The character of Alison in The Millers Tale Essay Example

The character of Alison in The Millers Tale Essay Example The character of Alison in The Millers Tale Paper The character of Alison in The Millers Tale Paper The description shows that Alison attempts to dress as a reflection of her purity and sweetness. Her clothes are mainly white, her barmcloth eek as whit as morne milk, the tapes of hir white voluper and whit was hir smok. The white clothes are ironic in their reflection of virginity, as Alison soon proves to have loose sexual morals. It is the fact that her outfit is so excessively white that provides a hint towards the idea that purity is a look she is trying to achieve, rather than a characteristic she bears. She is described to have a likerous ye, suggesting that she is a playful, lustful person. She also wears boots laced on hir legges hye, which reflects a more erotic nature to her character than the rest of her outfit aims to portray. These things imply that Alison is more mischievous than she seems. Alison is a well groomed and well looked after character, evidently by both her husband and herself. Her clothes are made from fine materials, a purs of lether tassled with silk, and are extravagant and intricate, for instance her smok is broiden with col-blak silk. This shows that her husband treats her well and pays for her to have expensive things, implying that she is perhaps a trophy for him rather than a loving companion. She looks after herself well, indicated by her ful smale ypulled eyebrows and hir mouth smelling sweete. In the time in which the tale was written it was far less common to be so well groomed and sensually appealing, making her more and more attractive. The fact that she takes such care of her appearance reveals her vanity, and further implies the extent of her beauty. The description reveals Alisons physical beauty, as well as hinting at the darker sides of her nature. These are both important aspects of the tale as the story unfolds, in justifying the other characters actions and feelings.

The eNotes Blog For Students The Keys to a Happy DormLife

For Students The Keys to a Happy DormLife Now that summer has drawn to a close and the school year has arrived, many of you will have left the nest for the first time and moved into that staple of college comedy: the dorm. As a recent college graduate and an employee of the front desk of a residence hall for nearly two years, I’ve asked my coworkers what they would like to tell incoming freshmen about dorm life. If they could give you one piece of advice, this is what they would tell you:   Socializing Gosh, making new friends sure is swell   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Force yourself to be social. This is the one time of year when everyone is trying to make friends, so this is the best time to meet as many people as possible. A lot of your friends can be found right on your floor.† –Anum K., Fourth Year The first few weeks of college will be a nebulous period in which everyone is feeling out of their depth. Everyone is overwhelmed, no matter how confident they seem, and the first thing people seek is a friend to help them figure things out. Use this as an exciting opportunity. You will never encounter another situation like this, where hundreds or thousands of people are looking for friends at the same time. Meeting masses of people may be intimidating, especially to you Socially Awkward Penguins out there, but it can be incredibly helpful. Some tips to help you do so: â€Å"Invest in a fork.† –Lixa C., Third Year This may seem really weird, but it is actually an incredibly useful piece of advice. In my dorm we pilfered forks from the dining hall and bent them in half to use as doorstops. This is especially useful when you live in a long hallway where everyone can see your door and vice versa. It lets people know that you’re open to socializing and encourages them to stop in and introduce themselves. You won’t be the only one doing this, I promise. I got to know nearly every person on my freshman floor by doing this. Dear Diary, Betty moved Mr. Winkle again. That girl sure knows how to push my buttons â€Å"If your roommate sucks, MOVE.† –Aime A., Fourth Year There is a time limit on this one. A couple of weeks into the semester, there should be some sort of room-swap event where you can switch with another person. If you walk in and instantly know you and your roommate won’t get along, don’t force yourself to suffer through an entire year of living with one another. It will eliminate the chance to find a friend and make your daily life stressful. My freshman roommate is my best friend, bar none. You are not doomed to have a crazy roommate. But act quickly; if you miss this event, it is unlikely you will be able to switch easily midway through the year. â€Å"Use it as a time to get to know everyone while they’re in one place.†Ã¢â‚¬â€œErika F., Graduate This isn’t like high school, where you only have a certain amount of time between classes during the day to get to know people. Living in a dorm means that there are people of your age group living five feet away from you. They go to class with you. They eat in the same places. They study in the same places. You could step out of your door at two in the morning and it is likely that there will be someone there. They might not be the ideal candidate, but you have ample time and opportunity to find people who are.   Studying Tut tut, these girls are up to no good playing cards in the study lounge   Ã¢â‚¬Å"No studying is ever done in study lounges.† –Victor S., Fourth Year My floor study lounge freshman year was many things. It was the first door you encountered when entering the floor, and a natural meeting spot. It was a safe haven if you grew stir crazy in your room. It was the place where you could pass out after a Thursday night adventure in the frat houses. It was the place where the boisterous, ragtag group of freshmen from my floor stored their trophies from these nights out (including, but not limited to: a wheelchair, an upright piano, a white board, a chair from In-N-Out, the couch from the floor above us, and so on). It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a place where you could study. Even if your floor isn’t something out of Animal House like mine was, you are bound to get distracted if you try to study in a lounge. There will always be someone popping their head in, or a group of people playing cards, or any number of things that can break your concentration in an instant. Find alternatives. The dorm we work in has private study rooms that can be rented out for a two-hour period. We also have a massive lecture room where the unspoken law is silence. Coffee shops have free WiFi and caffeine to keep you going. I am the rare breed of person who can actually study in my room without falling asleep, but I usually don’t recommend that method to others. If all else fails, there’s always the library. Find out what works for you and stick to it. And if you really want to study in your lounge, I leave you with this advice: â€Å"Buy ear plugs.† – Danay I., Fourth Year Thats more like it, boys Daily Life â€Å"Don’t smoke in the dorm. Because you will get written up. And you will die.† – Kyle B., Second Year College isn’t all about studying, nor is it about the massive amounts of partying you’ll see in college comedies. In between there are little moments of everyday life as you struggle to adjust to living on your own for the first time in your life. If you’re well prepared, it’ll be easier on you.   If not, here are some tips: â€Å"Food. Food everywhere.† – Eddie A., Third Year Our dining halls were all-you-can-eat buffets, and were ranked among the best in the nation. They also come with the added bonus of a wide variety of food with little effort required to get it. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the cause of the infamous Freshman Fifteen. So maybe instead of helping yourself to that third basket of fries, go for the salad instead. And while pizza every day for a month might sound awesome, your scale doesn’t think so and neither will that cute girl who sits next to you in your Intro to Econ class. Easy on the jello shots, Mary Sue. Why not take a bite of Johnnys apple instead? â€Å"Get used to having a roommate.† – Eric W., Fourth Year Cohabitation is not easy, no matter how well you get along with your roommate. It’s hard to be conscious and considerate of another person’s needs while juggling your own obligations and stress. But remember the Golden Rule and don’t blast music while your roommate is trying to study or sleep, and don’t invite your significant other over and whisper late into the night when they have early class the next day. Yes, it is your room and technically you can do what you want, but it’s their room as well and making their life difficult might have repercussions in the form of spiders in your bed. Just saying, they know where you sleep. I always knew you were a neat guy, Tom, but this place is spotless. Gee whiz!   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Don’t bother buying new clothes. You’ll look like crap in class anyway and so will everyone else.† – Danay I., Fourth Year You might try to look good for the first few weeks of class. But all it takes is one day of sleeping through your alarm and sprinting to class in your Donald Duck PJs for you to stumble upon that magical realization: Nobody Cares. Seriously. As long as the important bits are covered, you could walk into class looking like a complete lunatic and no one will bat an eye. My freshman year, I had a class in a meeting room located in my own building. I used to wake up five minutes before class, toss my hair up in a hair tie, and stroll into class with thirty seconds to spare without changing out of my pajamas. I didn’t even put on shoes. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, so hang on to those ratty high school sweatpants until at least a couple of weeks in. That said†¦ â€Å"Do laundry more than once a semester.† – Logan L., Second Year Laundry can be a pain. It’s time consuming, tedious, and the nearest laundry room might be on the other side of the building. When you get there you might find that every single washer is occupied and you’ll have to wait even longer to snag the next one. At my college quarters are worth their weight in gold, and usually anyone who asks for them at our desk past noon on a Saturday is out of luck as we don’t get a change order on the weekends. With that said, you are a grownup. People might not care what you look like in class, but theyll expect you to practice basic hygiene. This goes for finals week as well. You’d think I wouldn’t have to tell people that. You’d be wrong. Make sure you and your clothes are clean (and no, spraying your unmentionables with Febreze wont cut it). The lovely ladies of the class of 51 sure know how to have some good, clean fun Parting Words I’ll leave you with my own piece of advice. If I could tell incoming freshmen just one thing, it would be this: don’t limit your friendly interactions to other students. Make friends with the people who work in your building. The front desk staff. The housekeepers. The dining hall people. The RAs and other residential life staff. There is no downside to this. You’ll be more knowledgeable about your building. You might get a favor every now and then. And you’ll make their day better by seeing them as something more than some drone there to service you. A lot of the time working in a dorm can seem like a thankless task, and when someone tells us to have a nice day or gives us a genuine â€Å"thank you† it can make all the difference. I have met so many wonderful people who work in the dorms, and it doesn’t matter whether that relationship manifests itself in free swipes for food or just a smile as I walk down the hall. Become a part of your com munity. Don’t neglect someone just because they play a different role in the dorm life than you. As with many aspects of college, you’ll get out what you put into your dorm experience. I had the time of my life while living in the dorms, but I didn’t do that by staying cooped up in my room bent over my textbooks every spare minute of the day, nor by neglecting my schoolwork until I was too stressed to enjoy myself. It’s all about striking a balance. Thanks so much to my coworkers for offering their advice. They are a huge part of what has made my dorm experience so awesome. #sproullifeforlife! Gabby H. Editorial Intern,

