Pureza de María Santísima -RPM-.

Alberta Reig Adrover comenzó a dirigir el Real Colegio de la Pureza de Palma a los pocos meses de morir su marido. Unos años después, forma la primera comunidad religiosa y comienzan a abrirse pequeñas escuelas. Hoy en día los Colegios de la Pureza de María están presentes en Europa, América y África y desarrollan su labor educativa en colegios, escuelas universitarias, obras sociales, misiones y residencias universitarias. El estilo pedagógico de Madre Alberta se caracteriza por la prevención por la que el educador se anticipa para dar orientaciones, la excelencia, la presencia de contacto cordial con los alumnos y la atención individualizada. Los indicadores de esta pedagogía son la unidad de criterios, la creatividad y novedad en los métodos de educación y los métodos didácticos para seguir en la vanguardia; el saber conjugar la educación del corazón y de la inteligencia; la previsión y la organización; y la comunicación continua en un ambiente educativo en el que prima el espíritu de familia. Todo ello a través de unos criterios y recursos metodológicos basados en una motivación constante, un refuerzo positivo, la actividad luchando contra la pasividad, el amor a la naturaleza y la practicidad. Adjunta esquemas y una ficha con los datos y direcciones de la congregación.

Proyecto curricular de transición a la vida adulta en un centro de educación especial.

Elaboración del proyecto curricular de la etapa post-obligatoria de Educación Especial, correspondiente al periodo de transición a la vida adulta de los alumnos con necesidades educativas especiales. Se configura como una etapa que tiene la función de promover un mayor desarrollo de los alumnos y una preparación para que puedan tener experiencias y oportunidades que les preparen para vivir una vida adulta con la máxima autonomía, de acuerdo a sus posibilidades. La obra trata aspectos como el marco curricular, con las áreas a trabajar; los temas transversales; metodología y actividades; evaluación; etc..

La educación por satélite en el mundo : los programas de los 80 (y 2).

Se explican los principales proyectos desarrollados, en la década de los años 80, en la educación vía satélite, tanto en América del Norte como en Europa y promovidas en instituciones públicas y en empresas privadas. Entre los proyectos más importantes se encuentran: la National Technological University (NTU), en Estados Unidos; la Knowledge Network (KN) de la Open Learning Agency en la Columbia Británica, Canadá; la Red Access de la Alberta Educational Communications Corporation en Alberta, también en Canadá. En Europa, se destacan: el EuroPACE (Programme for Advanced Continuing Education) que es el resultado del proyecto COMETT; la asociación de usuarios del Transponder de Difusión Directa (EUROSTEP) creada en el marco del proyecto OLYMPUS; el proyecto Channel-E; y el proyecto RAI-SAT de la Radio-televisione italiana, que utiliza uno de los canales del OLYMPUS y cubre los países mediterráneos. En cuanto al proyecto SHARE (Satellite for Health and Rural Education) utiliza el satélite INTELSAT para actividades de formación a distancia y programas de salud. Respecto a las empresas norteamericanas, estas han creado redes privadas ISEN, CENET, FTN, destinadas a la formación de su personal y-o clientes.

La función y la acción del tutor en forum de discusión : la palabra al tutor.

Resumen basado en el de la publicación

Investigación cualitativa: ¿nuevo fetichismo o endurecimiento de la ciencia?. (Otra ciencia es posible)

El argumento central del trabajo es la construcción de “otra ciencia posible” en un mundo dominado por monopolios que se apoyan en una actividad científica orientada hacia la destrucción, el desperdicio, y la alineación, mientras una fuerza social creciente se moviliza hacia su emancipación social. Este trabajo discute el estado del arte de la investigación cualitativa en dicha encrucijada histórica, con sus condiciones epistemológicas. Desde la perspectiva ética de construir una praxis distinta, se discuten los avances, retrocesos y promesas de una ciencia que articule dialécticamente lo cualitativo y lo cuantitativo. Para hacerlo se pasa revista de las distintas tendencias, propuestas salientes y claves para el futuro desarrollo de una investigación que articule el conocimiento de los atributos y cantidades de una realidad caracterizada por una profunda inequidad, pero plena de posibilidades de emancipación. Bajo tales condiciones, se analiza la disyuntiva principal de la investigación cualitativa, que deberá definirse por ser un nuevo fetiche del pensamiento hegemónico o consolidarse como elemento de una ciencia más penetrante, ligada al pueblo.

