Edgar Allen Poe s Style Of Drama And Personification

Edgar Allen Poe was one of the most well-known, albeit short-lived, authors and poets of the early 19th century. Regardless of his passing at the young age of 40, his works lives on to this very day. His style for writing in dramatic fashions and being the original horror author have left a mark on literature history. The short stories of The Raven and The Cask of Amontillado were some of the more well-known works of Edgar Allen Poe. Reading his past works it is noticeable that he only wrote in the first person or rather wrote using only I. This was one of the more common themes presented into his work. However, there are other methods that Poe practiced when writing both poems and short stories that are greatly influenced to new writers†¦show more content†¦Personification was a special style in some of Poe s later works as well. Another one of Poe s later works that uses the tool of personification is a personal favorite, The Tell-Tale Heart. This was another Gothic-style and horror writing that Poe was famous for. It also plays a considerable amount of personification writing style. Again Poe uses first person narration in this work to place himself in the story. The Tell-Tale Heart tells of Poe murdering an old man whom he had no prior qualms about. The old man had done nothing to him and he knew of that. Poe murders the old man and buries him in the flooring of the house. Poe describes that he does not hear the beating of the old man s heart anymore after the old man died. However as time moved on, he could hear beating sounds. While trying to debunk the sounds as nothing but mice in the floor of the house, he eventually starts to think otherwise. Despite all of his debunking of what it could possibly be, the sounds of the beating begin to taunt and torment Poe. The final paragraphs of the short story shows the torments that the beating does to Poe. As the torments continue, Poe comes to realization that the beating sound was the very heart of th e old man that he had murdered. The final line signifies what the heart is supposed to personify. Villains! I shrieked, Dissemble no more! I admit the deed!

Human Trafficking Prostitution And Prostitution - 981 Words

Human Trafficking in Prostitution Prostitution, â€Å"Providing or receiving sexual acts, between a prostitute and a client, in exchange for money or some other form of remuneration† (Hock 557). The idea of exchanging sex for valuables has been seen since the beginning of human society. The first reported data about prostitution was reported around 3000 B.C.E in Mesopotamia, one of the first known civilizations (Caraboi and Fierbinteanu 362). Also, prostitution is often referred to as â€Å"the world’s oldest profession.† Today, even though prostitution is illegal in most parts of the world, prostitution is still prevalent worldwide with many forms of prostitution and ways to exchange sexual services for payment. Street walkers are prostitutes who sell their services on the street, usually with the customer typically driving up to the prostitute. According to Roger R. Hock, professor of human sexuality and author of the textbook Human Sexuality, street walke rs face the highest risk for arrest, violence and contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) (Hock 558). Escorts can also be prostitutes; they are contacted in private by clients and are usually at less risk of violence. Another type of prostitute is brothel workers; brothel workers work in â€Å"a house of prostitution,† a brothel and are normally in areas with legal prostitution (Hock 560). These three types of prostitutes are the most common form of prostitution and can be seen worldwide. Similar to prostitution,Show MoreRelatedHuman Trafficking and Prostitution542 Words   |  2 Pageswidely acceptable in many countries around the world which is quite an distressing and foreign concept to me. I also learned that human trafficking is disturbingly prevalent in the United States and the need for more attention needs to be brought to this crime. And finally, I learned that prostitution is not a victimless crime. Many women are forced into prostitution. These three pieces of information will unfortunately carry on with me the rest of my life. In all areas of the world, ladies andRead MoreHuman Trafficking And Forced Prostitution1965 Words   |  8 Pagesand transportation can be done instantaneously has led to an increase in trafficking and prostitution over the past ten years. According to the United Nations Report, the trade now is worth about thirty billion dollars. Human trafficking and forced prostitution is a serious concern when it comes to being a global issue because it is a heinous violation of human rights. The upward trend of human trafficking and forced prostitution is a crime that victimizes men, women, and children. Traffickers are knownRead MoreProstitution Is Legal For Human Trafficking1010 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Are you serious? Girls are not just objects, they are human beings just like everyone else.† That disgusts me, are the thoughts I was having when I saw that Thailand has a total of around three million sex workers in their country, and the number is increasing. Prostitution is legal but human trafficking is not. How can we make prostitution legal and then not expect is to lead to more human trafficking around the world. Prostitution is the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity withRead MoreHuman Trafficking In Russia: Prostitution661 Words   |  3 PagesHuman Trafficking In Russia: Prostitution Human trafficking is one of the major problems that is facing Russia. And Russia is considered the largest country in the whole world. It is massively known for the origin and final destination of trafficked men, women, and children who are forced to labor. Trafficking is carried out mainly for the purpose of exploitation, which includes prostitution, forced labor, slavery, removal of organs and many others (human trafficking in and out of Russia). This isRead MoreHuman Trafficking and Prostitution in Russia2058 Words   |  9 PagesHuman Traficking In Russia: Prostitution human trafficking in Russia.-prostitution. Russia is considered the largest country in the whole world. It is massively known for the origin and final destination of trafficked men, women, and children who are forced to labour. Human trafficking is one of the major problems that is facing Russia. Trafficking is carried out mainly for the purpose of exploitation, which includes prostitution, forced labour, slavery, removal of organs and many others (humanRead MoreProstitution And Human Sex Trafficking1291 Words   |  6 Pagesshort in protecting ones right to rule over their own body. Prostitution, the exchanging of sexual services for payment, has been specifically outlawed by the State of New York. This direct targeting of the sex trade within New York leaves many people unprotected under the law, both in consensual prostitution and nonconsensual human sex trafficking, while greatly eliminating the potential tax revenue that would be generated. Prostitution, when involving consenting adults, is a victimless crime andRead MoreHuman Trafficking And Child Prostitution1145 Words   |  5 Pagesworld has to make a living somehow. The most unprotected and risky profession, in my opinion has to be prostitution. These men and women go to work without knowing who they will have to deal with and what could possibly happen to them. These individuals participate in this line of work not only to provide for themselves, but also for family members. In essence, the government should legalize prostitution because it would protect their rights, ensure safety, and benefit their health. I believe pushingRead MoreProstitution and Human Trafficking Essay3070 Words   |  13 PagesProstitution has been referred to as the oldest profession. Prostitutes can be found in every city and country across the globe. There are a large number of individuals who are currently in the United States and around the world who can be classified as a prostitute. They are expanding from the traditional street level prostitutes to highly paid, high class, prostitutes or escorts. Yet, what exactly would drive those men and women to pursue this class of work, once in this type of work what keepsRead MoreHuman Trafficking And Child Prostitution2104 Words   |  9 Pagesfrom President Barack Obama in 2012 addressing human trafficking and child prostitution within the U.S. In America, there is a conception that human trafficking only happens in less-developed countries. However, the U.S. is the second most prominent destination country for human trafficking in the world (Hodge Lietz, 2007). Cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Detroit are amongst the U.S. cities with high incidences of child prostitution (Hodge Lietz, 2007). Some of these childrenRead MoreTrafficking of Human and Children for Prostitution and Regulation4912 Words   |  20 PagesWhat is Trafficking? Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings mainly for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labour. Other purposes can be extraction of organs, or tissues or even surrogacy or ova removal. It can also be regarded as modern form of slavery. Trafficking is a lucrative industry. It is second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable illegal industry in the world. In 2004, the total annual revenue for trafficking in persons were estimated to

