Debate on Military Draft Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Debate on Military Draft - Research Paper Example Debate on Military Draft The draft which was initially referred to as conscription was first instituted in the civil battle in an attempt to increase an adequate amount of troops to battle in the coming war in 1860. For the period of World War I, the draft was used to get more than four million young men into the service for the Allied cause. In 1940, again the draft was used to increase the number of service men by one and a half million. The Vietnam and Korean War saw the increase of compulsory service before being phased out, was not seen again until 1940, when the army's numbers jumped to nearly one and a half million soldiers. Presently, young men are must to sign up with Selective Service. Military service is a classic debate between duty to society and individual liberty. Arguments for the military draft From a political point of view, a military draft guarantees that there are adequate soldiers to actually battle in whichever wars that are being fought. Where several countries are at war automatically means that more soldiers are injured or die and they need to be replaced. The United States of America has been involved in the Afghan and Iraqi wars for several years now; most of the tax payers’ money has been spent. Americans have seen greater than before rates of limb loss, distressing brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide. If there was no draft it would mean that the government will have to spend more money to recruit more soldiers and pay them just like the professional soldiers (Bades et al. 817). The military is a dignified profession and a large number of people choose to serve at the country for varied reasons. Some people join the forces at it is a family tradition while others do so as have fewer options when it comes to socioeconomic explanations in life (Ruschmann 772). Exclusive of a draft, Americans are left in a immense and risky luxury as they are able to able to dispatch war fighting to a largely secluded force of courageous volunteers. Consequently, most of Americans have little express relationship with the military. A draft for young people who attain a definite age achieves a number of things. First, it clearly provides the nation with a secure supply of skilled soldiers in case they are urgently required to protect their country against their enemies. The military draft will gives the youth a high level of obedience which, optimistically, will translate finally into self-discipline (Carper 495). If these young people are correctly assessed and trained, this phase of compulsory service can assist them to make a decision on what they want to accomplish in their lives by giving them a hands-on experience in a range of fields of know-how. On top of that, universal drafts will convene young people together from differe nt backgrounds. This passage of educational, social, financial obstacle is increasingly becoming more intricate and extraordinary in American culture. However, since not all every young person is suited to military service, it is imperative that an alternative of supplementary kinds of public service be open to those who need it. Some can argue out that compulsory service

Definition And Types Of Social Capital

Definition And Types Of Social Capital Social capital is the the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition (Bourdieu 1983: 249). Social capital is defined by its function. It is not a single entity, but a variety of different entities, having two characteristics in common: they all consist of some aspect of a social structure, and they facilitate certain actions of individuals who are within the structure (Coleman 1994: 302). Whereas physical capital refers to physical objects and human capital refers to the properties of individuals, social capital refers to connections among individuals social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them. In that sense social capital is closely related to what some have called civic virtue. The difference is that social capital calls attention to the fact that civic virtue is most powerful when embedded in a sense network of reciprocal social relations. A society of many virtuous but isolated individuals is not necessarily rich in social capital (Putnam 2000: 19). Social capital refers to the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a societys social interactions Social capital is not just the sum of the institutions which underpin a society it is the glue that holds them together (The World Bank 1999). According to John Field, the fundamental of social capital is that relationship matters. It helps people to commit themselves to people in the community. It eventually becomes a shared set of values, virtues and expectation within society as a whole. However, Robert Putman (1993; 2000) is the person who launched social capital which focused on research and policy discussions. The World Bank also chose social capital as a useful organising idea. They argue that increasing evidence shows that social cohesion is critical for societies to prosper economically and for development to be sustainable (The World Bank 1999). In this piece we explore the idea of social capital and the contribution by voluntary clubs to social capital. Types of Social Capital There are three types of social capital: bonding social capital, bridging social capital and linking social capital. Bonding social capital refers to the links between like-minded people, or the reinforcement of homogeneity. (Schuller, Baron, Field, 2000) Bonding Social Capital indicates ties between people in similar situation. It can be your neighbours, friends or even family. (Woolcock 2001: 13-4). Bridging social capital can be referred as building of connections between heterogeneous groups, which are likely to be more fragile, but more likely also to foster social inclusion. (Schuller, Baron, Field, 2000) Bridging social capital covers distant ties of like persons, such as workmates and fast friends. (Woolcock 2001: 13-4) Linking social capital, which reaches out to unlike people in dissimilar situations, such as those who are entirely outside of the community, thus enabling members to leverage a far wider range of resources than are available in the community. (Woolcock 2001: 13-4) The discussion of social capital is credited to three main theorists namely Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman and Robert Putnam. Bourdieu stated that there are three kind of capitals, but for this paper we only look at Social Capital. Bourdieu provides a concise definition of social capital by stating: social capital is the aggregate of the actual or potential resource which is linked to the possession of a durable network of more of less institutionalised relationships of mutual acquaintance or recognition (p. 249). Field and Wynne said that people access other forms of capital through social capital. In sporting circumstances, Bourdieu gives an example of golf clubs where individuals network to facilitate business, a social practice that is not available to all members of a community given the exclusive nature of many golf clubs (Field, 2003; Wynne, 1999). According to Coleman, social capital is not a single body. It is a structure which facilitates certain action, which has positive outcome; otherwise it would not have been possible. Coleman, through his research, found out that the level of school drop-out rate had reduced due to parental investment and family social capital. Coleman, in this context defines social capital as a set of resources that are available in family relation which is important for social development of the child. These resources differ from person to person and an advantage to children to develop their human capital. (Coleman, 1994, cited in Coalter, 2007, p. 541) According to Putman, social capital is not just a public good but is for the public good. Putnam states that, bonding social capital are when people of the same community, with similar values associate together to achieve shared goals. They tend to reinforce restricted identities and are homogenous group. Putman also says that this kind of association have some negative points as they tend to exclude outsiders. Exclusion of outsiders here means that a football club will have a tendency to include supporters and players from a same background. They would try to exclude those who are not from the same background. On the other hand bridging social capital is heterogeneous in nature. Heterogeneity of social connections promotes linkage with different type of people. Bridging social capital however, has the potential to forge connections. People with same as well as from different background can connect within the community or outside the community (Narayan Cassidy, 2001). We can thus see that people who are connected through bridging social capital have a wider range of associates. They also got more opportunities. Therefore Bridging social capital is very important to enhance social inclusion and to develop communitys ability. Sports Volunteers: The Real Active Citizens? Sports Clubs are career for the expression of active citizenship through volunteering. Volunteers are more important than any other thing in a club or a sporting organization (Nichols, et al., 2004). Clubs provide an opportunity which helps the community by contributing to social capital through social interaction (Coalter, 2007; Long, 2008; Weed et al., 2005). The volunteers share their values, a reflection of the society where their expressions of collective values are encouraged, which is a positive contribution towards society. As Coalter (2007) points out the diffuse and contested nature of social capital is central to the social regeneration/social inclusion agenda (p. 159). The volunteers have a potential contribution to rebuild the social capital. Sport England (1999, p8) stresses volunteering as activity which is fundamental to the development of democratic society. It helps in contributing towards their public life and develops their communities. Consequently such policies are as much concerned with the instrumental use of sport for purposes of community development as they are in simply developing sport in the community (Coalter and Allison, 1996). The key policy message here is that the potentially positive benefits of sport are not only to be obtained via participation involvement in the organisation and provision of opportunities for sport and physical recreation can assist in the development of self-esteem and a series of transferable skills a view of volunteering as active citizenship.

The Lottery Of Irony Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever read the story of a princess kissing a frog, having it turn into a prince? Well, what if it didn’t become a prince, but she turned into a frog herself! This is called irony, something we would not expect to happen. In the story of the princess we would not expect that to happen. In the story â€Å"The Lottery,† written by Shirley Jackson, we see this situation in another form. She uses irony to bring out the point in her story. â€Å"The Lottery,† offers an â€Å"ironic twist of fate† that causes wonder and makes one sympathize with the characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There have been many situations on our own lives in which we are totally surprised in the outcome of a situation. In this case Jackson emphasized the irony as her main goal. She declares, â€Å"to shock the story’s readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives.† This shows that she wanted to use the element of irony to bring out the meaning of her story. Jackson used irony in many different ways such as Tessie being the last one to arrive and the first one to leave†¦(in a way). Also one would think of the lottery as being something to win and inherit goods or valuables from, however, winning the lottery means losing your life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another part of the story that came off surprising was how her husband gave her up so easily. Instead of feeling bad for his wife, Mr. Hutchinson quickly admitt...

Human Development: Older Adulthood Essay

In considering the life experience of an older person, it is essential to know about the developmental stages of human beings. Erikson’s theories of development give a good general overview of the various developmental challenges and breakthroughs which people have throughout their lives, from conception until natural death. Older adulthood is a time when people are confronted with having a sense of generativity or feeling a sense of despair. The older adult who is accomplished and is able to look back on life knowing that one devoted oneself to good causes has generally a good feeling of generativity, while the older person who has a sense of failure in regard to one’s life endeavors, shame in regard to not having contributed enough, is often left despairing. At this point in life, in the later years of a person’s development, it is just as common to find people who are satisfied with their lifelong contribution as it is to find people who are dissatisfied with what they have for others. In speaking with Margie, it is clear that she is not sure if she has done the best for her children, because she is alone in an assisted living community without many visiting relatives. Margie is an 82 year old woman who lives in an urban assisted living apartment building. Although she has met some friends in the community and enjoys the indoor garden and parakeets as well as the weekly Catholic Mass celebrated by a local priest, she is saddened by the lack of visitors she receives. A small woman with dark grey and black hair and hunched shoulders, Margie moves around the building slowly and with a seemingly idle or nondirected stride. She pauses often to look around the room, as if searching for something. She says that out of her five children, only two of them come to visit regularly, and that is about once a month. I ask her if she feels deserted or ignored, and she says yes. In considering her relationships with her children, she often wonders if she was too inattentive with them, if she didn’t care about them the right way. I understand that she thinks that if she had formed better relationships with her children, then they would be closer to her now. I can sense this painful feeling sharply in her presence, and I cannot do or say anything to counter her feeling. Perhaps she’s right. I allow Margie to talk about her family members, her husband, siblings, and especially her children. She takes photographs from her room and points to her grandchildren, lovely people, I say. In asking Margie how she feels being an older person, she says that it’s ok. She doesn’t feel as good as she used to feel. She’s tired. I get the sense that there is an overarching umbrella of depression which covers her and follows her everywhere. I ask Margie if there’s anything society should change about how it deal with older people, and she says that society shouldn’t forget about them. She has the sense that her children have forgotten her, and she wonders if the mothering care she provided for them as children wasn’t enough to keep them devoted to her needs as she ages. At one point, tears roll down Margie’s face. â€Å"What can I do, an old lady, to make my children love me more? I just don’t know. † In speaking with Margie, I have to wonder if it’s truly her fault. Could it be the fault of her children? Did they change, get swept up in capitalism, forget their duty to care for their older parents? She’s too upset to ask her these questions. I ask her if she’s like to take a stroll through the garden together, and we do. Older aged people need as much or even more care as any other individuals. It makes sense for the younger generation to remember the needs of their parents and older relatives, to help them and to provide them with care. However, it is also important for people in general to recognize that if they want their children to be around for them in their later years, then parents and need to form strong relationships with their children, honorable and respectful relationships which can carry them throughout the span of time. Generativity in later years is marked by security in personal relationships. The successful and happy older individuals are the one who are now reaping the benefits of what they have planted. As Margie says, â€Å"The birds all stick together in that one tree, and they’re happy. †

