Essay --

Life is short. This is why you need to do as much as you can during your lifetime. In early(a) words, make every breath count. One of the best ways to do this is by traveling around the world. Traveling exit expose you to other cultures. It will also introduce you to new experiences and new people. In fact, traveling breathes life into your adventurous spirit.However, the most difficult question any traveler can pray himself is where he should travel. Many people do not know which cities can disco biscuit them the best experience. Fortunately, you will be able to discover which cities can offer you the best value for your time and money. Here are the top ten most beautiful cities in the world.1. Venice in ItalyThis is undoubtedly the most beautiful city in the world. Its beauty comes from its natural landscape and its exquisite architectural designs. The natural landscape of Venice is unique in every sense of the word. In reality, Venice is a pigeonholing of one hundred and eig hteen islands interconnected by a vast network of bridges and canals.2. Paris in FranceThis city hosts over eighty one thousand thousand international visitors each year. These visitors come to Paris to see its many attractions. These attractions bear witness to the beauty and splendor of European advancement. Truly, Paris is the center of European sophistication. It has buildings that examine as far back as the Roman conquest of France, the Renaissance period, the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution.3. Rome in ItalyRome needs no introduction. It is the most famous city in the world. It has been the case for thousands of years. It is here in Rome that the wealth of a fifth of the worlds population was erst concentrated. It is also in Rome that the worlds finest arc... ...t famous political theorists. Attractions in Florence include the Florence Cathedral, Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Vecchio.9. Budapest in HungaryThis is one of the largest cities in Europe. The Danube Ri ver splits Budapest in two. This means that Budapest is the result of three cities that merge into one grand city. Some of the most important attractions in this city include the Chain Bridge, Buda Castle, Fishermans citadel and the Hungarian State Opera House.10. Bruges in BelgiumThis city presents you with an opportunity to see some of the best-preserved medieval buildings in the world. The expression of Gothic artistry in these buildings is erect amazing. Bruges is one of the most visited cities in the whole of Europe. Travel to Bruges and see some of its wonderful attractions. These attractions include the Belfry of Bruges and the Church of Our Lady Bruges.

The Reform of the Electoral College Essay example -- Political Reform

The United States, well known for its democracy, holds elections every four years to elect its President. Every American citizen everywhere the age of 18 has a mightily to cast a vote in the presidential election. The voting process, although it seems easy and straightforward, can be very complicated. In the 2000 election, Al dialog box captured the majority of votes, exclusively George Bush won. The reason for this strange outcome and why Al Gore lost was because of the Electoral College. The Electoral College is voting system where different states are given up a certain amount of votes in the election, and which ever candidate wins a state, is given that states votes. The Electoral College is out of date, and should be replaced by the touristed Vote system, which declares a president purely on who collects the most votes from the American people. The Popular Vote system is better than the electoral college, because it gives the American people a true say in the presid ential election, and doesnt filter their votes out in so called mini state elections. The electoral college is too flawed to lodge to run the presedential elections of the united states, it gives an unfair advantage to smaller states in the United States, it promotes the two party system, it restricts campainging process because of the way certain canidates are forced to strategically focuse on certain states, and finally it elects minority presidents into office. Why should america keep the flawed electoral college, and continue to see all the problems occur over and over agan, if there is a better way. Some people still feel that the electoral college is the best voting system to elect the president. They claim that if the electoral college was removed(p) and replaced with th... .... New Haven Yale UP, 1999. United States of America. The U.S. Constitution. 17 Sept. 1787. 15 Feb. 2004 .Keyssar, Alex. It Pays to Win the Smaller States. The New York Times 20 Nov. 2000, Late ed ., sec. A 27.Plissner, Martin. Bush by 537 Gore by 537,179. The New York Times 16 Nov. 2001, sec. A 25. Knipp, Katie , and Stephanie Lazzaro. Electoral College -- Outdated or Valuable Asset to Election Process? 9 Dec. 2003. Digital Partners Network. 1 Feb. 2004Dunham, Richard S. Will History Repeat Itself in 2004? Business Week 22 Dec. 2003 51. Rothwell, Jenn T. Prospects for the Electoral College after Election 2000. Social Education 65 (2001) Abbott, David W., and James P. Levine. terms Winner. New York Praeger, 1991

Overcoming Barriers To Effective Communication Essay -- Communication

Overcoming Barriers to Effective CommunicationsE preciseone has experienced, at one time or another the licking of feeling misunderstood and being unable to make ourselves understood by another person. Anything which, blocks the meaning of a conversation, is a barrier to communication. Effective communication is ilk a house build one block at a time. First to build a house trust must be built trust is not a group process it is created in one to one connections with each several(prenominal). Second, be bold and open, better communications are clear, direct, respect, pondering and frequent. And finally, strive to continually overcome the barriers to effective communication, challenge others to grow and educate your self. There are many barriers to effective communication, we will examine four of the master(prenominal) ones, stereotyping, language, showing approval or disapproval, and becoming defensive. One of the greatest barriers to communication is stereotyping. A stereotype is defined as A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image(www.dictonary.com). When an individual has a preconception about another individual, it makes it difficult for the individual not to view the other individuals communication with prejudice. Within stereotyping in that location are many facets in which one holds bias views to another individuals message. Of these there are stereotypes for race, religion, and gender. To better understand how stereotyping can hinder effective communication each area needs to be scrutinized in greater detail.To this day, some people are still judging others by the color of their skin. Racial stereotyping is an extremely detrimental facet of stereotyping. It can very well pave the road to out right racism. R... ...uickly bringing any major conflicts into the open and resolves them as a team build common ground.Since there has been many different examples expressed of barriers related to everyday communication, whe ther at home, or at work, you now have the tools to overcome these barriers. Just remember to be patient, get a line and make yourself more effective at communicating. What it is you want to say? Build a house strong and others will follow. Referencesht/fulltext.assp?resultSetId=R00000000&hitNum=5&booleanTerm=effective%20communication&fuzzy/Term 10/12/2000ht/fulltext.assp?resultSetId=R00000000&hitNum=6&booleanTerm=effective%20communication&fuzzy/Term 10/12/2000http//www.mediate.com/articles/foster.cfm?plain=t 10/12/2000http//www.health.ufl.edu/nursing/fall99/nur3065c/hx/tsld014.htm 10/12/2000www.dictonary.com

