Library system Essay Example for Free

Library system Essay

Does Modern Technology Help Students Essay Example for Free

Does Modern Technology Help Students Essay Sample Essay 2 Question: Does modern technology help students learn more information and learn it more quickly? Answer: Marvelous as it looks at first sight, modern technology does not help students learn information at greater speed and with higher efficiency in most cases. On the contrary, it works towards the opposite direction which led students to lose their initiative to learn and explore. First of all, one property of modern technology is latently harmful to any learning mind it distracts. One thing we feel about when we are searching for information online is that the internet, as an outstanding example of modern technology, provides us with not only relevant results to make use of, but also external links to click. More than once I turned on my computer to check school library for resources, but ended up watching Youtube videos. In this case, computer as a representative of modern technology plays a negative role in learning information. We do acquire more information with the convenient tool, yet most of them are irrelevant and in the end procrastinating would lower our learning. Also, students would easily become disoriented in the huge sea of information. Although modern technology could equip us with easy access to information, the huge amount of resources would actually leave us confused. Therefore, it is only we obtain information more quickly rather than we learn it more quickly. A telling example is my experience with a digital library which stores almost all the books I need. At first I enjoyed downloading them from the database, however, one month later I ended up with hundreds of books stored in my laptop yet none of them finished or ever clicked. Furthermore, modern technology gives students an illusion that information and real knowledge is easy to learn just by clicking mouse or watching videos. But in fact this is only the first step towards useful information and effective learning, as learning of any kind requires full concentration and interactive thinking, which are almost absent in the process of popular e-learning experience. To summarize, modern technology does not help students learn more information and learn it more quickly, though it does make access to information and resources much more easily. The popular e-learning still lacks the concentration, depth, and interaction that are the hallmark of traditional ways of education and learning.