Supply Chain Information Management

Questions: 1.How IoT improves the efficiency in the supply chain? 2.Use an example of fresh food to explain how IoT helps improving fresh food supply chain? 3.Discuss GTP components and processes? Answers: Internet of Things 1. The Internet of Things include the types of the technologies that drives towards the adoption of the high personalized smart consumer lifestyle. It includes the supply chain management where the IoT impacts the business as well as disrupt the logistics. ERP and supply chain management (SCM) includes the IoT revolution that allows the enhancement of the solution with an intelligent connection to the people, process, data and the things. The supply chain is impacted mainly by IoT with the in-transit visibility, where the products are handled and transferred in between the manufacturers, suppliers as well as the other forms of the distribution centers. (Gunasekaran et al., 2016). The nodes of the supply chain call for the agile supply network with regards to the product whereabouts as well as the other specifications. The in-transit visibility is mainly for the cloud based GPS with Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID) technology. It provides the identity, location, and tr acking of information. The data gathered from the technologies includes the detailed visibility of the items which also provides the way mainly from the manufacturer to the retailer. The data is gathered from the GPS, and the RFID technology does not allow for any supply chain to automate the process of shipping. (Majeed et al., 2017). Hence, one needs to monitor the important details like the control of the temperature that has a significant impact on the product. IoT has been able to provide the supply chain professionals through: Reduced loss of the assets, with the product issues for finding the solution. The saving of the costs of the fuel along with optimizing the fleet routes to monitor the conditions of the traffic. The assurance of the stability of the temperature and to monitor the cold chain as per the Food and Agricultural Organisation of UN. The management of the stock for the warehouse (Ramundo et al., 2016). A proper gain of the user insights will help in embedding the sensors along with providing better visibility for the customer as well as the usage of the product. The creation of the fleet efficiencies helps in reducing the redundancies as well. For example, the information provided for the traffic jam as well as the delay is of great importance rather than getting stuck in the traffic, at the time of traveling. With this context, there is a need to focus on enhancement of the supply chain management by using IoT. The IoT Supply chain involves the multiple touch points, where the manufacturers, suppliers, customers need a proper visibility, and access to the accurate information. The IoT will help in improving the product visibility with the supply chain management to see the data for the packages, equipment for the materials, vehicles and the warehouses from the different devices like the GPS and the RFID readers. (Ramundo et al., 2016).The technologies are strengthened where the sensors are strongly informed for the supply networks which are also able to predict, correct and prevent the problems like the inventory outages, or the failure of the equipment, poor conditions of the environment or any other safety hazards. 2. The consumers expect that the restaurants and the grocery stores can deliver fresh food. Hence, to bring an awakening for the food distributors, who ship the items like the meat, milk, fruits or vegetables, need to deal with IoT. IoT can easily help the companies to check and monitor the shipment of the food, thereby, reducing the spoilage of the food or the waste. Example, the farmers mainly depend on the seed manufacturing to deliver the quality seed so that there is maximized harvest action. (Voss et al., 2017). The supply chain managers can easily track through the devices for the temperature of the seed container as well as the humidity. The IoT app can easily alert the delivery driver for any unsealed container. With the IoT technology, the sensors are also necessary for the farms to make sure that they are getting the proper temperature and the moisture, important for the crop growth. IoT can help in improving the food industry management with its supply chain. (Paksoy et a l., 2016). The farms, food distributors, grocery stores (selling the milk, meat, etc.,) and the restaurant now have the solution to track and monitor the cargo from farm to the fork. With the more progressive globalization of the food supply chains, there is a covering of the greater distances and involvement of the suppliers, with exposure of the food products to the different risks factors. Hence, for this, the IoT-based food supply chains help in providing a better service with the smart insights to ensure the product quality from farm to the fort. The sensing technology and the data analytics helps in monitoring the condition of the product, mainly due to the network-connected smart sensors. (Rezaei et al., 2017). The goods-on-transit with the maintenance of the temperature and humidity in the shipping container or the truck is given for a particular moment. The network has been set with the perishable goods like the meat, fish, dairy, or the fresh products. The real-time cargo helps in monitoring the network, and the data can easily assist in avoiding the spoilage with offering all the essential actions for the manufacturers with certain alerts of safety as and when the goods condition deviates from the identified parameters. (Ramundo et al., 2016). The improved forms of the supply chain visible will lead to the reduction in the waste of food and prolonged life of the products. The food manufacturers can also get a significant benefit from the reduced inventory costs as well as work on the capital management that can cut down the inventory levels without any risk. 3. GTP systems Goods-to-person means that the order picker in the warehouse can stay at a particular place and the system can bring the goods or stock keeping units (SKU) to a person. It includes the forms where the SKU is picked and then it is reverted to the actual location of the storage. (Christopher et al., 2016). The components that include in this are: The storage medium which is necessary for the inventory of the product. The methods which are depending upon the technology along with bringing the SKU for the picking from the station. The workstation of the ergonomics as well as the software to control and handle the flow of the SKU. For this, there are ways in which the processing of the order could easily be fulfilled. SKU works on the order container as well as the other forms of the multiple orders. Variations are depending upon the configurations and the designs that offer benefits. (Richards et al., 2016). The processes that it includes are: The elimination of the travel time of the picker where the orders do not have to walk in the warehouse. This will also reduce the time of travel with the improvement in the productivity as well as the cost of labor work will reduce per hour, automatically. The reduction in the footprint of the system includes the designs which are less than any other conventional form. The typical types of the footprint range from 30-50% which is less than the conventional order fulfillment center. (Richards et al., 2016). The security of the product with the automated system is secure that is also not accessible to the staff as well. The ergonomic workstations are for the picking the products and give comfort to the employee as well. The accuracy and the de-coupling of the workstations work with the order picking where the operators are also able to handle the SKU at a time, along with working in the parallel form that is unaffected. The workstations are also highly utilized where the flow of work is mainly in the pickup stations. The order pickers are using it without any wait. (Coyle et al., 2016). A precise sequencing helps in building the customer order where the SKU could easily be achieved. For this, the items need to be presented for the order by weight. Apparel distribution is a challenge. Discuss how GTP can improve apparel distribution. Give an example of a Fashion company who is using GTP for apparel distribution and list its benefits for that company. GTP works on the distribution of the product in and around the different workstations, but the distribution with apparels is a challenge. The batch picked products are transported for sorting and consolidating the workstations. It is based on the light directed display where the SKU is also picked and then distributed for the different forms of the discretised orders. The apparel and the accessories retailer use the automated zone of the GTP system. (Richards et al., 2016). There are 20 order zones for the picking in the system. Hence, for 1000 stores, there is a need for 50 store positions of the carton. Hence, a particular operator works in the zone, which contains a single SKU. It is then removed from the storage and then routed for the picking zones. The carton of the SKU works on traveling on to the different zones where the order is stored. The automated versions help in picking 325 picks by the operator in an hour. TGW Fashion Company use this technique which focuses on the value for money. The supply chain of the fashion company is mainly to cope with the demands and relate to the increasing flexibility as well as the improved level of service. The results are primarily the brand multi-channel, fast fashion brand Omni-channel, and the value fashion brands. (Schonsleben, 2016). The benefits for this are: Secured dense storage that reduces the cost of the building and the land. The higher productivity also reduce the cost of the labor It helps in achieving and aiming for 500-1000 picks in an hour by the picker. The ergonomic picking helps in a sustainable productivity The picking is through the shipping containers that tends to reduce the packing labor as well. The improvement in the inventory as well as the accuracy in the order. TGW has been able to create a better demand for the supply chain operations with ensuring that the customer remains happy with minimized costs and the maximized profits. (Gilling et al., 2016). Hence, for this, the company is also working on providing the flexibility and the speed which facilitate the shorter leading time along with handling the different channels for the distribution. The benefits are based on the range of industries with sectors set to offer and implement the system efficiently. Conclusion and Recommendations The supply chain management is the best form of the movement and the storage of the raw materials. The companies are interlinked with the networks, channels and the nodes, for the different products and the services. (Afolayan et al., 2016). The SCM practice is based on the operations management, procurement, information technology and the marketing standards with long-term performance. The customer-focused strategies are based on creating customer satisfaction with end point delivery to the customers. References Naskar, Suvendu, Preetam Basu, and Anup K. Sen. "A Literature Review of the Emerging Field of IoT Using RFID and Its Applications in Supply Chain Management." InThe Internet of Things in the Modern Business Environment, pp. 1-27. IGI Global, 2017. Gunasekaran, Angappa, Nachiappan Subramanian, and Manoj Kumar Tiwari. "Information technology governance in Internet of Things supply chain networks."Industrial Management Data Systems116, no. 7 (2016). Majeed, Aabid Abdul, and Thashika D. Rupasinghe. "Internet of Things (IoT) Embedded Future Supply Chains for Industry 4.0: An Assessment from an ERP-based Fashion Apparel and Footwear Industry."International Journal of Supply Chain Management6, no. 1 (2017): 25-40. Ramundo, Lucia, Marco Taisch, and Sergio Terzi. "State of the art of technology in the food sector value chain towards the IoT." InResearch and Technologies for Society and Industry Leveraging a better tomorrow (RTSI), 2016 IEEE 2nd International Forum on, pp. 1-6. IEEE, 2016. Voss, Stefan, Hans-Jurgen Sebastian, and Julia Pahl. "Introduction to Intelligent Decision Support and Big Data for Logistics and Supply Chain Management Minitrack." (2017). Paksoy, Turan, ?smail KARAO?LAN, Hadi Gken, Panos M. Pardalos, and Belk?s TOR?UL. "An Experimental Research on Closed Loop Supply Chain Management with Internet of Things."Journal of Economics Bibliography3, no. 1S (2016): 1-20. Rezaei, Mahdi, Mohsen Akbarpour, and Behroz Karimi. "IoT-based framework for performance measurement: a real-time supply chain decision alignment."Industrial Management Data Systems117, no. 4 (2017). Christopher, Martin.Logistics supply chain management. Pearson UK, 2016. Gilling, Raymond I., and Jeffrey M. Ulmer. "Major Challenges in Supply Chain Management."Insights to a Changing World Journal2016, no. 3 (2016). Richards, Gwynne, and Susan Grinsted.The Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit: Over 100 Tools and Guides for Supply Chain, Transport, Warehousing and Inventory Management. Kogan Page Publishers, 2016. Coyle, John J., C. John Langley, Robert A. Novack, and Brian Gibson.Supply chain management: a logistics perspective. Nelson Education, 2016. Schnsleben, Paul.Integral logistics management: operations and supply chain management within and across companies. CRC Press, 2016. Afolayan, Ademola, Gareth RT White, and Rachel Mason-Jones. "

