Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Plato’S Idea Of A Teacher Is One Whose Soul Boldly Faces

Plato’s idea of a teacher is one whose soul boldly faces the sun, a self-motivated seeker of truth. In his allegory The Cave, he describes guiding minds toward what is real and important and allowing them to seize it for themselves. In this cave, prisoners’ backs are to the sun and they are only experiencing life through the shadows that the sun casts. However, by removing the shackles and turning towards the light, the prisoners will be able to see and experience the real things that have cast the shadows. Consequently, a student’s back can be to the light and only with education will he â€Å"see.† Plato believes that â€Å"there is the person, who for as long as they live, will remain a voluntary prisoner in the darkness of the cave. For†¦show more content†¦This included teaching at a Laboratory School, a Dean of the Graduate School of Education, and Director/Co-director of the Center for Educational Renewal. Goodlad is known for publis hing influential models for renewing schools and teacher education. He authored or co-authored more than 30 books; wrote chapters and papers in more than 100 other books and yearbooks; and had more than 200 articles in professional journals and encyclopedias (Encyclopedia, 2007). He went on to become the Co-director of the Center for Educational Renewal where he created Centers of Pedagogy. His work centered on creating a working relationship between the School of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, and K-12 Institutions. His work included creating a teacher preparation curriculum that equipped teachers for subject matter delivery, inquiry, questioning, curiosity, and fostered a desire to learn new ideas (Goodlad, 1994). In Goodlad’s book, Educational Renewal, readers explore how he planned to transform the way universities prepare teachers. Goodlad believes that the time has come when teacher education must be redefined and reconstructed in a way that raises expect ations, eliminates weak educational ideas, and increases professional honor. His experience and work as the director of teacher education in four different universities afforded him the foundation and knowledge to begin researching a better way to educate future teachers. Such research led him to begin

Monday, December 23, 2019

By The Time Someone Is 18, They Have Already Seen About

By the time someone is 18, they have already seen about 200,000 violent acts by watching TV (â€Å"Television†). As children grow up, they spend a lot of their time in front on the television. They learn from what they can see. The problem is that a lot of violence is shown on TV. This exposes children to actions that they should not see until they are old enough to understand what is happening. The violence in movies and television affect society’s children’s way of growing up because they are exposed to aggressive actions since they are young. Every child enjoys watching a movie or television every once in a while. However, a lot of the 21st century movies or shows contain some sort of violence. According to Wilson and Hudson, â€Å"94% of the†¦show more content†¦Hughes states â€Å"Children were more likely to imitate the aggression when the model was similar to the child and when the model was rewarded (or not punished) for the aggression.†. There are films that show a person doing crimes, and the person always manages to escape from the punishment. There are also films where the person doing all the crimes are the ones with the money and with the attention. The movies portray the violent lifestyle as if it had the best benefits of all the lifestyles there could be. Another study also showed â€Å"Children with high initial levels of aggression remained aggressive following exposure to the violent programming but decreased their aggressive behavior following the neutral film† (Hughes et al.). The aggressive levels increase as they watch the violence. In addition, Erwin and Morton state that the â€Å"three primary effects the three primary effects of media violence on children are (a) reduced sensitivity to the pain and anguish of others, (b) increased fearfulness, and (c) greater aggressive or violent behavior toward others† (107). The exposure to the media violence creates a fear in kids even if they have not experienced the event. It also increases their aggression towards others. If someone picks a fight with them, they are more likely to strike back instead of calming down. Erwin and Morton also say that â€Å"The American Psychological Association (2005) maintained that existing research suggests that exposure to violenceShow MoreRelatedThe Repetitive Recital : Metaphors, Imagery, And Anaphora1280 Words   |  6 Pages The Repetitive Recital: Metaphors, Imagery, and Anaphora in Billy Collins’s â€Å"Litany† There are few poets who have written such a subtly humorous work as Billy Collins has done in â€Å"Litany†. This poem has achieved being humorous due to the use of metaphors, imagery, and anaphora. The strange metaphors and imagery when referring to the female character make every persons interpretation very unique because the metaphors are not as clear as others. The female character is being compared to strangeRead Moreshould the drinking age be lowered to 18?948 Words   |  4 PagesIn 2009, about 10.4 million young people between ages 12 and 20 drank more than â€Å"just a few sips† of alcohol (Underage). The drinking age should be lowered to age 18 because teens are considered adults at this age, less people in jail for hosting underage drinking, and teens can be taught responsible drinking. Although there is a negative side to lowering the drinking age because it can cause more motor-vehicle accidents, greater chance for alcohol problems, and the health risk it can cause. ThereRead MoreHow Much Do We Know About Ourselves?1179 Words   |  5 PagesHow much do we know about ourselves? How are we perceived by others? How important is all this to us? Central topics of research in social psychology is the nature of the self and how we think and feel about ourselves, (Baron, 18). These impacts have major influence with the internet and technology as well because the way we present to others is important as well. Sometimes we may not perceive ourselves as we perceive others. We may criticize others without even realizing we do the same thing asRead MoreThe And It Professional Issues1333 Words   |  6 PagesVolkswagen cars, their found that in real driving conditions the US emissions limits was exceeded by factor of 15 to 25 and by factor 5 to 20 for Jetta and Passat respectively.(1) This confirmed the discrepancies already found by International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCDT) in Europe. On 18 September 2015 the United States Environm ental Protection Agency (US EPA) seed a Notice o Violation (NOV) alleging that Volkswagen Group had an emissions-compliance defeat device installed.(2) In this case thisRead MoreLegalization Of Marijuana Should Be Regulated987 Words   |  4 Pagesof legalizing marijuana nation wide for medical and recreational purposes. With about half of adults in the United States in favor of legalizing marijuana it shows that this may be the first time in history where complete legalization of the drug could be a real possibility. It’s not just millennials at the forefront of this fight either. Support from Generation X, the Baby Boomers, and even the Silent Generation have been steadily climbing over the past decade (Nathan). Legalization of marijuanaRead MoreEssay about Shout it out: Study of Introverts1379 Words   |  6 Pages2012. Web. 17 Dec 2013. Here USA Today addresses that, although extroverts are much more confident and reassuring to prospective employers, Introverts and people who are commonly seen as neurotic may actually make better employes. One of the reasons they give for this is introverts are more worried about being seen as not doing their job. Another point they address is introverts tend to be less intimidating and easier to use as a sounding board for new ideas. Finally, introverts are less likelyRead MoreEsports: Informative Paper1250 Words   |  5 PagesChampionship match. After a weekend full of ups and downs, twist and turns it all comes to this. 1 week earlier, the previous Friday thousands have flown down to the heart of it all. Crowded around the event hall doors, people everywhere, spectators itching to get the best seats. Players going over in game builds, timings, and strategies just one more time until the doors finally open. 8 teams of 5 players to a team were seated into the week long tournament and now only two remain. Royal ClubRead MoreThe Doctor Taylor s Case1215 Words   |  5 Pagestoday was from Boston. He fits the stereotypical attributes of someone not just from Boston, but from up North period. The attitude, the snap in every word spoken, and the lack of what appeared to be happiness on his face. The very first patient she encounters is a 47 year old female that was complaining of pain in her uterine area. Before Taylor could even get a sentence out, the patient informed her that the doctor had already seen her and that she was going home. However, she didn t mind TaylorRead MoreLowering The Drinking Age From 21 Essay1214 Words   |  5 Pages5,000 kids under the age of 21 die from alcohol abuse, 1 in 5 10th graders will resort to binge drinking, and alcohol continues to damage developing teen brains (Let’s Stop Teen Drinking Tragedies). While they may not be seen in night clubs in bars, people between the ages of 18 and 21 are subjecting themselves to unsafe usage of alcohol in p rivate or at high school parties simply because it’s â€Å"fun† and â€Å"reckless†. So how do we as a country end this monumental epidemic? Some believe that loweringRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Removed1735 Words   |  7 Pageshistory proves it does not work at 18. Conor Lewis 12-4-15 English 3rd Alcohol. The source of curiosity among young people everywhere. People everywhere, college students, and even some high school students enjoy it. There’s no doubt this nation enjoys alcohol but what about the people who can’t taste it yet? What about those who are considered adults in every way and permitted to do anything except drink alcohol? Is it right for a government to tell someone that they are fully responsible for

Sunday, December 15, 2019

How Similar Were the Achievements and Limitations of Nationalism in Southeast Asia Before 1941 Free Essays

