Digital Image Manipulation Investigation Essay Example

Digital Image Manipulation Investigation Paper In our ICT unit, Art Gallery, we have had to do a bit of research on Digital Image Manipulation. We will then be creating our own.  In this report, you will probably learn something new about the world of Digital Image Manipulation.  What is Digital Image Manipulation?  Digital Image Manipulation is altering, trimming, colouring, layering, basically changing an image. This may be done using computer software of programs like Adobe Photoshop. Digitally Manipulated Images are sometimes made for good purposes like advertising. Sometimes, users of Photoshop will change and/or recreate images to offend others, purposefully. The final result of an image that has gone through this process sometimes are so well done and are of very high quality so we question them as to whether or not they are genuine.  Since when has Digital Image Manipulation been used?  Digital Image Manipulation has been around since photography started but now Digital Image Manipulation is becoming more and more popular. This is mainly due to the falling rates of the software and programs needed to alter an image as one likes. Where are Digitally manipulated images found?  Digitally Manipulated Images can be found anywhere, from bus stops to magazine covers, from bill boards to movie posters. Nowadays, with all the technology we know, humans can make just about anything using computers and Photoshop and are not try to show their art to the rest of the world.  Who and why was Photoshop created for?   hotoshop was originally designed for the industry purpose, not for private owners wishing to play around with their images. Therefore if you buy Photoshop or any other up to industry standard software you will be paying very high rates for some tools and features you may never use. We will write a custom essay sample on Digital Image Manipulation Investigation specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Digital Image Manipulation Investigation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Digital Image Manipulation Investigation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Knoll brothers, Thomas and John, created Photoshop. The first version, Photoshop 1.0 was shipped out in February 1990.  Why do people enjoy Digitally manipulating Images so much?  I think that we enjoy using Photoshop and altering images because it is fun. On a rainy day, it can be a great pastime. I like the competition. If I dont win an award, I try again but if I do, I have to beat my best next time. says one user I interviewed in a www.worth1000.com chat room. Another said that you dont need to get out all your painting material and start from scratch, just switch on the computer! Having the power of a God, was another answer. How do you make digitally manipulated Images?  Digitally Manipulated Images are made by adding together two images or changing/altering one image. Depending on which technique you want to achieve, you can use different tools on the software you are using.  Artistic Techniques  This list shows what some of the artistic techniques to Photoshopping, the term now used for making digitally manipulated images, and art with a few notes about what they are and how they are used in art.  Political Art: Caricatures of Political Images or people. Play of words on political subjects. Political Awareness Texture: Texture can change the mood or ambience of an image.  Perspective: A point of view. Often has a vanishing point where all lines meet. The closer an object, the larger. The farther the object, the smaller and the fainter.  Humour: To make fun of certain people or societies. Play of words used in images.  Patterns and Repetition: Repetition- repeated many times, doesnt have to be exact. Pattern- also repeated many times but has to be more precise. Patterns and repetitions can be found in the nature, on tiles, on arabesques, in geometric drawings, etc.  Colours: Primary colours {red, blue, yellow} are very strong colours. Colour can change a mood or feeling of art. Colours can be used to attract attention or focus on a certain object in the image.  Composition and Use of Space: Layout of the image. Make the object that you want to be focused the first thing that the viewer would see.