King Lear Play Essays - King Lear, British Films,

King Lear Play In the play King Lear written by William Shakespeare a collection of images are used to express different points Shakespeare is trying to relay to his audience. One reoccurring image that kept popping up was animal images. Shakespeare displays these animal images when King Lear and many of the other characters in the play talk about Goneril and Regan. The animals that Lear and the other characters compare the two sisters to are not very pretty. They are compared to the likes of tigers, serpents, and even monsters. These reoccurring images have an important idea behind them that Shakespeare hopes to communicate his readers. Shakespeare waste no time in comparing Goneril and Regan to animals. When Lear parts from Goneril at the end of Act I, after she has sneered at him and diminished the number of his retainers, he calls her a "Detested kite" (I. iv. 269.). He also compares her to "the sea-monster" (I. iv. 268.), by which he possibly means a mythological monster that would betray its own father. King Lear also comments on his daughters ingratitude using animal imagery when he said," How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child" (I. iv. 295-296.). Lear comments once more on his daughter's "monster ingratitude" (I. v. 40.). Lear is showing how he feels about how his daughters are treating him by comparing them to unpleasant animals. Lear in scene IV has a quarrel with his other daughter, Regan, where again he uses animal images to show how his daughters are sinking below manhood to animals. Lear seeks out his daughter, Regan, at Gloucester's castle, and finds out that her husband has put his faithful friend Kent in the stocks and that both husband and wife have retired to bed and do not wish to see him. When Regan finally comes down, she tells him "You should be ruled, and led by some discretion that discerns your state better than yourself" (II. iv. 147-149). Lear responds by saying"struck me with her tongue, most serpentlike, upon the very heart. (II. iv. 159-160). Lear here again is describing Regan to a serpent, which is a large poisonous snake. Both daughters seem to him now like unusually cruel animals. They show this when they shut him out into the stormy night. In the storm scene, Lear's hurt from his daughters affect his attitude to the mad Tom of Bedlam (Edgar). He thinks, on the analogy of his own suffering, that his daughters must have abused Poor Tom. Nothing else could have brought him to such a pathetic state. This reminds Lear of his own "pelican daughters" (III. iv. 75). This is an allusion to the medieval belief that pelican young fed on the blood of the parent bird. This analogy compares to how Lear's daughters are feeding on him giving them the control of the kingdom. Shakespeare uses these animal images throughout his play to describe Goneril and Regan. It will be noticed that most of the animals used in these comparisons are unpleasant (kite, serpent, tigers, pelicans, foxes, and even monsters). Shakespeare is showing that the sisters are sinking from the level of man, who stood between the angels and the animals, to the level of the animals. They have become like some of the most unpleasant birds and animals of prey. In their cruelty and unnaturalness they are less than human.

Consumer Ethics -- Considerations in a Global Market

Consumer Ethics Considerations in a Global Market Many people around the world work to consider consumer ethics and  make ethical consumer choices in their everyday lives. They do this in response to the troubling conditions that plague global supply chains and the human-made climate crisis. Approaching these issues from a sociological standpoint, we can see that our consumer choices matter because they have sweeping economic, social, environmental, and political implications that reach far beyond the context of our everyday lives. In this sense, what we choose to consume matters very much, and it is possible to be a conscientious, ethical consumer. However, is it necessarily this simple? When we broaden the critical lens through which we examine consumption, we see a more complicated picture. In this view, global capitalism and consumerism have created crises of ethics that make it very difficult to frame any form of consumption as ethical. Key Takeaways: Ethical Consumerism What we buy is often related to our cultural and educational capital, and consumption patterns can reinforce existing social hierarchies.One perspective suggests that consumerism may be at odds with ethical behavior, as consumerism seems to bring about a self-centered mentality.Although the choices we make as consumers do matter, a better strategy may be to strive for ethical citizenship rather than merely ethical consumption. Consumption and the Politics of Class At the center of this problem is that consumption is tangled up in the politics of class in some troubling ways. In his study of consumer culture in France, Pierre Bourdieu found that consumer habits tend to reflect the amount of cultural and educational capital one has and also the economic class position of one’s family. This would be a neutral outcome if the resulting consumer practices were not slotted into a hierarchy of tastes, with wealthy, formally educated people at the top, and the poor and not formally educated at the bottom. However, Bourdieu’s findings suggest that consumer habits both reflect and reproduce the class-based system of inequality that courses through industrial and post-industrial societies. As an example of how consumerism is tied to social class, think about the impression you might form of a person who frequents the opera, has a membership to an art museum, and enjoys collecting wine.  You probably imagined that this person is relatively wealthy and well-educated, even though these things weren’t explicitly stated. Another French sociologist, Jean Baudrillard, argued in For a Critique of the Political Economy of the Sign, that consumer goods have a â€Å"sign value† because they exist within the system of all goods. Within this system of goods/signs, the symbolic value of each good is determined primarily by how it is viewed in relation to others. So, cheap and knock-off goods exist in relation to mainstream and luxury goods, and business attire exists in relation to casual clothing and urban wear, for example. A hierarchy of goods, defined by quality, design, aesthetics, availability, and even ethics, begets a hierarchy of consumers. Those who can afford the goods at the top of the status pyramid are viewed in higher standing than their peers of lower economic classes and marginalized cultural backgrounds. You might be thinking, â€Å"So what? People buy what they can afford, and some people can afford more expensive things. What’s the big deal?† From a sociological standpoint, the big deal is the collection  of assumptions we make about people based on what they consume. Consider, for instance, how two hypothetical people might be perceived differently as they move through the world. A man in his sixties with clean cut hair, wearing a smart sport coat, pressed slacks and collared shirt, and a pair of shiny mahogany colored loafers drives a Mercedes sedan, frequents upscale bistros, and shops at fine stores like Neiman Marcus and Brooks Brothers. Those he encounters on a daily basis are likely to assume him smart, distinguished, accomplished, cultured, well-educated, and moneyed. He is likely to be treated with dignity and respect, unless he does something egregious to warrant otherwise. By contrast, a 17 year-old boy, wearing disheveled thrift store attire, drives his used truck to fast food restaurants and convenience stores, and shops at discount outlets and cheap  chain stores. It is likely that those he encounters will assume him to be poor and undereducated. He may experience disrespect and disregard on a daily basis, despite how he behaves toward others. Ethical Consumerism and Cultural Capital In a system of consumer signs, those who make the ethical choice to purchase fair trade, organic, locally grown, sweat-free, and sustainable goods are also often seen as morally superior to those who don’t know, or don’t care,  to make these kinds of purchases. In the landscape of consumer goods, being an ethical consumer awards one with heightened cultural capital and a higher social status in relation to other consumers. For example, buying a hybrid vehicle signals to others that one is concerned about environmental issues, and neighbors passing by the car in the driveway might even view the car’s owner more positively. However, someone who can’t afford to replace their 20-year-old car may care about the environment just as much, but they would be unable to demonstrate this through their patterns of consumption. A sociologist would then ask, if ethical consumption reproduces problematic hierarchies of class, race, and culture, then, how ethical is it? The Problem of Ethics in a Consumer Society Beyond the hierarchy of goods and people fostered by  consumerist culture, is it even possible to be an ethical consumer? According to Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, a society of consumers thrives on and fuels rampant individualism and self-interest above all else. He argues that this stems from operating within a consumerist context in which we are obligated to consume to be the best, most desired and valued versions of ourselves. With time, this self-centered standpoint infuses all of our social relationships. In a society of consumers we are prone to be callous, selfish, and devoid of empathy and concern for others, and for the common good. Our lack of interest in the welfare of others is furthered by the waning of strong community ties in favor of fleeting, weak ties experienced only with others who share our consumer habits, like those we see at the cafà ©, the farmers market, or at a music festival. Rather than investing in communities and those within them, whether geographically rooted or otherwise, we instead operate as swarms, moving from one trend or event to the next. From a sociological standpoint, this signals a crisis of morals and ethics, because if we are not part of communities with others, we are unlikely to experience moral  solidarity with others around the shared values, beliefs, and practices that allow for cooperation and social stability. The research of Bourdieu, and the theoretical observations of Baudrillard and Bauman, raise the alarm in response to the idea that consumption can be ethical. While the choices we make as consumers do matter, practicing a truly ethical life requires going beyond just making different consumption patterns. For example, making ethical choices involves investing in strong community ties, working to be an ally to others in our community, and thinking critically and often beyond self-interest. It is difficult to do these things when navigating the world from the standpoint of a consumer. Rather, social, economic, and environmental justice follow from ethical  citizenship.