Dogs Essay -- Shelter Dogs

The results of the study scaled the dogs on five dimensions of behavior temperament playfulness, quirk/fearfulness, chase-proneness, sociableness, and aggressiveness (De Palma et al., 2005). Dogs living in render shelters were assessed as demonstrating a low degree of playfulness, showing distraction by the environment when being enticed to play. The sheltered dogs overly scored low on curiosity but, high on fearful behavior. The cortisol levels for the sheltered dogs were significantly higher than the cortisol levels of canines living in households, indicative of focus and anxiety associated with shelter lifestyle. Shelter dogs showed a low proportion of chase-proneness supported by demonstrations of low physical activity and excitability. Shelter dogs were assessed as exhibiting low levels of sociability toward conspecies but, a high sociability when concerning humans (De Palma et al., 2005). This trend was also demonstrated when observing levels of aggressiveness the dogs see med more antagonistic toward conspecies than humans. It should be noted that shelter dogs displayed lofty bouts of hostile behavior and results were supported by little data.It is interesting to find a set of shared characteristics existing in canines living in rescue shelters. Such findings lead one to speculate if the shelter environment may be partly responsible for inducing behavior characteristics? After all, dogs living in shelters are subjected to a variety of stressors including isolation from attachment figures, loss of control, intense noise, and a multitude of other distressing stimuli (Tuber, Miller, Caris, Halter, Linden & Hennessy, 1999). A dog countenance such a harsh environment is likely to acquire abnormal social behavior, retarded ... ...able the rescue staff and volunteers to be proficiently skilled in executing canine behavioral therapies. As a result, shelters would be able to help community members eradicate problem behaviors and improve the bond with thei r pets. This would allow shelters to make out a first resource, not just a final solution.Part TwoReview of Personal ExperiencesSince as far back as I can remember, I have always loved dogs As a young girl, I would often beg my parents to let me adopt one, but they refused. My sire was not keen on dogs and had a low tolerance for their typical behaviors. I was determined to get a dog, despite my parents denial. Whenever I would encounter a dog unaccompanied by its owner, I would take it home with me. When I was confronted by my parents, I would cry and make up some elaborate base as to why we had to rescue that dog.

The Tempest Essay -- Literary Analysis, Shakespeare, Classics

The similarities and differences between Aime Cesaires ATempest and William Shakespeares The Tempest gives the pronounceer an idea that it is a governmental solvent. From the way that both of the titles of these works of literature differ, an idea of impression is offered. They share a similar story line yet, afterwards some iodin has read A Tempest a different perspective is gained. A Tempest is actually considered a post colonial geological period piece of writing and mavin can acquire and prove this by the forms in which Aime Cesaire portrays the characters and switches around their personalities and their traits,the duration periods and the acquisition of langu while, and the ways power is used reveals that it is then a political response from a post colonial perspective. Shakespeares The Tempest and Cesaires A Tempest differ in the way it is expressed. From the words, the and a the whole concept of tempest is changed completely. The definition of the word tempe st could mean two things, a violent windstorm, frequently accompanied by rain,snow,or hail and/or a furiosus agitation, commotion,or disorder an uproar. Shakespeares The Tempest is correlated with the rootage definition while Cesaires A Tempest associates more with the second one. Shakespeares The Tempest starts of with a storm and on a air A tempestuous noise of din and lightning heard (Shakespeare 1667-69) while Cesaires begins with Caliban shouting, Uhuru (Cesaire 1721) which means freedom. Those examples gives us the concept of the storm and an a uproar.The time period in which The Tempest was written is the age of exploration is within the time frame of the mid 1400s towards the late 1500s. The discovery and colonization of far off lands, these years were filled ... ...liban called him a colony rob .(Cesaire 1727) Also,Cesaire made it seemed as Prospero punish was another conquest not really a vengeful act. By the end, the commentator sees this with his reasoning of why he forgived them. Ariel was ever so overly compliant and was evermore called my dear Ariel by Prospero. While Caliban, the black slave was treated horridly and threatned. Prospero told Ariel it doesnt matter what that villain plots against me?All the nobility of Italy,Naples,and Milan and henceforward combined,will protect my person.(Cesaire 1723) There is no doubt that Cesaire is trying to say no matter what, us Europeans always stick together, so he has nothing on me, he doesnt phase me which is one of the main ideals in this political response.During slavery, Europeans had alot of control over the Africans fate but, there were always limits that caused a tempest. The Tempest Essay -- Literary Analysis, Shakespeare, ClassicsThe similarities and differences between Aime Cesaires ATempest and William Shakespeares The Tempest gives the reader an idea that it is a political response. From the way that both of the titles of these works of literature differ, an id ea of concept is offered. They share a similar story line yet, after some one has read A Tempest a different perspective is gained. A Tempest is actually considered a post colonial period piece of writing and one can acquire and prove this by the forms in which Aime Cesaire portrays the characters and switches around their personalities and their traits,the time periods and the acquisition of language, and the ways power is used reveals that it is indeed a political response from a post colonial perspective. Shakespeares The Tempest and Cesaires A Tempest differ in the way it is expressed. From the words, the and a the whole concept of tempest is changed completely. The definition of the word tempest could mean two things, a violent windstorm, frequently accompanied by rain,snow,or hail and/or a furiosus agitation, commotion,or tumult an uproar. Shakespeares The Tempest is correlated with the first definition while Cesaires A Tempest associates more with the second one. Shakespe ares The Tempest starts of with a storm and on a ship A tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard (Shakespeare 1667-69) while Cesaires begins with Caliban shouting, Uhuru (Cesaire 1721) which means freedom. Those examples gives us the concept of the storm and an a uproar.The time period in which The Tempest was written is the age of exploration is within the time frame of the mid 1400s towards the late 1500s. The discovery and colonization of far off lands, these years were filled ... ...liban called him a colony addict .(Cesaire 1727) Also,Cesaire made it seemed as Prospero revenge was another conquest not really a vengeful act. By the end, the reader sees this with his reasoning of why he forgived them. Ariel was always overly compliant and was always called my dear Ariel by Prospero. While Caliban, the black slave was treated horridly and threatned. Prospero told Ariel it doesnt matter what that villain plots against me?All the nobility of Italy,Naples,and Milan and hence forth combined,will protect my person.(Cesaire 1723) There is no doubt that Cesaire is trying to say no matter what, us Europeans always stick together, so he has nothing on me, he doesnt phase me which is one of the main ideals in this political response.During slavery, Europeans had alot of control over the Africans fate but, there were always limits that caused a tempest.

