You Have To Learn The Rules Of The Game Albert Einstein Essay Example For Students

You Have To Learn The Rules Of The Game Albert Einstein Essay Albert Einstein was on of the most popular men of all time. When one thinks of Einstein, they think scientist, or maybe, genius. Well he was both of those, but not only those. Einstein was a meek man, an ingenious man also, a man that could invent any-thing in the world if he wanted to, but kept his ideas very normal and simple.Einstein was a very meek man in that he did not want popularity; he just wanted to be normal, just like everyone else. We will write a custom essay on You Have To Learn The Rules Of The Game Albert Einstein specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now For example, at the Institute for Advanced Study, Einstein was offered a blank check for his salary. He did not accept it, he asked for an incredibly small amount. The director had to beg him to take a larger amount. He also, when he was walking in the rain, took off his hat because he believed that the hat could get ruined but his hair will get nothing but wet. Einstein did not act any different or better than anyone either. He did not dress any better, which was proved when Hoffman first met Einstein, he went into his office, and Einstein was sitting there in ill-fitting cloths, and his hair characteristic-ally awry. He did not speak or write better or more elegantly than anyone else either. He did not even have any special learning powers either. This was proved when Hoffman was writing equations on a blackboard when he was asked to slow down by Einstein, he said, Please go slowly, I do not understand things quickly. Proving that he is not that much more intelligent than anyone else. Einstein was a normal guy with maybe just a little more on the brains side, but original as an ordinary person. Einstein was also a very ingenious person at the same time. He came up with many theories that have been written about, but also many that have not been put down in history. One of his greatest achievements was the theory of relativity (E=MC2), which was Einsteins theory concerning that relationship among matter, energy, space, time, and gravitation (Energy equals the mass times speed of light squared). When he was in school, he used to ask his teachers calculus questions that they could not answer. Have you ever wondered why a mans feet will sink into either dry or completely submerged sand? This question resulted in the theory or explanation of surface tension. He said, When the sand is dry, there is obviously no water between grains. If the sand is fully immersed, there is water between grains, but no water surface to pull them together.Einstein was a very intelligent man, but also very normal. He refused the chance to be very heard, which he became anyway, and did not want everyone to treat him anymore special than anyone. Hoffman clearly explains this is his story of Einstein. Einstein went from being an average school student, to being the most famous scientist known to man. His theories, which were not always used for a good cause and his explanations, revealed answers to everyday things that one does not realize. He was truly a magnificent man.

Akeelah and the Bee Essay Essays

Akeelah and the Bee Essay Essays Akeelah and the Bee Essay Paper Akeelah and the Bee Essay Paper Akeelah Anderson is a immature. 11 twelvemonth old school-age child who is a littlemature and learns at the school of Crenshaw Middle School. She hasdeveloped many new alterations from the beginning of the film until the terminal. Towards the beginning of this narrative. Akeelah was merely a normal schoolgirl. Well. normal significance that she went to school merely like everybody. Although. she wasn’t making rather good in her surveies. First of all. she barely of all time turnedin half of her prep! The instructors at Crenshaw surely didn’t have acrave at all for Akeelah’s pathetic survey wonts. Following. she was accused ofskipping categories which of class. she did but claimed she merely skipped thephysical instruction. or PE categories. True. on her trials she would stand out everytime. Akeelah would neer lose a spelling word and would invariably acquire a large. ruddy A+ marked on her paper. Unfortunately. her attending wasn’t desired. as she was belated about every twenty-four hours. Akeelah Anderson was non a really polite miss towards her schoolmates orfamily members. It was her manner whether you liked it or non. If it was difficult. Akeelah wouldn’t privation to make it ; if it was easy. she’d take it into consideration. She had an attitude that wasn’t proper and was disliked. The manner she talked. slang and all. made the instructors around her get 2nd ideas about her. She was ever described as holding possible but non holding any desire ineducation. She failed. at the beginning. to larn that school should alwayscome up foremost before winning any spelling bee. Akeelah Anderson. in myopinion. gave up excessively many times even though the people who fought for herto win cheered her on. During the spelling bee at her school. Akeelah would easy acquire distractedfrom people who would badger her. She didn’t cognize how to stand up forherself but merely fought alternatively of work outing the struggle with good manners. She learns how to stand up for herself when her brother says to her. â€Å"C’monAkeelah. make the spelling bee for Dad. † Akeelah first refuses to vie inthe spelling bee but when she hears that she should make it for her deadfather. she instantly wants to vie. Akeelah Anderson hardly is positive at the beginning of the narrative. Shebarely smiled or laughed at people. When she eventually meets Dr. Larabee. andhe commands her to halt speech production slang. Akeelah’s reply is. † Whatever. †Akeelah hasn’t yet learned how to act with proper manners to an adultespecially one who lost a loved 1. He calls her an impudent kid. andAkeelah hatreds to be called like that. She all of a sudden becomes ill-mannered and talksback to Mr. Larabee. There is a point where Akeelah says her sorry but shedidn’t truly intend it as she stomps off off to her house. When it comes to the Los Angeles School District Spelling Bee. she is stillshy within her milieus. She hasn’t learned yet how to get the better of herfears though finally. Dr. Larabee will. The fact that has been teasing herparents and school staff is that Akeelah merely worries and cares about thespelling bee. Surveies come after spelling bees is Akeelah’s manner of looking atthings. The people who inspired Akeelah to alter her manner and personality wereseveral characters. One of them was Mr. Larabee who helps her to beconfident and non to allow anything acquire in her manner. She starts assuring non tospeak any longer slang. and this is the clip when she genuinely apologizes for theinsult incident that she had created yearss earlier. Mr. Larabee could bedescribed like another male parent for Akeelah Anderson because he neer lether to believe that she was an unemployed also-ran. It was ever positive for him. Georgia. Javier. and Dylan contributed a batch to doing Akeelah alteration hermanners and behaviour. Javier. a spelling bee friend of Akeelah’s. helps her toconcentrate more on her surveies. and he truly puts a bright visible radiation in front ofher significance that he ever makes her smile. In the beginning of the narrative. she would barely smile and believe in herself but with the true religion of herbee friend. Javier. she learned self-respect. In add-on. the manner thatJavier stalled during the spelling bee merely to wait for Akeelah to come backfrom the talk by her ma was merely outstanding work. I mean. Javierdidn’t even win the spelling bee. and he was the 1 who could havemotivated Akeelah into being the reflecting star for everyone and winning thebee. alongside with Dylan. Dylan. the individual who was the other rival of the spelling bee. contributed tonss to Akeelah’s alteration of personality. He gave her confidenceto radiance in the spelling bee since he was her opposition. Since he knew morewords. he gave Akeelah the assurance to larn five-thousand words byherself to win the spelling bee. Now. Akeelah’s best friend Georgia was ahuge impact to Akeelah. She was that best friend who would ever motivateAkeelah by stating her that she can make things even when Akeelah herselfthought she couldn’t. Georgia allowed Akeelah to construct more self-confidenceand to win the spelling bee by her positive comments. Yes. Akeelah the Bee was still an speculative and bombinating kid throughoutthe film. but that was natural. The people who stood beside Akeelahallowed her to derive many things such as assurance and motive. Whetherit was her manager Mr. Larabee. her best friends. Georgia. Javier. Dylan or hermom and pa. she ever knew how to reflect and make what was best for her. Many times Akeelah refused to make things in the beginning and gave up manytoo times. but her friends stood by her side whether it was Akeelah’s toughmoments or easy 1s. They inspired her to travel through all the manner for thespelling bee. and her ma even motivated her to win the spelling bee. Thisspelling bee was Akeelah’s merely opportunity to win it. as she was about traveling todrop out since she did non obey her female parent. Akeelah changed her personalityand manners so that everyone around her would love her. and that was true. Akeelah neer stopped bombinating like a true spelling title-holder bee. Bibliographies: Akeelah and the Bee