Attitude Towards Work And Love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Attitude Towards Work And Love - Essay Example For the past 150 years, our attitude work and love has changed drastically. Initially, workers in their forties were considered wiser and more experienced, thus earning more as they age. With the most difficult jobs, their decisions were well-respected and honored. On one hand, those who were in their twenties were believed to lack such wisdom and strength since they are inexperienced.However, at the turn of the century, a shift directing attention to the physical attribution initiated the notion that middle-aged workers are less organized and stubborn as they are confronted by the decline in their mental and physical strength. Employers nowadays hire younger workers because they have fresher ideas since they believe â€Å"aging† employees become tolerant to change and inclined to â€Å"old† practices.Similarly, relationships have changed particularly on issues of ‘manhood’ and fidelity. To reaffirm their masculinity at mid-life, men resortedtokeep in shape and build muscles and getas much sex as possible.   Men who get involved with other women are now admired in the society more than those who remain celibate, instead of being mocked.Sleeping with other women other than his wife, particularly procreating even outside marriage isnow envied by the many.

The Changed Face of the New Colossus in the New Millennium Essay

The Changed Face of the New Colossus in the New Millennium - Essay Example been affected by these immigrations This essay shall envisage finding the answer to these questions, and shall compare the trends as described in three articles by Portes and Rumbaut (1996), Reed Ueda (1994), George J. Sanchez (1993) as a part of the analysis. It shall be argued that, there are clear differences in the emerging immigration patterns of present day, from the early immigrations in the nineteenth century; and discuss briefly, some of the factors like 1) Economic 2) Opportunities/aspirations 3) Cultural and Educational Background of immigrants, with a special mention on the Mexican immigration, shall conclude with a note on the shortcomings as well as the significance of such analysis. The 'old' and the 'new' immigration: Portes and Rumbaut (1996) have given one of the best classifications of immigrant patterns. Classified as 'old inflow' and 'new inflow' immigration, the former has taken place in the late nineteenth century and the latter in early twentieth century-the "contemporary immigration". There are unmistakable differences in the pattern and people, between the two. The "old immigration overwhelmingly European and white, but the present inflow is to a large extent non-white and comes from the countries of the Third World" (Portes and Rumbaut, 1996:404). The authors have given four classifications of immigrants: 1) Labor Immigrants: who were largely low-skilled, low literacy and who willingly accepted low-paid jobs, and were in great demand in the industrial, manufacture-oriented America. Coming in from Mexico, Jamaica, and the Caribbean etc. this group of immigrants constituted both legal and illegal. The employers had to pay far less wages to this divers e, non-white ethnic groups, and for the employee the approximate earning of $4.25 per hour was six times higher then the wages in Mexico and other such 'sending countries' (Portes and Rumbaut, 1996:406-9). 2) Professional Immigrants: This group is the opposite of the former. The immigrants of this group were highly educated and brainy; "labeled as the 'brain-drain' in the countries of their origin" this group did not take up menial jobs in the U.S. (Portes and Rumbaut, 1996:412-13). They were particularly of Asian Origin, with Chinese, Philippinos, Indians, and Taiwanese, and significantly large numbers. The one exception was the British, who also were a part of this group. After the passing of new provisions under the Immigration Act of 1990, in the year 1992, the number of Visas granted to this group tripled (Portes and Rumbaut, 1996:411). It is significant that this group opted for immigration probably because of the better opportunities available to them in their host country, w hich they perceived to be in proportion to their education levels. The earnings, especially of the Indians, were among the highest in 1990. They were perceived in a positive light, generally, since they rarely were considered a problematic community or manifested any signs of "tightly-knit ethnic community" (Portes and Rumbaut, 1996:411-12). 3) Entrepreneurial Immigrants: Immigrants from Korea, Cuba, Jews and Japanese belong to this group, predominantly. They enter with small entrepreneurship businesses and as their business expands they bring in others of their community to man their expanding set-up. Thus, their concentration as a strongly-knit ethnic

Organizational performance Essay Example for Free

Organizational performance Essay Todays society is diverse and rapidly changing and it is the organisations ability to adapt or be in fit with the external environment that will determine its overall performance. Ethical issues arise throughout all organisations daily activities but it is the continual debate about what is right or wrong that will shape ethical decision making now and for generations to come. This essay aims to investigate culture within the internal environment and how culture plays a role in an organisations ability to fit in with the environment. According to (Samson and Daft, 2003:80) the internal environment is composed of present employees, management and business culture. This essay will investigate how culture plays a role in the organisations overall success. In addressing the issue it will be shown how the external environment has changed in terms of how organisations are evaluated. How changing an organisations culture can help the organisation be in fit with the external environment and how the success of changing culture may depend on the level of employee moral development. It is argued that the organisations performance depends on a fit between the organisation and its external environment. Body Key point 1: How the external environment has changed in terms of how organisations are evaluated. The external environment has changed with respect to how organisations are evaluated today. According to ( Samson and Daft, 2003:79) the external environment is all elements existing outside the organisations limitations that have the possibility to affect the organisation. Companies around the world have started to realise that investors are not concerned exclusively with financial performance (Tschopp, 2003). The days of companies being  evaluated on their financial performance are gone and companies are now finding that they are being evaluated on a more overall perspective. Increasing the ethical obligations can help an organisation when adapting to the external environment. According to ( Samson and Daft, 2003:147) ethics is the code of honourable principles and standards that governs the behaviours of an individual or group with respect to what is correct or incorrect. If ethics is incorporated as part of the organisation this can lead to improvements in the workplace and towards society. The triple bottom line approach has been introduced as a way of achieving overall success both internally and externally throughout the organisation. Triple bottom line entails reporting on economic, social, and environmental issues. Corporate success should be considered not just by the traditional financial bottom line, but also by its social/ethical and environmental performance ( Samson and Daft, 2003). Triple bottom line has not only put the emphasis on managers to not only make a profit but to also consider the surrounding external environment that they could be affecting. Businesses now report annually on social and environmental performance as well as their financial performance because they know it provides a more complete measure of long-term value creation and strategic opportunity (Tuchman. J, 2004). Key Point 2: Organisations need to change to fit. They can do this by changing an organisations culture to fit in with the external environment. The external environment has altered and its the organisations ability to change to keep in touch with the external environment that determines its performance. One way an organisation can change to keep in contact with the environment is by altering its culture. According to (Samson and Daft. 2003: 94) culture is the knowledge, beliefs, values, behaviours and ways of viewing shared among members of a society. Organisational culture has been defined, in very simple but intuitive words, as the way we do things around here (Domenec, 2003). The notion that we can make others do what we want them to do by persuading them to want to do  it is one that has a long pedigree. This notion became formalised as an integrative view of organisation culture and became more ingrained after the publishing of the book In Search of Excellence in 1982 (Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr., 1982) Moving towards greater corporate responsibility may require culture change or at least cultural re-enforcement. The fundamental values that exemplify cultures at these and other organisations can be understood through the noticeable manifestations of symbols, stories, heroes, slogans and ceremonies. Any organisations culture can be interpreted by observing these factors (Samson and Daft, 2003:95). By incorporating symbols, stories, heroes, slogans and ceremonies into an organisations culture they will be able to adapt to the changing external environment. According to (Samson and Daft, 2003:97) slogan is a phrase or sentence that succinctly expresses a key corporate value. Hungry Jacks for example has the slogan The burgers are better at Hungry Jacks. They have incorporated this slogan as part of their culture to try and separate them from the other competitors. By incorporating the different types of culture into and organisation, may change the way managers and employees think to incorporate social and natural environmental responsibilities into the workforce. Key Point 3: The success of changing culture may depend on the level of employee ethical development. The success of changing culture can depend on numerous factors but the level of employee ethical development plays a role. The three levels of personal moral development could pose a problem for employee ethical development. The theory developed by Kohlberg goes through the different stages of employee development from pre-conventional to post conventional. Starting at the pre-conventional level which focuses on right vs. wrong and the behaviour is on ones self to the conventional level which focuses on the  group rather then ones self. Then lastly Kohlbergs post-conventional level of individual development which focuses on abstract and self-chosen principles (Arnold and Lampe, 1999). Kohlbergs theory brings attention to the fact that if employees are going in different directions it can hinder the success of an organisation. If there are employees who are focusing on what is right vs. wrong and other employees who are following self chosen principles even though they know people hold different views. In this sense, the greatest danger to modern organisations is the betrayal of ambitious, selfish, untrustworthy people who care more for their own progression than the mission of the organisation (Domenec, 2003). Since each person is unique, each one can focus on personal accomplishment in very different ways (Domenec, 2003). Conclusion This essay investigated culture within the internal environment and how culture plays a role in an organisations ability to fit in with the environment. In support of this argument there has been evidence supported to show how organisations incorporate culture to be in fit with the changes of external environment. Organisations are finding that they are being evaluated not only on their financial status but also their social and environmental performance. This has meant that organisations have had to change their culture to compensate in the change in evaluation. An organisation culture can be observed through such factors as slogans and symbols which now have to coincide with the external environment. The success of the changing culture can depend on the level of employee ethical development and at what stage everyone is at. If an organisation is united and following the same path or views they may find greater overall success. Views that link an organisations culture with its performance seek to shape managers and employees understandings in a common and coherent direction (Kolter and Keskett, 1992). Bibliography: 1. Samson, D., Daft, R.L. (2003) Management: Pacific rim edition. Victoria: Thomson. 2. Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr., In Search of Excellence: Lessons from Americas Best-Run Companies (New York: Warner Books, 1982), 3. Tuchman, J. 2004, Big Owners Balance Triple Bottom Line [online], Available from URL: http://www.enr.com/news/bizlabor/archives/040809-1.asp 4.