The Tempest Essay -- Literary Analysis, Shakespeare, Classics

The similarities and differences between Aime Cesaires A disturbance and William Shakespeares The disturbance gives the reader an idea that it is a political response. From the vogue that both of the titles of these works of writings differ, an idea of thought is offered. They share a similar story line yet, after some one has read A Tempest a polar perspective is gained. A Tempest is actually considered a post colonial period piece of writing and one female genital organ acquire and prove this by the forms in which Aime Cesaire portrays the characters and switches around their personalities and their traits,the time periods and the acquisition of language, and the ways power is used reveals that it is indeed a political response from a post colonial perspective. Shakespeares The Tempest and Cesaires A Tempest differ in the way it is expressed. From the words, the and a the whole concept of agitation is changed completely. The interpretation of the word tempest could m ean two things, a violent windstorm, frequently accompanied by rain,snow,or hail and/or a furiosus agitation, commotion,or tumult an uproar. Shakespeares The Tempest is correlated with the first definition patch Cesaires A Tempest associates more with the second one. Shakespeares The Tempest starts of with a storm and on a ship A tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard (Shakespeare 1667-69) while Cesaires begins with Caliban shouting, Uhuru (Cesaire 1721) which means freedom. Those examples gives us the concept of the storm and an a uproar.The time period in which The Tempest was written is the age of exploration is within the time put together of the mid 1400s towards the late 1500s. The find and colonization of far off lands, these years were filled ... ...liban called him a colony addict .(Cesaire 1727) Also,Cesaire made it seemed as Prospero revenge was another(prenominal) conquest not genuinely a vengeful act. By the end, the reader sees this with his reasoning of why he forgived them. Ariel was always overly compliant and was always called my respectable Ariel by Prospero. While Caliban, the colored slave was treated horridly and threatned. Prospero told Ariel it doesnt matter what that villain plots against me?All the nobility of Italy,Naples,and Milan and henceforth combined,will protect my person.(Cesaire 1723) There is no query that Cesaire is trying to say no matter what, us Europeans always stick together, so he has nothing on me, he doesnt phase me which is one of the main(prenominal) ideals in this political response.During slavery, Europeans had alot of lead over the Africans fate but, there were always limits that caused a tempest. The Tempest Essay -- Literary Analysis, Shakespeare, ClassicsThe similarities and differences between Aime Cesaires ATempest and William Shakespeares The Tempest gives the reader an idea that it is a political response. From the way that both of the titles of these works of liter ature differ, an idea of concept is offered. They share a similar story line yet, after some one has read A Tempest a different perspective is gained. A Tempest is actually considered a post colonial period piece of writing and one can acquire and prove this by the forms in which Aime Cesaire portrays the characters and switches around their personalities and their traits,the time periods and the acquisition of language, and the ways power is used reveals that it is indeed a political response from a post colonial perspective. Shakespeares The Tempest and Cesaires A Tempest differ in the way it is expressed. From the words, the and a the whole concept of tempest is changed completely. The definition of the word tempest could mean two things, a violent windstorm, frequently accompanied by rain,snow,or hail and/or a furiosus agitation, commotion,or tumult an uproar. Shakespeares The Tempest is correlated with the first definition while Cesaires A Tempest associates more with the s econd one. Shakespeares The Tempest starts of with a storm and on a ship A tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard (Shakespeare 1667-69) while Cesaires begins with Caliban shouting, Uhuru (Cesaire 1721) which means freedom. Those examples gives us the concept of the storm and an a uproar.The time period in which The Tempest was written is the age of exploration is within the time frame of the mid 1400s towards the late 1500s. The discovery and colonization of far off lands, these years were filled ... ...liban called him a colony addict .(Cesaire 1727) Also,Cesaire made it seemed as Prospero revenge was another conquest not really a vengeful act. By the end, the reader sees this with his reasoning of why he forgived them. Ariel was always overly compliant and was always called my dear Ariel by Prospero. While Caliban, the black slave was treated horridly and threatned. Prospero told Ariel it doesnt matter what that villain plots against me?All the nobility of Italy,Naples, and Milan and henceforth combined,will protect my person.(Cesaire 1723) There is no doubt that Cesaire is trying to say no matter what, us Europeans always stick together, so he has nothing on me, he doesnt phase me which is one of the main ideals in this political response.During slavery, Europeans had alot of control over the Africans fate but, there were always limits that caused a tempest.