The period before 1941 can also be referred to as the pre-war period before the Japanese Occupation. The Southeast Asian nationalist movements then had similar achievements and limitations. Their achievements were scarce as the majority of the population was politically apathetic. We will write a custom essay sample on How Similar Were the Achievements and Limitations of Nationalism in Southeast Asia Before 1941? or any similar topic only for you Order Now To add to this, the nationalist groups often lacked mass support and military strength. The greatest achievement of these nationalist movements, though, would be that they managed to unify a diverse group of people who had little in common by providing them with a common cause – to overthrow the colonial government. The main achievement of pre-war nationalist movements was that they were able to bond the people of the country together using the concept of territorial nationalism. These nationalist movements started off with cultural aims so as to appeal to the masses. However, the difference between these movements lie in whether or not the nationalist leaders could go beyond these aims to band together the people of the country. In the case of Vietnam and Indonesia, the nationalist leaders managed to make use of these aims to develop a territorial identity whereas in Malaya, the nationalist groups were unable to put aside their racial differences and hence bonded only within their communities to establish ethnic nationalism. This can be seen from how in Indonesia, nationalism was initially focused on Java but later spread to include the rest of Indonesia. One major achievement of Indonesian nationalism is that of the Association of Political Organisations of the Indonesian People (PPPKI) established in the late 1920s. It created a set of common national idioms such as the red and white national flag and the national anthem ‘Indonesia Raya’. It also came up with the idea of Indonesia comprising of one people, one language, one homeland, which is indicative of the Indonesians’ strong cry for independence[1] and even tried to cut across the party lines in their attempt to achieve it. Similarly, in Vietnam, there was an evident shift from cultural nationalism before 1920 to more territorial nationalism (not from religious to secular. Look back to your main point! ) after 1920. Previously, before 1920, Nationalism was confined very much to the Tonkin region, with the Dong Kinh Free School being set up in 1908 to promote cultural nationalism. Later, secular nationalist groups such as the Vietnam Quoc Dang Dang (VNQDD) and the Indochina Communist Party (ICP) emerged with a more political plan aimed at a more inclusive national identity, as seen from the choice of words in their names – â€Å"Vietnam† and â€Å"Indochina†. Following that, in 1941, the Vietminh was established as a more united nationalist organisation in reaction to Japanese involvement in Vietnam, and tried to mobilise nationalists beyond party lines, appealing to both communists and non-communists alike. This dominant organisation stood strong and later successfully led Vietnam to achieve independence. In Malaya however, nationalism ironically made the racial lines of Malaya more evident. The emergence of the Singapore Malay Union, the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) which comprised of mainly Chinese and the Central Indian Association of Malaya (CIAM)[2] further aggravated the pluralistic society in Malaya, thus making a united strive for independence impossible. With the exception of Malaya, the pre-war nationalist movements generally managed to bond the people of the country together. This would facilitate future movements to overthrow the colonial powers. A major limitation of the nationalist movements before 1941 was that they lacked mass support even though some groups managed to achieve a popular appeal. For example, in Vietnam, the Indochina Communist Party (ICP) lacked mass support but had some appeal due to its adaptationist leaders. It associated its aims with superstitions and anachronistic customs and disguised its communist stand to appeal to the Vietnamese, as communism lacked a direct appeal then. 3] This action of using folk religion to disguise its communist front was also adopted by the PKI in Indonesia, which rallied the people’s support by calling for a holy war or a jihad, against the Dutch. It portrayed capitalism as promoting greed and distance from God, and imperialism as threatening the world of Islam so as to stir up feelings of anger amongst the Indonesians. [4] However, there are nationalist groups in Southeast Asia which severely lacked mass support such as the Young Malay Union (KMM) in Malaya, whose idea of a merger with Indonesia did not appeal to the Malayans. 5] Furthermore, in Indonesia, although the Indies Party tried to appeal to all races and beyond Java, it had limited appeal as it was predominantly an Eurasion organisation with only 7700 members. As such, whether or not nationalist groups were able to achieve a mass appeal depended on how well they modified their methods to appeal to the peasants. Hence, the nationalist movements before 1941 generally lacked the mass support they needed to succeed. Even if mass support was achieved, this does not guarantee success of the nationalist movements as the example of Sarekat Islam clearly demonstrates. Despite its mass following of 2 million, its lack of a united front seriously undermined its potential, and it was eventually torn apart by internal divisions between the Marxists and Islamic leaders. Another limitation of pre-war nationalism was that they often lacked military strength to launch a successful large-scale revolt and were hence vulnerable to the suppression of the colonial powers. This can be seen in the Vietnam Quoc Dang Dang (VNQDD)’s failure to overthrow the French colonial government during the Yen Bay Uprising of 1930. Their home-made weapons were inferior to the advanced ones of the French hence the uprising was quickly put down by the French. As a result of this episode, its founder, Thai Hoc and other leading figures were captured. This deprived the organisation of good leadership it needed to launch another large-scale nationalist movement thereby preventing them from regaining their political strength again. 6] Similarly, in Indonesia, although the Perserikatan Komunis di India (PKI) managed to gather support to form an army called the Red Guards of 3000, their military power was still uncomparable to that of the Dutch. They attempted to stage a revolution in 1926 but failed. After the revolt, the Dutch arrested 13,000 of them, imprisoned 4,500, interned 1,308 and exiled 823 to Digul, West New Guinea. This severely crippled the membership of t he PKI and they were finally outlawed by the Dutch in 1927. [7] Hence, pre-war nationalism failed partially because of the militarily weak nationalist movements. In conclusion, the achievements and limitations of the SEA nationalist movements before 1941 were largely similar, with the lack of mass support and military strength being the key weaknesses. As nationalism during that period was quite under-developed, the main achievement of these movements in Vietnam and Indonesia would be that it managed to bond the people together towards a more inclusive territorial-based national identity that would serve as a stepping stone for further nationalist movements. How to cite How Similar Were the Achievements and Limitations of Nationalism in Southeast Asia Before 1941?, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Physics of Equestrian Essay Example For Students

Physics of Equestrian Essay Math Exploration: The Physics Behind Equestrian Before this exploration begins, it is important to be informed of the definitions of many equestrian terms that will be used in this exploration. Equestrian: Of or relating to horseback riding or horseback riders. (Kirkland, Sarah) Walk: The walk has a distinct four beat rhythm. When the horse is walking, its movement is easily accounted for by the rider. (Kirkland, Sarah) Trot: The trot has a two beat rhythm to it. It is much harder to adjust to the trot than to walking because the rider is bounced up and down with each pace. This bouncing causes the rider to be thrown up and down, hitting the saddle pretty hard easily unseating them if they do not adjust properly to this movement. The horse exerts a force on the rider as its hooves make contact with the ground. The rider in turn is bounced upward. To account for the bouncing, the rider can do something called posting, which is where for every other step, or beat, of the horse, the rider lifts themselves (with the push of the horse) on their stirrups and misses the horses Jerk. For the second beat she sits down lightly and then is pushed up again. Posting is a controlled way of trotting. The rider synchronizes their posts with the horses, and it makes the ride much less bumpy. (Kirkland, Sarah) Canter: During the canter, which is a three beat gait, there is a point where the horse has all four hooves off the ground. This is a much smoother gait than the trot. The speed however is much greater than the other two gaits, and the important thing is to keep the riders weight distributed equally in both stirrups, and also to keep their center of balance above the horses. (Kirkland, Sarah) Gait: A particular way or manner of moving on foot. Any of the ways, such as a canter, trot, or elk, by which a horse can move by lifting the feet in different order or rhythm. Show Jumping: The competitive sport of riding horses over a course of fences and other obstacles in an arena, with penalty points for errors. (Kirkland, Sarah) Dressage: The guiding of a horse through a series of complex maneuvers by slight movements of the riders hands, legs, and weight. (Kirkland, Sarah) Strides: The number of steps taken between two Jumps. (Kirkland, Sarah) Stirrups: Each of a pair of devices support the riders foot. Wisped, 2012) Outside leg/hand: The arm or leg of the rider that is faced alongside the fence. The outside leg is used to ask the horse to transition from a walk/trot/halt to a canter. Two point: This is the position in which riders take when Jumping over a Jump. It is called two point as two points of your body (Feet and knees) are in alignment with each other. By the rider taking this position, it allows for the horse to carry the riders weight easier. The reason as to why I decided to choose this topic is due to my interest in equestrianism. For almost 4 years, I have dedicated many weekends to this very demanding sport. Being a committed rider, it is important that one understands the hicks behind the sport in order to achieve their best possible performance. I figure that by further investigating the physics behind equestrian, I will be able to apply these new found findings to my riding and become a better rider. I would also like to demonstrate that equestrian is not an easy sport and that it does involve more thinking and human involvement than many may think. I have also chosen this topic because it is very easy for me to communicate my ideas to others as I know this subject very well. With my audience and their comprehension of the topic in mind, I have chosen to pursue this interesting topic of equestrianism. The sport of equestrianism is an ancient sport and the date of in which it began is controversial but it is believed that humans domesticated and rode horses as far back as 6000 B. C. Horses have played an important role in human history as they were used in warfare, transportation, trade and for agricultural purposes. Wisped,2012) In historical times, it was crucial that one learned how to ride a horse as they were heavily used for transportation purposes (Riding and carriages) before the invention of the automobile in 1886 by Karl Benz. This exploration will cover the physics involved in woo types of equestrian disciplines, show Jumping and dressage. Both these disciplines involve physics as certain requirements must be met in or der for the task to be carried out properly. Bhavesh.Amin EssaySeptember 2011) The Jump: Over the top of he fence, the horse and rider reach maximum height and their velocity is reduced to zero; thus, they possess only potential Energy, PEE. (Erin R. March 2003) This potential energy is expressed by: Figure 5) This equation is much simpler than the equation for kinetic energy. In this equation mass represents mass of the horse, g represents the gravitational field strength (9. 8 N/keg on Earth), and height represents the height of the horse. (Henderson, T. ) The Landing: When the horse returns to the ground, horse and rider possess only kinetic energy. (Erin R. , March 2003) Example of an equation: If a rider wishes to Jump a 5 foot fence, how fast will they need to be going on approach? Also, If horse and rider do clear the fence, how fast will they be going on landing? Part One: = PEE (l for initial) 1/2 move = MGM h= 5 Ft. = 1. 52 m because 1 meter is equal to 3. 281 Ft. In calculation, one should assume that the horse may Jump up to six inches higher than the fence, depending on their perception, thus y = 1. Mm + 0. 1 mm or h=l . Mm Due to non-conservative forces, such as air resistance and heat, the potential energy reached at the top of the Jump will only be about 80% of the kinetic energy present n approach. Erin R. , March 2003) so*1. Mm) high = 6. Mm/s Part Two: 1/iv = o. 8(9. Mm/ hollow = 6. 1 m/s MGM = 1/2 move Again, due to non-conservative forces, the kinetic energy present on landing will be only approximately 80% of the potential energy present at the top of the Jump. 9. Mm2*1 . Urn = o. 8(1/IV) blow = 4. Mm/s vigil = 5. Mm/s (Erin R. , March 2003) Another import ant motion in show Jumping is to consider the horses movements in terms of projectile motion. In order to calculate projectile motion, you must have the range equation and the height equation. Range equation: R = (via*g) (sinks) (g) Height equation: H = (via sinks) * Example Question: With what initial velocity will a horse need to take off in order to assume that the horse leaves the ground at an angle of 450 at a speed of 9. 8 m/s. H -? (via stint) * (g) In this solution, vow is equal to the initial velocity that the horse needs in vow= order to take off. H is equal to the height that this horse must reach. E is equal vow= xx(9. Mm/s)) * (sinning) to the angle at which the horse took off. g is equal to the initial speed 7. Mm/s the horse was traveling prior to the Jump. The stages in which a horse approaches, Jumps, and lands over a Jump can be seen in the following diagram: Equestrianism is a difficult sport that without the laws of physics; wouldnt exist. These formulas and equations can also be applied to several other sports and the knowledge and understanding of these formulas will help one further understand other concepts in mathematics. I believe that it is easier to understand these concepts with help of a visual aid, such as a horse Jumping. This topic explores many mathematical concepts and formulas that help us to understand the logic of everyday happenings around us. It is very important that we study and investigate the mathematics involved in our daily lives as it helps us to understand why. With the knowledge I have gained by exploring all the mathematical formulas involved in this sport, I will be able to have a more precise and more thought out performance in the show ring. Bibliography Wisped. (2012). Retrieved from http://en. Wisped. Org/wick/Equestrianism Kirkland, S. (n. D. ). The physics of horseback riding. Retrieved from HTTPS://sites. Google. Com/ site/thephysicsofhorsebackriding/horseback-riding-terms-l Georgia State University. None 2012).

