Use of Technology in Teaching Essay -- education, pedagogical approach

In this paper I will introduce you to my reflections that helped influence my pedagogical approach in the use of technology to address my learner needs. I will deliberate how this impacted on my current and future teaching, learning and assessment practices. I aim to discuss technological advances in my industry, which is health, and how this impacts on my students now and into the future. I will explain ways I made adjustments in the use of technology within my teaching area to better meet both mine and the student’s needs. My goal is to explain the strategies I will use to strengthen this area for ongoing development and how this will help in making adjustments to specific occupational and personal needs of my students. Reflections on past, current and future approach in the use of technology I would like to discuss how I went from delivering a face to face class of 12 students to today having over 100 students externally using technology as my main delivery method. Lets go back to the beginning of my delivery of a Certificate IV level in the health area. I started at my workplace by being given a qualification to deliver, and nothing much else. I wrote the material required for a face to face class, as that is all that I knew to do at the time. I did this for over a few years in which time I collated a reasonable amount of feedback from both my current and prospective students. This started me on a journey of critical reflection resulting in distant and online delivery. Looking back on my reflective practice approaches and journey, I have come a long way but still have a way to go. John Dewey’s vision in1923, was â€Å"School should be less of a preparation for life and more like life itself.† (Dewey, 1923) Although he was... ...reditation MIMS Australia . (2013). Retrieved from MIMS Australia : http://www.mims.com.au/index.php/products/product-overview Dewey, J. (1923). Democracy and Education-An introduction to the Pilosophy of Education. Los Angeles, Calafornia: Indo European Publishing. Martha Burkle, M. C.-I. (2013, January). Defining the role adjument profile of learners and instructors online. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks,, 17(1), 73 -87. Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2005). Distance Education: A Systems View of online learning. Belmont,CA : Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Rory McGreal, M. E. (2011). Technologies of online learning (E-Learning). In T. Anderson (Ed.), The Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Edmonton: Au Press, Athabasca University. Rushton, I. S. (2012). Reflective Practice For Teaching In Lifelong Learning. Maidenhead, GBR: Open University Press.

Education as Most Important Factor in Developing Country

Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country. Do you agree? What is actual value of education today? Nowadays, when our world is constantly developing in the area of economics, and other fields there’s  a strong growing need in experienced and talented people  who will be able to make significant contribution in the economy of the country’s life. Thus, it is important to say that  education plays a significant role in the development process of countries.To answer on my question, firstly I would like to point the importance of education. In real life, people can live without education but education is the quickest and surest way to help people improve their knowledge and to gain experiences. Basic education provides people with a greater understanding of basic daily information about life as well as of their own potential. Higher education  is not obligatory for young people. Thus, it means that they have only their experience to learn from.But those people who are longing for obtaining high positions in the society are required to have good knowledge basis. How can education improve development of country? A country with a strong educational system can more definitely develop in the future. In developing countries, improving people's knowledge is very important because their attitude can be influenced by the development of the country. There's a famous saying â€Å"If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, if you teach the man to fish you feed him for a lifetime†.Education is long term investment. Maybe we will not be able to see the results imediately, but it is essential to ensure growth and prosperity. Also it is important to put quality before quantity – the goal must be for all education programmes to be of the highest quality, with the number of places tailored to the needs of the labour market. It is not the quantity of graduates that determines our competitiveness, but the qual ity of our programmes from an international perspective.With a good educational system, people can study easily, they can understand the newest technology, and then they can improve their lives. However, even with good educational system in one country, problem may arise. It is so called â€Å"brain drain†. It is defined as the loss of skilled intellectual and technical labor through the movement of such labor to more favorable geographic, economic, or professional environments. Individuals that are educated in developing country may move to the developed countries such as USA, England, and countinue their lifes there.In this case, education cannot bring any good for country where young people are more concerned about their own prosperity than prosperity of their native country. Although there are a lot of other factors that are of huge importance for growth of one country, I agree that education is the single most important development in the country. Of course, every person possesses good qualities along with bad ones, but  higher education gives us an opportunity  to develop our better sides by providing our society with members, whose aim is to contribute to the country’s development.