Using international entrepreneurship to drive a small business Dissertation

Using international entrepreneurship to drive a small business - Dissertation Example The concerned company which is now in consideration is Crave Outsourcing Group. A group of very professional individual which is a rapidly growing outsourcing firm specialized in providing integrated outsourcing solutions to small and medium sized businesses (SMB) and blue-chip clients in the UK, Nigeria and across the globe.This is founded in April in 2008 which is a largely growing private firm. There are three directors Femi Odunmbaku Alexander Ihebuzor Seun Akinpelu A three successful professional striving hard to achieve their goal in achieving the edge on others companies and off course they had suffered hard yet managed to cop up with the challenges they have faced during last year’s. As the rapid decrease has been seen in the sales of this firm. It is calculated that the turnover of this company for the year 2010 was UK - ?85,000 Approx (fiscal 2010). This company has managed to retain a god position still in the market by holding a valuable place in a commercial area in London as the company headquarters. The main objective to write this innovative report is to share the crises the company has faced and to identify the core issue and manage to find out the solution. The companies was in crises since 2010 the third year f its operational working company experience the disaster as tremendous change in the sale. Its sales low down up to a significant figure. in this report we will discuss all the features. Objectives: The biggest question and objective to run a successful business lies on the core question like How to effectively and successfully operate an organization. It requires an extensive amount of training, skills, knowledge and experience yet an intelligent investment. Although organizations over time have become very complex and competitive and using every mean to get an edge over others. The company managers must understand the concept of management in order to effectively run an organization. It takes a lot of savvy and skills to superv ise employees and run an organization. The company who faces crises up and cannot stand against those crises has the biggest reason in form of lack of management skills and timely correct decisions. Managers, Supervisors and skilled or technical staff are some of the most important individuals in an organization. As they set the tone and culture for an organization. They have to get the employees to buy into the culture and policy of the organization. Furthermore, the manager is responsible for solving problems and motivate the employees to achieve the target. They also have the responsibility to make sure that employees are working effectively. They must also strive to make sure the organization is profiting or providing a quality service. Supervisors should possess leadership characteristics. They must be able to recognize the strength and weakness in their followers. Also, a manager must be able to delegate responsibilities and motivate their employees. They should have good comm unication skills and know how to read their employees. "Nothing is more exciting than growing a prosperous business, but nothing is more dangerous for a prosperous business than growth." - Steve Meisenheimer The main objective of this report is to cover all and every aspect which evolves in making an organization. Like What should your new organization look like? What is the performance of the company? The yearly revenue generated by the company. What are the key factors involved in the success or failure of the policies The core factors evolve in the failure and lower revenue What are the successful strategies companies had or should have When should you add each new position? How will you manage the new hires? What education and skills should each of them have? What contribution should you expect from each employee? Can you afford all the new people you'll need? Even for those successful companies, answering these questions can be taxing, if not overwhelming. You might agree, howe ver, that these questions should be answered before you begin the

HR Management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HR Management - Term Paper Example The human resource function has evolved with the changes in workforce attitude, technology, sociological factors, changing labor laws, and the changing organization environment (Mello, 2002). During the earlier ages, the HR problems related to absenteeism in the work place, poor working conditions, termination of production due to workers dissatisfaction, and other operational problems like lateness in reporting to work. Apple Corporation in its bid to lead in the technology sector has concentrated on engaging qualified and talented workforce with innovative skills in the development of its products. This has ensured that it introduces iPhones and Macintosh computers that are in high demand in the market. Moreover, strategic HR roles have seen the employees’ participate in the formulation of policies that help steward the business into success. The company has assiduously rewarded its employees and recognized their talents while training their employees’ skills through training. The economic cycle like the depression saw businesses experience dwindling profits and operational risks. This forced organizations to review their HR policies and functions in order to develop strategies that would ensure organizational survival and competitiveness (Boroughs, Palmer & Hunter, 2008). The government through the formulation of labor laws resulted in significant improvements in the working conditions and better employee pay. Currently, businesses are faced with completely new HR challenges that decelerate the realization of business goals and objectives. The current HR department has therefore been mandated with the duty of ensuring they attract and retain a workforce that has the potential of stewarding the businesses towards success. With the shift from administrative roles to strategic roles, HR managers apart from doing their administrative duties also play a center role in the execution of strategic functions. Strategies help businesses to reposition the mselves for competition and develop competencies for the changing market conditions (Mello, 2002). Therefore, the HR managers do several strategic functions. First, strategic managers assist in the formulation of strategic policies and principles that would help see the business develop competitive strengths against the competitors.HR managers take part in this process by ensuring that the engagement of employees and whole workforce reflects the necessary skills that would enable the business take measures that would ensure business succeed. In developing these policies, the HR managers will ensure that the recruited employees have the ability to develop strategies that leads to business success. Secondly, the HR department has the responsibility of developing strategic alliances that would enable the business enter into partnership with other businesses. Businesses form strategic alliances with other strategic partners with a bid to gain competitive strengths that would enable them maximize their returns and gain operational efficiency (Mello, 2002). Before entering into such partnerships and alliances, strategic managers have to ensure that such alliances are properly evaluated to determine their productivity. This can only be realized if the HR department carefully selects qualified staff with the

Managing Diversity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing Diversity - Assignment Example This research intends to provide a more integrated perspective considering the difficulties in forming the conceptual links and difficulty in the comparability of constructs of measure and measurement. The common argument is that motivation denotes the best umbrella that includes all members and sub units of any organization and does not pin down a measurable construct. Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation refers to the motivation that sources from within an individual rather than from any other external sources like rewards, salary increase and or grade improvement. This motivation comes from the pleasure that an individual gets from the task he is pursuing or the sense of satisfaction on completion of a certain given task (Lucas, 2012). An intrinsically motivated person will function willingly because the task he is performing is enjoyable or has passion for it. He works to solve a problem that is challenging and provide a sense of pleasure and task completion too (Bennett, 20 04). The dire point of reference is that the intrinsically motivated person does not work because of the reward attached to the task but works g to get enjoyment from the task. However, this does not mean that the intrinsic motivated person does not seek for rewards but it rather means that the external reward is not enough to keep the person motivated. For example in a tamed case, a student may want to get a good grade on a given assignment, however, if the assignment is not interesting, the possibility of a good grade is not sufficient to maintain students motivation in the projects efforts. Psychologists argue that people perform better when they perform a task because they have passion for it rather than when a reward is designated (Tony, 2002). There is a current common question whether or not the extrinsic motivation top a persons has an effect on the intrinsic motivation. Researches have shown that having an extrinsic motivation fir something that would naturally be intrinsic ally motivated decreases the intrinsic motivation (Wilson, 2005). Researches have shown that, how an individual perceives the rewards determines whether it has effect on the intrinsic motivation. For example, an athlete may feel that the reward may be due to his foreseen incompetency and this significantly lower his intrinsic motivation. Another athlete may be extrinsically rewarded and directly translate to a positive feedback. The common argument is that individuals differ enormously in what makes them happy. There is no reason as to why money or grades for students should not improve their performance what matters are the individual difference and the different motivation ways (Lucas, 2012). All researchers have assumed that rewards simply make the person less interested in the intrinsic joys of an activity. Rewards may generally cause an individual to pursue an individual less because of the effects that come along with the rewarding like performance anxiety. Therefore, the gene ral impression that comes along with extrinsic rewarding is that, rewarding undermines the intrinsic motivation (Bennett, 2004). Too many studies have supposedly proved that intrinsic motivation has serious flaws in logic and too many uncontrolled variables that requires more scientific rigor. Ethnocentrism This is the habit of looking at the world primarily from the dimension of ethnic culture an event, which has proven significant in the social sciences (Lucas, 2012). Ethnocentric has bias