Friday, November 29, 2019

Freedom Equals Responsibility free essay sample

Everyone should enjoy the freedom they have but with responsibility. The more freedom one has the more responsibility one also has as shown in Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, and a real life experience. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the boys display Sanchez’s quote by having complete freedom to do whatever they want to do with no adults around telling them what to do. Although the boys have complete freedom, they don’t take it up with responsibility, and start abusing the freedom. Ralph, a twelve year old boy, and other boys who survived the plane crash remain stuck on an unknown island for a long time. The other children gather around when Ralph blew a conch, and elect Ralph as their leader who then has to decide what to do next that would benefit the whole group. Ralph assigns Piggy, who has stayed with Ralph from the beginning, a job where Piggy has to â€Å"go back, Piggy, and take names. We will write a custom essay sample on Freedom Equals Responsibility or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page That’s your job† (Golding 25). Ralph assigned Piggy the responsibility, but hadn’t thought it through carefully that all the kids will run around and will not listen to Piggy. Jack, a former choirmaster and the â€Å"head boy† at his school, made a lot of rules and wants to punish anyone who breaks them, although he consistently breaks the rules himself. Jack just wants to hunt on the island. Ralph has assigned a few Biguns (the older children on the island) to keep the fire going in case a ship that passes by. Jack influences the Biguns to go hunting with him leaving the fire alone. When Ralph finds out â€Å"There was a ship. Out there. You said you’d keep the fire gong and you let it out† (Golding 70). Jack not responsible with the freedom he had, restricted the children to the island and remaining there for a while longer. The children were free, but the lack of responsibility bound them to the island. Another example of example of Sanchez’s quote, abided in Animal Farm by George Orwell, the animals want freedom from their owner. Old Major (a wise pig on the farm) gives a speech about â€Å"the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings† (Orwell 7). Old Major dies and Napoleon and Snowball take charge. Mr. Jones, the owner of the farm, doesn’t give the animals food. When they starved, the animals start a rebellion because they have had enough of Mr. Jones. The animals eventually drove the humans of the farm. Snowball takes control and tells everyone â€Å"to the hayfield! Let us make it a point of honour to get in the harvest more quickly than Jones and his men could do† (Orwell 25). Napoleon wants the freedom, and he took up the responsibility but in the wrong way. He drove Snowball out of the farm because he wants complete control of the farm. The animals have the freedom they want but Napoleon made it look as â€Å"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which† (Orwell 135). The animals had the freedom but Napoleon gave them responsibilities by taking that freedom away. A final example of Sanchez’s quote is a real life experience where a friend of mine had chance to go to university and to live in a dorm away from her life back home. Jasmine’s parents gave her freedom, but she didn’t use that freedom with responsibility. The first semester at university her grades were excellent, but then her grades started to slip. Jasmine started to go out partying and not study for her exams. Jasmine completed the rest of the year at the university, but the second year she had to complete it at college closer to home. Her parents expressed their anger by taking up her phone until she could pay for it by herself. Jasmine took up a job and started to pay for her own phone bill. As Jasmine continued her job she started to achieve the freedom. Jasmine had taken up the responsibility and with that she achieved her freedom. Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand with each other. The more freedom one has, the more responsibility one also has as shown in Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, and a real life experience. Once a person has given freedom, they have been given responsibility. Freedom may lead a person down a dangerous path, but if that person takes up the responsibility they will be fine.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Privatization of Social Security essays

Privatization of Social Security essays Social Security affects almost every American family. Currently, it pays benefits to more than 46 million people, including retired and disabled workers and their families, as well as the survivors of deceased workers. Although, it is believed that number of people receiving benefits is expected to drastically increase up to 68 million by the year 2020. In the State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush has stated that one of Americas most important institutions (social security) is need of reform.# I believe that solving social securitys long term financing problem is more important and complex than simply adding the numbers and structuring designs of future trust funds which President Bush and his administration are proposing. And personally, I do not believe that privatization of social security would be a viable option for solving a problem such as this one. In this short opinionated statement I hope to convince my reader that the reform that Bush administration is proposing is not only risky, but will result in high costs and will not guarantee benefits to future retirees. Over the long term, as the baby boom generation retires, social securitys financing loss presents a major program solvency and sustainability challenge. It is evident that the sooner we take action to solve this problem, it will allow the changes to be introduced so that individuals who are most likely to be affected, mostly younger, students like myself, and future workers, such as every American, will have time to adjust the retirement planning. Either one of the option that we as the Americans in the future choose to take, will result in penalizing those who are currently and in future will be depending on the program. Private accounts, which Bush and his administration believe to give the younger workers a chance to build a nest egg, would not only undermine the meaning of social security as we have kno...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Theater and Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Theater and Cinema - Essay Example Symbolism is pervasive throughout all artistic mediums, and the new(ish) production of Cinema is no exception† (Montano, 2010, par. 1). literary discourses: in short stories, novels, poems and narrative literatures. These symbols aim to enhance scenes within the film by providing viewers with the opportunity to respond and react according to their personal interpretations for these symbols. Definitely, these symbols added to the enjoyment through the aesthetic appeal that have been generated. Symbols create opportunities to entice varied emotions and magnify the appeal that is intended to be created by them. When is a shark just a shark? Consider the movie Jaws. What could the shark symbolize in our culture, society, or collective human mythology other than a man-eating fish? Why? A shark could be considered just a shark when shown in the most objective form (a documentary about sharks or as one of the species of fishes in the body of water) where the intention of the producer or director is to present a film portraying the crucial aspect relating to sharks and how they live, reproduce, eat, evolve, and survive, in general. When shown in the movie like Jaws, the shark could symbolize terror, danger, death. Likewise, it was emphasized that â€Å"the shark serves as a convenient metaphor for sexual and class power† (Biskind, 1975, p. 1). The shark represents imposition of dominance to society through its sheer power and strength to overpower those who are considered week and meek: the minority groups, women, the old, and children, among others. Next, think about a theatrical staging of Jaws. Describe the artistic choices you would make to bring Jaws the movie to Broadway. What genre would you choose? Describe at least three other elements of production and how you would approach them in your staging of Jaws as a stage play or

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Entry Strategies and Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Entry Strategies and Globalization - Essay Example The globalization movement provided companies with the capability to realize business with foreign nations. The promotion of free trade among nations has help business organization penetrate marketplaces around the world. Out of the four major market entry strategies the easiest one to implement is exporting. Companies with little experience dealing with foreign markets start off by implementing indirect exporting. Indirect exporting occurs when a company uses intermediaries to facilitate the export of products. For example a company sells 1000 units to retailer such as Wal-Mart and then Wal-Mart sells its products in stores worldwide. The second type of exporting is direct exporting. Direct exporting can be achieved in several ways. A company can achieve direct exporting by establishing an overseas sales branch or subsidiary, by using traveling export sales representatives, and by establishing a domestic export department or division (Kotler, 2003). Exporting is the less risky of th e market entry strategies because a firm does not have to invest in a lot resources to achieve market penetration. The second major market entry strategy is licensing.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Shariah Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Shariah Law - Essay Example It seemed to me that there were no reasons to allow that to happen and yet it seemed that not only was it being allowed by the one being beaten but by those that were watching the beating. I just didn't understand and to be honest it was beyond anything I could imagine. The real sadness it seemed to me came from the fact that tsunami had so devastated this country and now it seemed the new government would devastate what was left. Stopping violence towards women and children is a worldwide concentration right now. The WHO has put major emphasis on it. This new policy seems to make that violence worse and in a part of the world where the respect for women is already very minor. There is also the fact that this police force appears to have a poor view of women as well as the poor. Not only do they have a poor view of women but of the people in general. To parade women in front of men in that culture is degrading and allows men to take advantage of them as well. Being raised in the United States makes one see many things differently. Americans have no real experience with this kind of problem. We cannot imagine allowing someone to beat us, no less in public. Freedom of religion is one of our basic rights and we take full advantage of that. To have any kind of punishment inflicted in the name of a God would be more than we would ever understand. There is a lot of controversy right now about the possibility that there are some cases when culture is incompatible and this may be one of them. How a culture feels about its religion and whether there is a recognition as to the fact that not everyone believes the same thing can affect all other things in life.. That is not the case in Indonesia and it appears the little bit of freedom they might have had for awhile is now gone. Along with freedom of religion, of course, comes freedom of speech. It appears from the example of the women talking among themselves that this is surely not allowed. There also seems to be very little respect for women at all which though it is still being improved, is somewhat better in many countries. Are there any courts This is a question that has to be ask. Punishing someone instantly which appears to the case regularly allows that a court is not necessary. So, another thing that many of us are used to is "innocent until proved guilty." In the United States, we believe that "all men are created equal." We have not shown that through our history but we are getting there. We also believe that we have a government by the people and for the people so it is difficult to imagine that any government has the right to come along and change the religious rules for the country and begin to punish those that do not follow the rules. We can only guess what they are going through. As health professionals, we have caring beliefs. It causes us great discomfort to see the wounded person both physically or mentally. To see a case of purposeful wounding is really quite difficult. Many American surgeons and nurses went to Indonesia after the tsunami and performed great helping services. This is an issue that needs worldwide help. However, we must also remember that the healthcare

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Emotional Skills In Social Work Practice

