Friday, September 6, 2019

Effect of Electronic Media in Public Essay Example for Free

Effect of Electronic Media in Public Essay People’s life is becoming more convenient and colorful compared with the past years because of the growing popularity of electronic media, which are media that use electronics or electromechanical energy for the end-user (audience) to access the content. The user of electronic media, such as the internet, 3G mobile phone were increasing rapidly in China within the past years. In the year of 1987, Chinese people sent their first email to Germany in an institute located in Beijing. In 2000, the number of internet users was 225, 000, 00 and this figure reached to 513,000,000 by the end of December, 2011. Besides, Chinese mobile phone users have exceeded one billion by the end of 2011. Why these electronic media increase so fast? Because it is the age of information and technology today. Xiaoping Deng (1988) pointed out that Science and technology constitute the primary productive force. Electronic media devices have found their way into all parts of modern life. For example, a person who has something urgent to inform to his family, of course he would choose to use e-mail instead of writing letter, for its more convenient and fast and can be read at any time or anywhere by the receiver. The other electronic media, like telephone, telegraph, which are all quicker and safer than the traditional way to communicate. Besides, books and newspapers cost people a lot (money, time, etc.) since these traditional media published frequently and updated slower than the electronic media, such as the internet. The electronic media affect people’s life greatly because of their convenience and safety. It also provides people with a public platform to express the true thoughts from their inner world. However, we should know that there are always two sides to everything, and it is without exception for electronic media. Excessive using of electronic media may lead people to indulge in the virtual world. For instance, children are addicted to net games so the phenomenon of absenteeism in school appeared which is a rare  phenomenon in the past years. Moreover, since the early 1960s, research evidence has been showing that violence in television, movies, video games, cell phones, and on the Internet increases the risk of violent behavior. In conclusion, People should know how to use these advanced and modern media in a reasonable way, for these new electronic media could result in a serious of problem during their lifetime if they are used improperly by the people. References 1.The 29th China Internet Development Statistics Report(2012).{online].Available from: http://www.cnnic.cn/research/bgxz/tjbg/201201/t20120116_23668.html 2.Wikipedia.{online].Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_media 3.L. Rowell Huesmann. (2007). The Impact of Electronic Media Violence: Scientific Theory and Research.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

The Process Of Time Table Construction Computer Science Essay

The Process Of Time Table Construction Computer Science Essay The process of time-table construction can prove to be a hectic task considering the number of cohorts [courses] and the modules [subjects] offered by a specific university. This is mainly because, there could be a deadlock in allotment of the schedule considering all the constraints to be satisfied .This requires logical thinking which definitely consumes a large amount of time. Moreover, identification of the inconsistencies and their respective solutions can prove to be disastrous. Initially , the task of time table scheduling was done manually .This proved to be troublesome ,error-prone and time consuming .To overcome these problems , automated exam time-table generation has come to light. With a wider range of choices available to the students in the selection of modules [ subjects ] and cohorts [ courses] of their choice , the flexibility of the University improves but at the same time , the task of time-table creation becomes merely complicated .However , a software which can consider all the constraints and cross faculty modules [latter includes the modules taken by students from various faculties]as well , is of immense help. Thus ,the scientific society has given considerable attention to automated time-table generation from the last four decades .One of the most primitive ones used the concepts of one or more of the following operational methodologies network flow techniques reduction to graph coloring integer programming direct heuristics and more The latest technology uses advanced techniques like expert systems which work on the concept of artificial intelligence, logic programming which uses languages like Prolog, constraint logic programming and generic evolutionary algorithms .However , there is no universally accepted language for time-table creation. Several attempts have been made to formulate one but these are left incomplete. In this software , the constraint satisfaction is 99% .Moreover , the interface developed is use friendly where in the user doesnt have to enter the names of the cohorts and modules which he wishes to opt for as he can just select the same from the drop down lists . WHAT IS CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION? Constraint satisfaction was first introduced in artificial intelligence .This is a logical problem solving language merged with a programming language which is used to solve a given problem with a specific set of constraints. This deals with the assignment of certain values to the variables while meeting certain conditions. It is represented as a set of variables Xi and a set of constraints Ci where each constraint specifies a subset of variables and an allowable combination of these. In this project some of the main constraints which are to be considered are as below: Students belonging to different cohorts but studying a common module must have the exam on the same day. No two modules of the same cohorts can have their respective exams on the same day One of the soft constraints is that no two exams of the same cohort must be on the same day Thus, these are satisfied before the software is deployed .The techniques used in constraint satisfaction are purely dependent on the constraints. Constraints specific to a finite domain are solved using search strategies in the form of backtracking or local search. Constraint propagation is yet another technique which is used but however is sometimes incomplete. That is it either solves the problem or proves and declares it unsatisfiable .These methods are combined with the search strategies to simplify the process. There are many constraint programming libraries which can be included in this project. Since Java is the platform we develop the project on, Choco is an appropriate library which can be easily used with Java programming .it is an event based propagating system with backtrack structures. More on Choco is discussed in the later sections on the report. BRUTE FORCE TECHNIQUE: Brute force technique is a process of finding the result by taking all the possible inputs i.e., a trial and error process. If a taken Input yields the correct result then it is