Processes and Components of a Studio Recording

Processes and Components of a Studio Recording Introduction In order to create to record any form of music, it is important to understand step by step how to get from the planning, and playing of a track, to the end result of a completed recording. In contemporary music production, it is much easier than ever to make your own studio recording, though there options to be considered when setting out to record contemporary audio, its important to know what you would like to create, in order to find the most suitable hardware. By the end of this guide, you should be armed more with knowledge on the following topics. Microphones: The Ins and Outs Polar Patterns The Mixing Desk Microphones: The Ins and Outs Microphones record an audio signal using sound pressure, which generates an electrically charged signal, this signal is then converted into digital so that it can be interpreted by a computer, a process known as Analogue to Digital Conversion (ADC), which is then converted into sound that can playback through the speakers of your computer using Digital to Analogue Conversion (DAC). Examples of Microphones Condenser microphones store energy in the form of an electrostatic field, which uses a capacitor to convert analogue energy, and stores it as digital energy (capacitance). In the image below, you can see the cross section of the inside of a condenser mic. On the front we have two plates, the front plate (or diaphragm) and the back plate. The diaphragm vibrates in response to sound waves, changing the distance between the two plates. The closer the diaphragm is to the back plate, the higher the capacitance, creating a charge which is passed through and amplified. Due to the diaphragm, condenser mics are more sensitive to higher frequencies. Known to be great for recording vocals. Dynamic microphones are an all-round choice suited for most purposes. Simple in structure, and resilient to rough treatment and for handling high levels of volume. A charge is generated via kinetic movement between the coil and magnet.      Ã‚   What are the key differences between these two microphones? Condenser microphones tend to be more sensitive, better at recording high frequencies, whereas dynamic microphones not normally have the same flat frequency response, and tend to be purpose made for certain applications. Condenser microphones generate electrical output around changing the capacitance of the transducer, whereas dynamic mics use a coil in a magnetic field Dynamic mics are durable and cheaper, condenser mics tend to be more expensive, much less durable. Polar Patterns A microphones polar pattern is the space surrounding the outside of the microphone that picks up audio. Some microphones have several in one mic, one such example being Blue Microphones Yeti . The polar pattern can determine the feel, ambience, and colour of the recorded audio. The most common microphone pattern is the cardioid mic. These typically have a 120 degree range to pick up audio. Good for speech for podcasts with a rich, full-bodied sound. Cardioid mics are good for rejecting sounds from other sources/directions. Similar to the cardioid microphone, the Hypercardioid has a tight pick-up range of 100 degrees, they are better at rejecting sounds from the sides, though pick-up a little bit of sound from the rear. Due to the design of these microphones, feedback is reduced, making them a good choice for recording quieter vocalists. Figure of Eight (or bi-directional) microphone. These are used to record a more natural sound quality, product of it having pick-up from both the front and rear, rejecting audio from the sides. It doesnt respond to sound pressure, only the change in pressure between the front and back. A common use for bi-direction mics is for interviewing, or for radio. The Mixing Desk The mixing desk is a device for combining several sound source, while being able to interact with them individually. A mixers main task is to mix down several tracks into a stereo track, combining sound from several sources to produce an acceptable balance and quality track. On the back of the desk, we have the inputs, where you would connect your microphone. Microphones connect to the desk using an XLR cable, if you are using an external sound card you might be more likely to use a line-in port. In order for sound to be stored onto a computer, that analogue energy generated from a microphone needs to be converted into digital using an ADC such as an audio adapter, or sound card, then converted back to analogue using DAC via a sound card for example, which then plays back through the speakers, allowing you to hear changes made via the mixing desk, and hear that in real time. A pre-amp may also be used to boost the signal strength without degrading the quality to noise (hissing) ratio much. Channel inputs receive this audio, which is manipulated via the desk, or DAW. The channel faders are used to change audio levels, mute cuts the audio from being received from a channel, pan changes how far to the left, or right a channels output audio plays back, there is also equalisation (EQ), which involves diminishing and boosting certain frequencies. There are many other ways to manipulate audio, though whats important is that you understand how audio is recorded, and the components involved. Conclusion Now that we have gone into detail about various microphones, features and how to connect that up to record audio, you should be armed with a better understanding what to look for when planning your first music production project. Please look into the sources below as well for further insight. Sources:   Ã‚   http://shure.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/742/~/difference-between-a-dynamic-and-condenser-microphone http://www.dawsons.co.uk/blog/the-mixer-and-its-feature http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/microphones/condenser.html http://blog.shure.com/multi-pattern-microphones-what-where-and-how/ http://ehomerecordingstudio.com/how-to-record-a-song/ http://www.bluemic.com/products/yeti/

Observing Gender Communication Differences Essay -- Gender Differences

Several weeks ago I observed a woman at the Mall. She and a young man sitting directly across from each other were engaged in what was apparently a mutual flirting. But the younger man seemed much more confident and cocky than did the woman. For one thing, he was more relaxed and calm. The woman, however, kept her arms folded over a bag that she was holding on to very tightly. The woman also had a strong tendency to look down more often than the man. Although her admiration for him was obvious, she seemed to be trying hard to conceal it. Often women seem to be more noticeably shy than men. Non-verbally, their â€Å"body language'; seems to communicate their feelings of great uncertainty and self-consciousness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Further evidence of communicative differences exist between men and women in various other social settings as well. Consider, for example, those individuals employed in customer service-related Jobs. While in JC Penny, I noticed that female customer service representatives were more apt to offer immediate friendly assistance than the male reps. Men are not as cocky nor as confident in this sort of situation; their eyes tend to dart around the area of the store while the eyes of a women remain focused upon the eyes of the customer. The men seem to communicate with a lot less smiles. Apparently they have to get past a certain â€Å"ice-breaking'; point before they will feel comfortable with a genuine look of happiness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Verbally, the actual process of speech...

Crisis hostage management/criminal justice Essay

It is saddening when every day we read about reports of hostage taking happening all over the world. Reports from police intelligence departments across the world indicate that, hostage taking cases ranges from kidnapping of infants to taking hostage of crew of big water vessels, as is rampant along the coast of Somalia in Africa. US is not an exeption, infact many cases of hostage taking have been reported especially in the southern region states. An example of hostage taking case happened at Hillary Rodham Clintons campaign offices in Rochester, New Hampshire. A nicely dressed grey haired man known as Leeland Eisenberg walked into the offices on a Friday demanding to talk to Hillary Clinton about helping him get mental health care and ended up taking at least five people hostage including an infant. The ordeal went on until night when the last hostage walked to freedom and the hostage taker peacefully surrendered to the police. Although Eisenberg had a packet of road flares taped on his body, when he was persuaded by the states police negotiator he gave up and surrendered to SWAT police team. According to Hillary Clinton as she addressed a press conference later in Portsmouth that night, Eisenberg was in need of help and was seeking attention in absolutely the wrong way. Eisenberg was held on state charges of kidnapping and reckless conduct, federal charges were being considered. (http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/22043358). Another hostage taking incidence occurred in Louisville whereby a mother (Gail Lynn Coontz) killed her two children aged 14 and 10 years in their beds and later went to a college she attended with a gun before handing over the weapon to the college’s health counselor. The threat at Louisville University College ended with no injuries about half an hour after it began, but school officials asked police to check on the children, which were found dead with gunshot wounds. Mrs. Coontz was taken to a psychiatric clinic and later taken to Louisville jail. According to university police, Maj. Kenny Brown, she was charged with terrorist threatening for pointing a gun at a police officer. (http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/23827059). The two counts of hostage taking were very different from one another because the first case was carried out in a mild manner i. e. no violence was reported, the road flares posed some considerable danger, had the suspect decided to use them. The hostage taker was just trying to seek attention according to Hilary Clinton because he unconditionally released the hostages after persuasion by a police negotiator. The second case was a serious one, with the suspect having shot dead her two children earlier on. It’s true that both hostage taking incidences were perpetuated by people who were undergoing psychological problems. For instance Eisenberg had a court case filled by his wife for drug abuse, assault, and verbal threats, while Mrs. Coontz was a window and therefore was stressed by family burden. In both incidences of hostage taking, the hostage takers were persuaded into giving up peacefully, i. e. they never put up any violent resistence. in view of the US governments policy on hostage taking threats, based on past experience, making concessions that benefit hostage takers in exchange of release of hostages increased the danger that others will be taken hostage. At the same time the US government always makes every effort to contact the captors or even their representatives so as to secure the release of hostages. under current US law, 18 USC 1203(act for prevention and punishment of the crime of hostage taking, enacted oct 1984),seizure of a US citizen as a hostage anywhere in the world is a crime and therefore subject to investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and to prosecution by US authorities (http://www. state. gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2002/8190. htm. ) In the first incidence Eisenberg was sweet talked to by a state police negotiator into giving up and surrendering peacefully to the police. And in the second case Mrs. Coontz although pointed a gun to police a officer she voluntarily gave out the gun to the college health counselor. This shows clearly that the negotiators played their part professionally and with a lot of patient. From both counts it’s evident that very minimal force was applied by the police to free the hostages. In the first incidence for instance, although police camped outside the building they never attempted to use excess force lest they provoke the hostage taker into doing a nasty action. Similarly, in the second incidence police played safe until Mrs. Coontz surrendered the gun to the college health counselor voluntarily. Therefore the outcomes of both cases of hostage taking were a success on the part of police since no one taken hostage was injured and the suspects were apprehended. The articles from which I extracted these two hostage taking counts were fairly written, providing detailed information about the hostage takers, and the hostage taking incidence. But the part on negotiation between the suspects and the negotiators was not well expounded in both counts. Readers would want to know the agreements leading to the softening of hostage takers and hence giving up. The writers also gave very little coverage on police action about the incidences. The motive of the killings of the two children by their mother should have been provided . References: A man takes more than five people hostage at Sen. Hilary Clinton’s campaign office in Rochester N, H, available at; 1) http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/22043358 accessed on April 15, 2008 a mom takes terrorizes a college with a gun after killing her own two children, available at; 2)http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/23827059accessed on April 15, 2008 US policy on hostage taking threats, available at; 3) http://www. state. gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2002/8190. htm accessed on April 15, 2008

