Web 2.0 Technology and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Web 2.0 Technology and Education - Essay Example Indeed, while the use of technology in classroom has addressed the individual needs and requirements of students, its application in myriad formats has opened huge possibilities for students and teachers alike to exploit their potential for higher learning. The advancing technology and Web 2 tools have increasingly emerged as key elements to impact students’ learning outcome and made acquisition of knowledge highly interesting. They have therefore, widened their horizon of educational scope and outcome. Statement of problem In the current times, not using Web 2 tools could pose serious problems for students. Technology is intrinsically linked to development processes and its huge impact on education system has necessitated its inclusion within the curricula to enhance learning outcome. Valdez has emphasized that educators must be ready for technology rich future and promote dynamic strategies and tools within the curricula so that the students are prepared to meet the challeng es of the 21st century (1). The current generation of tech savvy students is no more satisfied with classroom teaching and is constantly seeking real time learning through new tools which can challenge their abilities to explore new avenues of knowledge acquisition (Akyeampong 3860). Web 2 provides the students with interactive media to share their knowledge and at the same time, facilitate their learning processes by sharing experience, opinions and views on different areas and issues (Greenhow et al., 247). Thus, Web 2 has wide ramifications on individual learning and its inclusion within curricula becomes key element of motivation. They help individuals with varying needs to optimize their learning outcome and ensure higher achievement. Thus, not using Web 2 tools could seriously hinder students’ personal and academic achievements. Purpose of the study The major purpose of the study is to explore how the use of Web 2 tools influence learning process and enhance education o utcome. Today, technology has become part and parcel of education system and the use of internet and online learning tools have increasingly become popular within and outside classroom. But the efficacy of the Web 2 tools like social networking, blogging and use of video sharing websites etc. needs to be explored within the academia to study their impact on students’ learning outcome. Most importantly, how it can be exploited for enhancing students’ learning is vital issue that must be explored and evaluated to ensure students’ continued interest in the core academic areas. The huge possibilities of internet based learning offers tremendous scope of growth that needs to be used by educators for enhancing students’ education outcome. Hypothesis 1. What are the main elements of Web 2 that make it attractive for students? 2. Do the Web 2 tools offer different challenges for students with varying skills? 3. How does Web 2 help to influence the learning proces ses of students with varying needs? 4. How does the interactive platform of Web 2 help to widen the understanding of different issues? 5. Do the web 2 platforms promote global values and improve and improvise learning outcome across the geographical boundaries of class, color, race and culture? 6. How do Web 2 tools encourage greater interaction amongst students and teachers? 7. How does it impact reading, writing and comprehension skills of students? 8. How does it keep the students motivated in the academic learning? 9. How can teachers exploit the vast potential of Web 2 tools for enhancing students’ education outcome? What is Web 2.0? According to O’Reilly the Web 2 tools are internet based technologies and platforms of communication like social netwo

The History And Background On Martha Graham

The History And Background On Martha Graham Martha Graham, the outstanding 20th century dancer, choreographer and teacher was born on May 11, 1894 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as one among the three daughters of George and Jane Beers Graham (Martha Graham, 2010). During her life time she spent most of her decisive years on the west coast region. Media have often regarded Martha Graham as one of the well recognized dancers and choreographers ever lived in America. Martha Grahams father was a psychiatrist who concentrated much in his study and analysis of physical movement. He was a third generation American of Irish descent and her mother Jane Beers was one of the tenth generations of puritan Miles Standish. Dr. Graham and family had a high standard living because of the negotiable salary they saved from their works. The Graham family had a reputed position in the society on account of their high standard living and good educational background. From the very tender age itself, Martha had the support of her family in matters rela ted to education and career opportunities. Though her family was ever ready to provide her excellent guidance in education, Martha preferred her career as a dancing performer-disapproving her parents wish. After the completion of her educational career from Cumnock School, a junior college, she enrolled in the Denishawn Studio, a dancing school operated by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn (1891-1972) (Martha Graham, 2010). Analysing the biographical note of Martha, it is identfiable that after getting enrolled in Denishawn Studio, she devoted herself entirely for dancing and choreography. She married dancer Erick Hawkins in 1948 but their marriage proved to be failure and