treated as the correct input. If not then it goes for the next input until we get the correct result. We can consider knapsack problem as an example of a brute force technique. Knapsack problem generally means a bag which should be filled with weights that should yield maximum profit. The most implicit constraint of knapsack problem is to maximize profit with minimum weight. Let us say there a four types of materials as follows gold , silver , platinum and bronze with profit values of 1000,10,2000 and 5 and weights of 2,3,4,5 .Thief want more profit with his minimum capacity bag let us say it can fit 5.So he applies the brute force technique to get maximum profit.First he fills the bag with gold which weights 2 and then goes for silver which weights 3 here the bag is full and yielding the profit of 1000+10=1010. Now he tries of another combination i.e., he selects platinum which weights 4 and now the rest of the bag is only one so he can select the  ½ part of gold which weights 1 thus the bag is filled with yielding 2000+500=2500 .In this manner different combinations are tried until the max profit is yielded. CHAPTER 2 Aims and Objectives The manual process of generating exam timetable by taking all constraints into consideration is very much time taking and difficult process. So the main aim of this project is to build a software tool to create exam timetables for a university or a school and the application should be user friendly and should satisfy all the constraints. The brief explanation of this is as follows: First analyze the manual process in developing exam time table that is following in schools and universities. This analysis helps us in developing the software tool. After analyzing the manual process we should make a list of all possible constraints which should be satisfied by the developed system. We should identify all the constraints that should be satisfied by our developed system and we should analyze them which is helpful in developing the software product. To gain an understanding of constraint satisfaction tool like choco which we are using in the development process. The developed product should be user friendly, so that user can use the system easily. In AUTOMATED EXAM TIME TABLE product the user should input the cohort name and module name. Instead of typing the entire cohort and module name we should put a dropdown list where user selects from it. By this we can eliminate the incorrect typing. The developed product should satisfy constraints like two exams of the same year of both semesters should not be on the same day. Every student should get their exams on alternate days only. All such type of major constraints should be satisfied by our product. MOTIVATION: Most of the people are interested in playing chess. By playing chess we can improve our concentration power. We have an idea of creating code for playing chess. As chess is played by two players one player is automated and another player plays manually. Here constraint satisfaction is used because there are certain conditions like elephant should have only straight moves, soldier should have one step straight move etc., we have to design our code by satisfying these conditions. Our program is used by the player in the absence of his partner. This player makes use of graphical user interface to opt his plots against other player which makes use of our code. So here artificial intelligence is used. This idea motivated us for designing automated examination time tabling software. FEATURES: Exams are scheduled such that no two exams are overlapped for the same student. Students are informed in case of any changes in the examination schedule like postponement, or preponement etc. User can save data so that he can view the application if he reopens it again. Students are allotted examination halls in a proper way so that a single student is not allotted in two different rooms. Proper allotment of staff in examination halls. Student can post his problems regarding exams. User can add modules to this software if they are relevant to this software. KEY TECHNIQUES JAVA PROGRAMMING JAVA is the language which has many features like multithreading, platform dependent, simple, robust, object oriented etc. Java is portable and performance levels of it are too high. Java concepts are very simple and understandable. Exceptions are also perfectly managed by Java. Database connectivity, GUI, IO packages is the main concepts due to which we go for java programming. CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION PROGRAMMING USING CHOCO CHOCO is a java library which is mainly used for constraint satisfaction. CHOCO is based on events which have the capability of backtracking. It can be used for many purposes like teaching, researching etc. So by using this constraint satisfaction programming we can develop the exam time table perfectly. ORACLE DATABASE FOR DATA STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL Database is a collection of entities. Data is a collection of similar raw information. Data is represented with the help of views or tables. View is not a physical entity. It is the representation for shadow of tables. Oracle database is mainly used for data storage and retrieval. That is data is stored in a place and in future if we want that data we can easily retrieve it. For developing the exam timetable in a university the above three key techniques are very very important and by using these techniques only the development processing of timetable can be done perfectly. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS There are two types of system requirements software and hardware. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS Based on the operating system many things may depend. So selection of operating system plays very important role. WINDOWS XP operating system is the most appropriate operating system for software requirements of developing exam timetable. Oracle 10g relational database management system is also one of the software requirements. For developing the JAVA code My Eclipse Tool is the most suitable software requirement. For constraint satisfaction programming the preferred version is CHOCO 2.1.0. These are the minimum and most important software requirements for developing exam time table. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS The processor required is Pentium 111 processor with 800MHz. Oracle database 10g and Java code developing tool must be on run mode at the same time so 1GB RAM is required. 