Education in Schools Essay

The Inspectorate wishes to thank the following for the use of photographs: Clonakilty Community College, Clonakilty, Co Cork Saint Mark’s Community School, Tallaght, Dublin 24 Saint Mac Dara’s Community College, Templeogue, Dublin 6W Scoil Barra Naofa, Monkstown, Cork Scoil Nano Nagle and Talbot Senior National School, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 Whitechurch National School, Whitechurch Road, Dublin 16  © 2008 Department of Education and Science ISBN-0-0000-0000-X. Designed by Slick Fish Design, Dublin Printed by Brunswick Press, Dublin Published by Evaluation Support and Research Unit Inspectorate Department of Education and Science Marlborough Street Dublin 1 To be purchased directly from Government Publications Sales Office Sun Alliance House Molesworth Street Dublin 2 or by post from Government Publications Postal Trade Section Unit 20 Lakeside Retail Park Claremorris Co Mayo â‚ ¬20 Contents Foreword Executive summary xi xiii Part 1 Introduction Chapter 1 ICT in primary and post-primary education in Ireland 1. 1 1. 2 1. 3. Introduction Background ICT policy and investment in education 1. 3. 1 1. 3. 2 1. 3. 3 1. 4 1. 4. 1 1. 4. 2 1. 4. 3 1. 4. 4 1. 5 Policy for ICT in education ICT in the curriculum Investment in ICT in education Computers in schools Other ICT equipment in schools Expenditure on ICT and technical support Other areas covered in the census 1 2 3 6 6 9 11 12 12 14 15 16 16 17 18 18 20 21 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 30 30 30 30 30 ICT infrastructure census in schools (2005) Summary Evaluation methods Chapter 2 2. 1 2. 2 2. 3 2. 4 Introduction Approaches to evaluating ICT in schools Overview and aims of the evaluation National survey of primary and post-primary principals and teachers 2. 4. 1 2. 4. 2 2. 4. 3 2. 4. 4 Survey sampling methods Survey research methods Response rate Comparison of respondents and population 2. 5 2. 6 Case-study school evaluations 2. 6. 1 2. 6. 2 Primary schools Post-primary schools Observations during classroom inspections (primary) and subject inspections (post-primary) 27 2. 7 2. 8 On-line evaluation Evaluation outputs and terms 2. 8. 1 2. 8. 2 2. 8. 3. Outputs Junior and senior classes Quantitative terms used in this report iii ICT in Schools Part 2 Chapter 3 3. 1 3. 2 3. 3 3. 4 3. 5 ICT infrastructure and planning in schools ICT infrastructure in primary and post-primary schools 31 32 33 37 38 41 41 42 45 45 49 53 56 57 59 59 61 64 64 66 69 70 70 72 73 75 79 80 81 90 98 99 99 101 102 102 105. Introduction The ICT advisory service ICT and funding ICT maintenance, technical support, and obsolescence Access to computers 3. 5. 1 3. 5. 2 Access by teachers Access by students Organisation of ICT facilities in case-study primary schools Organisation of ICT facilities in case-study post-primary schools 3. 6. The use of computers in schools 3. 6. 1 3. 6. 2 3. 7 3. 8 3. 9. ICT peripherals Software Use of e-mail 3. 10. 1 3. 10. 2 3. 11. 1 3. 11. 2 The learning platform The school web site Main findings Recommendations ICT planning in primary and post-primary schools 3. 10 The on-line environment 3. 11 Summary of findings and recommendations Chapter 4 4. 1 4. 2 Introduction The planning process 4. 2. 1 4. 2. 2 4. 2. 3 4. 2. 4 The ICT steering committee The ICT co-ordinator The ICT plan The acceptable-use policy Teachers’ professional development Using ICT in classroom and lesson planning and preparation Planning for using ICT in teaching and learning Principals’ priorities for ICT development Teachers’ priorities for ICT development Main findings Recommendations. 4. 3 Implementation of ICT planning 4. 3. 1 4. 3. 2 4. 3. 3 4. 4 Forward planning 4. 4. 1 4. 4. 2 4. 5 Findings and recommendations 4. 5. 1 4. 5. 2 iv Part 3 Chapter 5 5. 1 5. 2 5. 3 ICT and teaching and learning in schools ICT and teaching and learning in primary schools 107 108 108 111 111 112 113 114 116 120 126 127 127 127 128 129 130 131 133 134 134 134 135 135 137 139 140 141 141 145 148 149 151 152 153 155 163 167 Introduction Teachers’ ICT qualifications and skills Classroom practice and ICT 5. 3. 1 5. 3. 2 5. 3. 3 5. 3. 4 5. 3. 5 5. 3. 6 5. 3. 7 Planning Frequency of ICT use Organisation of ICT use Focus of ICT use Use of resources and applications in the classroom Quality of provision Provision for students with special educational needs by mainstream class teachers Access to ICT Planning for the use of ICT Frequency of ICT use Focus of ICT use Use of resources and applications Quality of provision 5. 4 ICT in special education 5. 4. 1 5. 4. 2 5. 4. 3 5. 4. 4 5. 4. 5 5. 4. 6 5. 5 5. 6. Assessment Developing ICT in the classroom 5. 6. 1 5. 6. 2 Factors that constrain the development of ICT in the curriculum Factors that facilitate the development of ICT in the curriculum Main findings Recommendations ICT and teaching and learning in post-primary schools 5. 7 Findings and recommendations 5. 7. 1 5. 7. 2 Chapter 6 6. 1 6. 2 Introduction ICT qualifications and skills 6. 2. 1 6. 2. 2 Teachers’ ICT qualifications and skill levels Students’ ICT skill levels Timetabling of dedicated ICT lessons Curriculum and content of dedicated ICT lessons School principals’ support for the use of ICT in the classroom ICT in practice in the classroom Quality of provision 6. 3 Dedicated ICT lessons 6. 3. 1 6. 3. 2 6. 4 Classroom practice and ICT 6. 4. 1 6. 4. 2 6. 4. 3 6. 5 ICT and special educational needs v ICT in Schools 6. 6 6. 7 Assessment Developing ICT in the classroom 6. 7. 1 6. 7. 2 Factors that constrain the development of ICT in the classroom Factors that facilitate the development of ICT in the classroom Main findings Recommendations. 168 168 168 170 172 172 174 6. 8 Findings and recommendations 6. 8. 1 6. 8. 2 Part 4 Chapter 7 7. 1 7. 2 Summary of findings and recommendations Main findings and recommendations 177 178 179 179 181 182 184 184 186 188 188 189 191 194 197 Introduction Main findings 7. 2. 1 7. 2. 2 7. 2. 3 Infrastructure ICT Planning ICT in teaching and learning ICT infrastructure Professional development needs of teachers ICT infrastructure in schools Planning for ICT in schools ICT in teaching and learning 7. 3 Main recommendations for policy-makers and policy advisors 7. 3. 1 7. 3. 2 7. 4 Main recommendations for schools 7. 4. 1 7. 4. 2 7. 4. 3 References Appendix vi Abbreviations. AP AUP BOM CAD CEB CESI CPD DES ECDL EGFSN ERNIST ESI EU FETAC ICD ICT ISC LC LCA LCVP LSRT MLE NCC NCCA NCTE NPADC OECD PCSP PISA SCR SDP SDPI SDPS SDT SESE SESS SIP TIF VEC VLE WSE assistant principal acceptable use policy board of management computer-aided design Commercial Examining Board Computer Studies Society of Ireland continuing professional development Department of Education and Science European Computer Driving Licence Expert Group on Future Skills Needs European Research Network for ICT in Schools of Tomorrow Education Services Interactive (Project). European Union Further Education and Training Awards Council in-career development information and communications technology Information Society Commission Leaving Certificate (Established) Leaving Certificate—Applied Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme learning-support resource teacher managed learning environment National Competitiveness Council National Council for Curriculum and Assessment National Centre for Technology in Education National Policy Advisory and Development Committee Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Primary Curriculum Support Programme Programme for International Student Assessment student-computer ratio school development planning School Development Planning Initiative (Post-primary). School Development Planning Support (Primary) special-duties teacher Social, Environmental and Scientific Education Special Education Support Service Schools Integration Project Telecommunications and Internet Federation Vocational Education Committee virtual learning environment whole-school evaluation vii ICT in Schools Tables Table 1. 1 Table 1. 2 Table 1. 3 Table 2. 1 Table 2. 2 Table 2. 3 Table 2. 4 Table 3. 1 Table 4. 1 Table 4. 2 Table 4. 3. Table 4. 4 Table 4. 5 Table 4. 6 Table 5. 1 Table 5. 2 Table 5. 3 Table 5. 4 Table 5. 5 Table 5. 6 Table 5. 7 Table 5. 8 Table 5. 