Remedial education Essay

According to my knowledge, asseveration divine services empower people. I think education helps shape people it affects how we act, think and respond. Sometimes education can help a somebody find their path in life. The process of getting a good education, however, may have its flaws. Most of the time, kids who argon raised in a poor people neighborhood doesnt get the corresponding opportunities as kids who are raised in a wealthier community. Like Mike pink wine, I believed that every unitary deserves a second chance in education.Remedial education was created mainly for that reason. It was created to help schoolchilds who are underprepared and students who are immigrants. Remedial education also helps many immigrants by exploitation their basic education. Mike Rose pointed out the importance of remedial education in chapters 9 and 10 of his book Why School? Reclaiming Education for all in all of Us. Remedial education is the foundation of the education system in the united States because it helps ensure the success of many students.Remedial education helps prepare students who has have a bad education and also offers students a second chance to acquire the fundamental skills needed to get back on track. A students backgrounds always have a big impact in their education. Most of the time, students who are in remedial education are students who came from a poor background. Living in a poor neighborhood can affects a students education greatly because of all the distractions. In chapter 10, Mike Rose talked active a student of his name Kevin.Mike Rose stated He was a good student in poor schools, schools with dated textbooks, strange resources for enrichment, high teacher turnover. A person future should not be decided because he or she was born in a lower class. If Universities doesnt offered remedial education, Kevin would most likely dropout of school. After Kevins dropout, the chance of him earning a high salary is slim. The result of that creat es a cycle that many Americans are assay to get out of. I think remedial education helps give these students a chance to break that cycle.Like Mike Rose said, remedial education helps these students greatly by giving the students a second chance at education. In chapter 10, Mike Rose stated that is the remediation in nation that prides itself as being a second-chance society. Where this nation is the land where everyone is supposedly given the equal opportunities, students should get equal opportunity. The United States was built on the quote the land of opportunities. It is one of the main reasons why the United States is number one on immigrants population.Immigrants who immigrate to this country are mostly non-English speakers, they should be able to receive the same opportunity to success like others students. Remedial education helps many immigrants who may need a little extra help for prepare for college. Some colleges follow remedial students as a hassle and a waste of col lege resources. In chapter 9, Mike Rose stated Kick remediation off campus, and the primary affair you will achieve is the greater exclusion of American youth from higher education (Rose 124).Dismissing remedial education is like denying education from the students. Roses statement helps reinforce the fact that remedial education helps Universities and Colleges to reach it highest potential. I think that Universities and Colleges should invest more resources in remedial education because it makes them look good. Show others institutions that they are capable of training underprepared students to be highly qualified graduate, now that is an impressive accomplishment. .Remedial education has always been very important in my family.My uncle has always been a person that I admired the most, simply because he worked hard to achieve his American dream. My uncle was a professor teaching at a University in Vietnam. He came to the United State in the year 2000. He spoke no English, yet the d esire to learn and succeed had driven him to the land of opportunities. It was very tough at first, but slowly after settling down, he decided to attend a community college. As he recalled, remediation classes helps build his skills. It helped him learn the about the culture, the language, and the importance of communication.He learned that real education come from engaging courses. Courses that help students develop their thinking, as well as, challenge the instructors. He admitted that without remedial education, he would never be able to fully be prepared for higher education. Now my uncle has developed his own business by using the communication skills and networking he learned in his remedial classes. He is the living prove that remedial education are the core of the education system.Although remedial education shows how unprepared American students may be for college, it also revealed the false in our educational system. As much as the government tries to reform education, the re will always be a loophole. For many students who are affected by this, they rely on remedial education as there last hope to get a good education. Remedial education also acts as a review for many students who feel that they are in need to revisit the basics. No liaison what nationality or history a student has, he or she deserves a second chance at education and a remedial education ensures this.

AussieBum Reflection Essay

AussieBum is an Australian male underwear and swimwear brand. The guild is based in Sydneys inner-west and has become one of Australias most sought after brands.Originally unless a hobby for company founder Sean Ashby, AussieBum started in the corner of his reinforcement room. As time progressed and his brand became popular, operations moved out of his living room and expanded into a company w arhouse. After being shunned by Australian retailers, the company moved online. Once word got out about the Australian surf-cultured underwear, the rest of the world became interested.AussieBums prime function is selling mens underwear and swimwear to a target market of young men aged between 16 and 39. At this stage, AussieBum would be in the maturity stage of the traffic Life Cycle because it has already expanded and grown to be a large company. At this stage it is focused on the selling of its products before variation its brand. AussieBum have hit the mark with their marketing and bran d strategy, which allows them to mature for longer.The company has a goal to turn over more than $20 billion dollars in a year. AussieBum also wants to see more people wearing their products.AussieBum has a partnership as its ownership form. This is the best structure as it allows the company to be guided by two people rather than dictated by one. It also leaves the two leaders answerable to each other so that there is no misguided activities or ideas that are not regulated or thought through well enough.A major challenge was set about during the initial stages of the company. They were shunned by Australian retailers, which gave them no opportunity to launch their brand in stores. They reciprocated their downfall into success by launching a website which has enabled them to become a global company.The e-business approach was a positive move for AussieBum. Consumers purchase AussieBums products online from anywhere in the world, easily allowing the company to go global. Originally the e-business model as adapted so that the company could get their brand in the public eye without having a retailer carry it.AussieBums marketing strategy has been simple, entirely unique. There have been no television or radio advertisements instead there have been several online campaigns to promote the company. In relation to the four Ps, they have always let their product do the marketing work. By having their products on show in the public eye, it has set up the public aware of the brand. The prices are not as expensive as exclusive brands, but carry the same level of design and quality, making it an affordable alternative.By having their product in the right place, the product is promoting itself. The promotion of the business is mainly done in the online world. Photo-shoots are done with attractive, well-built Australian models in Australian environments e.g. Bondi Beach and used on their websites and other internet sites like Facebook and other social networks.I believe that AussieBums marketing strategy has been extremely successful. Their strategy proves the power of the consumer. They strategy has made their product highly desirable and sought after across the world. The increasingly higher popularity of the internet over the years would have helped their strategy to be successful.Sean Ashby tin be considered an entrepreneur as he demonstrates qualities that are essential to their success. By being resilient and using initiative, Sean was able to re-group after being rejected by Australian retailers and use his initiative to start an online portal for his brand, eliminating the need for a retail outlet. He has also had the determination to be able to keep functional on his company to bring it to the success levels that it is experiencing.I would suggest that the company attempt to move their brand into elusive Australian department stores e.g. Myer and David Jones to boost their profit.From study the AussieBum article, I have learned to thin k outside the box and not to stick to the status quo. Sean Ashby has proved that there are more ways to make a retail brand successful than just selling it in stores. He also proved that there better ways to connect with the consumer than just advertising.AussieBum Mission StatementAussieBum aims to bring a burst of energy and uniqueness to your underwear. We spice up whats underneath.AussieBum will make you feel confident and elevated to show whats hiding. We want you to be excited about AussieBum shopping, and get excited to wear AussieBum.

