Technology in Education Essay Example for Free

Technology in Education Essay The use of technology in education has brought about great changes in the way we teach and learn. In this digital age it is imperative that technology is embedded into all aspect of learning and teaching. Educators face many challenges when it comes to integrating technology into the classroom due to lack of training, and the availability of technological equipment. Research has shown that to cater to our students who are digital natives, and to remain globally competitive we need to ensure that classrooms spring forward into the 21st century. According to Pelham, Crabtree, Nyiri, â€Å"Education researchers, government officials, and the international development community often have different ideas about the best approach to improving educational attainment across the globe† (2009, p. 74). The same can be said for educators and district leaders; there are a variety of opinions on how important the use of technology is within the classroom, and the necessity of it in preparing students to excel in today’s digital society. In the early 1970s a very small number of schools had access to computers, and usually those schools we home of the elite. However, during the late 20th century the obvious necessity to incorporate computers into the classroom became apparent. Companies such as Apple and Hewlett Packard ran promotions, which allowed more districts the ability to purchase technology for their schools (Nyiri et. al. , 2009). Since then, the integration of technology into education and schools has become paramount in the ability for students to become prepared for the 21st Century workplace. Schools are enthusiastic about introducing technology and computers into the classroom but there are several obstacles that they must overcome. The first obstacle is the lack of funding. Many schools embrace the idea of integrating technology into the classroom but do not have the funding to provide the technology to their students or teachers. President Obama’s charge to facilitate every classroom with computers and wire every school for Internet use can be seen as the light at the end of the tunnel. During the summer of 2009, several educational groups urged congress to spend several billion dollars to improve technology in the classroom, and to ensure that teachers knew how to use this technology effectively. According to Miners â€Å"Recognizing the importance of the matter, president Obama and congressional leaders included $650 million in the federal stimulus package for the enhancing education† (2009, p. 35). It is expected that over 25% of this funding is used to train teachers on the use of this technology. In acquiring technology for schools, and training teachers on the effective use of this technology they will in turn prepare our students to be globally competitive in this digital world. There are a variety of technological tools that can be utilized in the classroom; and although technology is available often times it is not used. The main issue that needs to be overcome is the lack of training that teachers receive on this technology which in turn creates a sense of apprehensiveness in integrating technology into the classroom. As stated by Miners, teachers have desired to use this technology in the classroom but have done so poorly due to â€Å"perhaps an unsatisfactory implementation of poorly conceived programs† (2009, p. 36). In 1997 a group of teachers completed a study on how the integration of technology could be used to enhance student learning. This became known as the Teacher Leadership Program. This program has transformed into a professional development for teachers which train them on the use of technology in the classroom through an intensive summer study and continuous online training. Then these teachers can return to their schools and train their colleagues (Miners, 2009). Modeling the integration of technology into their lesson plans is imperative to emphasizing the ease and effectiveness of this technology in the classroom. Not only this, but educators need to utilize technology when collaborating and communicating with their colleagues. Email, instant messaging, and school websites are just a few of the ways that colleagues can use technology with their peers’ all the while modeling appropriate use for the students. When students walk into the classroom they want to be immersed in the lifestyle they are accustomed to at home. Cell phones, personal computers, IPods, and gaming systems are the norm at home, students have grown up with this technology at their fingertips and know how to operate it in most cases more efficiently than most technology professors. They are accustomed to communication via instant messaging, reading digital books, listening to music on mp3 files, posting their diary on blogs, and making friends with facebook. Entering a classroom that is filled with old books, white boards, and no technology present does not provide them with the type of environment in which they need to learn. As Harris and Rea state, with â€Å"the Google/Facebook generation accustomed to being connected to information sources and social networks all the time and in many forms, how can we best use these technologies to transform, supplement, or even supplant current pedagogical practices† (2009, p. 37). The first issue that needs to be addressed is the use of technological equipment in the classrooms. Smart boards, also known as digital white boards are the wave of the future. According to Corcoran, smart boards are â€Å"are a portal to the digital world† (2009), students can interact with the information on the screen using touch screen technology. Almost one third of classrooms in the United States have Smart boards, which in turn allows students in these classrooms to become actively engaged in learning. Students who have access to smart board technology become â€Å"doers† in the classroom rather than sponges ingesting the information disseminated by the teacher. It allows students of all learning styles the opportunity to learn; given the fact that it is of great importance to differentiate in education, being able to cater to all learning styles whether visual, auditory, or kinesthetic through the smart board leads to a very productive learning environment. However, an interactive white board in the classroom is merely a white board if it is not used effectively. PowerPoint presentations which are interactive are much more interesting than an oral lecture from the teacher, or taking notes from a book. Being allowed to manipulate and interact with the information allows the students to absorb and retain what they are learning. Teachers can create lessons which are visually stimulating, link their lessons with online websites, incorporate music, images, and video into the lesson. They can create online games such as Jeopardy or Millionaire to assess student learning, or use programs such as ClassScape to assess students learning. Teachers can create web quests, which are interactive systems of learning. By allowing students to use the internet as a form of learning rather than constant dictation from the teacher we allow them to attain the information themselves therefore retaining it more easily. Jonassen, Howland, Marra, and Crismond (2008) noted that web activities such as WebQuests or scavenger hunts are common tools that allow for independent thinking, challenge students intellectually and assist with problem solving skills. The integration of technology into the classroom are key in motivating the students to learn, to become active in the classroom, and to use the knowledge that they have in dealing with technology in the classroom. Gone are the days of paper and pencil classrooms, with the integration of technology into the classroom comes the love of learning is rekindled in many of these students lives. With the wide array of websites available online nowadays teachers have no excuse for not utilizing technology into the classroom. These websites can be used in the classroom and also at home. An excellent example is Wiki space which is a webpage where teachers can post their lectures and notes or where they can create an open forum for class discussion. As students are invited to this wiki-space they can edit and add to the discussion online. Students can create their own wikispace, which can greatly decrease stress when working on group projects. Teachers can build their own virtual classroom websites which can be used to as a means to communicate with, and make parents aware of the goings on in the classroom. Students can use these websites to access homework, and to contact their teachers. Through incorporating technology into the classroom and to use it as a form of communication with parents, colleagues, and students, teachers are preparing the students for life in the 21st century and ensuring that when they leave the classroom and enter the workforce they are prepared for the technological challenges that they will face them.