Two sociological theories and two psychological theories

Two sociological theories and two psychological theories The Johnson family Scenario In this assignment I will explore two sociological theories and two psychological theories impacting on the Johnson family. I shall begin by exploring sociological theories analysing and defining them and in the second half of this assignment will then explore psychological theories. I will also look at the professional interventions available in social work. I shall endeavour to indicate their strength and weaknesses incorporating their relationships to issues of class, race, culture gender and sexuality. I will then reflect on the influence of these theories on my own development to achieve social work professional status. Max Weber defined consensus as existing when expectations about the behaviour of others are realistic because the others will usually accept these expectations as valid for themselves, even without an explicit agreement. For Marxists, consensus is a highly ideological concept used to perpetuate class rule by attempting to disguise the extent of conflict within society. (Answers.com) Durkheim is known to have drawn an analogue of the functionalist perspective view in which he said that society is a system of interrelated parts each of which relies upon the other parts for efficient functioning.'(Cunningham, J Cunningham,S).These institutions are essential for maintaining that society works harmoniously and orderly. The view of the functionalist is that the use of power is acceptable and generally beneficial to society. They share norms and values which help them to determine the right from the wrong. There is an acceptance from the functionalists positions that conflicts will occur but will only be temporary and can quickly be resolved. Society should be adequately prepared to deal with instances of anti social behaviour so that society as a whole benefits. In the functionalist perspective schools first role is to emphasise proper behaviour and knowledge that is necessary to maintain a civilised society. According to the functionalist, the children in the Johnsons should therefore be sent to school to be equipped with this weapon and the fact that they are truanting could easily be viewed as anti social behaviour. Karl Marx did not at all agree with capitalisms theories of consensus and in his writing highlighted the conflict theory, although acknowledging structural integration of societys institutions such as political, legal or religious which he described as the superstructure. His view was that workers in the class system like Desmond a car mechanic and Mary a cook at a primary school were being exploited and that there should be equality on control, power, wealth and the best education. Marxists felt that it was those with the means of production that had the power and therefore significantly influenced the rest of the society. This causes a difference of interest among social groups which in turn causes conflict. As both Desmond and Mary are working this creates pressure on parenting skills and has probably forced Desmond to decide sending Eustace to a residential home. Marxists perceive functionalists as deceiving as they say the norms and values which they claim are the backbone of society are infect their norms and values that only help to strengthen their positions perpetuating the unequal social system. Marxists argued that the workers were being replaced by machines in their roles of employment and this resulted in them loosing their skills, assuming monotonous jobs, separated from each other by the noise and would return home dehumanised and physically exhausted. Marx believed the proletariat would realise the exploitation, join together and revolt overthrowing the system and establishing true systems . The Marxists view of social work is that it is an agent of the state and as such reinforces the interest of the ruling class. Their view is that the state in capitalists societies saves the interests of the ruling classes and do not treat their citizens equally even in cases of welfare services. They further state that the image of caring that they create is only a myth which serves to enhance the profits of the capitalists that the social workers serve through the state. The Marxists do not see the necessity of the social control role of social work but an agent of state bent on socially controlling those that are already marginalised and excluded. In this view social workers tend to be ignorant of the poverty they are meant to be addressing from the society by empowering service users to take action and bring about change. The Johnson family appears overcrowded in their residence and this is associated with poverty. Social workers have found themselves working with tied hands as th e system is tightly regulated and procedural thereby restricting social workers from exercising their knowledge. Functionalists viewed the institution of family to be the best organisational basis for society. Talcott Parsons (1955) insists that the family retains two basic and irreducible functions. These are the primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation of adult personalities. So this view will explain that for the family to maintain stability, it needs support to ensure normality. This perspective then explains that if there are signs of antisocial behaviour such as truanting then the family unit needs to be supported. According to Murdock (1949) family performs four important functions i.e. providing new members of the society by reproduction, providing stability for adults through sexual gratification, providing for the economic well being and educating the young to socialise into societys norms and values. Eustaces wondering and confusion could be viewed as hindering by the functionalists because it is affecting Mary who they expect to be participating in the society both as a mother and a worker as it is the institute that will influence good behaviour of children. Functionalists believed that the family is a positive institution, a view that meets well with the needs of an advanced industrial society. The functionalists would view Eustaces confusion as costing the society in terms of health care for Mary and himself. Eustaces problems must be rectified in order to get Mary functioning well again and become productive in the society. Functionalists highlight the ideal family type in a modern society, as the nuclear family. The view of the nuclear family comprises of