Operation Linebacker in the Vietnam War

Operation Linebacker in the Vietnam War Operation Linebacker took place from May 9 to October 23, 1972 during the Vietnam War (1955-1975). In March 1972, with the United States working to transfer responsibility for fighting on the ground to the South Vietnamese, the North Vietnamese launched a major offensive. With South Vietnamese forces under pressure and giving ground, Operation Linebacker was launched with the goal of slowing the enemy advance by striking transportation and logistical targets. These air attacks proved effective and by June, North Vietnamese units were reporting that only 30% of supplies were reaching the front. An effective campaign, Operation Linebacker helped halt the Easter Offensive and aided in restarting peace talks. Fast Facts: Operation Linebacker Conflict: Vietnam War (1955-1975)Dates: May 9 to October 23, 1972Force Commander:United StatesGeneral John W. Vogt, Jr.Seventh Air ForceTask Force 77Casualties:United States: 134 aircraft lost to all causes Background As Vietnamization progressed, American forces began handing off responsibility for fighting the North Vietnamese to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). In the wake of ARVN failures in 1971, the North Vietnamese government elected to move forward with conventional offensives the following year. Beginning in March 1972, the Easter Offensive saw the Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN) attack across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as well as east from Laos and south from Cambodia. In each case, PAVN forces made gains driving back the opposition. Debating the American Response Concerned about the situation, President Richard Nixon initially desired to order three days of B-52 Stratofortress strikes against Hanoi and Haiphong. In an effort to preserve the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, National Security Advisor Dr. Henry Kissinger dissuaded Nixon from this approach as he believed it would escalate the situation and alienate the Soviet Union. Instead, Nixon moved forward with authorizing more limited strikes and directed that additional aircraft be dispatched to the region. As PAVN forces continued to make gains, Nixon elected to push forward with a large escalation of air attacks. This was due to both the deteriorating situation on the ground and the need to preserve American prestige prior to a summit meeting with Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev. To support the campaign, the US Seventh Air Force continued to receive additional aircraft, including large numbers of F-4 Phantom IIs and F-105 Thunderchiefs, while the US Navys Task Force 77 was increased to four carriers. On April 5, American aircraft began striking targets north of the 20th Parallel as part of Operation Freedom Train. A US Air Force F-4 Phantom II during the Vietnam War. Photograph Courtesy of the US Navy Freedom Train Pocket Money On April 10, the first large B-52 raid struck North Vietnam and hit targets around Vinh. Two days later, Nixon began allowing strikes against Hanoi and Haiphong. American air attacks largely focused on transportation and logistics targets, though Nixon, unlike his predecessor, delegated operational planning to his commanders in the field. On April 20, Kissinger met with Brezhnev in Moscow and convinced the Soviet leader to reduce military aid to North Vietnam. Unwilling to risk an improving relationship with Washington, Brezhnev also pressured Hanoi to negotiate with the Americans. This led to a meeting in Paris on May 2 between Kissinger and Hanois chief negotiator Le Duc Tho. Sensing victory, the North Vietnamese envoy was unwilling to deal and effectively insulted Kissinger. Angered by this meeting and the loss of Quang Tri City, Nixon further upped the ante and directed that the North Vietnamese coast by mined. Moving forward on May 8, US Navy aircraft penetrated Haiphong harbor as part of Operation Pocket Money. Laying mines, they withdrew and additional aircraft conducted similar missions over the next three days. F-105D Thunderchief. Photograph Courtesy of the US Air Force Striking at the North Though both the Soviets and Chinese frowned on the mining, they did not take active steps to protest it. With the North Vietnamese coast effectively closed to maritime traffic, Nixon ordered a new air interdiction campaign, dubbed Operation Linebacker, to commence. This was to focus on suppressing North Vietnamese air defenses as well as destroying marshaling yards, storage facilities, transshipment points, bridges, and rolling stock. Commencing on May 10, Linebacker saw Seventh Air Force and Task Force 77 conduct 414 sorties against enemy targets. In the wars single heaviest day of aerial combat, four MiG-21s and seven MiG-17s were downed in exchange for two F-4s. During the early days of the operation, the US Navys Lieutenant Randy Duke Cunningham and his radar intercept officer, Lieutenant (j.g.) William P. Driscoll, became the first American aces of the conflict when they downed a MiG-17 (their third kill of the day). Striking targets across North Vietnam, Operation Linebacker saw the first widespread use of precision-guided munitions. MiG-17. US Air Force This advance in technology aided American aircraft in dropping seventeen major bridges between the Chinese border and Haiphong in May. Switching to supply depots and petroleum storage facilities, the Linebacker attacks began to have a telling effect on the battlefield as PAVN forces saw a 70% drop in supplies through the end of June. The air attacks, coupled with increasing ARVN resolve saw the Easter Offensive slow and finally stop. Unhampered by the targeting restrictions that had plagued the earlier Operation Rolling Thunder, Linebacker saw American aircraft pound enemy targets into August. Aftermath With imports into North Vietnam down 35-50% and with PAVN forces stalled, Hanoi became willing to resume talks and make concessions. As a result, Nixon ordered bombing above the 20th Parallel to cease on October 23, effectively ending Operation Linebacker. In the course of the campaign, American forces lost 134 aircraft to all causes while downing 63 enemy fighters. Considered a success, Operation Linebacker was critical to halting the Easter Offensive and damaging PAVN forces. An effective interdiction campaign, it began a new era of aerial warfare with the mass introduction of precision-guided munitions. Despite Kissingers proclamation that Peace is at hand, American aircraft were compelled to return to North Vietnam in December. Flying Operation Linebacker II, they again struck targets in an attempt to force North Vietnamese to resume talks.

Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Memo - Essay Example o focuses on potential benefits of paying part of fee for the college attendance, for the students, to create a clear picture of the possible effects of the move on the students and the company. One of the benefits of the move to sponsor the students is the knowledge that they will gain and use in the organization. Even though the organization is a manufacturing company, it requires diversified competencies such as administrative potentials, human resource management potentials, budgeting and planning potentials and leadership skills. Having students attend the college will train them on the business and economics scopes that they can use in different sectors of the organization. Training students on cost accounting and managerial accounting, elements of the college’s accounting program, will for example facilitate efficiency in planning for organization’s resources and promote cost effectiveness towards lower production cost. Even though the company may spend significant amount of money on paying the students’ fee, the results, which is likely to culminate into higher profit margin, due to low production cost, may surpass the expenditure in the fee. Ef ficiencies may also emerge from improved competencies in human resource management and leadership that can motivate and empower students for greater potentials and productivity levels. Training some students on human resource management will facilitate an understanding of students’ attitudes and changes in attitudes for measures that can ensure favorable environment for students’ optimal output. Developing leadership potentials is will also help the trained students to facilitate the organizations’ objectives through empowering and influencing other students. Paying part of the students’ fee, in sponsoring them into the school, will also have general positive effects on their perception on the company, and commitment to the company. The move is likely to develop students’ perception that the

Measuring The Heat of Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Lab Report

Measuring The Heat of Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide - Lab Report Example The objectives are threefold: to measure the temperature change of a HÂ ­2O2 solution as it decomposes, to measure the amount of heat absorbed by the calorimeter and finally to calculate the calorimeter constant and then use it to determine the enthalpy of decomposition. The Lab Quest unit was turned on and the temperature probe plugged in. A 150-mL beaker was wrapped in towel paper and then placed inside a 250-mL beaker. A piece of aluminium foil big enough to cover the top of the two beakers was cut. 25 mL of cold water was measured using a graduated cylinder and poured onto the 150-mL beaker.. 25 mL of hot water was measured into the graduated cylinder and the temperature measured. The temperature probe was placed into the cold water solution in the 150-mL beaker. The Lab Quest unit was then set up to begin recording the temperature by pressing the green button. 25 mL of the hot water was poured into the 150-mL beaker containing the cold water. The cup was then quickly covered with the aluminium foil. The cups were periodically swirled to ensure the contents mixed. Temperature recording was stopped once the temperature began to decline for several minutes. The used water was then poured into the sink. The recorded temperature and time data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet. The steps above were repeated twice and the average value calculated. 250 mL of HÂ ­2O2 was obtained. The temperature of the HÂ ­2O2 Â ­was measured and recorded as the initial temperature of the solution and calorimeter. The concentration of the HÂ ­2O2 was also recorded. 60 mL of 0.5M KI solution was obtained. 40 mL of the HÂ ­2O2 solution was measured into a graduated cylinder and the temperature probe plugged in. 10 mL of KI was measured into another graduated cylinder and then poured into the calorimeter and then quickly covered with an aluminium foil lid. The temperature probe was immediately inserted into the probe through a hole in the foil lid. The temperature recording

Stress - Inform Speech Essay Example for Free

Stress Inform Speech Essay First, I’ll talk about some of the reasons for stress. Although I’m sure that there are many everyone here probably has their own reasons, I’m going to stick to three main reasons that you can probably relate to. The first one is the amount of schoolwork. College can be so demanding due to such a heavy workload that we’re expected to keep up with. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed. We have projects, tests, papers, exams, midterms, finals, co-ops. Stress can easily build without a good strategy of tackling these assignments. A second reason is pressure to do well. Pressure to do well can come from within. That’s the inner drive, that inner motivation pushing you to succeed. Most here desire to do their best and to get good grades. The Methods of Healing website conducted research and found that 71 percent of college students say that their grades have a direct effect on their level of stress. Pressure to do well can also be external. That’s your family, your friends, your coaches, your teachers, your professors. Everybody who wants to see you succeed. Wanting to live up to the high expectations that they place on you can be pretty stressful. A third reason is change in environment. Now this may affect some of us more than others, depending on if you’re from Rochester or not, but going away to college means leaving behind everything that’s familiar. Your close family, they’re not with you. Your friends, they’re not with you. Some students have never been away from home which can be a difficult adjustment. Then, once you’re here at RIT there’s social acceptance, peer pressure–these are issues we may face since we’re in a new environment. Wanting to fit in can be a challenge and often is. Now, let’s recap the three reasons we talked about. First was the amount of schoolwork, second was pressure to succeed, and third was dealing with a new environment. Now that we know the three reasons, let’s examine some tips to help reduce the stress. There are five simple things we can do to manage our stress. I created an acronym to help me remember the tips. The word I’m using is relax: R-E-L-A-X. We’ll go over each letter one by one. The first letter, letter R, stands for Recognize. We have to recognize the source of our stress before we can address it. Once you realize why you’re stressed, why not keep a journal? Write down everything that you feel. Writing makes you feel more relieved and allows you to pinpoint any trends in your stress. The second letter, letter E, stands for Exercise. Incorporating exercise into your daily routine takes your mind off of problems you may have, and not to mention, it’s good for your body. So create a routine. Set aside time for exercise. Set aside time for classes–for studying, for homework, and then schedule in downtime for yourself. In the end you’ll feel less overwhelmed. The third letter, L, L stands for Let it go. Think about the stressful situation. Will it matter in five years? Will it matter in ten years? If it will matter, take a deep breath and address the stressful situation piece by piece and step by step. If it won’t matter in five years or ten years then let it go. Stressing over small things is tiring and unnecessary. The fourth letter, letter A stands for Attitude. When you talk about school do you say things like, â€Å"Ugh, I’m gonna fail,† or â€Å"That test was so hard I bombed it, I’m never gonna learn this material. † If you do that may sound pessimistic and doubtful. You can self-reflect and adjust your attitude. According to a 2005 Stress Management article, being optimistic and having a positive outlook has a direct connection with how we feel, even with how well we perform. Now the last letter is X. You’re probably wondering what word I came up with to start with this, so I cheated a little bit and it stands for eXtra sleep. All students need sleep for energy. Are you not getting enough? Go to the letter R–recognize why am I not getting enough sleep? Maybe it’s because you’re hanging out with your friends until two, three, four in the morning. Why not cut down that time? You can still hang out with them, just not as long. Maybe you’re not getting enough sleep because you have too much homework. You pull an all-nighter, cramming for an exam, up till 5AM. Why not make a better schedule? And then stick to that schedule. Don’t procrastinate. When you map out your time and you stick to a routine you’ll realize that you have enough time to get everything done, even sleep. In the end we’ll be less frustrated when we get the sleep we needed. Another interesting point that I found is that all stress is not bad. Distress is bad stress. That’s what we’ve been focusing on in this speech. But then there’s also good stress, that’s called eustress. Eustress comes from excitement or adrenaline. But, to focus on managing our negative stress let’s try to remember all of the tips and the word relax. R, recognize where the stress is coming from and address it. E, exercise daily. L, let go of minor problems, don’t worry about it. And A, adjust your attitude and be more positive. And X, get eXtra sleep. In conclusion, we cannot ignore the fact that stress occurs in our lives. Regardless of the reasons we have to manage it one way or another. Above all, from my speech I hope you take away useful tips to deal with your stress so that college is more enjoyable. Even if you can’t remember what each letter stands for, do just what the word says, and relax.

