Do Smartphones Benefit Classroom Learning or Not Essay

Do Smartphones Benefit Classroom Learning or Not - Essay Example Many governments in the world today have acknowledged the importance of technology by either including it as a subject in its own right in the curriculum, or stressing its importance as a set of cross-curricular skills, usually ICT. Technology allows information to be presented more accurately and more attractively than by most traditional means, so that it engages the attention of the user. Despite having its benefits technology has its disadvantages and many people have pointed at them as reasons why smart phones are not good for class room learning (Academic Conferences Limited and Balcaen 159). The use of smart phones in classroom learning has its failures and benefits at the same time (Winebrenner and Brulles 214). However, the benefits certainly outweigh the failures. This paper supports the use of smart phones in class room learning by arguing on its benefits against its failures. The term smart phone is generally used to refer to more advanced cellular phone, whose capabiliti es outdo those of feature phones. Smartphones are primarily communication devices, but today, their functions have increased. Many schools today allow students to use their smart phones or other handled devices in the classroom. One thing people should not forget is that smart phones are not limited to classroom learning, but can also be used to do further research after class, making them very beneficial to learning. For example, smart phones have software’s such as cameras, which are extremely helpful for creating digital projects. Students today are always finding ways to get connected. For example, children of all ages now know how to use smartphones more than their parents. Research has shown that even at the age of three, some children learn how to use their parent’s smart phones. The Benefits of using Smart Phones for Classroom Learning There are many benefits that come with using smart phones in classroom learning. These include: a. Reducing boredom in classroo m learning People have argued that though smart phones reduce boredom in classes by making learning lively, students in this new age are highly motivated by technology and thus, tend to be very mischievous when the class is still in session. They tend to log-in social sites and instead of concentrating in class they, are busy exchanging non-educational materials leading to poor performance in academics Davies and Eynon point out that â€Å"opportunities to continue out-of-school uses of technology when in school have been limited or non-existent until quite recently for most young people† (1931). However, many are times that teachers look for ways to inspire or motivate learners in class. For example, one will find them opening doors and windows, also engaging the learners in singing so as to make them want to learn. Technology and in this case smartphones can play a key part in achieving this easily. It is very evident of how children of this new age are motivated easily by technology. A research done in 2006 suggested that â€Å"technology can have a positive impact on pupil’s levels of concentration, self-confidence, self-esteem, independence, and behavior† (Waugh and Jolliffe n.p.). b. Smart phones provide access to the curriculum for children with special educational needs Smart phones and especially those used by special needs learners, like any technology, are not cheap to purchase. In some schools, they are limited in meeting the needs of each and every student. This does not make learning any simple for such people, but rather, complicates their lives more and at the end, their goals are not achieved. Despite this, smart phones have

Chicago Fire in December,22,2010 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chicago Fire in December,22,2010 - Research Paper Example The fire is said to have been started by squatters burning debris to keep warm in the cold winter in a building whose utilities had been cut off. The fire is believed to have spread and caught the roof that was weighed down by snow and ice leading to its collapse on the firefighters on duty. The ensuing mishaps by the fire department, according to a federal report, are attributed to the tragic deaths and casualties that occurred during the firefighting exercise. According to the report, the firefighters sent into the vacant building had radios, yet their supervisors outside did not get to know the happenings inside: the building’s wooden pillars were letting the fire crawl up to the ceiling so fast. As a group of the fire fighters wrestled the fire from inside the building, another group was on the roof, cutting it up and spraying water on the fire. The cutting was supposed to allow smoke to escape, but it led to the roof collapsing, killing the two firefighters and injuring n ineteen more.  According to Tim Merinar, the lead federal investigator in the Chicago fire incident, the Fire Department’s supervisors ought to have taken a defensive approach in tackling the fire by ordering more firefighters to get out of the building after it was ascertained no persons were trapped inside, as had been previously feared on arrival at the scene. The report faulted the Fire Department for the deaths and injuries on the firefighters. Apparently, the department overlooked several things that ought to have been part of its strategy.