9 Funding of ICT in education policy initiatives Student-computer ratio (SCR) in each school sector in given years Proportion of schools having at least one fixed and one mobile data projector Comparison of survey sample. and population, primary schools Comparison of survey sample and population, post-primary schools Number and level of lessons observed, post-primary schools Quantitative terms used in the report Awareness and use of NCTE and ICT advisory services among teachers Teachers’ attendance at NCTE and ICT advisory service training courses Professional development preferences of post-primary teachers, by subject Teachers’ use of internet resources in planning and preparation for teaching Primary principals’ views on the strategic development of ICT Post-primary principals’ views on the strategic development of ICT Teachers’ priority areas for the development of ICT Proportion of primary teachers who rated their proficiency in ICT skills as either â€Å"intermediate† or â€Å"advanced†. Proportion of primary teachers who rated their ability in each of three ICT tasks that facilitate teaching and learning as either â€Å"intermediate† or â€Å"advanced† Inspectors’ observations on the use of ICT to facilitate teaching and learning in classrooms Teachers’ use of software and the internet to facilitate learning Most frequently used applications in the teaching of individual curricular areas Applications used by members of special-education support teams to promote the development of skills. Most frequently used applications to promote the development of individual learning priority areas Comparison of inspectors’ ratings of the quality of ICT provision in supporting children with special educational needs in mainstream and special-education support settings Table 5. 10 Table 6. 1 Table 6. 2 Table 6. 3 Sample of inspectors’ comments on the quality of ICT use in special-education support settings Proportion of post-primary teachers who rated their proficiency in ICT skills as either â€Å"intermediate† or â€Å"advanced† Proportions of post-primary teachers who rated their ability in each of three ICT tasks that facilitate teaching and learning as either â€Å"intermediate† or â€Å"advanced† 144 Timetabled dedicated ICT lessons in post-primary schools 149 142 133 132 131 130 113 117 117 111 109 12 13 14 24 25 29 30 36 83 88 93 100 100 102 Inspectors’ comments on the quality of use of ICT observed in teaching and learning 123 viii Table 6. 4 Table 6. 5 Table 6. 6 Table 6. 7 Table 6. 8 Table 6. 9. Commonly taught topics in dedicated ICT lessons Principals’ descriptions of how ICT is used in some subjects Principals’ views on the impact of ICT on teaching and learning Location of lessons observed during subject inspections ICT resources available in the classrooms of lessons observed Use of the internet and software in teaching and learning 151 153 154 155 155 161 Diagrams Fig. 2. 1 Fig. 2. 2 Fig. 2. 3 Fig. 3. 1 Fig. 3. 2 Fig. 3. 3 Fig. 3. 4 Fig. 3. 5 Fig. 3. 6 Fig. 3. 7 Fig. 3. 8 Fig. 3. 9 Fig. 3. 10 Fig. 4. 1 Fig. 4. 2 Fig. 4. 3 Fig. 4. 4 Fig. 4. 5 Fig. 4. 6 Fig. 4. 7 Fig. 4. 8 Fig. 4. 9 Fig. 4. 10 Fig. 4. 11 Fig. 4. 12 Fig. 4. 13 Fig. 5. 1 Fig. 5. 2 Fig. 5. 3 Survey response rates Mainstream lesson observations in primary schools Subjects reviewed at post-primary level Teachers’ ratings of NCTE and ICT advisory services Access to computers by primary teachers Access to computers by post-primary teachers Access to computers by fifth-class students Access to computers by fifth-year students Frequency of use of ICT peripherals by primary teachers Frequency of use of ICT peripherals by post-primary teachers Provision and use of e-mail address by subject taught, post-primary schools. The primary school web site: teachers’ responses The post-primary school web site: teachers’ responses Contents of ICT plans, primary schools Contents of ICT plans, post-primary schools Staff ICT training in primary schools within the previous three years Staff ICT training in post-primary schools within the previous three years Principals’ and teachers’ views on ICT training requirements, primary schools Principals’ and teachers’ views on ICT training requirements, post-primary schools Use of computers for lesson preparation Resources provided by mainstream primary teachers using ICT Use of the internet in planning and preparation for teaching, by subject Scoilnet visits by teachers. The most popular sections of Scoilnet among teachers Teachers’ ratings of Scoilnet Teachers’ views on what Scoilnet should contain Use and related proficiency of applications in teaching Extent to which mainstream teachers plan for the use of ICT Organisation of teaching and learning during use of ICT 23 28 29 34 41 42 43 44 54 54 58 62 62 77 77 81 82 86 87 90 91 93 94 95 96 97 110 112 113 ix ICT in Schools Fig. 5. 4 Fig. 5. 5 Fig. 5. 6 Fig. 5. 7 Fig. 5. 8 Fig. 5. 9 Fig. 5. 10 Fig. 5. 11 Fig. 5. 12 Fig. 5. 13 Fig. 5. 14 Fig. 6. 1 Fig. 6. 2 Fig. 6. 3 Fig. 6. 4 Fig. 6. 5 Fig. 6. 6 Fig. 6. 7 Fig. 6. 8 Fig. 6. 9 Fig. 7. 1. Frequency of ICT use to promote learning in curricular areas Frequency of ICT use among mainstream and special class teachers to facilitate development of skills Frequency of use of individual internet resources by internet users Inspectors’ rating of the quality of use of ICT in teaching and learning Students’ proficiency in individual tasks Level of ICT support for students with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms Level of access by students with special educational needs in special-education support settings. Extent to which special-education support team members plan for the use of ICT Inspectors’ observations of the use of ICT to facilitate teaching and learning in special-education support settings Frequency of ICT use in special-education support settings to facilitate development of skills Inspectors’ ratings of the quality of use of ICT in teaching and learning observed in special-education support settings Proficiency and use of applications in teaching Students’ use of computers Students’ ICT skill levels Use of ICT in the planning and preparation of observed lessons Main uses of ICT in teaching and learning in the subjects inspected, as reported by teachers. Frequency of use of computers in teaching Settings in which ICT is used in classrooms Use of the internet and applications, by subject area Inspectors’ rating of the quality of use of ICT in teaching and learning observed International student-computer ratios from PISA 2003 114 115 119 122 125 126 127 128 128 129 132 143 146 147 156 157 158 159 162 164 179 x Foreword. Information and communication technology has brought profound changes to almost all aspects of our lives in recent years. It has transformed activities as basic as how we work, communicate with each other, treat illnesses, travel, shop and enjoy our leisure time. The pace of change shows no sign of slowing: indeed, the development of ICT and its applications to areas such as the integration of media, are continuing at even faster rates than heretofore. In a relatively short period of time, ICT skills have become as fundamental to living a full life as being able to read, write and compute. Ireland has been a leading player in the development of the ICT industry. We have been a leading exporter of ICT hardware and software, and many of the key businesses in the industry have important bases here. Like other countries, we have also recognised that if our young people are to live full lives in a world transformed by ICT, they need to have opportunities to acquire and develop ICT skills from an early age. Since the late 1990s, we have made considerable investments in ICT infrastructure in schools, and in training for teachers and other professionals. Until now, little national research evidence has been published on the impact that the new technologies have had on schools and especially on teaching and learning. This report examines the extent to which ICT has been used in schools at both primary and post-primary levels and, more importantly, assesses the impact that ICT has had on teaching and learning, including the ways in which ICT is used to support the learning of students with special educational needs. The evaluation