20GB HDD also required as hardware requirement. These are the minimum and most important hardware requirements for developing exam time table. CHAPTER 3 SYSTEM ANALYSIS Existing System: The timetable management of a university was initially done normally by using some primitive methods and algorithms. The planning is made by a group of people and the timetable is fixed after certain negotiations. The university needs to set the timetable for each and every student separately and then finalize the whole timetable. The Timetable that is prepared by the Examination department of that institution needs to be sent in atleast 45 days advance to all the departments of the university and concerned affiliated colleges also. There are some issues regarding the timetable preparation. They are The students belonging to different departments will have the subjects related to their course. The subjects may be in common for certain branches. So the timetable designer needs to have a proper idea regarding the date and time of the examinations making sure that the same subject to different departments is conducted on the same day and at the same time. This reduces the extra effort for preparing different sets of question papers and ensuring the same complexity of the paper. A subject may be completed in advance by certain departments and there might be certain students who had failed that certain subject. The students who have failed in the regular examinations are given a chance for writing the supplementary examinations in the next semester. There is a chance of anomaly that the regular examination of the current semester and the supplementary examination for the previous semester may fall on the same day and same time. So the timetable adjustment must be flexible in such a way that no student misses any of the examinations. The regular student needs to have at least a day gap in between the examinations so that he can get ample amount of time for preparation for the next examination. The availability of the invigilators also needs to be checked before scheduling a particular examination. The staff members who are not assigned any class work at that time are to be taken and the schedule for a particular staff is to be prepared. The subject that is opted by maximum number of students is to be held as the first examination itself. The reason behind this is that, if the subject that is opted by maximum number of students is conducted at the last then there would be a problem in validating the answer scripts. So overcoming all the above mentioned issues is a hectic task. The timetable designer needs to have an idea regarding all those issues. The time taken by an individual to overcome all the above issues may take a few months of time. Proposed System: The proposed system of timetable management is rather a key solution for all the above mentioned issues. It gains its importance in eliminating the potential risks that are involved in the process. We can give certain number of constraints as the input and the schedule is prepared considering the constraints. The software is flexible enough for the users to enter the starting and the ending date of the examinations, the names of the students and their respective departments are present in the database and the details are retrieved accordingly. The result of the examination is automatically stored in the database for the preparation of the next semesters timetable. The proposed system is considerably quicker and more efficient. CHAPTER 4 SOFTWARE TOOLS DISCUSSION 1.CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION: We have a lot of constraints which need to be imposed and satisfied in our project. Basically CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION can be defined as the process of finding a solution to a set of constraints that impose conditions for which the variables must satisfy. In general terms, a solution is the set of variables that satisfies all the constraints.This can also be defined as the outcome of constraint satisfaction 2. CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION PROBLEM(CSP): A CONSTRAINT SATISFACTION PROBLEM(CSP) is defined by a set of variables each having a specific domain and also a set of constraints each involving a set of variables. These constraints restrict the values that the variables can take. A CSP performs these two tasks simultaneously. Now coming to the solution to CSP, it is just an assignment that maps every defined variable to a value. There may be cases where you may want to find just one solution, all possible solutions or an optimal solution based on the given objective function in terms of variables. A general constraint problem consists of the following: A set of variables A={a1,a2,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.an} For each variable ai, a finite domain set Di of its possible values. D={D(a1),D(a2),à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.D(an)}. A set of constraints to restrict the values that the variables can take. C={C1,C2,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Cj}. 3. CONSTRAINTS SOLVER: Now we need a constraint satisfaction tool to solve the considered constraints. This tool can be combined with any other programming languages like C,C++,JAVA etc. This tool is nothing but the constraint satisfaction libraries . As we move on with the java programming in our project, different constraint satisfaction java libraries available are given below: Choco JaCop Qstudio Avaya Aptana JCL Koalog From above mentioned java libraries, we use choco in this project. Choco is based on an event based propagation mechanism with an additional feature of backtracking structures which adds to its supremacy. This gives clear difference between modeling and solving a problem. 4. CHOCO: Choco is an open source software implemented in java program that is widely used for constraint programming and constraint satisfaction. General Features: Choco provides problem modeler that handles a variety of variable types that are integer variables real variables that holds an interval of floats. expressions using variables with the many operators like +, -, /, * and etc. Chocos modeler supports 70 constraints some of them are listed below Arithmetical constraints (integers or real): equal, not equal, greater or equal, less or equal. Refined constraints i .e Boolean operations between constrains. It will verify the relation for a set of variables by defining the sets of tuples in the table constraints. Constraint Programming Solver: Constraint programming solver provides The different types of various domains implementations will be done (enumerated, bounded, integer variables). For constraint propagation several algorithms were implemented (parameterized cumulative, full and bound all different, state-of-the-art AC algorithms for table constraints) Chocos Design: Chocos design provides clear separation between modeling and solving. In the modeling the problem will be expressed and variables and relations are defined. The verification for variable constraints for their potential implementation is done. The API is provided that facilitates how to state a problem as user friendly. In the solving phase, the problem solving is done by Constraint Programming and related information is provided. It handles specific memory management for variables and tree-based search. 