Launch behaviourism Essay

Ivan P.Pavlov was the first initiator of behaviourism as he formed the basis and groundwork of behaviourism. Pavlov was a Russian scientist who was particularly interested in conditioned reflexes which led him to his infamous experiment of dogs and their salivary glands. In Pavlov’s experiment he found that a dog’s behaviour can be conditioned. Firstly when the dog was given food it would salivate, then the next time the dog received food a bell would be rung. This continued until the dog would salivate by the mere sound of a bell. This experiment provided the basis for Pavlov’s idea that behaviour and responses could be conditioned (Tennant, 1997) John B. Watson drew from Pavlov’s ideas and was the man to launch behaviourism. Watson was a psychologist from the United States. His infamous experiment was on a human baby code named Albert B. When Albert was exposed to a rat he showed no sign of fear but then a loud banging when there was a presence of a rat, which made Albert cry. Therefore every time Albert saw a rat he would associate it with his past experience and immediately cry whether there was a banging or not (Tennant, 1997) B.F Skinner was a major contributor to the school of behaviourism and believed that behaviour is maintained and produced by its consequences. Skinner believed that rewards and positive reinforcers have a greater affect on behaviour. He demonstrated this through his famed ‘Skinner Box’ where animals were placed inside a box and were given an option of levers which they could press, one gave them food, the other an electric shock or similar. The animals soon learned which lever not to press and this demonstrated Skinner’s theory of learned behaviour (Van Iersal and others, 2005) Behaviourism is not the stimulation in psychological science as it once was. Psychologists and much of the public prefer more cognitive explanations of human behaviour. Thus the application of behaviour analysis is still active and successful in fields such as child development, education and drug abuse but is not reliable, as technology and scientific advances have proved otherwise to the denial of internal processes. Behaviourism is very much about nurture when it comes to the nature vs. nurture debate as it focuses on external stimuli affecting behaviour. Where behaviourism applied behaviour can be controlled, as action and external operations are controllable. Behaviourism can only explain a small part of human behaviour but it can no fully describe it. (Kazdin, 2000). To explain human behaviour an updated perspective is needed and not one convention is 100% right. The best approach is to take a little from each (McIerney 1998). Behaviourism was extremely influential in the early 20th century as it was the most up to date information available. Since scientific advances in brain chemistry and thought processes behaviourism has become outdated. Pavlov, Watson and Skinner had major impacts on not only behaviourism but also to psychology. Their techniques can still be applied today. Although behaviourism can explain a bit about behaviour it is far too narrow as it does not encompass or consider mental working of a human and brain functions which is a very important role in behaviour. Even though it is outdated behaviourism is still an interesting convention of psychology and can still be useful in explaining behaviour and treating behaviour problems. Bibliography: ‘The Behavioural Approach’ : Class Handout  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Behaviourism,† Microsoft(r) Encarta(r) Online Encyclopaedia 2005