Coming of Age in Mississippi (The Story of Anne Moody)

Coming of Age in Mississippi (The Story of Anne Moody) Free Online Research Papers Coming of Age in Mississippi was an excellent autobiography about the unforgettable personnel story of a remarkable young woman named Anne Moody. In this story, Anne details the sights, smells and suffering growing up in a racist society and the daily risks she encountered to challenge it. This was an extremely accurate portrait of black family life in the rural south and inspirational account of a young girl becoming a woman right in front of the reader’s eyes. This book explains how it was to grow up black in Mississippi in the forties and fifties and to have survived with pride and courage intact. Throughout the book Anne discusses the challenges that African Americans in the south had to deal with on a daily basis. The challenges which faced the black community affected them in terms of economic prosperity, affordable housing and the lack of nutrition. Economically it was hard for African Americans in Centerville and all of Mississippi for that matter to get ahead and live comfortable lives. Anne throughout the book had numerous jobs as a domestic house cleaner, a waitress, an assembly worker at a chicken factory, a field hand, a civil rights activist and a few more to add as well. Her employment status was like a revolving door changing multiple times throughout the book. Anne was not the only African American affected by this pattern; she followed in her mother’s footsteps when it came to multiple jobs. Her mothers 2nd husband Raymond was employed through the government, since he was enlisted in one of the branches of the military throughout the book. Some of the more successful Negros in the book owned their own cafes and were supported by the black community. Just as employment was ever so changing for Anne so was the housing situation. As you read the book it seems as if Anne and her family are outlaws running away from authorities with the given amount of places they lived. Anne lived with a countless number of relatives, Anne stayed in multiple houses, but none of them felt like home for her. Anne and her family stayed with wealthy white folk as well, this transpired because Anne and her mother were usually doing domestic work for the given home owner. The nicest house form a physical standpoint Anne stayed in was the one Raymond built but that house was not a home due to the fact that Raymond was a sick and frustrated individual. The smallest thing can make a house a home like a nice meal with great conversation with family and the warmth you receive form that experience. Throughout the book Anne describes the lack of malnutrition she encountered throughout her struggle to become influential. Usually Anne’s daily meal consisted of beans and bread, the only time she encountered meat was when the wealthy white people she was working for offered her leftovers. The topic of food later in the book was a stepping stone to what was to be of Anne Moody when she boycotted the food in the college cafeteria because the grits supposedly had maggots in them. These challenges which were presented to African Americans on top of discrimination from whites accumulated into psychological effects which still exist today. One of the pieces in the book which best describes the result of mental battering is the excerpt which involves Wilbert, Emma’s sister Janie’s husband who has a loaded shotgun ready to be used for destruction. Wilbert was in a fight with Janie and Emma got involved and was accidentally shot in the foot. Emma did not feel hate toward s Wilbert but blamed the white man, stating that none of this would have happened if a black man can keep a job in this town then he wouldn’t be fighting with his wife about money. Another example of discrimination affecting the psychology of African Americans in the south was the separate but equal school systems which weren’t necessarily equal. Anne always excelled in school she always had black students and teachers around her. When Anne went to college she was intimidated by the white teachers and she ended up not going to LSU because of this, she was afraid of â€Å"white teachers† who she thought had to prove a point of being a â€Å"white teacher†. The last psychological effect I’m going to note is that of all African Americans with the right to vote. Anne mentioned in the book that the African American voters who were much older were brainwashed form years and years of neglect and were now content with what they had. Anne understood this so she targeted the youth of the African American community the ones whose minds weren’t polluted and who were willing to be open to new things such as sit-ins and picketing. Legal examples of racism and discrimination within the bindings of this book are vast and extremely ignorant. To make blacks stay away from voting polls, states put tests at the voting station which were biased and did not favor African Americans one bit. This is why it was extremely hard for Anne to motivate fellow blacks to vote because it was pretty disheartening going to vote and being shutdown because you misspelled or misprounced something from the state constitution. Plessey vs. Ferguson states separate but equal, but that was not the case when it came to school conditions; from grade school