shows that while much progress has been achieved in the roll-out of ICT in schools, considerable challenges remain. The report presents findings and recommendations that will be of interest to teachers, principals, school support services, curriculum developers and policy-makers. I hope that it will inform debate and policy decisions on how we can ensure that young people have the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to benefit from the opportunities presented by this powerful technology in the years ahead. Eamon Stack Chief Inspector xi ICT in Schools xii Executive summary xiii ICT in Schools Executive summary. An evaluation of the infrastructure, planning and use of information and communications technology in teaching and learning was conducted by the Inspectorate in primary and post-primary schools during the school year 2005/06. The objectives of the evaluation were: †¢ to examine the extent to which ICT was used in primary and post-primary schools †¢ to evaluate the impact of ICT on teaching and learning †¢ to assess the ICT skills of students at selected points in the education system and to obtain their views on their experience of ICT in their schooling †¢ to obtain the views of principals and teachers on their ICT skills and their opinions of the impact and future role of ICT in education †¢ to make recommendations for policy development regarding ICT in schools. xiv Executive summary. The evaluation methods comprised: †¢ a national survey of primary (234) and post-primary (110) principals †¢ a national survey of primary (1,162) and post-primary (800) teachers †¢ case-study school evaluations by inspectors (32 primary schools, 20 post-primary schools) †¢ observations during classroom inspections (77 primary schools) †¢ observations during subject inspections (111 post-primary schools) †¢ a follow-up on-line survey of teachers in case-study post-primary schools. Summary of main findings The findings and recommendations are summarised here and are elaborated in chapter 7. Infrastructure †¢ The student-computer ratio (SCR) in Irish schools is 9. 1:1 at primary level and 7:1 at post-primary level. Information available from the OECD suggests that countries that have taken the lead in the provision of ICT in schools are aiming for or achieving a SCR of 5:1. †¢ In the main, schools make effective use of the grants provided by the DES for developing their ICT systems. However, schools generally spend considerably more on ICT than the sums made available through these grants schemes. †¢ The lack of technical support and maintenance is a significant impediment to the development of ICT in schools. †¢ At primary level, computer rooms are generally a feature of the larger schools. However, access by students to computers was found to be superior where the computers were located in the classrooms. At the post-primary level there is a greater permeation of computers in specialist rooms than in general classrooms. †¢ Schools were found to use a limited range of ICT peripherals, mainly printers, scanners, and digital cameras. Digital projectors were found in post-primary schools. At primary level, interactive whiteboards were present in a small number of schools. †¢ Schools that made dedicated computer facilities available to teachers reported that it led to the use of more high-quality and creative teaching resources in classrooms. xv ICT in Schools Planning †¢ Responsibility for ICT in a school can lie with an ICT steering committee, the principal, the deputy principal, an ICT co-ordinator, or a combination of these personnel. Greater efficiency is achieved where a named person has responsibility for ICT within a school and where their role is clearly defined. †¢ The majority (71%) of primary schools surveyed, but fewer than half (46%) of post-primary schools, were found to have a written ICT plan. These plans tend to concentrate more on infrastructural issues than on how ICT can be used to enhance teaching and learning. †¢ Most schools (83% of primary schools, 87% of post-primary schools) were found to have an acceptable-use policy (AUP). This is a product of the requirements of the Schools Broadband Access Programme and the safety-awareness initiatives of the NCTE. It is also an indication of the seriousness that schools attach to the risks associated with the use of the internet. †¢ The majority of teachers make some use of ICT in lesson planning and preparation. Newly qualified teachers are more likely to use ICT for this purpose than their more experienced colleagues. However, fewer teachers were found to plan for the use of ICT in teaching and learning. At the post-primary level, planning for the use of ICT in teaching varies between subjects. The programmes for Transition Year, LCVP and LCA specifically encourage planning for the use of ICT in teaching and learning. Teachers of these programmes regularly reported that their involvement also encouraged them to use ICT in their teaching with other class groups. †¢ School principals and teachers identified the provision and maintenance of hardware in schools and the provision of professional development opportunities in ICT as being strategically important for the development of ICT in their school. Generic programmes of professional development, because of their wider appeal, were found to have a greater take-up among teachers than topic-specific programmes. Teaching and learning †¢ Only 30% of primary teachers and 25% of post-primary teachers rated their ability as either â€Å"intermediate† or â€Å"advanced† with regard to using teaching and learning methods that are facilitated by ICT. Recently qualified teachers had a higher perception of their ICT skills than more experienced teachers. †¢ At the primary level, the inspectors reported evidence of the use of ICT to facilitate teaching and learning in 59% of the classrooms visited. However, the inspectors observed ICT actually being used in only 22% of the lessons observed. Nearly a quarter of all inspections showed a competent or optimal level of performance in relation to the use of ICT in the classroom. xvi Executive summary †¢ Where ICT is used in primary classrooms it predominates in core curricular areas, such as English and Mathematics, and in Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE). †¢ The evaluation found that many fifth-class students in primary schools do not have the competence to complete basic tasks on the computer. While most students reported being able to perform many of the most basic computer tasks, such as turning a computer on and off and opening or saving a file, more than 30% reported that they were not able to print a document or to go on the internet by themselves. Almost half (47%) reported not being able to create a document by themselves. The majority did not know how to create a presentation (72%), use a spreadsheet (86%), or send an attachment with an e-mail message (88%). Competence in the use of ICT is limited for the most part to basic ICT skills, centred on the use of word-processing. †¢ Only 18% of the post-primary lessons observed by the inspectors involved an ICT-related activity. Students’ interaction with the technology was observed in only about a quarter of these instances. The most common ICT-related activity observed was the use of a data projector to make a presentation to a class group. Inspectors judged that effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning was occurring in approximately half of the lessons in which the use of ICT was observed (i. e. in approximately 11% of all lessons observed). †¢ Dedicated ICT lessons at the post-primary level are more prevalent among first-year classes, and are provided less frequently as students progress towards the Junior Certificate. The majority of schools concentrate on providing students with such lessons in their Transition Year, in the LCVP, and in the LCA. †¢ High levels of integration of ICT were found at the post-primary level in the science and applied science subjects and in subjects in the social studies I group. 