Changes in Nursing Essay

Nursing Passed Down Through the Generations Everyone has probably noticed all of the changes in technology in the last fifty years. Now there are cell phones, tablets, home computers, and so much more. All of these devices are often used every day by all kinds of people in all different professions. People use cell phones to call their bosses and other people around the world for business. Some people use computers all day every day for bookkeeping, journaling and various other jobs. Many people in the medical field use computers, cellphones, and so many other kinds of technology every day, especially nurses. Technology is not the only advancement or change in nursing, there has also been changes in medications, uniforms, racial and gender roles, schooling, and other areas. Nurses can take better care of their patients due to the advancements of medicine and technology in the last fifty years. New machines and computers are always invented that help nurses do their job better. According to Charlene Boyle, a retired nurse, in h er interview stated while she worked they had to write all of the patients’ information down and papers and information got lost or accidentally thrown away. In her last few years working the hospitals and doctor’s offices started to get computers in all the hospitals and she said it was a huge change. She said that the computers helped keep the information more organized and easier to find (Boyle Interview). In the article by Julie Blanche called Nursing 50 Years Back and Today: How the Nursing Field Has Changed over the Last 50 Years, she says, â€Å"Nurses also benefited from wireless technology, as they were able to bring their laptop computers into the patient rooms so they could perform other functions, such as admissions work, while keeping an eye on the patients† (Blanche 2). Technology did not only help nurses keep track of patient information, machines and other devices were created to help nurses better treat patients with health issues. Technology he lps nurses perform jobs faster and with fewer errors. Fifty years ago doctors and nurses started using the ultrasound machines on pregnant women. Now it is typical for all women to get an ultrasound. According to The History of Insulin Pumps by Elliot Bethke, insulin pumps were invented in 1963 and they were so big it was basically a backpack diabetics had to wear around. Now they are small and most people wouldn’t even notice it if someone was wearing one  (Bethke 1). According to Julie Blanche in Nursing 50 Years Back and Today: How the Nursing Field Has Changed over the Last 50 Years, hospitals made an effort to make it easier for nurses to do their jobs well. The hospitals paid for new bedside technology, including an automated medication-administration system and wireless computers. The medication-administration check requires bar codes for medication, nurses and patients, ensuring that nurses will make fewer errors. With a simple scan, nurses learn if the medication matches the patient and the physician’s order (Bl anche 1). The advancements in technology helps nurses to keep track of patients’ information as well as allowing them to treat the patients in more effective ways. In order to learn about all of the changing technology, the schooling that nurses were required to take was also changed. There has also been many changes in schooling for a nurse. Charlene Boyle, a retired nurse, stated that by her senior year she was running the floor along with the other seniors in her class. She also said â€Å"I had to go to school for three years with one month off a year. Currently to be a Registered Nurse or RN, you have to go to school for four years with your summers off† (Boyle Interview). In A History of American Nursing: Trends and Eras by Deborah Judd, Kathleen Sitzman, and Megan Davis state until the 1960s, most nurses were diploma nurses, nurses who only had their high school diploma, and their education was provided by a hospital or hospital school, not a college or universi ty. Judd, Sitzman, and Davis also state â€Å"Nursing has debated two questions related to education for almost 50 years. First, what should the entry level of education be for practice as a registered nurse – associate or baccalaureate? Secondly, should all nurses be required to participate in continuing education as a part of active or inactive practice?† (Judd, Davis, and Sitzman 187). The book by Davis, Judd, and Sitzman included a survey asking nurses what level of education they have received. According to the survey, 34% of the nurses interviewed have received their associate’s degree, 31% have their baccalaureates degree, 10% have earned their master’s degree or PhD, 16 % have their associate’s degree and are working towards their baccalaureates degree, and 3% are diploma nurses (Judd, Davis, and Sitzman 190). Just as schooling and technology has been improved so have the uniforms that nurses are required to wear. When someone says the word nurse most people invision a woman in a white suit with a red cross on her hat,  but that is not what modern day nurses w ear. Uniform is another major change in the last 50 years. According to Julie Blanche in Nursing 50 Years Back and Today: How the Nursing Field Has Changed over the Last 50 Years, the nurse’s uniforms 50 years ago were the typical white, starch outfits. â€Å"In the 1960s, nurses still wore dresses and stocking as their uniforms†¦ The uniforms also take a turn in the direction of more fashionable than in the past. Some of the more modern touches include belts and feminine cuffs. Don’t forget the hat that was an essential part of the nurse’s uniform† (Blanche 1). Blanche also explained the modern-day uniforms, â€Å"During the 1990s and today, nursing dresses have been replaced with much more user friendly scrub suits. Scrub suits can be found in a wide variety of colors and styles. Some hospitals have specific scrub suit colors for different types of hospital staff and others allow nurses and other staff to choose colors and styles that appeal to th em.† (Blanche 1). Since the uniform has changed that also means that the places where nurses work must have also evolved. The hospitals, doctor’s offices and wherever else a nurse might work were all changing. The hospitals and offices were getting new technology and better prepared nurses. Along with better prepared nurses comes a higher pay and more complex jobs for the nurses to complete. Charlene Boyle, a retired nurse, stated in her interview that when she was a nurse, the job was definitely a lot simpler than it is now. Now it is more complex. She also talked about her average pay as a nurse. She started out getting $400 to $500 a month but by the time she retired she was getting $40 an hour (Boyle Interview). According to TheRichest website by TheRichest an average wage for a nurse today is about $28 an hour (TheRichest 1). The hours that nurses work have stayed the same. Charlene Boyle continued â€Å"I worked eight hour shifts. Sometimes took a day shift from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. or night shift from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. This is what made me start drinking coffee† (Boyle Interview). Changes in technology, schooling, uniforms, hours, and pay are not the only changes in nursing in the last fifty years, there have also been changes in gender and race. The role of a nurse fifty years ago was always a woman’s job. Normally men were the doctors. Charlene Boyle, in her interview recalled â€Å"I had thirty-three people in my class. All of them were women and only one of them was Black all the rest of us were Caucasian† (Boyle). Fifty years ago the Civil Rights Movement was in its  final years and some people were still against African-Americans, which is why it was very uncommon for an African-American to be a nurse. In modern times, men and African Americans are both nurses. Although it is still fairly uncommon to see a male nurse. The change in gender and race are big social changes. There have also been changes in where the role of nurses takes place. According to Judd, Sitzman, and Davis in A History of American Nursing: Trends and Eras nearly a century ago people cared for their family at home. From the beginning of the 20th century until now, hospitals have become part of everyday life. Hospitals have become places where moth ers bear their children, medical specialties achieve perfection, and new inventions were proved. It is also a place where nurses care for those who need to be cured as well as those who need relief from pain or suffering (Judd, Davis, and Sitzman 192). Before there were hospitals, mothers took the role of nurses. They took care of their children as well as they could with homemade remedies and other medical tips they had learned from their mothers. Now there are hospitals and doctor offices where people go in regularly for check-ups, illness, and injuries. We even have an emergency room where people in urgent need of medical attention go for help. Recently they have also come out with Quick Care offices, most are in Hy-Vee’s and patients can run in and it only takes about ten to twenty minutes for the doctors to diagnose the patient’s sickness. Then they prescribe medicine for the patients that they can fill right at the store’s pharmacy. It makes going to the doctor a lot faster and cheaper. The prices for a doctor’s visit have also changed. According to Charlene Boyle, a retired nurse, in her interview she said that in the 1960’s is cost about $5 to go to the doctor and today it can cost anywher e from $100 to $200 for one visit. It seems ridiculous (Boyle). Hospitals have made it easier for people to get treated for diseases and made it easier on parents to keep their children healthy. Although the prices for doctor’s visits went up, now there is insurance. Insurance helps people pay for visits to the hospital and to doctor’s offices. With all the changes in technology and medicine over the last fifty years, nurses have definitely been able to take better care of patients. The nurses are more prepared and they have more advanced technology to help their patients. Nursing is not the only branch in the medical field that has made advancements. Many more medical careers have  made advancements. The medical field as a whole has improved and has become part of everyday life. Works Cited Bethke, Elliot. â€Å"The History of Insulin Pumps.† – BIOE 414 Instrumentation Projects. The Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois, College of Engineering, 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Blanche, Julie. â€Å"Nursing 50 Years Back and Today: How the Nursing Field Has Changed Over the Last 50 Years.† HeatheCareers Network. HealtheCareers, 2 Nov. 2010. Web. 15 Sept. 2013 Boyle, Charlene. Life as a Nurse. Telephone interview. 28 Sept. 2013. Judd, Deborah M., Kathleen Sitzman, and Megan Davis. A History of American Nursing: Trends and Eras. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2010. Print. TheRichest. â€Å"Registered Nurse Salary – How Much Does Registered Nurses Make?† Celebrity Net worth Richest People in the World Registered Nurse Salary How Much Does Registered Nurses Make Comments. Google+, 3 June 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