Comparing The Passionate Shepherd To His Love, Her Reply, and Cecil Day

Comparing The Passionate Shepherd To His Love,  Her Reply, and Cecil Day Lewis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When looking at these three poems,   it immediately becomes noticeable that all of them are very similar.   They often share the same lines,   almost word for word,   and furthermore follow a smilar tone,   as well as having an identical rhyming pattern.   „The passionate shepherd to his loveâ€Å" (poem number one)   is followed by an answer from his lover (poem number two),   and is then followed up by a further poem by Cecil Day Lewis,   which like in poem number one,   is an attempt at winning a ladies heart over,   and convincing her to devote all her love to him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first poem seems to be an idyillic one,   and spends a lot of time going into the description of the surrounding nature.   Christopher Marlowe describes the countryside as being pure and beautiful,   and seems to be trying to suggest that his love is also something natural and pure. „That hills and valley,   dales and fields, Or woods or steepy mountain yieldsâ€Å" However it almost seems as though it is too good to be true,   as one knows that nature also conceals many dangers.   However he takes it further than that,   and seems to try and build up a kind of utopia for his love talking about treating her as well as he possibly can. „And I will make thee a bed of roses, And a thousand fragrant posiesâ€Å" However the poet is now attempting to build up such a perfect image of their possible life together,   that it becomes ever more unrealistic.   The answer from the lady whose heart he is trying to win over however,   takes a far more realistic approach,   and seems to try and bring him back down to earth.   She makes him aware of the fact that time brings change,   an... ...,   but in the closing two lines of the last stanza in poems in and three the poets once again use the same lines to express their feelings. „If these delights thy mind may move, Then live with me and be my Love.â€Å" To conclude the comparison of the three given poems it must be said that they are very similar,   and in certain aspects even identical.   The only exception to this seems to be the second poem,   which was a reply to the first.   Despite talking about the same topic,   and being directly linked to the first poem,   it is very different,   as it is not attempting to proclaim the poets love,   but is turning it down.   Equally the last poem differs slightly due to different circumstances.   Yet all of them are attempting to show the reader (or the person it is meant for),   what the poets feelings towards that person is,   by using very descriptive language.