The Society Within Romania and Trompenaars principles †History Essay

The Society Within Romania and Trompenaars principles – History Essay Free Online Research Papers The Society Within Romania and Trompenaars principles History Essay The Power Distance Power distance describes the degree of equality between different people within a particular society or group. Also described Hofstede, as: â€Å"power distance is the extent to which people expect and are willing to accept that power is distributed unequally. Inequality of power is a basic fact of life. It cannot be 100% eliminated. It is impossible to have no power distance, because this means that everyone is exactly equal (skills, actions, genetics etc) unless you are on about a bunch of identical lumps of rocks. Inequality can take many forms – the differences of physical and mental characteristics, social status and prestige, wealth, political power, rights, privileges etc. All of these are somewhat independent of each other, and in fact the link between them is culturally dependant. Not to put too fine a point on it, Romania is obviously a country with a high power distance. First of all, Romanians seem to expect differences in power between people, yet they are often cynical about personas in positions of authority. They love to ridicule authority and people in position of power. For example, the president of the country is said to be the most popular person among the population due to his hilarious way of behaving in different situations. Furthermore, offices in Romania are ruled by formality. Subordinates are rarely allowed to call their supervisors by their first name. The same thing happens in schools too. While in American schools one can find sheer informality, in Romania is exactly the opposite. If the society wants a lower power distance level, someone should take steps to make this exaggerated formality from schools a thing of the past. In addition, even the ways to say HELLO in Romania are bound to follow up certain rules. For example, if you are the secretary you can’t greet the same way your working colleagues and your boss. Greetings are subject to the same strict rules of formality and informality. Some extremely important consequences of a high power distance level are the sudden changes in government and the autocratic / absolutist governments. In days gone by, this has been more than obvious in our country. Let’s think of the 1989 Revolution when the Communist leaders were killed. In this day and age we find a certain polarization of left / right wing parties which is another consequence of a high power distance. If we now summarize, it stands to reason that Romania has a high power distance level. INDIVIDUALISM Individualism – this dimension focuses on the degree to which a society reinforces individual or collective achievement and interpersonal relationships. If a country has a high Individualism score, this indicates that individuality and individual rights are dominant. Individuals in these societies tend to form relationships with larger numbers of people, but with the relationships being weak. A low individualism score points to a society that is more collectivist in nature. In such countries, the ties between individuals are very strong and the family is given much more weight. In such societies members lean towards collective responsibility. In my opinion, Romania is among the most individualistic countries in the world. First of all, the combination of this individualism with the communist emphasis upon engineering and task skills has resulted in a nation with almost no sense of what the sociologist Ulrich Beck refers to as â€Å"the other†. People do not give much consideration to their group needs when making decisions. Witness the selfishness if the political class, or the greed of the national business elite, both on the back of great poverty and exploitation. Too frequently do Romanians show little concern for pride in their own work. This leads the task element of leadership being measured in quantitative rather than qualitative terms. For example, people often ask themselves â€Å"Did I finish all my paperwork† rather than â€Å"How much value did I add by doing so?† . Journalists, for example, complain every day about their subjects (politicians) but they do not take personal responsibilities for their own actions. Whilst such complaints can be heard the world over, the scale of the problem is more widespread, deep rooted and damaging here than anywhere else. Apart from this, there is another issue to present. Whenever something goes wrong in Romania, there is a strong tendency for people to consider themselves as victims of circumstance, which leads to two subsequent effects. First of all, they exhibit passivity in the face of gross public abuses. Secondly, they have the tendency to find outsiders to blame. This can be proved by a very good example: the Emma Nicholson scandal over children’s homes. Rather than face the issue, the country seemed to unite in outrage at how this foreign woman dared to expose the things that we don’t speak about. This, of course, underlines the weakness of the society. UNCERTIANTY AVOIDANCE Uncertainty avoidance – this dimension concerns the level of acceptance for uncertainty and ambiguity within a society. A country with a high uncertainty avoidance score will have a low tolerance towards uncertainty and ambiguity. As a result it is usually a very rule-orientated society and follows well defined and established laws, regulations and controls. A low uncertainty avoidance score points to a society that is less concerned about ambiguity and uncertainty and has more tolerance towards variety and experimentation. Such a society is less rule-orientated, readily accepts change and is willing to take risks. Another definition is given by Hofstede: â€Å"uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations†. The essence of uncertainty is that is a subjective experience. But according to Hofstede, feelings of uncertainty are not only personal, but may also be partly shared with other members of society. Risk taking is an important factor, which is usually associated with entrepreneurial activity. When a cultural distance between countries increases, also