Thursday, October 31, 2019

It is a film review using book how to read literature like a Essay

It is a film review using book how to read literature like a professor-Foster Thomas - Essay Example According to Foster, acts of vampire can be symbolic and can include exploitations, evil, selfishness, using other people to get what one wants, refusing to respect other peoples autonomy and placing ones needs above others. According to Foster, flight symbolically means escape, freedom, returning home or the flight of the imagination. Flight includes the use of flying images such as birds. In the movie, violence is evident when Lord Voldemort killed Harry’s parents though he failed in killing Harry when he was just a year old. The attack by Voldemort also left a lightning bolt shaped scar on Harry’s forehead which produced stabbing pains whenever Voldemort felt any strong emotions. Violence in this movie was caused by a Lord Voldemort, a character who caused stabbing effects on Harry. Foster believes that this kind of violence is symbolic in action, which shows the connection between Harry and the Sorcerer-Harry had become a wizard. Geography is another theme evident in the film. Family is a very important theme in the movie. This is evident when Harry misses his family that he never knew and hates the Dursleys; the one he is stuck with. Blood relationship matters a lot. The Dursleys feed Harry, but they do not love him and do not treat him well. Harry later meets Hogwarts who nurtures and cares for him, hence becoming a family. Foster believes that this type of geography matters in the film represents love, security, family and home. Harry went to Hogwarts with the main aim of making friends and hence forming a family. By making friends, both Harry and Hogwarts learned on how to work together, they learned from each other and even accomplished more that what each of them would have done on their own. Love is evident when Harry finds a room that contained the Mirror of Erised from the restricted section of information in the Library, which showed him of his parents as well as several of his parent’s ance stors.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Climate change reflection (2 pages) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Climate change reflection (2 pages) - Assignment Example The technologies available to reduce carbon emissions include the use of carbon capture technology that is well known from their use in oil recovery. Here, carbon dioxide is separated from other gases that exist in a power plant. Alternatively, it may be captured in its early stage before the energy is generated. This is also referred to as pre-combustion. Pre-combustion share technologies with solid fuels like coal and coke. In addition, the technologies use to remove impurities from syngas is the same as the technology used to remove carbon dioxide from a mixture of carbon dioxide and water. Moreover, the use of nuclear power to reduce carbon is another technology to be used. This is because it displaces electricity from coal as well as replaces electricity from natural gas (Oosterhuis, 2014). Some of the policies that can be used to regulate carbon include the use of cap-and-trade system whereby the system constraints the emissions of regulated sources by coming up with a limited of emission allowances. In addition, most prefer surrendering an allowance to cover up the emission. This is because it reflects the cost of the emission reduction. Moreover, in countries that are developing, it is the role of the policy makers to decide on the allowances to issue as well as the sources covered by the cap. Additionally, an emission-reduction-credit reduces the production of carbon by awarding tradable credits for certified reductions. The use of the clean energy standards is also vital as it establishes a technology-oriented goal that is implemented cost effectively. Lastly eliminating fossil fuel subsidies helps in getting the carbon price right to deliver incentives for efficiency (Jennings, 2007). The role of various countries in the reduction of carbon is by the use of strategic mechanisms for example, the use of clean development mechanism to

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Protection And How To Control Noise Pollution Environmental Studies Essay

Protection And How To Control Noise Pollution Environmental Studies Essay Environmental pollutions constitute of three kinds :namely water, air and land ones. Noise pollution is included within the group of air pollution. In modern time like present time mankind expose to a lot of noise pollution which to some extend is dangerous to health- psychologically as well as physiologically. This paper tries to summarize the faqs, limit values and mitigation of noise problem One may find discrepancy within the writing but worth discussing Part I Introduction The problem of noise pollution of the most important problems of crowded cities, especially cities, the industrial ones, and is undoubtedly a consequence of the progress of civilization and that adversely affect human health, especially the sense of hearing, Valdaudhae loud and continuous lead to the loss of the temporary and sometimes permanent hearing loss, also affect the nervous system and cause neurological and tensions may lead to mental breakdown. And may cause reactions is balanced, such as straying mental, and reduce ability to concentrate, and is also caused high blood pressure, and excretion of excess of certain glands, which causes high blood sugar in the blood and stomach ulcers and headaches, feeling tired and insomnia. And according to some studies carried out by Austrian scientists to the human life detracts from 8 to 10 years in large cities compared with rural population becauseof noise pollution. Studies have shown that blood pressure in school children located near the airport in Los Angeles higher than for school children away from the airport