Comic Books: History and Impact on Society

Comic Books: History and Impact on Society Comic books hold an undeniable significance in modern history. Three aspects of significance include the history of comic books, the use of comics for social commentary, and the cultural impact comics have had on our daily lives. Comic books had humble beginnings, soon they grew into a major threat during Cold War era American society and then became an outlet to hippie counter-culture in the 1960s. The earliest ancestors to comics can be found in caves, little stick men spearing blob-shaped beasts. Rodolphe TÃ ¶pffer is considered by many to be the Father of Modern Comics. TÃ ¶pffer was the first to comment on the interwoven nature that words and pictures held, The pictures without the text, would have only an obscure meaning; the text, without the pictures, would mean nothing (Fingeroth 2008, p. 12). In 1895, Richard F. Outcaults character, the Yellow Kid, was the first successful reappearing comic character. In 1935, Max Gaines found funding to begin reprinting comic serials into paper bound books, or comic books. Through the 1940s and 50s comic books were a main focus of attack for Dr. Fredric Wertham. Wertham claimed that comics were corrupting the morals of kids; this included accusations of Batman an d Robin having homosexual tendencies, that Supermans power of flight distorted a childs understanding of physics, and that Wonder Woman gave young girls the wrong impression of the role of women in society (Coville 1996, para 19). In 1954, the industry responded by instituting the Comic Code Authority (CCA), which handed out seals of approval to comics it deemed passed its strict criteria. This included censoring all gore, any story without a happy ending, and nearly any form of sexuality (relationships had to uphold the sanctity of marriage). Although the CCA had no legal authority, shops wouldnt sell comics without the seal which led to a decline in the comic book industry in profit and creativity. Enter the 1960s and the emergence of the hippie counter-culture. A product of this era was the development of underground comics, or comix, which was a direct reaction to the rules of the CCA and the idea of the institution as a whole. Artists within the underground comix scene focused on adult-themed topics, such as hallucinogen use, pushing sexual taboos and rejecting established views of morality, religion and social class. Two huge influences in the scene include Robert Crumb and Art Spiegelman, whose work could be found in record stores and head shops. In the early 1970s mainstream comic brands started to pick up on these more serious topics, which led to the weakening of the CCA. The 70s also saw a shift in focus amongst comic books, relevance to real life issues became the dominant idea. This led to stories about drug abuse, racial prejudice and a peppering of feminist thought. Ethnic minorities also had more roles in comic books, if still secondary and stereotyped. The 1980s to the present day have seen a shift in comics towards graphic novels, emotionally complex characters with human weaknesses, politically stimulated story lines, gritty dystopian-esque cities and a prevalence of anti-hero protagonists (Coville 1996, para 16-23). The history of comics is so rich in detail that this could be considered just the tip of the iceberg. One thing is clear though; the comic book industry rebounded from serious attacks and became stronger than ever, pushing for personal expression amongst its artists and writers. As made evident by the past 40 odd years of comics, the reflection of real life social issues has been a popular trend. Hot topics that are still relevant to this day include the views of women, LGBT persons and ethnic minorities within society. Women have had a role in comics since their creation. Early depictions of women usually put them in the role of damsel in distress/ plot device or purely as a sex symbol. In 1940, the first true, although mostly unheard of, female superhero was created: Fantomah (Markstein n.d, para 3). Fantomah, along with other early female comic protagonists Wonder Woman and Sheena, fell into the Jungle Goddess category. The role of the female was put in the background with the creation of the CCA. Female characters didnt find a positive voice in comics until the 1980s and 1990s (Felton n.d., para 1). Series such as Love Rockets, Ghost World, and Tank Girl promoted strong portrayals of women, often with feminist leanings dealing with the exploration of se xuality in positive ways and the dismissal of expected roles in society. Gay characters also began to make an emergence during this same period. For example, the series Y: The Last Man toyed with the idea of all the men in the world but one dying off at once. Not only did it take a serious look at the complete reinventing of civilization through the hands of women, it delved heavily into lesbian culture: the views of women as masculine and feminine, theories of dominance and ideas of where man would be in a female dominant society. A more mainstream example would be Batwoman, who was recently written as an openly gay character in the series 52 (Gustines 2006, para 2). Ethnic minorities have been in comic books for the past 100 years, but they were usually given stereotypical, often outright racist, roles with no depth of character. Nowadays there are countless comic book characters of color that are portrayed in the same light as white characters. Examples of this