a breadwinner husband ( in the scenario this would be Desmond) and dependant wife and children. Mary cannot be classified as dependant as she is also working and earning. The functionalist view of the family as ideological is criticised as a conservative stance. Some feminists criticise this view as being unrealistic as it does not recognise the oppression of women in families. However, they defend the claim that the functionalist view of family life is shared by many people, if not only as an aspiration. The nuclear family is seen as traditional and positive. Marxism states that the family is a product of capitalism and is therefore an exploitative institution. They argue that families are not built upon love but are founded from necessity. Women therefore become the property of men and all roles within families exist in order to maintain a capitalist state. There are two classes in the society according to Marxism. One is the ruling class and the other is the subject class. The Johnson family would be classified as a subject class and their employers like the garage owners where Desmond works would be the ruling class. This is opposed by functionalist who claims that there are many classes in society and points to a division of labour. Eustaces situation is also causing friction between Desmond (a father and mechanic) and Mary thereby threatening the institution of family. However a Marxist would hold a different view putting the blame on Mary being over worked and thereby causing her to be depressed. They highlight the lack of care from the employers who do not pay well enough keeping most of the profits to themselves prompting Mary to work long hours. Desmond is said to be impatient with Eustace who he sees as stressing his wife at home while trying to do her job. This appears a functionalist view where Desmond is concerned about Mary being disrupted in doing her job hence not able to contribute to the income. Mary and Desmond might have moved to the UK in response to the big drive for workforce after the world war. They were promised better lives with luxurious facilities only to realise when they arrived in the UK that it was not the case and they had to work extremely hard to earn a living. Desmonds role would be to provide and Mary also performing this role as she also works. Caring for Eustace could be seen by Desmond as preventing Mary from performing the task expected within her role, a view that the feminists would regard as oppressive. Whilst various sociological school of thought tries to explain family circumstances and possible interventions that may assist families it is not adequate in itself. In this context I will now turn to psychological perspectives. The essay will examine psychological theories of behavioural approach, which developed through the works of Thorndike (trial and error learning), Pavlov (classical conditioning) and Skinner (operant conditioning) who all believed that the environment controlled behaviour. Behavioural theory is based on a scientific method (Banks, 2001. p. 73) and on what can be observed, studied, measured and reliably changed (Feltham, 1995; cited in Adams R, Dominelli L Payne M, 2002. p.144). It argues that internal states such as thoughts, intentions and feeling are not observable and replicable, hence are not open to scientific analysis, it aims to eradicate or reduce behaviours that are deemed problematic while positive behaviours are encouraged, an agreement between the service user and the practitioner through the process of positively reinforcing and rewarding consequences that a service user consider valuable. Payne (1997) in his token economies (Payne, 1997. p.133) argues that this helps reinforce and strengthen the desirable behaviour. This theory sees the behaviourist assuming that most behaviour is learned as a result of our interactions with our environment, including emotional development, perceptions of the external world, social behaviour and personality. Milner and OByrne (1998 p112) describes Classical conditioning occurring when there is an association of conditioned and unconditioned stimulus such that the former stir up a response previously evoked only by the later. This was similar to Pavlovs (1911) conclusion in his famous Dog-Salivation-Experiment. If applied in this case study it would first try to identify the original stimulus, in this case, the loss of a loved one Susan, the response, Eustaces confusion and Marys anxiety and depression. Those associated with unpleasant or stressful feelings may become conditioned stimuli for feelings of anger and anxiety later on. (Birch A, 1997, p139). Another theory of behaviour Operant conditioning claims that learning occurs when voluntary behaviour arises from an individual and becomes more or less likely to be repeated depending on its results as demonstrated by Skinner (1953) in his Skinner-Box-Experiments with a cat and a pigeon. In the Johnson family scenario, Mary is a service user with depression and anxiety which Milner and OByrne argues ABC Approach (Milner and O Byrne, 1998. p.114) is necessary in identifying and analysing the behaviour that needs modification in agreement with the service user. Mary has gone to see the doctor on her own accord and therefore there is an agreement. This would involve establishing the Antecedent (caring for her father and the family), and the consequences (depression and anxiety). The consequences will either strengthen or weaken behaviour by reinforcement or punishment (Payne, 1997. p. 114). In Marys case it is the depression and anxiety that is undesirable. The distinctive characterist ic of operant conditioning relative to previous forms of behaviorism is that the organism ( Mary) can emit responses instead of only eliciting response due to an external stimulus (the practitioner). It is likely that Mary would respond positively if the right responses have been reinforced. Behaviourism models are advantageous due to their easy adaptability and practicability by inexperienced practitioners without extensive training than would be expected of a psychodynamic approach (Adams, R, Dominelli, L and Payne, M, 2002. p. 144) in facilitating an effective outcome. Payne (1997) also argues that the prescribed explicit, structured guidanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and assessment instruments employed (Payne, 1997. p. 134) gives unskilled practitioners the confidence to apply behavioural theory and procedures in interventions. My perception is that as behavioural intervention