Newell Convers Wyeth Essay

Newell Convers Wyeth was one of the famous men in America during his time. This is because he was considered as one of the greatest American illustrators. He was the first to set the pace amongst the three generations of Wyeth artists. However, he was not only an illustrator but a painter as well. The work he did has become historical and is celebrated in many galleries, museums and publications as well as in other artist venues across the globe (Howell, par 1). Throughout his life, he was doing very well as an illustrator thus becoming very famous. N. C died in Chadds Ford in 1945 through an accident (Brandy Wine Conservancy 3). Wyeth gained national recognition as a result of his Scribner’s Classic Children’s Books like The Yearling, Robinson Crusoe, The Last of the Mohicans, Kidnapped, and Treasure Island among others. Wyeth believed that the deepest happiness a person can experience comes from living a simple life, and also treasuring the beauty and bounty of land and sea. Quite a number of Wyeth’s paintings were based on his feelings and own experiences. This was usually as a result of the memories of his parent’s farm where he grew up (Highlights for Children, par 1-8). N. C Wyeth started drawing when he was a child. He was being encouraged by the mother who helped him nature his gift. He began working for a magazine called the Saturday Evening Post when he was only 20years. Soon after this, his fame began to spread and his work published in other leading magazines like Harper’s weekly, Century, and Scribner’s among others (Nila McCann Spring). Despite the fact that Wyeth was an illustrator, he yearned to be known as a painter as well. The difference between the two was that illustration carried a pejorative connotation that Wyeth felt keenly all his life. In addition, regardless of the fact that commissioned work earned him income to support his family, he tried to run away from the confines of textual limitations, taking up personal paintings like landscapes, still lives and portraits. He moved from lyrical landscapes, which had an impressive style, to powerful portraits of fishermen that evoke the work of the American Regionalist artists. Nonetheless, he never attained personal satisfaction or the recognition that he wanted (Brandy Wine Conservancy 2). Wyeth was able to make three trips, between 1904 and 1906, to West America. This was after Wyeth recognized the value of Pyle’s instructions in his career. Pyle was one of the most renowned illustrators from Howard Pyle School of Art where Wyeth had joined then. During the period of the trip, he spent much of his time taking up the experience that enabled him to paint images. The painted images would allow him to come up very well and be among the top greatest illustrators during his error. Wyeth had managed to herald in Outing Magazines by 1907. He was one of the greatest painters of American outdoor life (Brandywines Conservancy 1). Early Life Nowell Convers was born on 22nd October, 1882 in a place called Needham, Massachusetts. His mother was the daughter of Swiss immigrants while his father was a descendant of the first Wyeth to arrive in the New World in the mid-17th century. His growing up in a farm made him develop a deep love for nature. He began his artistic inclinations at a very young age and the mother encouraged it. However, his father opposed this since he wanted him to use his talent more practically. He attended Mechanic Arts High School in Boston up to May 1899, where he concentrated on drafting. Through the support of his mother, he was able to transfer to Massachusetts Normal Art School and through the help and guidance of his instructor Richard Andrew; he took the line of illustration (Brandywine Conservancy 1). Wyeth married Carolyn Bockus in 1906. They met after he completed his learning under Pyle. They gave birth to five children whose names are Nat, Carolyn, Ann and Andrew. Some of these children resembled his father in his work of illustration and painting. They picked up talents for one art form or another, ranging from composing music to teaching art lessons and also to inventing (Howell, par. 3-4). N. C Wyeth trained his son Andrew through home schooling in 1932. This was after he realized that his health was failing. There were several challenges that came with school administration and also the expense of teaching his son from home. However, Wyeth managed to complete his son’s education as his teacher. After that, Andrew Wyeth continued to work under his father’s artistic guidance in their home in Maine which was named after the famous Winslow Home painting (Howell, par. 6). N. C Wyeth’s Work Wyeth is the perhaps the best and is remembered for his illustrations of other children classics done for Scribner’s. He gained national recognition with his illustrations for the book Treasured Island by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1911. He composed American stories and themes from carpetbaggers to Indians. He used color and romantic imagery brilliantly and this combined with his close attention to historical detail, enables his artwork gain a lasting place in the lexicon of American illustration. The love he had for America in-terms of its individuality and landscapes is evident in his works; that is, from the Old West to the Brandywine Hill. This was a country of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. It is said that his boldness and sometimes massive artwork expressed his ‘largeness of spirit’. He is also said to have painted murals on a heroic scale by one of the biographers (New World Encyclopedia, par 2-4). He managed to complete over three thousand works during his career. Being an illustrator, some of his famous works included publications like Kidnapped, Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island and Robin Hood. Between 1925 and 1935, he completed some of his most exhilarating pieces of work, among which were several experimental pieces that were seen as heroic compared to his commissioned work (Howell, par 2). The success of Treasured Island insured Wyeth along his career. Scribner’s illustrated many classic stories in his succeeding years. The most famous titles are; â€Å"kidnapped (1913), The Black Arrow (1916), The Boy’s King Arthur (1917), The Mysterious Island (1918), The Last of the Mohicans (1919), The Deer slayer (1925) and The Yearling (1939). † In addition, he created illustrations for other publishers. Examples of such books are Robin Hood by David McKay(1917), Robinson Crusoe by Cosmopolitan (1920), Rip VanWinkle by David McKay (1921), Men of Concord by Houghton-Mifflin (1936) and Trending Into Maine by Little Brown (1938) (Howell, par. 2). Books like Treasured Island and Robinson Crusoe by N. C Wyeth are the most historical and famous. They also have a maritime adventure and an Island as a center element of their schemes. In addition, the historical language used in every one of them is similar as well as one of the same nautical terminology like stern, bow and aft among others. This is utilized because of the aforementioned similarities (Enotes, par1-3). Checking closely, the characters in these two books are alike only in the most basic ways. In Robinson Crusoe, for example, Crusoe is a male just as are Long John Silver and Hawkins. In addition, both central character are seamen and in the case of Hawkins, they were trying to become such. On the desolate island, young Jim Hawkins is trying to survive as a lone boy in the world of men just as Crusoe tries. On the other hand, both books are written by male authors and that the masculinity tone is seen in both books. In this case, as one reads these books, each story helps them to gain a perspective into the oceangoing world of the past. May be a better comparison could be drawn between Stevenson’s in Kidnapped and Defoe’s in Robinson Crusoe because there are better similarities existing in these books (Enotes, par. 2-3). His work also contains religious paintings. For example in 1923, he is said to have been commissioned by the Unitarian Layman’s League to do a series of paintings which included ‘The Parables of Jesus’. His most superb religious work that consisted of three hinged panels painted for the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at the Nations Cathedral in Washington D. C seems to be welcoming believers. It consisted of Jesus surrounded by a host of heavenly angels. The wordings are, â€Å"Come unto Me, All Ye that Labor and Are Heavy Laden, and I Will Give You Rest† (New World Encyclopedia, par. 13). His other works included; Mowing (1907), Long John Silver and Hawkins (1911), The Fence Builders (1915), September Afternoon (1918), Dying Winter (1934), The Alchemist (1938), Deep Cover Lobsterman (1939), The war Letter (1944) and the Nightfall (1945) (New World Encyclopedia, par. 23). Assessment of N. C Wyeth’s Work It was appropriate for Wyeth to start his work at his young age. One of the reasons is because he was able to leave an impact after he died in that his work is still remembered to date. He also was able to raise his son Andrew as his successor and the son become famous too because he was doing very well. It was also of importance to begin his work at an early age since he was able to publish so many books like Treasured Island and Robinson Crusoe (Amazon Par. 1-3). In addition, this golden age work of Wyeth played an important role in uplifting and pursuing work in illustration. The period of golden age work was also recognized for unparalleled brilliance in publication of journal art which had not been seen before. Also N. C Wyeth plus other students were able to carry on Howard Pyle’s work and this also brings out the importance of his beginning work at a young age (Jo Ang, par 4-5). N. C Wyeth was also able to perfect his work over time by starting his career at a young age and this enabled him to gain fame in America and other nations too. The fame is evident in his created images for magazine advertisements and calendars, painting for big companies like Wheat Company, Coca-Cola, Blue Buckle Overalls, Steinway &Sons, New York Life Insurance among other (Brandy wine Conservancy 3). Conclusion Wyeth is remembered since he was one of the greatest illustrators in America and who created nearly 4,000 works during his golden age from 1903 to 1945 when he died. However he never achieved the personal satisfaction or public recognition that he wanted. N. C Wyeth gained national recognition as a result of his Scribner’s Classic Children’s Books like The Yearling, Robinson Crusoe, The Last of the Mohicans, Kidnapped, and Treasure Island among others. All these books are read even to date. Work cited Amazon. com. 1996-2010. The Amazon. com Review, 2010. Web. 15 May 2010 . Brandy wine Conservancy. N. C. Wyeth Biography. Brandywine River Museum, 2009. Web. 14 March, 2010, . Enotes. com, Inc. Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe, 2010. Web. 15 May, 2010,

VIRTUAL SCHOOLS AND THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY STUDENT