Emotional Skills In Social Work Practice Social Work Practice, a powerful modern day skill for social empowerment of the disadvantaged and excluded segments of society, is an occupation of enormous scope and an immensely stressful activity (Burgess Taylor, 2004). Educated and trained in social work theory and practice, these practitioners are required to constantly interact, assess and understand situations, as well engage in various actions aimed at providing appropriate relief and succour to their disadvantaged clients (Burgess Taylor, 2004). This calls for significant knowledge of the tenets of social work practice. However, social workers in the UK function in an increasingly management oriented setting which is more organisational and administrative, with an emphasis on private public participation, accountability and coordination (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 7 to 81). Increasing competition between social work providers, business-oriented standards for performance assessment, mounting work pressures and the need to micro manage and carefully control the distribution of services often lead to personal dilemmas, contradictory emotions and disorientation (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 7 to 81). Significant failures in social work have brought to the fore various challenges facing social workers in processing and comprehending their own emotions and actions, as well as those of others (Perez-Koenig Rock, 2001, P 25 to110). Modern day behavioural experts and psychologists feel that much of the reasons behind such failures lie in the inadequacies of traditionally followed training approaches, which deal primarily with the inculcation of practical and theoretical competencies and ignore broader and more holistic emotional issues (Perez-Koenig Rock, 2001, P 25 to110). Adequate attention to emotional issues in the training and development of social workers is felt to be critically important for (a) aligning the emotional dimensions of social work, which, while essential, is rendered invisible, with the natural caring roles of social workers (b) providing supportive agendas for individual and professional development (c) providing processes to define the emotional constituent of social work practice that is obliterated by the increase of managerial practices in the area, (d) tackling the disruptive power of emotions on thought, (e) creating an effective balance between rational and emotional reactions for making of sensible and wise decisions, and (f) bridging cultural differences (Turner, 2005). Whilst the origins of Emotional Intelligence (EI) can be traced back to the works of Darwin, its modern day emergence, as a serious and relevant issue for study and application in various areas of work that involve people, arose first with the work of Robert Maslow in 1960, followed by those of John Mayer and Peter Salovey in 1989. Peter Salovey described EI as the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions (Nelson Others, 2007, P 30). The concept of EI received a boost with the work of the psychologist Daniel Goleman, who popularised it, first with his 1995 book Emotional intelligence: why it can matter more than IQ and thereafter through constant research and work on the subject (Nelson Others, 2007, P 30). Goleman has developed a number of EI competencies in two specific areas of EI, personal competence and social competence, and has encouraged the inclusion of EI in the education and training module of social work (Nelson Others, 2007, P 30). This essay deals with the various ramifications of EI in social work and its use and application for fresh entrants, educated and trained in the area, principally in three specific disciplines; counselling, conflict management and social work practice, 2. EI in Counselling New entrants in the area of social work counselling will be required to help people of various ages from different segments of society to confront and overcome a diverse range of problems and challenges (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Counsellors aim to provide people with the guidance and support they require to alter their lives and move forward in a constructive manner. Social work counselling can loosely be segregated into (a) counselling and therapy (assisting clients with different emotional problems) (b) providing advice and information in areas related to jobs, employment choices, welfare, rights, debt, etc. (c) social and community care, (helping with providing of support to families, young and old people, and those without homes or with disabilities) and (d) charities and other voluntary organisations (providing support to workers to collect funds and organise volunteers in order to continue their operations (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Recent years have seen an increasing conflict between the managerial and administrative functions of social workers and their requirement to meet individuals at the time of their need, give them respect, battle disadvantages and unfairness, construct relationships that resolve problems, and support wellbeing (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). People in need of counselling have time and again requested to be treated with dignity and respect, to be patiently listened to and helped (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Effective counselling requires social workers to listen carefully, react effectively and build relationships with service users, colleagues and others (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Golemans four core competencies, namely self awareness, self management, social awareness, and relationship management can be of immense help to new counsellors by enabling them to understand personal emotions and their effect on other people, as well as by developing the ability to control strong emotions that can upset service users (Druskat Others, 2006, P 72 to 145). Inculcation of social awareness enables new counsellors to recognise the emotional condition of their clients, bridge cultural and social distances and understand the challenges and difficulties experienced by service users (Druskat Others, 2006, P 72 to 145). Relationship management on the other hand equips counsellors to converse with service users, persuades them to listen to and understand the suggestions of the counsellor, and build strong bonds (Druskat Others, 2006, P 72 to 145). The principles of client centred therapy, popularised by Carl Rogers, require counsellors to refrain from unsettling clients with queries, evaluations, judgments, and explanations, but to focus upon providing secure, non-judgemental and caring environments, where the service users can control counselling sessions, decide what is discussed, and find their individual solutions to existing problems without requiring the counsellors to fix the course of therapy (Mulhauser, G, (2009, P 1). Carl Rogers based his framework on the belief that individuals become progressively more truthful and dependable once they realise that their subjective understanding is appreciated and accepted. Rogers core conditions, better known as CUE, consist of Congruence, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Empathy (Mulhauser, G, (2009, P 1). These three conditions are of extreme importance in client-centred counselling and new counsellors need to inculcate a deep understanding of them in order to provide requisite conditions for clients who have a strong desire to explore their feelings and who treasure personal responsibility. Such an approach may however be unsuitable for clients who wish to be provided with extensive advice, diagnosis of problems and analysis of their problems (Mulhauser, G, (2009, P 1). Clients who would like to address specific psychological habits or patterns of thinking may find some variation in the helpfulness of the person-centred approach, as the individual therapeutic styles of person-centred counsellors vary widely, and some will feel more able than others to engage directly with these types of concerns. (Mulhauser, 2009, P 1) Whilst newly inducted counsellors need to be careful about the requirement of their clients, the use of emotional skills is often necessary and needs to be fully inculcated by counsellors. 3. EI in Conflict Management Social workers, especially those taking up positions in social work organisations, understand that their work will often deal with conflict and that too in various roles, as advocates, negotiators and mediators (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Social work education comprises of a wide range of perspectives, (like environmental, radical and feminist), which in turn are based upon dissimilar premises regarding human relationships (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Social work practice requires different approaches from different perspectives in case of intervention for resolution or management of situations of conflict (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Examples of such situations (in terms of the above perspectives) could include interface between individuals and their social environments, confronting patriarchy, or challenging discrimination and oppression against a wide range of groups, including women, lesbians, gays and ethnic minorities (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Conflict resolution training for social workers provides numerous principles for successful conflict resolution, like (a) the need for different responses for different conflicts, (b) the availability of different responses like avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise or collaboration for bringing about solutions, (c) the need of people to feel secure from physical or emotional hazards, (d) the availability of various skills for conflict resolution skills like refraining, active listening, and identification of underlying interests, and (e) the need to balance emotions with rationality (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Social workers are undoubtedly aware of the lack of emotional intelligence being the main cause of conflict (Lenaghan Others, 2006, P 76+). Researchers in EI also argue that a lack of emotional intelligence is one of the leading causes of conflict in our society (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Contemporary training tools make significant use of Goldmans principles on EI, particularly self-confidence, emotional self-control, transparency, empathy, motivation and relationship management (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Golemans work makes a valuable contribution to conflict management theory and training, and a compelling case for the importance of emotion in what we believe to be rational decision-making processes (Bjerknes HYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bioHYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bio Paranica, 2002, P1). Golemans theories constructively help social workers understand the important role of emotion in life and the reliance placed upon emotional input for making decisions and prioritisation of information. This greatly helps in minimising conflict in personal and working life (Bjerknes HYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bioHYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bio Paranica, 2002, P1). Solid training that focuses on developing awareness about our strengths and weaknesses as mediators, facilitators and trainers is crucial to our development as culturally competent process workers, and is crucial in our pursuit to help clients achieve their potential. Openness to learning and reflecting about our role, about who we are, and about how we affect others is essential and will lead us down the path to success in life. (Bjerknes HYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bioHYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bio Paranica, 2002, P1) 4. EI in Social Work Practice Social Work practitioners are required to interact with service users, social workers and other participants of the social care system like medical practitioners, teachers and members of local authorities (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). With the interaction between social workers and service users being the focal point of social work practice, the relationship between social worker and service user involves perception on the part of the practitioner, appreciation of the emotions of the client and usage of perceptions to handle situations and achieve efficiency in delivery of social care (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Such work demands a high degree of emotional intelligence (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Social work in the present context does not extend only to the assessment and fulfilment of perceived social needs (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172), but also to the realisation of and respect for the service users goals, choices, and preferences and the use of interdisciplinary resources available with the social worker to meet their emotional, social, physical and economic needs. Social workers need to engage in active introspection of events, try to obtain a clear psychological understanding of the challenges and needs of service users and inculcate genuine concern for the economically and socially disadvantaged and excluded (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Whilst such perceptions cannot be generalised because of the different needs of different people, the inculcation of empathy and service orientation facilitates the development of necessary perspectives and perceptions (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Social workers entering practice should recognise that they need to confront their own emotions as well as those of their service users, especially so in cases where the issues are extremely challenging and difficult to resolve. Goleman identifies five EQ domains as (a) knowledge of own, (b) management of own emotions, (c) motivating oneself, (d) recognising and understanding emotions of other people, and (e) management of relationships, i.e. the management of emotions of other people (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). Experts also agree that EI, along with reflective ability enables social workers to increase their resilience to stress (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). Self awareness and self management competencies help social workers to progressively develop self confidence, transparency, and optimism (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). Social awareness and relationship management on the other hand allow them to engage positively with their clients as well as with other participants in the social care structure (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). It is unfortunate that current research reports still underline the need for social workers to have more empathy for their clients. They found that being listened to and understood was crucial for the carers. Staff who took time to ask questions and hear complex and long stories of how the family were coping was seen as the most helpful. These findings confirm previous ones and it is of great concern that people using services are still identifying that only some social workers are proficient in such crucial and basic skills. (Sedan, 2005, P 7) It is being constantly proved that the difference between the better social workers and the others can be narrowed down to skills like listening, non-critical acceptance, avoidance of moralistic or judgemental attitudes and other competencies directly related to EI. New social workers need to heed such findings and focus strongly on improving their EI and E skills. 5. Conclusions The principles of EI, when they were first elaborated by Mayor and Salovey raised significant interest in a world that was becoming increasingly competitive and insensitive; the possibility of people being able to adopt techniques and behaviours to work with greater cooperation, harmony and productivity was welcomed with enthusiasm. The path breaking work on the subject by Goleman in following years and the adoption of the tenets of EI in various areas of human endeavour, more noticeably in social work and in the HR functions of business firms, have resulted in its increasing popularity and application. As is evident, EI can be applied in numerous areas by social work practitioners; it is an extremely useful skill and can be used productively in counselling, conflict management and various other areas of social work practice. Whilst interest in the area of human needs and actualisation has increased since the publication of Maslows theories, the evolution of specific theory on the issue has added a new dimension to the area by developing methods for people to increase their E skills and improve the quality and productivity of their working and personal lives. Recent entrants to social work however need to realise that E skills and EI can increase only with constant inculcation and application of its principles and bare knowledge of theoretical tenets will not suffice in improving their EI competencies. With the tools and methods of improving EI still in the primary stages development, much more needs to be done to popularise the issue and encourage its application in various areas of social work. The Boston EI questionnaire provides a good method of assessing personal EI, which is in consonance with the Five Step Method for improvement of emotional quotient (Druskat Others, 2006, P 225). Younger social workers would be well advised to sincerely take the test and constantly improve their EI.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Comparing Mitch Alboms Tuesdays with Morrie and Leo Tolstoys The Deat