focuses on negative behaviour that needs modification, it is empowering the service user to choose and self determine the behaviours that need modification in partnership and therefore the practitioner is recognising and respecting individuality. The role of the practitioner is to facilitate and support the service user. Thus, labelling and making judgement on the service user is avoided and is then direct ed to the behaviour. Behavioural approaches have been criticised by some practitioners as being excessively mechanistic (Banks, 2001. p.73) and non-human (Payne, 1997. p.122) in some of its methods, conducts and terms used, as they do not take into account service user individuality and will to choose. It is true that Mary would be different from other service users who would have used the same theory. The behavioural approach overall intervention emphasis is on the need to change or modify the client behaviour rather than those around the client who may be the problem. In the case scenario it is probably Desmond who we need to convince that Mary and Eustace need his understanding and cooperation as well as dealing with the fact that the family were not offered support to grieve and move on with life after the death of a loved one. Milner and OByrne (1998) point out that social workers tend to do as they find easier to change an individual than challenge the status quo (Milner and OByrne, 1998. Attachment has been defined as an affectionate bond between two individuals that endures through space and time and serves to join them emotionally Kennell 1976. John Bowlby described attachment as a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings (Bowlby, 1969, p. 194). Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds formed by children with their caregivers had an impact lasting throughout their lives. Adult attachment theory helps Social Workers understand how people feel and act within close relationships, particularly in stressful situations.  Attachment is not different in adulthood and in childhood as they all will give and receive support. Attachment relationships can be secure or insecure.  Attachment is clearly influential in both professional and personal settings.   As a Social Worker knowing about the attachment theory can help to make the right steps in order to protect the child and the family. Mary Ainsworth expanded greatly on Bowlbys original work with behaviour experiment which she named Strange Situation. In the study children between 12 months and 18 months were left alone with a stranger with the mother returning a moment later. The study revealed three major styles of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment and avoidant insecure attachment. A fourth one was later added on by researchers Main and Solomon called disorganised insecure-attachment. It is clear that Mary has a bond with her father and hence his condition is affecting her psychologically. The fact that Mary and Desmonds relationship seemed to be strained by having Eustace living with them shows that they are experiencing lack of intimacy support for one another. The scenario mentions the death of Susan in the family and appears that Eustace, Mary and the Kids have been affected. Loss through death is a normal part of life experienced by everyone. The grief process varies in length and this also depends on the strength of the attachment. This period is usually very painful as the affected seek to adjust or cope without their loved one. Collin, Murray-parkes (1972) describes bereavement as an illness, thus in turn prompted Mary to see her doctor for help. The Johnson family appears not to have gone through the grieving process. Eustace is showing a lack of interest in normal life by wondering and could be his way of searching for his wife. The grieving process involves psychological suffering ( Birch, A ,1997 p251) Grief is defined as the process of psychological, social and somatic reactions to the perceptions of loss (Rando, 1984). This explains that the individual is affected mentally, physically as well as socially. Bereavement is defined as the state of having suffered a loss (Rando, 1984). According to Balwby excessive separation anxiety is usually the result of adverse family experiences, such as repeated threats of abandonment or rejections by parents, or to parents or siblings illnesses or death for which the child feels responsible. The truanting of the children could be a result of the feeling that they felt abandoned after the death of Susan who at one stage raised them for three years when their parents moved to the UK and could have bonded with the children. They have been living in the same house and this could have kept them close. A key principle of an attachment based practice is the acknowledgment that young children develop a range of adaptive strategies that are designed to help them cope with, survive and function in whatever situations they happen to find themselves, The children could be truanting as way of coping with the loss. As Eustace is wondering and possibly searching for his wife, it could be that he is thinking of joining her wife where ever she is. This brings Erikssons stages of development Integrity v Despair. Integrity is contentment with what you have achieved and Despair is the feeling that you have achieved nothing. As Eustace could be nearing the end of his life he will probably look back with integrity. He had his child who also got married and had her own family. He has lived for more than sixty years and although it does not look like he lived a porch life he was not homeless and up to this day still has a loving daughter taking care of him. Eustace will probably be looking forward to dying with contentment. Applying sociological and psychological theories as well as social work values has been a challenge for me considering my ethnic background of African origin as much as the Johnson family who travelled to settle in the UK, a country with different norms, cultures and values. I feel I empathise more with the Johnson family, in relation to the impact of new norms, culture and a new way of living. Studying social work has challenged some of my beliefs and prejudices and hence the toleration of others, provide recognition and ability to challenge discrimination. Adherence of work values have provided me with further understanding of being respectful of other peoples, views, religion, culture and preferences which is of paramount significance to become a social work practitioner. (GSCC 2002).  