Can Virtual Schools Meet the Needs of the Twenty-first Century Student?The turning complexness of an interdependent and interrelated universe has spurred monolithic instruction reforms in the United States. Unfortunately, many say that the instruction system is non overhauling plenty to bring forth more competitory 21st century pupils. Harmonizing to the North American Council for Learning and Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills ( 2006 ) , bulk of Americans feel that the United States is dawdling behind other industrialised states in fiting pupils with twenty-first century accomplishments such as critical thought and problem-solving accomplishments, computing machine and engineering accomplishments, and communicating and autonomy accomplishments. Calls to reform the instruction system to aline with the demands of the planetary work force have prompted support for practical schooling. Reports suggest a turning credence and popularity of on-line acquisition among pedagogues, parents, and pupils. K-12 online acquisition is a new field that caters to an estimated $ 50 million market and turning over 30 per centum yearly. There are over 173 practical charter schools functioning 92,235 pupils in 18 provinces in 2007 ; 57 per centum of public secondary schools in the U.S. offer auxiliary online classs and 72 per centum of school territories with distance instruction plans planned to spread out on-line offerings in the old ages to come ( Watson, Gemin, & A ; Ryan, 2008 ) . The phenomenon of the â€Å" practical school † has generated much exhilaration. Considered by many to hold revolutionized the manner instruction is delivered and accessed in the digital epoch of the Information age, practical acquisition in the United States has roots that go manner back in the late eighteenth century. The modern precursor to the modern-day practical schools is the mail-based correspondence school, said to hold been invented in 1891 at the University of Chicago. From mail-based systems, bringing mechanisms shortly evolved to radio plans to telecasting and satellite broadcasts to the Internet-based practical schools of today. Virtual schools utilizing the Internet as medium were launched in the 1990s but its foundation established before that period. In 1988, the federal Star Schools plan was started with peculiar accent on supplying distance-education engineerings through telecommunication partnerships to little rural schools. In August 1993, a charter school was built by Horizon Instructional Systems in Lincoln, California, offering plans that include an â€Å" electronically assisted pupil learning † plan that blended home-based computing machines with satellite engineering and distance instruction. The K-12 practical school appears to hold materialized in the summer of 1995 when the Eugene, Oregon-based CyberSchool Project was launched by nine territory instructors. By 1996, the ballyhoo of the practical school took land with the constitution of the experimental WebSchool in Orange County Florida ; Cyber-School Academy in Washington State ; the Concord Virtual High School which was built through a $ 7.5 million grant ; and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. What concretized the presence of K-12 practical schools is the outgrowth of big, multi-state plans such as the Florida Virtual School, founded in 1997 and the Virtual High School ( Greenway & A ; Vanourek, 2006 ) . Several surveies and researches have cited both the advantages and disadvantages of online acquisition. Researches show that apart from online larning non demoing important difference in act uponing pupil public presentation compared to traditional schoolroom direction, on-line scholars experience signifiers of isolation and hapless societal accomplishments. Some surveies have concluded that effectual execution of blend larning attacks in practical schools contribute to better academic public presentation and assessment trial tonss for pupils compared to their traditional schoolroom opposite numbers. In add-on to betterment in nucleus academic topics, surveies besides show that practical schooling provides the needful accomplishments in critical thought, originative job resolution, digital literacy, liberty and planetary consciousness to fix pupils for the twenty-first century work force. This survey aims to garner pertinent literature to find whether or non the practical school can run into the demands of the twenty-first century pupil. Purpose of the Study The viability of online acquisition to supplement traditional schoolroom direction has become undeniable in the face of increased Internet connectivity. In the United Schools, 100 per centum of the schools have Internet entree. Computer use begins at really immature ages and immature kids are now able Godheads of multimedia content ( International Council for K-12 Online Learning, 2009 ) . Integrating engineering with instruction seems merely suiting in the digital epoch of the Information age. Like all instruction reforms enterprises, the instance has been made to extol and discredit the success of on-line acquisition in bring forthing 21st century-standard instruction results. Surveies have pointed to the effectivity of on-line acquisition as â€Å" tantamount † or â€Å" better † than traditional schoolroom direction ( Cavanaugh, 2001 ; Barker & A ; Wendel, 2001 ) . In add-on, experts have come to believe that when used suitably, e-learning can take to improved pupil public presentation ( National Association of State Boards of Education, 2001 ) . There are besides disadvantages cited: isolation, hapless societal development, disadvantages for pupils experience linguistic communication, hapless accomplishment in physical demonstration-focused topics such as music, physical instruction, or foreign linguistic communication ( Barker & A ; Wendel, 2001 ; B ond, 2002 ) . Exhaustive research in on-line acquisition or practical schooling is limited, as research on the subject is comparatively new and undergoing development. This survey hopes to lend to the little organic structure of research that explores the capableness of practical schools to run into the demands of the twenty-first century scholar. This survey presents relevant theoretical constructs and bing research work to give a proper rating of whether or non practical schooling efficaciously equips and prepares the twenty-first century pupils with accomplishments needed to last in the competitory and internationalized work force. Statement of the Problem The alterations spurred by the Internet and multimedia engineering has challenged the traditional apprehension on how instruction is delivered in order to efficaciously fix pupils for the demands of the twenty-first century. Virtual schools break down geographical and clip barriers that limit chances for larning. The promise of flexibleness and pupil liberty in practical schooling are believed to fix pupils for the increasing demand in job resolution accomplishments and technological expertness in the globalized work force. Research workers have pointed both advantages and disadvantages of the practical school. While it offers exciting chances for pupil battle, strictly on-line larning lacks the needed face-to-face interaction and exposure to socialisation that traditional acquisition can supply. Hence, the blended acquisition or intercrossed attack, which combines both the online experience and face-to-face direction, has found application in most schools offering online classs toda y. This survey will reexamine relevant literature in order to reply the undermentioned research inquiries: What are the demands of the twenty-first century pupil? What is the effectivity of practical schooling in bettering pupil public presentation? What is the potency of practical schooling in supplying pupils with twenty-first century accomplishments, peculiarly ( a ) critical thought and job resolution accomplishments ; ( B ) planetary consciousness ; ( c ) information communications and engineering ( ICT ) skills ; and ( vitamin D ) autonomous acquisition and authorization? Discussion This subdivision presents selected relevant surveies and theoretical constructs that explore the capableness of practical schools to run into the demands of 21st century pupils, peculiarly in bettering nucleus academic competences every bit good as alleged twenty-first century accomplishments. The Needs of the Twenty-first Century Student Aside from the academic nucleus competences listed in the No Child Left Behind Act ( 2001 ) such as English, reading or linguistic communication humanistic disciplines, mathematics, scientific discipline, foreign linguistic communications, civics, authorities, economic sciences, humanistic disciplines, history, and geographics, theoreticians list several accomplishments needed by the 21st century pupil: information, media literacy, and engineering accomplishments, larning and invention accomplishments, life and calling accomplishments, and planetary consciousness ( NACOL and Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills, 2006 ) . Information, media, and engineering accomplishments are farther subdivided into information literacy, media literacy, and information, communications and engineering ( ICT ) literacy. Information literacy is the pupil ‘s capacity to entree and measure information expeditiously and efficaciously, every bit good as appreciating the cardinal ethical issues related to information entree. Media literacy entails the capacity to understand why and how media messages are constructed and the creative activity of media merchandises using appropriate media creative activity tools. Information and communications engineering ( ICT ) literacy is the aptitude of utilizing digital engineerings ( computing machines, media participants, etc. ) , societal webs, and communication/networking tools to measure and pass on information and successfully map in a knowledge-based economic system. Learning and invention accomplishments include creativeness and invention, critical thought and problem-solving, and communicating and coaction. Creativity is the ability to make a broad scope of new and worthwhile thoughts, refinement and measuring them to better originative attempts, every bit good as the openness and reactivity to new positions. Critical thought involves abilities such as job designation, information assemblage, premises, informations reading, measuring grounds, acknowledging relationships, pulling decisions, proving decisions, retracing forms and doing judgements ( Thornburg, 2000 ) . Communication and coaction accomplishments involves the ability to joint ideas and thoughts efficaciously utilizing verbal and gestural communicating methods, listening efficaciously, and working efficaciously with diverse squads or groups. Effectiveness of Virtual Schools in Improving Student Performance Key findings gathered by educational reform organisations comparing student public presentation among on-line scholars and traditional schoolroom scholars range from â€Å" no important difference † , â€Å" equal † , and â€Å" better † results for pupils engaged in on-line acquisition. Surveies besides point to intermix acquisition or the intercrossed attack as the method that consequences to outdo pupil results. In a meta-analysis done by The U.S. Department of Education ( 2009 ) synthesising 51 on-line surveies in 2009, consequences indicate that â€Å" on norm, pupils in on-line acquisition conditions performed better than those having face-to-face direction † ( p. nine ) . Furthermore, the survey compared results of both online and blended larning attacks to face-to-face direction. The survey concludes that blended direction was more effectual than face-to-face direction and recommends execution of blended attacks. A meta-analysis conducted by Cavanaugh ( 2001 ) explored the differences in accomplishment among distance acquisition and traditional schoolroom plans at the K-12 degree. Consequences indicated that accomplishment was more or less tantamount among the two groups. The Florida TaxWatch Center for Educational Performance and Accountability ( 2007 ) cited in its concluding study of the Florida Virtual School that pupils enrolled in online classs outperformed their equals in traditional schools. In the school twelvemonth 2004-05, FLVS pupils outperformed their traditional school opposite numbers in nine out of 10s capable countries. Both groups scored 85 % in art/visual humanistic disciplines. During the 2005-06 school twelvemonth, high school pupils taking on-line classs scored systematically higher in nine out of 10s capable countries than traditional public high school scholars. The study besides indicated that FLVS pupils systematically earned higher classs, received better FCAT ( Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test ) scores, and achieved higher Markss on Advanced Placement ( AP ) exams than scholars in traditional schools. A survey on K-adult distance instruction plans conducted by Shachar and Neumann ( 2003 ) revealed a important positive consequence, reasoning that in approximately two-thirds of the instances, distance instruction scholars outperformed their traditional schoolroom opposite numbers. Cavanaugh et Al. ( 2004 ) conducted a meta-analysis aimed at comparing accomplishment in online and traditional schoolroom plans. The synthesis revealed â€Å" no important difference † in academic results and concluded â€Å" about tantamount † steps between on-line pupils and schoolroom opposite numbers. Other surveies reveal that groups of pupils larning on-line by and large achieve at degrees equal to their equals in schoolrooms. There appears to be grounds to show that when used suitably, blended acquisition attacks in practical schooling can better what pupils learn and supply them with high-quality acquisition chances ( Kearsley, 2000 ; National Association of State Boards of Education, 2001 ) . Potential of Virtual Schools in Promoting twenty-first Century Skills Unlike literature on the effectivity of post-secondary and higher-education online acquisition, there is a dearth of research that focuses on the effectivity of K-12 distance instruction in heightening learning results among pupils. Using the Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills theoretical account ( 2007 ) , the literature presents bing certification on effectivity of online acquisition in furthering critical thought and job resolution accomplishments, ICT or digital literacy, planetary consciousness, and autonomous acquisition and authorization. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Since 21st century occupations require higher degrees of job work outing accomplishments and critical thought, practical schools prepare their pupils by guaranting that they are able to appreciate relationships between abstract thoughts and practical applications in the context of the existent universe. NACOL ( 2001 ) asserts that practical schools use competency-based acquisition theoretical accounts that are effectual in heightening critical thought accomplishments. Creative job resolution is besides facilitated through group or squad activities developed routinely in online classs. The contextual acquisition theory, the acquisition theoretical account used in on-line acquisition, suggests that larning occurs merely when the scholar is able to treat newly-acquired information in a mode that makes sense to them utilizing their ain frames of mention. Since the head of course finds significance in context, it establishes connexions that has significance and seem utile. Education theoreticians assert that when acquisition is situated in the context of real-world scenarios, pupils become more motivated to larn. In add-on, pupils find more exhilaration as they represent and simulate reliable and existent real-world jobs, alternatively of abstract, out-of-context activities ( Bransford, Brown, & A ; Cocking, 2000 ; Driscoll & A ; Carliner, 2005 ) . Many theoreticians argue that the effectivity of practical acquisition is based on rules of effectual acquisition in general. Harmonizing to the acquisition theory, acquisition is enhanced or promoted on three conditions: ( a ) when pupils have active engagement in the acquisition procedure ; ( B ) when coursework is contextualized in real-life state of affairss and experiences ; and ( degree Celsius ) when deep acquisition or critical thought is facilitated through brooding activities ( Bransford, Brown, & A ; Cocking, 2000 ; Quitadamo & A ; Brown, 2001 ) . The National Survey of Student Engagement ( 2008 ) survey found that online scholars reported deeper attacks to larning than classroom-based scholars and experienced â€Å" better usage of higher order believing accomplishments, integrative thought, and brooding acquisition † ( p. 15 ) . Duffy and Cunningham ( 1996 ) assert that practical schools facilitate acquisition by utilizing engineering in making real-life contexts that engage scholars in work outing complex jobs. Using real-world state of affairss promotes deep acquisition by developing critical thought in the pupil. Online direction such as simulation promotes critical thought as it involves active and adept analysis, synthesis, and the application of information to peculiar state of affairss. An illustration of a contextualized acquisition attack applied efficaciously is illustrated by Florida Virtual School ‘s scientific discipline course of study. The school ‘s course of study is designed by and large to go around around the usage of job work outing