Love and Death in Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie and Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilych One story is distinctively American in its optimism and characteristic of the 1990's in its tone; the other shows the unmistakable disposition of nineteenth century Russia. The more recent book follows the actual life of a sociology professor at Brandeis University while the other explores a product of Leo Tolstoy's imagination. Tuesdays with Morrie and "The Death of Ivan Ilych" portray two characters who sit on opposite ends of the literary spectrum but who share the dark bond of terminal illness and advance knowledge of their deaths. One views the knowledge as a blessing and as an opportunity to make his final good-byes, the other writhes in pain and begs for an end to his vicious sentence of suffering. In the face of identical fates these two men show stark contrasts, all for the simple reason that only one of them found a way to love.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Though illness stripped both Morrie Schwartz and Ivan Ilych of their hope for survival, their dissimilar lifestyles led each to a much different end. Morrie found himself in an overflow of compassion while surrounded by family, friends and colleagues. Ivan, on the other hand, found only the obligatory company of his wife and the painful awareness that no one really cared. Both characters ended their lives the way they lived them, as Ivan acknowledges: "In them he saw himself" (Ivn, 149). While Morrie poured himself into every moment of life and every relationship he pursued, Ivan skirted the dangers of emotion to live "easily, pleasantly, and decorously" (Ivn, 115). In the spirit of such an opposition, the two stories become somewhat like responses to each other. Morrie Schwatrz, proclaimed... ... such books?   Ã‚  Ã‚   All things considered, the answer is a confident "Yes." No law of literary comparison mandates that the works in question hold the same level of scholarly repute. These two stories focus on death, the great equalizer, one of the most terrifying facts of human existence and one that we will all someday face. Though the paths vary, both characters meet the same epiphany in the end. Morrie savors most of his life with an understanding of "the secret" while Ivan receives it only hours before dying. What really matters, however, is that they both find it. Works Cited Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson. New York: Doubleday, 1997. Tolstoy, Leo. "The Death of Ivan Ilych" and Other Stories. Afterword by David Magarshack. Trans. J. D. Duff and Aylmer Maude. New York: NAL/Signet Classic, 1990.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Frankenstein †Golden Mean Archetype Essay

Throughout the last few chapters we have been reading, the perspective of our monster has shifted tremendously. At first, we viewed the creature as frightening and menacing. As the story continues, we base our view on the monster due to Victor’s aggressive behavior towards the creature, making us pity the poor monster as he has done nothing wrong; he is just lost in a new world, possibly experiencing culture shock. Now the creature is venturing out into the world, interacting with people other than Victor. â€Å"†¦for I never ventured abroad during daylight, fearful of meeting with the same treatment I had formerly endured in the first village which I entered† (106). After the monster encounters humans, people give the same reaction: fear. The monster comes baring no harm, but in fright, the citizens of the village run from him, scared of what might happen to them. This starts his increasing grudge against the humans. First, Victor rejects his appearance, oblivious to the being on the inside, now, complete strangers are neglecting him. His temper in steadily growing. â€Å"Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base?† (107). After learning more history from his protectors, the creature is now questioning the characteristic change in man over the course of time. Back then, a creature of his nature might have been accepted, but now he is feared for his sole appearance. These events capture the imbalance in the golden mean because now the monster, once emotionally stable with his existence, is getting too angry and furious with the human race. The monster is now resembling Victor. Although he might not notice it, the monster is showing a strong connection between him and his creator through his actions. Both are seeking revenge and acting out through their anger. Now that the monster has built up the courage to confront the old blind man, by the name of De Lacy, he waits until Felix, Agatha, and Safie have left. He does not want to frighten them. Unfortunately, as he tries to speak with De Lacy, Felix and the others return. Upon Agatha fainting, and Safie running out of fear, â€Å"Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore me from this father, whose knees I cung; in a transport of fry, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick† (123-124). The creature viewed the family and his own: his protectors. If they acted that way towards him, surely everyone else would too. Now, the monster’s revenge only increased. Soon enough, the creature is going to snap and lose control of his emotions. There is still some decency inside of the monster though. After witnessing an innocent girl downing, he saves her, despite his arising hate for humans. As a man comes and thinks that the monster is harming the girl, he shoots the creature, who had only tried to help. â€Å"The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind† (130). The spark inside of the monster triggers and rage flows through his body. Anger and revenge seep in and he now despises all human beings. The creature has terminated all tolerance for human beings, due to the everlasting hate he obtains from creatures so very similar to him. The golden mean has been violated extensively through the mistreatment of this poor creature. He has been nothing but joyous towards mankind, but in return he receives hate and pain, literally. The monster has no more patience or hope for the overturning emotions from humans. This eventually develops the motive for William’s murder, confessing to Victor the deviant act of not only the murder, but also of framing Justine.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Becoming A Teacher Essay

Watching these videos, I learned that teachers don’t always have it easy and it’s not always what it looks like, I know that it take a long time for the students to get comfortable with a new teacher and the teacher has to adjust to the new setting of the classroom. It takes a great deal of time so teachers can get their classroom to the way they want it. In the first video â€Å"classroom Management Strategy to Settle Noisy, Rowdy Students at the Door† I learned that the teacher should not yell or shout at the students to get their attention because the student will not respect the teacher or have respect for the class and the other teachers around will see that the teacher does not have control over the classroom and that would make the teacher look bad. But on the other hand when the students are outside of the classroom that’s where the teacher should start to take control or when the classroom management starts and show that they are the authoritive leader in charge. Teacher has to settle the students down gradually, use non-confrontational statements, such as thanking students for doing the right thing, hoping that the others will follow along, use informal chit chat, or getting comfortable with talking to the students, getting down to the students level. In the second video â€Å"How to Get Students Sat Down and Ready to Work†, teachers need to give students a clear instruction on what needs to be done so there is no room for misunderstanding. Second, let the first group from, to the front of the line and reinforcing actions that needs to be taking. Third, teachers need to repeat the clear instruction that was given. And the final step is to give attention and additional support to what direction was given. In the third video, â€Å"Take control of a noisy class†, teachers need skills to deal will students, making sure that the teachers has the students attention and keeping it. Establishing a calm atmosphere, and staying positive. In the final video which is â€Å"Five Classroom Management Strategies to Get Student Attention†, there was five ways of getting the students attention that was stated. Those five strategies if attention getting included a noise maker, routine, visual reminder, the unexpected, and a countdown. Using a noise maker is loud and it gets their attention without having to shout. A routine is very affective and training the students to learn. A visual reminder is a rather simple attention getting, using traffic light colors (green, yellow, and red). The unexpected is a guaranteed attention getter such as using music or pictures and gives students the perfect way to get attention. The last one is countdown which is the most common attention getter.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Research Task 3 Essays

Research Task 3 Essays Research Task 3 Essay Research Task 3 Essay Research Task 3 Name: Institution: Research Task 3 With the Race to the Top Initiative (RT3), Georgia has currently adopted the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES) for teacher evaluation. TKES is an evaluation system widely used for evaluating the effectiveness of teachers, which allows Georgia to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers across its districts on common grounds. This further allows comparability as well as consistency of teacher performance evaluation across the districts. The system has three components that include, â€Å"Teacher Assessment on Performance Standards (TAPS), Surveys of Instructional Practice, and Student Growth and Academic Achievement,† (Barge,2012). All the components are used collectively to achieve an overall measurement for teacher effectiveness. The purpose of using this system includes performance evaluation, hiring, pre-tenured retention, granting tenure, terminating teachers and promoting amongst others. Georgia is using TKES for evaluating the effectiveness of teachers in order to e nsure the best quality education (Georgia Department of Education, 2012). The process involves the use of the three components to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers. The first component is Teachers Assessment Performance Standards. This component provides a qualitative method of evaluation that uses rubrics to assess performance of the teacher according to laid performance standards. It uses performance appraisal rubrics that rate the performance of each teacher. The rubrics define the expectations and purposes of teachers, providing an effective instructional practice (Barge, 2012). The goal of this component is ensuring continuous development and growth of teachers through monitoring, analyzing as well as applying relevant data compiled through feedback. The other component is Student Growth and Academic Achievement consisting of a student value-added measurement. It makes use of student learning objectives and achievement growth measures identified by the district. The student learning objectives are determined at each district using the SMART criteria for setting objectives with specific content and measurable grading levels. Achievement of these objectives indicates the success of a teacher, hence exceptional performance. The teachers are further required to implement strategies aimed at achieving these objectives as well as monitoring student progress towards achievement of the set objectives (Georgia Department of Education, 2012). After assessment before the start and towards the end of a term, the teachers are required to submit Student Learning Objective Forms that are completed to the evaluators. From rubrics provided in the previous component, the teachers will be graded as either exemplary, proficient, needs development an d ineffective. The final component is the Surveys of Instructional Practice that requires students to report on items experienced directly. The questions used in these surveys will consist of questions addressing four performance standards of teacher within the TAPS component. These levels include instructional strategies, challenging academic environments and a positive learning environment. The students will respond to the questions on teacher performance from their experiences within the classroom. The surveys will make use of certified specialists to conduct the surveys that will then be graded to assess the effectiveness of each teacher. As aforementioned, evaluation of teachers or the TKES in Georgia has many purposes including termination of ineffective teachers (Barge, 2012). The main purpose of an evaluation is determining the effective and ineffective teachers. Those that are ineffective in every possible way would add no value to the students considering that student achievement is heavily dependent on the teacher’s competence. Using the TKES, the termination of a teacher will follow the usual legal and due process. However, the TKES will be used to determine teachers who are incompetent and ineffective. Upon their recognition and lack of improvement, the evaluators and other members involved are supposed to sermon the teacher for a hearing considering there are legal rights involved when it comes to termination including notice. Therefore, evaluation of a teacher using the TKES can as well act as a process of identifying teachers who can be terminated due to their incompetence. Georgia has adopted this method of evaluation in order to ensure improvement of student achievement. Each component of the TKES seeks to measure the effectiveness of a teacher. It is a known fact that teacher effectiveness is extremely crucial for student achievement. Improving school performance as well as making education reforms not only requires better facilities and curriculums, but also effective teachers to implement it (Barge, 2012). Therefore, Georgia is using the TKES to differentiate between effective and ineffective teachers with the aim of improving higher academic achievement levels in its students. References Barge, J. D. (2012). The Teacher Keys Effectiveness System. Georgia Department of Education Teacher Keys Effectiveness System Fact Sheets. Georgia Department of Education. (2012). Teacher and Leader Effectiveness. Retrieved from doe.k12.ga.us/School-Improvement/Teacher-and-Leader-Effectiveness/Pages/default.aspx