would be superhero es such as Storm, a black woman who was leader of the X-MenÂÂ ­, and Cyborg, black male leader of the Teen Titans. Not to mention nearly the entire cast of Love Rockets who are of Mexican descent. One of the earliest well-known black superheroes, Black Panther, has recently gone through a revival. Reginald Hudlin, Black Entertainment Televisions President for Entertainment, who wrote the new series has stated: The reality is that theres been so few black characters who have their own book, who have been consistently published, let alone a black character who has been written by a black writer and the perspective that comes from that (Gustines 2006, para 7). In closing, the effort being made to turn comics into tools for personal reflection on ones values seems to be growing significantly. Established views are being challenged in a creative format, with people having control in how much they want to expose themselves. Lastly, the cultural impact of comic books on the world is noteworthy; film and television adaptations of comic books throughout the world and their acceptance as literature, the extension of the fictional superhero identity into real-life groups and individuals donning costumes, and the use of comic books to push ideological views has had a resounding effect on society. Though adaptations of comics had been put onto the big screen for many years, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials being prominent, it wasnt until 1978 when the first Superman movie was released that audiences and film makers took it seriously (Booker 2007, pp. x-xi). Superman was extremely popular, and until nearly a decade later it reigned as the most well-known comic movie available. With new progress made into computer-generated imagery (CGI), the trend was ready to take off. Dozens of comic book movies and television shows have been made, a good amount of which arent superhero related, thanks to the nearly infin ite potential of CGI (10 Interesting Comic Book Facts You Probably Didnt Know 2009, para 6). These include classic superheroes such as Batman, Superman and Spiderman that have been replicated and assimilated in foreign countries. Another notable trend is the view of comic books as legitimate literature, such as Art Spiegelmans Maus receiving a special Pulitzer in 1992 and Alan Moores Watchmen being entered into Time magazines 2005 list of 100 Best English-language novels from 1923 to the present (10 Interesting Comic Book Facts You Probably Didnt Know 2009, para 8). By now it can be claimed that superheroes are indeed a part of our society, but some individuals take it one step further. Take for example the New York based real life superhero Terrifica. Terrifica dons a blond wig and red boots, complete with red cape and utility belt at night. Her mission is to prevent drunken women from being taken advantage of by sexual predators, which keeps her mostly in bars and party scenes. Her arch-nemesis, Fantastico, is a full-time seducer of women, whom Terrfica has been known to peel women off of (Robinson 2002, para 4). It sounds like a joke, but there are dozens of real life superheroes in the world. Another is A ngle-Grinder Man, a resident of the London area who travels around at night, in full costume, with an angle-grinder that he uses to cut off clamps he finds on peoples cars. He even has a hotline (Superhero takes on clampers 2003, para 1-4). A far more touching example would be the group who call themselves Superheroes Anonymous. This is a group of costumed heroes who have been walking the streets of New York since 2007, handing out food and support to the homeless (Superheroes Anonymous 2010, para 2). A comic being used as a vehicle for ideology goes way back to the original serialized character, Yellow Kid. Though the premise of Yellow Kid and his colleagues was lighthearted and whimsical in nature, the underlying theme and artistic style of the comic was seen as a critical satire of the severe poverty following the industrial revolution. All the characters were dirty, rag covered, homeless-looking children who poked fun at upper-class customs (McAllister et al. 2001, pp.1-2). J. R obyn Goodman made the observation that throughout popular comics in 1909 to 1914 over 80% of the cartoons reflected anti-suffragist ideology (Goodman in McAllister et al. 2001, p. 9). Topics that have been covered such as the blossoming of underground comix and the progressive feminist/sexual views between the 1960s and current comic books can be seen as forms of ideology being present too. To clarify, comic books as a whole have affected our world culture in profound ways. It can be said that they are engrained in our psyche; through print, film and television they have reached millions and have cemented archetypes and ideologies along the way. By now it should be clear that comic books are here to stay. Even after grievous attacks the medium of comic books has triumphed and made its place in society known. They have grown with us; as children we see the world as black and white, and comics reflected this by depicting battles clearly as good versus evil. As we grow older the shades of grey start to take shape and to mirror this, comics have taken on ambiguous topics and played with our sense of morality. While there are many who have no interest in comic books, its near impossible to find someone who has never heard of Superman, Batman or Spiderman. Yes, comic books truly are a significant man-made facet of civilization.