1 Subjects were also identified that rarely made use of ICT, the most notable being Irish. †¢ The evaluation found that fifth-year students in post-primary schools had the confidence to perform many basic computer operations by themselves, for example saving, printing, deleting, opening and editing a document. However, it also found that they generally needed some assistance to perform more complicated tasks, such as moving files, copying files to external storage devices, and writing and sending e-mail. A relatively low proportion of these students reported being able to create a multimedia presentation. Students required most help with attaching a file to an e-mail message, constructing a web page, or dealing with computer viruses. While the post-primary inspectors generally commented positively on the students’ ICT work that they observed, they were also concerned that the tasks undertaken by the students were largely word-processing and presentation tasks. 1 Social Studies I group includes History; Geography; Art, Craft, and Design; and Music. Social Studies II group includes Religious Education; Physical Education; Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE); and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE). xvii ICT in Schools †¢ ICT is widely used to facilitate the provision by schools of special education. Generally, ICT is used more frequently by members of the special-education team rather than by mainstream class teachers. The emphasis in students’ engagement with ICT in special-education settings is mainly on the support of literacy. Support for ICT †¢ The level of awareness among teachers of the ICT advisory service is generally low, with fewer than half the respondents at both the primary and the post-primary level reporting an awareness of it. Awareness is higher, however, among ICT co-ordinators than among other teachers. †¢ The use of the ICT advisory service is also low. At the primary level only 22% of all respondents reported having used the service, while at the post-primary level the corresponding figure was 15%. Summary of key recommendations for policy-makers and policy advisors †¢ The level of ICT infrastructure in schools needs to be improved. Specifically, Ireland should be working towards equipping not just all schools but all classrooms with an appropriate level of ICT infrastructure. Consideration should be given to equipping all classrooms with a computer for use by the teacher, broadband internet access with adequate bandwidth, and a fixed data projector and screen for use by the teacher in presentations. Furthermore, to ensure appropriate access to ICT by students, Ireland should strive to reduce its student-computer ratio (SCR) from the present 9. 1:1 in primary schools and 7:1 in post-primary schools. International evidence suggests that countries that have taken a lead in this area are aiming for or achieving a ratio of 5:1 or less in all schools. †¢ Improvements in ICT infrastructure will need to be supported by the introduction of a national ICT technical support and maintenance system for schools. Schools also need to be provided with the capacity to regularly upgrade their own ICT infrastructure. †¢ The pedagogical dimension of the ICT advisors’ role in an education centre could be more appropriately provided by the relevant school support services, in liaison with the ICT school coordinators. The technical dimension of the ICT advisors’ role could be provided in a number of ways, including for example, by having a commercially supplied ICT maintenance and support for schools. With an effective IT maintenance system in place, the pedagogical role of ICT coordinators within schools could be enhanced and supported with appropriate training. xviii Executive summary †¢ Support services should give priority to the integration of ICT in teaching and learning. There is an opportunity for such services to work more closely with schools, and with school ICT coordinators in particular, to determine staff training needs and assist in organising appropriate professional development courses for teachers. Support service personnel should aim to be proactive in providing examples of how ICT can be used to facilitate teaching and learning in any programmes provided. Furthermore, course organisers should take greater account of the wide range of ICT abilities and experiences commonly found in groups of teachers and should provide differentiated ICT learning experiences for course participants. †¢ Additional guidance should be provided to schools and teachers of students with special educational needs so that the needs of learners may be matched more appropriately with the technology available. †¢ There needs to be an increased emphasis on the application of ICT in teaching and learning in teacher education at pre-service, induction and continuing professional development stages. It is recommended that teacher education departments in third-level colleges should provide student teachers with the skills necessary to effectively use ICT in teaching and foster in them a culture of using ICT in their work. Consideration should also be given to extending and expanding significantly the current range of professional development courses available for teachers. A major focus of such an initiative should be on how ICT may be integrated fully in the teaching and learning of specific subjects and curricular areas. The ICT Framework for Schools, which the NCCA will issue in the near future, will be a further assistance to schools in this regard. Key recommendations for schools †¢ Schools and teachers should regularly review the use of ICT in their work. In particular, they should strive to ensure greater integration of ICT within teaching and learning activities in classrooms and other settings. †¢ Teachers should exploit the potential of ICT to develop as wide a range of students’ skills as possible, including the higher-order skills of problem-solving, synthesis, analysis, and evaluation. †¢ Principals should encourage and facilitate suitable ICT training for teachers. Schools should liase with relevant support services and should endeavour to establish mechanisms to facilitate the sharing of good practice among members of the staff. †¢ Schools should endeavour to provide all their students with an  appropriate and equitable level of experience of ICT at all class levels: at the primary level and at both junior and senior cycle at the post-primary level. xix ICT in Schools †¢ Schools should plan for the maintenance and upgrading of their ICT systems. †¢ Computer rooms, where they exist, should be used to maximum effect. Staff members and students should be provided with adequate access to the internet. Post-primary schools in particular should aim to increase the permeation of ICT in general classrooms. †¢ A designated staff member should be responsible for ICT development. An ICT plan should be developed, using a consultative process, and an appropriate-use policy (AUP) should also be established. †¢ Teachers should endeavour to integrate ICT more in their planning and preparation for teaching. †¢ Schools need to ensure that ICT is used to support students with special educational needs in the most effective and appropriate way. Schools need to ensure that they match students’ needs to the most appropriate technology available, and that ICT is used to support not only the acquisition of literacy but the widest range of students’ needs. †¢ Schools should exploit the benefits to be had from ICT in their assessment procedures and also in their administrative practices. xx Chapter 1 ICT in primary and post-primary education in Ireland Part 1 Introduction 1 ICT in Schools †¢ Part 1 Introduction 1. 1 Introduction Information and communications technology (ICT) is an accepted element in all our lives and has a central role to play in education. Since the appearance of the first Government policy on ICT in education in 1997, a substantial investment has been made in ICT facilities and training in Irish schools. In Ireland, as in other countries, the debate about ICT in education concentrates on the potential impact of ICT on teaching and learning and on the measures that need to be adopted to ensure that the potential of ICT to enrich students’ learning experience is realised. This Inspectorate report presents the findings of a major evaluation of the impact of ICT on teaching and

