A new method for birch tar making with materials available in the Stone Age

The use of birch tar can be traced back to the European Middle Palaeolithic and is relevant for our understanding of the technical skills and cognitive abilities of Neanderthals. Due to the lack of archaeological evidence, it remains unknown what techniques were used for birch tar making. Efficiency was recently used as a proxy to determine the method most likely used in the Middle Palaeolithic. Todtenhaupt et al. have proposed a technique employing a groove-like structure that is comparable with the recently presented condensation method. The groove method resulted in higher tar yields compared to other experimental aceramic production processes. However, the implications for Palaeolithic tar making remain unclear because some of the materials used in the experiment were not available then (polished granite slabs). To approach this problem, we replicated the groove with river cobbles and, in a second experiment with flint fragments, to evaluate whether similar results can be obtained. We were successful in producing birch tar in multiple runs with the cobble- and flint-grooves, which, in addition, proved to be more efficient than the condensation method in terms of tar yield per bark input. Our experimental study provides an additional possibility to make prehistoric birch tar.

Workshop Pemanfaatan Teknologi Internet of Things (IoT) menggunakan Mikrokontroler ESP32 untuk Guru-Guru SMK

The rapid advancement of information technology and telecommunications has caused Internet of Things (IoT) technology to be increasingly developed and utilized in various activities and tasks at the home, office, school, industry, and others. 24-hour connectivity and various automation features make IoT an effective way to remotely monitor and manage jobs. In the context of learning in Vocational High Schools (SMK), ideally, the use of IoT technology applications is taught by teachers in the field of industrial electronics expertise. The uneven understanding and technical skills of teachers about the application of IoT technology is one of the factors that have not updated the ability of vocational students with IoT technology information. From these problems, the solution offered is to provide technical knowledge and skills to teachers about the use of IoT using a microcontroller so that they can teach it to students. The workshop/training was conducted online which was attended by 20 (twenty) teachers from several vocational schools in the Jakarta, Bekasi, Cibinong, and Bogor areas. In this workshop, theoretical and practical learning about the use of IoT technology is given. The material taught is the development of IoT, the use of the ESP32 IoT development board, and some practical examples using the ESP32 board. In this workshop, IoT learning e-modules (theory and practice) were also distributed which can be used by teachers for independent learning and as teaching materials in SMK. From the workshop, an overview of the understanding and technical skills of teachers regarding IoT technology was obtained which still needs to be improved. The participants were very enthusiastic about participating in the IoT workshop because they got new and useful information and knowledge to improve their competence in the field of industrial electronics technology. The usefulness of this workshop was felt by the participants who gave a positive impression of the material taught by the instructor/lecturer. Abstrak Pesatnya kemajuan teknologi informasi dan telekomunikasi, menyebabkan teknologi Internet of Things (IoT) makin berkembang dan dimanfaatkan dalam berbagai kegiatan dan tugas di rumah, kantor, sekolah, industri, dan lainnya. Konektivitas 24 jam serta berbagai fitur otomasi menjadikan IoT sebagai cara efektif untuk memantau dan mengelola berbagai pekerjaan dari jarak jauh. Dalam konteks pembelajaran di Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan (SMK), maka idealnya pemanfaatan aplikasi teknologi IoT diajarkan oleh para guru bidang keahlian elektronika industri. Belum meratanya pemahaman dan keterampilan teknis guru tentang aplikasi teknologi IoT, menjadi salah satu faktor belum ter-update nya kemampuan siswa SMK dengan informasi teknologi IoT. Dari permasalahan tersebut maka solusi yang ditawarkan adalah dengan memberikan pengetahuan dan keterampilan teknik kepada guru tentang pemanfaatan IoT menggunakan mikrokontroler sehingga dapat mengajarkannya kepada siswa. Workshop/pelatihan dilaksanakan secara daring yang diikuti peserta guru dari beberapa SMK di wilayah Jakarta, Bekasi, Cibinong dan Bogor sebanyak 20 (dua puluh) orang. Dalam workshop ini diberikan pembelajaran teori dan praktikum tentang pemanfaatan teknologi IoT. Materi yang diajarkan adalah perkembangan IoT, pemanfaatan ESP32 IoT development board, dan beberapa contoh praktikum menggunakan ESP32 board. Dalam workshop ini juga dibagikan e-modul pembelajaran IoT (teori dan praktik) yang dapat digunakan para guru untuk pembelajaran mandiri dan sebagai bahan ajar di SMK. Dari workshop tersebut didapatkan gambaran terkait pemahaman dan keterampilan teknis para guru tentang teknologi IoT yang masih perlu ditingkatkan. Para peserta sangat antusias mengikuti workshop IoT karena mendapatkan informasi dan pengetahuan yang baru dan berguna untuk meningkatkan kompetensinya di bidang teknologi elektronika industri. Kebermanfaatan workshop ini dirasakan sekali oleh para peserta yang memberikan kesan positif dari materi yang diajarkan oleh instruktur/narasumber.