Catalysts In ?A View From The Bridge? And ?The Glass Menagerie? :: essays research papers

Just as in science, a catalyst speeds up the rate of the chemical reaction; in literature, a catalyst is a person, idea or event that initiates and develops the conflict of the story. In â€Å"A View from the Bridge† and â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†, the catalysts used are introduced at different points in the plays and play different roles. In â€Å" A View from the Bridge†, Rodolpho, the catalyst, is introduced in the exposition, and plays a major role in the play. He initiates the conflict by being attracted to Catherine, and by the fact that Catherine is attracted to him as well. The fact that he is introduced in the exposition, allows for the author to develop his character, and thus allows for the audience to sympathise with him instead of Eddie. This development gives the audience a high quality catalyst as it can relate to Rodplpho. Rodolpho creates a heavy tension in the family, due to his relationship with Catherine. This tension relates to the play’s theme of obsession as it is caused by Eddie’s obsession with Catherine. How Rodolpho relates to the main theme and develops the tension make him a quality catalyst. Jim, the catalyst in â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†, is introduced in the complications of the play, and though he initiates the conflict, he does not develop it. This may be due to the fact that he was introduced too late into the play, and because his character was not developed. This underdevelopment of his character produces a lower quality catalyst as the audience cannot relate to Jim, and also because he participates little in the play. The tension created by Jim relates to the theme of betrayal, when he tells Laura that he is engaged after he led her on and kissed her. Jim’s inefficiency to develop the plot results in a less dramatic climax in â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†.

Body Worlds Exhibit Essay

The body worlds exhibit is a traveling exhibition of conserved human bodies and human parts they have prepared by plastination. Plastination is when the water and fat inside the body is replaced with plastic so that human specimens can be touched, do not smell, or decay. The creator of plastination was German his name was, Dr. Gunther Von Hugens. The three main reasons why body worlds exhibits are a good and bad idea to have around the world are, educational but disturbing, artistic but odd, and can help with medicine and patients but can sometimes be personal. To begin, body world exhibits should exist because, they are educational. They give you a visual imagery on your whole body three dimensional using real human bodies. Young students training to be in the medical field could relate to these exhibits and learn a lot, like where your organs are placed, which muscles flex when you move a certain muscle, what it looks like to have smoker’s lungs and not have smoker’s lungs, you could learn many things by going to these exhibits and just examine the bodies. One of the bad reasons why body world exhibits should not exist is because, they can be disturbing. For some cutting up and cleaning out the inside of a dead human body and have it prepared for plastination might just be a bit too extreme. To continue, body world exhibits should exist because, it is artistic. Some of the human bodies are placed in different shapes and forms. For example, there is a human body faced upside down with a skateboard in hand doing a trick it is showing the different kinds of movement in your muscles. Some bodies just have nerves covering their entire body, there are 8th month old fetus’s, and two placsinated bodies meshed together. To make these exhibits interesting you would have to be very creative and artistic. Another bad reason why body world exhibits should not exist is because, their odd. Who would want to go pay $30 for an exhibit that shows thousands of dead people carved out into presentable form so you can see their insides? They were alive just like you a few years ago, and now their a mannequins posing for people to take pictures and jot down notes? You would either have to be artistic, smart, or brave to walk around with plastic corpses.