5. JAVA: We use choco constraint java library to build the tool. By embedding choco java library with the java programming we create the required exam timetabling tool. Java provides us many features which augments security and has many advantages: Java is designed in such a way that you can easily write the code and debug the code. Java uses the concepts of automatic memory allocation and garbage collection. As java is an object-oriented programming language, it allows objects to work together. The code written in java is reusable. Java is platform independent. This is developed by keeping security in mind. Java augments todays web with security and reliability. Because of these features we use java programming in our project. But we need an INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT(IDE) to develop a java application. Lots of IDEs are available. In this project EXAM TIMETABLING with CONSTRAINT SATISFACTIO we use MyEclipse IDE. 6. MyEclipse IDE: MyEclipse is a commercially available JAVA EE and AJAX IDE. This is created and maintained by the company GENUITEC. This is built on the eclipse platform. This integrates proprietary and open solutions into the development environment. MyEclipse incorporates open standard technologies to provide a development environment for J2EE, XML, UML and databases. This is an open source IDE to which you can add external jars. MyEclipse allows you to save the valuable time on debugging environment. By using MyEclipse, it is easy to edit and debug the environment. MyEclipse comes with two versions: a professional and a standard edition. The standard edition adds various tools and a number of other features to the basic Eclipse Java Developer version. CHAPTER 5 SYSTEM DESIGN The development process of the Automated Exam Timetabling tool for a University, we use Choco 2.1.0 version which is implemented using Java Programming. The different tasks which are going to be implemented in the process of developing this application are Designing Graphical User Interface(GUI). Data Calculations. Timetable. Choco tool for Constraint Satisfaction. Step1: Designing Graphical User Interface (GUI) This process includes only Graphical User Interface part, that consists buttons, Tables, Dropdown lists and etc. These controls are arranged in the proper order to display them. Look and feel will be implemented in this process. Step 2: Data Calculations Data Calculations part consists of code which results the final output for the Schedule of Exam Timetable. Here we implement the code with logic that works like selection of exams to be held in alternative days. Here we consider all exams of particular course and prepares a logic for Exam Timetable that includes Supplementary and Regular Exams. Step 3: Timetable Timetable process involves in the creation of a schedule that sets the examinations are allocated into venues with limited capacities within an examination period. This includes the following methods. We cannot schedule a session where one student cannot taken two examinations in the same session. The venues capacity should not exceed from the total number of candidates writing the exam in a schedule. Step 4: ChocoSolver ChocoSolver is a java library for constraint programming and constraint satisfaction. Choco will define all the variables of time tabling problem that includes the Constraint Definitions Candidate Information Venue Information Examination information Exam Session particulars. User has to enter constraints and changes to the exams related to the particular exam or venue. Defining the Constraints This program will allow the users to define all necessary constraints according to the exams. The different duration should be separated for all examinations . The examination time and venue of a particular batch should be held in particular date. Venue Partitioning This process considers the number of faculties and venues. Invigilators are allocated to particular venue for the examinations. User interface is provided for the assignment and manipulation of venue partitions to the faculties. In venue partitioning the following points are considered in the Choco Solver The number of students in a venue should not exceed more than the capacity. The sufficient invigilators should be allocated for the each examination hall. The attendance sheet should be provided to the invigilators to confirm the candidate is attended or not. PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED AND THEIR PROPOSED SOLUTIONS: Scheduling an exam time table is very difficult and time taking task because there are many constraints that should be satisfied for ex: at least one day gap should be there in between two exams so that student gets time to revise, there should not be any other exam on the same day which collides with the present exam, room allocation, staff allocation, invigilator allocation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Etc. All this problems are solved in this project, this project saves a lot of time, this helps to schedule exam time table in more user friendly manner. Proposed System: In this project user can add any module to any cohort by using dropdown menus. Mostly we are not sure about the starting date of exams, but in this application user have chance to select the starting date of examinations. Sometimes same module may be shared by some cohorts. In this case we are going to create new time table for the module shared by different cohorts on the same day. So that time can be saved and number of invigilators can be reduced. Some student may have supplementary exams. This supplementary exam and regular exam should not be on the same day or on the consecutive days. Separate schedule is created for these supplementary exams or those should be held with next intake students. This application allows user to add modules to a cohort by using drop down menus. The user can also make changes to the selected modules list. As per the date, schedule and cohort selected by user examination time table is created. As the user is allowed to choose options from drop down list provided, problems that occur due to typing mistakes can be decreased. Application development and deployment: The steps involved in the development and deployment of application involve Formulating the data interpretation scheme that is sufficient to handle all the requirements of the problem converting all data available to data interpretation scheme Next step is developing the scheduling algorithm that is used to schedule the exams. The application should support the numerous last minute changes during its development and deployment easily. Application Uses: The following are the benefits of Automated Exam Timetabling The initial implementation of program requires a lot of time for data entry and constraint specification. We can reuse the database of previous exams for next exams. Assuming that the constraints are specified correctly, the application should produce the schedule that is conflict free. We can schedule the exam timetable in a short span of time. We can make last minute changes in a short span of time. Shortening the exam period can make the expenses spend on conducting the exams (such as buildings, staff, etc.,) come down. The application benefits from its three tier architecture design. Conclusion: Automated Exam Timetabling software is used to schedule the university exam time table. This is reduces time and complexity involved in scheduling the exam time table manually. This document explains about the space and time complexity involved in scheduling the exam. The application developed is user friendly and it is used to give a graphical look and feel to the user for accessing and entering the information. Automated Exam Timetabling provides all the features that are required for scheduling the exam time table. Implementation of this software at different universities reduces the cost in terms of money and time. Future Uses: Automated Exam timetabling can be extended to schedule the university class time table and school time table School Timetabling: This application is used for scheduling the timetables for weekly classes at higher schools. University Timetabling: This application is used for scheduling the lectures of students of different modules in a university such that they prevent students and lecturers from double booking.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Technological Advancement: Effect on Intelligence