will the uncertainty and the perceived risk. Romania is part of the group of countries with a high uncertainty avoidance score. A good example to prove this fact is to use Sanna Sundqvist’s study, entitled â€Å"Cross-cultural adoption of wireless communications: effects of cultural distance and country characteristics†. The study tries to analyze the cultural differences in adoption of wireless communications. In order to test the effects of cultural similarity, the study groups some countries on the basis of their cultural dimensions. Based on Hofstede indices, the 48 countries were classified using hierarchical cluster analysis into five segments. For example, cluster five contained countries like Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Netherlands, cluster four: China, Hong Kong, Singapore, cluster two: USA, Austria, U.K., Australia etc, cluster one: Argentina, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Germany etc. while cluster three had countries like Chile, Baltic countries, ROMANIA, Venezuela, Taiwan, Thailand, Peru etc. The results proved that cluster V has adopted wireless communication earliest while cluster three has adopted significantly later. This proves the fact that Romania, situated in cluster 3, is a country that does not accept changes easily. Another reason for this high level of uncertainty avoidance could be the fact that the Romanian nation is very old, and it has survived numerous wars, political upheavals and economic changes. Hence, Romanians have a greater fear of the unknown. Moreover, it is known that a country with a high uncertainty avoidance level will adopt due to imitation or in order to diminish risks and uncertainty, in Romania’s case, F the integration in the E.U. We are among the last countries to make this step. While it is true to say that we don’t have the necessary economic standards to join the E.U. I nevertheless think that from a different point of view this delay is also due to the high uncertainty avoidance level. Citizens being critical of their own nation is another characteristic feature of a country with a high uncertainty avoidance level. Romania’s population is never satisfied by any performances of the country. They always find a reason to put the negative part of an achievement in front of the positive one. MASCULINITY Masculinity – this dimension pertains to the degree societies reinforce or do not reinforce, the traditional masculine work role model of male achievement, control and power. A high masculinity score indicates that a country experiences a higher degree of gender differentiation. In such cultures, males tend to dominate a significant portion of the society and power structure. A low masculinity score means a society has a lower level of level of differentiation and inequity between genders. In these cultures, females are treated equally to males in all aspects of the society. The IBM studies revealed that (a) women’s values differ less among societies than men’s values; (b) men’s values from one country to another contain a dimension from very assertive and competitive and maximally different from women’s values on the one side, to modest and caring and similar to woman’s values on the other side. The assertive pole has been called masculine and the modest, caring pole feminine. It stands to reason that Romania has a high masculinity score. To begin with, most of the VIP’s in Romania are men. The president is a man, the prime minister is a man, most of the other ministers are men, the secretaries of the state are men and so on. I would like to analyze the administration board of BNR, the national bank of my country, to prove my point. This board has the following structure: Governor: Ph.D Mugur Isarescu First Deputy Governor: Ph. D. Florin Georgescu Deputy Governor: Ph.D. Eugen Dijmarescu Deputy Governor: Ph.D. Cristian Popa Member: Ph.D. Silviu Cerna Member: Maria Ene Member: Agnes Nagy Member: Ph.D. Napoleon Pop Member: Ph.D. Virgiliu Stoenescu As we can see, 77.77% of the members are men while only 22.23% are women. Another important fact is that the inequalities between men and women in Romania are structural, rather than merely contingent, and a pervasive phenomena rather than a temporary consequences of the transition. It is a fact that the rising of unemployment has constantly affected women more than men, while women are over-represented in the lowest wage sectors of the economy (especially agriculture, healthcare and education). Furthermore, even the legislation from this country encourages masculinity. The best example to list here is the age of retirement which is not the same fro men and women. Women have lower retirement ages than men. Fewer years of contributing to the system combined with the data that indicates that women earn on average 83% of men’s earnings will result in lower average pensions for women. More worrying is the increase number of women moving from formal, paid employment to the informal sector or into unpaid family labor, situations in which it is unlikely that contributions will be made into the social, health or pensions system, resulting in a growing number of women potentially facing old age without pensions at all. The employers in Romania often regard the aspect of gender when hiring new people. For example, they prefer men engineers rather than women engineers, which is, of course, a discrimination as the only difference between men and women should be made when a job implies physical effort. By and large, I think that these characteristic features of Romania are really clear and that they are not unchangeable. In my opinion, each feature of each country varies in time. Maybe in some decades, the high level of masculinity and power distance will be a thing of the past, and we shall live in a better country with better people and smarter rules. Research Papers on The Society Within Romania and Trompenaar's principles - History EssayQuebec and CanadaCapital Punishment19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBringing Democracy to AfricaEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenPETSTEL analysis of IndiaStandardized TestingAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Free Essays on Platos Soul