Princess Diana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Princess Diana - Essay Example The conclusion provides a summary of her life and basic evidences from her existence. This information is supported by proper data and scientific evidences which is relevant nowadays. The method that is used is particularized examination of a literature together with the critical summarizing and personal inferences on the topic. Princess Diana was considered to the incredible woman and fascinating person. This lady provided a great influence in Britain in particular and world in general. She was remained to be the favorite person from the royal family and was excelled by kindness and charity. Lady Di lived a short, but saturated life and left a big mark afterwards. This woman was amazing and beautiful, charming and marvelous, great and famous. Princess of Wales was born on July 1, 1961 in England (Levchuck, 1999, p.6). Formally she did not belong to the royal family; still, both her parents were in connection with the regal origin (Levchuck, 1999, p.6). Diana’s family was rather big, as she had two older sisters and brother who was younger, so she was remained to be the third child in the family of Spenser’s (Levchuck, 1999, p.6). Her full maiden name was regarded as Diana Frances Spencer; also, she was called as Lady Di and Queen of Hearts (Levchuck, 1999, p.6, 21). Diana was responsible and kind girl since her early years and it was worse to mention that after finishing school she made a decision for passing up â€Å"a carefree life of fun with her friends† and started to occupy more serious affairs (Levchuck, 1999, p.6). She wanted to help people; therefore, Diana Spencer worked as a nanny for one family in America and also became a teacher in the kindergarten (Levchuck, 1999, p.6). It should be admitted that this first tries of her devotion to a children were of high importance for her and laid a ground for further development. Her acquaintance with Prince Charles became a changing

CRIMINAL LAW 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CRIMINAL LAW 2 - Essay Example Such an action shall be construed as theft regardless of whether the thief has taken it for gain or for personal benefit. Sections 3 to 6 of the Act define the terms â€Å"appropriates†, â€Å"property†, â€Å"belonging to another† and â€Å"with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it†. (Theft Law 1968, n.d.). Since criminal law deals with accusation and punishment for offenders, it is important that a correlation be established between blameworthiness and criminal liability for serious illegal activities. This argument is more applicable for theft because in this offence the other elements related to the appropriation are not properly defined, and so it is only the element of dishonesty that is assessed for punishment under law. In case the other elements related to the appropriation are judged to assess their wrong culture, it is however not possible to establish criminal liability on the defendant without some kind of judgement on the mo ral perspective of the defendant’s actions. ... ding is for a period and in circumstances making it equivalent to an outright taking or disposal.† (Theft Law 1968, n.d.) For example, if a person takes a cinema ticket from its owner and returned it after the completion of the movie, then it is as good as depriving the owner permanently of enjoying the interest of the ticket because when returned the ticket has no usage value left (Clarkson, 2005, p.238). Fraud Act 2006 The Fraud Act 2006 was implemented to â€Å"make provision for, and in connection with, criminal liability for fraud and obtaining services dishonestly.† (Fraud Act 2006, n.d., p.1) The Fraud Act has revised the Theft Act 1968 in many respects. Some sections of the Theft Act have been removed in Schedule 1 of the Fraud Act and they are section 15, section 15A, section 16 and section 20(2). Section 15 is about â€Å"obtaining property by deception†, section 15A is about â€Å"obtaining a money transfer by deception, section 16 is about â€Å"obta ining pecuniary advantage by deception†, and section 20(2) is about â€Å"procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception†. (Fraud Act 2006, n.d., p.7) The principle objective of the Fraud Act was to present the previous criminal law in a reformed manner so as it make it more acceptable for juries and practitioners. In this modern world of technology, fraudulent activities are rapidly becoming sophisticated and complicated by enhanced use of technology. It is increasingly becoming tough to catch the fraudsters and then prove their offence in court. Therefore the purpose of the Fraud Act is to form a â€Å"modern and flexible law of fraud† that is suitable to combat the increasing complications of fraudulent activities (Post-legislative assessment of the Fraud Act 2006, 2012, p.3). The Fraud Act associates

In depth research on the difference berween Slow cooking and Fast Essay

In depth research on the difference berween Slow cooking and Fast cooking as applies to modern standards in today's industry - Essay Example A nation’s diet reveals more about its culture and values than its art or literature (Schlosser, 2002). According to Belanger (1998), the attitude towards fast food mirrors the American society: â€Å"industrialized, impersonal, dominated by big business, advertising driven, hectic, anti-environmental, and not very satisfying.† In today’s hectic world, where there is simply no time for relaxation and pleasure and the society is driven by convenience and speed, fast food seems to be the answer. Fast food requires no grocery shopping or cooking, thereby saving the labor required to do both. The slow food movement directly opposes every concept that fast food represents – blandness, uniformity, conformity and the blind worship of science and technology (Krummer, 2002). In his article, Vinci (2007) propagates the concept of slow food as eating healthily and responsibly. Although critics of slow food claim that it is elitist and unaffordable by ordinary people, Kummer uses a different range of adjectives to describe the same. According to him, they are mainly peasant foods that have been prepared the same way for centuries. They are time-tested and spring directly from regional cultures and cuisines (2002, p.12). The affinity towards industrial standardization and mass production is another reason for the increasing popularity of fast food. Fast food stems from an entirely different sort of mass culture and mass production, says Krummer (2002). One Taste Worldwide, the slogan of one of the largest fast food chains, McDonalds, perfectly sums up the homogenizing and standardizing effect that seems to have captured the taste buds of many. Savoring genuine tastes together with saving the environment is the new trend that is taking the world by storm, declares Vinci (2007). The slow food brigade is also spreading the message that food should not only be tasty but also nutritious and healthy, which