Technological Advancement: Effect on Intelligence The invention of Gutenbergs press was met with claims that the printing press, if not controlled, would lead to chaos and the dismemberment of European intellectual life (Shirky 1). Some people become anxious with new changes that throw out the restrictions that once was the norm. This, however, happens again and again throughout our history. Every increase in freedom to create or consume media, brings forecast of impending chaos and intellectual collapse. Our modern technology is changing the way our brains work. We no longer need to remember anything our tech does that for us. There seems to be a form of amnesia affecting us; the internet has changed the way we function. The way our brains have changed, from the use of the Web, is debated over and has yielded very different outcomes. Gary Small, a neuroscientist, professor, and author studied the effect that Internet searching had on the brain. Twenty-four participants were studied with half having no Internet search experience, the brains of the other half that regularly used the Internet showed an elevation in stimulation of the regions associated with complex reasoning and decision-making (qtd in Munro 4). The participants who were Internet novices had similar results in their frontal lobes after five days. Using technologies has influenced our brains, Small argues, the brain shifts towards and is energized by, new technological skills. This sounds good, however, as we rely more and more on our tech we become intellectually lazy (Munro, 2). Shirky states that the Net, in fact, restores reading and writing as central activities in our culture (3). The Net has greatly assisted people with their rese arch, having search results appear instantly instead of days of going through the library. Subsequently, not reading as we used to has had a price. Carr shares his struggle, Now my concentration often starts to drift . . . I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do (1). The concentration we once had has changed, our brains forever altered. The Internet propels users from one place to another, making it difficult to concentrate on the task of simply reading. Carr admits, I cant read War and Peace anymore . . . even a blog post of more than three or four paragraphs is too much to absorb. I skim it (2). There is a new form of reading that has become more prominent in users of the Web, this skimming activity shows how our brains have been changed. A study was carried out by scientists at the University College London to see how our minds have changed when it comes to reading and thinking. During the five years of study two sites collected data on users behavior during visits to their sites, this produced results showing users bounced around the Net rarely re-visiting pages they previously had been to. It is thought that this style of reading promoted by the Net . . . may be weakening our capacity for the kind of deep reading . . . (Wolf qtd in Carr 2) that once was customary. The neural circuitry of our brains has been stu died when it comes to those readers that have an alphabet compared to those with ideograms as their written language, it revealed the brain of the ideogram learner was vastly different. The sections that govern cognitive functions as memory and the interpretation of visual and auditory stimuli (Carr 3) had the circuitry interlaced differently. Our concentration is now a struggle, what will the Internet propel us toward next? We were propelled into an age of technologies. These were supposed to save us time and labor. Munros opinion is that modern marvels are less labour-savers than brain-savers (1). The early technologies were meant to help us with the mundane daily task, automatic washing machines, dishwashers, drive-through car washes, but with these, it granted an excess of free time, the time we squandered with frivolous mind numbing activities. Todays advancements in technology have introduced us into an endless source of instant gratification. Take our cell phones, for example, they are now responsible for holding all our important information (i.e. numbers, addresses, meaningful dates) we no longer need to remember anything for ourselves. The connection is constant, Google can connect us to a source-any source-within a fraction of a second and with that why do we need to remember anything? Those things that were once etched into our brains, like our phone numbers, is now outsourced to our technolo gy. Robert Fitzgerald, associate dean at the University of Canberra says, There is indeed a dumb side to technology (qtd in Munro 2). He ponders if the searches his children complete yield something positive or if its a hit-and-miss. Is Google making us stupid? asked Carr (2). The answer is not so simple, but if not making us stupid, as such, Google seems to be making us intellectually lazy. Perhaps, our technologies will bring forth great positive changes or maybe leave us with digital amnesia (Harris 1). The Google Effect takes hold of so many of us, reaching our brains, inflicting its digital amnesia upon us (Harris 1). In 2011, an experiment conducted at Columbia and Harvard Universities brought theories that technology is reshaping the way we think and learn. Within our daily lives, some of us have come to heavily depend on Google to provide us with aid. From spell check to auto fill the decision we have made to use these electronic aids has [affected] our capacity to learn and execute daily tasks. No longer do we need to use our own memory, Google does it quicker and better, we get the answers faster and finish sooner. The information is recent but our comprehension of that information is lost. The abilities we traditionally [gained] through repetition and rote memorization are now impaired. This brain dump that occurs makes it difficult for an answer to be given, we must get back to someone because who needs to remember that? This dependency on Google is potentially harmful, all owing the tech to take over our minds, our work, making us inept to handle problems without it. The inflictions that The Google Effect has had on us needs to be turned around, a middle ground found, to ensure the future of technology and our analytical ability and intellectual capacity (2) remains intact Our tech will continue to grow and prosper, and continue to alter our minds, the way our brains think and learn. In the future, we will look back and find this tech to be distorted and the new tech will be more intuitive, more integrated, more intelligent (Munro 4). We can only wait and see if our intelligence ultimately might