Title: Phrasal Verbs - Take 2
Topic: Phrasal Verbs
Level: Intermediate
Information: Choose the correct answer.
Link: https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/581.html

Title: Phrasal Verbs - Back
Topic: Phrasal Verbs
Level: Intermediate
Information: Choose the correct answer.
Link: https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/582.html

Title: Idioms- Work
Topic: Idioms
Level: Advanced
Information: Choose the correct answer.
Link: https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/584.html

Nowadays, HV/EHV substations have become pretty complex from the design point of view. Besides the main electrical equipment, which must be designed and selected correctly, there are several auxiliary facilities without which a substation would not be able to operate... Read more

The post The essential HV/EHV substation auxiliary facilities you should know about appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

When combined cycle plants are run at low loads, problems often arise with overspray from attemperators using traditional mechanical atomization. To address this issue, plants can upgrade to steam atomization attemperators.

The utility's five-year capital plan totals $63 billion, 80% of which will support investments in grid modernization and zero or lower-carbon emitting generation.

Everyone agrees Winter Storm Uri was a wake-up call. While the ERCOT grid operated successfully through Winter Storm Landon, some work remains to ensure the grid doesn’t snooze during the next major winter weather event.

I found a resource that I wanted to share with created by Helene Blowers and published in the article entitled, "Do Your Students Know How To Search?" (Holly Clark, Edudemic, October 16, 2013).

I think this article begins to address either the end of the Information Age or at least a progression toward a different stage within the Information Age and the question now becomes what do we do with the information that has been collected? I believe there will be a great need for those who can not only find relevant information, but for those who can analyze information.

According to the article:

There is a new digital divide on the horizon. It is not based around who has devices and who does not, but instead the new digital divide will be based around students who know how to effectively find and curate information and those who do not. Helene Blowers has come up with seven ideas about the new digital divide – four of them, the ones I felt related to searching, are listed below.

Clark continues the article by including some of the searching skills and vocabulary that she believes we should be teaching our students (and learning ourselves):

 

Some of these skills include:

• Quotation Marks
• Dashes
• Two Periods
• Site Search
• Country Codes
• Filter Bubbles
• Primary Sources

Please click HERE to find out more about these search tools and how to improve your internet searches.

Have you been interested in taking a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), but don't know where to find one or how to get started?

Class Central is a free MOOC aggregator that provides links to a wide variety of courses from universities like Stanford, MIT, Harvard, etc. (offered via Coursera, Udacity, edX, NovoED, and others).

The site allows you to search for MOOCs according to the course name, instructor, subject, start date, length of course, and course provider. Class Central also offers a "MOOC Tracker" service that will send you email notifications when a MOOC that is of interest to you becomes available.

MOOCs are a great idea for your students if your school doesn't offer advanced courses for a particular subject and they are also great resources for instructors and others. Try one and I think you will find out how they can be a benefit to you. I did!

I just read a great post by John Kleeman on the Questionmark Blog that I wanted to share with you concerning test anxiety. We have previously discussed test anxiety (here and here), but it is interesting to read Kleeman's take on the difference in test anxiety between online and paper and pencil assessments. Here is the post in its entirety:

I’ve been reading about test anxiety (concern or worry by participants sufficiently severe that it impacts test performance). I’d like to share some tips on how online assessment sponsors can reduce its likelihood.

When creating and delivering tests, you seek to accurately measure knowledge, skills or abilities. Often you want to check competence or mastery for workplace or compliance reasons. If some of your participants have severe test anxiety, this doesn’t just disrupt them, it makes your test less accurate in measuring real performance. You might end up failing someone who is competent, just because anxiety affects their test performance.

Many studies (for example here) report that online tests cause less test anxiety than paper ones. Here are some suggestions on reducing test anxiety:

1. Some people have anxiety about a test because they haven’t mastered the subject being tested. Provide a clear description of what each test covers before the time of the test, and provide study resources or instruction to allow people to master the subject.

2. Test anxiety can also feed on unknowns, for instance on unfamiliarity with the test or believing untrue myths. Share information about the test’s purpose and what you do to make it fair. Also share information about the content: how many questions, how the scoring works, how much time is available and so on. Explain what happens if someone fails – for instance is it possible to retake?