Human Nature By Mark Twain

Conformity is defined by Zimbardo (1992) as, A tendency for people to adopt behavior, values and attitudes of other members of a reference group. Mann (1969) identified the two major types of alignity normative alignity and informational conformity. Normative conformity is caused by a desire to be liked. People conform because they think that other members of their reference group will like and accept them.They also want to avoid embarrassment and humiliation from other group members. It is a desire to be right that forms the basis of informational conformity people conform because they look to others whom they believe to be correct to give them information. Humanity is questioned by acknowledging that self-approval comes from make your thoughts conform to the majoritys belief system. Mark Twain has always been a keen observer of human reputation.For example, according to his article Corn-Pone Opinions he wrote to the highest degree those people who he was surrounded with in his everyday life. Mark Twains root that group thinking is inevitable is mirrored. Mark Twain, considered the father of Ameri nates lite browseure, attempts to define Corn-Pone and prove that it is found on the claim for approval by other men of similar mindsets. In the opening, Twain writes about the positive qualities of his friend whom he is listening to without the permission of his mother.Another clear example of how he knows his mother has a reason for not allowing him to listen, based on her conforming to societys belief against black men creation equal to white. However, before he finishes he leaves the reader with the knowledge that the friend is in fact a slave. Thus Twains, Corn-pone Opinions, immediately shows that he too has move under the spell of public opinion.Otherwise why would Twain even mention that the friend is a slave. He is saying it is only human nature to believe what others believe and in this case it is the inferiority of the black man. I agree with Tw ain, he invites the reader to become aware that our opinions are strictly influenced by the actions of others and the acceptance of our peers. Slavery is a perfect example of an accepted belief, changes are not reasoned out we merely notice and conform As a rule we do not think, we only imitate.This implies that slavery, itself, was a shared belief that quietly became the norm and thus accepted. Here, Twain was clearly stating he was a supporter of the abolition of slavery.In the short essay, The Corn-Pone Opinions, published after Mark Twains death in 1910, the great humorist, presents the notion that societys beliefs are affected by social pressures to conform to an agreed upon norm.Basically, people have a natural tendency to conform and be similar to those around them. When a new idea or cult comes along it is first seen as odd and unflattering. As more and more attempt to imitate the new fad or idea it becomes accepted. The new idea or fad is only acceptable because all the oth ers are doing it, Even the woman who refuses from first to last to wear the hoop skirt comes under the impartiality and is its slave she could not wear the skirt and have her own approval and that she mustiness have, she cannot help herself. Thus public opinion is based on zipper more that mans acceptance of others thoughts. However, Twain is not preaching and presents the case through clear examples filled with extensive details and descriptions such as, He was a merry and impudent and satirical and delightful young black man. Similarly, Henry David Thoreaus, Life Without Principles, concludes that man has accepted and conformed to societys opinion and norm of adding for wages.His essay includes several(prenominal) examples of how the everyday man is being turned into a slave by the need to work for wages and not live life based on love of life. His arguments are told through a series of stories. Each story illustrates the notion that wisdom and loving life itself are far more priceless than the wages they work so hard for every day. To have done anything by which you earned money merely is to have been truly idle or worse.If the laborer gets no more than the wages which his employer pays him, he is cheated, he cheats himself, beautifully displays Thoreaus belief that being able to enjoy poetry or merely go for a walk in the woods alone, holds much greater satisfaction for the everyday man. Man must be able to see beyond the need to make a living by merely working for a paycheck.The evolution of, Life Without Principles, came out of lectures given in 1854. It was through those lectures that you see Thoreaus school of thought aligning with Transcendentalism. Thoreau is begging man to follow his hearts desire, in order to have a fulfilling and worthwhile life. Henry David Thoreau is stating that the corporeal things around us are at a lower place the spiritual ideals that perpetuate the universe. Mankind should be more concerned with living life, rather than making a living in order to survive life.Thoreau writes about doing a fulfilling job, one that you can be personally invested in and not just collect a paycheck from its completion. The fact that the essay was written in 1863 and published posthumously, is hard to believe as it clearly replicates the present day workaholic syndrome so prevalent in our society. Its very similar in fact to the rat race of business.Life is a series of business deals and one is always in search of the almighty dollar as a come back for a good job. For example Thoreau writes, This field is a place of business. What an infinite bustle I am awaked almost every night by the trousering of the locomotive. It interrupts my dreams. There is no Sabbath. It would be glorious to see mankind at leisure for once. It is nothing but work, work, work.Thoreau also attempts to illustrate that you should only work at something you truly love. In fact, hiring someone who does not love his job is also a no-no. Thus , what is it that you can do to discover your passion and calling, meanwhile shake up others to do the same? The wealth of knowledge is way more valuable if you are working and enjoying what you do on a daily basis.So you can see that both Twain and Thoreau are critics of basic American belief systems. Twain is arguing that there is no such thing as an genuine opinion about anything. Thoreau argues, that there has never been a time when man wasnt forced to believe in some kind of conformity, such as you must earn a wage by working.The writers had similar writing styles and used vivid descriptions to illustrate their points. In addition, both Thoreau and Twain were great observers of man and the world around him. Thoreau seems to be more concerned with separating himself from mankind in search of the meaning of life. Twain seems to want to focus on man and the uncanny qualification to follow the leader. Either way, both Corn-Pone Opinions and Life without Principle, make you want to question the why in life.