Becoming A Better Writer :: Teaching Education Essays

Becoming A Better Writer Why did the chicken cross the road? We all know the answer of course. Yet we continue to ask this question in order to solicit the obvious response, "...to get to the other side." Why do we ask questions or pose problems that have only one solution? We've all heard the excuses: "That's the way I learned how to do it." "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" "I'm only doing what I was told." "I don't know another way." Chances are, if you're perusing the contents of this paper, you have probably used, at one time or another, one or all of the above rationalizations. Don't get me wrong. I'd be the first one to admit that rationalizations are an important part of life. Some, but not many, would argue that rationalizations are more important than sex. I mean, have you ever gone a week without a rationalization? It is your ability to rationalize that allows you to continue to construct themes of generic babble. You know that the mindless banter that it is typical of such endeavors will get you a fair, if not exceptional, mark from the professor whose class for which you wrote it. There is certainly no shame in turning in such regurgitation. After all, you were just, "...doing what you were told," right? You're not alone. This single rationalization allows half of the free world to sleep at night. The other half has a prescription. "I want to change," you cry halfway through what had been a restful night. You've decided to kick the theme-writing habit. "How do I do it?" you ask the faithful rocking chair that you sat in as a child. Incidentally, if the chair answers, you're problems will be addressed in another paper. However, getting back to the task at hand, you can probably deduce that this theme writing vice will be hard to conquer. You get by for a quarter, or semester, without needing one and then BAM! You need a fix. "Briefly outline the Kennedy administration," appears as an essay question on a 20th Century American History exam, for which you haven't thoroughly prepared yourself. You casually glance around the room. No one's looking. "Just one little theme," you say to yourself. But the pointless dribble doesn't stop with this essay. The next week you'll do it again. Soon your up to a theme a day. "Why is it so hard?