Of Mice and Men Essay Essay

â€Å"The language of friendship is not in words, but in meanings† – Henry David Thoreau While reading the novel, Of Mice and Men, the reader gets a front row view into the relationship of the two main characters, Lennie and George. In every friendship, there are dysfunctional moments, ups and downs, genuine moments and never ending adventures. By definition, a friend is someone to talk to, do things with, be there for each other in time of need and be each other’s crying shoulder. Throughout this novel, Lennie and George display a friendship unlike any other. It is so dysfunctional and rare it makes the reader wonder why these two are friends. For example, the boss says â€Å"Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.† â€Å"I just like to know your interest.† In this quote found on page 25, the boss is trying to make sense of their friendship. Even though this quote highlights the rarity of George and Lennie’s bond, this causes the boss to suspect wrong- doing on George’s part. At the end of the novel, George end s up shooting Lennie. This perfectly displays the dysfunctional and rare qualities in their friendship. There are many ups and downs in Lennie and George’s friendship in addition to it being dysfunctional and rare. Lennie is mentally ill. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason behind his actions. For instance, without Lennie, George could â€Å"Go get a job an’ work an’ no trouble. No mess at all and at the end of the month I could take my fifty bucks into town and get whatever I want.† This shows Lennie and George’s Relationship being down. Even though Lennie is a huge burden, George ultimately chooses to not be without him. Even though it seems like George is being held down by Lennie, George stays with Lennie because they both want the migrant dream. â€Å"Someday – we’re gonna get the Jack together, have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and we’ll have a big vegetable patch.† Thus, these two cannot live without each other. Lennie and George have a genuine relationship too. George takes really good care of Lennie, almost like in a maternal way. George says, â€Å"Lennie, for God’ sakes don’t drink so much, you gonna be sick like you was last night.† This shows he cares about Lennie. In the beginning, Lennie assaults a lady by tearing the front side of her dress  off in their old town Weeds. George could’ve easily left Lennie to fend for himself but he realized that wasn’t the right thing to do. Lennie hears his dead aunt Clara telling him â€Å"When he got a piece of pie you always got half or more’n half.† â€Å"An’ if there was any ketchup, why he’d give it all to you.† As the novel progresses, Lennie’s past catches up with him and the authorities start looking for him. George knows that if it is caught, the officers would throw him in jail and he wouldn’t survive. So George shoots Lennie to basically put him out of his misery. Clearly, they have a genuine friendship. With every friendship, there are many adventures along the way. The novel starts off in a scenic woodsy area by a lake. Lennie and George run away together from their home town of Weed to run from the authorities and start a new life as migrant workers. When they’ve finally reached the barn, they meet new people and build relationships with them. The boss, Curley, Curley’s wife, Slim, Crooks, and Carlson. Lennie is always getting into trouble and George is always looking to get him out of it. Lennie kills a mouse, strangles Curley’s wife and also kills the dog. Although this book had many twist and turns, it was a heart- warming thriller that illustrated what life was like back in the 1930s. it surely wasn’t easy but having a dream meant a lot to the characters and made them strive to live their dream.

Talking About Times of the Day in Spanish

Talking About Times of the Day in Spanish Although you sometimes need to be precise when talking about times  in Spanish,  often an approximation will do. Thus, at the most basic, we can talk about la maà ±ana (morning), la tarde (afternoon or evening), and la noche (night). Here, roughly in ascending order, are some other common words or phrases for times of the day, including the prepositions that are often used with them. Times up to and Through Noon por la maà ±ana temprano - in early morning.  Correr por la maà ±ana temprano puede ser una excelente opcià ³n.  (Running in the early morning can be an excellent choice.) Note that here temprano functions as an adverb. It isnt an adjective, in which case the feminine form temprana would have to be used.al amanecer - at dawn.  ¿Por quà © cantan los gallos al amanecer?  (Why do roosters crow at dawn?)de madrugada - at dawn. Un terremoto de 5,6 grados de magnitud sacude de madrugada.  (An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 shook at dawn.)en las primeras horas del dà ­a - in the early daylight hours. En las primeras horas del dà ­a los rayos del Sol se reciben muy oblicuos. (In the first hours of daylight the suns rays are at an oblique angle.)a la hora de desayunar - at breakfast time. El error ms comà ºn que cometen las personas a la hora de desayunar es comer los alimentos tà ­picos para el desayuno, de los cuales estn altamente procesados y cargados de azà ºcar. (Th e most common mistake people make at breakfast time is to eat typical breakfast food, which is highly processed and loaded with sugar.) por la maà ±ana - in the morning. Somos un poco ms altos por la maà ±ana que por la noche.  (Were a little bit taller in the morning than late in the day.)a media maà ±ana - in midmorning. A media maà ±ana estar restituido el servicio elà ©ctrico en zona norte.  (Electrical service will be restored in the north zone in midmorning.)a mediodà ­a, al mediodà ­a - at noon, in the middle of the day. El euro sube hasta 1,25 dà ³lares a mediodà ­a. (The euro climbed to $1.25 at noon.)a la hora de almorzar - at lunchtime. El restaurante nuevo es una muy buena alternativa a la hora de almorzar en el centro de Santiago. (The new restaurant is a good alternative for lunchtime in downtown Santiago.)a la hora de comer  - at mealtime, at lunchtime. Las batallas con los ms pequeà ±os a la hora de comer pueden ser un estrà ©s para toda la familia.  (Battles with the littlest ones at mealtime can be stressful for the entire family.) Times for the Remainder of the Day a la hora de merienda, en la merienda - at tea time, in midafternoon A la hora de merienda prueba estas deliciosas barras de chocolate.  (Try these delicious chocolate bars in the afternoon.)de dà ­a - in the daytime. Durante los seis meses de dà ­a en el polo, el Sol se mueve continuamente cerca del horizonte.  (During the six months of daytime at the pole, the sun moves continually near the horizon.)durante el dà ­a - in the daytime.  ¿Quà © frutas debo comer durante el dà ­a para tener energà ­a?  (What fruits should I eat during the day in order to have energy?)por la tarde, a la tarde  - in the afternoon or evening. Una siesta por la tarde podrà ­a mejorar su inteligencia.  (A rest in the afternoon could improve your intelligence.)al anochecer - at dusk. Cinco planetas sern visibles al anochecer.  (Five planets will be visible at dusk.)al atardecer - at dusk.  Navegar por el Tajo al atardecer es una de las experiencias ms romnticas que se pueden disf rutar en Lisboa. (Boating the Tajo at dusk is one of the most romantic experiences you can enjoy in Lisbon.) a la hora de cenar - at dinnertime. No busques la tranquilidad a la hora de cenar.  (Dont look for quiet at dinnertime.)por la noche, por las noches - at night, in late evening. Despertarse por la noche no es considerado un problema para todas las familias del mundo. (Waking up at night isnt considered a problem for every family.)de noche - at night, in the late evening.  Soy de las que va a eventos sociales, sobre todo de noche.  (I am one of those who goes to social events, especially at night.)a la medianoche - at midnight. Al llegar a Nueva York a la medianoche, voy a viajar a Washington.  (After arriving at New York at midnight, Im going to travel to Washington.)

Free sample - A Comparison of Life in the US and Life in the USSR in the 1960s. translation missing

A Comparison of Life in the US and Life in the USSR in the 1960s. A Comparison of Life in the US and Life in the USSR in the 1960sThe Soviet Union also known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a state based on socialism (Martin, 1995). This state existed on what was formerly the Russian Empire. In the 1960’s, this state had one communist Party and a planned economy. Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, led this state with dictatorship leading to economic depression, and political repression (Smitha, 2000). In the 1960’s, the United States of America’s President, Lyndon B. Johnson, led America to large-scale industrialization, egalitarianism and calmed political turbulence as Civil Activism raged. He ensured that the blacks and other minority groups had their civil liberties thus making America a democracy. During this time, America was a capitalist economy and could not tolerate Soviet’s communism. This essay explores how capitalism boosted the economy of America as communism and socialism ruined the economy of the Soviet Union. After World War 1, the capitalist economy of America got a boost from the sale of arms and other military equipment. It used the gains to build its military power and used it as a â€Å"sphere of influence† thus dividing Europe with an Iron Curtain (The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 2003). Eastern Europe embraced capitalism and thus aligned itself with U.S. while Europe’s Western Nations aligned themselves with the USSR and adopted communism and socialism. The U.S economy was market based. The price of products and services was dictated by the supply and demand curve. Economic growth saw the expansion of infrastructure, industries, and urbanization (Frieden, 2006). Suburbs emerged with the middle class transforming in search of better wages. In the education system, students were taught business management, critical thinking, and questioning authority. These educational foundations geared the emergence of successful multinational corporations that changed the business face of the world. In USSR, communism dictated that the people or the citizens should worship the leaders. The state of government was more of a police state where freedom is controlled or curtailed. This limitation to human freedom and basic rights led to decline in production from agriculture to the industry and consequently the economic decline. Socialism ensured that workers were organized to form cooperatives. They produce goods and services, the leaders take them and redistribute them to the people (The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 2003). This is what led to the slowdown of the USSR economy because the worker toils to produce and he or she is not motivated. The USSR economy was a planned economy. Price controls, state owned and controlled industries lost a lot of revenue because there was poor governance and little motivation. The education system was structured along the lines of communism. Students were taught to follow rules without questioning authority. This is what has largely contributed to the unsuccessfulness of Russian corporations because people do not want to question authority even when they see a problem. Because of this, life expectancy dropped, many people lived on less than a dollar a day, poor housing, and lack of good food made them a disillusioned lot (Martin, 1995). The USSR government could not tolerate America’s capitalism. They used socialism and communism as their â€Å"sphere of influence† and thus gained support from Europe’s Western Nations. In the 1960’s the economy of the U.S and that of the Soviet Union grew at almost the same rate-6-7 percent (Smitha, 2000). Both countries made economic gains that made them to be the world’s leading superpowers and producers of manufactured goods. The existence of two equally powerful nations led to strained relations and hostility. The main cause was competition for support from the emerging economies and third world countries. References Frieden, J. (2006). Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century. New York,   W.W. Norton Company. Print. Martin, M. (1995). Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia. New York, Free Press.   Print. Smitha, E. F. (2000). End of the Cold War and the Soviet Union: The Soviet Economy to the mid-1960s. Macrohistory and World Report.