and their speed in solving mathematical problems less, and when the failure to resolve the matter quickly Ermoha aside and not try to re-solved, and according to the results In some studies, published in England, one out of every four men and one out of every three women suffering from neurological diseases caused by noise,,, and complain that 16 million workers in the United States of noise in the factories where they work, and estimated the damage being inflicted workers and lead to absence from work whom have 4 billion dollars annually. Questionnaire Results 1) Your eyes from the face of the most dangerous to human health a. Noise pollution b. Air pollution 2) What is the unit of measurement noise? a. Microbar b. DB c. Pitch 3) Hinder the noise thinking in a peaceful way, and cause many problems, including excess nerve in dealing with others and narrow rapid Ocean a. strongly agree b. agree c. neutral d. disagree e. Strongly disagree 4) Noise in general is responsible for 50% of mistakes in the business of mechanical and 20% of fatal accidents and wasting 20% of working days a.strongly agree b.agree c.neutral d.disagree e.Strongly disagree Part II v The Definition of Noise Are those sounds that are not in line to hear the man and not went flat it, then it sounds ragged irregular, does not lead in their entirety to the meaning of a clear contrast to the melodies of music which is warmly her rights, as well as it sounds with high frequency and lead to vibration of the eardrum strongly. And sound interested in the first meaning of physiology, because our understanding of the sound depends on the ability of our nervous system to receive him and his analysis and there are voices we can not hear, and on the second physicist and is intended to those waves that we know it sound regardless of the existence of a future or non-existence. And the human ear can understand the sounds ranging from 17 to 2000 pulse per second, and in nature there are fewer votes and the highest of these frequencies and know Balfoq and sound underneath. And there is a set of actions can be taken to control noise pollution such as urban planning while maintaining a cover, the green because the trees absorb a large proportion of the votes in addition to be a street widening to ease congestion and outputs of the noise and others, can also improve the technical condition of the devices that give off noise. Types of Noise Pollution 1. Noise and transportation. 2. Noise and music clips and songs and other media products. 3. Noise comments on the events and matches 4.Road noise and the streets are come mainly from cars, buses, vans and motorcycles as well as the assignee of the cassettes and transportation, all of these methods cause noise in different ways. 5.Noise rail (trains) do not get upset a lot of people, noise emitted from the cars as much alarmed by the noise the trains due to be considered a means of transport useful but indispensable to move within the city in some cities in the world This is the best way because it is fast but the most important disadvantages of the train he was the source of Voice of the higher 6.Aircraft noise (air noise) even though the aircraft has become less disturbing than it was before .. However, tariff escalation and the increasing number of airports to accommodate the number of aircraft .. Leads to the survival of noise, and considered the problem of aircraft noise disturbs people living near airports 7.Social noise is often the cause of this noise: 1 Noise Factory 2 home-based activities. 3 assignee electrical appliances and homes. 4 sounds of screaming people. 5 auto repair. Engineers may use certain materials in the walls to isolate these sounds and mitigation, but these materials are expensive. Industrial noise (noise factory) and have come from factories or places of work which affect the workers in these places, as well as the general public. Although other types of noise considered harmful but that this noise is most serious at all. 8.The noise of water sound of the waves can be a nuisance, or a sound ship engines, and there are other creatures affected by these sounds and you hear from a distance, such as the whale The Adverse Effects of Noise Damage in the ear and hearing loss: It is well known that the ear downsample the sound waves into electrical signals or nerve to the brain, transformation .. Ear and are usually the result of damage to the recurrence of disturbing to hear the voices and consistently high, thus affecting the nervous system is affected when certain frequencies .. And it begins in the weak sense of hearing gradually eventually lead to lost completely. It is noted that with the aging of those who keep account of persons who are exposed to normal noise, and they occur gradually in the sense of hearing, has a high degree in old age. And are summarized in the following factors which affect the sense of hearing due to noise: The noise level (in decibels) as well as reluctance. The type of noise. A period of daily exposure .. The length of the work in the year. The continuity of the Year. The change after the noise of a person without the other. Capacity of the place and the concentration of noise in it. The nature of the place . The timing of the noise (at night or during the day): For example .. May be the phone ringing during sleep in the very inconvenience, while acceptable in some way during the day. Psychological effects : Nervous tension and anxiety. Headaches and head pain. Loss of appetite. The focus in particular in the mind. Inability to deal with others. Absence from work and frequent absences. (This leads to substantial economic loss) Physiological effects : Increase the secretion of the pituitary gland. Increase the bodys sensitivity to the hormone adrenaline. Effect on the hearing and other physiological changes, including: increased loss of masculinity for men The weak response of individuals. Weak muscle activity. Involuntary