The Image Made in China in Manufacturing :: Chinese Trade Manufacturing Appliances Essays

The Image "Made in China" in Manufacturing In order to provide the Chinese home appliance manufacturers consortium with assistance in achieving their goal of improving the â€Å"Made in China† image, our first objective was to accurately define the perception of products that are â€Å"Made in China.† In particular, to determine whether or not â€Å"Made in China† has a negative connotation in the U.S. marketplace and if so, to better understand the contributing factors to this perception. First, we conducted secondary research consisting of a review of literature and statistical studies. The focus was on the broader topic of a product’s country-of-origin and its effect on the consumer purchase decision process. Second, we focused on the specific impact of â€Å"Made in China† on purchase behavior. Third, to gain further insight into the consumer perception of â€Å"Made in China† in the home appliances category, we conducted primary research in the form of consumer surveys, retailer interviews and secret shopper studies. Finally, we conducted secondary research on the actions that can be taken to overcome or change a negative country-of-origin image. Secondary Research Our secondary research identified several key themes, all of which support the hypothesis that a product’s country-of-origin plays a significant role in the purchase decision process. These findings are summarized below: Impact of Country-of-Origin (COO) On Consumer Perceptions and Purchase Decision-Making Process: A number of statistical studies have explored the effect of country-of-origin on consumers’ perceptions of products and how it influences the decision-making process. Studies by Heslop and Papadopoulous (1993, 2000) concluded that COO image is one of the most important influences on decision making for foreign-made products. These studies revealed that buyers evaluate COO using multiple criteria including the country’s level of advancement, the buyer’s feelings about the people of the country and the buyer’s desire to be more closely aligned with the country. In addition, a study by Liefeld and Wall (1987, 1991, 1993) found a positive relationship between product evaluation and the degree of economic development of the COO. Support of these finding was found in a study by Wang and Lamb (1983) in which it was determined that U.S. consumers evaluate products according to the country in which they are produced. Culture, political situation and economic develo pment of the source country were contributing factors to this evaluation criterion. Further support that COO plays an important role in shaping consumers’ attitudes towards products was found in studies by Hong and Wyer & Nooh, Sa’ari, and Powers (1989, 1999). The Image "Made in China" in Manufacturing :: Chinese Trade Manufacturing Appliances Essays The Image "Made in China" in Manufacturing In order to provide the Chinese home appliance manufacturers consortium with assistance in achieving their goal of improving the â€Å"Made in China† image, our first objective was to accurately define the perception of products that are â€Å"Made in China.† In particular, to determine whether or not â€Å"Made in China† has a negative connotation in the U.S. marketplace and if so, to better understand the contributing factors to this perception. First, we conducted secondary research consisting of a review of literature and statistical studies. The focus was on the broader topic of a product’s country-of-origin and its effect on the consumer purchase decision process. Second, we focused on the specific impact of â€Å"Made in China† on purchase behavior. Third, to gain further insight into the consumer perception of â€Å"Made in China† in the home appliances category, we conducted primary research in the form of consumer surveys, retailer interviews and secret shopper studies. Finally, we conducted secondary research on the actions that can be taken to overcome or change a negative country-of-origin image. Secondary Research Our secondary research identified several key themes, all of which support the hypothesis that a product’s country-of-origin plays a significant role in the purchase decision process. These findings are summarized below: Impact of Country-of-Origin (COO) On Consumer Perceptions and Purchase Decision-Making Process: A number of statistical studies have explored the effect of country-of-origin on consumers’ perceptions of products and how it influences the decision-making process. Studies by Heslop and Papadopoulous (1993, 2000) concluded that COO image is one of the most important influences on decision making for foreign-made products. These studies revealed that buyers evaluate COO using multiple criteria including the country’s level of advancement, the buyer’s feelings about the people of the country and the buyer’s desire to be more closely aligned with the country. In addition, a study by Liefeld and Wall (1987, 1991, 1993) found a positive relationship between product evaluation and the degree of economic development of the COO. Support of these finding was found in a study by Wang and Lamb (1983) in which it was determined that U.S. consumers evaluate products according to the country in which they are produced. Culture, political situation and economic develo pment of the source country were contributing factors to this evaluation criterion. Further support that COO plays an important role in shaping consumers’ attitudes towards products was found in studies by Hong and Wyer & Nooh, Sa’ari, and Powers (1989, 1999).