Engaging Students In Learning Process Essay

AbstractTechnology plays a great role in education. Students get motivated when engine room establish education is switchn in the classroom. WebQuests involve inquiry-based k flatledge in which students ar promote to curb in meeting. The present paper provides development around the use of WebQuest as an educational engine room. Various aspects of WebQuests be covered in this paper such as definition of WebQuest, offices, use of WebQuest as a constructivist tool, instruction execution of WebQuest and advantages and disadvantages of WebQuests. Recommendations be given at the end of the paper. The author as well provides a self-made WebQuest for category 9-10 students attached to this paper.Engaging Students in Learning Processing employ WebQuestsIntroductionTechnology has been used as a instruction tool in schools since many years. It is very(prenominal) important to know the meanss through which the technology set up be employed to bring newborn opportunities to students to conjure up their scholarship abilities. Technology offers numerous benefits to students. Technology offers tools that bottomland be used to enhance the encyclopaedism ability of a student. Thinking skills lot also be enhanced with the use of technology in education. Students receive a variety of learning activities argon au thuslytic too. Students be support for the regulation of their learning process depending on their abilities (Cho & Jonassen 2002).Despite numerous benefits, technology possesses some challenges too. Students usually do not sequence lag to take proper guidelines from the instructor and they start exploitation technology in their classrooms immediately. Thus they begin to face a large number of difficulties too.It is believed that the tralatitious way to respect the performance of students need to be shifted from paper and pencil to technology based methods because a large number of students in schools and colleges are now using technology such as word processors and spreadsheets in doing their work. Thus the traditional method trancems to be failed as this method corporation not explain and assess what the students have learned from technical way. The paper and pencil mode of assessment is left behind (Almeida, Vesu, and Ponte, 2003).Another study explained that technology based education is rather promising because it can help foster the groundwork of communities and the learners become fit to perform several occupations such as learners get more open opportunities to enhance the communication process in the classroom discussions among students and between students and teachers may be support and the authority is shared among students and teacher because the classroom is now more cryptic in resourcefulnesss (Brooks & Brooks, 1999).This paper provides information about the use of WebQuest as an educational technology used in the classroom.WebQuestDefinitionWebQuest can be defined as a tool that is effective for learning in an online inquiry-oriented environment. This can be explained as in this type of learning, students are encouraged for the evaluation and exploration of neces simulateate information with the help of World Wide Web in their classrooms (Chandler 2003).According to Tom March, Circa (2003)A WebQuest is a scaff former(a)ed learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students investigation of a central, open-ended read/write head, development of individual expertise and participation in a final group process that attempts to transform newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding. The best WebQuests do this in a way that inspires students to see richer thematic relationships, facilitate a contri howeverion to the genuinely world of learning and reflect on their own meta-cognitive processes (p.1).WebQuests are of varying lengths. Sometimes they are shortstop enough to cover just in oneness class period and sometimes they require a month for completion. Group work is usually encouraged in WebQuests as each member of the work group is assign specific tasks to perform. The teacher is responsible for the selection of the specific resources prior the WebQuest use in the classroom. Thus, students are given the time to use the information and they need not to spend any time to look for the specific material (Dodge 1997).Source (Tom March, 2007).Components and Types of WebQuests there are six important components of WebQuest. They are named as Introduction In this section, background information is provided to the learners. Students are given specific tasks and roles to motivate them. For example You are a geologist looking for volcanoes. Students are provided with the overview in the beginning that tells them about their goals they have to achieved in their learning process. Introduction is presented to the students in such a way that they trust to perform tha t activity along with fun. Students are assigned the projects that are relevant to their previous experiences, students, future plans or ideas. When students receive projects of their interests, they get involved easily in them. Thus it is the main purpose of the introduction section of each WebQuest to motivate each student by exciting and engaging them.When the WebQuest is based on a longer period such as over a month then the introduction is given daily to the students to refresh their memory and to let them align the most appropriate material for their project. In long-term WebQuest, real world components such as print media and guest lectures are given to the students along their online investigation.The asset of real world components is very important for long-term WebQuests because if students are allowed to rely only on the online investigations then they may consider the marrows of the lesson as something unreal. Thus, in a long-term WebQuest projects, introduction is gi ven daily to the students to bear them up-to-date with all the information and necessary material for they motivation (Dodge 2001). TaskTask is the second component of a WebQuest. The purpose of this component is to inform the students about the lessons to be learned till the end of the project. Initially, the teachers have to look for the specific information that is required in a specific project. Then they design the activity that requires the information gathered from online resources. Students are given the task that is to be performed by searching the information online. The task is designed in a way to make it doable, means that each task moldiness has to be striveed. The most difficult part in the creation of a WebQuest project is the development of the main research question. This part is quite creative and needs a certain amount of time to search whether the question can be answered. Students can be asked to do a variety of tasks such as they may need to circulate the in formation they gathered on the website, they may be asked to work in collaboration with other online institution to perform specific research for the completion of a project and they may be asked to explain their research by using multimedia. The students are encouraged to complete their task in an interesting, appealing, optical and important manner. Students should be given an example of a completed project. This given an idea to them how their project willing look standardized aft(prenominal) the completion. They become able to see the complete picture of the project in the beginning. They also come to know how they should perform to accomplish their task. It is great to show the students work of previous students.Teachers may also nonplus the similar projects online done antecedently by other students as an example to show to their students. A large number of sample projects available for the students motivate them by showing them the efforts and achievements of other studen ts. Students keep in mind the necessary bills they have to take to perform a specific task efficiently. The teacher can use any prosperous project several times in different semesters and different classes. The project specifications can be modified each time. Students can be motivated by showing them the like project and challenge them to show a better project than the previous one (Jonassen & Rohrer-Murphy 1999). Process Process is the third component of a WebQuest. In this component, the students are informed about all the steps that the students need to take for the completion of a project. Each step is surrounded by a number of links.It is advised for projects of longer duration that the teacher or one or two students demonstrate each step. Demonstration helps the students learn each step in a better manner and they become able to understand the written directions more easily (Kennedy 2004). Resources This is the fourth component of a WebQuest. In this component, a list of all the necessary