to college conditions were harsh, this law was also evident at the movie theaters where blacks sat in the balcony and whites on the lower level. Black farmers were also mistreated, cotton was the main crop in Mississippi but for most black farmers they never had a study income. While blacks were struggling as basically sharecroppers white farmers were making a profit the state which would have usually given them grants. The last legal means of discrimination on African Americans in the south was used through the media. A big part why the movement was so difficult to attain was the unification of black civil rights groups was not there, the reason for this was the white media would make up false headlines which other African Americans would read then they would become discouraged and bail out of the movement for equal rights. Along with the legal tactics intended to keep blacks in the dark white southerners used terror to keep African Americans submissive. In keeping the African Americans hopes downs white southerners used tactics such as intimidation, murder, arsine and blacklisting. During one of the nights at the freedom house Anne and a couple of civil rights activists were trying to sleep but the flashlights and dogs from the police officers were keeping her up all night this was one of many intimidation tactics. Murder, was the case of a man who was shot with a double barrel shotgun because he was supposedly involved with the NAACP. Arsine occurred in Centerville when the Taplin’s house was burned to the ground because word around town was that a black male (Mr. Banks) was having relations with a white woman. Anne who had made quite a name for herself in the movement was always afraid of her family members being blacklisted back in Centerville. When sending letters back home Anne was extremely hesitant to reveal a detailed analysis of her plans for the movement. On the topic of lists Anne was on a list which sent a chill up her spine, the Klan’s Hit List. While reading Coming of Age in Mississippi Anne notes many significant historical events which transpired in her quest of civil liberties for African American people. Anne who was an active member of C.O.R.E during her college years was involved in some groundbreaking protests for African Americans. Anne’s most famous act for justice was the Woolworth sit-in where Anne and a few other black protesters wanted to get served equally at a dining hall. This event was a huge success the NAACP days after started protests and issued a list of demands which included hiring of black policemen, removal of segregation signs and integration of public facilities. History as we know is not always pretty there were many ugly and tragic historical events stated in this book. Some of the whores of the racist society which existed in the rural south were evident in the Birmingham church bombings were four young black children were killed, on the topic of brutal murders on black children Emit Til ls murder was also a low point in United States history. The last historic event I’m going to highlight which occurred in the text was the assassination of JFK a young and dynamic president who was dedicated to the civil rights movement. The reason why people like Anne and JFK were so motivated to make America a better place was because they witnessed complacency among all American citizens when it came to inequalities among blacks and whites. The reason Anne was so motivated to achieve something better for her when those around her weren’t was that things could really not get any worse for her she did not see a future for herself or the youth of blacks. Anne was an extremely independent individual residing all over the south and she did not rely on others to determine her destiny that’s what made her such a unique individual for her time she was a trendsetter, a revolutionist. During my completion of reading this book I found two passages which were extremely moving. The first passage which I’m going to chronicle is from Anne’s time when she was involved in the movement. Anne was organizing a voter registration drive and if eligible African Americans voters registered they would receive a supply of clothes. The response was great and lot of voters showed and picked up clothes but know one registered, which frustrated Anne as well as myself. The thing which was lacking in my eyes during the movement was the lack of accountability among African Americans on other African Americans. The second passage I’m to comment on is also from the movement it has to do with the imitative of the given civil rights groups. During the time of the protests numerous black students were thrown in jail for rioting and bailed out of jail by given negro organizations. My question is why a student like Anne Moody who is a bright minded scholar is struggling to pay for tuition but has no problem getting money to be bailed out of jail? I don’t know all the circumstance which occurred but, I feel like education is the ultimate investment and that did not seem apparent in this given situation. If I had read this book in 1968 I would have gotten involved in the Civil Rights Movement. One of the men I admire most in this world is Jim Brown the former Browns running back who is an icon in both the white and black community. One of Jim Brown’s selling points to the black community is his