Plato argues that the soul is composed of three parts. The argument supporting this claim is obtained by analyzing the conflict in decisions. Plato has observed that an individual will act in different ways to the same situation. Also, the parts of the soul are defined in a way in which they can be derived from the functions in Plato’s ideal state. The three parts of the soul are present in every individual and designated as appetite, reason, and spirit. The first part of the soul defined as appetite, which Plato believes is contained in the belly and organs, is represented in the ideal state as the function of the producers. The appetite is present in the desires of the individual. Plato uses the notion of an individuals thirst for drink to demonstrate this desire, as people naturally want to drink. According to Plato, one part of the soul does not function alone. So, as one has the thirst for drink, they must also determine whether the drink they seek could have dire consequences on their health. The decision whether to abstain or proceed is not completely determined by their appetite, but instead is influenced by reason, another part of the soul. Reason is part of the soul believed to be contained in the head, and is demonstrated by the function of the rulers. Reason, compared to the rulers who exercise wisdom and knowledge for the good of all, is used on the behalf of the good of the entire individual. The example of an individuals thirst for drink demonstrates the ability of reason to master the motives of appetite and desire. In Plato’s ideal state, the rulers can master the producers and auxiliaries who all interact. The same concept is shown in the individual, with reason having the ability to master the appetite and spirit. The third part of the soul is spirit, represented in the ideal state as the auxiliaries. Spirit is believed to be contained in the chest, and is defined by the emotions on how to act. Spiri... Free Essays on Plato's Soul Free Essays on Plato's Soul Plato argues that the soul is composed of three parts. The argument supporting this claim is obtained by analyzing the conflict in decisions. Plato has observed that an individual will act in different ways to the same situation. Also, the parts of the soul are defined in a way in which they can be derived from the functions in Plato’s ideal state. The three parts of the soul are present in every individual and designated as appetite, reason, and spirit. The first part of the soul defined as appetite, which Plato believes is contained in the belly and organs, is represented in the ideal state as the function of the producers. The appetite is present in the desires of the individual. Plato uses the notion of an individuals thirst for drink to demonstrate this desire, as people naturally want to drink. According to Plato, one part of the soul does not function alone. So, as one has the thirst for drink, they must also determine whether the drink they seek could have dire consequences on their health. The decision whether to abstain or proceed is not completely determined by their appetite, but instead is influenced by reason, another part of the soul. Reason is part of the soul believed to be contained in the head, and is demonstrated by the function of the rulers. Reason, compared to the rulers who exercise wisdom and knowledge for the good of all, is used on the behalf of the good of the entire individual. The example of an individuals thirst for drink demonstrates the ability of reason to master the motives of appetite and desire. In Plato’s ideal state, the rulers can master the producers and auxiliaries who all interact. The same concept is shown in the individual, with reason having the ability to master the appetite and spirit. The third part of the soul is spirit, represented in the ideal state as the auxiliaries. Spirit is believed to be contained in the chest, and is defined by the emotions on how to act. Spiri...