reveal itself in the smarts of those same technologies, (5). If we no longer dive deeper than the surface of information what will we be missing out on? What will we pass over and never come to know of? Carr describes a scene from Stanley Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey in his article Is Google Making Us Stupid? where the artificial intelligence is being disconnected, pleading for his life, feeling his memory slipping away, the human Dave continues to disconnect his memory circuits without a second thought (1). Showing a cold artificial side that technology could be inflicting on us, turning the tables and switching our roles. This new evolutionary journey will be full of struggle for we still have so far to go. This tech revolution has just begun and I can only hope we come out of it with our minds capable of our human emotion and not unfeeling as though we are an artificial intelligence. The world around us changes and so must we but lets hold on to our humanity, use our God-given abilities to expand our minds and lets not take the easier way, use our brains allowing it to grow and produce great works of art, literature, and advancements in all fields of study. Dont let the technology do it all by itself. Works Cited Nicholas Carr. Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains Harris, LTC Corey W. The Google paradox: is technology making us smarter? The Free Library. 2016 American Society of Military Comptrollers 03 Mar. 2017 https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+%22Google%22+paradox%3a+is+technology+making+us+smarter%3f-a0457561687 Munro, Peter. Is technology eating our brains? Sunday Age, The (Melbourne), 10341021, Feb 08, 2009 Shirky, Clay. Does the Internet Make You Smarter?. Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition. 6/5/2010, Vol. 255 Issue 130, pW1-W2. 2p.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Struggle in The River Between Essay -- River Between Essays

Struggle in The River Between  Ã‚   In the book "The River Between" we find traditional values of the tribe challenged by tribal members who had converted to Christianity. The novel focuses on the struggle between two conflicting interests: First there was the interest to convert Africans to Christianity, and the second was the tribe trying to keep their traditional values in the midst of Christianity. The most contrasting characters in the story were Waiyaki and Joshua. Waiyaki was a strong influence on the people of the land, and his father, Chege, was a man who had powerful visions of his son's future: "Salvation shall come from the hills ... Arise. Heed the prophecy" (Pg. 20). Waiyaki’s father put the burden of this prophecy on his son's shoulders. The realization of his role in this prophecy happened to Waiyaki in the end of the novel: " ... the journey with his father, the ancient prophecy and his bewilderment at its meaning" (Pg. 138). "Now he knew what he would preach if he ever got another chance: Education for unity. Unity for political freedom" (Pg. 143). Chege told Waiyaki to learn from the white people, but not to become involved in their vices: "Learn all the wisdom and all the secrets of the white man. But do not follow his vices" (Pg. 20). Waiyaki began to learn that knowledge and learning was important in order for his people to become victorious over the invasion of the white man. Waiyaki also understood that the traditions o f the tribe is what kept their people together, it was their roots: "Circumcision was an important ritual to the tribe. It kept people together, bound the tribe ... End the custom and the spiritual basis of the tribes cohesion and integration would be no more" (Pg. 68). And even tho... ...ormed, so the Western revolutions in both religion and government were gladly accepted by the Western cultures. But the Western invaders never realized how old these civilizations were that they were intruding upon, and they never realized that African, Chinese, or American Indian's cultures were thousands of years old. Western cultures have impacted many countries, such as India, for when the ancient invaders came to the land, such as the Aryans, eastern Indians accepted some of their beliefs, and they were even integrated into Indian society. But when modern Western cultures came into contact with India, particularly the British, they eventually took over the government and made the Indians second rate citizens. And until the 20th century India was under their control. So Western cultures have definitely had an influencing impact on other cultures.       Struggle in The River Between Essay -- River Between Essays Struggle in The River Between  Ã‚   In the book "The River Between" we find traditional values of the tribe challenged by tribal members who had converted to Christianity. The novel focuses on the struggle between two conflicting interests: First there was the interest to convert Africans to Christianity, and the second was the tribe trying to keep their traditional values in the midst of Christianity. The most contrasting characters in the story were Waiyaki and Joshua. Waiyaki was a strong influence on the people of the land, and his father, Chege, was a man who had powerful visions of his son's future: "Salvation shall come from the hills ... Arise. Heed the prophecy" (Pg. 20). Waiyaki’s father put the burden of this prophecy on his son's shoulders. The realization of his role in this prophecy happened to Waiyaki in the end of the novel: " ... the journey with his father, the ancient prophecy and his bewilderment at its meaning" (Pg. 138). "Now he knew what he would preach if he ever got another chance: Education for unity. Unity for political freedom" (Pg. 143). Chege told Waiyaki to learn from the white people, but not to become involved in their vices: "Learn all the wisdom and all the secrets of the white man. But do not follow his vices" (Pg. 20). Waiyaki began to learn that knowledge and learning was important in order for his people to become victorious over the invasion of the white man. Waiyaki also understood that the traditions o f the tribe is what kept their people together, it was their roots: "Circumcision was an important ritual to the tribe. It kept people together, bound the tribe ... End the custom and the spiritual basis of the tribes cohesion and integration would be no more" (Pg. 68). And even tho... ...ormed, so the Western revolutions in both religion and government were gladly accepted by the Western cultures. But the Western invaders never realized how old these civilizations were that they were intruding upon, and they never realized that African, Chinese, or American Indian's cultures were thousands of years old. Western cultures have impacted many countries, such as India, for when the ancient invaders came to the land, such as the Aryans, eastern Indians accepted some of their beliefs, and they were even integrated into Indian society. But when modern Western cultures came into contact with India, particularly the British, they eventually took over the government and made the Indians second rate citizens. And until the 20th century India was under their control. So Western cultures have definitely had an influencing impact on other cultures.      