outspokenness about historical knowledge on civil rights. Brown explains to the black community that no movement in this country towards black equal rights was not possible without a white person putting their neck on the line. One of the examples Mr. Brown often brings up is Branch Rickey initiating the arrival of Jackie Robinson as the first African American major league baseball player. I believe if more white people like Branch Rickey put their neck on the line racial parody would become a reality. Research Papers on Coming of Age in Mississippi (The Story of Anne Moody)19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayTrailblazing by Eric AndersonThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHip-Hop is ArtEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenCapital PunishmentMind TravelThe Hockey Game

USS Colorado (BB-45) in World War II

USS Colorado (BB-45) in World War II The fifth and final class  of Standard-type battleship  (Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Tennessee) designed for the US Navy, the Colorado-class was an evolution of its predecessors.   Devised prior to the building of the Nevada-class, the Standard-type concept called for vessels that had similar operational and tactical traits. This would allow all battleship units in the fleet to operate together without concern for issues of speed and turning radius. As the Standard-type ships were intended to be the backbone of the fleet, earlier dreadnought classes ranging from the South Carolina- to the New York-classes were increasingly moved to secondary duties.   Among the characteristics found in the Standard-type battleships were the use of oil-fired boilers instead of coal and the employment of an  Ã¢â‚¬Å"all or nothing† armor arrangement.   This protection scheme called for important areas of the battleship, such as magazines and engineering, to be heavily protected while less critical spaces were left unarmored. It also saw the armored deck in each ship raised a level so that its edge was in line with the main armor belt. In terms of performance, Standard-type battleships were to possess a tactical turn radius of 700 yards or less and a minimum top speed of 21 knots.    Design Though largely identical to the preceding Tennessee-class, the Colorado-class instead carried eight 16 guns in four twin turrets as opposed to the earlier ships which mounted twelve 14 guns in four triple turrets. The US Navy had been discussing the use of 16 guns for several years and following successful tests of the weapon, debate ensued regarding their use on the earlier Standard-type designs. This did not occur due to the cost involved in altering these designs and increasing their tonnage to accommodate the new guns.   In 1917, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels finally authorized the use of 16 guns on the condition that the new class not incorporate any other major design changes. The Colorado-class also mounted a secondary battery of twelve to fourteen 5 guns and an anti-aircraft armament of four 3 guns.    As with the Tennessee-class, the Colorado-class utilized eight oil-fired Babcock Wilcox water-tube boilers supported by a turbo-electric transmission for propulsion. This type of transmission was preferred as it allowed the vessels turbines to operate at optimum speed regardless of how fast the ships four propellers were turning. This led to an increase in fuel efficiency and improved the ships overall range. It also permitted a greater subdivision of the vessels machinery which enhanced its ability to withstand torpedo strikes. Construction The lead ship of the class, USS Colorado (BB-45) commenced construction at New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, NJ on May 29, 1919. Work progressed on the hull and on March 22, 1921, it slid down the ways with Ruth Melville, daughter of Colorado Senator Samuel D. Nicholson, serving as sponsor. Following another two years of work, Colorado reached completion and entered commission on August 30, 1923, with Captain Reginald R. Belknap in command. Finishing its initial shakedown, the new battleship conducted a European cruise which saw it visit Portsmouth, Cherbourg, Villefranche, Naples, and Gibraltar before returning to New York on February 15, 1924. Overview: Nation:  United StatesType:  BattleshipShipyard:  New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, NJLaid Down:  May  29, 1919Launched:  March  22, 1921Commissioned:  August 20, 1923Fate:  Sold for scrap Specifications (as built) Displacement:  32,600  tonsLength:  624  ft., 3 in.Beam:  97  ft., 6 in.Draft:  38  ft.Propulsion:  Turbo-electric transmission  turning 4 propellersSpeed:  21  knotsComplement:  1,080  men Armament (as built) 8 Ãâ€" 16  in. gun (4  Ãƒâ€" 2)12  Ãƒâ€" 5 in. guns8 Ãâ€" 3 in. guns2 Ãâ€" 21 in. torpedo tubes Interwar Years Undergoing routine repairs,  Colorado  received orders to sail for the West Coast on July 11.   