accomplishments and real-world applications. For case, in a Geometry category, pupils are non merely taught theoretical edifice and architectural constructs. The on-line instructor required pupils to complete a undertaking utilizing real-world architectural rules. After sharing digital transcripts of designs and floor programs, pupils were instructed to pull the front position of place. Another assignment required pupils to research the constructs of incline, rise, pitch, and run by analyzing local edifices ( Florida TaxWatch, 2007 ) . The usage of multimedia in practical schools is an effectual acquisition tool that facilitates student battle. Multimedia inclusion in on-line classs finds support in basic cognitive rules of larning. Constructivism argues that larning can merely be meaningful one time the scholar is able to choose relevant information, form this information, and efficaciously makes connexions between matching readings. Furthermore, active acquisition occurs when the scholar engages in three cognitive procedures: choosing relevant words for verbal processing and choosing relevant images for ocular processing, forming words into a coherent verbal theoretical account and forming images into a consistent ocular theoretical account, incorporating matching constituents of the verbal and ocular theoretical accounts. As a consequence, Doolittle ( as cited in Hede, 2002 ) concludes that pupils have a better potency for larning from a combination of words and images than from words entirely. The usage of game s and simulations when learning on-line topics allow goal-based challenges that stimulates involvement and heightens pupils ‘ motive. In add-on, supplying tools that enable pupils to collate and footnote notes promote battle ( Hede, 2002 ) . Autonomous Learning and Empowerment The nature of the 21st century cognition economic system requires citizens to be engaged in womb-to-tomb acquisition. As a consequence, being in control of the way of one ‘s ain acquisition becomes non merely valuable but necessary in the twenty-first century. Online direction offers the needful flexibleness and convenience to finish larning units when and where a scholar desires ( McDonald, 2000 ) . Furthermore, practical schools empower scholars with self-paced and autonomous acquisition, allowing them take independently what courses to take and when. The self-paced nature of online larning benefits both pupils who are speedy scholars and those who need more clip in finishing class aims. Quick scholars are given the chance to larn at an prosecuting gait while pupils who are comparatively slow in carry throughing larning units can take their clip without being capable to stigma ( Watson, Gemin & A ; Ryan, 2008 ) . Online acquisition besides encourages pupils to put to death clip direction and pattern a higher degree of personal duty ( Cavanaugh, 2001 ) . To exemplify, Florida Virtual School pupils are able to take the rate of class completion depending on their single demands. Students are empowered to either extend or cut down their completion period from the traditional 36-week school twelvemonth. In making so, pupils are able to pull off their clip and custom-make the faculty or unit organisers provided to accommodate their demands. Flexibility in online acquisition comes with the pupil ‘s answerability to subject terminal merchandises to their teachers. Students are free to subject class assignments at any clip of the twenty-four hours in a given hebdomad but will still be capable to answerability steps. This theoretical account is really much comparable to practical offices and teleworking of today that allows flexibleness but commands high answerability and quality outlooks for the terminal merchandise. Haughey and Anderson ( 1998 ) province that online, networked acquisition has the undermentioned advantages: communicating and interaction ; immediateness ; permanency ; diffusion ; and, exhilaration. Interactive and interpersonal applications of digital engineering facilitates the displacement on how acquisition is approached. Online larning makes the move from an authority-based acquisition to one founded on find or experiential acquisition. Online larning facilitates communicating and interaction based on a learner-centered theoretical account ( Cavanaugh, 2001 ) . The learner-centered attack is the nucleus of the practical school doctrine. Learner-centered instruction in online classs necessitates increased communicating on an single footing, and frequently consequences to positive teacher-student relationships. Positive student-teacher relationships nurtured online are lined to positive pupil results, such as critical thought, motive, and dropout bar. The National Association of State Boards of Education ( NASBE, 2001 ) lists the undermentioned activities that could further communicating and coaction among pupils in practical schools: instructional resources ( on-line tutorials, WebQuests, practice/testing environments, instructional faculties, practical labs, and simulations ) ; informational stuffs ( scouts, electronic databases, mention resources, streaming picture, and digitized primary resources ) ; practical escapades such as web-based Tourss and practical field trips ; unrecorded interactions utilizing picture conferencing ; collaborative online acquisition ( e-mail, web logs, treatments, undertaking sharing, collaborative scientific discipline experiments, collaborative authorship, online books treatments, on-line writer visits, and adept treatments ; on-line aid ( proficient support, mention inquiries, mentoring, and peer tutoring ) ; sharing infinite ( practical galleries of pupil work, on-line newspapers, and collaborat ive composing countries ) . Global Awareness The world of globalisation has put force per unit area on instruction systems to set to the increasing complexnesss and demands of an mutualist universe. Education ‘s intent in developing responsible and productive citizens to fuel national growing has been supplanted as increasing competition and mutuality of a globalized universe require pupils to be educated in order to go more productive international citizens. Harmonizing to Schukar ( 1993 ) , â€Å" Children in this state must be provided an instruction that more than adequately prepares them for citizenship in the society and universe they will shortly inherit † ( p. 57 ) . The coming of globalisation has necessitated monolithic reforms in instruction. Thomas Friedman ( 2005 ) contends in his book, â€Å" The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century † that antiquity in the methods of acquisition and learning have no topographic point in the â€Å" level † and â€Å" connected † universe. Hence, digital engineering, which he attributes to the universe ‘s â€Å" flattening † , must be utilized to interrupt down clip and geographical barriers in instruction. Through it, the ascribed function to instruction as the great equaliser can carry through to a greater extent than the traditional educational methods. Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills ( 2007 ) emphasizes the importance of developing planetary consciousness in the twenty-first century pupil. Global consciousness involves the usage of critical thought and job resolution to be able to understand planetary issues, learn from and prosecute collaboratively with persons from diverse civilizations and backgrounds to further an attitude of common regard and unfastened duologue, and understand different civilizations and larning non-English linguistic communications. The purpose of planetary instruction is to develop empathy and perspective-taking among pupils as they study human struggle and cooperation, mutuality of human systems, and cross-cultural differences ( Freeman, 1993 ; Tye & A ; Tye, 1992 ) . In other words, planetary instruction serves to bring forth pupils who have a planetary position and are equipped with accomplishments, cognition and temperaments to be able to appreciate and digest the built-in pluralities in civilization, ethnicity, and faith in the globalized universe ( Gilliom, 1981 ) . There are several types of activities that practical schools launch to advance planetary consciousness and an enhanced grasp of cultural diverseness among pupils. Virtual schools teach societal surveies concepts that require pupils to make web-based research, communicate with pupils from different states or provinces, engage in collaborative undertakings, and travel on telefieldtrips ( Harris, 2002 ) . As a consequence, pupils are provided the chance for real-time interaction and collaborative acquisition with kids from diverse civilizations that the physical school can non. Merryfield ( 2000 ) provinces that when engineerings are fused with societal surveies larning, the possible to advance cross-cultural apprehensions is maximized and consciousness in subjects such as equity, diverseness, and favoritism are heightened. NACOL ( 2001 ) paperss one of the most advanced undertakings launched by Broward Country Public Schools with the aid of the Florida Virtual School that successfully fused societal surveies larning with engineering to develop planetary consciousness. In an AP and Honors American History Course, four groups composed of Nipponese and American pupils collaborated through on-line picture conferencing and email interaction to discourse World War II and Japan-US dealingss. Using a Nipponese translator, American pupils were able to interact with pupils from Achiba, Japan. Other instructional content came from a Holocaust subsister, Nipponese cantonment captive and a professor of Asiatic Studies. Throughout the class, pupils created multimedia presentations and engaged in problem-solving activities. â€Å" Face-to-face † coaction utilizing Web picture conferencing enabled heightened cultural consciousness and promoted the bridging of two civilizations. Young, Birtolo, & A ; McElman ( 2009 ) reports how on-line acquisition in the Florida Virtual School ( FLVS ) provides chances for pupils ‘ increased consciousness and grasp of planetary issues and concerns. Students are given activities runing from online forums to discourse AIDS and universe hungriness, to engagement in online nines that portion perspectives on international personal businesss and other societal issues. In 2008, staff from FLVS ‘ online newspaper News in a Click interned as editors for PEARL World Youth News where they collaborated with pupils all over the universe through Web conferencing in making and redacting the newspaper. Creative schemes utilized by online instructors besides provide avenues of intercultural coaction and duologue ( Young, Birtolo, & A ; McElman, 2009 ) . One illustration is the Global Economic Summit organized by FLVS economic sciences instructor Patty Sibson that featured a cross-curriculum treatment of planetary issues participated by around 100 scholars from different states. The activity utilised Web conferencing and originative problem-solving undertakings. Another illustration is the on-line Chinese Language class offered by the Michigan Virtual High School ( MVHS ) . The class, which meant to present Chinese linguistic communication and civilization to get downing Chinese linguistic communication scholars, ran for a semester and was taught by a qualified Chinese-speaking teacher. Using a task-based language-learning course of study, the class emphasized on heightening basic communicating accomplishments and cross-cultural, planetary consciousness and apprehension. The on-line class required self-study and practical meetings and was designed to have four chief resources: an e-textbook, a group problem-solving undertaking, Web conferencing and treatment, and a group composing activity ( NACOL, 2001 ) . Digital engineerings used in practical schools offer pupils the agencies to get new types of cognition, accomplishments, and temperaments needed to work more efficaciously and go more productive planetary citizens ( Bell-Rose & A ; Desai, 2005 ) . Digital engineerings offer many possible ways to further planetary consciousness in schoolrooms. By inculcating planetary instruction and engineering in societal surveies larning, pupils are able to appreciate the interrelatednesss of states and peoples worldwide. Liz Pape ( 2007 ) discussed how practical schools are lending in run intoing the planetary consciousness accomplishments of the twenty-first century pupil. In an online confab interview moderated by Education Sector, she explains that online acquisition schools have developed learning theoretical accounts that enable the bringing of interaction of pupils across province or national lines, such as those take parting in online schoolrooms together. In this mode, planetary consciousness and citizenship accomplishments among pupils are developed. Certain restrictions prevent practical schools from maximising the chances of pupils to develop cross-cultural apprehensions such as larning non-English linguistic communications. There is a accepted deficit of foreign linguistic communication instructors ( Cavaluzzo & A ; Higgins, 2001 ) . Furthermore, technology-based societal scientific discipline learning to develop planetary consciousness is non ever successful. There is a needed attempt upon the online instructor to originate and put to death originative schemes that could bring forth coveted planetary instruction results. Surveies have come to reason that engineering entirely does non heighten pupil results ( McIsacc & A ; Gunawardena, 2001 ) Information and communications engineering ( ICT ) Literacy The demand for technological aptitude in order to go more competitory in the twenty-first century work force is now undeniable. In the age of information, it has become a necessity for pupils to get the hang the ability to utilize engineerings to treat, analyze, and articulate information in instruction, life, or employment scenes. Since the usage of engineering in practical schools is a constitutional demand, pupils master twenty-first century engineering accomplishments to fix them for the planetary and Web-driven workplace. Some pedagogues feel the effectivity of engineering is overestimated, mentioning that presenting information engineering in schools has non achieved either transmutation of learning or larning. Research workers deduce that maximising the benefits of IT investings require more than merely presenting engineering and alining it with the course of study. They believe it requires the triangulation of content, sound acquisition rules, and high-quality instruction ( Cox et al. , 2003 ) . Several suggest that the appropriate application of digital engineering in the schoolroom puting enhances pupil outcomes. In 2003, a quasi-experimental survey was conducted by Rosas et Al. ( as cited in Metiri Group, 2009 ) on 1,274 early simple pupils in Chile whose results were compared to a intervention group that were equipped with hand-held devices with games designed to progress reading comprehension, spelling, and mathematical accomplishments. After a period of 3 months, the survey revealed that pupils who used the hand-held devices for 30 hours posted important betterments than their control group opposite numbers. A survey studies positive correlativities between the use of educational games on PDAs and public presentation in reading comprehension and mathematics. The surveies conclude that bet oning engages pupils in deep concentration and motive that leads to high attending, concentration, and self-regulation of pupils ‘ larning procedure ( Savill-Smith & A ; Kent, 2003 ) . A meta-analysis across 42 surveies conducted by Pearson et Al. ( as cited in Metiri Group, 2009 ) showed important positive consequences with the usage of practical larning engineering in primary and secondary schools. Except for foreign linguistic communication were practical acquisition revealed uneffective, consequences were consistent across class degrees and capable countries. Effectss were somewhat higher to scholars under blended acquisition plans. Decision The complex challenges that pupils face today in visible radiation of the quickly increasing diverseness of the state ‘s population, globalisation of commercialism and civilization, and detonation of the Internet and other engineerings, higher academic results and increased versatility will assist fix pupils run into the demands of the twenty-first century. The related literature reviewed indicates the potency of practical schools to adequately run into the demands of the twenty-first century pupils and contribute to heighten academic public presentation and the development of of import accomplishments needed to fix them for the work force and the planetary economic system. There are advantages every bit good as disadvantages to online acquisition, but its benefits outweigh its restrictions. Research besides points to the blended acquisition policy or the combination of online and face-to-face direction as the most ideal in run intoing demands of the twenty-first century pupil. There remains yet inconclusive grounds on whether online acquisition surpasses the quality of traditional schoolroom acquisition, but it is clear that the practical school has become a popular and necessary option for 1000000s of pupils across America. Maximum benefits of practical schools may include easing betterment of pupils public presentation in academic nu cleus topics every bit good as developing accomplishments including originative job resolution, critical thought, autonomous acquisition and authorization, and ICT literacy.