How To Redesign Your Website Like CoSchedule In 10+ Easy Steps

How To Redesign Your Website Like In 10+ Easy Steps Alright. So you’re about to start a huge REDESIGN of your company’s website. That’s no small task, and quite franklyit’s intimidating. 301 redirects, copy, coding, A/B tests, wireframes, sitemaps, planning! And that’s just the obvious ones. This summer, ’s product marketing team made the bold move to update our entire website. And while researching and learning from others was a huge help, the resources out there were pretty minimal (especially for small teams) like us. So, we decided to recap our experiences and share some life lessons. Here it goes: This is how two people (in-house) built a website from scratch in 4 months. The Process: 1. The Five Day Brainstorm Sprint There’s an awesome book called Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days. If you haven’t read it, here’s a great starting point: And it’s basically what we did. In a week’s time, we created three very different storylines with accompanying Photoshop designs. We forced ourselves to create a story, design it, and present it to leadership every other day. It was scrappy and tad intense, but it got us where we needed to go†¦ We started with anything and everything. Pushing outrageous ideas quickly- to help  us flesh out ideas, build off of them, and create the official story. From a  comic book feel with super heroes to little robots guiding marketers along their journey, each idea brought us a little closer to the final story. 2. Plot Out Your Sitemap. Put a name to every page on your new website. It doesn’t have to be overly complex, Megan (product marketing’s awesome UX/UI designer) built one in less than an hour. And with a high level view of your new site, you’ll be able to  build a strong path for conversions and a strong storyline to guide them along the way. 3. Write Your Copy Before  Design. Before a single wireframe was created, every line of copy was written for EVERY page. We spent a good three weeks creating skimmable  content and placing a major emphasis on good headlines for each talking point. Recommendation: Write a minimum of 25 headlines per talking point and (if you can), test and iterate on them with a team member. ’s Headline Analyzer is a great tool for writing headlines . Use the â€Å"but why† process to find your users WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). Before a single word is written,  ask yourself this question to get to the real benefits or the real reason why anyone would care to read x blog, page, email, etc. If you haven’t already, watch Simon Sinek’s TED talk on Why ↠ it’s a great starting point to building a story your users will care about. 4. Build Wireframes For Your Designers Sanity Wireframes are the skeleton to design AND if you want your designer to still love you at the end of a project, DON’T skip this. Wireframes are a lot like sitemaps and are a simplistic view of a page layout. They help ensure that when designing really starts, you aren’t caught off guard by layouts and can move forward quickly. 5. Start With Photoshop, Then Code. Create high fidelity designs  of each page. Similar to writing copy for every page BEFORE design, high fidelity design should be done BEFORE code. Again, it’s a necessary step because it eliminates the need to â€Å"imagine† what your page or elements of the page will look like and makes changes easier (because you catch them earlier). 6. A/B Test (Tn The Midst Of Process). Start testing your assumptions early. After creating your copy and initial PS designs, start testing out a few of your ideas on your existing website (think elements: headlines, logos, images, etc). Quick How-To for Creating An A/B test: Create a hypothesis: Based on your current sites performance and the particular element youd like to test create a hypothesis to build your test around: For example: Replacing the static image on the homepage with a autoplay video will increase conversions Test it: Create a variation of your hypothesis (new homepage with video), and then A/B test it against the original page. Calculate the test duration with respect to your monthly visitors, current conversion rate, and expected change in conversion rate. (VWO will help calculate all of this for you HOWEVER if you dont have this,  heres a calculator). Analyze it: Dig into your results and see which variation performed the best. If theres an obvious  winner, go ahead an implement that variation to the real website. If results were a tad muddy, revise your hypothesis and keep testing. We tested a few headlines and added a video to the homepage during our website redesign, and saw a 6% increase in conversions → pretty awesome validation! It pays to test early. Never rest on your assumptions: prove and disapprove them with data! Recommended Tool: VWO for A/B testing. It’s great for non-designers and quick A/B experiments. Use â€Å"quick learnings† to get faster results when you can’t run a test for an extended period. 7. Coding: Once Designs Are Approved, Code It. Once youre at the coding stage stick to the plan. Focus on pushing out code, getting it out into the world, and iterate on it AFTER you launch your new site. Aside from minor bug fixes, avoid major overhauls at this point. 8. Push Code to your Staging  Site (For Review, Edits, etc.) This is where all your hard work comes to life (behind the curtain). Here you can test and revise the functionality of your designs. We use Meistertask for our QA  (quality assurance) phase. Similar to many Kanban views, its helps us to track the progress on edits as well as test, retest, and sign-off on edits. You can create  custom phases (open bugs, in progress, review, and done) and utilize Skitch to create visuals (your designer will love you for this). 9. Plan Time in the Project for Bug Fixes†¦ You will have bugs, so plan for it. Recruit folks from the team to purposely test and break your website (so real users don’t have to). In addition, test user experience during this phase. Observe a friend or team member, someone who hasn’t been involved in the project, click around the new site. Take notes and be ready to make changes. Getting a new set of eyes will help to validate if the user flow is second nature or clunky. Remember: Good design just works. If your user has to think youre doing it wrong. 10. Go Live!  Hold Your Breath and Release Your Hard Work Into the Real World. The 10+ step: Keep A/B Testing. Launching your new site is NOT  the end all be all. Its just the beginning. Throughout your redesign process build a list  of various items to test: color, images, copy, video, etc. And then build out a schedule for testing those ideas a few weeks after your launch. Remember, your website has one goal: to convert visitors into paying customers. And if you want to increase conversions, A/B testing will help you  to determine whats is and isnt working with your new design. Lessons Learned: Write Your Copy in the Customer’s Words The best way to sell to your ideal customer, is to use the phrases and words of your current customers. They’re your best advocate and they speak the buyer’s language. So how do you do this? When creating copy for ’s new site, we went through pages and pages of customer surveys. Polldaddy has this awesome feature that creates word clouds of the most populars words and phrases AS WELL AS a filtering option to rank popular answers (I relied on both of these heavily). In addition, customer interviews were part of the process. Over the project, I scheduled and recorded Skype calls with some of our current customers to find their stories. It was a great way to get natural, candid  responses to how and why they use . Daily syncs (more meetings can be good, if done with a purpose) Before this project, I was definitely on team â€Å"less meetings, more doing† But after this project I realized the problem isn’t the meetings, it’s the FOCUS in those meetings. For our entire redesign, the product marketing team met for 30 minutes (or less) each afternoon for a hyper focused  status update and feedback on our individual projects. These daily syncs helped us produce faster and push past blockers sooner. It was a highly focused meeting with an enforced timeline. And because of these guidelines typical meeting bullshit was rare. People left those syncs with clear action items and good feedback on their work. Recommendation: Pick two action items for each sync. Skip the small talk. And go right into the area you need feedback on copy, wireframe, design whatever it is. Remember, you’re on a time constraint, so honor it. Also, if you’re doing your syncs over the web, it can be awkward knowing how and when to end a meeting. Embrace the awkward, and just call it when it needs to end  (time is precious, and you’re doing everyone a favor).

World War 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

World War 2 - Essay Example One would realize that there was no need for United States of America to become a party in war (Blum). The Second World War was fought on European and Asian soils. There were two groups of countries that are involved in the war. The Allies and the Axis, the former faction included giants like Russia, United Kingdom, United States of America, and other anti-Nazi European countries. The three main players of Axis were Germans, Italians and Japan in the east (British Library, n.p.). Despite, the territorial clashes, there was severe damage to the civilian. There were genocides in the name of purification or superiority; there were mass killings in China and Korea. In total World War Two produced over fifty million deaths, the highest for any war. The key figures of World War Two were Hitler and Mussolini from the Axis side. Hitler was the leader of Nazi, while Mussolini led the Fascists in Italy. On the other side, there were names like Churchill prime minister of United Kingdom, Roosevelt the president of America, and Stalin, the dictator who ruled Russia. Hitler wanted to gain dominance over Eastern Europe, Germany which was a giant at that wanted to take control of Europe. Meanwhile Italy was on war with England over colonial claims. In Asian soils the main problem was Manchuria province in China. Apart from these key issues there was a competition for conquering crude oil reserves in the Middle East. World War Two was fought between 1939 and 1945. There was never any side that gained dominance, if Allies secured one base, the Axis would conquer another, the tug of war, continued for six years, and it might have extended even further, if America would have not used its atom bombs to make Hiroshima and Nagasaki silent forever (Weber, n.p.). The end of World War Two gave birth to formation of two blocs, and a cold war began between USSR and America (US History, n.p.). This led to an arm race; followed by formation of organizations like NATO and

Leisure in Society. Golf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leisure in Society. Golf - Essay Example According to ESRC fact sheet the most popular leisure time activity in the UK is watching TV. However, the main problem, which arises, is the lack of movement and physical activity in the lives of the British population. According to the research conducted in Bristol over 10Â  % of 11-year-old children should move more actively and are recommended to make daily exercises. The other survey conducted by the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children came to the conclusion that children from more well-to-do families make less exercise than children from poorer social background and girls were less active than boys / BBC News, 2005/. Medical surveys, which took place in 2002, showed the same results that over 22Â  % of male and 23Â  % of British female population were obese. Besides, some part of the population was not obese but overweight. These are 43Â  % of males and 34Â  % of female population of the UK. Thus, according to the Body Mass Index over 50Â  % of all adult population of Great Britain is overweight and were recommended to control their weight / Office for National Statistics, 2005/. On the other hand, it should be mentioned that there is a growing interest to the sport activities in the UK. Thus, the General Household Survey made a research of the most popular sporting activities of grown-ups (aged 16 and more). The results of the survey are represented on the table below/ Office for National Statistics, 2005/ : The only corrections, which I would like to make in this list is to include angling. Thus, according to the Environment Agency approximately 11Â  % of all British population has fished during the past two years / Environment Agency, 2007/. Therefore, I would like to mention this kind of sport activity as one of the popular activities of the UK population both of men and women. On the other hand, the other hand, which we also should take into consideration, is the organization of the sport activity. Thus, according to