Reaching San Francisco in mid-September, the battleship joined the Battle Fleet. Operating with this force for the next several years,  Colorado  engaged in a goodwill cruise to Australia and New Zealand in 1925. Two years later, the battleship ran aground on Diamond Shoals off Cape Hatteras. Held in place for a day, it was eventually refloated with minimal damage. A year later, it entered the yard for enhancements to its anti-aircraft armament. This saw the removal of the original 3 guns and the installation of eight 5 guns. Resuming peacetime activities in the Pacific,  Colorado  periodically shifted to the Caribbean for exercises and aided the victims of an earthquake in Long Beach, CA in 1933. Four years later, embarked a contingent of NROTC students from the University of Washington and the University of California-Berkeley for a summer training cruise. While operating off Hawaii, the cruise was interrupted when Colorado was ordered assist in search efforts following the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Arriving in the Phoenix Islands, the battleship launched scout planes but could not locate the famed pilot. Arriving in Hawaiian waters for Fleet Exercise XXI in April 1940,  Colorado  remained in the area until June 25, 1941 when it departed for Puget Sound Navy Yard. Entering the yard for a major overhaul, it was there when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7. World War II Returning to active operations on March 31, 1942,  Colorado  steamed south and later joined USS  Maryland  (BB-46) to aid in the defense of the West Coast. Training through the summer, the battleship shifted to Fiji and the New Hebrides in November. Operating in this vicinity until September 1943,  Colorado  then returned to Pearl Harbor  to prepare for the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. Sailing in November, it made its combat debut by providing fire support for the landings on  Tarawa. After aiding troops ashore,  Colorado  traveled to the West Coast for a brief overhaul. Arriving back in Hawaii in January 1944, it sailed for the Marshall Islands on the 22nd.   Reaching Kwajalein,  Colorado  pounded Japanese positions ashore and aided in the invasion of the island  before fulfilling a similar role off Eniwetok. Overhauled at Puget Sound that spring, Colorado departed on May 5 and joined Allied forces in preparing for the Marianas Campaign. Beginning on June 14, the battleship commenced striking targets on Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. Supporting the landings on Tinian on July 24, Colorado sustained 22 hits from Japanese shore batteries which killed 44 of the ships crew.   Despite this damage, the battleship continued to operate against the enemy until August 3. Departing, it underwent repairs on the West Coast before rejoining the fleet for operations against Leyte. Arriving in the Philippines on November 20, Colorado provided naval gunfire support for Allied troops ashore. On November 27, the battleship took two kamikaze hits which killed 19 and wounded 72. Though damaged, Colorado struck targets on Mindoro in early December before withdrawing to Manus for repairs. With the completion of this work, Colorado steamed north to cover the landings in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon on January 1, 1945.   Nine days later, friendly fire struck the battleships superstructure killing 18 and injuring 51. Retiring to Ulithi, Colorado next saw action in late March as it hit targets on Okinawa prior to the Allied invasion. Holding a position offshore, it continued to attack Japanese targets on the island until May 22 when it departed for Leyte Gulf. Returning to Okinawa on August 6, Colorado moved north later in the month following the end of hostilities. After covering the landing of occupation forces at Atsugi Airfield near Tokyo, it sailed for San Francisco. Following a brief visit, Colorado moved north to participate in Navy Day festivities at Seattle.   Final Actions Ordered to take part in Operation Magic Carpet, Colorado made three voyages to Pearl Harbor to transport American servicemen home. In the course of these trips, 6,357 men returned to the United States aboard the battleship. Moving to Puget Sound, Colorado left commission on January 7, 1947.   Retained in reserve for twelve years, it was sold for scrap on July 23, 1959.

Employee Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employee Relationship - Essay Example Finally, the paper concludes stating that a sophisticated employee relation is necessary for efficient running of any firm. It is not feasible to discuss conceptual approaches to flexible working without reference to the work of Atkinson (1984), who developed the concept of "the flexible firm" in the recognition of changes which had taken place in the nature and composition of the workforce at that time. In the model of the "flexible firm" (see Figure overleaf), Atkinson propounded the concept of "core" versus "peripheral" workers. Core workers are a permanent component of a firm's workforce who deliver functional flexibility through their capacity to undertake a wide range of tasks. In contrast, peripheral workers provide a firm with numerical flexibility, with their numbers increasing or reducing with changing labour market conditions. The flexible firm approach involves a reorganisation of a firms' internal labour markets and their division into separate components, wherein workers' experiences and employer's expectations are increasingly differentiated (see Atkinson and Gregory 1986). Bryson (1999) argues that training/development and the involvement of employees are more likely to be directed at core workers, while 'peripheral' workers will be exposed more and more to 'raw' market