Sweatshops Essay example -- essays research papers fc

Written over 50 years ago, was a declaration made, promising equality and fair treatment for the working, which unfortunately turned out to be a false promise for some. The people I speak of, are our fellow human beings working in slave-like conditions called sweatshops. Sweatshops have always been prevalent in society, this can be shown by looking at the history of sweatshops. Presently organizations are failing in there strive to end sweatshops, companies are failing to abide by the moral code (apparel industry code), there is an ever growing gap between rich and poor, and consumers are continuing to buy the companies products and remain unaware.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sweatshop is a term for makeshift factories where poverty-stricken people- mostly women and children- work at top speed for 12 or more hours a day in an effort to earn a living wage (library). Often called the sweating system, which began when the factory system developed in the early 1800’s. Factories were not always large enough to house all the workers, instead the owners would sublet contracts for part of the work. Then the other subcontractors set up makeshift factories in dimly lighted, poorly ventilated buildings. They hired workers for low wages and long hours on a work when needed basis. Americans began to object to this almost right away, as early as the 1830’s. In 1880, large numbers of immigrants began to come to America, and the problem became serious. The owners of sweatshops took advantage of the immigrants’ ignorance and poverty to get them to work for low wages. During the 1900’s, many states began to pass laws prohibit ing products from being manufactured under sweatshop conditions. A fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in 1911, in which 146 women died, urged many states to pass anti-sweatshop laws. States then began passing laws on wages, hours, child labor, making it impractical for factories to sublet work. Sweatshops became illegal in most countries. But not all, such as Asia and Africa, the less developed countries .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many organizations out there trying to put a stop to sweatshops. Organizations such as MOJO, co-op America, HRWF (Human Rights For Workers), Feminists against sweatshops, UNITE, No Sweat, USAS. This is only a small fraction of the organizations trying to put a stop to sweatshops. MOJO, co-op America and ... ...If you are serious enough about this, start your own organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When one considers the injustice the sweatshop worker deals with at the hands of corporate America, one can only wonder how such actions are allowed. Where is the Declaration of Human Rights? This document declares rights to all humans, but somehow sweatshop workers are overlooked? They are human beings too. Something must be done to end this parade of abuse. Take some action, next time you see The Gap, walk right by it, every little bit helps. Bibliography Library - From the World Book, Multimedia Encyclopedia, Inc., 525 W. Monroe, Chicago, IL 60661. Reference 1- http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/nosweat/nosweat.htm Reference 2- http://www.law1.nwu.edu/depts/clinic/ihr/hrcomments/1996/jan3-96.html Reference 3- http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/sweatshops/ffchain/ffchain.htm http://www.motherjones.com/news_wire/nike_gallery.html http://www.nlcnet.org/behindclosed/elsalvador.htm http://www.nlcnet.org/Mission.htm http://www.ecoworld.com/Articles/global_exchange.cfm http://vic.uca.org.au/fairwear/info.htm WWW-HOOVER.STANFORD.EDU/PUBAFFAIRS/WE/CURRENT/HENDERSON_0200.HTML

Essay --

Childhood Obesity In The United States Childhood obesity is definitely a problem today because of the shocking levels that it has reached up to in the past couple of years. Genetics and the change of lifestyle and culture created children who are less healthy than people were in the last 20 years. Obesity is the result of these changes. There is a difference between being overweight and being obese. Being overweight means a person’s weight is high in comparison to other people who are the same height. This does not have anything to do with one’s level of body fat. For example, someone could be heavier because he or she has a lot of muscle mass. â€Å"† (Roth). Obesity is when a person has a very high amount of body fat in comparison to his or her lean body mass. Obesity in America increased by eleven percent between 1991 and 2003. A different study showed a comparison between 1988-1994 to 1999- 2000. The percent comparing these two periods of overweight kids increased an average of 4.1 percent for tho se between the age of two and nineteen. Recent research is doing a good job so far by the real reasons of obese children. Scientists are doing this by looking closely at nutrition and genetics. A high glycemic index comes from simple carbohydrates. For the body to digest these simple carbs it must produce lots of insulin, which lowers one’s blood sugar and makes them feel hungry. Carbs that are Complex have a lower glycemic index and do not need as much insulin to digest, making one’s blood sugar not as low. This means people do not feel as hungry as soon after eating these foods. One experiment showed children who ate foods with a low glycemic index for breakfast were not as hungry at lunch resulting in the child eating less food. Childr... ...tion classes because of problems with money. They use the money on other academic classes. Another factor that contributes to childhood obesity is that more parents are working late, which leads to fewer family meals. This results in ordering more food from restaurants, which is usually higher in fat content. Another environmental factor is that in major cities, there is less room for children to play. Some parents are able to send their children to after-school gyms and activities, but those cost money and require transportation. These are two things that not all parents have. This problem is conflict theory. In conclusion, children are getting fatter everyday. However, scientist and researchers are finding many ways to get rid of this problem. They have done a good job so far and eventually most people will be aware the importance of a healthy diet and exercise.

