of Information Technology on Society in the New Century
In the past few decades there has been a revolution in computing and communications, and all indications are that technological progress and use of information technology will continue at a rapid pace. Accompanying and supporting the dramatic increases in the power and use of new information technologies has been the declining cost of communications as a result of both technological improvements and increased competition. According to Moore’s law the processing power of microchips is doubling every 18 months. These advances present many significant opportunities but also pose major challenges. Today, innovations in information technology are having wide-ranging effects across numerous domains of society, and policy makers are acting on issues involving economic productivity, intellectual property rights, privacy protection, and affordability of and access to information. Choices made now will have long lasting consequences, and attention must be paid to their social and economic impacts.
One of the most significant outcomes of the progress of information technology is probably electronic commerce over the Internet, a new way of conducting business. Though only a few years old, it may radically alter economic activities and the social environment. Already, it affects such large sectors as communications, finance and retail trade and might expand to areas such as education and health services. It implies the seamless application of information and communication technology along the entire value chain of a business that is conducted electronically.
The impacts of information technology and electronic commerce on business models, commerce, market structure, workplace, labour market, education, private life … Read more