Network Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Network Security - Research Paper Example These issues can be dangerous for personal information safety and privacy. Thus, network management procedures are used for the effective management of the network security aspects (Kaminsky, 2012; Cisco, 2000; Huang, MacCallum, & Du, 2010). In addition, network security encompasses a set of rules and actions that an organization or business adopt to secure its computer systems, and it is a major concern for every business that uses a computer network to carry out its business tasks. Hence, compromised network security risk clearly demonstrates that a business competitor or hacker can gain access to sensitive or critical data, probably resulting in total destruction of business or personal information or system or data loss. In this scenario, effective network security can be attained when a user has to face a number of security layers before being capable to get access to the desired business or any information network. Additionally, various researches show that the implementation o f more layers results in more secure network and working environment (Kaminsky, 2012; Cisco, 2000; Huang, MacCallum, & Du, 2010). This paper presents a detailed analysis of network security. This paper will outline some of the major issues regarding internal and external security breaches of a corporate. This paper will also outline the actions and suggestions that should be taken into consideration in order to address these security issues. 2 Main Risks With the passage of time, the trend of adopting new technologies is growing rapidly. Additionally, the computer networks play a significant role in our lives as they are used everywhere. In fact, we regularly use the Internet to carry out our daily tasks. On the other hand, these networks also create various security risks. In addition, network security issues are everywhere whether it is a computer being utilized in a big business/organization or it is a personal computer. In order to ensure network security every computer requires to be protected from the computer network dangers and security fears. Every time we use the new computer system we face some sort of security risks and danger like exposing personal information, credit card theft, identity theft, hacking, data leakage, virus attacks, DoS attacks, and data corruption. In addition, there are also certain other security threats such as various virus attacks and a number of other security problems (Zhang, Xiao, Chen, Zhang, & Deng, 2012; Joshi, 2008; Network Security Threats, 2012). Moreover, in order to determine network security issues a research study was conducted by the event management and security information supplier netForensics, which revealed that more than 80 percent of IT managers anticipate network-borne dangers, which have augmented all through the year 2010 and 2011, and more than 85 percent of IT managers are seeing their corporate network security environment turning out to be more and much harder and complex (Cisco, 2000; Schwartz, 2 010). 3 Internal and External Security Breaches This section outlines some of the major

Operation and Technology Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Operation and Technology Management - Essay Example The M&S products are not according to the changing trends in fashion industry. Main reason behind this is that the supply chain of M&S is weak as compare to the industry. Though it has a well defined supply chain process but it involved too many steps. The value chain steps of M&S are almost double of their major competitor i.e. Zara. Zara has become very dominant in fashion industry due to its frequent and rapid launching of new stylish apparels (Ghemawat and Nueno, 2006). M&S have approximately 12 months lead time for each seasonal collection which is considered as very long time span as the fashion industry has become very fast in launching new apparels. M&S outsources some of key activities of their value chain to the regions where raw materials and labours are cheap. This shows that company does not manufacture the complete products all in one place and it takes long time for them to manufacture apparels. Furthermore, the quality control process of M&S is very thorough and they also spend much time on this process. The fashion industry is evolving at rapid rate and the clothes and products become obsolete within no time because of the changing needs of the customers. Therefore, the company needs to introduce stylish products frequently and rapidly in order to participate in fashion game. For that purpose, they need to make supply chain efficient. Another factor, which hinders the participation of M&S in the ‘fashion’ game is launching of season apparel only. They produce few products a year which are in Spring/summer and Winter/Autumn. Their competitors such as Zara and H&M have moved away from this technique and offer many new clothes in different styles all over the year according to the customer taste (Arrigo, 2010). The companies operating in the fashion industry are based on three main elements or factors i.e. designers, market specialists and customers. M&S have separate work place for each factor and is not able to

Financial strain in the family Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Financial strain in the family - Assignment Example standing of family resources makes the parties aware of the strain; hence they try to support each other in order to work out the daily problems that may arise. The book also discusses a vital aspect that is considered a link to a happy marriage. This aspect is known as the gender wage gap. Studies have revealed that, in every family, the two spouses are likely to be earning salaries, but one of them is most likely to earn more than the other. In a case where the earnings of the two have a wide gap; marriage is bound to have troubles (Degenova et al., 2010). However, if the gender wage gap can be narrowed such that no party complains or seems ignored a family is bound to be happy. Therefore, the gender wage gap should be made slim such that the difference cannot be noticed. Lastly, debts are essential in marriage since it trains partners on trustworthiness. For a family to live in peace both parties should be trustworthy. Trustworthiness also applies to paying out debts since one’s honesty and trust is always considered before being given debts. Therefore, the two aspects (trust and honesty) are also essential for a family to be

Violent video games effects on children and teenager Essay

Violent video games effects on children and teenager - Essay Example Psychologists explain that being overly exposed to violent video and computer games can be responsible for shaping violent patterns of behavior among children. It is argued that the content and plot of games is often not appropriate for the young and not mature individuals as far as it is focused on aggression and killing. Many scenes can show shootings, fights, and blood. As a result, children see pictures that can lead to alternation of their behavior, increasing frequency of violent response and decreasing their ability to take anger under control. The following is proved various studies conducted by specialists. As a whole, there is substantial ground to believe that violent games teach children to response to situations in a violent way, acting like they used to in games. Apart from that, there is a considerable concern that video games make children accustomed to seeing and participating in violence, which results in devaluation of morality and helpfulness among them. Extremely realistic scenes which are common for any modern game today are likely to lead to desensitization of young individuals. The following happens due to habituation of observing initially negative physiological, emotional, and cognitive responses that people experience when they see gore and blood. Putting it in other words, children are not perceiving violence and aggression as bad as they would normally do. Subsequently, they can hurt people without realizing the moral consequences of their actions as well as would not view helping others as a necessary action. As a whole, their overall understanding of moral values becomes distorted to the great extent. This can also lead to reduced academic performance since children will think that this is not diligence and discipline that l ead to success, but force and suppression of others, just like in a video game. Video games have already become an integral part of

Financial strain in the family Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Financial strain in the family - Assignment Example standing of family resources makes the parties aware of the strain; hence they try to support each other in order to work out the daily problems that may arise. The book also discusses a vital aspect that is considered a link to a happy marriage. This aspect is known as the gender wage gap. Studies have revealed that, in every family, the two spouses are likely to be earning salaries, but one of them is most likely to earn more than the other. In a case where the earnings of the two have a wide gap; marriage is bound to have troubles (Degenova et al., 2010). However, if the gender wage gap can be narrowed such that no party complains or seems ignored a family is bound to be happy. Therefore, the gender wage gap should be made slim such that the difference cannot be noticed. Lastly, debts are essential in marriage since it trains partners on trustworthiness. For a family to live in peace both parties should be trustworthy. Trustworthiness also applies to paying out debts since one’s honesty and trust is always considered before being given debts. Therefore, the two aspects (trust and honesty) are also essential for a family to be

Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategy - Assignment Example 2) According to Wal-Mart, it needs substantial brands to form associations with it in order to attract affluent customers and also have a tendency of increasing peripheral business by selling other commodities. Therefore, forming associations with Levis’ allows it to attach a designer brand name with it that is accepted and received well in affluent customer’s segment. 3) Considering this case study, Wal-Mart has an edge over Levis’ in this corporate strategic alliance. This is so because Levis’ needs Wal-Mart for its business expansion as its own showrooms and other smaller retail networks have been proven incapable of attracting major customer base. Secondly, Levis’ has made considerable capital investment along with extensive business restructuring to suit Wal-Mart’s model. Therefore, Levis’ is dependent on Wal-Mart for cost-recovery and further business revival. Whereas Wal-Mart has a tendency of switching to other suppliers who wi ll offer better profit margins without incurring much liability. Therefore, Wal-Mart has a greater bargaining power as compared to Levis’. 4) Wal-Mart follows a broad target/ cost leadership generic strategy (Porter, 1980). It has multiple product lines that cater to every demographic segment. Furthermore, it has an extensive retail model with around 9000 stores worldwide. Such extensive network makes it a premium choice of suppliers due to which it has a greater bargaining power to persuade suppliers for providing their products at considerably low prices, as compared to other retail stores. 5) ‘Barriers to entry’ is an edge used by various leading market players to create obstacles for preventing new competitors from easily entering into market, industry or particular area (Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2003). Wal-Mart has developed a state of art automated system that is synched with its suppliers through point-of –sale mechanism. Therefore, the moment a product is bought, a supplier is notified which results into timely product delivery. As a result, customers prefer to stay with Wal-Mart since they know that their desired product will be available readily. This strong link with suppliers requires higher switching cost which is difficult to incur for its competition. As a result, their customers would also prefer Wal-Mart over them (Competing with information technology, n.d). 6) Value chain constitutes of following activities along with examples from Wal-Mart’s case study: Production- No self-production, acting as a retailer Production Management- Inventory management Quality Management- Extensive IT network and huge workforce Marketing & Sales- Sales teams dealing with suppliers General management- store management, venue management Marketing and sales management- Sales team heads dealing with suppliers in a particular industry Accounting and Finance- In-house finance department performing general accounting, forecasting etc. Res earch and development- Constant acquisition of market intelligence and tools to make IT its niche. Human Resource Management- Extensive handling of employees’ daily attendance, payroll, deployment etc (IMA, 1996). 7) Out of all the above mentioned activities, production management is the most important activity. Although Wal-Mart is a