What is the view of mission presented by the Book of Acts Essay

What is the view of mission presented by the Book of Acts - Essay Example The stages also show that the nature of missionary in the church emerges from the involvement of the community in particular events with the guidance of the spirit of God. These seven stages are: before the Pentecost, during the Pentecost, the time of Stephen, Samaria and the Ethiopian Eunuch, Cornelius and his household, the apostles in Antioch and the mission to the Gentiles. This episode is found in the book of Acts chapter 1. From this chapter, it is evident that the mission of Jesus in the world was to preach to all people, serve them and to witness about the goodness of God. As Luke explains in the beginning of the book of Acts, Jesus appeared to the twelve disciples after his resurrection. Before he ascended to heaven, he gave them instructions not to leave the City, Jerusalem, before they receive the Holy Spirit. The disciples then ask Jesus if the arrival of God’s Spirit meant that the Kingdom of God will reign on earth. Jesus answers them by saying that they need not to know of the right time of the Kingdom of God but instead they will receive power through the arrival of the Spirit of God. He tells them that they will be witnesses in Jerusalem, Samaria, and Judea and to every part of the world for Christ. The commandment of Jesus to the twelve disciples as Luke describes shows the guidance of the spirit of God to the community in the majo r mission and its identity (1:3-8). After the ascension of Jesus, the disciples did not immediately go to Samaria and Judea; instead, they waited in Jerusalem for the reign of God through the second coming of Jesus. In Jerusalem, they made the number complete by replacing Judas the traitor with Mathias through an election. They ensured that Mathias was like them and was a witness to Jesus. Mathias was with Jesus from the baptism of John until his death and resurrection. This was a preparation for the fulfilment of the great mission that Jesus had ordained. This is because the

Foreign Exchange Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Foreign Exchange - Essay Example Looking at Table ll.1(Foreign Exchange Quotations, p.5) I see that the Monday 1-month forward for the Japanese yen, using the Direct Quote, is $0.009048 compared to the spot rate of .009035. The 3-month forward is .009074 and the 6-month forward is .009124. This means that the Japanese currency is expected to progressively appreciate during this period. The indirect quote column (Japanese currency calculated in US dollar terms) confirms the expected trend, showing that gradually it will require more dollars to pay for a fixed amount of Japanese yen. I use the spot rate when I need the currency immediately. I go to a lending institution or a bank to arrange for a forward exchange contract when I need to protect the value of the US dollar against the possibility that the Japanese yen will rise in value (appreciate), and it would require me to spend more money to purchase a product priced or denominated in that currency. In this particular case, if I have to purchase Y100,000 now, at the rate of $0.009035 per yen, the amount I have to pay will be $903.50, which is obtained by multiplying these two numbers. Since the 1-month forward rate is $0.009048, the amount of our contract with the bank will be $904.80, which is higher by $1.30. A month from now, I will obtain from the bank Y100,000 at this price. I can either buy Y100,000 now at the spot market price at the rate of 1 Yen = $0.009035 and hold the currency until a month from now when I need to use it for payment, or I can arrange a forward contract which, at $0.009048, is $1.30 higher. The forward contract will protect me in case the Japanese yen appreciates. For example, if the Japanese yen, contrary to market expectations, rises to $0.009200 (or, conversely, $1 = 108.70, obtained by computing its reciprocal - i.e., 1/.009200), I will need to pay $920.00 a month from now – or $16.50 higher - because I did not hedge my position by using the forward contract. This is also

Community Assessment and Care Planning in Medication Compliance Essay

Community Assessment and Care Planning in Medication Compliance - Essay Example The assessment of the adverse side-effects of psychiatric drugs shall also be discussed in this paper. These issues are discussed in the hope of coming up with improved quality of life and improved treatment and interventions for mentally ill patients. The assessment of mental health patient is seen from the initial admission or consultation of the patient. From the initial visit, which includes recording the agreement of the patient to Mental Health Care Service, history-taking, mental state examination, assessing associated risks and any co-morbidities, and the formulation of the diagnosis, there are various issues and concerns that may manifest (Thomas, 2006). Assessment is vital to patient diagnosis and treatment. Good assessment makes for good medical practice because it is the jumping off point to further investigations on patient symptoms and manifestations. It is also the basis for suitable and prompt action and referral. These decisions in patient care would not be properly made if not for good assessment. Assessment of the mental health patient is vital in the course of their illness because â€Å"people with mental illnesses are likely to have their physical health needs poorly managed and are less likely to have their blood pressure, cholesterol, urine†¦checked† (Colbeck, 2008). The assessment of the mental health patient is not wholly focused on the initial examination of the patient. The assessment of the adverse effects of psychiatric medications is also crucial in caring for mentally ill patients. The CNS Forum (2004) discusses various tools of assessing the neuroleptic effects of psychiatric drugs being used by different clinicians and mental health caregivers. These tools are briefly described forthwith. First, is the Simpson-Angus Scale which is used to assess extrapyramidal side-effects (EPS). It is based on the observations made by the mental health professional.