Impact of Technology Essay

Students in the early grades, from pre-K to grade 3, and in the middle school grades appear to benefit most from DES applications for reading instruction, as do students with special reading needs. In a 2000 study commissioned by the Software and Information Industry Association, Sivin-Kachala and Bialo (2000) reviewed 311 research studies on the effectiveness of technology on student achievement. Their findings revealed positive and consistent patterns when students were engaged in technology-rich environments, including significant gains and achievement in all subject areas, increased achievement in preschool through high school for both regular and special needs students, and improved attitudes toward learning and increased self-esteem. O’Dwyer, Russell, Bebell, and Tucker-Seeley (2005) found that, while controlling for both prior achievement and socioeconomic status, fourth-grade students who reported greater frequency of technology use at school to edit papers were likely to have higher total English/language arts test scores and higher writing scores on fourth grade test scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) English/Language Arts test. Michigan’s Freedom to Learn (FTL) initiative, an effort to provide middle school students and teachers with access to wireless laptop computers, has been credited with improving grades, motivation and discipline in classrooms across the state, with one exemplary school seeing reading proficiency scores on the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) test, administered in January 2005, reportedly increasing from 29 percent to 41 percent for seventh graders and from 31 to 63 percent for eighth graders (eSchool News, 2005). In examining large-scale state and national studies, as well as some innovative smaller studies on newer educational technologies, Schacter (1999) found that students with access to any of a number of technologies (such as computer assisted instruction, integrated learning systems, simulations and software that teaches higher order thinking, collaborative networked technologies, or design and programming technologies) show positive gains in achievement on researcher constructed tests, standardized tests, and national tests. Cavanaugh’s synthesis (2001) of 19 experimental and quasi-experimental studies of the effectiveness of interactive distance education using videoconferencing and telecommunications for K-12 academic achievement found a small positive effect in favor of distance education and more positive effect sizes for interactive distance education programs that combine an individualized approach with traditional classroom instruction. Boster, Meyer, Roberto, ; Inge (2002) examined the integration of standards-based video clips into lessons developed by classroom teachers and found increases student achievement. The study of more than 1,400 elementary and middle school students in three Virginia school districts showed an average increase in learning for students exposed to the video clip application compared to students who received traditional instruction alone. Wenglinsky (1998) noted that for fourth- and eighth-graders technology has â€Å"positive benefits† on achievement as measured in NAEP’s mathematics test. Interestingly, Wenglinsky found that using computers to teach low order thinking skills, such as drill and practice, had a negative impact on academic achievement, while using computers to solve simulations saw their students’ math scores increase significantly. Hiebert (1999) raised a similar point. When students over-practice procedures before they understand them, they have more difficulty making sense of them later; however, they can learn new concepts and skills while they are solving problems. In a study that examined relationship between computer use and students’ science achievement based on data from a standardized assessment, Papanastasiou, Zemblyas, & Vrasidas (2003) found it is not the computer use itself that has a positive or negative effect on achievement of students, but the way in which computers are used. Researchers are also making progress on the more complicated task of investigating the impact of technology use on higher order thinking skills as measured through means other than standardized tests. They are examining students’ ability to understand complex phenomena, analyze and synthesize multiple sources of information, and build representations of their own knowledge. At the same time, some researchers are calling for newer standardized assessments that emphasize the ability to access, interpret, and synthesize information. Research indicates that computer technology can help support learning and is especially useful in developing the higher-order skills of critical thinking, analysis, and scientific inquiry â€Å"by engaging students in authentic, complex tasks within collaborative learning contexts† (Roschelle, Pea, Hoadley, Gordin ; Means, 2000; Means, et. al. , 1993). While research linking technology integration, inquiry-based teaching, and emphasis on problem solving with student achievement is emergent, some research exists that suggests a connection. In a 2001 study of Enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies (eMints) program, a statewide technology integration initiative, eMINTS students scored consistently higher on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) than non-eMINTS students, including eMINTS students classified as having special needs. The higher MAP results were found to be associated with the instructional practices (Evaluation Team Policy Brief, 2002). The eMINTS program provides teachers with professional development to help integrate technology so that they can use inquiry-based teaching and emphasize critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. The program has since expanded to not only Missouri schools and districts but also other states as well. Currently, 232 Missouri districts, 10 Utah districts, 56 Maine districts, 2 Nevada districts, and 1 Illinois district, representing 1,000 classrooms and 22,500 students now take advantage of the eMINTS program offerings. Test results continue to show that, on most state tests, students enrolled in eMINTS classrooms scored higher than students enrolled in non-eMINTS classrooms and that low-income and special education students in eMINTS classes generally score higher than their non-eMINTS peers (eMINTS, 2005). Results from other studies (Perez-Prado and Thirunarayanan 2002; Cooper 2001; Smith, Ferguson and Caris 2001) also suggest that students can benefit from technology-enhanced collaborative learning methods and the interactive learning process. Roschelle, Pea, Hoadley, Gordin, & Means (2000) identify four fundamental characteristics of how technology can enhance both what and how children learn in the classroom: (1) active engagement, (2) participation in groups, (3) frequent interaction and feedback, and (4) connections to real-world contexts. They also indicate that use of technology is more effective as a learning tool when embedded in a broader education reform movement that includes improvements in teacher training, curriculum, student assessment, and a school’s capacity for change. Back To Top FACTORS TO CONSIDER Inclusion: Reaching All Students A major concern of many educators with regard to educational technology is its potential to exclude those who may not have access to it, or may not be able to use it. Regardless of what research may indicate concerning positive effects of technology on student learning, technology will be of limited use in achieving the goals of NCLB if is not available to all students. Students at Risk. Research demonstrates that the challenge of helping teachers and students achieve ICT literacy, and the challenge of establishing frameworks for assessing their skills, is most acute in schools serving low-socioeconomic, minority students (Becker, 2000b; Becker ; Ravitz, 1997). While public debate about the digital divide centers on basic technology access, the gap is even wider when measured by the pedagogical practices associated with technology use in different schools. More than half (53%) of teachers in public schools who have computers use them or the Internet for instruction during class. But in schools whose students are from higher-income families, 61 percent of teachers with computers use them in class compared to 50 percent of those teaching in schools with lower-income students (Lenhart, Rainie ; Lewis, 2001). And as wired as many young people are, the same study that found 87 percent of young people use the Internet also found that 3 million remain without Internet access. Many of those without access come from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, and a disproportionate number are black (eSchool News, 2005a). Schools serving students living in poverty tend to use technology for more traditional memory-based and remedial activities, while schools serving wealthier communities are more likely to focus on communication and expression. A nationwide study examining the relationship between socioeconomic status and teaching practices around technology found that teaching in low-SES schools correlated most strongly with using technology for â€Å"reinforcement of skills† and â€Å"remediation of skills,† while teaching in higher-SES schools correlated most with â€Å"analyzing information† and â€Å"presenting information to an audience† (Becker, 2000b). At the same time, although less studied than other outcomes, demonstration efforts and anecdotal evidence suggest that teaching ICT literacy skills (specifically those related to multimedia literacy in Web, publishing and video production) can improve the economic prospects of at-risk youth by giving them marketable skills (Lau ; Lazarus, 2002). Back To Top Language Learners. Likewise, in teaching language learners, using technology has distinct advantages that relate not only to language education but preparing students for today’s information society. Computer technologies and the Internet are powerful tools for assisting language teaching because Web technology is a part of today’s social fabric, meaning language learners can now learn thorough writing e-mail and conducting online research (Wang, 2005). In Oregon secondary schools, wirelessly networked note taking is used to support Hispanic migrant students who speak English as a second language (ESL). As part of the InTime project, ESL students attend regular high school classes along with a bilingual, note-taking/mentoring partner. Note takers and students communicate using a collaborative word processing and graphics package on wirelessly networked laptop computers. During class presentations, ESL students can read their note taker’s translation of key words, allowing students to build both English and Spanish literacy skills as they advance academically (Knox and Anderson-Inman, 2001). Students with Disabilities. For several decades, the American educational system has taken a narrow view of special education, treating it as a mini-school within the school where teachers, largely cut off from the rest of the staff, faced a group of students with an incredibly wide range of abilities and disabilities and made the best of it. Today, that view of special education is giving way to a broader, more philosophical approach—an approach designed to weave inclusive practice s into the fabric of the whole-school environment. † (MOSAIC, 2000a). The shift in recognizing the needs of students with disabilities in relationship to their general education peers began with the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Before the law, many children with disabilities who were not in schools at all because schools had chosen to exclude them (MOSAIC, 2000b). IDEA clearly established that all students with disabilities have the right to public education. More than 6 million children with disabilities ages 3 to 21 years old are served in federally supported programs (Snyder & Tan, 2005). However, students with disabilities frequently experience insufficient access to and success in the general education curriculum. This is especially true for adolescent learners, even non-disabled students, who must cope with the emphasis on learning from text (Biancarosa & Snow, 2004; Kamil, 2003). Universal Design for Learning (UDL) takes advantage of the opportunity brought by rapidly evolving communication technologies to create flexible teaching methods and curriculum materials that can reach diverse learners and improve student access to the general education curriculum (Rose & Meyer, 2002). UDL assumes that students bring different needs and skills to the task of learning, and the learning environment should be designed to both accommodate, and make use of, these differences (Bowe 2000; Rose & Meyer, 2002). To promote improved access to the general curriculum for all learners, including learners with disabilities, Rose & Meyer (2002) have identified three key principles or guidelines for UDL: Presenting information in multiple formats and multiple media. Offering students with multiple ways to express and demonstrate what they have learned. Providing multiple entry points to engage student interest and motivate learning. For example, printed reading materials pose substantial challenges to the learning of students with disabilities (J. Zorfass: personal communication, October 2005). Technology can assist with such difficulties by enabling a shift from printed text to electronic text, which Anderson-Inman and Reinking (1998) assert can be modified, enhanced, programmed, linked, searched, collapsed, and collaborative. Text styles and font sizes can be modified as needed by readers with visual disabilities; read aloud by a computer-based text-to-speech translators; and integrated with illustrations, videos, and audio. Electronic text affords alternative formats for reading materials that can be customized to match learner needs, can be structured in ways that scaffold the learning process and expand both physical and cognitive access, and can foster new modes of expression through revision and multimedia (J. Zorfass: personal communication, October 2005). It represents one way that technology can support the achievement of students with disabilities. Technology also has a role to play in the testing of students with disabilities. A notable outgrowth of NCLB is the legislation’s mandatory requirement that states account for individual subgroups, which has further challenged schools and districts to acknowledge students with disabilities (McLaughlin, S Embler, K Nagle, 2004; Nagle, 2005). State academic content and achievement standards now define the goals of education for all students, and most students with disabilities are now expected to reach the same level of proficiency as their non-disabled peers. In order to ensure that disabilities do