The New Headway Intermediate Book Evaluation English Language Essay

The New Headway Intermediate Book Evaluation English Language Essay The purpose of the second part of this essay is to evaluate New Headway intermediate students book, one of the course books used at many of the foreign language institutes around the world. The evaluation will be based on an external and an internal evaluation of the book. The external evaluation will give us a brief overview of the materials from the outside (also known as factual information) and the internal evaluation will give us a closer and more detailed look at Units 1 and 2. The new headway course book is meant to be suitable for adults undertaking a general English course. It is the third edition, which means that the book is very popular and published many times. Liz and John Soars are the authors of this book. There is a note at the back of the book which states: Liz and John Soares are internationally renowned authors and highly experienced teachers and teacher trainers. This statement indicates that the authors are recognised in an international basis. The publisher is the oxford university press; A widely known publisher which has published thousands of books. There is a website link in the front and in the back of the book which you can access it online. The one link contains exercises you can do online and the other one has different English Books it has published so far. This single course book costs  £22.00, without the supplementary materials. If you want to buy the whole package, you have to buy each material individually. However, the whole package includes: class CDS/cassettes, a workbook (with or without key), the students workbook CD/cassette and a DVD/Video with students activity book. There is also a teachers book in print and locally available. Thus, the student edition will not be difficult to work with. However, if you go online at Amazon, you will see that if you want to buy together the teachers book, the workbook and the class audio cds, costs  £68. It is very expensive for someone who cannot afford it economically and he will be dissuaded from selecting it. In my opinion I would not buy the single book for only  £22 pounds as I would definitely need a workbook for supplementary exercises. However, it is not included in the package and it costs  £12.50. Also the course book does not provide any audio material in the back as man y do. I think that it is essential to provide this extra material in order to use the textbook more successfully in self-time study. The front cover is colourful with nice pictures, but in my opinion it is not very inspiring and attractive for learners. If you would take off the title I will take it as a science or a maths book. When opening the contents page, language is presented and organised into teachable units. The contents page illustrates the general organisation of the material, which is based on topics. Under each unit there is an established topic. Meanwhile, the importance of form is also made obvious by the prominent placement of grammar in the second column. It is now clear that the content is sequenced on the basis of the grammar complexity. It starts from a more simple grammar form and then progress to a more complex grammar form. The contents are divided broadly into language input and skills development. Under language input there is grammar, vocabulary and everyday English. Under skills development there is: reading, speaking, listening and writing. We can now continue to the next stage of the evaluation by performing a more deep investigation into the materials. I am going to examine Unit 1 and 2 in order to perform an effective internal inspection of the materials. Both units start with a presentation of the grammar which will be the focus of the unit and provides an engaging start. Looking the units as a whole all the language skills including grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening and speaking are all covered. Usually after the test your grammar part which engages you into the main focus of the units, there is a text. It is good that the unit starts with this way because it is helping them to remember thing they have done previously but also is going to introduce them of what grammar is going to follow. In unit 1 the grammar is very simple. It starts with auxiliary verbs, naming the tenses, questions and negatives, and short answers. Tenses and auxiliary verbs are integrated into a quiz which they have to complete and then listen to it in order to check their answers. Then there is the grammar spot and then there is a practice section where they have to practice negatives and pronunciation. Then follows some exercises on short answers where they have to notice differences between the two conversations. This is followed again by a grammar spot and then a practice activity based on short answers. It is obvious that it gives more emphasis on grammar. However, then follows an information gap speaking activity. In the next page follows a reading and a speaking activity where the students have to read a passage on the wonders of the modern world and answer some questions based on the text and then discuss some other questions. Further down there is a freer listening and speaking section w hich consists of listening about wonders of the modern world and a discussion based on inventions. Then, follows a vocabulary section with different exercises based on what it is new in a word. This part includes some spelling and pronunciation exercises. Additionally there is a reference to page 159 where you can find all the phonetic symbols. At the end of the vocabulary section there is a writing exercise in page 103 based on correcting mistakes and finally there is the section every day English where students practice social expressions through exercises. Unit 2 starts with a short Test your grammar exercise which is to guide students into the focus of the unit and provide an engaging start. Following this is a picture presentation of different people having fun and here students have to talk about what makes them happy. Then there is a textual representation incorporating pictures and a written text on the theme of what makes people happy, which talks about Sidney fisk and below some comprehension questions focusing on conceptual aspects of the target language. The target language has been embedded in the written text .The object is that learners are given some exercises where they have to opportunity to practice how the present tense is used and why. These rules are reinforced in a grammar spot section under the passage and in the grammar reference in the back of the book where learners can look for help. This is followed by a listening and speaking controlled practice activities, the first two focusing on present tenses. Both of th ese exercises use information and examples from the presentation of grammar. Then students listen and read a conversation which is based on simple or continuous and they have to practice similar conversations with the one they have listened to including different jobs. This is followed by grammar practice activities, where in the first one they have to indicate whether the sentences are correct or not and in the second to complete the sentences with present simple or present continuous. Then, the reading and speaking section is about I am a clown doctor. The unit here includes some pre-reading activities; mainly questions which are said to motivate learners. Then learners have to read the text and answer some questions. Following this is a grammar spot exercise which focuses on present passive. Students have to complete sentences from the text and then if they want they can go and see the rules on how and when to use present passive on the grammar reference part. Some more exercise s follow. The one is related to the text and in the other one you have to format some questions in order to complete the interview. Then there is an activity where students have to discuss some questions in groups. Exercises on vocabulary and listening are in the next page, based on sports. There are pictures of different people doing different sports and a warm-up activity in which learners have to make a list of as many sports and leisure activities they can think of. They can use the pictures for help. When they finish, there is an exercise where they have to match some sports with the verbs do, play or go. Then follows an activity in which they have to complete a chart using activities from the list they have made before. Meanwhile they have the opportunity to use a dictionary to look up any words they need. Then they listen to different people talking about a sport activity they enjoy and take notes. In a freer activity they can ask their partners some questions based on sports . For writing they have to write letters and emails. The unit finishes by everyday English which is based on numbers. They will learn about money, fractions, decimals and percentages, dates and phone numbers. Then they will listen to some conversation and write the numbers they hear. In my opinion it would take me 18-20 hours to teach both units in this course book. New Headway Intermediate is attractively laid out, with glossy pages and plenty use of colour and photographs which inspires the student. The strong visual element is likely to attract students. However, the cover does not really remind you of an English book, but the inside is different. I think that the new headway intermediate book is well organised into units and sub-sections and it is easy to follow. There are headings or labels for each section and exercises and activities are always introduced with clear instructions. The book clearly arranges the contents, and cross references indicate where learners can find further grammatical information, typescripts, pair work activities, irregular verbs, verb patterns and phonetic symbols in the back. Still, it does not include any revision or recycling sections and this is a disadvantage because students will not have the opportunity for self study in order to check the skills they have learnt. I would provide them with some revision ac tivities with every 2 or 3 units so that they will do revisions and refresh their skills. However, I find the way that the materials are sequenced logical, because intermediate learners need to work their grammar. Some people may find this as a limitation but I believe that it is a good for intermediate learners that the content is based on the complexity of grammar. Moreover, there is a varied mix of activities, like grammar, vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, and functional English, but it lacks on pronunciation activities. Even if it provides phonetic symbols in the back of the book it does not include material for pronunciation work, and it is essential for this level of students to practice their pronunciation. The material for vocabulary is adequate in terms of quantity and range It offers a good balance of work on all skills and they are adequately covered .Also, there are some points where there are materials for integrated skills. I think that there are not enough activities associated to the text in each unit. In unit 1 and 2, they have to read the passage and then answer some comprehension questions. There are not exercises or suitable texts that will help students to improve their reading skills (scanning, skimming, intensive reading, and extensive reading). As homework I would give students extra reading exercises to do in order to practice their reading skills. The other skill that lacks in practice in the unit is the listening skill. I believe that again the book does not provide learners the opportunity to expand and practice their listening skills. The exercises provided for listening does not help students to expand their listening skills, and thus I would give them different listening activities to do within a lessons in order to practice their l istening. Grammar, writing and vocabulary are well covered. Speaking activities can equip them for real-life conversations. The topics are motivating for the adult learners and suitable for their language level. It covers a variety of interests and it gives them the opportunity to expand their awareness on some topics and enrich their experiences. Other groups of people are also presented in the topics. On the whole, New Headway Intermediate course book is perceived as a well designed and a well written book which supports English language learning. It is also used in many schools which teach English as a foreign language. It is suitable for learners, and regarding the disadvantages mentioned above they can become overcome through supplementary activities. .

Cats Cradle :: essays research papers

Synopsis: 'Cat's Cradle' by Kurt Vonnegut 1963 Abstract. This novel, filled with a variety of bizarre but all-too-human characters, focuses primarily on the ironic legacy of modern science, which, according to Vonnegut, promises mankind progress but only hastens the cataclysmic end of the world. As John, the narrator, researches the background for his book on the atomic bomb, he becomes fascinated by Dr. Felix Hoenikker. Hoenikker is the archetypal scientist, isolated from human contact, dedicated to his work, and completely without moral awareness. Like the child's game cat's cradle, which is meant to amuse but only terrifies his son, Hoenikker's scientific games are anything but harmless. Ironically the atomic bomb is not even Hoenikker's most devastating creation. Working on the rather innocuous problem of how to get soldiers out of the mud, he synthesizes "ice-nine," which is both better and worse than expected: It would freeze the water so soldiers stuck in the mud could lift themselves out, but this freezing action would continue until every bit of water on earth was turned into solid ice-nine. At his death Hoenikker's secret substance is entrusted to his children, who are predictably irresponsible and use the power of ice-nine only for their personal advantage. Vonnegut shows sympathy for Newton, Angela, and Frank Hoenikker, frail human beings who are simply incapable of the moral strength and wisdom demanded of them, but this makes the satire even more powerful: Mankind continually refuses to acknowledge what may be called its terminal stupidity and therefore perpetually threatens its own existence. There are a few positive forces in the novel, but each is undermined. Love, for example, is presented as a worthy but impossible, even comical ideal, symbolized by Mona Monzano and her insatiable habit of making love only by rubbing bare feet with another.

Intrinsic Motivation is Ideal Essay -- Learning Education Motives Ess

Inquisitive and self-directed learning is a natural behavior for young children. They marvel at each new discovery and strive to understand the meaning behind every question in their world. However, older children seem to be resistant to learning unless directed by teachers or parents with various forms of external recognition (Deci and Ryan, 1981). Their enthusiasm and inner desire for understanding has diminished. Learning, to older children has become directly connected to demands, controls, and rewards. In order to understand why this attitude toward learning develops, the concept of motivation in education must be defined and examined in a theoretical sense. "Motivation is an essential condition of learning" (Ray, 1992, p.3). A motivating condition may be defined as an emotion, desire, physiological need, or similar impulse that acts as an incitement to action. Ray (1992) comments that "motivation in education is concerned with students’ motivation to learn" (p.3). With the understanding of these defined concepts in hand, we can begin to examine the reasons behind school age children losing their enthusiasm for learning. In order to comprehend the reason for the undermining of this intrinsic behavior, we must acknowledge the basic theories of motivation from an eclectic standpoint. By embracing the concepts of learning from both a behaviorist and cognitive point of view, a teacher can tailor the use of reinforcement in the classroom to commit the students to achieving acad emic excellence with enthusiasm and devotion. Findings Motivational Theories Humanistic behavior and learning techniques are viewed from many different positions of psychological theories (Ramirez, 1983). In order for a teacher to effectively apply these psychological principles in their classroom, they must become knowledgeable in the various conflicting theories. Looking at the theoretical aspect of motivation to learn provides background information about the basic nature of different learning processes (Ericksen, 1974). The locus of control in motivation is the subject area where separate theoretical views come into play. People have either an internal locus of control, an external locus of control, or are simply amotivated. "Intrinsic motivation is a state where the relevance for the learner of the content of the material is the main reason for learning. Extrinsic... ...istrators who respond to their initiations and support their practicing methods to remain intrinsically motivated in the same way that students need teachers to respond to their initiations and mastery attempts to remain enthusiastic about learning (Deci and Ryan, 1981). School administrators, and the community in general, need to be supportive of teachers’ efforts to try new things, to respond to the challenges, and to teach according to their preferred methods. "Deci and Ryan propose that if the climate of the educational system were more informational and autonomy-oriented in nature, this would foster teachers’ intrinsic motivation for teaching. In turn, teachers would be better able to foster intrinsic motivation in their students" (Deci and Ryan, 1981, p. 17). The art of skillfully implementing reinforcement, in a tailored fashion, for the students’ development of intrinsic motivation to learn is a difficult task for a teacher to master. Even though the school administration and community should be responsible for setting precedence of intrinsic motivation throughout the schools, the obligation of effectively facilitating this concept is in the possession of the teacher.