3. It’s hugely valuable to provide practice tests that participants can try out before the real test. This will tell them where they are strong and weak and allow them to gain confidence in a less stressful environment prior to the real test. See my article 10 reasons why practice tests help make perfect exams for other reasons why practice tests are useful.

4. Give participants an opportunity to practice using the same type of computer, mouse, keyboard and user interface as will be used for the real test. This familiarizes them with the test environment and reduces potential anxiety, particularly for those who are less computer literate. If you are using Questionmark to deliver the test, make practice sessions available with the same template settings and the same types of questions. (Sometimes this is done with a fun quiz on a different topic, just to get people accustomed to the user interface.)

5. If you provide guidance to test-takers, point to self-help resources for people who have test anxiety. ETS provide a good resource here for instance. Another resource from the University of California is here.

6. Some self-help resources suggest breathing exercises or other exercises people can follow to reduce tension for people who are anxious about tests. Provide an environment where this is practical and train your test administrators and proctors about the prevalence of test anxiety.

7. If you have a way of encouraging test takers to sleep, take exercise and eat healthily, all these things aid a rational approach to taking a test and reducing anxiety.

8. If it works in your programme, consider whether it’s worth having a series of tests rather than a single test, so there is not a single “make or break” moment for participants. A series of tests can have other benefits too. It makes cheating harder, and by spreading out learning and revision, it can make participants retain the learning better.

9. People with disabilities are more likely to suffer test anxiety. Ensure that your program of accommodations takes this into account. See this helpful article on reducing test anxiety for people with disabilities.

10. Above all, create good quality, fair tests. If you follow good practice in authoring your questions and assessments, then there is less to be anxious about, as the test will be a good measure of performance. See Questionmark’s white paper “Five Steps to Better Tests” for some helpful advice in creating tests.

Many Questionmark users provide very effective practice quizzes and tests which help reduce test anxiety, and I hope these tips are helpful, too.

I’d love to hear additional input or suggestions.

Thanks again to John and Questionmark for allowing us to share their thoughts on assessment!

Photo courtesy of the Clayton Christensen Institute

All of the QR (Quick Response) codes that I have created are static QR codes which served one function and that was to take you to a certain website.

QR codes have definitely evolved over time so take a look at the article from Edutopia entitled QR Codes Can Do That? and find out how to:

• Add your voice
• Attach PDF files
• Collect information
• Send a tweet
• Change locations

Want to know how sleep "resets" your brain? How memories are formed and retained?  Then watch The Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep, embedded below, and learn how sleep balances and regulates the body's vital systems which, in turn, affects declarative and procedural memory.

This short TED-Ed lesson by Shai Marcu is an important topic as school starts and students will soon be staying up late or all night in order to cram for tests and other educational requirements. Marcu goes into detail describing the neurological importance of 8 hours of sleep, but the application is interesting as going to sleep three hours after memorizing math formulas (declarative memory) and one hour after practicing music scales (procedural memory) is the most ideal.

I'm left wondering what I might have accomplished if my sleep and learning patterns were consistent during my formative years...
    

Wizer is an educational platform that allows instructors to create quick, easy and fun digital worksheets, to share them with fellow instructors, and to keep track of student performance.

The "FAQ's" below will tell you question types, multimedia resources, login formation, and some of the technology requirements.

As you know, "free" and "time-saving" are important factors to me....

Wizer FAQ's:

Wizer is FREE for teachers. You may build, assign, share and use as many worksheets as you like for free.

As many as you want! The use of the Wizer digital worksheet builder is unlimited. Make as many as you’d like. Please click to ‘share on gallery’ so that other Wizer teachers can see what you’ve created and use it with their students. Your influence is growing!

Yes. Wizer is a community of innovative teachers who create and share their digital lessons. Any worksheet on the public gallery can be used by simply clicking ‘Use’ or ‘Use this worksheet’. This duplicates the worksheet and puts the copy in your account. You can use it as-is or make some adjustments to fine tune it for your students.