not prevent students from participating in standardized assessments, students with disabilities are entitled to take these tests in the same way as their peers, with accommodations, or with an alternate assessment (Thompson, Thurlow, ; Moore, 2003). These accommodations or alternatives must not alter the content standard being measured nor the achievement standard (McLaughlin, Embler ; Nagle, 2004). While technology can support such accommodations and alternatives, striking a balance between accommodation and standardization across all students’ testing experiences remains a subject of debate today (Murray, 2005). Back To Top Educational Technology and Data Driven Decision Making The effectiveness of educational technology on student learning depends not only on what outcomes are targeted and how the technology is integrated into instruction, but also on how teachers assess student performance in classrooms and adjust instruction accordingly. Technology offers teachers a broad range of tools to collect and analyze data, and richer sets of student data to guide instructional decisions. NCLB has prompted educators to think much more systematically about educational decision-making and the use of data to inform their decisions about everything from resource allocation to instructional practice. Schools are now expected to monitor their efforts to enable all students to achieve, and administrators and teachers are now expected to be prepared to use data to understand where students are academically and to establish â€Å"targeted, responsive, and flexible† ways to improve this academic standing (Mitchell, Lee, & Herman, 2000, p. 2). However, despite encouragement at the policy level, there is growing consensus that schools are not adequately prepared for the task of routinely thinking critically about the relationships between instructional practices and student outcomes (Confrey & Makar, 2005; Olsen, 2003; Hammerman & Rubin, 2002; Herman & Gribbons, 2001; Kearns & Harvey, 2000). Recent research conducted by EDC’s Center for Children and Technology has found that educators working at different levels of a school system have distinctive intuitive approaches to the process, despite the absence of systematic training in a particular approach to data-driven decision-making. For example, school administrators use high-stakes test data to allocate resources and plan professional development and other kinds of targeted intervention activities by identifying general patterns of performance, class-, grade-, and school-wide strengths and weaknesses. Teachers tend to use multiple sources of data—homework assignments, in-class tests, classroom performances, and experiential information—to inform their thinking about their students strengths and weaknesses (Brunner, Fasca, Heinze, Honey, Light, Mandinach ; Wexler, 2005; Light, Wexler ; Heinze, 2004; Honey, Brunner, Light, Kim, McDermott, Heinze, Bereiter ; Mandinach, 2002). While drawing on varied sources of data to form opinions about students’ competencies is not new behavior for teachers, significant research (Mandinach, Honey, Light, Heinze, & Rivas, 2005; Confrey & Makar, 2002, 2005; Hammerman, & Rubin, 2002, 2003) suggests that teachers examine factors that contribute to individual patterns of behavior and think case-by-case, rather than identify patterns in data at different levels of aggregation, from student-to-student, class-to-class, and year-to-year, and systematically analyze the relationship between student performance and instructional strategies and materials. Data literacy—the ability of instructional leaders and teachers to work individually and collectively to examine outcomes-based achievement data, formative assessment measures of student performance, and students’ work products, and to develop strategies for improvement based on these data—is now widely recognized as a critical strategy in the academic performance of schools (Fullan, 1999; Haycock, 2001; Johnson, 1996; Love, 2004; Schmoker, 1999; Zalles, 2005). A key concept of data literacy is generating only the data that are needed and making full use of what’s collected. The National Research Council (1996) notes that, â€Å"far too often, more educational data are collected and analyzed than are used to make decisions or take action† (p. 90). Those resources become meaningful to educators only when they are transformed into information, and ultimately into usable or actionable knowledge (Mandinach & Honey, 2005). Taken as a whole, the emerging research in this area suggests that what is needed is a comprehensive and purposeful approach to the use of data that not only informs the practices of individual teachers, but is supported as an essential and strategic part of school-wide improvement strategies. New professional development programs are now training teachers and school leaders in how to make use of data in systematic and rigorous ways to continuously improve student performance. For example, TERC has created Using Data, a professional development model that introduces teachers to a process through which they learn to frame questions, collect data, formulate hypotheses, draw conclusions, take action, and monitor results (Love, 2002). Preliminary studies have indicated that this model has had an impact on teacher classroom behavior and on their approach to data analysis and interpretation (Love, 2004), and has also improved student learning as indicated by state and formative assessments (Zuman, 2005). Results from external evaluations of the intervention conducted in various locations have shown substantial gains in student performance on state accountability measures in the areas of math and language arts. Technology has a vital role to play in enabling data-driven decision-making. Web-based test data reporting systems provide an interface to the state and city testing results by organizing raw data into information that is aligned with state standards and mobile computing devices, such as handhelds, provide teachers with a platform to administer and analyze the data of classroom-based assessments. For example, according to the 2004 Quality Education Data, 55 percent of the nation’s public school districts used PDAs or handheld PCs in the 2002-2003 school year with an additional 8 percent expected to purchase them for use during the 2003-2004 school year. The numbers released by Wireless Generation, a for-profit company that designs educational assessment applications for handheld devices, suggests an even greater increase. During the fall of 2005, Wireless estimates that roughly 80,000 teachers, working in 48 states will be using their software to collect and analyze data for up to one million students in pre-K through sixth grade. The company currently has contracts with ten Reading First states, as well as with some of the largest school districts in the nation, including the New York City Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools. While using PDAs to administer assessments and view data are becoming increasingly popular, few studies have examined the effect they have on teacher practice and student achievement (Brunner ; Honey, 2001; Hupert, Martin, Heinze, Kanaya, ; Perez, 2004; Sharp ; Risko, 2003; Sharp, 2004). Studies that have begun to examine this trend suggest that that these tools assist teachers in thinking more substantively about students’ progress. As a whole, the research indicates that the single most powerful affordance of the technology is its ability to support teachers in using assessments to acquire information about students’ thinking and learning, and to use the understanding gained to further shape their instructional practice (Brunner ; Honey, 2001; Hupert et al. , 2004; Sharp ; Risko, 2003). Such a strategy places assessment squarely in the center of the classroom where it can potentially count the most. Back To Top The Complex Nature of Change Another factor influencing the impact of technology on student achievement is that changes in classroom technologies correlate to changes in other educational factors as well. Originally the determination of student achievement was based on traditional methods of social scientific investigation: it asked whether there was a specific, causal relationship between one thing—technology—and another—student achievement. Because schools are complex social environments, however, it is impossible to change just one thing at a time (Glennan ; Melmed, 1996; Hawkins, Panush, ; Spielvogel, 1996; Newman, 1990). If a new technology is introduced into a classroom, other things also change. For example, teachers’ perceptions of their students’ capabilities can shift dramatically when technology is integrated into the classroom (Honey, Chang, Light, Moeller, in press). Also, teachers frequently find themselves acting more as coaches and less as lecturers (Henriquez ; Riconscente, 1998). Another example is that use of technology tends to foster collaboration among students, which in turn may have a positive effect on student achievement (Tinzmann, 1998). Because the technology becomes part of a complex network of changes, its impact cannot be reduced to a simple cause-and-effect model that would provide a definitive answer to how it has improved student achievement. Back To Top IMPLICATIONS These findings have implications for every district and school using or planning to use technology. Research on successfully developing, evaluating, studying, and implementing a wide range of technology-based educational programs suggests that the value of technology for students will not be realized unless attention is paid to several important considerations that support the effective use of technology (ISTE, 2002; Byrom ; Bingham, 2001; Chang, Henriquez, Honey, Light, Moeller, ; Ross, 1998; Cradler, 1997; Frederiksen ; White, 1997; Hawkins, Panush, ; Spielvogel, 1996; Honey, McMillan, Tsikalas, ; Light, 1996; National Foundation for the Improvement of Education, 1996; Pea ; Gomez, 1992). These considerations are: Specific educational goals and a vision of learning through technology Ongoing professional development Structural changes in the school day A robust technical infrastructure and technical support Ongoing evaluation Back To Top 1. Educational Goals and a Vision of Learning Through Technology Before technology is purchased or teachers participate in their first professional development session, the educational goals for students should be determined. What do students need to learn, and how can technology promote those learning goals? To answer these questions, the school can convene a technology planning team comprising administrators, teachers, other instructional staff, technology coordinators, students, parents, and representatives of the community. This team first develops a clear set of goals, expectations, and criteria for student learning based on national and state standards, the student population, and community concerns. Next, it determines the types of technology that will best support efforts to meet those goals. The viewpoints of parents and community members are helpful in presenting a broader perspective of skills that students need to succeed after school. In fact, communitywide involvement in determining the school’s technology goals benefits the entire educational process (Byrom & Bingham, 2001; Panel on Educational Technology, 1997). Rather than using technology for technology’s sake, the planning team ensures that particular educational objectives are achieved more efficiently, in more depth, or with more flexibility through technology. Cuban (cited in Trotter, 1998) states, â€Å"The obligation is for educators, practitioners, and educational policymakers to think about what they are after. Only with clear goals can educators be intelligent about how much they want to spend for what purpose and under what conditions. † If there is a clear understanding of the purpose of and type of technology used, evaluating the impact is easier and more valuable. According to Hawkins, Panush, and Spielvogel (1996) and Byrom ; Bingham (2001), school districts that successfully integrate technology show a clear and meaningful connection between technology and larger educational goals. Next, the planning team develops a vision of how technology can improve teaching and learning. Without a vision, lasting school improvement is almost impossible (Byrom ; Bingham, 2001). Team members come to consensus in answering the question How Will You Use Technology to Support Your Vision of Learning? Essential to this vision is an emphasis on meaningful, engaged learning with technology, in which students are actively involved in the learning process. Educational technology is less effective when the learning objectives are unclear and the focus of the technology use is diffuse (Schacter, 1999). The school’s vision of learning through technology also emphasizes the importance of all students having equitable access and use of technology—females, special-needs students, minority students, disadvantaged students, students at risk of educational failure, rural and inner-city students. All students need opportunities to use technology in meaningful, authentic tasks that develop higher-order thinking skills. (For further information, refer to the Critical Issue â€Å"Ensuring Equitable Use of Education Technology. ) Back To Top 2. Professional Development After the educational goals and vision of learning through technology have been determined, it is important to provide professional development to teachers to help them choose the most appropriate technologies and instructional strategies to meet these goals. Students cannot be expected to benefit from technology if their teachers are neither familiar nor comfortable with it. Teachers need to be supported in their efforts to use technology. The primary reason teachers do not use technology in their classrooms is a lack of experience with the technology (Wenglinsky, 1998; Rosen & Weil, 1995). Wenglinsky (cited in Archer, 1998) found that teachers who had received professional development with computers during the last five years were more likely to use computers in effective ways than those who had not participated in such training. Yet teacher induction programs too often focus narrowly on helping new teachers survive the initial year (Fulton, Yoon, & Lee, 2005). Ongoing professional development is necessary to help teachers learn not only how to use new technology but also how to provide meaningful instruction and activities using technology in the classroom (Ringstaff & Kelley, 2002). â€Å"Teachers must be offered training in using computers,† notes Sulla (1999), â€Å"but their training must go beyond that to the instructional strategies needed to infuse technological skills into the learning process. † In successful projects, teachers are provided with ongoing professional development on practical applications of technology. Teachers