Interpersonal and Effective Communication Essay

P.1 – Produce a guidance document explaining the role of effective communication and interpersonal interaction in a health and social care context for a new member of staff (using a hospital or care home setting) to include: Communication: text messaging, written, oral, signing, technology. Interpersonal interaction: language, non-verbal (choose 2 issues under each heading from unit specification page 3). Effective communication The role of effective communication is important in any work setting especially in any health care setting. Effective communication is when someone is getting a message across or explaining a topic fully with using the least information possible it is when information is transmitted accurately and simply such as in a hospital or care home information that any staff needs to know will be given to them in the easiest and simplest form possible. Communication although is not effective if the person you are giving the information to is not listening. Effective communication can be between colleagues or professionals and people using the services. There are many different forms of communication these include; †¢text messaging †¢written †¢Oral/verbal †¢ signing †¢ symbols †¢ touch †¢ music and drama †¢ arts and crafts †¢ Technology Text messaging This is done on an everyday basis this is done on devices such as mobile phones and computers. The messages are sent through a large ariel in space. Such as in a care home or nursery school the staff would sometimes keep in contact through text messages this is good for when they are out of work and can’t speak to each other. Written There are many different forms of written communication. Most of our communication is in written form. We have newspapers that tell us what’s happening round the world daily, also we have books about everything under the sun and we have magazines and leaflets that give information on health topics such as pregnancy, diabetes, care etc. Within in any health care setting this is important and comes into play in recording medical treatments or medicines, instructions on treatment and medication and also agreements between two people. Signing This is a way of communicating for those who are deaf they use their hands to speak. There is an official British sign language. This would come into health care frequently and in hospitals and care homes there should always be someone that knows this in case of a patient who is deaf. There are different contexts of communication these include; One to one this is one individual communicating to another individual such as in a conversation or email or instant messaging. This can occur on an everyday basis in any health care setting such as one nurse speaking to another nurse about a patient. Group This is when more than two people are communicating with each other this can range from 3 to any number such as a class lecture consisting of about 60 people. Group communication is effective as it sends the same information to the entire group at the same time. This can happen in a health care setting such as a care home when they have staff meetings. Formal This is when people use rules of language in either written or verbal communication such as in a letter from your doctor or either when you have an interview for a job. Formal communication comes into every health and social care setting such as when you’re in hospital and the doctor comes around to see you he would use formal language. Informal This is a more laid back type of communication such as if you were talking to your family or friends you don’t have to use rule of language and this can be present in some health and social care settings such as a social worker or key worker that you have known for perhaps a long time you would then be more comfortable with them and your language would be more laidback rather than formal. There are a few factors and skill that help in effective communication these include; †¢eye contact and visible mouth †¢body language †¢asking some questions †¢checking for understanding †¢silence †¢encouragement to continue †¢smiling face †¢summarising what has been said Interpersonal interaction Interpersonal interaction is the way in which we communicate and interact with each other. To have efficient communication skill in a health and social care setting is vital in helping building relationships with clients, to provide and receive information, understand and meet the needs of clients and to report on work done with clients. There are two type of interpersonal interaction these are language and non-verbal. Language Language consists of every day communication we use this on a day to day basis. There are many different types of language such as Spanish French German etc. and everybody has a first language even if they know a few our first language would be English. In a hospital there can be many people that come in on a day to day basis that don’t speak English but this can prove a barrier to communicating with that person. In most hospitals and care settings there would be a few nurses and doctors that would speak more than one language and if not an interpreter may have to be brought in. Dialect also comes under language this is the way certain people from certain places or cities speak such as wales would have a welsh dialect and England has an English dialect. This can happen in any care setting such as a care home when residents could be from different places and speak different ways the carers may not understand them as much but after a period of time they may get to know their dialect. Jargon would also come under language this is basically just a manner of talking that is very difficult to understand or even sometimes senseless. And slang would be another form of language this is very similar to dialect and is based on word people say that are not in the dictionary but a lot may know the meaning certain towns and places would have their own slang such as Derry city is well known for its slang. In a hospital if someone came in that was injured and they only talk in slang it can be very hard for the person treating them to understand although he person doing it may not even realise. We use speech everyday although some people cannot do this there are alternative ways for them to communicate with others such as picture cards for the deaf these would be cards that contain pictures on them of everyday things so that someone who cannot speak tell someone what they want or need or for someone who cannot hear so that the person communicating with them can tell them what they’re saying this would come into health care settings such as therapy like speech therapy there would be picture cards for children who cannot talk to communicate also there is electronic devices such as Light writers are small, robust, portable voice output communication aids (VOCA) specially designed to meet the particular and changing needs of people with speech loss resulting from a wide range of acquired, progressive and congenital conditions. Non-verbal Non-verbal is the way in which we interact and communicate with each other without speaking this can be in many different ways and we can do this without even knowing. These include posture that can portray to someone if you are interested of not if someone is talking to you and you’re sitting slouched and sloppy they may believe you’re not interested in what you’re saying. Facial expression can tell a person a lot such as if someone tells you something that is very surprising you would open your mouth and maybe gasp this shows the person that you are shocked without having to speak there are a number of different facial expressions for many different feelings such as happy sad angry scared etc. Reflective listening is another form such as if someone was telling you something and you are listening intensively then they know that you have got the message and that you are interested without having to ask you. Proximities is different things people need when communicating with someone such as your own personal space The amount of distance we need and the amount of space we perceive as belonging to us is influenced by a number of factors including social norms, situational factors, personality characteristics and level of familiarity. For example, the amount of personal space needed when having a casual conversation with another person usually varies between 18 inches to four feet. All these non-verbal methods communication are used in any health and social care settings on an everyday basis such as I a hospital when a consultant has to talk to someone they would use their non-verbal communication along with verbal by having good posture when talking to the person having a low voice if giving the person bad news and would also use facial expressions when the patient is talking to them to maybe let them know they understand what they’re saying.