Monday, November 4, 2019

Apple Incorporated and the Power of Its Brands Essay

Apple Incorporated and the Power of Its Brands - Essay Example Its goal is to substantially address the needs of its customers, but not until when it discovered the advantage of creating a need for its product and service offerings. The modern marketing emphasises that marketers are good at creating needs for their offerings (Boone and Kurtz, 2006; Kotler et al., 1999). In fact, Apple is very good at creating needs for its product and service offerings, the very basic foundation of how it tries to achieve its competitive advantage. However, as it continues to grow, Apple Incorporated has become highly recognized with its brands, which brings it at the top of the competition. Porter’s theory of competitive advantage applies to Apple Incorporated and its brands. The power of its brands is very important component of differentiation strategy (Porter, 1998). People simply associate the Apple brand with standard quality, reliability, and many other intrinsic values. This is due to the fact that brands simply emphasise attributes and meanings ( Belch and Belch, 1998). In a highly capitalist world, brands have important value that could be maximised for profit making (Arvidson, 2006). Branding is a specific marketing strategy and as a way to enhance profitability, productivity and efficiency (Moor, 2007). Moor added that branding seeks to develop political message, corporate image, people, and behaviours. It is in these reasons Apple wanted to invest more in reconstructing, refining and enhancing its brands prior to becoming a cut above the other in its industry. As widely observed, the media have always been the integral parts of Apple’s success in achieving a powerful brand in the world. As a result, Apple has become an iconic brand because it came to a point of becoming a cultural icon with corresponding identity value (Holt, 2004). There are many strategies in doing this and they are integral parts of cultural branding principles. In this paper, the proponent tries to incorporate in the analysis how Apple Incorpo rated was able to successfully achieve or create the power of its brands using the media as integral parts of communication, a specific strategy in cultural branding principles (Holt, 2004). The discussion in particular includes media, brand development, and the concept of gratification of needs based on psychological perspective. Media and brand development Media are anything with spaces that have the capacity to allow marketing to take place in them (Moor, 2007). Space is very important for Moor as a specific site to develop relationships between brands and customers. She added that it is a communicative medium or opportunity for marketing to take place. Ads are specific forms of communications placed within a communicative medium (Cook, 2001). For many years, Apple Incorporated is using the media in order to promote its brands. Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and iTunes are the most important brands that are established by Apple with the aid of the media. In 2006, Apple’s ad budge t is $338 million, $467 million in 2007, and $486 million in 2008 (Blakely, 2008; DeWitt, 2009). In 2009, Apple spent $501 million for Ad expense (DeWitt, 2009). There seems to be an increase in the budget allocated by Apple for its ads, but it is actually decreasing based on percentage of revenue; 5 percent in 2001 and 1.17 percent in 2009 (DeWitt, 2009). This means that the higher the revenue of Apple has become, the lesser it allocated budget for its promotional activities. This

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Organisational Behaviour (Motivation in the Modern Business World) Coursework

Organisational Behaviour (Motivation in the Modern Business World) - Coursework Example Organisational contribution to employee motivation 14 4.1 Role of Organisational culture 14 4.2 Role of organisational systems 14 4.3 Role of leadership 16 5 Current issues and recommendations: 18 6 Conclusions 19 References Appendices Abstract This report explores the role of motivation on organizational behaviour. This is accomplished by understanding the concept of motivation and its implications on organization. A brief understanding of the two types, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation has been obtained. Different motivational theories categorized under content and process theories have been explored. Implications of motivational theories on various management aspects such as employee performance, employee commitment, and organisational performance have been explored by applying content and process theories through specific case studies obtained from the literature. Further, role of organizational aspects such as organizational culture, systems and leadership on employee motivati on have been studied. ... roup dynamics that constantly interact with each other and consequently result in specific outcomes that can have positive and/or negative impact on the individuals as well as organisations. Considering this, workplace motivation has been extensively studied in the present context beginning with its definition and including types and theories of motivation. This report outlines various theories of motivation and their implications on employees. In the process, impact of motivation on individual performance, organisational performance, and employee commitment has been reviewed by applying few case study examples. Further, role of organisational systems, culture, and leadership have been critically assessed in creating workplace motivation for employees. 2. Motivation in organisational behaviour and its definition Organisational behavior considers people’s behavior in the organisation, circumstances that create specific behavior, impact of people’s behavior on organisatio n, groups, and individuals. Organisations are major part of sociological entities that shape the societies, economies and relationships between different companies, and countries. The extent of such impact is dependent upon their performance, which is determined by their systems, processes, technology, and most importantly employee motivation. Wilson and Rosenfeld (1990) explain that motivation is one of the earliest concerns of organisational behaviour and links between a motivated workforce and increased performance led managers to strive toward ‘motivating’ their workforces in an attempt to reduce alienation. Therefore, employee motivation is regarded as one of the key elements of organisational behavior. Motivation is defined as the process of arousing and sustaining goal-directed behavior

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Fedex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fedex - Essay Example FedEx has market competitors who provide similar services. These include TNT, DHL and United Parcel Services as the main competitors. However, FedEx has a substantial market share despite the stiff competitiveness. FedEx has diversified to provision of printing services, which mainly targets organizations that have bulk of work that requires to be printed. In addition, the company targets professionals and organizations in producing their documents, providing information technology services and doing any other work within the organizational mandate. One of the largest markets of FedEx is found in the supply chain. Companies and organizations that supply goods are a target market for FedEx since they constantly transport goods from one place to another, both locally and internationally. In the supply chain FedEx provides an array of services including transportation, keeping inventory of goods, and transportation management. From a broad perspective, the market for FedEx is very broad. Individuals, small businesses, professionals, large corporations, governments, and other organizations provide market for FedEx. However, the largest market is taken up by the individuals and organizations in the supply

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Naval academy Essay topic Essay Example for Free

Naval academy Essay topic Essay With? my? career? and? academic? goals? coming? to? a? nearing? sight.? I? am? honored? to? write? about? why? I? want? to? take? the? steps? into? attending? a? military? academy? ? From? first? learning? about? the? military? academies? through? a? close? friend? that? moved? from? florida? to? vandenberg? air? force? base? and? later? became? friends? through? lompoc? high? school.? I? realized? that? key? terms? such? as? leadership,? academics,? and? diversity all? things? that? the? academies? are? looking? for? in? students,? apply? to? me. ? From? a? young? age? my? teachers? have?  always? characterised? me? as? a? leader.? The? most? memorizable? quote? I? can? remember? during? a? parent? teacher? conference? with? my? 6th? grade? teacher? is? her? sasying? how? amazed? she? is? that? I? could? mingle? with? many? different? groups? with? many? interest? and? still? maintain? a? high? academic? academic? statue.? This? has? been? true all? through? high? school? with? being? part? of? many? sports? teams? such? as? basketball,? baseball,? wrestling,? and? the? captain? of? the? football? team. socially? I? have? been? part? of? chess? tournaments? with? the? chess?club,? treasure? of? my? class,? nominated? for? student? of? the? quarter,? admitted? into? youth? leadership? of? lompoc? valley,? youth? cfo? of? colas? kids? non? profit? organization,? and? the? list? goes? on.? ? ? Many? ask? why? a? military? academy,? why? not? a? college? or? university? not? related? to? the? military.? One? of? my? reasons? definitely? not? my? biggest? is? financially? I? wouldnt? be? able? to? pay? for? college.? Living? with? my? mother,? living? with? my? grandparents,? living? with? the? my? dad? in? government? housing,? living? alone,? and? currently? living? in?section? 8? housing? with? father? and? step? mother.? Financially? college? is? a? goal? achievable? through? academics? and? diversity? ,? but? will? always? have? the? restrain? financially? to? pay? for? tuition.? ? Being? admitted? and? attending? an? academy? will? not? only? help? me? along? with? my? family? financially? but? u? will? have? a? chance? to? serve? my? country? with? the? utmost? gratitude.? My? parents? have? never? pushed? me? to? apply? at? a? military? academy,? the? goal? of? admission? has? solely? been? through? self? motivation.? With? my? career? goals? being? in?the? field? of? engineering? (mechanical? in? preference)? I? have? researched? the? naval? academy? and? earning bachelors? in? science? at? the? academy? would? kick? start? my? future? with? opportunities? that? other? universities? cant? offer.? Knowing? that? you? must? complete? a? term? in? the? military? after? the? academy? has? no? change? to? my? decision.? From? meeting? first? srgt.? Eric? simon? on? the? Air? Force? base,? he? has? became? an? inspiration? to? become? a? man? of? respect.? I? first? met? him? through? my? best? friend,? srgt.? Simon? being? his? father.? When? I? first? met? him? my? first? impression? was? this? man? is? someone? to? respect? and? honor? with? gratitude? for? protecting? and? serving? our? country.? I? later? learned? through? experience? that? srgt.? Simon? is? a? great? father? and? man? all? around.? Coming? from? an? unhealthy? family? in? Maryland? I? have? been? able? to? relate? and? look? up? to? him? as? a? father? figure.? The? experience? of? meeting? srgt.? Simon? has? made? me? more? than? ready? to? serve? in? the? armed? services.? I? want? to? show? my? four? younger? brothers? that? If? I? can? do? it? they? can? do?it? ,? while? establishing? a? role? model? position? for? them.? ? Being? admitted? to? the? naval? academy? or? another? military? academy? has? been? my? goal? from? the? beginning? of? high? school.? Aiming? everything? I? do.? And? pushing? myself? to? be? a? stand? out? candidate.? I? am? more? than? willing? to? serve? my? term? of? service? with? the? utmost? gratitude? and? respect? for? my? country.? The? reason? I? feel? that? i? standout? among? the? other? candidates? is? how? diverse? I? am? in? all? the? aspects? the? academies? are? looking? for.? Being? a? leader? in? sports?activities,? through? team? voting? I? became? the? football? captain,? having? four? little? brothers? I? lead? them? everyday? as? a? role? model.? Academically? I? strive? in? the? classroom? ,? recieving? scholar? awards? throughout? high? school? ,? and? achieving? top? 20? percent? of? my? class.? through? the? community? of? school? ,? being? involved? in? many? groups? and? organizations.? Also? outside? of? school? in? my? community? of? Santa? Barbara? county? through? community? service? and? helping? organizations? such? as? the? American? G. I.? Forum? along? with? many? others.?