Vodafone Measuring the Success of the Strategy Essay Example

Vodafone Measuring the Success of the Strategy Essay Example Vodafone Measuring the Success of the Strategy Essay Vodafone Measuring the Success of the Strategy Essay Avoidance brand resulting from the sponsorship. Our Strategy Our business strategy and our CAR strategy are Inseparable. Meeting society needs creates enormous opportunities to grow our business. Expanding our business In emerging markets such as Africa and India Is extending access to communications to people who rarely had the opportunity to use a phone before. And our responsible approach to issues like privacy and content builds trust and grows our customer base in mature markets. CAR strategy Our vision for 2010 is to be one of the most trusted companies in the markets where we operate. Our five year CAR strategy developed in 2005 and continually evolving is designed to help us realize this vision. It sets clear priorities to: Capture the potential of mobile to bring socio-economic value in both emerging economies and developed markets, through broadening access to communications to all sections of society Deliver progress against stakeholder expectations on the key areas of climate change, a safe and responsible Internet experience, and sustainable products and services Ensure our operating standards are of a consistent and appropriate level across the Group. This strategy Is based on our assessment of the key CAR-related opportunities and risks for our business. These are priorities through our issues management and risk assessment. Our brand essence Avoidances brand essence is: Red: For the passion and spirit that drives us. Rock Solid: We are dependable and empathetic. People can trust us. Restless: Were always challenging ourselves to improve. A strong CAR strategy is crucial to our Rock Solid brand essence. It also helps us to live up to our values. Our values Our values (or Passions) describe the way Avoidance people are expected to behave within the business: Passion for customers: Our customers have chosen to trust us. In return, we must strive to anticipate and understand their needs and delight them with our service. Passion for our people: Outstanding people working together make Avoidance exceptionally successful. Passion for results: We are action- relented Ana Arleen Dye a easels to De ten Des . T Passion Tort ten world around us: We will help the people of the world to have fuller lives both through the services we provide and through the impact we have on the world around us. In May 2006, we formulated a five point strategy which served us well for more than two years. We have broadly maintained or improved share against our largest or reference competitors in most of our markets and delivered on our key cost targets. We have increased the share of revenue from non-core mobile services from 10% to 15% and we also successfully increased our exposure to higher growth markets. Our dividend policy resulted in an average annual increase of in dividends and our capital structure policy has proved right for the business, particularly in the current market context. However, a number of challenges have evolved. Elasticity on core voice and messaging services remains below one, competitive and regulatory pressures continue to be strong, and recently we have not met our expectations in some markets. We are clearly entering into a more difficult macro economic environment. These factors led the Board to conclude that we should review whether the strategy established in May 2006 remained appropriate for the current environment. The fundamentals of Avoidance and our industry continue to be attractive; the sector leaders continue to be able to generate strong cash flow. In terms of revenue respects, whilst prices are likely to continue to decrease in Europe, the scope for usage growth remains significant, as demonstrated in markets such as the US and India. Mobile data is also proving to be in high demand: effective communications drive productivity benefits, meaning businesses and individuals need more, not less, of our services. A greater range of data devices and portable computers, at increasingly lower costs, are enlarging the addressable market. On the cash cost side, only about a third of our operating costs are fixed, and about a quarter depend on growth in voice minutes and data traffic. We controlled these costs well over the last two years. The remaining component of costs, some 40%, is market driven, providing significant scope for us to adapt in the event of greater economic pressures. Overall, our current European capital intensity of around 10% of revenue already contains a component of investment for growth. Avoidance has three key attributes which strongly differentiate us from our competitors: firstly, our scale in technology with which we continue to drive network and IT savings through consolidation and centralization of core activities; secondly, our strong presence in the enterprise racket, in large corporate as well as in small and medium sized businesses; and finally, our brand, especially in consumer pull markets. Our strategy will now be focused on four key objectives: drive operational performance, pursue growth opportunities in total communications, execute in emerging markets and strengthen capital discipline. We will drive operational performance through customer value enhancement, rather than revenue stimulation, and cost efficiency. Value enhancement involves maximizing the value of our existing customer relationships, not Just the revenue. We ill shift our approach away from unit pricing and unit based tariffs to propositions that deliver much more value to our customers in return for greater commitment, incremental penetration of the account or more balanced commercial costs. This will require a more Oligopolies approach to commercial costs to ensure our Investment Is focused on those customers with higher lifetime value. In essence, we are confident that by targeting our offers, we can deliver more value to our customers and have a better financial outcome for Avoidance. Customer value enhancement replaces revenue stimulation. Cost efficiency requires us to continue to deliver scale benefits through optimization of operating and capital expenditure. We have a significant number of cost programmed across the Group which we expect to reduce current operating costs by approximately El billion per annum by the 2011 financial year to offset the pressures from cost inflation and the competitive environment and to enable investment in revenue growth opportunities. As a result, on a like for like basis, we are targeting broadly stable operating costs in Europe and for operating costs to grow at a lower rate than revenue in MAP between the 2008 and 2011 uncial years. Capital intensity is expected to be at or below 10% over this period in Europe and to trend to European levels in MAP over the longer term. On growth opportunities, the three target areas are Mobile data, Enterprise and Broadband. We have already made significant progress on mobile data, with annelids revenue of E. Billion, but the opportunity remains significant with the penetration of data devices still relatively low in Europe and almost nil in emerging markets. In enterprise, we have a strong position in core mobile services and we have built a lid presence in 18 months in multi-national accounts through Avoidance Global Enterprise. Our strategy is to leverage this strength to expand our offerings into the broader enterprise communications market locally, serving SoHo and Seems with shared platforms and services, supported by our local sales forces. For broadband, we continue to adopt a market by market approach focused on the service, rather than the technology, and targeted at enterprise and high value consumers as a priority. We are already represented in most of the key emerging markets where significant growth is expected in the coming years. Our principal focus now will be on execution in these markets, in particular in India, Turkey and our African footprint following our recent agreement to acquire control of Voodoos. We will also seek to maximize the mobile data opportunity. There are few potential large new markets of interest to us and we will be cautious and selective on future expansion. The final objective is capital discipline. We remain committed to our low single A rating target, which we consider to be appropriate in the current environment, and comfortable with our liquidity position. Our focus is on free cash flow generation and ensuring appropriate investment in our existing businesses. We see increasing dividends as the primary reward to shareholders. Given our credit rating and the current level of cash flow and dividends, this leaves limited debt capacity. We see in-market consolidation as a positive for our industry and we would support consolidation. As previously mentioned, our focus is principally on our existing emerging markets rather than expansion and any significant acquisition would likely need to be funded through portfolio disposals. We remain focused on value creation for our non- controlled assets. Verizon Wireless is one of the leading assets in an attractive market and we are increasingly co-operating on terminals, enterprise and future technology to deliver further value for the Group. Our updated strategy repositions us appropriately in the current environment. We need to improve execution in our excellent Duskinesss Ana allover on our cost targets. We wall pursue growth communications and focus on our existing emerging markets, with only selective and cautious footprint expansion. Finally, we must strengthen our approach to capital discipline. Our priority is free cash flow generation and we will continue to target E lion to E billion of free cash flow per annum, excluding license and spectrum payments and any potential CUFF tax settlement. GOAL INVESTMENT PLANS The planned $2 bin cape in the next two years announced by Avoidance, following the acquisition, may not bring in good results if they want to gain significant market share as its rivals-Breath and Reliance have decided to increase their cape during the fiscal 2007 itself. Reliance may plough in $2. 5 bin in fiscal 2007-08, while around $2. 5 bin could be the investment from Breath Retailer. Avoidances target to achieve 0-25% market share by 2010-11 and market penetration of more than 40% may be realistic.

Our impact on the environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Our impact on the environment - Essay Example ties includes the element of pollution, which is currently a major global threat that has been increasing in a dramatic rate due to the increase of industrialization and other human activities that involve use of energy. This essay is going to focus on the impacts of human activities on the environment, analyze how different sources of energy affect the environment as well recommend usage of the most sustainable and friendly sources of energy. Carried out studies have proven that one of the major factors contributing to the high levels of pollution to the environment is the type of sources of energy that human beings use in fueling their industrial activities (Jaccard 63). Most of these sources of energies used in almost all countries are nonrenewable and highly unsustainable, a factor that have made them a chief threat to the environment (Jaccard 65). However, some sources are known to have more adverse effects to the environment than others with oil, coal and natural gas being the main sources that environmentalists blame much for the high level of pollution in the modern world. Statistics show that oil is the most common source of energy with oil being used to fuel over 80% of all the activities undertaken on daily basis such as in factories, cooking and for transport. However, combustion of oil leads to emission of greenhouse gases that have detrimental effects to the environment (Curley 95). The main constituents of products released after burning oil, natural gas and coal are carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide that have significantly contributed to global warming or climate change. In addition, combusted fossil fuels lead to formation of other harmful gases which ends up forming acids such as carbonic acids and sulfuric acid. Carbon dioxide and suphurous gaseous produces once fossils are combusted combine with moisture or rain in the atmosphere to form acidic rainfall. Acidic rains are a major threat to plant and fish health once they get on to the ground.

Pathophysiology of Acute gastritis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pathophysiology of Acute gastritis - Essay Example Protective factors in the stomach lining include, bicarbonate production, mucous production by goblet cells than line stomach bed preventing direct action from acids, whereas erosive factors include hydrochloric acid production and enzyme production (Croft, 2014). Based on the CT scan findings of the abdomen, the presence of hiatal hernia, that implies that the stomach has protruded through a weakening at the hiatus. A protruded stomach is subjected to excess acidity leading to gastritis (Croft, 2014). The form of gastritis which one gets is always severe explaining the nauseas and vomiting which the patient was getting leading the patient not to swallow solid foods since they induce mucosal acidity the most. The patient is more likely suffering from severe Los Angeles Class D erosive esophagitis secondary to acute gastritis caused by hiatal hernia. Acute gastritis induced vomiting episodes for the patient that led to erosion of the distal portion of the esophagus explaining the irregular shaped mucosa (Croft,