Government Entrepreneurship Programmes and Unemployment in Osun State, Nigeria

Youth unemployment is one of the most difficult problem threatening economic development of many nations. Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) is therefore increasingly recognized all over the world, as a panacea to ameliorate the menace of unemployment. Any country that attaches special importance or gives special attention to entrepreneurship stands a better chance of reducing unemployment and improved economy. This study therefore seeks to examine the impact of EDP on the menace of unemployment in Osun state, Nigeria. The specific objective seeks to examine the impact of National Directorate of Employment (NDE) on youth empowerment; and determine the effect of N-power on poverty reduction in Osun state. The study adopted survey research design, using item structured instrument to elicit information from the respondents, for a true representation of the whole population of twenty-five and seventeen thousand (25,000 & 17,000) from both NDE and N- power respectively. The sample of four hundred (400) and two hundred and fifty (250) from both NDE and N -power respectively, making a total of six hundred and fifty (650) respondents was drawn from the population using Taro Yamane (1967) formula for estimating sample. A total of 650 questionnaires were administered out of which six hundred and thirty-two (632) were properly filled and returned. The formulated hypotheses were tested using multiple regression with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS…Version20). The finding of the study revealed that NDE programmes have significant impact on job creation. with the R2 of 0.598. The study also revealed that N-power significantly address poverty reduction, most especially in Osun State, with R2 value of 0.687, which indicate that technical skills which comprises of cognitive and non-cognitive skill actually reduced unemploment. Therefore, It was recommended that, in other to produce a typical entrepreneurs that will not only be self-employed but employ more other unemployed youth, government should make it as a point of duty that beneficiaries are given practical training and ensure they acquire technical skills, both cognitive and non- cognitive skill during and after the programme. Keywords: Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP), Skills, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), N-power, Youth Empowerment

The creation of a nudging protocol to support online student engagement in higher education

Combining nudge theory with learning analytics, ‘nudge analytics’, is a relatively recent phenomenon in the educational context. Used, for example, to address such issues as concerns with student (dis)engagement, nudging students to take certain action or to change a behaviour towards active learning, can make a difference. However, knowing who to nudge, how to nudge or when to nudge can be a challenge. Providing students with strategic, sensitive nudges that help to move them forward is almost an art form. It requires not only technical skills to use appropriate software and interpret data, but careful consideration of what to say and how to say it. In this article a nudge protocol is presented that can be used in online courses to encourage student engagement with key course resources that are integral to supporting their learning.

Effect of Digital Technology on Adolescents

Digital technology has become more advanced, and it is transforming human life rapidly. Not long ago, digital technology was only meant for adults in the working environment. Nowadays, the assimilation of technology has transformed our lives into a new digital culture across all ages. The adolescent has to keep up with the current trend in digital technology as they use it as a platform for education, entertainment, social, as well as sport. Technology use among adolescents has so many positive sides such as virtual classrooms, widening social circles, and increasing visual reasoning. Apart from that, it also increases creativity and improves technical skills and self-esteem.

An Accessible City is a Healthy and People-Centred Smart City

Accessibility for all is an inspiring issue for future urban agendas. In European cities, the ageing of urban population and the growth of social and economic disparities call for interdisciplinary reflection and practice on the relations between well-being and inclusion and the organization and upgrading of public facilities. The challenge is to ensure the usability of urban spaces to the largest extent of persons, according to their different capabilities. Based on research developed at the University of Trieste (Italy), and taking the region Friuli Venezia Giulia as its main study context, the article questions a variety of recent urban tools and policies in order to show their level of innovation and the obstacles that still oppose their more effective integration. The aim is to highlight possible fields for public action and the need to rethink planning instruments and technical skills in the frame of a user experience and smart design approach.

The Digital Lifeworld and Salutogenesis

In this chapter, the authors explore salutogenesis in the context of the ‘digital world’, concerning both high- and low-resource countries. The digital world is rapidly developing and can transcend physical and financial barriers of health care and health promotion. The digital world also has many challenges, especially for equity. On the one hand, digitalization carries the risk of excluding many people – also healthcare workers – because they cannot access the digital world or do not have the technical skills to understand it (make sense of it). On the other hand, the digital world offers both new generalized resistance resources (GRRs) and specific resistance resources (SRRs) to improve population health and promote healthy lifestyles and health literacy. The authors nicely illustrate how the sense of coherence (SOC) helps people find a balance in the digital world’s stress-rich environment. Important steps forward in this field include work to strengthen the evidence base and to document the preconditions for a digital world that supports decision making in health care, health behaviour change (e.g. quitting smoking) and – above all – supports empowerment and social justice.

Implementing Makerspace in Nigerian School Libraries

The 21st century is a knowledge age where the only currency is knowledge; thus, to function in it, possession of 21st century skills is germane. The required skills are critical thinking, problem-solving, analytical, mathematical, communication and cooperative, leadership, and technical skills. In the same vein, 21st century libraries are evolving to instill the 21st century skills into learners through makerspace. Makerspace is an avenue for creating, making, tinkering, and inventing by trial and error based on the interest of the learners. This study, therefore, examines makerspace, school library and makerspace, the role of school librarians in makerspace, implementing makerspace in school library, challenges of hosting makerspace in school libraries in Nigeria, and recommendations.