The Impact of Lenin on Russia and the Russian People Essay -- Papers

The Impact of Lenin on Russia and the Russian People Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (a.k.a Lenin) was born in 1870, into a middle class family. In the year 1887 when Lenin was 17 his elder brother Alexandra was executed for conspiring to assassinate the tsar. Lenin who was already well educated and fond of reading and writing was encouraged to enter politics to make changes and to somehow avenge his brothers' death. The long term effects of this were that Lenin would later become one of the great revolutionary leaders of all time. Lenin begins to study law and the works of Karl Marx. He is then exiled to Siberia by the authorities as he becomes more politically involved. Whilst he is there he marries another revolutionary in 1898. After this he spends some time travelling abroad with his wife Krupskaya but, he continues to write political material laying down the foundations for revolution and communism in Russia. Lenin is in Britain in 1903 and it is there that he forms the Bolshevik party to help the working class Russians who he has been brought up to have compassion for. The immediate effects of this are the formation of the Bolshevik party. The Long term effects of this are that the Bolshevik party stays in power and Russia becomes a communist country. Between 1903 and 1917 Lenin spends his time moving around Europe. Also at the time he writes pieces for political newspapers and builds the foundations for the Bolshevik party. Lenin spends a great deal of time raising money for the party to enable them to print their revolutionary literature and newspapers such as 'Zvezda'. Lenin uses this time to create the fundamentals neede... ...ere were great improvements in Russia. The results of the N.E.P brought about Trotskys criticism of Lenin. He accused Lenin of being capitalist. Lenin realised that in order to take a giant leap sometimes one must take a couple of paces back first. The creation of the N.E.P brought about the rise of the Russian economy. Lenin and the communist party brought many changes to Russia. Russia had been governed by the tsar and his family for three hundred years. When Lenin gained power he brought about a lot of reforms and in effect modernised Russia to some extent. He also brought Russia through the civil war. The major effects of Lenin on Russia and the Russian people are the introduction to communism in Russia and that he will be remembered as a great leader and had the respect and admiration of a lot of Russian people.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Goodnight Mr.Tom Review

Review of Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian Goodnight Mr. Tom is set in the midst of World War II and the German attacks of London. In the novel many children are sent away from England? s capital onto pacific places for protection. These children are called refugees and they are to stay in the houses of the inhabitants. This is then, the destiny of little William Beech who is sent to Little Wierwold to Tom Oakley, the man who shelters him. The child was being abused by his mother so he is very shy. Therefore, Mr. Oakley helps him confront his problems and Willie drastically changes.He starts to make friends like Zacharias Wrench, or Zach for short. They become best friends and have marvelous moments together. Afterwards, Williams’s mother asks for him to go back to London as she is sick. Beech? s mother really is insane and when they enter the house she says she has a surprise. The surprise was that Mrs. Beech has had a baby. He actually returns to the nightmare he lived before being a refugee, so Mr. Oakley foresees that Willie is passing a terrible time and rescues him from the tiny room in which Mrs.Beech has locked him up. Mr. Tom immediately buys train tickets for Little Wierwold and so, they returned to their home in this little town. Months later, Mrs. Beech commits suicide as a result of her loneliness and Mr. Tom caringly adopts William. The story ends when William? s best friend Zach dies because of a bomb. Will then confronts his friend? s death having both good and bad experiences, which helps him grow physically and mentally. The main characters of this novel are William Beech, Tom Oakley, Zacharias Wrench and Mrs. Beech.William Beech, at the beginning of the story is an apprehensive, emaciated boy who does not have any self-confidence and is very mistrusting. Although he is very different on the inside, Will founds this throughout the book. When Willie starts his life with Mr. Tom, he changes abruptly and transforms into a talkative a nd active little boy. He also discovers he is an excellent artist and makes drawing his favorite hobby. What I really appreciate about this character is that he emerged from being a shy child to a talkative one who loves socializing with others around him.Tom Oakley is also a very important character in this novel. Mr. Tom is at first a grouchy old man who is immerged in the four walls of his house but when Willie arrives to his life he transforms into a social, caring and loving man who supports Will in everything he needs. Tom was very depressed because his wife had died giving birth and soon after his son, William, also died. At first Mr. Oakley took this as a coincidence, assuming William was a common name in London. Although as the months went by he realizes it this is not just a coincidence but something much deeper.Fate had brought them together so that both Tom and Willie could cure the injuries and pains they had been absorbing and keeping inside themselves. Another very im portant and special character is Zacharias Wrench â€Å"Zack for short† as he says in the novel. This character is a boy about the same age as Willie, who is a very swinging boy who likes talking to everybody. As soon he sees someone nice he immediately approaches to the person and starts talking to it as if he knows it for a long time. Zach becomes Willie? s best friend and because of him William lets â€Å"escape the Zach from him†. Goodnight Mr.Tom is definitely an incredible story. I enjoyed it so much that I have read it two times. My favorite moment on the novel is the end because Willie has improved amazingly and says to Mr. Tom who is now his dad: â€Å"Dad, I? ve grown†. I find this particular moment very emotive because despite all the challenges he has faced, he moves on with an amazing courage. I can definitively recommend this book to both adults and children (11 years +) as it makes you reflect a lot and it’s a very deep novel. I would also love to read another book by Michelle Magorian because she is a very good writer.