The Climate Crisis

The Climate Crisis Global warming: an increase in the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution. Given the definition it may not sound as scary as it actually is. The whole process of global warming is a science in itself. It may also be known as ‘the climate crisis' because scientists believe that the occurrence of such extreme temperatures will bring our earth to turmoil. Almost) President A1 Gore irected an Academy Award winning documentary on the topic called ‘An Inconvenient Truth'. The film went into great detail on evidence that scientist have found about the effects of global warming. Awareness was the meaning behind Gore's movie but the first step to helping ourselves is knowledge. The Sun plays the main part in the process of global warming. It shines its rays down on earth giving us heat and reflecting back up into the atmosphere. Kind of like when you s hine light in a mirror, it reflects back at you.It has been discovered that the Sun's magnetic field has doubled since 1900. This tells us that changes in the Sun have had a hand in the recent general warming of the earth's climate. If the sun's rays come down on earth and are trapped from going back into the atmosphere it causes the temperature to rise and therefore causes numerous issues with the climate and our personal health. Pollution is the main cause of global warming. It is defined as: the release of chemicals and particulates into the atmosphere. Some examples areCarbon monoxide, Sulfur dioxide, Chlorofluorocarbon, and Nitrogen oxide produced by big industries and car emissions. When there is an overabundance of pollution in the air the sun's rays get trapped on earth because of something called the Ozone layer. The Ozone layer is the part of the Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of Ozone (03). This causes the ozone to be like a blanket on to p of the earth which then causes the temperature to rise. Drastic changes in the weather have been the cause of two storms killing millions of people in the last entury.Scientists behind Gore believe this is Just the beginning of things to come from global warming. They have discovered that since the earth is so hot the snow caps from the northern and southern poles are melting. This is causing our beaches to be washed away from rise in sea level. In the future it is predicted that the sea level will rise at least an inch per year. It may be inevitable but it isn't completely unstoppable. When you think of the things like warm days spent on the beach, you should probably cherish them.Someday they may not be there for you to enjoy as your summer tradition. There are some ways you can help reduce the occurrence of the ‘climate crisis' that you may not even know about. Changing a light bulb toa fluorescent light bulb will change 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Recycling and driving less also stop pollution therefore helping our ozone layer out. Global Warming may be something we can't completely stop but we can certainly try to keep it within controllable limits. By ashleymariel 114

Languages in Cyberspace Essay

Governments have encourage industrial farming and non-organic meat production to improve the crop yield and revenues. However, studies have shown the side effects and health hazards of industrial farming and meat processing. A distinct cultivation of a health-conscious culture became apparent as time goes by which resulted to an increase in sales of organic vegetables and meat in the world. Hence, the sales and marketing of organic products is influenced by the culture or trend that exist in the market. Muslims are known for faithfully abiding with their religious beliefs and practices. When it comes in meat, Muslims only consume meat from slaughtered animals through the Halal way. Three times more blood is pumped out of Halal-slaughtered animals than those butchered in non-Halal way. Hence, lesser toxins are consumed by Muslims since most toxins are stored in the blood. With the introduction of organic aspect, an animal is not pumped with antibiotics and hormones or additives that would increase the toxicity its blood. Hence, Muslims are drawn to organic meat because of its inclination towards their religious belief in meat intake thereby creating an outward effect to the sales and marketing of organic meat. Language is a way of communication of thoughts, messages and feelings. In the global market, one barrier that must crossed by companies to reach out to their market is language. Without the right tools and strategies to cross this barrier, marketing a product will be difficult. A Firm must find a way to communicate and introduce a product in a language known by its market, otherwise, awareness and recognition of the product will not be achieved. This does not apply in the organic meat industry alone but to all industries and businesses. Marketing have evolved with technology through the years and e-commerce was introduced and adopted by most businesses. The worldwide web has a broader scope and the interaction with the customer is direct. In marketing organic meat products, e-commerce is the best way to reach out to its customers directly. It is also the cheapest way to market and promote a product. Longcloud should develop its website in languages other than English to cross the communication barrier that language created. If Longcloud develops a website with different languages, the scope of its accessibility and comprehension will be broader and more comprehensive. It will open the gates for the development of new markets in different countries. Moreover, with this strategic undertaking, the company will be globally competitive and accessible. The power of information technology can promote and increase the sales and distribution of organic meat worldwide. In choosing the languages to translate and include in the website, there are several aspects to consider and these are the opportunities, scope and target market definition. The company’s website must be available in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French and Spanish languages. Most Muslims speak Arabic and it was clearly identified that Muslims are one Longcloud’s target markets and about 150 million people speak this language. Chinese, specifically, Mandarin language should also be available to reach 1365 million people who have developed a fondness for organic meat products. Moreover, the growth of the organic meat industry in French-speaking countries like France, Canada, North Africa and Switzerland should also be considered. 23% of the current Internet users are from Europe which include some of these countries. Although only 2% can be accounted for the Spanish-speaking Internet users, a considerable target market was defined and identified in the Latin America. There several threats and disadvantages that must also be considered in making the website available in different languages like the uneven percentages of the target market with Internet access. However, with the growth of technology, many countries have relied in the use of Internet and it has become a household need. Moreover, although some people are accustomed to using English for conducting business, it must also be noted that, English literacy only accounts for about 50% share globally. Software complexities must also be considered, however, software upgrades and development are done continuously to address these problems.