movement in the eye with a change in the iris. Affecting the muscles and internal organs, due to inflammation of nerve cells. Protection and how to control noise pollution Growing interest in noise pollution, where there were many sources, and increased risks to humans, especially where he works on the defects of some members within the human body that requires preventive action such as: ongoing reform of the machines that are found in factories and this step could reduce the noise or be executed. strict control on industries and modify operations to control noise during the issuance and renewal of work permits. Issuing the necessary legislation and applied firmly to prevent the use of car alarms and control of their engines and stop the exporting of high voices. plants are the most important ways to absorb the noise, especially impulsive noise. The high Zraapalocjar help in reducing noise in cities and towns. prevent the use of microphones and recording devices in the citys streets, cafes and department stores, 6 to raise awareness through various media statement on the dangers of this pollution on human health so that one realizes that the acoustic space is not the property personally. excluding schools and hospitals for sources of noise. excluding airports, cities and populated areas a minimum distance of 30 km. must be rail lines and highways away from residential areas as much as possible Increased number of national parks because it has a psychological impact on the excellent help calm the nerves. the use of ear plugs in areas where there is noise.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Walt Disney Essay example -- essays research papers fc

Walter Elias Disney   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At a time in American history when jobs were scarce and money was hard to come by, one mouse and his group of animated friends, with their comical antics brought smiles to the faces of children and adults alike. The mouse’s name was Mickey, and with his creation came the birth of a multibillion dollar corporate empire, all because of one man’s dream.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Walt Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 5, 1901, and was brought up on a small farm in a town called Marceline, Missouri, but later moved to Kansas City. It was in Kansas City that Walt first began experimenting with his artistic capabilities on Saturday mornings when he would go to a local museum and take drawing classes. The instruction was not exactly great, but it was a beginning. At the age of seventeen, Disney dropped out of school to become an ambulance driver overseas in W.W.I, but returned to America in 1919, when he applied his desire for art to a lucrative career. He became an apprentice as a commercial illustrator, creating advertising cartoons. By 1922, Walt had joined forces with Ub Iwirks, and they began their own commercial advertising firm. It didn’t last long however, by 1923, Disney backed out of the business. Although the venture was a failure, Iwirk’s talent was one of the main reasons for Disney’s later success. (Gale Group)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Walt, now living in Hollywood, began production immediately on his first animation, Steamboat Willy, which featured a cheeky little mouse named, â€Å"Mortimer,† voiced by Walt. The mouse however was later renamed by Disney’s wife, Lillian, to, â€Å"Mickey.† The production was the first ever to synchronize audio and visual effects. Walt looked at animation as a new way of telling stories through a medium that had no boundaries. This initial success led Walt to invest his own profits into newer and better productions featuring Mickey’s new gang of wacky characters; Goofy, Donald Duck, Pluto, and Minnie. The productions were an overnight worldwide success, which led Disney and his, at the time, small team to go even further, expanding their studios and payroll, and releasing the first-ever full-length fully-animated feature presentation in 1937 entitled, Snow White. With the country still trying to recover from the economic disasters of the Great Depression,... ...to truly have quality fun. He brought parents and children together, through storybooks, around the television, in front of movie screens, and in his own lands of dream and wonder. Even through the Great Depression he managed to entertain the most depressed people there were, but there was one thing that Walt Disney always wanted everyone to remember, â€Å"I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing-that it was all started by a mouse.† Bibliography 1. Peet, Bill. Bill Peet: An Autobiography. USA: Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1989. 2. Dunlop, Beth. Building a Dream. USA: Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated, 1996. 3. Hahn, Don. Animation Magic. USA: Disney Press, 1996. 4. Imagineers, The. Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Magic Real. USA: Hyperion, 1995. 5. Gale Group. Disney, (Walter Elias) Walt. 2002.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://search.biography.com/print_record.pl?id=14265. February 24, 2002. 6. Walt Disney World - Parks and More. 2002.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/waltdisneyworld/parksandmore/. February 24,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2002.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Engaging Students In Learning Process Essay