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Attitude, Legislation and Litigation towards Students with Disabilities Essay

Understanding of children and adults with learning disabilities has come full circle but has a long way to do to fully reach every individual. In the 4th century the great philosopher Aristotle wrote,† As to the exposure and rearing of children, let there be a law that no deformed child shall live†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hardman, Drew, & Egar, 2011) While this seems brutal, for the times it was quite common. Even modern era societal groups like the Nazis in the 1940s had â€Å"cleansing programs,† were thousands of people with various disabilities were deemed useless and simply put to death like dogs and cats. Today we as a society try to better understand the trials of people with disabilites and help them to succeed in schools. Federal groups like Individuals with disabilities Education Act(IDEA) and the Americans with Disablilites Act(ADA) have pushed our thinking and laws to the future. Although there is a lot more that needs to be done we are moving in the right direction. A Sad Beginning As mentioned above there was not just a prejudice and fear but a man hunt for people who suffered any kind of discernible disability. In ancient Rome and Greece children with disabilities were viewed as signs of weakness and shame. These children were put to death or abandoned, considered a burden on society and humanity. There were ancient societies that did not believe in this process but they were not the majority. The 20th century saw an increase in help for students with disabilities but there was a contradiction in the approach to this help. There was blame placed on the parents for breeding a genetically inferior human and putting the financial burden on the government for their mistake. Fear of these deficiencies spreading lead to a restriction on who could marry and even the sterilization of persons with retardations. In an ease of the sterilization idea people were being put into â€Å"hospitals† to isolate them from the general public by placing them â€Å"with their own kind. † In the 1950s more than a million persons in the US had been committed to mental hospitals and institutions. (Hardman, Drew, & Egar, 2011) The First Groups to Fight In the movement of Civil Rights in the 1950s parents of children with disabilities began to push for rights also. In 1949 the United Cerebral Palsy Organization (UCP) and in 1950 the National Association for Retarded Children (NARC) groups were formed to help get accurate information to the public. These organizations wanted to get equal rights for medical treatment, social services and education for persons with disabilities. It was not until President Kennedy stepped in and became an advocate for these groups that the government began to take these groups serious. He had person investment in these rights with his sister Rosemary suffering from intellectual disabilities. Kennedy said in a speech in 1961,†This neglect must end†¦We must act†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The subheading above would be used if there are several sections (Hardman, Drew, & Egar, 2011) Legal Cases that Pushed reform I n1972 the Wyatt case in Alabama argued that the facilities people with mental retardation were being put into did nothing to prepare them for a place in society and called these places â€Å"Human Warehouses†. These were a series of lawsuits that followed with the moral encouragement of Brown vs. The Board of Education civil rights law. Halderman vs. Pennhurst State School and Hospital, Youngberg vs. Romeo and Homeward Bound vs. Hissom Memorial Center were all influential court cases that brought civil and moral rights of persons with disabilities to the public forum. It was the parental involvement that pushed the government to form groups as advocates for these groups. In 1971 the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizen (PARC) vs. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania put into light that these children were being denied the right to free and appropriate public education. It was these groups that allow the education for students with any disability to now get the help they need and deserve. Modern Advocacy Groups The main groups that come to mind when Disability advocates are mentioned within the educational system are Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). IDEA is officially known as Public Law 94-142 which lays out the standards and rules for students from ages 3-21 in public schools. This was originally known as Education for All Handicapped Children’s Act but in 1990 was changed to IDEA. There is restriction for what qualifies as a disability and these are in constant adjustment based on what happens in the education system. Without this ability to add or take away ideas it would become stagnant and useless. The ADA lays out what these disabilities are and what they legally and morally have a right to. Challenges facing Educators The main challenge facing educators is a combination for the push of standardized testing, common core standards and federal assistance being based on those scores. The inclusion of students with disabilities in no different than having a bully or an extreme introvert in your class and the amount of help that is given has risen drastically over the last 40 years. The focus in high school is to prepare students to go into the world and succeed as adults and this applies to students with disabilities also. The main fear I have is that in a push to â€Å"include† these students we are not helping them to succeed just following legal options. We have come full circle from the days of Aristotle and the Greeks but have a long way to go to get to a point where we are doing what is best for every student in our delusional system. There is and will probably always be prejudice in society to one group or another but as teachers we need to step forward and praise differences not separate them. Laws like IDEA and the ADA help parents, schools and teachers have a foundation to build on but it will take more that theory to implement the right actions. The success of these groups and laws are yet to be fully recognized but the potential is there.