The Power of Winning Even When it Looks Like You’re Losing

The Power of Winning Even When it Looks Like You’re Losing Competitive nature I was a late bloomer when it came to the on-line Scrabble game Words with Friends, somehow not discovering the game until last fall. Not surprisingly, I was immediately hooked. As of this writing, I’ve played 136 games, 105 of which I won, 30 of which I lost, and 1 of which I tied (that was my 15-year-old very precocious nephew). I’m a competitive person, and have been since playing backgammon with my dad at a young age. He would never let me win. I like to play to win, and expect others to do the same. When I first started playing Words with Friends, I lost about one out of every three games. Then I discovered the Word Strength tool that tells me if I’ve found the highest possible scoring word. That kicked my level of playing (and my average word score) up a few notches. I always attempt to identify that high-scoring word, even if I don’t end up playing it. If I don’t find it, I feel defeated. Tempted to quit? I have learned something about myself as a competitor: I don’t like to quit. Not finding the highest scoring word feels like quitting. If I’m losing a game, I create a new game for myself to try to close the gap. Sometimes I succeed. I’ll tell you one thing: I have never resigned a game because my opponent played a 100+ point word, or because I was behind by 100 points, or for any other reason. I will always finish my games, and if I lose, I lose fair and square. In fact, as much as I don’t like to lose, winning all the time is almost worse. At one point I amassed a 34-game winning streak and actually complained about it. What was the point of playing if I always won? I am motivated by challenge. I will keep playing someone who beats me every time, because one day I will win and I will feel awesome about that. Not everyone is like me. I had one opponent last week who beat me two games in a row. I was celebrating having a worthy opponent and was excited to keep playing with her; then when I started to beat her by a significant margin in our third game, she abruptly resigned. Similarly, another opponent who pulled out ahead early in our game resigned when I overtook her by changing her word, AZINE, into HYDRAZINE on a triple-word score. What happened to the thrill of the fight? I shared my experience with my hairdresser and she told me about a friend who started a competition amongst her friends as to who could take the most steps in a day. When her friend felt sick the first morning of the challenge, she quit the whole thing. She was that unwilling to lose, or to work hard to come from behind. I’ve heard of people who quit while they’re ahead, which to me means building on your wins and not letting yourself go stale. I’ve recently heard this called â€Å"flipping on the up† – making a strong move when you’re at a peak to amplify your success. But quitting when you start to fall behind is, to me, a sign of someone who is not willing to feel hurt or to fight through the tough times. Setting yourself up for a comeback In sports, comebacks are the most thrilling stories. You may recall the 2004 Boston Red Sox, the first team ever to come back from a 0-3 record in the American League Championship- and to then clinch the World Series in a sweep. This was their first World Series win in 86 years. Similarly, in the resume writing world, some of the most powerful bullets are the ones that report a turnaround. Someone who pulled a company, a department or a team out of a slump is a valuable person to have around. That’s a person who doesn’t let bad news get them down. From what I can tell, the best way to stay motivated to win when you’re losing is to believe it’s possible to win- and at the same time that there’s a real possibility of losing. Convincing yourself there’s no way you’ll win will not motivate you, and thinking you’ll always win will also not motivate you. Studies show that teams who are slightly behind are actually more likely to win than the ones slightly ahead. That’s the point where the possibility of winning is real, and so is the possibility of losing. That edge is what gets the adrenaline going and pushes people into high gear. How do you respond when you start falling behind? Do you quit while you’re ahead and use your success to reach your next goal, or do you quit when you think you will lose? How does this show up in your life? Invite me So†¦ Who wants to play Words with Friends with me? Invite me at brandyesq.