Haiti earthquake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Haiti earthquake - Essay Example This causes earthquake. Three types of faults cause earthquakes: strike-strip, normal and reverse faults. They are measured using the seismometers. The most common scales are the magnitude moments and the richer sale. These two scales are similar numerically over their range in validity. The earthquakes with magnitude less than three are weak and causes less damage while those with magnitude of seven and above are strong. Depending on their depth, they potentially cause damage to large areas (Martin 188). The damage, which is caused by the earthquake, depends majorly on the topography of the region and the quality of the infrastructure. There is no limit for the possible magnitude of the quake. Since 1770, the strongest earthquake to occur was in Haiti. Haiti is in the island of Hispaniola. Haiti means the land of high mountains. Haiti has a total area of approximately 27,750 square kilometers. Its capital is port-au-prince. Haiti was the first nation in the Latin America to attain i ndependence. The independence was gained because of successful rebellion against rebellion. A severe earthquake struck the country in 12 December 2010 at 4:53 pm. The magnitude of the quake was 7.0 and its epicenter hit about 10 miles to the west of the Porte-au-prince, which is the capital city of Haiti. The inhabitants are poor and the earthquake affected its two million inhabitants, which is about 2% of the total population. This led to a humanitarian crisis that is still being responded to desperately by the world. The major concern is helping the people of Haiti who still have unanswered questions about the quake itself. Why it was not predicted, why it was that strong, and why it caused a lot of destruction. Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic are on the Caribbean. Active tectonic plates border the Caribbean so that the whole region is prone to earthquake. The part of the plate that ruptured goes through Haiti and continues to the offshore and to Jamaica. T his was the fault of enriquillo plantain garden (Xingjian 92). It is one of the fault structures that have been separating Cuba in North America from Haiti in the Caribbean plate, for more that million years ago. The plate is relatively small and the larger plates surround it. One of the plates is the North America plate that is constantly exerting pressure. The opposing forces resulting to formation of volcano and earthquakes create great action of seismic waves. The Caribbean plate moves approximately 21 millimeters towards the east in relation to that of the North American plate. Enriquillio fault takes about seven millimeters of these. In 1751, the last major earthquake in the port-au-prince region occurred. This is important because in case that fault was locked or stuck for the past 260 years that could give the reason for the slip deficit in the segment of about two meters. If a plate is moving a distance not less than 21 mm, the plate does not move as a whole at one time, so me part remains in position. So if there had been no activity for the past 250 years, then there is a high amount of strain and approximately about one to two meters of this movement missing (Maurine 120). If the pressure builds over a long time, the greater magnitude of Earthquake happens. This explains why the Haiti quake was seven. The destruction was massive majorly because the earthquake was shallow and just below port au prince. It

Write a Criminal Sentence Reduction Letter Term Paper

Write a Criminal Sentence Reduction Letter - Term Paper Example This letter thus pleads for leniency in his sentencing on the basis that he has no prior criminal record and his remorseful about the incident. That the jury was also convinced after a few hours of deliberations that the accused did not intentionally end the life of his victim also shows that it was actually an accident and the accused did not have any malice aforethought (Spohn 25). The defendant being my cousin, I have known him since his childhood. In this period, he has been a law-abiding citizen who has never had any encounter with the criminal justice system on account of a crime or other acts of disorderliness. I can therefore confidently vouch for his good character that has seen him go through the school system to reach college. As a college student, the defendant has been a rather productive and positive member of society, particularly in assisting and advising younger children in the family and the neighborhood on their educational endeavors and career choices. From his productivity in the community, it is thus understandable that the defendant made a mistake in his actions that led to the death of the victim. Understandably, the many instances he has served the community positively make him a worthy consideration for leniency. This letter thus requests the defendant’s sentencing to be reduced on grounds of his good character and behavior prior to the commission of the crime and his remorse for the crime committed. Additionally, while under police custody, the accused has also shown considerably good conduct by indulging in religion,-, education-, and work-related activities and responsibilities (Lawyers.com 3). Furthermore, while under custody, he has continued to engage in training activities that could be useful after his release. If his sentence is reduced and he is released early, there are many good nurtured family members and friends who will support him financially, socially, and emotional to help him recover