Upland Nesting Prairie Shorebirds: Use of Managed Wetland Basins and Accuracy of Breeding Surveys

Wetlands in southern Alberta are often managed to benefit waterfowl and cattle production. Effects on other species usually are not examined. I determined the effect of managed wetlands on upland-nesting shorebirds in southern Alberta by comparing numbers of breeding willets (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), marbled godwits (Limosa fedoa), and long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) among areas of managed wetlands, natural wetland basins, and no wetland basins from 1995 to 2000. Surveys were carried out at 21 sites three times each year. Nine to ten of these areas (each 2 km2) were searched for nests annually from 1998–2000. Numbers of willets and marbled godwits and their nests were always highest in areas with managed wetlands, probably because almost all natural wetland basins were dry in this region in most years. Densities of willets seen during pre-incubation surveys averaged 2.3 birds/km2 in areas of managed wetlands, 0.4 in areas of natural wetland basins, and 0.1 in areas with no wetland basins. Nest densities of willets (one search each season) averaged 1.5, 0.9, and 0.3 nests/km2 in areas of managed, natural, and no wetland basins, respectively. Similarly, pre-incubation surveys averaged 1.6, 0.6, and 0.2 godwits/km2 in areas of managed, natural, and no wetland basins, and 1.2, 0.3, and 0.1 godwit nests/km2. For long-billed curlews, pre-incubation surveys averaged 0.1, 0.2, and 0.1 birds/km2, and 0, 0.2, and 0 nests/km2. Nest success was similar in areas with and without managed wetlands. Shallow managed wetlands in this region appear beneficial to willets and marbled godwits, but not necessarily to long-billed curlews. Only 8% of marked willets and godwits with nests in the area were seen or heard during surveys, compared with 29% of pre-laying individuals and 42% of birds with broods. This suggests that a low and variable percentage of these birds is counted during breeding bird surveys, likely limiting their ability to adequately monitor populations of these species.

Short-term Response of Breeding Barred Owls to Forestry in a Boreal Mixedwood Forest Landscape

Forestry and other activities are increasing in the boreal mixedwood of Alberta, with a concomitant decrease in older forest. The Barred Owl (Strix varia) is an old-growth indicator species in some jurisdictions in North America. Hence, we radio-tagged Barred Owls in boreal mixedwood in Alberta to determine whether harvesting influenced habitat selection. We used three spatial scales: nest sites, i.e., nest tree and adjacent area of 11.7 m radius around nests, nesting territory of 1000 m radius around nests, and home range locations within 2000 m radius of the home range center. Barred Owls nested primarily in balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) snags > 34 cm dbh and nest trees were surrounded by large, > 34 cm dbh, balsam poplar trees and snags. Nesting territories contained a variety of habitats including young < 80-yr-old, deciduous-dominated stands, old deciduous and coniferous-dominated stands, treed bogs, and recent clear-cuts. However, when compared to available habitat in the study area, they were more likely to contain old conifer-dominated stands and recent cutblocks. We assumed this is because all of the recent harvest occurred in old stands, habitat preferred by the owls. When compared with random sites, locations used for foraging and roosting at the home range scale were more likely to be in young deciduous-dominated stands, old conifer-dominated stands and cutblocks > 30 yr old, and less likely to occur in old deciduous-dominated stands and recent cutblocks. Hence, although recent clearcuts occurred in territories, birds avoided these microhabitats during foraging. To meet the breeding requirements of Barred Owls in managed forests, 10–20 ha patches of old deciduous and mixedwood forest containing large Populus snags or trees should be maintained. In our study area, nest trees had a minimum dbh of 34 cm. Although cut areas were incorporated into home ranges, the amount logged was low, i.e., 7%, in our area. Hence more research is required to determine harvest levels tolerated by owls over the long term.

Contributions of Weather and Predation to Reduced Breeding Success in a Threatened Northern Loggerhead Shrike Population

Populations on the periphery of a species' range may experience more severe environmental conditions relative to populations closer to the core of the range. As a consequence, peripheral populations may have lower reproductive success or survival, which may affect their persistence. In this study, we examined the influence of environmental conditions on breeding biology and nest survival in a threatened population of Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) at the northern limit of the range in southeastern Alberta, Canada, and compared our estimates with those from shrike populations elsewhere in the range. Over the 2-year study in 1992–1993, clutch sizes averaged 6.4 eggs, and most nests were initiated between mid-May and mid-June. Rate of renesting following initial nest failure was 19%, and there were no known cases of double-brooding. Compared with southern populations, rate of renesting was lower and clutch sizes tended to be larger, whereas the length of the nestling and hatchling periods appeared to be similar. Most nest failures were directly associated with nest predators, but weather had a greater direct effect in 1993. Nest survival models indicated higher daily nest survival during warmer temperatures and lower precipitation, which may include direct effects of weather on nestlings as well as indirect effects on predator behavior or food abundance. Daily nest survival varied over the nesting cycle in a curvilinear pattern, with a slight increase through laying, approximately constant survival through incubation, and a decline through the nestling period. Partial brood loss during the nestling stage was high, particularly in 1993, when conditions were cool and wet. Overall, the lower likelihood of renesting, lower nest survival, and higher partial brood loss appeared to depress reproductive output in this population relative to those elsewhere in the range, and may have increased susceptibility to population declines.