Switzerlands Financial Outlook :: essays research papers

Switzerland’s Financial Outlook   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Located in between Italy, France, and Austria, Switzerland is home to a population of 7,450,867 (World Factbook, 2004). In 1848 Switzerland became a federal state that now has 26 cantons and half cantons. Switzerland is a melting pot, consisting of various cultures imported from the several surrounding countries. Languages spoken include French, German, Italian, and Romansch (World Factbook, 2004). For the amount of diversity among its people, it is quite impressive that Switzerland has been the leading European country with the lowest unemployment rate for years (World Factbook, 2004). The Roman Catholic and Protestant faiths are the two prominent religions among the Swiss. Switzerland is a member of several economic and finance organizations: European Free Trade Association, World Trade Organization, World Bank, International Monetary Fund Organization for Economic Co-Operation & Development, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2001). Despite Switzerland’s many financial alliances, it is a country that has long practiced an axiom of neutrality. Switzerland refuses to join any alliance that will obligate her to take military action in the event of war, (which rules out NATO membership) unless the country itself is being threatened. Some would argue that the policy of neutrality that has helped Switzerland to continually show signs of a ongoing prosperity. Nevertheless, Switzerland has long struggled to remain a non-participant during the wars that ravaged Europe in the twentieth century. Its citizens seem perpetually divided amongst themselves about the value of remaining a neutral count ry. Whatever the case may be, over recent years the country has demonstrated they have the potential for a strong and prosperous future. Major Industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Switzerland’s economy is divided into three sectors: agriculture, industry and services. Fifty percent of the population is employed in services, with banking being the dominant service in the country and arguably, in all of Europe. Switzerland’s financial sector employs 220,000 people and contributed to 10.9% of gross domestic product in 2000 (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, 2002). Forty percent of the population is employed in the machine, metal, and textile industry, which account for a large number of their exports. The other ten percent of the population works in agriculture. Due to the under whelming number of people left working in agriculture, it is strongly supported by the government. In recent years, advancements in medical technology have led to creation of many small pharmaceutical companies throughout Switzerland.

Political compromise Essay

Evaluate the extent to which political compromise contributed to maintaining continuity as well as fostering change concerning sectional tntions in the period of 1820-1861. Sectional tensions had always existed in America, however during the period of 1820-1861 differences in the North and South became so serious that the nation was on the verge of division. There were many attempts at compromise, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, but to no affect. Disunion and division could not be avoided and the Civil War began in 1861. There were many issues dividing the North and the South, the most controversial of which was slavery. Slavery was seen as a moral abomination in the North and revered as a way of life in the South. Northern reformers and others wanted slavery to end, while Southerners were devoted to its preservation. When Missouri applied for admission to the union as a slave state in 1819, the balance between non-slave states and slave states in the nation was threatened. There was violent debate until the Missouri Compromise was submitted by Henry Clay. Under this compromise, Maine was admitted as a free state, Missouri was admitted as slave state. However the compromise was later thrown away after the Supreme Court ruled in Dred Scott v. Stanford. Scott decided to sue for his freedom after his master had held him in a slave free state on multiple occasions. The Chief of Justice at the time, Roger Taney, disagreed with Dred Scott and even argued he had no right to sue for his freedom because he wasn’t technically a citizen. This lead to the court rule that congress had no right to ban slavery in any area in particular and the Missouri compromise was overturned. Northern fears of Southern Slave power grew, which further divided the nation. Another ultimately unsuccessful attempt at negotiation was the Compromise of 1850. California had experienced a huge population increase and was ready to apply for statehood as a free state. Southerners objected because the balance of Slave states vs. Free states would be tipped to the Free states. Once again, Henry Clay had a solution. He proposed compromise admitting California as a free state and banned the sale of slaves in Washington D.C., but strengthened the Fugitive Slave law to keep the South happy. Overall, sectional tensions were hardly decreased by any compromise. The divisions were too deep, and no political compromise could bridge them. The country was left with no solution and the tensions  exploded into the Civil War.