Politics of US Environmental regulations on drilling, pipelines, Essay

Politics of US Environmental regulations on drilling, pipelines, refineries - Essay Example In the background part, the overview of the drilling process, oil drilling types, and key environmental considerations is given. It is followed by the analysis of the US oil reserves and resources, with regards to the variety of opinions about them (from optimistic to pessimistic). One of the central issues of the US drilling politics is the regulation of further offshore drilling. In this light, two alternative viewpoints are being examined: the first is â€Å"pro-drilling†, advocating the expansion of existing offshore drilling initiatives, based on such arguments as the state energy independence and job opportunities. The second is â€Å"pro-regulation†, critical about the progression of offshore drilling and about the impact of oil drilling in general, supported by environmental considerations and economic analysis. Key governmental documents are being examined in connection with these two tendencies. In this paper, we support the sustainable development view that e conomic and social needs should always be balanced with environmental considerations; that is why, little support is given to the dangerous industrial plans of oil explorations and development, but the existing objections are also being approached cautiously. Oil Drilling Process The Procedure of Oil Exploration and Development Oil resources are found in various environments. They are classified according to these environments into onshore and offshore crude oil resources. This distinction is politically significant, as offshore drilling accounts for most of the US oil recoveries: for instance, in 2009, IHS estimated that deepwater offshore oil discoveries were 6 times bigger (as measured by barrels) than the onshore discoveries (IHS, Role of Deepwater Production in Global Oil Supply). Exploration and development of the onshore crude oil is technically different from that of the offshore oil; hence, they will be described separately. It takes several stages for the oil resource (tha t is, â€Å"the total amount of oil in place, most of which can’t be recovered†) to become the oil reserve, or â€Å"the amount of oil that can be recovered economically with existing technology† (Rapier). Roughly sketched, these stages involve: Geologic and geophysical prospecting (the analysis of the potential place for well) Exploratory drilling (making drills, logging, and different analyses of the reservoir) (Centre for Economics and Management of IFP School 69-82) Primary drilling (usually commercially inefficient) (Centre for Economics and Management of IFP School 84) Secondary and tertiary, or enhanced, recovery (Centre for Economics and Management of IFP School 85). Later, the oil has to be separated from gas and water; it also has to undergo other preparatory procedures before being transported for commercial, communal, and industrial use. It is important that scientific exploration of the oil reservoirs also involves drilling; it continues 2 to 6 mont h and has the success rate (meaning the discovery of profitable reservoirs) of approximately 25% (Centre for Economics and Management of IFP School 76). This means that noise and damage to soil and local ecosystems on the stage of exploration affect 5 times more territory than that for later oil development. Offshore exploratory drilling also requires land use for meteorological and diving stations? (Centre for Economics and Management of IFP School 77). The very recovery of oil from the reservoir is possible due to the difference in pressures, as it is shown on the picture 1 (from Centre for

How the Information Revolution Has Changed the World Essay Example for Free

How the Information Revolution Has Changed the World Essay Michael Dertouzos wrote What Will Be: How the New World of Information Will Change Our Lives in 1997, before the real Information Revolution even literally began. In fact, the internet as it is known today was still in its infancy in the late nineties. It was not uncommon, even when 2000 rolled around, to not own a home computer, especially a laptop. And, it wasn’t until 2005 that email became as popular, if not more so, with the American public as a cell phone. With that said, Dertouzos’ work is one of speculation and an insider’s observations of the situations and realities thought to be held by a future in the rowing information technology world. In an interesting twist, Dertouzos was fortunate enough to have his Forward written by Bill Gates, one of the most influential and significant minds in the world, and whose name is synonymous with success in the Information Revolution, to offer his unique authority to the opinions on emerging technologies and their effect on the future of the world presented within. Gates recognizes that while Dertouzos is a true visionary and his predictions for the future have often come to be, but he also admits that they have differing opinions on how the future will evolve. Eventually, Gates comes to the conclusion that â€Å"new businesses will be created and fortunes will be made in the novel areas of activity this book describes . † The Forward ends on an encouraging note for the reader, commenting that the Information Revolution is something not to be taken lightly, and that those who choose to take part will find their lives one filled with great and exciting changes. Dertouzos offers a Preface for a general breakdown on how his book is organized, and compiles his information into three parts; Part One relating his own experiences in the realm of information technology, Part Two describing how a reader’s life will become influenced by the growing changes, and Part Three illustrating how society as a whole will be affected and ultimately altered ceaselessly by the Information Revolution. In this manner, Dertouzos is setting himself up as not only the author of this information, but also as an authority on this information, which is an insightful and crafty manner of proclaiming his vision for the future. Part One opens with Dertouzos’ experiences, starting in the early 1990’s, and does well to explain his infatuation for technology and how it influenced his decisions and his life, even so early on. He called himself a visionary from the beginning, claiming that his â€Å"vision [for technology] has been consistent†¦humming along like a well-tuned engine as time goes by . † And, to illustrate his point, he relates a few clever vignettes that make good use of computerized automatic alerts and early entrepreneurialism. His language is clever and expressive while he chronicles anecdotes on his early impressions of the internet and how he sought to see the Information Marketplace, as he has taken to calling the internet, as something bigger than anything originally predicted for the future of computers. In fact, Dertouzos can be seen as a true authority in this Part because his information is entirely encyclopedic, offering and presenting the basic timeline of how computers and the internet began to emerge from the early highly expensive models to something the regular Joe could actually afford. Because, as Dertouzos knew it, and envisioned it, the Information Market would win out over the high costs of creating such a beast because, over time, more and more people would demand information readily at their fingertips. Which turned out to be true. In Part Two, Dertouzos paints a viable picture for a reader on how their life will be forever altered and what exciting things they can anticipate as technology continues to advance. In one anecdote he tells the life of a corporate business man asking his car for directions via a GPS, though he calls such a thing â€Å"spotty † at best. In this, Dertouzos channels Orwell and actually does well to predict the future. Now, cars not only have GPS systems built in as practically standard equipment, but they also have emergency help at the touch of a button, rear view camera sensors, DVD players the size of a small book installed in head rests, and the new Lexus can even parallel park on its own. Then, he relates his vision for the future of shoe shopping, in which a woman can go to a shoe outlet, have her sizes, each foot being slightly different, virtually recorded, and her shoes made to exacting specifications. He admits that current technology is far from his actual vision, even seeming to dismiss his little tale out of hand, though he does come to a conclusion and concedes that online shopping will grant â€Å"individual attention that is reinforced by the fact that no two human bodies or minds are exactly alike . † Once again, Dertouzos has become a prophet for the future. Now, online stores sell everything from pet food to locks of hair from Britney Spears, and everything in between. The interesting fact is that many brick and mortar stores, understanding well the need to compete with the growing online market, now have virtual reality â€Å"fitters† that can accurately size a person for perfectly tailored clothing. Moreover, online shopping has hit an all time high, bringing in billions of dollars of revenue every quarter, with virtually no roof for the potential profit of an internet entrepreneur. While the â€Å"auto-shoe † is still a ways off, virtual reality has made difficulty in sizing a thing of the past. Part Two also introduces the rise of online gaming and touches on what is now called Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, or MMORPG, in which thousands of players around the world can â€Å"run into one another, sometimes helping or hindering their mates, subject to the rules of the game and human nature . † Games like â€Å"Ever Quest,† â€Å"Halo,† and â€Å"Might and Magic† have long been known as being part of the most addicting genre of game-playing that exists because of the environment created in the online world. While Dertouzos was entirely hesitant in proclaiming such a thing would come to be, he does point out that these games could evolve from more primitive forms like card games or â€Å"Dungeons and Dragons,† which, in fact, they did. In Part Three, Dertouzos begins by relating that humans are instinctively â€Å"ancient † by nature, finding it difficult to accept and understand the Information Marketplace for what it could mean for the world’s future. As is his way, Dertouzos attempts to explain this with an anecdote comparing potatoes to information citing that â€Å"because information is easily replicated it proliferates and is not scarce. And because economic value is rooted in scarcity, information has little or no value . † He goes on to explain that of course information has value, but he doesn’t seem to grasp what can only be seen recently, because the internet has evolved as much as it has since his vision in 1997, when information was a real scarcity online. In fact, readily accessible information, even for a price, is the fundamental reason that the internet has become so successful, selling more and gaining more visitors than online shopping because people go online expecting to find information. And, the more information that can be found on any given subject, the more a visitor has to compare and choose from. In all things, even information, people expect choice and they expect to find something that suits their needs, even if they have to pay a few extra dollars for it. Moreover, Ebooks are now selling at higher rates than paper books in brick and mortar bookstores because of their very capacity to be downloaded and read at any time of the night. Near the end, Dertouzos mentions that it would be handy for a Greek to be able to access the world of being Greek without having to travel to the country. He notes that â€Å"even as we scatter, the Information Marketplace can help us nurture our ethnic heritage, further reducing the need to a traditional, physically local nation . † Just recently, webcams have been used for surveying events, watching sunsets, and even talking online, yet face-to-face, with loved ones. While he seemed unsure on how his dream could come to be, it has, and to such a degree that sites like YouTube have sprung up, giving people access to virtually any sort of information they wished to view, from the entirely extreme and disturbing, to cathedral services, like Dertouzos imagined. Overall, Dertouzos calls himself a visionary, writing this book about his predictions for the future of the Information Revolution and what that will bring for individuals as well as society at large. His predictions, while sometimes written with hesitance, have, for the most part, all come true. In fact, much of the evolvement of the internet and the Information Marketplace between 1997 and 2007 has surpassed even his original theories, bringing true wealth to people who want to work at home, joy to a gamer who is able to find friends in an online world where dragons rule and the most powerful sorcerer gets the princess, and even the ability to chat online via webcam with family from across the world to enhance and nurture a heritage.