resources that involve printed material and online resources are given to the students for the accomplishment of a specific task. A separate section was allocated in the old WebQuests for the resources but now in the recent WebQuests, the resources are attached with the instructions in the Process section. The students can access those resources when they are to perform that step. Though online resource are very important but it is also a fact that non-Web resources are not less important. Resources should be of variety and thus the quality of WebQuests can be enhanced by the use of online and non-Web resources. Non-Web resources can be of different types such as places, audio cassettes, field trips, maps, sculptures, books etc. to motivate the students (Lara 2003). military rank Evaluation is the fifth component of a WebQuest. Three types of student examples can be pointed out when the introduction of a WebQuest is presented. The three examples of students inclu de exemplary, acceptable and impossible.During the introduction, students are understandably shown what is meant by an excellent work. They are given examples of exemplary and acceptable work thus clearing the vision of the students and to motivate them to work hard to achieve the excellence. Examples of unacceptable work are given to students to show them what type of work cannot be accepted and thus enabling the students to know about the minimum standards required to accomplish a task (Lipscomb 2003). Conclusion This is the last component of a WebQuest. In this component, the students are asked to present their reflections about their work and the teachers are required to sum up the project. Students are given time to discuss their project thus following the constructivist approach that though learning is achieved by doing but learning can be enhanced by discussion of what has been done. Teachers usually encourage their students during the conclusion section to explain if they come up with more better ways to perform the same project (March 2000).WebQuest as a Constructivist Tool The constructivism theory explains how learning is achieved by performing a study that involves scientific method and observation. According to the constructivist theory, people learn and understand different aspects of world by their own experiences and by showing their reflections on their experiences. When people find something new, they usually try to bring the new information with their previous experiences.Sometimes, they find the new thing more informative and thus discard the older one and sometimes they find the new information all in all irrelevant and thus rely on their previous experiences. In each of the cases, people have to find out by themselves which one is correct and to find that they ask different questions, explore the resources and then come to a conclusion (Milson 2002). When constructivist approach is applied in the classroom, different types of teaching w ays are explained that can enhance the learning process. The most common of the teaching way is to motivate the students to utilize effective techniques such as real-world examples to gather the information, then to reflect what they have come up with and then conclude what they have done. Students explain how the new idea has changed their previous understanding. It is very important for a teacher to be conscious of the previous understandings of the students. Then the teacher guides the students to perform the activity that is based on their previous conceptions. When teachers utilize constructivist approach, they always motivate their students to find out the role of the new activity in their learning process. Students usually get the position of expert learners in a constructivist classroom because they are to ask questions themselves. This type of learning broadens their learning process and they come to know how they have to learn (Molebash & Dodge 2003). When students are co nstantly encouraged to reflect on their experiences then they seem to gain power. inviolate abilities seem to build up in the students that motivate them for the integration of any new idea or information. Thus it can be said that the one of the most important role of teacher in the constructivist classroom is to motivate the students to experience by themselves and then learn from those experiences by reflecting on them. Conservative and traditional teachers usually criticize that the role of the teacher is dismissed in the learning. But constructivism encourages teachers to play their role more efficiently and their knowledge is highly valued. In constructivist approach, the teachers are required to motivate the students for the construction of the knowledge by themselves instead of finding out the facts that have been previously observed and noted.In a constructivist classroom, the students are encouraged to use problem solving skills and they are involved in inquiry-based learn ing. These activities make the students able enough to test their ideas, reflect on their experience and present the conclusions. A constructivist classroom transforms students from passive recipients that receive information just by sitting in the classroom and listening to their teachers to active participants that not only listen to their teacher but they also get involved in searching information by using interesting methods (Ngeow & Kong 2001). There is a misconception about the constructivist theory that it forces the students to reject the older ideas and to replace them with new one such as they are asked to reinvent the wheel. But the fact is the constructivist theory does not ask the students for the reinvention of the wheel but with the help of this theory the students come to know how to use the wheel. Real world examples are given to the students that clear their ideas about how the wheels can be used in their daily lives. Thus they learn from their experience, present reflections on their experience and then come up to a conclusion that is based on their experiences. Constructivist theory is very different from other traditional ideas of education and learning. The focus is put on students rather the teachers in a constructivist classroom. The students are no longer passive students that sit in the classroom and ingest the knowledge provided by their teacher only. They are encouraged in the constructivist classroom how they should struggle to search for information. The role of the teacher now changes to facilitator who is involved in helping the students rather them forcing them to understand what the teacher says.Constructivist theory can be easily implemented in the WebQuest. Constructivist teachers ask students to initiate a WebQuest project. Students are asked different questions and they are encouraged to find the answers. Students are guided in a way to let them find the answers of the questions independently.Different types of teaching te chniques can be used in a constructivist classroom using WebQuest projects. The techniques involve students are encouraged for the formulation of the questions by themselves. Thus they are encouraged to enquiry-based learning. They are given the freedom to express their learning in multiple meaningful ways. Group work is highly encouraged and each student in a group performs a specific task (Peterson & Caverly 2003).Students are given freedom to find out new things for themselves. Students are given free hand to do the experiments, they can ask questions, and they can do the things that are often considered as things not working. Teachers play different roles such as roles of moderators, coaches and they can also give suggestions to students to facilitate their learning process. In indian lodge to enhance the learning process of students, they should be able to participate fully in activities such as active experiments. An important part of using WebQuest as a constructivist tool lies in the fact that students are given permission to give their reflections what they have done and then discuss on the conclusions.Students become experts as they are given complete opportunity to control their learning process. They choose their own path that is solely based on their reflections about their experiences. Teachers play a great role in the creation of an environment where the students are free to ask questions and give their reflections about their experiences.This can happen in private or in the form of group discussions. Teachers are also responsible for the creation of activities in a way that after performing those activities students become able to reflect their previous experiences. It is very important for the students to know what they have learned and how the learning process took place (Savery & Duffy 1995).As constructivism and WebQuest are based on the same theory, the main activity that is performed in a WebQuest