forces. In times of recession, peripheral or non full-time workers are much more susceptible to lay-offs and redundancies. It is not insignificant that atypical workers, including those job-sharing, working part-time or on short-term contracts, are very clearly located on the periphery of the workforce under this approach. There is little doubt that the flexible firm model was influential in the development of employment policy in UK private and public sector organizations in recent years (see Lawton and Rose 1994). The extent to which this placement of atypical workers as peripheral workers truly reflects the reality of life in Irish organizations remains to be seen. There is certainly evidence to show that, in the Civil Service, opting for flexible, family friendly working arrangements, such as job-sharing, is perceived as unlikely to enhance longer-term career prospects (see Humphreys, Drew and Murphy 1999). However, what is clear is that, given the frequent gender differentiation between core and periphery workers, it is absolutely vital from both the equality and 'family-friendly' viewpoints that flexible working arrangements move in from the periphery to the core of organizational activity and thinking. - http://www.welfare.ie/publications/work_fam/chapter3.html INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM Individualism and collectivism are conflicting views of the nature of humans, society and the relationship between them. Individualism holds that the individual is the primary unit of reality and the ultimate standard of value. This view does not deny that societies exist or that people benefit from living in them, but it sees society as a collection of individuals, not something over and above them. Collectivism holds that the group---the nation, the community, the proletariat, the race, etc.---is the primary unit of reality and the ultimate standard of value. This view does not deny the reality of the individual. But ultimately, collectivism holds

Mutual Exclusiveness of Generic Strategies Essay

Mutual Exclusiveness of Generic Strategies - Essay Example Thus, a firm that seeks cost leadership must explore all avenues that will guarantee its cost advantage in the industry. For a firm to achieve differentiation advantage over its competitors, it must come up with the necessary measures to produce a unique service or product that is valued by the customers to the extent of foregoing a relatively cheaper service or product offered by the firm’s competitors to buy from the firm at a higher price (Dahlen, 2006). Therefore, cost leadership and differentiation strategies define two fundamentally different approaches to business strategy given that a firm competing on low cost is discernible from that competing through differentiation evident from their different organizational characteristics, market poisoning, capabilities and resources (Grant, 2010). Michael Porter pooled differentiation and cost leadership with the firm’s choice of scope to constitute the generic strategies that a firm can use to achieve high profit margins . According to Porter, cost leadership and differentiation are mutually exclusive strategies to the extent that firms that endeavor to practice both strategies are stuck in the middle. Further, Porter defines a firm that is stuck in the middle as one with a guaranteed low profitability since it losses the high volume customers who demand low prices or has lowered its profits so that it can attract customers from those firms offering lower prices. The firm that is stuck in the middle loses its high-end customers who have high margin targets in their mind or have generally achieved differentiation. Such a firm would also lack a well-defined corporate culture in addition to having an incompatible set... This essay has looked at what is covered under cost leadership and differentiation as the two most important components of generic strategies. The following parts of the essay have looked at why it is possible for firms to implement both cost leadership and deferential generic strategies successfully. The paper has highlighted as a case example the strategic approach employed by Toyota which is an industry leader in automobile industry as a major example of how combining the two strategies is possible. The changes in market environment in areas like demand and supply calls for firms that need to keep up with modern trends to diversify their strategic approaches. Evidence from contingency approach to human resource management has been presented to oppose the mutual exclusive view of generic strategies. This paper makes a conclusion that the fear that firms employing both strategies simultaneously run the risk of being stuck in the middle, not knowing which of the two to concentrate on, has also been dispelled. Last part has presented a brief analysis detailing why the concepts as detailed by Porter needs further scrutiny. This analysis assists in place Porters ideas in the context of practical business environment as opposed to the theoretical framework under which Porter postulated the two strategies. Therefore, this essay has succeeded in proving that Cost leadership and differentiation generic strategies are not mutually exclusive but are approaches that business organizations can take advantage of to achieve greater margins in terms of their profits.