Course Guide

Course Guide School of Computing, Information and Mathematical Science/USP Library Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment The University of the South Pacific ii Produced by the University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji, 2013 First produced June 2010 Revised July 2012 Production team for semester 2, 2010 Course writers Colin Ash Paula Jones Deepak Bhartu Dinesh Kumar Kaylash Chaudhary Rajneel Totaram Rinel Ram Ronal Singh Shaveen Singh Sunil Lal Viren Sharma Valentine Hazelman Instructional designer Cover design Marketing, Development and Communications OfficeCourse revision team for Semester 1, 2011 Course writers Shirley Devi Ajeshni Jeet Gavin Khan Salsabil Nusair Sunaina Nair Saleshni Sharma Dennis Sen Krishneel Chaudhary Viren Sharma Shaveen Singh Education technologist Cover design Tevita Ului Jitoko Marketing, Development and Communications Office This material has been prepared by the University of the South Pacific for use by students enrolled in the course for whic h it was developed. It may contain copyright material copied under the provisions of the Fiji Copyright Act 1999 or under license from rights holders or their agents.Copyright in material prepared by USP is owned by USP. This material cannot be sold or copied for further distribution without the University’s permission. Where provided in electronic format, it can only be printed by or for the use of the student enrolled in the course. iii iv Conte nts USING THIS COURSE GUIDE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 PART A†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. What is this course about?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 What are my learning outcomes? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 What is my study schedule?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 What are my learning resources? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 MOODLE †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. How do I study this course? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 How am I assessed in this course? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Rationale for assessment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 Assessment Plan †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 How do I submit my assignments?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 Course valuation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 PART B †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13 Topic 1: ICT Tools @USP†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 Topic 2: Basic Computing Skills †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16 Topic 3: Hardware Fundamentals and Computer Procurement †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 Topic 4: Simple Text-Based Reports †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 18 Topic 5: Fundamentals of Information †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 19 Topic 6: Search Strategies and Sourcing Information Online†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 19 Topic 7: Presentation Reports †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 21 Topic 8: The Library Website and the Library Catalogue †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 Topic 9: Searching Databases and Managing References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ .. 24 Topic 10: Evaluating Information †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 25 Topic 11: Web 2. 0 Tools for Educational and Social Purposes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 26 Topic 12: Analytical Reports †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 27 Topic 13: Social and Ethical Issues †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 27 vi USING THIS COURSE GUIDE Welcome to UU100: Communications and Information Literacy! Firstly, this course is an eLearning course which means that along with this Course Guide, you will also use a learning management system called MOODLE which requires you to have access to the computer and the Internet. This Course Guide is divided into two (2) parts: Part A tells you what the course is about and what you are expected to do to complete the course successfully. Part B tells you about your course content, topics and what activities you are expected to do throughout the FLEXI school. 1 2PART A 3 4 What is this course about? This course covers fundamental concepts of computers and their applications, including the use of software for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and graphics. It also addresses the broader imperative for you to develop the capacity to effectively locate; access; evaluate; and use information in different formats. You will develop the learning skills needed for success in your studies and in modern workplaces. This course forms the basis of an overall effort to infuse computer and information literacy throughout the university curriculum.What are my learning outcomes? Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to: 1. Access and use USP’s ICT resources available on-campus and off-campus. 2. Identify and use different features of a computer system. 3. Use standard applications for creating documents, presentations and spreadsheets. 4. Recognise the structure of information, that is, how it is produced, organised and disseminated. 5. Apply appropriate techniques in formulating effective search strategies to locate relevant information resources. 6.Navigate and utilise the Web, the USP Library website, the USP Library catalogue, and an online database subscribed by the USP Library to locate relevant and scholarly information resources. 7. Use appropriate referencing software and tools. 8. Critically evaluate information resources and synthesise information in academic writings. 9. Use emerging web-based tech nologies for educational and social purposes. 10. Recognise the legal, socio-economic and ethical issues regarding access to and use of information technology and information resources. What is my study schedule?Below is a study schedule that includes assessment activities and an assessment plan. The course guides your learning through a series of mandatory practical computer laboratory activities each day: ? ? ? Pre-lab activities to orientate you on the what and how of the week’s topic; A two hours lab session to complete the lab exercises with a facilitator present or online; Post lab activities to discuss, review, demonstrate and document the lessons learnt. 5 Topics *Pre Lab Activity Read Course Guide (Part A and B) Create ePortfolio Profile 1–2 1 1–3 1–2 1–2 1 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 1 Lab Activity Lab and Course Orientation 1–4 1–3 1–2 1–5 1–3 1–3 1 1–3 1– 4 1–3 1–4 1–4 1–2 *Post Lab Activity Orientation and Lab Introduction 1. ICT Tools @USP Discussion Forum Netiquette Online Quiz 1 2. 3. Basic Computing Skills Hardware Fundamentals & Computer Procurement Simple Text-based Reports Fundamentals of Information Search Strategies & Sourcing Information Online Presentation Reports The Library Website Searching Databases Effectively 4. 5. 6. Online Quiz 2 1–2 1 1 Online Quiz 3 1 Online Quiz 4 1 Online Quiz 5 Discussion Forum 7. 8. 9. 10. Evaluating Information 11. Web 2. Tools for Educational and Social Purposes 12. Analytical Reports 13. Social and Ethical Issues Assessment Name Assignment 1 Assignment 2 ePortfolio Activity 1-6 Final ePortfolio Submission Due Date 7th April, 2013 19th May, 2013 TBA 9th June, 2013 6 What are my learning resources? ? ? Course Guide: This booklet material that you are reading. MOODLE: The website hosting all resources in electronic format. URL: http://elearn. usp. ac. fj NB : Moodle is an integral part of the course for all students. Participating in the Discussion Forum (a kind of chat-room) is useful and at times even fun.The site is the main interface between you and your course coordinator/tutors—when we're not in class or tutorial, important information about class events and other relevant notices will be posted on the UU100 MOODLE site. Some features that you will find on your UU100 MOODLE site includes: ? News and Announcement forum: The course coordinator or facilitator will be using this forum to communicate any important information in regards to UU100. Note: This is a one way forum and you will not be able to make postings on this or reply to the posts.Forums: Block for each topic on Moodle will have a Forum discussion link for students to discuss their experiences and learning for the topic. No student is allowed to post answers for prelab, inlab or post lab activities (including quizzes). The forum discussion is only to encourage s tudents to share their knowledge and experience in regards to UU100. Additional forum discussions will be made available for assignments and eportfolio as well. Course guide: (this booklet) is available online at the relevant link. You should consult this document for all questions relating to course structure.Assessment materials: This link provides all you need to know about assessment in the course, including due dates, marking criteria and submission requirements. Assignment submission boxes: All assignments need to be submitted online through the relevant drop box. Hard copy of the assignments will not be accepted/required. ? ? ? ? IMPORTANT: Having problems with Moodle? Site not found? If you have any difficulties with accessing Moodle, email [email  protected] ac. fj or talk to your tutor. ? In addition to the Materials available via Moodle, online Library resources are available via the Library website http://www. sp. ac. fj/library/. You may also visit the Information Lit eracy Program link on the Library website. 7 MOODLE MOODLE is USP’s learning management system and will be used to support learning in some of your courses. To access MOODLE, you need a computer connected to the Internet. MOODLE works best and is most compatible with Mozilla Firefox, thus students are recommended to use Mozilla Firefox to access Moodle if any issue is faced with any other browser. Moodle can be accessed from any PC connected to LAN at USP or any PC elsewhere connected to Internet.To login, you will need a username and password which must have been given to you by your local USP Campus or Centre. How to login to MOODLE Step 1: Accessing MOODLE ? ? ? Open your browser: Recommended browser to access MOODLE is Mozilla Firefox. Type the following URL at the address bar: http://elearn. usp. ac. fj/ Press Enter. ? Alternatively, you can go to the USP website: http://www. usp. ac. fj/ and use the Quick Links drop down menu on the left of the page and select MOODLE. S tep 2: Username and Password ? ? ? ? You will come to a Login screen.Type your Student ID number in the Username box. Type your student email password in the Password box. Click on Login. (webmail) ********* Step 3: Accessing your course ? You should now see a list of your courses. Click the Course Code UU100 e. g. Lost or forgotten password? Please contact your USP ITS student helpdesk. 8 How do I study this course? There are 13 by 2 hour assessed lab sessions during the semester. You are required to attend the practical session on a weekly basis. Some of these sessions (at least 6) will be delivered and assessed online.You should anticipate spending an additional 3 hours per week on the subject engaged in reading, reflection and research and undertaking assessment tasks and reporting on your learning progress. Attendance in tutorials is assessed (see assessment plan). For this reason class rolls will be taken in each lab session. Learning consists of a number of computer laborator y activities which allows you to demonstrate the level at which you learn and understand the essential knowledge for the course. The prescribed activities will be designed to suit the needs of all first year students.How am I assessed in this course? Rationale for assessment Assessment tasks are designed to provide you with an opportunity to develop and demonstrate specific academic abilities as stated in the learning outcomes. The rationale for each piece of assessment is as follows: ? ? ? ? Lab attendance and participation: This assessment requires you to develop your skills on various parts of the course content and to engage in practical activities. Quizzes: This assessment component allows you to measure your learning on topics. Assignments: These assessments develop your research, analytical and writing skills. Portfolio Report: An ePortfolio can be seen as a type of learning record that provides actual evidence of achievement. Your own ePortfolio is used to track your learnin g journey and achievement of course outcomes. Assessment is based on learning-by-doing, and not on memorising course notes. To successfully complete this course you must achieve a satisfactory mark in each of the four assessment items and an overall mark of at least 50%. 9 Assessment Plan ** Participation requires attendance to a minimum of 10 assessed lab sessions and completion of all online activities.Six (6) of the practical sessions will be delivered and assessed online, so F2F attendance is not required for this.. How do I submit my assignments? Original w or k versus plagiarism Always keep a copy of your written work! A handy way to back-up is to email yourself at an alternative email account like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail. Course materials on MOODLE, lecture notes and course notes are not citable authorities so you are not allowed to cite them in your essay, footnotes, or bibliography. This requires you to be creative and original in your work, and not plagiarize. Be careful a bout how you cite online resources.Copying materials from other sources without proper referencing and acknowledgement to the source is a serious offence and will be dealt with severely. In the USP Calendar, the Plagiarism and Dishonest Practice Regulations defines plagiarism as ‘taking and using another person’s thoughts, writings, inventions or other work as one’s own. If the lecturer/tutor is satisfied that plagiarism has occurred then the students at fault will be subject to disciplinary action. See http://www. fste. usp. ac. fj/index. php? id=6868 10 If any assistance is required in understanding plagiarism, please speak to your tutor or lecturer. . Student Responsibilities – you are expected to: ? ? ? ? Read the materials provided; Read the assigned work; Carry out any research required for any work; and Attempt and submit the relevant pieces of assessments required. 2. Lab/classroom Rules – To maintain a classroom environment that is conduciv e to optimal learning, please follow these simple rules: ? ? ? ? ? Arrive on time; Turn off your mobile phones (or keep them on silent mode); Do not do any other personal work, including visiting social networking sites such as Facebook; Do not chat with your neighbors unnecessarily; and Avoid any disruptive behavior.Submission of assignments, m a r king time and collection Assignments are to be handed in or posted electronically through MOODLE (see Submission of assignments online) on or before the due date. Under no circumstances must they be left in the office when no staff member is present or handed in by someone else (unless authorized otherwise). Before submitting your assignment you should check that you have a copy and that you have complied with all instructions given. It is the normal practice to attempt to mark course assessments within three weeks after due date.If this is not possible, the class will be notified of the revised marking time line. All grades will be made available for students via Moodle Grade book. Remember: on every assignment you should also include a cover sheet with your assignment which indicates your Name, Student ID No. , Assignment No. , Lecturer or Tutor, Lab Session, Due Day and Date. Submission of assignments online To submit assignments online, you should click on the relevant assignment drop box in the assessment section of the UU100 MOODLE site.At the bottom of the main assignment page you will see a â€Å"Browse† button which will enable you to upload your assignment from any storage media, select the file/assignment and click on â€Å"Upload this file† button to upload your assignment. It is important that you are logged in to your own account before uploading the file as the uploaded file will be stored under the logged in account. Once you submit an assignment, you will be redirected to the main assignment page where you will be able to see the details of your submission.Note: If you have submitted your assignment online and have not had any marks or feedback within three weeks of submission, please contact your course coordinator or tutor. 11 Course evaluation Online surveys/evaluations will be available in MOODLE for you to provide feedback for UU100. Your responses will remain strictly confidential and will only be used to further enhance the course. 12 PART B 13 Orientation & Lab Introduction Introduction In this first session, students are introduced to all the different components of UU100. Students are informed about the aims, objectives and assessment requirements of the course.Furthermore, students are also introduced to some key ICT Tools that will be used by the students for the rest of their academic life at USP. Learning outcomes After the completion of this week’s topic, students should be able to:? ? ? Learn the aims and objectives of UU100 Understand the assessment plan for UU100 Familiarize themselves with the key ICT tools used at USP. Readings Student s are to complete the following readings prior to attending their respective lab session. Note that all readings are available under the Orientation Tools link in Moodle. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?StudeNet SOLS Accessing personal share (Only for Laucala Campus Student) Google Apps Moodle Guide Assessment Breakdown NComputing Introduction to ePortfolio Post Lab ? Students are highly recommended to participate in the MOODLE discussion forum titled â€Å"Netiquette. † 14 Topic 1: ICT Tools @USP Introduction In this topic, you will familiarize yourself with a computer system, the Windows Operating System environment and other computer lab resources at USP. You will learn the basics of managing your course materials (files) using MOODLE; how to download the files, upload assignments, join a group and participate in the discussion forum.MOODLE is the learning management system adopted by USP. You will be able to find all the course related information about UU100 on Moodle. MOODLE stands for Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. You will also learn how to create a portfolio using MAHARA, an ePortfolio system. An eportfolio can be seen as a type of learning record that provides actual evidence of achievement. With your ePortfolio, you can capture and store evidence of your learning; reflect on them; give and receive feedback; plan and set goals, collaborate with others and publish your information to a chosen group of audience.Finally, you will use TURNITIN to check your assignment content for any sign of plagiarism. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? Familiarise yourself with the Windows environment and other computer lab resources. Get Started with MOODLE – download and upload files, use groups and forums. Create your own ePortfolio profile using MAHARA. Check your assignment for plagiarism using TURNITIN before submission Readings ? ? ePortfolio Guide – Creating and Viewing your Prof ile TURNITIN Student Guide. Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1.Access Mahara and update your profile information. Lab Activity: 1. Familiarise yourself with a computer system and the lab resources available in USP’s computer lab. 2. Get Started with MOODLE – download course materials, upload a sample assignment and participate in the discussion forums. 3. Create a View using Mahara. 4. Check your sample Assignment document for plagiarism using TURNITIN – before submission. 5. Attempt Lab Activity questions. ? Post Lab Activity: 1. Students are highly recommended to participate in the MOODLE discussion forum titled â€Å"Netiquette. † ? 15 Topic 2: Basic Computing Skills IntroductionIn this topic, you will familiarise yourself with the different types of computer software available namely system software and application software. You will also learn to manage files using My Computer, create, save and close files and folders and practice using f ile compression utilities. Furthermore, you will also learn how to convert files to different formats and practice typing using the keyboard. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? ? Learn about the different types of software. Type proficiently using the keyboard. Work with files and folders.Zip and unzip files and folders using the WinRAR utility. Convert files to different file formats. Readings ? Read Topic 2 notes posted on Moodle. Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. You are required to research on the following topics before you attend this week’s lab session: a. Operating Systems. b. Keyboards and Shortcut keys. c. Files and file types. d. Different File compression and conversion tools 2. Practice and improve your typing skills using the recommended Touch Type Tutoring program. ? Lab Activity: 1. Learn about different types of software 2. Discuss FOSS 3. Working with Files and Folders. 4.Using WinZip to C ompress/Decompress Files and Folders. 5. Converting files to different file formats. Post Lab Activity: 1. Review Quiz 1 ? 16 Topic 3: Hardware Fundamentals and Computer Procurement Introduction In this topic, you will familiarise yourself with basic computer lab technology; hardware, software and networks. As this course is based on information communication technology and information literacy, it is important that you acquire the necessary computer-related skills which are seen as essential tools for communication of information. At some point in time, you may consider investing in a computer system.There are many factors ranging from budget to performance indices that you need to consider in buying a computer. This topic will also guide you in making an informed decision in this regard. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Describe the categories of computers. Describe and identify the various components of a computer. Distinguish between system software and application software. Identify and procure a computer system which meet the needs of the buyer Recognize and discuss the purpose of computer networks.Understand the client-server model. Access network resources. Work with web-based e-mail. Readings ? Read Topic 3 notes from Moodle. Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Computer Specifications – familiarising yourself with the components of a computer. 2. Watch the Video on â€Å"Understanding the parts of a computer† Lab Activity: 1. Identify essential hardware component specifications. 2. Attempt the Case study about a student’s choice of a computer. Post Lab Activity: 1. Complete ePortfolio Learning Objective 1. 2. Begin work on Assignment 1. ? ? 17 Topic 4: Simple Text-Based Reports IntroductionComputers can offer us valuable insights into our writing style simply because they can process text quickly and thoroughly. This topic provides hands-on experience of basic word processing techniques and functions. It is designed for you to be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of word processing terminology and identify functions and procedures utilised in word processing. Presented in this topic are a few writing tools and techniques that will be of some help as you use them for your professional writing. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: Use computers to create electronic documents. ? Change the look of a document using formatting. ? Use templates and styles for creating professional looking documents and reports. Readings ? ? ? ? Pre Lab Activity Notes Lab Activity Notes ePortfolio Guide-Creating Folder and Uploading Files PDF document ePortfolio Guide – Journals Activities and practical: ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Create a Cover Page and a Birthday card using MSWORD 2010 2. Lab Activity Notes. Lab Activity: 1. Editing Documents. 2. Formatting Text, Paragraphs and Pages. 3. Adding tabl es and graphics to documents. 4.Spell Checking a Document. 5. Styles 6. Table of Contents. 7. Bibliography. Post Lab Activity: 1. Review Quiz 2 2. Complete EPortfolio Learning Objective 2 ? ? 18 Topic 5: Fundamentals of Information Introduction We live in what is often called ‘The Information Age’ – an era which is â€Å"marked by the increased production, transmission, consumption of and reliance on information. Many consider the new role of information to be changing our social and economic behavior as dramatically as did the Industrial Revolution† (Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries. Glossary of Terms’ http://cyber. law. harvard. edu/readinessguide/glossary. html). Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? Describe the roles of data, information, knowledge and wisdom in decision-making; Describe the competencies of an information literate individual; Describe the st ructure of information, that is, how it is produced, organised and disseminated; Discuss legal, ethical and socio-economic issues surrounding information; Readings ? Read Topic 5 notes Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1.Identify and analyse information needed for decision making in given scenarios. Lab Activity: 1. Browse and identify features of selected web-based primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information. 2. Discuss the impact of technological advances on primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information. 3. Discuss the reasons and implications of digital divide and suggest recommendations to bridge the divide in Pacific Island countries. ? Post Lab Activity: ? 1. Analyse scenarios of legal and illegal as well as ethical and unethical uses of information resources. 19Topic 6: Search Strategies and Searching Information Online Introduction The Internet has changed the way people use computers and communicate information. In Part A of this topic, you wi ll be introduced to various techniques for searching information. In Part B, you will use selected search engines, meta-search engines and subject directories to find web-based information to support your studies. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: 1. Construct effective search strategies using appropriate search terms and search techniques; 2.Identify features of selected search engines, meta-search engines and subject directories; 3. Use selected search engines, meta-search engines and subject directories to locate relevant and scholarly information resources. Readings ? Read Topic 6 notes Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Quiz ? Lab Activity: 1. Construct search strategies, on given topics, using appropriate search terms and search techniques. 2. Use Google Web advanced search mode and Google Scholar advanced search mode to conduct searches, on given topics, and analyse the results retrieved.Use an academic subject dir ectory to conduct searches, on given topics, and analyse the results retrieved. 3. ? Post Lab Activity: 1. Use the basic and advanced search modes of a selected meta-search engine to conduct searches, on a given topic, and analyse the results retrieved. 20 Topic 7: Presentation Introduction In this topic you will learn how to make use of presentation software that will aid you in delivering effective, targeted, interesting and captivating presentations suitable to the target audience. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? Identify different presentation tools. Use design templates. Create visually appealing presentations. Readings ? Topic 7 notes from MOODLE. Activities and practical ? ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Create a PowerPoint presentation in a group using MS PowerPoint 2010. Lab Activity: 1. Students to do a group presentation on slides created during Pre Lab. 2. Students will be introduced to Prezi – a Flash based presentati on software. ? Post Lab Activity: 1. Students to upload a Prezi presentation onto ePortfolio as Post Lab activity for the week. 1 Topic 8: The Library Website and the Library Catalogue Introduction In Part A of this topic, you will explore the range of useful information the USP Library website has to offer. The USP Library website is very often the most suitable way to find the information you need. It contains links to information and can direct you to the best sites, particularly relevant Pacific/Oceania sites. If you know your way around the Library website, you will find a treasure trove of information that will help you get ahead in your studies.In Part B of this topic, you will be introduced to the Library catalogue, which is the key to finding a huge range of information resources about subjects you will study at USP. Part B explores the various search modes of the library catalogue which you can use to search and find library resources efficiently. Learning outcomes Upon su ccessful completion of this topic, you should be able to: 1. Navigate the main USP Library website as well as Emalus and Alafua Library websites and identify relevant links for undergraduate students; 2.Construct search strategies and use the Laucala Library catalogue as well as the regional libraries catalogue to search for library resources on given topics; 3. Interpret citations and construct search strategies using the Laucala Library catalogue as well as the regional libraries catalogue to search for library resources for given citations. Readings ? Read Topic 8 notes Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Navigate the main USP Laucala Library website as well as Alafua and Emalus Library websites and identify types of library services and resources available for undergraduate students. Lab Activity: 1.For given topics and citations, construct search strategies and conduct searches using the following search modes and options on the USP Library catalogue: i. Quick Searc h using Keywords option; ii. Title Search using Browse, Phrase, and Exact Match options; iii. Advanced Search; iv. Subject Search. 2. For given topics and citations, construct search strategies and conduct searches using Quick Search and Advanced Search modes on Alafua, Emalus and regional libraries catalogues. ? 22 ? Post Lab Activity: 1. Use the advanced and subject search modes of the USP Library catalogue to conduct searches, on a given topic, and analyse the esults retrieved. 2. Review Quiz 3 23 Topic 9: Searching Databases and Managing References Introduction During your academic studies at The University of the South Pacific you will need to access and read many articles. The USP Library offers a wide range of online databases and many of these provide entire articles, called fulltext articles. You can find a list of these databases trough the USP Library homepage: http://www. usp. ac. fj/library. Under the heading eResources select Databases. In Part A of this topic you will explore ProQuest databases to find fulltext articles.In Part B of this topic, you will learn how to create, save and organise your references using referencing software called EndNote. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. Access, navigate and identify features of ProQuest database; Construct search strategies, search and retrieve articles using ProQuest; Import references from online databases like ProQuest to EndNote Create and organise references and bibliographies using EndNote. Readings Read Topic 9 notes and PowerPoint tutorials. Activities and practical Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Register for EndNote account. 2. Create References manually using EndNote. ? Lab Activity: Part A 1. For given topics and citations, construct search strategies and conduct searches using the following search modes on the ProQuest database i. basic search; ii. advanced search; iii. topic search; iv. publications search. Part B 1. Create records in E ndNote by manually entering references and importing references from ProQuest database. 2. Organise references by creating groups and formatting in selected citation style. ? Post Lab Activity: 1.Formulate a search strategy for a given research topic, conduct the search on ProQuest, select and import records into EndNote and format into selected citation style. 24 Topic 10: Evaluating Information Introduction The quality and relevance of the information you use in your tertiary studies is of the utmost importance. It is easy to find information on most topics – but is it the best information? In this topic you will look at evaluating information in any format. In particular, you will learn how to apply the START evaluation criteria to critically evaluate the various types of information resources.Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: 1. Discuss the importance of evaluating information resources; 2. Identify criteria used for the ev aluation of sources of information; 3. Apply evaluative criteria to a range of information resources. Readings ? Read Topic 10 notes. Activities and practical ? ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Categorise Bad and Good Information Lab Activities: 1. Evaluate websites, on a given topic, using START evaluation criteria. 2. Evaluate journal articles, on a given topic, using START evaluation criteria. ? Post Lab Activity: 1.Use Google Web advanced search mode to conduct search on a given topic, select and evaluate a website using START criteria. 2. Review Quiz 4 25 Topic 11: Web 2. 0 Tools for Educational and Social Purposes Introduction This topic looks at the ways people use the latest developments in online communication, to create communities and share information, often near instantaneously. We encourage you to explore and find out more about this exciting development that has revolutionised communications and how people relate to each other in the 21st century. Learning outcomes Upon success ful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ?Identify and navigate various content collaboration, media sharing and social networking Web 2. 0 tools; Discuss the advantages and limitations of the different types of Web 2. 0 tools; Use selected Web 2. 0 tools. ? ? Readings ? Read Topic 11 notes. Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Browse and analyse blogs on a given topic. ? Lab Activity: 1. Browse a Facebook account of an organization and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of social networking tools. 2. Browse a selected Wikipedia article and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of content collaboration tools. 3. Browse the code of conduct of Flicker and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of media sharing tools. ? Post Lab Activity: 1. Use Google Docs to create and publish a document on a given topic. 26 Topic 12: Analytical Reports Introduction This topic will develop your skills at using Microsoft Excel. You will learn how to calculate using fo rmulas and functions, create charts and Pivot Table, a data mining tool provided with Microsoft Excel. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? Work with formulas and functions in Microsoft Excel.Identify the appropriate type of chart for your report. Produce charts in Microsoft Excel. Use Pivot Tables to analyse and present data in Microsoft Excel. Readings ? Topic 12 notes from MOODLE. Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Create a spreadsheet as given in the pre lab activity using Microsoft Excel 2010 and answer the questions that follow. Lab Activity: 1. Create a Chart in Excel 2010. 2. Use formulas and functions to perform calculations 3. Add a PivotTable in Excel 2010. Post Lab Activity: 1. Review Quiz 5 ? ? 27 Topic 13: Social and Ethical Issues