Abstract Technology plays a great role in education. Students get motivated when technology based education is given in the classroom. WebQuests involve inquiry-based learning in which students are encouraged to learn in group. The present paper provides information about the use of WebQuest as an educational technology. Various aspects of WebQuests are covered in this paper such as definition of WebQuest, components, use of WebQuest as a constructivist tool, implementation of WebQuest and advantages and disadvantages of WebQuests. Recommendations are given at the end of the paper. The author also provides a self-made WebQuest for year 9-10 students attached to this paper. Engaging Students in Learning Processing Using WebQuests Introduction Technology has been used as a teaching tool in schools since many years. It is very important to know the ways through which the technology can be employed to bring new opportunities to students to enhance their learning abilities. Technology offers numerous benefits to students. Technology offers tools that can be used to enhance the learning ability of a student. Thinking skills can also be enhanced with the use of technology in education. Students receive a variety of learning activities are authentic too. Students are encouraged for the regulation of their learning process depending on their abilities (Cho & Jonassen 2002). Despite numerous benefits, technology possesses some challenges too. Students usually do not wait to take proper guidelines from the instructor and they start using technology in their classrooms immediately. Thus they have to face a large number of difficulties too. It is believed that the traditional way to assess the performance of students need to be shifted from paper and pencil to technology based methods because a large number of students in schools and colleges are now using technology such as word processors and spreadsheets in doing their work. Thus the traditional method seems to be failed as this method can not explain and assess what the students have learned from technical way. The paper and pencil mode of assessment is left behind (Almeida, Vesu, and Ponte, 2003). Another study explained that technology based education is quite promising because it can help foster the creation of communities and the learners become able to perform several tasks such as: learners get more open opportunities to enhance the communication process in the classroom; discussions among students and between students and teachers may be encouraged; and the authority is shared among students and teacher because the classroom is now more rich in resources (Brooks & Brooks, 1999).   This paper provides information about the use of WebQuest as an educational technology used in the classroom. WebQuest Definition WebQuest can be defined as a tool that is effective for learning in an online inquiry-oriented environment. This can be explained as: in this type of learning, students are encouraged for the evaluation and exploration of required information with the help of World Wide Web in their classrooms (Chandler 2003). According to Tom March, Circa (2003): â€Å"A WebQuest is a scaffolded learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students’ investigation of a central, open-ended question, development of individual expertise and participation in a final group process that attempts to transform newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding. The best WebQuests do this in a way that inspires students to see richer thematic relationships, facilitate a contribution to the real world of learning and reflect on their own meta-cognitive processes (p.1).† WebQuests are of varying lengths. Sometimes they are short enough to cover just in one class period and sometimes they require a month for completion. Group work is usually encouraged in WebQuests as each member of the work group is assign specific tasks to perform. The teacher is responsible for the selection of the specific resources prior the WebQuest use in the classroom. Thus, students are given the time to use the information and they need not to spend any time to look for the specific material (Dodge 1997). Source: (Tom March, 2007). Components and Types of WebQuests   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are six important components of WebQuest. They are named as:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this section, background information is provided to the learners. Students are given specific tasks and roles to motivate them. For example: â€Å"You are a geologist looking for volcanoes. Students are provided with the overview in the beginning that tells them about their goals they have to achieved in their learning process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction is presented to the students in such a way that they desire to perform that activity along with fun. Students are assigned the projects that are relevant to their previous experiences, students, future plans or ideas. When students receive projects of their interests, they get involved easily in them. Thus it is the main purpose of the introduction section of each WebQuest to motivate each student by exciting and engaging them. When the WebQuest is based on a longer period such as over a month then the introduction is given daily to the students to refresh their memory and to let them find the most appropriate material for their project. In long-term WebQuest, real world components such as print media and guest lectures are given to the students along their online investigation. The addition of real world components is very important for long-term WebQuests because if students are allowed to rely only on the online investigations then they may consider the meanings of the lesson as something unreal. Thus, in a long-term WebQuest projects, introduction is given daily to the students to keep them up-to-date with all the information and necessary material for they motivation (Dodge 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Task Task is the second component of a WebQuest. The purpose of this component is to inform the students about the lessons to be learned till the end of the project.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Initially, the teachers have to look for the specific information that is required in a specific project. Then they design the activity that requires the information gathered from online resources. Students are given the task that is to be performed by searching the information online. The task is designed in a way to make it doable, means that each task must has to be accomplished.