Mermaid Purse vs. Skate Case

Mermaid Purse vs. Skate Case Perhaps youve found a mermaids purse on the beach. Mermaids purses blend really well with seaweed, so you may also have walked right by one. Upon further investigation, you can learn more about what they are. The enchantingly named structures are the egg cases of skates and some sharks. This is why they are also known as skate cases. While some sharks bear live young, some sharks (and all skates) release their embryos in leathery egg cases that have horns and sometimes long tendrils at each corner. The tendrils allow them to anchor to seaweeds or other substrates. Each egg case contains one embryo. The case is made up of a material that is a combination of collagen and keratin, so a dried egg case feels similar to a fingernail.   In some areas, such as in the Bering Sea, skates seem to lay these eggs in nursery areas.  Depending on the species and sea conditions, the embryo may take weeks, months or even years to fully develop. When they hatch out of one end, the baby animals look like miniature versions of their skate or shark parents.   If you find a mermaids purse on the beach or are lucky enough to see a live one in the wild or in an aquarium, look closely if the developing skate or shark is still alive, you may be able to see it wiggling around.  You also may be able to see it if you shine a light through one side. The egg cases on the beach are often light and already opened, which means the animal inside has already hatched and left the egg case.   Where to Find a Mermaids Purse Mermaids purses usually get washed or blown to the high tide line of the beach, and they often get wrapped up in (and blend in well with) seaweeds and shells. As youre walking along the beach, walk in the area where shells and ocean debris seems to have washed up, and you might be lucky enough to find a mermaids purse. You may be more likely to find one after a storm.   Mermaids Purse Identification Found a mermaids purse on the beach and want to know where it is from?  Skate and shark species vary by region, but there are some identification guides out there for you beachcombers wanting to identify your finds. Here are the ones Ive found so far: Egg Cases of Alaska (great pamphlet about where baby skates come from)Shark Trust Egg Case Identification Key (UK) Conservation Factors To learn about population sizes and reproduction, some organizations have launched citizen science efforts to have people report and send in egg cases they find on the beach. Click on the links below for more information on reporting mermaids purses that you may find. The Great Egg Case Hunt (Shark Trust, UK)Marine Dimensions (Ireland) References and More Information Florida Museum of Natural History. Shark Biology. Accessed February 28, 2015.Florida Museum of Natural History. Ray and Skate Biology. Accessed February 28, 2015.Shark Trust. The Great Egg Case Hunt Project: Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed February 28, 2015.Weis, J. S. Do Fish Sleep? Fascinating Answers to Questions About Fishes. Rutgers University Press. 217pp.

A DOLL'S HOUSE BY Henrik Ibsen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A DOLL'S HOUSE BY Henrik Ibsen - Essay Example You were a successful professional and a decent family man. You were a Man, who observed all the social rules and satisfied all the social expectations. But that was all. That evening I realized that you had no inner life, no identity other than your social one. Social rules and others’ opinion meant for you more than people around you. You thought of yourself through the eyes of others and you treated people according to their social roles. Those, who dared to break the rules you minded, who were inappropriate to the position you occupied, were to be isolated as immoral and dangerous. Your conventionality spread over your entire life, and even your attitudes to me. It was so pleasant (and so respectable) to have a young and beautiful wife, who was a triumph at all the parties, contributing to your firm position, and who entirely belonged to you! It aroused your desire, a desire of a lucky hunter. No, you did not love me. I was your trophy, your male toy. I existed merely to p erform tricks for you, Torvald. Do you remember what I told you that evening? Our marriage was a long-lasting performance; our home was a doll’s house. I was your doll-wife, and our children were my dolls. I thought it great fun when you played with me, just as they thought it great fun when I played with them. As you put it: The unutterable ugliness of it all! For shame! For shame! To feel a man you needed to hold me tight. My ‘womanly helplessness’, as you called it, gave me a double attractiveness in your eyes. I played the game you offered me. I had been taught this game since my childhood. And I liked it. It provided me with a well-known comfort. I knew, how painful and humiliating it would be for you, with your ‘manly independence’, to know that you owed me anything, that I was not that weak and brittle you wanted me to see! I realized that such knowledge would upset our mutual relations altogether and put the

Systematic Review of Research on Prepubescent Sexual Activity and Paper

Systematic Review of on Prepubescent Sexual Activity and Subsequent Abnormal PAP Smears (CIN cells) - Research Paper Example It shall first present a description of the current practice in the clinical unit, including its related policies, procedures, guidelines, reporting mechanisms, and the literature underpinning its practice. Then a comprehensive overview of a systematic review of a study related to drugs and alcohol and their relation to depression shall be presented. Two appraisal guidelines which can be used to appraise the systematic review shall be critically discussed. Similarities and differences between these guidelines shall be included. Finally, based on evidence discussed in the systematic review, advice and recommendations in my area of practice shall be forwarded. These recommendations shall be explained in relation to relevant literature. This study is being undertaken in order to establish a critical and comprehensive assessment of the current subject matter and nursing/midwifery practice. Body Brief description of unit The current practice in my clinical unit as a nurse is on dealing wi th alcohol and drug abuse patients who have a history of prepubescent sexual abuse. We routinely carry out PAP smears on these patients and find many of them to be positive for precancerous CIN cells. Many of them are also found to be depressed. Nurses who are working in units with alcohol and drug patients are involved with patients who usually have had a history of using drug and alcohol abuse. Patients in this unit are those who have used tobacco, alcohol, prescribed drugs, illicit drugs, amphetamines and cannabis, and a combination of drugs and alcohol. Nurses are the most numerous members of the health care profession and are often the ones who spend the most time with the patients. As such, they have to be equipped with the skills and the expertise in order to guide their patients towards full recovery. Working with drug and alcohol patients is a role of the advanced nurse practitioner. Advanced nurse practitioners are registered nurses who are educated and authorized to perfo rm duties autonomously and in coordination with other nurses in the advanced clinical setting (Ling, 2007). It includes the process of assessment and management of clients using skills and knowledge which may include the direct referral of patients to other health professionals, prescribing medications, and ordering further diagnostic tests (Ling, 2007). In the clinical setting where I work, we usually receive drug and alcohol patients. Upon meeting them, an overall initial assessment is carried out on these patients, including an assessment of the way they talk, the way they talk, their mannerisms, their physical demeanor, and similar qualities. An interview would then follow with the end goal of gathering as much information as possible about the patient’s history, as well as their living conditions, their eating, alcohol, drug, and possibly other habits impacting on their health. This assessment process would determine the next steps for the nurse and the patient – whether more diagnostic tests need to be undertaken, whether there is a need to refer the patient to a therapist, and whether or not the patient needs to be assessed for depression. Since this unit is involved in carrying out PAP smears, the PAP smear shall be scheduled for the patient after proper consent forms are signed and filled up. As an advanced practice nurse in the clinical unit, the role as counselor also sets in, especially if these patients are also depressed. The