cannot be expected to learn how to use educational technology in their teaching after a one-time workshop. Teachers need in-depth, sustained assistance not only in the use of the technology but in their efforts to integrate technology into the curriculum (Kanaya & Light, 2005). Teachers also need embedded opportunities for professional learning and collaborating with colleagues in order to overcome the barrier of time and teachers’ daily schedules (The National Council of Staff Development, 2001; Kanaya ; Light, 2005). Skills training becomes peripheral to alternative forms of ongoing support that addresses a range of issues, including teachers’ changing practices and curricula, new technologies and other new resources, and changing assessment practices. This time spent ensuring that teachers are using technology to enrich their students’ learning experiences is an important piece in determining the value of technology to their students. According to Soloway (cited in Archer, 1998), teachers always have been the key to determining the impact of innovations, and this situation also is true of technology. Besides pedagogical support to help students use technology to reach learning goals, teachers also need time to become familiar with available products, software, and online resources. They also need time to discuss technology use with other teachers. â€Å"Transforming schools into 21st century learning communities means recognizing that teachers must become members of a growing network of shared expertise (Fulton, Yoon, Lee, 2005). † Professional collaboration includes communicating with educators in similar situations and others who have experience with technology (Panel on Educational Technology, 1997). This activity can be done in face-to-face meetings or by using technology such as e-mail or videoconferencing. The effects of introducing technology on teacher professionalization include increased collaboration among teachers within a school and increased interaction with external collaborators and resources. Back To Top 3. Structural Changes in the School Day It is important to build time into the daily schedule allowing teachers time to collaborate and to work with their students. Engaged learning through technology is best supported by changes in the structure of the school day, including longer class periods and more allowance for team teaching and interdisciplinary work. For example, when students are working on long-term research projects for which they are making use of online resources (such as artwork, scientific data sets, or historical documents), they may need more than a daily 30- or 40-minute period to find, explore, and synthesize these materials for their research. As schools continue to acquire more technology for student use and as teachers are able to find more ways to incorporate technology into their instruction, the problem will no longer be not enough computers but not enough time (Becker, 1994). Back To Top 4. Technical Infrastructure and Support Increased use of technology in the school requires a robust technical infrastructure and adequate technical support. If teachers are working with a technology infrastructure that realistically cannot support the work they are trying to do, they will become frustrated. School districts have a responsibility to create not only nominal access to computers and electronic networks but access that is robust enough to support the kinds of use that can make a real difference in the classroom. Teachers also must have access to on-site technical support personnel who are responsible for troubleshooting and assistance after the technology and lessons are in place. Back To Top 5. Evaluation Ongoing evaluation of technology applications and student achievement, based on the overall educational goals that were decided on, helps to ensure that he technology is appropriate, adaptable, and useful. Such evaluation also facilitates change if learning goals are not being met. Administrators can acknowledge and recognize incremental improvements in student outcomes as well as changes in teachers’ curricula and practices. Gradual progress, rather than sudden transformation, is more likely to result in long-term change. Baker (1999) emphasizes that besides being a means to collect, interpret, and document findings, evaluation is a planning tool that should be considered at the beginning of any technology innovation. She adds that the overall focus of evaluation is student learning. Heinecke, Blasi, Milman, and Washington (1999) note that multiple quantitative and qualitative evaluation measures may be necessary to document student learning outcomes. To ensure that evaluation procedures are adequately designed and carried out, administrators and teachers may wish to consult evaluation sources such as An Educator’s Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms. All of these issues are important in using technology to improve student achievement. Educational technology is not, and never will be, transformative on its own. But when decisions are made strategically with these factors in mind, technology can play a critical role in creating new circumstances and opportunities for learning that can be rich and exciting. â€Å"At its best, technology can facilitate deep exploration and integration of information, high-level thinking, and profound engagement by allowing students to design, explore, experiment, access information, and model complex phenomena,† note Goldman, Cole, and Syer (1999). These new circumstances and opportunities—not the technology on its own—can have a direct and meaningful impact on student achievement. When educators use the accumulating knowledge regarding the circumstances under which technology supports the broad definition of student achievement, they will be able to make informed choices about what technologies will best meet the particular needs of specific schools or districts. They also will be able to ensure that teachers, parents, students, and community members nderstand what role technology is playing in a school or district and how its impact is being evaluated. Finally, they will be able to justify the investments made in technology. To help states, school districts, and school personnel plan ways to measure the impact that technology is having on classroom practices and academic achievement, Dirr (2004) in partnership with the Appalachian Technology in Education Consortium and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Technology in Edu cation Consortium, identified the following evaluation strategies: Encourage SEAs and LEAs to set aside 10 percent to 15 percent of funds to evaluate their technology grants. Provide a model comprehensive plan for states and districts to consider as they design their own evaluation plans to include a statement of purpose, identifies clear objectives, demonstrates valid approaches to research design, and specifies appropriate time frames for analysis and reporting. Support efforts to develop shared instruments and sets of common data elements. Develop a database of â€Å"best practices† for technology programs and applications that have shown to support student achievement in scientifically based research studies. Develop a list of highly qualified researchers and evaluators from whom SEAs and LEAs can obtain guidance. Explore the development of validated instruments that could be shared across states. Back To Top ACTION OPTIONS: Administrators, the technology planning team, and teachers can take the following steps to improve student achievement through technology. Administrators and the Planning Team (comprising teacher representatives, technology coordinator, students, parents, and interested community members): Review a range of national and state educational standards for student learning (such as those listed in Developing Educational Standards). Seek out content standards that articulate the goals for students to achieve. Determine key aspects of national and state student learning standards for the school or district to focus on as educational goals. Involve teachers in this process to ensure that their expertise and opinions are considered. Charge cross-disciplinary groups of teachers and technology coordinators with finding new ways that technology can help students to achieve those learning goals. Collaborate to create a technology plan for the school. (Refer to the Critical Issue â€Å"Developing a School or District Technology Plan. â€Å") Set one-, three-, and five-year goals for improving student learning through technology. Identify specific curricula, practices, skills, attitudes, and policies that can be enhanced through the use of technology to foster significant improvement in the character and quality of student learning. For example, if the district is interested in improving students’ writing performance, word processing with an emphasis on revision and editing should become a salient part of the curriculum across disciplines. ) Identify classrooms in the district where students are already producing exemplary work using technology; or visit virtual classrooms by viewing CD-ROMs (such as the Capt ured Wisdom CD-ROM Library produced by the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium), videotapes of echnology use in schools (such as the Learning With Technology videotapes), or Internet sites relating to technology integration in content areas (such as lessons using the Amazing Picture Machine and the Handbook of Engaged Learning Projects). Build a database or other resource that allows the school to share these best practices with school staff and the community in general. Be aware of state technology plans, district technology plans, and related policies. Ensure that the school is in compliance. Become familiar with factors that affect the effective use of technology for teaching and learning. Learn about research studies conducted in real school settings that describe how technology use is influenced by teachers’ experience with technology, adequacy of release time, professional development opportunities, and length of class periods. Ensure that teachers are aware of the value of technology for all students, especially those considered at risk of educational failure. (Refer to the Critical Issue â€Å"Using Technology to Enhance Engaged Learning for At-Risk Students. â€Å") Ensure that all students have equitable access to effective uses of technology. Develop strategies for addressing access inequities, strategies for addressing type-of-use inequities, and strategies for addressing curriculum inequities. Provide ongoing, extensive, and research-based professional development opportunities and technical support to help teachers use technology to develop meaningful instructional strategies for students. (Refer to the Critical Issues â€Å"Realizing New Learning for All Students Through Professional Development† and â€Å"Finding Time for Professional Development. ) Ensure that new, research-based approaches to professional development are consistent with the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) standards for staff development. Provide incentives, structures, and time for teachers to participate in highly effective staff development (such as study groups and action research) to help them integrate technology into their teaching and learning. Find ways to make appropriate structural changes in the school day and class scheduling to support engaged learning with technology. Consider block scheduling as a possibility. Educate parents about new assessment methods that enable teachers and administrators to make judgments about the effectiveness of technology in supporting student learning. Use appropriate evaluation procedures and tools to determine the impact of technology use on student achievement based on the learning goals that were set. Consult evaluation sources such as An Educator’s Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms. Share findings with the community. Teachers: Determine the purpose of using technology in the classroom, as determined by the specified educational goals. Is it used to support inquiry, enhance communication, extend access to resources, guide students to analyze and visualize data, enable product development, or encourage expression of ideas? After the purpose is determined, select the appropriate technology and develop the curricula. Create a plan for evaluating students’ work and assessing the impact of the technology. Coordinate technology implementation efforts with core learning goals, such as improving students’ writing skills, reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Collaborate with colleagues to design curricula that involve students in meaningful learning activities in which technology is used for research, data analysis, synthesis, and communication. Promote the use of learning circles, which offer opportunities for students to exchange ideas with other students, teachers, and professionals across the world. Encourage students to broaden their horizons with technology by means of global connections, electronic visualization, electronic field trips, and online research and publishing. Ensure that students have equitable access to various technologies (such as presentation software, video production, Web page production, word processing, modeling software, and desktop publishing software) to produce projects that demonstrate what they have learned in particular areas of the curriculum. Encourage students to collaborate on projects and to use peer assessment to critique each other’s work. In addition to standardized tests, use alternative assessment strategies that are based on students’ performance of authentic tasks. One strategy is to help students develop electronic portfolios of their work to be used for assessment purposes. Ensure that technology-rich student products can be evaluated directly in relation to the goals for student outcomes, rather than according to students’ level of skill with the technology. Create opportunities for students to share their work publicly–through performances, public service, open houses, science fairs, and videos. Use these occasions to inform parents and community members of the kinds of learning outcomes the school is providing for students. Learn how various technologies are used today in the world of work, and help students see the value of technology applications. (Pertinent online information can be found in the 1998-99 Occupational Outlook Handbook and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Career Information. ) Participate in professional development activities to gain experience with various types of educational technology and learn how to integrate this technology into the curriculum. Use technology (such as an e-mail list) to connect with other teachers outside the school or district and compare successful strategies for teaching with technology.