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most difficult part in the creation of a WebQuest project is the development of the main research question. This part is quite creative and needs a certain amount of time to search whether the question can be answered. Students can be asked to do a variety of tasks such as they may need to circulate the information they gathered on the website, they may be asked to work in collaboration with other online institution to perform specific research for the completion of a project and they may be asked to explain their research by using multimedia. The students are encouraged to complete their task in an interesting, appealing, visual and important manner.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Students should be given an example of a completed project. This given an idea to them how their project will look like after the completion. They become able to see the complete picture of the project in the beginning. They also come to know how they should perform to accomplish their task. It is great to show the students work of previous students. Teachers may also find the similar projects online done previously by other students as an example to show to their students. A large number of sample projects available for the students motivate them by showing them the efforts and achievements of other students. Students keep in mind the necessary steps they have to take to perform a specific task efficiently.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The teacher can use any successful project several times in different semesters and different classes. The project specifications can be modified each time. Students can be motivated by showing them the same project and challenge them to show a better project than the previous one (Jonassen & Rohrer-Murphy 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Process   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Process is the third component of a WebQuest. In this component, the students are informed about all the steps that the students need to take for the completion of a project. Each step is surrounded by a number of links. It is advised for projects of longer duration that the teacher or one or two students demonstrate each step. Demonstration helps the students learn each step in a better manner and they become able to understand the written directions more easily (Kennedy 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Resources   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is the fourth component of a WebQuest. In this component, a list of all the necessary resources that involve printed material and online resources are given to the students for the accomplishment of a specific task.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A separate section was allocated in the old WebQuests for the resources but now in the recent WebQuests, the resources are attached with the instructions in the Process section. The students can access those resources when they are to perform that step. Though online resource are very important but it is also a fact that non-Web resources are not less important. Resources should be of variety and thus the quality of WebQuests can be enhanced by the use of online and non-Web resources. Non-Web resources can be of different types such as models, audio cassettes, field trips, maps, sculptures, books etc. to motivate the students (Lara 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluation is the fifth component of a WebQuest. Three types of student examples can be pointed out when the introduction of a WebQuest is presented. The three examples of students include exemplary, acceptable and unacceptable. During the introduction, students are clearly shown what is meant by an excellent work. They are given examples of exemplary and acceptable work thus clearing the vision of the students and to motivate them to work hard to achieve the excellence. Examples of unacceptable work are given to students to show them what type of work cannot be accepted and thus enabling the students to know about the minimum standards required to accomplish a task (Lipscomb 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is the last component of a WebQuest. In this component, the students are asked to present their reflections about their work and the teachers are required to sum up the project. Students are given time to discuss their project thus following the constructivist approach that though learning is achieved by doing but learning can be enhanced by discussion of what has been done. Teachers usually encourage their students during the conclusion section to explain if they come up with more better ways to perform the same project (March 2000). WebQuest as a Constructivist Tool   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The constructivism theory explains how learning is achieved by performing a study that involves scientific method and observation. According to the constructivist theory, people learn and understand different aspects of world by their own experiences and by showing their reflections on their experiences. When people find something new, they usually try to bring the new information with their previous experiences. Sometimes, they find the new thing more informative and thus discard the older one and sometimes they find the new information totally irrelevant and thus rely on their previous experiences. In each of the cases, people have to find out by themselves which one is correct and to find that they ask different questions, explore the resources and then come to a conclusion (Milson 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When constructivist approach is applied in the classroom, different types