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Network Troubleshooting Symptoms And Solutions

Network Troubleshooting Symptoms And Solutions Data transfer from one point to another is the most important aspect of computers. Networks should be safe, reliable and secure for data movement. Any problem which occurs with computer networks causes havoc. Understanding networks, the way they work, and how they are built helps a network administrator to identify and fix the problems. 11.2 Procedure to troubleshoot network problems A simple formula that enables network administrators solve any kind of network problem is: Identify the symptoms. Identify the affected area. Determine what has changed Select the most probable cause Implement a solution Test the result Recognise the potential effects of the solution Document the solution 11,2,1 Identify Symptoms Indicators are either physical or logical symptoms that help determine the nature of the problem, the reach of the problem, etc. These symptoms enable a network administrator to take timely preventive measures to solve the problem before it grows beyond control. System or operator problems System errors arise from a computer, network device or a process that is not related to a users direct interaction with the system or network. Such errors can occur due to hardware failure, faults in the process of data transfer or manipulation. Operator errors are a direct consequence of a users action. The actions that can cause such errors may be incorrect log in, wrong connections to a server, misidentification of servers or network devices, incomplete network connections, etc. Mistakes on part of the network administrator that are common causes of operator errors are misconfiguration of devices, programs or services. Link lights When a networking device detects a network connection a green or amber Light-Emitting Diode (LED) is turned ON. This is the link light that shines when in the ON state. Components of a network are designed with link lights to show the state of the network connection. When a physical network connection is present a link light remains on and another light is present that displays the current activity of the network card and blinks, pluses, during data transfer.. Link lights are designed to not light up in case of an incorrect network cable connection. By examining the link light of a device, a user can determine if a network connection is running or not. Collision lights Lights that indicate whether a certain connection is facing problems due to packets colliding with one another is a collision light. The collision light (activity light) is green while sending and receiving data and is yellow or orange when a collision error is detected. The packet being received or sent is lost when a collision occurs. Faulty cables or hubs can result in packets being generated from other packets or electrical interfaces which when in large magnitude are called chatter. These network chatters can end up halting an entire network because of data packet collision. Network administrators and users should monitor these lights to detect network chatter and avoid it. Power lights A power light indicates if there is power supply to the networking device or not. In case there is no power supply the power light is off. The power supply cables or wall connectors should be checked for proper connections while troubleshooting a network problem. Error displays A device failure or malfunction is indicated by an error display. A visual error dialogue box on the computer or an LED error display on the network device is the form of an error display. These displays also describe the problem that is detected. Typically, an error display relates to an error code that should be referred by the user to identify the cause and a suitable solution. Every physical or logical problem has a unique solution provided by its manufacturer which can be found in its documentation. Error logs and displays A list of the errors encountered on a network device is the error log. The time of the error occurrence, the nature of the error and a suitable solution is what constitutes an error log. The information found in an error log is not sufficient to solve a problem and requires the support of the related documentation to resolve the problem. Error logs are important sources of information that includes the time of the error, probable cause and other processes affected by the error. An error display gives a visual alert of a problem and logs it in the error log. Not all error displays require immediate attention but a few are warnings that do not indicate an existing error but need attention. An Event Viewer is an error logging mechanism which is typical to Windows-based OS such as Windows clients and servers. Event viewer is a critical tool in diagnosing and resolving a problem. Red-X error entries that have occurred are recorded in an event viewer. This is an application that reads the binary log files stored at system32config folder. To view the error logs, the network administrator requires to view the config folder because the event viewer collects information from the files located in that folder. Error logs are of three types which should be monitored by the network administrator regularly and they are as follows:. System log Error messages that are related to device driver failure, service start failure and general information about OS events are recorded in the system log. Security log When auditing has been enabled all security related events are recorded in a security log. Application log Events that are generated by application running on top of the OS are recorded in an application log. Identify network problems Troubleshooting a network is one of the key concept in networking. Identifying network problems and determining methods of troubleshooting these problems is vitally important for smooth functioning of a network. The job of highlighting the problem is usually done by the network user. This should not be the basis on which an administrator should attack a problem. It is advisable to experience the problem in person along with the user who reported it. This helps the network administrator confirm if the problem is real or just an error. There are certain users whose knowledge about computers and networks is not vast. With such users when a problem is reported, a first-hand inspection and confirmation are necessary. The best approach to solving a problem is by determining its scope. The reason why an understanding of the nature of the problem is essential is that it determines the line of attack. Gathering information helps the network administrator to narrow down to the root of the problem. This approach avoids a network administrator spending unnecessary time on unnecessary jobs. After the network administrator is able to pinpoint the cause of the problem, then finding a solution is possible. A network administrator must first gather information to find out if the problem is with a single computer or with the entire network. In case the problem is local, then the entire network is not burdened and a solution can be found easily. The first logical step that is to be taken is to check all cable connections to and from the system. It is not advisable to look into bigger issues or target larger sources when the cause might be very simple. The reason why a system is not able to connect to other systems may be that the network cable is not plugged in properly into the system. When the cable is connected properly, the network connection is up and running. For example, if two systems in a network are not able to communicate with each other then the network administrator can perform simple checks like verifying the connections between the systems or connections to the network A network administrator should check if a problem is consistent and replicable. If the problem reported unique to a system or can it be replicated in other systems in the network. If the same problem is reported from another system also, then the problem is consistent and replicable. The degree of damage is high in such a case since many systems are affected. If the problem is identified to be with the network, then the network administrator must reach to the cause of the problem step-by-step. A large computer network requires a lot of effort from the network administrators and users for it to run smoothly. Adding to the huge task of maintenance is the job of fixing a problem. It becomes difficult to identify the actual problem for there are numerous workgroups and workstations. It is advisable to approach large network problems with the trial and error method. The administrator should first check the local system from where a problem has been reported. A thorough check of its cable connections, network links, power supplies and so on should be done. If the problem is not with a local system then other systems in the vicinity should be checked. The routers to and from the system should be verified for proper functioning. The various connections should be verified. One of the best methods to check and fix network problems is to try connecting to other systems and parts of the network by pinging to them. 11.2.2 Identify the affected area. After the cause of the problem is identified it is simple logic to isolate the affected area. This step helps an administrator narrow down to the core of the problem. With many issues to be handled at a time; administrators must prioritise the problems. Issues which affect work to a large extent should be fixed first and the rest should follow sequentially. By doing this the downtime can be reduced and the system can be fixed faster. Same line, different computer While trying to solve a problem it is important to isolate the affected system. A simple method of testing if the problem is replicable is by replacing the original workstation with another system which is known to have no problems. By confirming if the problem is with the local system or beyond it, the network administrator eliminates one factor of the problem. An easy way of isolating the system is by replacing it with another system. This step determines if a problem is computer specific or not. Same computer, different line When a user reports of a problem, another method by which the administrator can reach the cause of the problem is by changing the network cables for the system. By doing this, the possibility of a network error can be identified or nullified. In case the system works properly with a new connection, then it is for sure that the problem is with the original network and not the computer. Swapping components In a network, hubs, cables, terminators can be swapped with other systems to check for replication or consistency of a problem. This helps in case there is a faulty component and the work of the original system user is not disturbed since a spare is in place. This step helps determine the scope of the problem and address it appropriately. Prioritising work is very important for network administrators and network administrators since the time and effort used to fix a problem should help users to get back to work faster. Bigger and crucial problems require immediate action while the smaller ones can be addressed after the bigger ones are fixed. Isolating segments of the network By isolating parts of the network spread of the problem is checked such that the entire network does not collapse. The systems which have reported issues are required to be disconnected from the network and terminators plugged in. This is a safe practice as it helps the network administrators fix the problem with lesser overloads of data and work. Steps for problem isolation are given in Table 11.1 Step Action Determine which systems are and which are not showing symptoms. Separate the systems that are showing symptoms from those that are not with hubs or terminators. Rule out simple issues. Reset all major connections to and from the system. Eliminate cable problems. Check for physical damage or erroneous connections of cables. Eliminate serious cable issues. Use TDR to find out cable problems. Table 11.1 Methods to isolate network problems. 11.2.3 Determine what has changed Computer networks have many components, both hardware and software that can be replaced or reset to meet the requirements of the business. This can also be one of the causes of a network problem. For example, if a user reports of a problem after a system in a network is replaced then the administrator should check if the address of the changed system is properly recorded and connected with the existing network. To be able to fix problems when changes are made to the network, it is advisable to maintain proper records of all details about the new and existing network such as the points of change, the components of change, their versions, IP addresses and network cables. A detailed documentation system helps fix such issues quickly. Checking the status of servers Servers are an integral and crucial resource in a network. Their health is very important for functioning of a network. Therefore it is logical to check the server status when faced with a problem. If sever issues are not addresses on time, then the degree of damage can be high. A few server monitoring tasks that can monitor their status are as follows: Check services Check error logs Check connectivity Monitor performance and network traffic Confirm alerts and alarms Verify backup logs along with test restores. Checking error logs Error logs are an important source of information for a network administrator. It throws light on the errors that have occurred and their nature. The amount of damage can also be assessed from this log. The administrator can prioritise errors on the extent of damage and fix them in that order. It is important to review the error log on a daily basis because certain errors have dependencies which can spread the damage faster. It is advisable to make it a habit to check the error logs at some point of time in the day to help the network work better. Connectivity between systems or servers can be tested using the Ping feature. If the system at the other end of the ping message responds then the connection is intact, else a thorough check of the connection should be done. Regular checks should be carried out to look out for server overload problems. An overloaded server can slow down system performance and speed. Backup servers should also be monitored for updates and performance. In the event of an emergency backup data and resources are very crucial. An alert system can be designed which can raise alarms when predefined limits are exceeded. This is a good preventive measure that helps in proper functioning of a network. Checking for configuration problems Before introducing a new resource into the network it is necessary to verify the existing configurations and connections. In case the existing settings are incorrect, then the new resource cannot work. For example, before setting up a new server it is good to check the base OS, TCP/IP, network cables, error logs and memory allocation for accuracy. This improves performance and does not allow deterioration of the system. After the existing settings