Teachers and modern classroom

Teachers and modern classroom There have been profound changes in the education policies with the change in times requiring skills from modern teachers that were not even imagined possible in an earlier era. Generally teaching in classrooms were sessions that used the board, lecture, and oral and written tests of the subject and direct interaction between the teacher and students. This required skills for the teacher like a willingness to explain in depth, lecturing and presentation skills, motivation and in some cases the excise of authority and leadership. This role is slowly changing and so is the method of the delivery of instruction. Today information is not in the lecture or library but on the internet and sometimes lectures are replaces by multimedia presentations. The teacher today is called upon to be techno smart and highly creative. This has posed problems for teachers who are not trained in these technologies. Tied with modern concepts like involvement, and many other new concepts like global learning communities the teacher is always expected to upgrade their skills, and standards not only in the respective subjects but also teaching skills and methods used. This causes a dual draw. As it is there is a lack of information in the teaching departments about performance. Secondly teachers are yet to be trained properly in the use of information for the identification of weaker students and also to understand their own deficiencies. Thus teachers are not privy to data and where data is available either on the education prospects, or on the subjects or even on the students progress teachers are unable to use the information meaningfully due to lack of competency in the use of technology or the necessary medium is not available to them perhaps even on cost considerations. Unfortunately such shifts have caused teaching merely to be academic based on formulas, and painting by numbers. Technology has made the primary-school teachers into technicians. There are more and more of the administrative demands on teachers, and with a larger population of students and changes in policy that make social practices become optional. As education gets modernized it is pointed out that there is a need to develop the data processing methods. Instructional designs properly done will reduce the difficulty of understanding and the modern requirements that is necessary for task automation, time components, and technology. There is a great care required for the educational processes from textbook selection, instruction and the often marginalized social position in womens work. Creativity has become the good example in education with the teachers required to improvise the teaching methods irrespective of the use of modern technologies. As a result modern teachers use props and craft to get the message passed on to the students rather than the rote and learn technology of previews years. More students are taken to field trips and teachers are called upon to show their creative skills in creating absorbing activities. These manipulations need the teacher to plan a sequence of projects where the student is made to learn by doing, something unheard of in the past. The earlier discussions revealed that for a long time the teaching community has been using props and small technology that was creative and crafted to the requirements of the class room. That was an aide and a supplement to the class teaching and did not distance the teacher from the learning stream. Their work was participatory. However with the modern gadgets the things get confusing. The teacher showing a multimedia presentation does not participate with it and there is no doing and learning. Instructions are on the screen and are impersonal. Does this impair the learning process? There is no direct research on this though arguments have been advanced on either site. There are many types of technology that is in use today and it is argued that it can be used to teach. Thus the modern information and electronic technology can be used to convey information like a word processor. This helps those with writing problems as in dyslexia. Teachers can use such technologies to advantage. Other available tools like desktop publishing tools, music software, are all used in modern classrooms. Computer Programs like Excel that can plot graphs and pie charts can be used to save time in the teaching of data analysis. Likewise the physics class can be with practical multimedia. These facilities often handicap the teacher who is not trained to only in the use of the media but also in the method of using them as the supplement to his or her lecture skills and direct rapport with the student. In order to prevent the teacher from becoming a switch presser who takes no active part in the session other that show slides or let the software do the talking teachers have to be educated on the methods of using technology without compromising their ability to build a relationship. This calls for reorienting the teacher. Teachers have a great difficulty in the use of technology. The teacher today is faced with the changes in the classroom and technology. Novick says that students today are into the use of technology but are emotionally and physically drained. They are according to Bernard Novick the products of a new era. Therefore there is a need to train and encourage the teaching communities to be equipped themselves and handle the changes and adapt to the standard of the new student generation and their requirements. Lankshear devolve into the problems of teachers who are subject to a world that is changing not only in the area of literacy and education but also in the changing face of technology which is complicating the way education is being modernized. Thus today there is a link between literacy, technology and learning. The authors comment that there is a lot of enthusiasm and initiative with teachers and students in integrating new technologies into the activities of classroom-based literacy education. The author has researched the aspect o changes in technology that could do both, bridge the inabilities and cover for the shortcomings of the students and also become a possible creator of disabilities. On the other hand, Mac Arthur et al argue that the changes in the technology have changed the nature of the technology practices and also have caused impairment to cognitive facilities. Computer technologies may have a very far reaching influence on skills especially to writing skill and vocabulary. The ability of writing well phased matter with reflection is a skill that is cultivated by the written language; unfortunately these skills could be jeopardized. On the other hand