When teachers create a worksheet, they may chose to ‘publish on gallery’ to share it with other teachers. Any worksheet shared on the public gallery can be viewed by other teachers for inspiration or used with their students. To use a gallery worksheet, just click ‘Use’ or ‘Use this Worksheet.’

Yes! Wizer worksheets can be completed on any iPad or tablet.

Yes. Any 1-to-1 device that is connected to the internet and has a web browser can be used to create and complete Wizer worksheets. The best browsers are Chrome and Safari.

On the window that opens you can create an assignment for each class. Each gets its own link & pin code so you can later review their answers separately for each class.

Yes. Wizer is integrated with Google Classroom and Wizer worksheets can be assigned to students directly via the green Google Classroom link. The first time you assign a Wizer worksheet via Google Classroom you will be asked to confirm your connection with a few simple steps.

Yes. If your school uses Haiku digital learning platform you can create or use Wizer worksheets, then copy the worksheet link into your classroom pages.

Yes. If your school uses Moodle open source learning platform you can paste worksheet links directly into class assignments.

You can easily add video, audio and images to any Wizer worksheet. Images can be made interactive using the Fill on an Image question type.

Wizer question types: Open answer, multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, fill on an image and tables.

This technical article deals with the practical aspects of commercial and industrial electrical installation work. It is of the utmost importance that the practical task be done in the appropriate manner. Electrical installations in commercial and industrial settings are often... Read more

The post Seven golden foundations of good electrical installation work appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

To be honest, a circuit breaker is fairly simple device. However, the process of specifying circuit protection is often complicated and unclear, leading many engineers to either include insufficient or excessive protection in their equipment designs. Insufficiently protected circuits expose... Read more

The post Twelve ultimate mistakes when selecting circuit protection for low-voltage equipment appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

In addition to the known phenomena of lightning and switching, numerous new sources, in particular power converters, can cause disturbance in installations. This disturbance, which is generated by the installation itself or carried by the system from external sources or... Read more

The post Six less known phenomena that can cause disturbance in electrical installations appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Nowadays, if you do not consider harmonics distortion when designing a new network, you missed the whole point of the network design. Yes, really. The sooner you realize that harmonics problems are on the rise, the better. Modern power networks... Read more

The post Practical design knowledge in harmonics distortion and power factor correction (PFC) appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Most living rooms require flexible lighting design solutions because they serve a broad variety of changing functions. The lighting in a typical living room should comfortably serve small group conversation, larger social gatherings that include casual eating and drinking, and... Read more

The post Visual Tasks of Typical Living Room Lighting appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

To achieve the best overall outcome in a lighting installation, it is important to avoid the tendency of rushing straight into luminaire selection before determining more broadly what is required from the system. The use of a structured design process... Read more

The post 7 key steps in lighting design process appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

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Parallel switching occurs when two or more circuit-breakers are tripped to interrupt a shared fault current. This is typically the case for such bus arrangements as a double breaker, breaker-and-a-half, breaker-and-a-third, and ring buses. Ideally, all of the circuit-breakers should... Read more

The post Parallel switching phenomenon when MV/HV circuit breakers interrupt a shared fault current appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Circuit breakers (CBs) do interrupt fault currents and close onto faults. Besides, they could be used as isolation devices like disconnectors. The CBs manufacturers’ brochures and standards provide extensive data to select and assess the CBs performance, but designers must... Read more

The post MV/HV switchgear (circuit breaker) switching capability and suitability for specific applications appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

High voltage power substations are complex networks of power and control connections, represented by design elements like- Single Line Diagrams, layout and block diagrams, schematics, logic diagrams, schedules, and so many more. Wiring diagrams and schematics, in a sense, are... Read more

The post Tricks in designing and analyzing schematics and diagrams of high voltage substations appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

In the intricate landscape of electrical engineering, the ability to decipher and interpret schematic drawings is a skill that separates the adept from the novice. This technical article delves into the art of understanding schematics, unraveling the complexities through a... Read more

The post A roadmap for engineers seeking mastery in the language of electrical schematics appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

First, let’s say a word or two about the essentials of power distribution systems for our young electrical engineers. An electric distribution system, or distribution plant as it is sometimes called, is all of that part of an electric power... Read more