and connections are verified the new resource and additional services must be configured accurately. There are a few tasks which require the entire network to be turned off for a few minutes before rebooting. This activity has to be timed for low work load hours. A few critical services which determine functioning of the entire network and requries constant monitor and accurate configuration are: DNS a Microsoft active directory and other Internet-based applications supports this service. A detailed plan should be in place before configuring a DNS which require a list of information before installation. Domain name WINS WINS is a feature similar to DNS which resolves NetBIOS names to IP addresses. This is a dynamic service which can add, modify and delete name registrations and avoid human errors and save time. WINS has many configuration possibilities and the user can add a static mapping for clients or severs. Host file Host files and DNS are similar in function. Host files require manual configuration of database with exact mappings of hostname to IP addresses. Host files reside on every computer making the process of updating difficult. It is very important to provide correct hostname to IP address mappings so that all rules that apply to the DNS, also apply to the host files. To avoid typing errors while configuring host files, it is safe to copy the existing hosts to the newly created file and on each of the machines. Checking for viruses Viruses are a huge and common threat to computers. A computer network is at greater risk as the number of computers is large and the damage can be huge. Protecting networks and computers outside of networks from viruses is a top priority job. Viruses grow in the computer world at a pace which matches the growth in the biological world. The mechanisms to destroy viruses evolve every minute to fight the strongest and newest virus. It is the job of the network administrator to keep the network free of viruses. Constant updates of virus definition files, scans to check for entry of viruses and antivirus software are the most popular and best methods to fight them. Preventive measures are best when deployed round the clock. All resources in a network should be scanned for viruses and guarded from them. Every piece of software and hardware is crucial to the smooth working of a network or system. There are a number of virus scanning utilities available in the market which enables computers to automatically update virus definition files from a core server therefore avoiding the administrator making trips to each workstation. Checking the validity of account name and password Account name and password are the gates that lead the user to a whole world of services, applications and data. Their validity matters a lot for the user to be able to access services, applications or data. Many services use the built-in system account details for success while a few other services require the user to log on to a remote system. This task requires an account name and password that resides in the network account database. To activate certain services or applications, administrative privileges or membership in certain groups is necessary which again requires account name and password. For quite a few system-related tasks, administrative rights are required which allows the user to modify certain settings to suit the need. The worst situation is when a network administrator has configured many applications and services with the administrator account which gets deleted on end of service of the administrator. If all services and applications using the administrator account are disabled and access is denied, then it is very difficult to fix this. Rechecking operator logon procedures Very often users end up facing problems with passwords. Users try to logon to a part of the network for which access is not granted, forget passwords, do not remember the case-sensitive feature of passwords, and so on. Many a times a user tries more than thrice to logon with a certain or different passwords after which the user is locked out. To resolve this minor but deep-penetrating issue the administrator must reset the password for the user. Passwords should be changed at regular intervals for safety and to avoid expiry and this is an issue for many users. Selecting and running appropriate diagnostics Diagnostics is an essential tool to even out variations and eradicate potential problems in a network. Though this is a preventive mechanism the benefits of using it are many. Diagnostics look out for bottlenecks and problematic situations. Diagnostic tools bring out problems or drawbacks and limitations that can be fixed before they erupt as big problems. While choosing a diagnostic program the user should bear in mind the network requirements for which it is to be employed. Smaller networks should use simple diagnostic programs while large networks require extensive protocol analysing and packet sniffing products. Free diagnostic products such as performance monitor and network monitor work well for a medium sized network. To utilise the tool to the maximum without affecting the network performance, the network administrator must research the diagnostic product in depth. With experience and products like these, an administrator is able to identify the problem in time and resolve it effectively. A reliable baseline of activities must be established for testing. Snapshots of different activities at different time periods of the day, week and month helps assess the network efficiently and accurately. 11.2.4 Select the most probable cause Of the many steps suggested to solve a problem, experience of the network administrator is a capability that matters a lot for the process. In case the network administrator is not well versed with the network or common network issues, resolving becomes a tough task. The way a network administrator approaches a problem solves the issue to quite an extent for it can guide or misguide the way the solution is built. In case a new or an outside network administrator is being roped in to solve a network problem the chances of long system downtime is high. The new network administrator has to get familiarised with the network, and then look out for probable causes. The more the experienced the network administrator is, the easier it is to solve the problem. Many a times problems may be similar across systems and a network administrator can tap the experience from the past to fix it faster. A company can benefit largely from a full-time network administrator and who knows the details of the network at the back of the mind. Common problems and their probable causes The common network problems are their probable causes are given in Table 11.2 Problem Probable cause Cannot connect to a computer on a remote network. A routing issue in all probability. Check if it is possible to connect to a local system and ping the router or another system on the remote network. Communication in the entire network is down. If in a coax-based network, check for loose connections. If in a twisted-pair network, check if the hub is operational. If in a token ring network, check if the computer is not beaconing. Takes a very long time to connect to a network resource. Network may be overloaded. A device on the system is not functioning and network connection is not possible. A network card configuration issue in most cases. Check if the NIC is configured properly. Driver may be loaded incorrectly. Communication in a local network is not possible, but other networks are working. Check if the hub/switch is not locked up. Check if the network adapter is configured properly. No Internet access. Check the Internet gateway. Check the router present has a dedicated Internet connection. Check the Internet providers network. Token ring network is locked up. Someone in the network is beaconing. Also check if the bridge is locking up. Table 11.2 Certain problems and probable causes 11.2.5 Implement a solution In order to fix a problem a network administrator can consult others, read related documents, research from the Internet and seek help from the vendor help lines. Finally with a solution on hand that seems most suitable it should be implemented without any delay. 11.2.6 Test the result Confirming if the solution implemented is correct and has solved the problem is very crucial to the problem solving process. Any user contacts the network administrator with a hope of fixing the problem and getting back to work. If the network administrator leaves the user without confirming if the solution provided is correct, then the purpose of the network administrator being present is defeated. It is the duty of the network administrator to ensure that the problem with which the user had approached does not repeat. 11.2.7 Recognise the potential effects of the solution With a working solution in place the next factor that a network administrator should consider is the aftermath of the solution. Many instances can be found where a certain solution to a problem has triggered problems in other parts of the system or network. This cascading effect of a solution requires to be monitored and checked. For example, a user may report a system communication problem and a solution can be provided by resetting of the network cables. The local problem of the system not being able to communicate might be solved, but the system might still not be able to connect to some other parts of the network. Such rippling effects of a solution require attention from the network administrator. Proper implementation of a solution, confirming its working and nullifying all side effects of a solution completes the solution phase. 11.2.8 Documenting the solution After a problem reported has been solved and work is back to normal, it is the job of the network administrator who solved it to document it properly for future use. The fact that certain problems might recur after some period of time, a new network administrator might face a problem already solved earlier, and so on are the reasons why documentation is necessary. An organisation benefits from proper documentation of troubleshooting when there is a change of hands with network administrators, saving on time by not going through the whole process after an apt solution is found by one. It even benefits when a certain solution has faded in the memory of a network administrator. Proper documentation for each aspect of troubleshooting is as good as providing an appropriate solution on time. 11.3 Common connectivity issues in a network The common connectivity issues in a network can be of two types network failure due to physical problems such as device or cable issues and logical problems such as invalid IP addresses or VLAN problems. 11.3.1 Physical issues Cabling problems are the most common physical issues. Visual indicators such as link lights, activity lights and collision lights can be used to fix these problems. A few common problems that a network administrator fixes are: Recognising abnormal physical conditions To be able to recognise deviations from the normal, a good knowledge of what is the normal is essential. If the user is not aware of the default information, then it is not possible to alter or reset details. A user should be aware of certain issues in order to spot a problem. These issues are as follow: Authentication takes more time. More errors are logged than usual. Printing is taking more time. Connecting to a network is getting slower. Connections to resources are being lost. Isolating and correcting problems in the physical media Network cables are the most vulnerable resources in a network. They end up leading to a whole range of problems and can get fixed easily. The cable which is at a high risk of problems is the cable from the workstation to the wall jack. A solution as simple as plugging it back can solve network problems at times. If the problem is not solved, try another cable and try with other cables till contact is established. Cable problem Probable solution Communication in the entire network is down. Check if the cable is intact. The point at which the cable has been damaged should be reconnected with a new cable. The new UTP cable is not enabling network communication. The network is working with the test cable. The new UTP cable might be a crossover cable. Test the connections with a cable tester and replace the UTP cable if not fine. A system was moved to a new location and is not able to communicate now. The system is working properly. Cables might be damaged during transit. Replace the old cables with new ones for proper connection. Table 11.3: Common cable problems and probable solutions. Crosstalk When adjacent wires interfere with a certain wire system it is called crosstalk. The first indication of crosstalk is signal degradation. Using another cable type with multiple layers of shielding is the best solution for this problem. Nearing cross talk Issues in network connectivity occur when a cable wire causes electromagnetic interference in the wires adjacent to it and releases a current. This point has the strongest possibility of cross talk and is generally present in the first part of the wire which is connected to a connector, switch or NIC. Nearing crosstalk helps to measure this type of cross talk. Attenuation Signals degrade as the distance they travel increases, this is called attenuation. If a user finds it difficult to communicate with system at quite a distance, then the maximum cable length for that type of cable would have exceeded. In such a case, a repeater can be used at some point in the cable to reamplify signals or a different cable type can be used. Collisions Data collision is a common issue when there are many systems in a network. Data packets travelling across the network collide with each other affecting network performance. To resolve this issue network hubs can be replaced with switches which has each port on the switch owning its own network segment ensuring that data does not collide. Shorts A network short leads to network downtime. Using a cable analyser to identify shorts can reduce the problem of connectivity and shorts. Open impedance mismatch (echo) Network signals bounce causing communication problems due to high impedance. Signals bounce because of miswired cables or incorrect connectors. Recrimping of the cable is a good solution to avoid high impedance problems. Interference Network cables experience signal interference from external components like power cables, backup lines, etc. Network cables should be laid away from agents that can interfere with its signals. 11.3.2 Logical issues Logical issues have simple solutions but can lead to huge problems if not addressed properly. A few logical issues and solutions are listed in this section. Port speed and duplex settings Confirming that the speed and duplex settings of the network card are set correctly avoids problems for systems connecting to each other across a network. Incorrect VLAN Communication between systems across VLANs is not possible unless there is routing done between them. Therefore placing systems corresponding to the VLAN is important. Incorrect IP address If IP addresses of systems a