HR Management Essay

Negligent hiring is the potential liability of an employer for actions of an employee who was selected for employment without adequately determining the person’s qualifications for the job. Negligent retention on the other had refers to the prospective liability an employer faces by retaining employees who it knows (or should know) a re not qualified to perform their jobs tasks or have mental or physical conditions or propensities that result in them being hazardous to themselves or others. Discussion  Employers need to do reasonable investigations on the prospective employees work experience, background, character and qualifications to avoid negligent hiring. The doctrine of hiring and retention provides that an employer have a duty to exercise reasonable care in selection and retention of his employees. The employer should be aware of the employee problems that make him or her unfit should avoid negligent retention. The employer should take further action such as investigating, discharge or reassignment. Employers want to be sure their employees are doing a good job, but employees should not have their every sneeze or trip to the water cooler logged. This is where workplace conflict comes to foreplay. Employees are the greatest assets of any company and an employer should put much care in protecting their privacy. Employees should avoid providing all their information to their employers because such information could be used for identity theft as well as carrying out criminal activities such as fraud cases leaving the employee in financial problems. Employers should also ban use of the new technology such as camera phones, digital cameras etc because offensive pictures of workers in private, embarrassing or intimate situations can be taken and sent to the net. Such technology can be used to conduct industrial espionage. In this cue therefore employers do are not obligated under any law to use devices that can intrude on the employees privacy. The employers under the contract terms reserve the blame if the employee get accident or injured during the working term. Under the labor laws the safety of the employees lies on the employer if the employee gets the injury at the point of work. It is the mandate of the Contracting firm to provide safety and health measures at all costs to the working employees who forms the main component assets in the company. WS4DQ1-Merit pay Merit pay is pay compensation given to employee based on his/her productivity. Its based on the assessment of the employee’s productivity. Hoever merit pay is rarely used as most managers use it as a strategy to motivate those indiduals well known to him or her. Merit pay should be given based on competence in work. Hard working employees need to be rewarded; this should base on achieved measurable targets, units. Merit pay should be included as part of organization package for various reasons. One is that merit pay enhances a vibrant competitive workforce and therefore eliminates laggardness in workplace. WS4DQ3-Kenneth Lay Lay was one of the Americas highest paid CEO in America. He was Presidents Bush Treasury secretary . He dumped large amounts of his Enron stock and encouraging his employees to buy more stock. As the highest paid CEO, lay never contributed much to the Organizations success; rather he greatly contributed to its downfall. Thus, he was not entitled to the handsome package he was receiving, as he got filthily involved in scandals that amounted billions of shillings leading to the collapse of Enron. WS5DQ1 Workplace violence can take a heavy toll on a business in terms of liability, lost revenue and employee productivity. Tangible costs-medical bills, Antony fees, lost wages, security cost, rehabilitation and property damage. Intangible costs include; loss of staffs time, staff replacement, company liability, moral issues that affect productivity levels. Preventing work place violence therefore means the management of the human resource should ensure the safety of work place. Work place violence can be prevented by; being always alert-no work place is safe, understanding what the problem is, developing a violence prevention plan and responding to emergency incidents. Such policies as; violence prevention plan should be put in place, the management should be at fore in been alert on any violence incident, developing a good working environment and cultivating on maintaining good teamwork relations. This is because when there is good relation among the workers, there is low chance of violence. WS5DQ2 Federal Osha does not have jurisdiction over those employed by state, county, city or municipal governments. However, several state plans do cover such public sector employment. State with approved state plans and in accordance with section 27-a of the PESH act, New York adopts and enforce occupational safety and health standards in the public sector which are identical to OSHA’s. For instance public schools must comply with same fire protecting standard as private schools, but the standards are promulgated and enforced by the state. The California department of occupational safety and health differs with the federal OSHA agencies in the sense that, states have option to establish regulations for hazards not covered by federal standards or more stringent standards than those promulgated by OSHA, which California does. California state agencies standards cover more ground and stringent than federal OSHA’s. Mainly, California OSHA agencies differ from federal agencies in such areas as; requirement for injury and illness prevention program (IIPP), hazcom standards, permissible exposure limits (PELs) and Ergonomics. OSHA’s has continuously been involved in voluntary protection programs, which has indicated effective management of safety and health protection improvement in employees moral and productivity. WS6DQ3 The involvement of unions in social policy areas and participation in self-governing bodies of national social insurance scheme has been the role of unions in Germany. With the increased importance of private pensions, trade unions have enhanced their collective bargaining role in this area. Besides unions have seized opportunities to enhance their role in collective regulation of state imposed privatization. Trade unions over the recent years have had their membership dwindling ageing of membership and lacking support among young employees. This is because the top management or leaders in the unions have taken it as their platform to pursue their welfare as opposed to the welfare of the members in the collective bargaining. WSDQ3 The NLRB does not include coverage for all workers. These include individuals who are employed as agricultural laborers, domestic servants, parents or spouse, independent contractor, employed as supervisor, employed by an employer subject to railway labor act, employees by federal state or local government and those employed by any other person who is not an employer as defined by NLRB. These employees do not have right to form unions as other workers since they are not within the NLRB jurisdiction. In one case, NLRAB was unsure how to define ‘supervisor’. Individuals who are supervisors would not be included in the bargaining unit potentially represented by unions or allowed to vote in the elections. The court ruled that this NLRB judgment is unfair. The court said there were no statutory basis for excluding ‘’professional or technical judgment’’ from joining unions. The basis of the argument therefore is that each party in work environment has a stake in forming a labor union.