Early Sex Socialization essays

Early Sex Socialization essays As early as pre-kindergarten, many children come to school with concrete ideas regarding gender socialization. Many girls, for example, will not engage in rough play. When a little boy gets hurt during a playground, he will do his best to keep from crying, for fear of being teased as "a little girl." This trend often continues as the child grows up. Boys are more participative in class because they tend to speak out more. Many young girls, on the other hand, are more reserved. Though this is an unconscious process, many aspects of early gender role socialization are difficult to overcome and have long-term effects. In many cases, early gender role socialization has very restrictive results. Boys learn to suppress their emotions, and it may become difficult for an educator to interest them in subjects that are considered "affective." This includes subjects like art, music or creative writing. Girls, on the other hand, tend to shy away from "hard" sciences like math I believe that parents need to develop a greater awareness of the effects of early gender role socializing. It is with parents that children learn their earliest and often, most influential, gender role. It is also at this stage when they are forming ideas about their own personality and identity. Restrictive ideas regarding gender roles serve to curtail the vast potential of many children. One can only imagine, for example, how many future female scientists opted for other, more "feminine" The good news is that there is a growing awareness of the problem regarding early gender role socialization. However, much remains to be done. Parents need to learn that their children pick up on their cues regarding socialization. Educators should also be aware of ingrained gender roles, in order to recognize and perhaps counter their ill effects. ...