Discusses the development and results of usability testing of Washington State University's Web-based OPAC (online public access catalog); examines how easily users could navigate the catalog and whether they understood what they were seeing; and identifies problems and what action if any was taken. (LRW)

This article, which originally appeared in the May 1998 issue of "Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School," explores the runway numbering system. The activity described in this paper furnishes an excellent setting for discussing rounding rules and, in particular, what to do if the digit to the right of the place to be rounded is equal to five. A…

We studied the development of spatial frames of reference in children aged 3-6 years, who retrieved hidden toys from an array of identical containers bordered by landmarks under four conditions. By moving the child and/or the array between presentation and test, we varied the consistency of the hidden toy with (1) the body, and (2) the testing…

The goal of this work is to extend the theoretical understanding of the relationship between hippocampal spatial and memory functions to the level of neurophysiological mechanisms underlying spatial navigation and episodic memory retrieval. The proposed unifying theory describes both phenomena within a unique framework, as based on one and the…

Internet search has become a routine computing activity, with regular visits to a search engine--usually Google--the norm for most people. The vast majority of searchers, as recent studies of Internet search behavior reveal, search only in the most basic of ways and fail to avail themselves of options that could easily and effortlessly improve…

This paper provides a brief description of Hyper-G, the first second-generation hypermedia system. The first section identifies problems with first generation hypermedia systems. The following sections discuss the new concepts that are implemented in Hyper-G, including user accounts and billing, structuring of data, caching and replication, native…

The World Wide Web (WWW) acts as a multimedia Internet, navigable via Web browsers. Web browsers (Mosaic, Netscape, Cello, WinWeb, etc.) read files treated in HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML) and display interactive pages to users. Teachers with computer-mediated classrooms or labs can use HTML and Web browsers to create multimedia presentations…

This book is designed to help instructors and students master and teach the Wilderness Education Association (WEA) curriculum while in the field. It is formatted in self-contained lesson plans which describe the overall goal, the specific objectives, the body of knowledge, and the materials necessary for teaching about a specific topic within the…

This document is a packet designed to be used in conjunction with a visit to the Hokule'a, a famous voyaging canoe that is usually docked at the Hawaii Maritime Center in Honolulu Harbor. The material focuses on the canoe itself and on the skills needed to sail it. The packet includes background information on the Hokule'a, basic terms,…

This 60-item, multiple-choice Seafarers Knowledge Inventory was developed for use in marine vocational classes (grades 9-12) to measure a student's knowledge of information that "seafarers" should know. Items measure knowledge of various aspects of boating operation, weather, safety, winds, and oceanography. Steps in the construction of…

The disappearance of planes and ships in the Great Lakes area is the focus of the three activities in this unit. Activity A involves studying the locations of missing craft and personnel. Activity B, which treats the loss of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald as an example of a Great Lakes tragedy, consists of plotting bathymetric contours,…

This Extension Service publication from Oregon State University explains the Long Range Navigation or Loran system and what to look for in a Loran-C receiver. There are two Loran systems, Loran-A and Loran-C, the latter of which will be completed by 1980. The Loran-C system operates at 100 kiloHertz and a ship at sea can be navigated by analyzing…

The subject matter of this training manual is prepared for regular navy and naval reserve personnel. Operations of gyrocompasses and magnetic and magnesyn compasses are discussed with a background of error determination, compass adjustments, and degaussing applications. Navigation techniques are analyzed in terms of piloting, dead reckoning,…

This book is a self-instructional program for learning boating safety rules and practices. A "quick quiz" is presented at the end of each topic of information (usually every page), and a review concludes each of the major sections, which are: (1) Prelude to Boating--overview, classes of boats, safe boat trailering; (2) Safety Afloat--presailing…

Describes a summer workshop course in rocketry offered to educators and sponsored by industry. The participants built various model rockets and equipment and worked on challenging practical problems and activities. (GA)