NVQ Assessment Essay Example for Free

NVQ Assessment Essay Understand the principles and requirements of assessment 1. Explain the functions of assessment in learning and development. 2. Define the key concept and principles of assessment. 3. Explain the responsibilities of the assessor. 4. Identify the regulations. Compare the strengths and limitations of arrange of assessment methods with reference to the needs of individual learners. 5. Compare the strengths and limitations of a range of assessments methods with reference to the needs of individual learners. Understand how to plan assessment 6. Summarise key factors to consider when planning assessments. 7. Evaluate the benefits of using a holistic approach to assessment. 8. Explain how to plan a holistic approach to assessment. 9. Summarise the types of risks that may be involved in assessment in own area of responsibility. 10. Explain how to minimise risks through the planning process. Understand how to involve learners and others in assessment. 11. Explain the importance of involving the learner and others in the assessment process. 12. Summarise types of information that should be made available to learners and others involved in the assessment process. 13. Explain how peer and self-assessment can be used effectively to promote learner involvement and personal responsibility in the assessment of learning. 14. Explain how assessment arrangements can be adapted to meet off individual learners. Understand how to make assessment decisions. 15. Explain how to judge whether evidence is: a)Sufficientb) Current c) authentic. 16. Explain how to ensure that assessment decision are: a)Made against specifiedb)validc) reliable d) fair. Understand quality assurance of the assessment process. 17. Evaluate the importance of quality assurance in the assessment process. 18. Summarise quality assurance and standardisation procedures in own area of practise. 19. Summarise the procedures to follow when there are disputes concerning assessment in own area of practise. Knowledge to be assessed and evidenced: Understanding how to manage information relating to assessment 20. Explain the importance of following procedures for the management of information relating to assessment. 21. Explain how feedback and questioning contribute to the assessment process. Understanding the legal and good practise requirements in relation to assessment. 22. Explain legal issues, policies and procedures relevant to assessment, including those for confidentiality, health, safety and welfare. 23. Explain the contribution that technology can make to the assessment process. 24. Evaluate requirements for quality and diversity and, where appropriate, bilingualism in relation to assessment. 25. Explain the value of reflection practise and continuing professional development in the assessment process.