of teaching ways are explained that can enhance the learning process. The most common of the teaching way is to motivate the students to utilize effective techniques such as real-world examples to gather the information, then to reflect what they have come up with and then conclude what they have done. Students explain how the new idea has changed their previous understanding. It is very important for a teacher to be aware of the previous understandings of the students. Then the teacher guides the students to perform the activity that is based on their previous conceptions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When teachers utilize constructivist approach, they always motivate their students to find out the role of the new activity in their learning process. Students usually get the position of expert learners in a constructivist classroom because they are to ask questions themselves. This type of learning broadens their learning process and they come to know how they have to learn (Molebash & Dodge 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When students are constantly encouraged to reflect on their experiences then they seem to gain power. Strong abilities seem to build up in the students that motivate them for the integration of any new idea or information. Thus it can be said that the one of the most important role of teacher in the constructivist classroom is to motivate the students to experience by themselves and then learn from those experiences by reflecting on them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conservative and traditional teachers usually criticize that the role of the teacher is dismissed in the learning. But constructivism encourages teachers to play their role more efficiently and their knowledge is highly valued. In constructivist approach, the teachers are required to motivate the students for the construction of the knowledge by themselves instead of finding out the facts that have been previously observed and noted. In a constructivist classroom, the students are encouraged to use problem solving skills and they are involved in inquiry-based learning.   These activities make the students able enough to test their ideas, reflect on their experience and present the conclusions. A constructivist classroom transforms students from passive recipients that receive information just by sitting in the classroom and listening to their teachers to active participants that not only listen to their teacher but they also get involved in searching information by using interesting methods (Ngeow & Kong 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a misconception about the constructivist theory that it forces the students to reject the older ideas and to replace them with new one such as they are asked to reinvent the wheel. But the fact is the constructivist theory does not ask the students for the reinvention of the wheel but with the help of this theory the students come to know how to use the wheel. Real world examples are given to the students that clear their ideas about how the wheels can be used in their daily lives. Thus they learn from their experience, present reflections on their experience and then come up to a conclusion that is based on their experiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Constructivist theory is very different from other traditional ideas of education and learning. The focus is put on students rather the teachers in a constructivist classroom. The students are no longer passive students that sit in the classroom and ingest the knowledge provided by their teacher only. They are encouraged in the constructivist classroom how they should struggle to search for information.   The role of the teacher now changes to facilitator who is involved in helping the students rather them forcing them to understand what the teacher says. Constructivist theory can be easily implemented in the WebQuest. Constructivist teachers ask students to initiate a WebQuest project. Students are asked different questions and they are encouraged to find the answers. Students are guided in a way to let them find the answers of the questions independently. Different types of teaching techniques can be used in a constructivist classroom using WebQuest projects. The techniques involve: students are encouraged for the formulation of the questions by themselves. Thus they are encouraged to enquiry-based learning. They are given the freedom to express their learning in multiple meaningful ways. Group work is highly encouraged and each student in a group performs a specific task (Peterson & Caverly 2003). Students are given freedom to find out new things for themselves. Students are given free hand to do the experiments, they can ask questions, and they can do the things that are often considered as things not working. Teachers play different roles such as roles of moderators, coaches and they can also give suggestions to students to facilitate their learning process. In order to enhance the learning process of students, they should be able to participate fully in activities such as hands-on experiments. An important part of using WebQuest as a constructivist tool lies in the fact that students are given permission to give their reflections what they have done and then discuss on the conclusions. Students become experts as they are given complete opportunity to control their learning process. They choose their own path that is solely based on their reflections about their experiences. Teachers play a great role in the creation of an environment where the students are free to ask questions and give their reflections about their experiences. This can happen in private or in the form of group discussions. Teachers are also responsible for the creation of activities in a way that after performing those activities students become able to reflect their previous experiences. It is very important for the students to