classroom is to find the solution of th e problems. Inquiry method is used to ask questions. A topic is investigated and then a large number of different types of resources is utilized to find out the solution of the questions. After exploring a certain topics, the students become able to conclude. When students explore questions again and again, new questions come to their mind.Students are encouraged in a WebQuest classroom to have new ideas and do experiments to prove that later shows that their ideas were not correct or valid. But this cannot be considered as a failure because the students have put their steps in the process of knowledge integration. Students are encouraged to work in collaboration with peers. The main reason to include group learning in constructivism is that students learn from the experiences from other students working in the same group besides learning from their own experiences (Vidoni & Maddux 2002).Implementation of WebQuest in SchoolWebQuest can be implemented in schools. In raise to impleme nt WebQuest easily and successfully in a school by keeping in mind the following principlesThe thinking level of a WebQuest must be higher. The information must be transferred from one domain to another domain. A WebQuest must be designed in such as a way that does not rouse the students with heavy burden of questions that make the students only surfing the internet or that involve calculations only. A good WebQuest will lead the students to gain information and be the students able to transform that information with the help of their own problem solving skills.Though the creation of WebQuest lessons require a lot of time but it is also a fact that once the teachers have created a lesson plan, they do not have to worry about the preparation of other lesson plans while the students are work with their work. After the completion of a year, every thing will be all set. The teachers may need some amendments in the WebQuests that had been created in the previous year but it would not take much time and things will go smoothly.Learning through WebQuest is a new way for students as well as it is a new teaching method for teachers. The teachers must keep in mind that students cannot perform a task unless they are familiar with it. Students cannot be expect to perform every task in the correct manner in their first attempt. They need time to practice and the teachers need to have patience.in order to implement a WebQuest successfully, it is necessary to represent all the six essential components that have been described in this paper earlier (Scardamalia & Bereiter 1999).Advantages of WebQuestsThough the creation of WebQuests requires a large amount of time but once the WebQuests have been created they can be used over and over with some minor changes. The teachers get release of the daily worries for the lesson planning. Now they get enough time to act as facilitators and coaches to assist the students in their learning process.Tom March has explained the benefit s of WebQuests as quoted belowWebQuests will motivate your studentsStudents confront a complex and controversial real-world issueStudents grapple with a central question that truly needs answeringStudents utilize real world, up-to-date resources on the Web (from experts, current reporting, and/or fringe groups)Students assume roles and must develop expertiseResults of student work can be post or sent to real people for feedback and evaluation.WebQuests are rooted in learning theory and good teaching practiceBased upon elements of cognitive psychological science and constructivism.You provide guidance on the thinking process you want your students to follow. (Prompting or Scaffolding)Students are exposed to a broad range of information, examples, and opinions they construct their own meaning which connects with their prior knowledge and experiences. (Constructivism)Contain concrete instructional objectives and tasks.Students must transform information in some way, exercising higher o rder thinking skills like error analysis, comparison, and synthesis.Students work in cooperative learning groups which mirror real-life situations.By taking on roles, students become experts on a specific aspect of a large and complex topic.The students work in groups to solve problems, utilizing their different areas of expertise. (Similar to work situations in real life.)The work of individual students is important, as it adds to the quality of the groups solution (What are the benefits, p. 1)Disadvantages of WebQuestsWebQuests cannot be used for the learning of simple definitions, simple procedures. They are also not the best way that could be used for teaching factual recall. As some parts of the curriculums are based on such simple things, they cannot be included in the designing of a WebQuest.The biggest hurdle in the designing of a WebQuest is the availability of time. It is very important to learn about the new tools. Many teachers do not get enough time to spend in learnin g about the new tools for the creation of a WebQuest (VanFossen 2004).Students should be able to read to a certain level in order to work on WebQuests. So it can be said that the creation of WebQuests is much easier for third grade and onwards than the junior grades because their reading abilities are contain at that stage. This type of disadvantage can be over come if a WebQuest is designed very carefully by using more visual sites with less or no words in it for the junior students with limited reading proficiency (Tomlinson 2000).RecommendationsWebQuests appear to be highly effective in facilitating the learning process of students. Students tend to learn more in when technology is incorporated in education and WebQuests seem to be the best way. It is strongly recommended that all the schools should incorporate WebQuests in their standard curricula. At the time of implementation there is a need to consider all the six components that are essential for a successful WebQuest.Refer encesAlmeida, C. Vesu, F. and Ponte, J.P. (2003). WebQuest construction and implementation by mathematics student teacher The case of a WebQuest to learn isometries. In A.M.Vilas, J.A.M.Gonzlez and J.M. Gonzlez (Coords.), Advances in Technology-Based Education Toward a Knowledge-Based Society, Junta de Extremadura Badajoz, pp. 1396-1399.Brooks, Jacqueline Grennon and Brooks, Martin G. (1999). In Search of Understanding The Case for Constructivist Classrooms (revised edition). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).Chandler, H. (2003). Concept mapping and WebQuests in social studies. Media and Methods, 39(3), 38-39.Cho, K., & Jonassen, D. (2002). The effects of ancestry scaffolds on argumentation and problem solving. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 522.Dodge, B. (1997). Some thoughts about WebQuests. Retrieved June 7, 2007, from theWebQuest Homepage, San Diego State University http//webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.htmlDodge, D. (2001) FOCUS Five rules for writing great WebQuests. Learning and Leading with Technology, 28(8), 6-9, 58.Jonassen, D. H., & Rohrer-Murphy, L. (1999). practise Theory as a Framework For Designing Constructivist Learning Environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(1), 61 79.Kennedy, S. (2004). The well-constructed WebQuest. Social Studies and the YoungLearner, 16(4), 17 -19.Lara, S. (2003). WebQuest The use of Internet to enroll Inquiry-Based Learning, Cooperative Learning and 21th Century Skills. En Mndez Vilas, A. and Mesa Gonzlez, J.A. (coord). Advances in Technology- Based Education Toward a Knowledge-Based Society. Vol. 2. Junta de Extremadura. Consejera de Educa- cin, Ciencia y Tecnologa (pp 1178-1183).Lipscomb, G. (2003). I guess it was pretty fun Using WebQuests in the middle school classroom. The Clearing House, 76, 152-155.March, T. (2000). WebQuests hundred and one. Multimedia Schools, 7 (5), 55-56, 58.March, T. (2003). The Learning power of WebQuests. E ducational Leadership, 61(4), 42-47.March, T. (2007). What WebQuests atomic number 18 (Really). 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Hertzman (Eds.), Todays children, tomorrows society The developmental health and wealth of nations (pp. 274289). New York Guilford.Tomlinson, C.A. (2000). Differentiation of steering in the Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest. ED443572VanFossen, P. J. (2004). Using WebQuests to scaffold higher-order thinking. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 16(4), 13-16.Vidoni, K. L., & Maddux, C. D. (2002). WebQuests Can they be used to improve critical thinking skills in students? Computers in the Schools, 19, 101 -117.What are the Benefits of Webquests? In Tom March, WebQuests for Learning)http//www.ozline.com/webquests/intro.html retrieved from http//www.montgomerycollege.edu/ctl/Handouts/Benefits.htm on June 7, 2007.