Illegal Immigration And The United States - 1315 Words

For ages, the United States has seemed to be the country where people seek to move to for a better life. The United States was built on immigrants. People have always migrated to the United States both legally and illegally. The main problem the country has face with immigrants is the amount that trespass the border illegally. Illegal immigration is the unlawful act of crossing a national border(Illegal Immigration Pros and Cons). The illegal immigrant population keeps growing at an annual average of about 300,000 people(Currie 10). In the recent year of 2014, there were about 11.3 million undocumented people living in the United States(Krogstad). Many have asked what harm they do to both the economy and the American citizen. Although there are many arguments as to how much harm they cause, there are as many arguments stating illegal immigration benefits the United States. Illegal immigration has a positive impact in the United States within the consumers, the working class, and the overall economy. A specific debate regarding the impacts illegal immigration has on the U.S. is whether illegal immigrants take American jobs, or not. One would argue that they do not take American jobs with the reasoning that they occupy jobs that do not require skill, and has a low pay making them jobs that Americans do not want, therefore it does not increase the labor market competition, but actually complements it. Businesses have shown to be more exceeding when there are multiple employeesShow MoreRelatedIllegal Immigration And The United States1573 Words   |  7 Pagesmillion illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States furthermore, for the United States economy. The correctional prerequisites against migrants were added to enactment to protect it from feedback that acquittal is absolution without outcome. Immigration makes a difference among everybody, and Congress ought to be doing everything in its energy to make it as simple as feasible for settlers to liv e and work lawfully what s more, openly in the United States. The United States is knownRead MoreIllegal Immigration And The United States969 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican businessman, politician, television personality, and author, is the presumptive of the y for president of the United States in 2016having won the most state primaries and caucuses and delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention. Trump’s positions in opposition to illegal immigration, various free trade agreements that he believes are unfair, and most military interventionism have earned him particular support among blue-collar voters and voters without college degrees. 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The easy definition of an undocumented immigrant is someone who was not born in the United States and therefore has no legal right to be or remain in the United States. Not all undocumented immigrantsRead MoreIllegal Immigration : The United States1876 Words   |  8 PagesIllegal Immigration Due to the economic benefits of immigrant labor, the dangers of central American countries, and the basic human rights of noncitizens, the US government must grant amnesty to undocumented immigrants. Illegal immigration has become a rising issue in the US over the past few years, and it will continue to heat up coming into this year s presidential election. This issue is also very present in the local community due to it’s diversity and large Hispanic population. GenerallyRead MoreIllegal Immigration in the United States1864 Words   |  8 PagesIllegal Immigration In The United States: A Controversial Debate Illegal immigration is an on-going issue, which is of much importance in the United States today. It has been overlooked for many years, however it has reached a point where it can no longer be ignored. Most of the illegal immigrants, 54% to be exact, come through the Mexican border. (Hayes 5) Since the early 1980’s, the number of illegal Mexican immigrants has risen at an incredible rate, causing the United States government to takeRead MoreIllegal Immigration in the United States Essay2094 Words   |  9 PagesIllegal Immigration in the United States Illegal Immigration in the United States The United States (US) has always been viewed as the land of opportunity because it is the only true free country in the world. This being the case people have been fighting their way into the country for decades. However, it is becoming more and more of a problem each decade that passes. With the United States border being so close to Mexico it is now seeing the highest population of illegal immigrants toRead MoreDeportation: Immigration to the United States and Illegal Alien2373 Words   |  10 Pagesadvance because of the way the immigration process works. However, one thing we all had in mind, was to see the light of a different country, see different faces and hopefully find ways to stay. Once the airplane took off, words was already spread all over the office of Haiti air in Florida that the airplane left Haiti with more than 30 Haitian illegal on board. The first few 2 hours spent at the arrival office was like a discovery of a new world for every single illegal in that group. This was oneRead MoreIllegal Immigration And Immigration In The United States1091 Words   |  5 Pagesarrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes. 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It’s acting as a catalyst in creating a more diverse economy, helping the growth and advancement of diplomatic ties with other countries, and it is the basis for which this country is founded on - immigrate, settle, colonize, grow