The post The loop electrical distribution system used to supply bulk loads (industrial plants and buildings) appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

This technical article provides a collection of the common drawings that are sent by the manufacturer to the client for approval and reference. The goal of these drawings is to verify that the transformers that are going to be manufactured... Read more

The post Contract drawings for a power transformer – The checklist you should always follow appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Electrical systems normally use current and voltage transformers for protection and measurement purposes. They represent the power system’s eyes and ears, and it’s essential to fully understand how they work, how to make the correct specification and most importantly, the... Read more

The post What steps should be taken to avoid choosing the incorrect current and voltage transformers? appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

These standards are the whole of the prescriptions on the basis of which machines, apparatus, materials and the installations should be designed, manufactured and tested so that efficiency and function safety are ensured – and all according to the UK Electrical... Read more

The post UK Electrical Industry British Standards (BS) appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

The heat pump transfers the heat between the heating/cooling distribution system and the earth connection. It is the basic building block of the GSHP system. The most common type of heat pump used with GSHP systems is a “water-to-air” unit... Read more

The post How heat pump works? appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Solar energy (solar radiation) is collected by the solar collector’s absorber plates. Selective coatings are often applied to the absorber plates to improve the overall collection efficiency. A thermal fluid absorbs the energy collected. There are several types of solar... Read more

The post How solar collectors works? appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Photovoltaic markets can be classified based on the end-use application of the technology. The most common PV projects are off-grid applications. Water pumping also represents an important application of PV, particularly in developing countries. The largest long-term market potential for... Read more

The post Photovoltaic End-Use Application Markets appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

The smart network will set up a virtuous cycle for distributed generators and energy storage devices. It will grow the market by opening up more niches where distributed energy is economically competitive. This growth will lead to economies of scale... Read more

The post Driving Distributed Energy with Smart Networks appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

From a communication point of view, each system plays the role of either supplier or consumer of information, or more typically both. In addition to this intersystem communication, these systems consist of subsystems with specific internal communications. The following paragraphs... Read more

The post Conceptual Model of Smart Grid Framework by IEC appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

The hook in "Broke It, Buy It" is insidiously catchy enough to ricochet through your head for days. Levy concludes with the implication that our inability to accept our failings causes more unhappiness than the failures themselves as we chase retail solutions — "we broke it, so we buy it."

Singer-songwriter Nick Zammuto spent most of the '00s as one half of the experimental folk duo The Books. In "Idiom Wind," working at the head of a new project, he tells the story of a man who needs to get his hands dirty.

Despite ongoing advancements in measurement technology, instrumenting a process for feedback control remains a technical challenge. Today’s sensors are certainly more sophisticated than ever before, and fieldbus technology has simplified many installation issues considerably. Nonetheless, much can still go wrong... Read more

The post Selecting Wrong Sensor As a Mistake #1 In Instrumentation appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Generally speaking, there are four ‘Poors’ that can lead to incorrectly installing instrumentation sensors: Poor placement Poor control Poor protection Poor grounding Each of above sensor ‘poors’ are described below, and by the way… have you read what is the mistake No.1... Read more

The post Installing Sensors Incorrectly As a Mistake #2 In Instrumentation appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Passengers will be able to use their mobile phones as tickets from this spring London, 23rd April 2014 – Thames Clippers today announced that they have signed a five year contract with Masabi, the leader in mobile ticketing and payments for transit, to bring smartphone ticketing to its River Bus […]

The post Thames Clippers and Masabi to Launch Mobile Ticketing on Central London River Bus Services appeared first on Masabi.

Riders will be able to use their phones as tickets on both Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road NEW YORK – April 30th, 2014 – Masabi, the leader in mobile ticketing and payments for transit, today announced that New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has selected the company to […]

The post Masabi to Launch Mobile Ticketing with New York’s MTA appeared first on Masabi.

The purpose of a capacitor bank’s protective control is to remove the bank from service before any units or any of the elements that make up a capacitor unit are exposed to more than 110% of their voltage rating. When... Read more

The post How to control and protect capacitor banks before something goes wrong appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.