Postmodern Characteristics Works Of Young British Artists Cultural Studies Essay

Postmodern Characteristics Works Of Young British Artists Cultural Studies Essay Got their fame in the early 1990s, the Young British Artists (YBAs) is known as a group of highly publicized British avant-garde artists active from the late 1980s (Chilvers, 1999). In this research essay, the works of two leading artists of the YBAs, Marcus Harvey and Damien Hirst, will be mentioned and analyzed within the context of postmodern theories. The evident postmodern characteristics being discussed in the four art pieces is pluralism. Marcus Harvey (1963-now) is an English artist and painter and a leading member of YBAs; his pieces cited and analyzed in this essay are Myra (Fig. 1) and Toilet Roll (Fig. 2). Both of the two paintings are the representation of an object with blurred lines and pieces, seemingly as if the macro images are composed by tiny units and sections. The composition of the paintings and the fuzzy impressions has largely corresponded to the meaning of pluralism in postmodern theories. Damien Hirst (1965-now) is a close friend of Marcus Harvey, he is the most prominent member of YBAs and most of his works focus on the theme of Death (National Galleries of Scotland n.d.). In this essay, two of his works being analyzed are the painting LSD (Fig. 3) and the sculpture For the Love of God (Fig.4). In these two art pieces, LSD is constructed using a grid of dots of different colors while For the Love of God is consisted of human skull, platinum, and diamond. These pieces illustrate how single elements can produce new meanings when being composed together or re-arranged, similar as Harveys works, these art pieces are also a reflection of pluralism in postmodern viewpoint. In postmodernism, the word pluralism is generally used to describe the multiplicity of meaning and the status of a mixture and disorder (Bohman 1999) of culture, identities, ideologies, worldviews, religions etc. in postmodern era, it embraces the idea of fragmentation or incoherence in contemporary world. Body Pluralism is literally defined as the quality or state of being plural (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2010), which is in contrary of dualism. As we learned from the course, pluralism within postmodern practice is not only apparent within its political content but also in the strategies, processes and the styles within the works themselves. Looking back to all the theories and argumentations on postmodernism, it is easily observed that the common ground among all the discourses is to admit the chaos, disorder, fragmentation, and even meaningless of any subject from my perspective, the balance of disorder and order is a representation of what we called pluralism. Doubtlessly, pluralism has become a dominant tendency in every aspect of modern life in the backdrop of globalization and commercialization tide. According to Milbrandt (2003), the characteristics of postmodern world have directly triggered the emergence of popular culture and postmodern art forms such as visual art, on the other hand, conceptual barriers between so-called high and low culture have broken down due to the evolution of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). In one word, to study todays artistic creations in turns of different postmodern characteristics, such as pluralism, will provide us a comprehensive understanding of postmodernism theories as well as postmodern lives/practices. Speaking of the arena of art, more specifically, the YBAs, those conceptual artists, painters, sculptors and installation artists are noted for their shocking and creative tactics in making art; and as reported by The Guardian (14 June 2000), they dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. By analyzing the four works I cited in this essay, I hold the viewpoint that as typical Young British Artists works, those art pieces from Marcus Harvey and Damien Hirst have notably demonstrated and reflected the qualities of pluralism. Myra (Fig. 1) is one of the most famous and disputed works by Marcus Harvey, it is the portrait of a child killer Myra Hindley recreated from multiple copies of childrens handprints. In this artwork, numerous childrens handprints seem to cover and claw at Hindleys face and shape a unique situation: on the one hand, the image of her face is composed by those handprints; while on the other hand, those tiny palms also obliterate her features. It is commended by The Guardian Weekend (Burn, 1997) that this artwork brings the chill of horror we feel but can rarely express and suggests the coolness that is, the affectless-ness; the loss of sensation; the stray; the cold stoniness in the work itself. Connecting it with postmodern theories, one can easily catch the smell of pluralism in Myra. As Hughes (2004) and Knoper (2008) summarized (though the idea is originated from Lyotard), postmodern art represents the death of so-called meta-narratives maintained in modern society and adopts plur alism to replace dualism, thus create a sense of chaos and disorder in meanings. Such is what we read from the controversial artwork Myra, in which the tiny units are both creating and destroying the whole iconic image, based on this, varied and more in-depth meanings are conveyed. Toilet Roll (Fig. 2) is another artwork by Marcus Harvey and from which we can also find evidence of pluralism. Ang (2006) points out that, the status of pluralism and the imitation of an existed style lead to things like pastiche (an empty copy), which is an idea that suggests little of the implied depth. Toilet Roll the painting is a reflection of such death of depth I personally dont think the image in this artwork conveys much aesthetic delight, nor it is as meaningful and thought provoking as Myra. However, when we look at the fuzzy images and small blocks in the picture, a sense of meaningless and confusion is generated in readers mind. In other words, from my perspective, no/little value or meaning is the meaning of this work. LSD (Fig. 3) by Damien Hirst might be the one among the four artworks that represents pluralism most apparently and directly: a grid of dots of different colors, a simple mixture of plural elements. Similar to many postmodern paintings, one cannot easily grasp what the artist wants to express in this painting. Villeneuve Erickson (2008) point out that contemporary art cannot be judged simply by whether they are representational or attractive, and contemporary artists tend to use unconventional materials and touch difficult topics (such as sexuality, patriotism, and religion), which all present obstacles in understanding. So as to LSD, readers can have numerous interpretations to the grid of dots from varied perspectives. Those perceptions express the complex and different cultural backgrounds and social identities of the appreciators as well create the multi-dimensionality in interpretation (Song, 2009), which reveals a broader pluralism beyond the painting format itself. Besides, t he interdisciplinary mediations and analysis (Trafà ­-Prats, 2009) of contemporary art also reflects the spirit of pluralism (i.e. the interpretation of LSD may touch upon the field of music, political science, cultural studies, religious studies, etc.). For the Love of God (Fig.4) is a sculpture by Damien Hirst produced in 2007, it consists of human skull, platinum cast, and 8,601 diamonds (Hirst unveils  £50m diamond skull, 2007). Besides the value of the material itself, the artistic value of this sculpture is also precious. George Steiner (2001) claimed in his book Grammars of Creation, the age such as ours is an age of ugliness the violence, oppression, economic enslavement and social irrationality. And this artwork For the Love of God shows a hope for beauty in this age of ugliness and death and is a restoration of respect for God (Moore, 2004). The materials used in this sculpture are shock, contrasting and creative, and when Hirst constitutes the skull, the platinum, and the diamonds together, they successfully create new meanings with sharp impacts such is an aspect of pluralism, that the single distinct elements can produce an organic whole. Conclusion In conclusion, all these four art pieces analyzed in this essay is a good demonstration of pluralism in postmodern context. As artistic works created by British avant-garde artists in the post-1990s era, they successfully used some tactics and gimmicks to produce and convey what I would call a sense of nonsense and a sense of confusion and shock to the audience. It is not surprising that all the works can easily find a niche in postmodern interpretations, not only because they were produced in the context and with the idea of postmodern thoughts, but also because we are trying to read them from a postmodern perspective. Nonetheless, although it is hard to elaborate in details what aesthetic feelings or experiences they create to audience, because each individual has his/her own judgment on artistic (especially postmodern artistic) works and also because postmodern fine art is often anti-aesthetic, it is still possible to reach a better understanding of them besides the sense of nonsense, confusion and shock. From my perspective, those works in general expressed the artists concern on the spurt of modern technology, industrialization and commercialization, as well as the loss of meaning and depth in postmodern way of life, which are the eternal focuses of all forms of postmodern fine art.