technology could bring in aid to the really disadvantaged by providing required support. In extreme cases this could afford a method of imparting knowledge where formerly there were none. Thus it is evident that the modern teacher cannot be away from the influence of technology and it is time that teachers are technically trained, and they are also made aware of the use of modern data processing methods which will enable them in assessing students and understanding their own potential and role. As with all industries these problems are also the foundations for unions to call in the status quo. Because the modern technologies. The unions for the teachers have unfortunately blocked their own progress. Unions though a great means of collective bargaining interfere in the progressive measures which include programs to enhance the teachers proficiency and effectiveness. Thus there is a problem of the parent collective and the teachers unions and the educational institutions. Though there is autonomy of institutions larger decisions often involve the negotiation with the unions. The recent move in Columbia to make the teaching effective with the voucher plan for example gives greater say to parents. This will ensure that the teacher is dedicated to the job. Thus the initial voucher plans for the children in the District of Columbia which were funded by the government have for example given teeth to parents in education. The unions mostly are raking up issues for political mileage and this seriously impairs the quality of not only education but also of teachers. That unions were involving teachers in their political agenda was evident when the IRS charged that the NEA is illegally making use of funds which are tax-exempt for the purpose of political activity. This is in the wake of the Democratic Party documents showing that NEA is a campaign which was coordinated by the party in the year 1996. The unionism has not affected all teachers. The NEAs agenda is making teachers turn away from it because it involves opinions on international issues not involved with teaching. The AAE and its coalition have 250,000 members, and are not into collective bargaining, on the other hand offer liability-insurance policies and scholarships for teachers. There is also the suggestion of a voucher system where the teacher will be assessed by the parents. This may benefit the good teachers. That these problems do not escape the notice of teachers is evident from the protests of the teachers who wish to be devoid of union compulsions. Teachers are critical of the unions. For example public-school teachers are opposing the unions that claim to represent them on issues ranging from alleged misuse of member dues for political activity to union insistence on politically correct curricula. Thus with parental rights teachers are calling for teachers right to be devoid of union harassment. Thus there is a division on the issue and while unions provide for insurance, and other group benefits, they must not enter into the very root of the education system. Freedom of expression without compulsions must be guaranteed to the teachers. There are lots of women teachers in all communities. In fact women tend to take to teaching as a vocation more than men. However the issues that confront male teachers in the school are also present for the female teachers in the same ratio. Thus they also have to be technically skilled, and oriented to the modern teaching methods. Earlier women were relegated to the kindergarten and the primary schools. Now they are in high positions in academic institutions including research institutions and have a role in the formulation of education policies. The distinction between the male teacher and the female teacher lies in the reach women have on the marginalized children and therefore the teaching of these groups who cannot attend school is a speciality that has to be developed in willing women teachers. Thus the technology of today enables women at home take a shot at home schooling to have virtual but still intimate emotional connections. There is evidence of social disintegration, with the loss of the common school and the teacher education programs and there is a move aimed at retraditionalization with individualism being more asserted. Home schooling has come to stay especially in cases where the child is disadvantaged. It is there that Michael W. Apple lays stress on the role of women educators. It is his opinion that teacher education must be available for women, not only the professional teacher at school, but also those who care for the disadvantaged and are engaged in schooling either at home or in the community. It is urged that this ought to be considered seriously.

National Security and Free Press Essay

The adage of â€Å"perception is reality’ is the impact media has regarding national security and the DoD’s response to media. Since John F. Kennedys assignation, through the Vietnam War, OPERATION Desert Storm to the present, people are fascinated with real-time media information for current events; this information is truth in the public’s eyes. President Bush’s decision to place troops in Somalia and President Clinton’s decision to remove troops from Mogadishu are national security ecisions made based on public perception (Belknap, 2001, 1). The National Security Council, consists of political officials, with the exception of the chiefs of staff military advisors; these elected officials make decisions in the interest of national security based on public perception derived from free press. Free press impacts national security by decisions based on public perception and the DoD should utilize free press to reveal benefits of military action in relation to national security (Snow, 2006, 4). Imbedded public media deployed with our C-130 unit with the intent of publicizing a soldier’s perspective of combat operation. This made us feel our involvement is shared along with the greater media picture to give the public a more complete understanding of war from tactical to strategic perspective. In the book Lone Survivor, a Navvy SEAL Team on an operation in Afghanistan let perception of civilian casualties the media would relay, sway combat decisions to save military lives Lutrell, 2007, 232). This perception is the â€Å"negative† impact soldiers face these days. Media imbed within military operations will relay to the public a tactical level perspective of the national security implications of free press. Overall, public opinion is influenced by free press; national security decisions are influenced by public opinion. The DoD should utilize the freedom of press to influence public opinion in the interest of national security. Belknap, Margaret