know what they have learned and how the learning process took place (Savery & Duffy 1995). As constructivism and WebQuest are based on the same theory, the main activity that is performed in a WebQuest classroom is to find the solution of the problems. Inquiry method is used to ask questions. A topic is investigated and then a large number of different types of resources is utilized to find out the solution of the questions. After exploring a certain topics, the students become able to conclude. When students explore questions again and again, new questions come to their mind. Students are encouraged in a WebQuest classroom to have new ideas and do experiments to prove that later shows that their ideas were not correct or valid. But this cannot be considered as a failure because the students have put their steps in the process of knowledge integration. Students are encouraged to work in collaboration with peers. The main reason to include group learning in constructivism is that students learn from the experiences from other students working in the same group besides learning from their own experiences (Vidoni & Maddux 2002). Implementation of WebQuest in School WebQuest can be implemented in schools. In order to implement WebQuest easily and successfully in a school by keeping in mind the following principles: The thinking level of a WebQuest must be higher. The information must be transferred from one domain to another domain. A WebQuest must be designed in such as a way that does not load the students with heavy burden of questions that make the students only surfing the internet or that involve calculations only. A good WebQuest will lead the students to gain information and be the students able to transform that information with the help of their own problem solving skills. Though the creation of WebQuest lessons require a lot of time but it is also a fact that once the teachers have created a lesson plan, they do not have to worry about the preparation of other lesson plans while the students are busy with their work. After the completion of a year, every thing will be all set. The teachers may need some amendments in the WebQuests that had been created in the previous year but it would not take much time and things will go smoothly. Learning through WebQuest is a new way for students as well as it is a new teaching method for teachers. The teachers must keep in mind that students cannot perform a task unless they are familiar with it. Students cannot be expected to perform every task in the correct manner in their first attempt. They need time to practice and the teachers need to have patience. in order to implement a WebQuest successfully, it is necessary to incorporate all the six essential components that have been described in this paper earlier (Scardamalia & Bereiter 1999). Advantages of WebQuests Though the creation of WebQuests requires a large amount of time but once the WebQuests have been created they can be used over and over with some minor changes. The teachers get rid of the daily worries for the lesson planning. Now they get enough time to act as facilitators and coaches to assist the students in their learning process. Tom March has explained the benefits of WebQuests as quoted below: â€Å"WebQuests will motivate your students! Students confront a complex and controversial real-world issue Students grapple with a central question that truly needs answering Students utilize real world, up-to-date resources on the Web (from experts, current reporting, and/or fringe groups) Students assume roles and must develop expertise Results of student work can be posted or sent to real people for feedback and evaluation. WebQuests are rooted in learning theory and good teaching practice Based upon elements of cognitive psychology and constructivism. You provide guidance on the thinking process you want your students to follow. (Prompting or Scaffolding) Students are exposed to a broad range of information, examples, and opinions; they construct their own meaning which connects with their prior knowledge and experiences. (Constructivism) Contain concrete instructional objectives and tasks. Students must transform information in some way, exercising higher order thinking skills like error analysis, comparison, and synthesis. Students work in cooperative learning groups which mirror real-life situations. By taking on roles, students become experts on a specific aspect of a large and complex topic. The students work in groups to solve problems, utilizing their different areas of expertise. (Similar to work situations in real life.) The work of individual students is important, as it adds to the quality of the group’s solution† (What are the benefits, p. 1) Disadvantages of WebQuests WebQuests cannot be used for the learning of simple definitions, simple procedures. They are also not the best way that could be used for teaching factual recall. As some parts of the curriculums are based on such simple things, they cannot be included in the designing of a WebQuest. The biggest hurdle in the designing of a WebQuest is the availability of time. It is very important to learn about the new tools. Many teachers do not get enough time to spend in learning about the new tools for the creation of a WebQuest (VanFossen 2004). Students should be able to read to a certain level in order to work on WebQuests. So it can be said that the creation of WebQuests is much easier for third grade and onwards than the junior grades because their reading abilities are limited at that stage. This type of disadvantage can be over come if a WebQuest is designed very carefully by using more visual sites with less or no words in it for the junior students with limited reading proficiency (Tomlinson 2000). Recommendations WebQuests appear to be highly effective in facilitating the learning process of students. Students tend to learn more in when technology is incorporated in education and WebQuests seem to be the best way. It is strongly recommended that all the schools should incorporate WebQuests in their standard curricula. At the time of implementation there is a need to consider all the six components that are essential for a successful WebQuest. References Almeida, C. Vesu, F. and Ponte, J.P. (2003). WebQuest construction and implementation by mathematics student teacher: The case of a WebQuest to learn isometries. In A.M.Vilas, J.A.M.Gonzà ¡lez and J.M. Gonzà ¡lez (Coords.), Advances in Technology-Based Education: Toward a Knowledge-Based Society, Junta de Extremadura: Badajoz, pp. 1396-1399. Brooks, Jacqueline Grennon and Brooks, Martin G. (1999). In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms (revised edition). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). Chandler, H. (2003). Concept mapping and WebQuests in social studies. Media and Methods, 39(3), 38-39. Cho, K., & Jonassen, D. (2002). The effects of argumentation scaffolds on argumentation and problem solving. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 5–22. Dodge, B. (1997). Some thoughts about WebQuests. Retrieved June 7, 2007, from theWebQuest Homepage, San Diego State University: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.html Dodge, D. (2001) FOCUS: Five rules for writing great WebQuests. Learning and Leading with Technology, 28(8), 6-9, 58. Jonassen, D. H., & Rohrer-Murphy, L. (1999). Activity Theory as a Framework For Designing Constructivist Learning Environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(1), 61 – 79. Kennedy, S. (2004). The well-constructed WebQuest. Social Studies and the YoungLearner, 16(4), 17 -19. Lara, S. (2003). WebQuest: The use of Internet to Introduce Inquiry-Based Learning, Cooperative Learning   and 21th Century Skills. En Mà ©ndez Vilas, A. and Mesa Gonzà ¡lez, J.A. (coord). Advances in Technology- Based Education: Toward a Knowledge-Based Society. Vol. 2. Junta de Extremadura. Consejerà ­a de Educa- cià ³n, Ciencia y Tecnologà ­a (pp 1178-1183). Lipscomb, G. (2003). â€Å"I guess it was pretty fun†: Using WebQuests in the middle school classroom. The Clearing House, 76, 152-155. March, T. (2000). WebQuests 101. Multimedia Schools, 7 (5), 55-56, 58. March, T. (2003). The Learning power of WebQuests. Educational Leadership, 61(4), 42-47. March, T. (2007). What WebQuests Are (Really). Retrieved from http://bestwebquests.com/what_webquests_are.asp on June 7, 2007. Milson, A. J. (2002). The Internet and inquiry learning: Integrating medium and method in a sixth grade Social Studies classroom. Theory and Research in Social Education, 30, 330-353. Molebash, P., & Dodge, B. (2003). Kickstarting inquiry with WebQuests and Web inquiry projects. Social Education, 67, 158-162. Ngeow, K. & Kong, Y. (2001). Learning To Learn: Preparing Teachers and Students for Problem-Based Learning. ERIC Digest. [ED 457 524] Peterson, C., & Caverly, D. C. (2003). Techtalk: Developing academic literacy through WebQuests. Journal of Developmental Education, 26(3), 38-41. Savery, J. R., & Duffy, T. M. (1995). Problem-based learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework. Educational Technology, 35(5), 31–38. Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (1999). Schools as knowledge-building organizations. In D. Keating & C. Hertzman (Eds.), Today’s children, tomorrow’s society: The developmental health and wealth of nations (pp. 274–289). New York: Guilford. Tomlinson, C.A. (2000). Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest. ED443572 VanFossen, P. J. (2004). Using WebQuests to scaffold higher-order thinking. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 16(4), 13-16. Vidoni, K. L., & Maddux, C. D. (2002). WebQuests: Can they be used to improve critical thinking skills in students? Computers in the Schools, 19, 101 -117. What are the Benefits of Webquests? In Tom March, â€Å"WebQuests for Learning†) http://www.ozline.com/webquests/intro.html retrieved from http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/ctl/Handouts/Benefits.htm on June 7, 2007.   

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

TOUAX company

TOUAX is a French company and is currently Europe‟s no. 1 in shipping containers and river barges, and no. 2 in modular building and freight railcars. The group provides operating leases to customers around the world, both on its own account and for third-party investors. On June 24, 2009, TOUAX announced that its capital increased by waiving preferential subscription rights but with priority for existing shareholders, launched on 18 June 2009 for a total of E17, 851,519.76 (gross) through the issue of 936,596 new shares which were subscribed in the entirely. Following partial application of the extension clause, 952,747 shares were placed or 101.72% of the issue; total proceeds were E18, 159,357.82. This rights issue has enabled the Group to strengthen its financial structure, to position itself with advantage for possible acquisitions of tangible stock, and to grasp opportunities thrown up by the crisis (purchase of shipping containers, modular buildings, river barges and railcars, for hiring out on mainly long-term leases). 370,062 new shares allotted under absolute entitlement were subscribed or 39.51% of the total number of new shares issue. Another 555,685 shares were applied for subject to cutting back in the event of over subscription, and orders for these were all filled. Another 27,000 shares had been applied for by the general public, and following partial application of the extension clause it proved possible to fill orders for all of these. All the result of the right issue, TOUAX is well placed to respond to the boom in corporate outsourcing of non-core assets, and every day provides over 5,000 customers with quick and flexible leasing solutions. TOUAX is now listed on Euronext in Paris – NYSE Euronext Compartment C (ISIN Code FR0000033003), and features in the SBF 250 Index.