An essay on different genres including the Ghost genre and the Fantasy

An essay on different genres including the Ghost genre and the Fantasy & Adventure genre I have chosen two completely different genres to base my essay on. Firstly, I have the mysterious and gripping Ghost Genre; the books I have studied are â€Å"The Woman in Black†, â€Å"The Langoliers† and the spooky film, â€Å"The Others†. The second genre is Fantasy & Adventure. The book I am studying is â€Å"Lirael†, a recent book written by Australian author Garth Nix. â€Å"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring†, directed by Peter Jackson is the film that I am analysing. There are many, definite trends to ghost stories, no matter what the novel is about. They are all usually set in remote areas and are about haunting. Death is usually common in scary stories also. Dense fog creates mysteriousness in the ghost genre and scary stories. It is not just used in books, but is a frequent trick displayed in films. The Langoliers is a gripping novel about a flight from L.A. to Boston, where the passengers somehow disappear when the plane is caught in a time warp, and pilot Brian Engle is left on his own, attempting to land the stray flight. â€Å"Brian peered out of the cockpit window. Outside, all that was visible were peaks of the Rocky Mountains, which were engulfed in a dense, dark fog.† The above quote is used by writer Stephen King to make the reader believe that the plane is now completely lost as the pilot cannot see any landmarks to pinpoint where he is! In the film â€Å"The Others† mist is constantly used when snapshots of the outside of the house are shown to create an eerie atmosphere. This works very well as it looks like the mansion is in the middle of nowhere and that the inhabitants are trapped inside, because if... ...the â€Å"L.O.T.R.† Merry and Pippin (two hobbits) are captured, Boromir is slain by an Orc and Frodo and Sam leave and decide to complete their task alone. In â€Å"Lirael† Sameth realizes that his friend Nicholas has been captured by Hedge and sets off to find him, ending the book on a cliff-hanger! I have found that, like Ghost stories, the Fantasy Genre has certain trends too. There are two sides, good and evil, the main characters are usually on quests and have a companion, and the weather matches the mood of people involved in the story. Also, in both â€Å"Lirael† of course the â€Å"L.O.T.R.† magic is used frequently. ‘Train of thought’ is not used often though as so much is happening in the novel. To summarise although all stories within a certain Genre are totally contrasting, they are similar in their sentence structure, characters, and of course†¦ storyline.

Essay --

Philo claims that it is inconceivable that the planet was made by a being both omnipotent and omnibenevolent. That God is the maker and He is wholly moral, he can't be answerable for the presence of evil in the planet. Evil, indeed, does not exist as an unrelated substance: it is noticeably a nonappearance of great similarly as difficulty seeing is the nonattendance of sight. This unlucky deficiency emerges through the activities of people who hold unrestrained choice. The God of Christian belief in higher powers might be guarded against the above charge in light of the fact that people must have free will in mind to be human. For this opportunity to exist there must additionally exist the likelihood of malevolence. To anticipate that God will make free creatures and at the same time forestall them from settling on indecent decisions is a coherent incomprehensibility. The facts may prove that God's transcendence does not permit him to do the sensibly incomprehensible. He can't make 1 +1=3; he can't create a rock that He is not able to lift; correspondingly, he can't give an individual unrestrained choice and settle on choices for them in the meantime. Accordingly, the greater good of human freedom is a product of God's benevolence and the evil that exists is a consequence of humans making poor use of that freedom.. This barrier determines the coherent issue of underhanded by permitting God to be both omnipotent and omnibenevolent. This resistance likewise places the fault of wickedness and enduring at the hands of people. Nonetheless, the inquiry still stays concerning if God was fit to make the universe without the likelihood of pain and agony. God could have made free creatures that chose not to cause suffering upon themselves or... ...ent and omnipotent in spite of the vicinity of evil for two explanations. Firstly, God is omnibenevolent and omnipotent on the grounds that God is endless and can't be restricted by good or evil. The second explanation, is that in spite of the vicinity of evil on the planet, is that evil is made in place for a more excellent exceptional which man can yearn for. Overall, I suppose it is conceivable that God is both omnibenevolent and omnipotent, which might be said by people themselves as an immediate result of freedom. The issue of evil can additionally be replied through the way that God permits this to happen with the goal that people endure so as to achieve the greatest good that is everlasting life. God is still omnibenevolent in such a case, as He is giving people the likelihood of everlasting life once they have beat the enduring that is held inside the world.