divorced in 1954. Later, as we see, she became proficient in dancing and tried her best to attain the highest position in this field. She focused her attention essentially in performing arts and practiced much by contributing her own methods to dancing. She tried her preeminent to open the new way for modern dance. Special attraction/feature of her dancing Martha Graham was a wonderful performer and good choreographer in America. Her choreography is very surprising and amazing to viewers that she created new style of body movements and facial expressions. While observing Marthas performances, it is well evident that she always attempted to expose real passion and human experiences which helped her to stand aloof from other performers of her time. Martha Grahams dance has often been compared to Picassos painting and Stravinskys music, and so on. One may not feel it as an exaggeration to reveal that her choreography and dance performances are incredibly attractive and stunning. Her contributions have transformed to different art forms which exerted notable influence in changing the old method of dancing. Marthas innovative style of dancing has paved the way for expanding the style of word around dancing. She expressed herself very liberally and truthfully in almost all her dance performances. It was the sincere attempt from her part to d evelop dancing profession resulted for the establishment of Martha Graham Dance Company in 1926 (Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, 2006). As her profession was dancing, she could compose many dance programs. Her dance company offers support to the entire American dance students by including other brilliant dance teachers also in her dance troupe. Freedman (1998) rightly enlists Grahams performance when he writes, Graham invented a revolutionary new language of dance, an original way of moving that she use to reveal the joy, passions, and sorrows common to all human experience. She had a genius for connecting movement with emotion. Martha Graham is not only a resourceful dancer but also an excellent choreographer. Graham created new trends and attractive style for dancing by reminding the fact that dancing has significant role in society as a pure method of entertainment. Dance is a one of the important and transitory forms of expression. Martha Graham attempted to convey her ideas so naturally and translated these ideas to expression with facial and body movements. Graham strongly believed that body and facial expressions must be there in an excellent dance. Graham controlled her body movements and facial expressions with music. These movements attracted the attention of many modern observers and as such, they accepted this new style and recognized this performance as a modern dance. A good dance performer should be capable of creating different types expressions on his/her face. The idea produced by the dancing body can include physical identity and physical representations of thoughts. So Martha Grahams new style of dancing can be considered as a representation and result of her thoughts. The performer and choreographer Martha Graham produced different gestures images, stances and poses. She had also included the physical representation of the feelings, moods and impulses. These styles or movements attracted a great deal of audience. Marthas Dance is a real representation of her personality- expression, and it conveyed different messages. Majority of the modern and traditional dancing forms tell a story which clearly coveyed the observer a message. Choreographer Martha Graham expressed her ideas in different ways and in different style. Thus one can infer that most of her performances were self expressive and self explanatory. During her life span, Graham had composed and presented a large number of dance programs. Her 180 dancing performances in America within the period of fifty years acknowledge this fact. She had won many awards and achievements. Some of them include the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, the French Legion of Honor in 1984 and presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976. She could maintain her status as a good dancer and choreographer till the end of her life. Her last dance performance, Maple Leaf Rag presented in 1990, a year before her death, was also a grant success. It is such grant performances that earned her the name, 20th century revolutionary artist. She has exerted a significant influence in relieving the dance form from the traditional methods or concepts, presented with comparatively dawdling movements. 20th century dance forms are fast and it also tells the theoretical form of the story instead of merely retelling a story. Contribution to dancing Graham had given remarkable contribution to dancing field by developing distinctive style of training. She founded Martha Graham Dance Company, one of the oldest modern dance groups in America, which provides the best training for new generation dancers and choreographers. Martha Grahams new techniques and modern methods are really helpful to create classical ballet in the world. She avoided traditional and old methods, techniques and steps of classical ballet. Then her dancing form of classical ballet includes natural motion and music. She established different type style of dancing such as mobile scenery, symbolic props, and etc. Vision of the Apocalypse is the first large group piece of Martha Graham and it was performed in 1929. Other remarkable contributions are Dance Repertory Theater in New York in 1930 and Bennington School of Arts in Vermont, and so on. Her students and her co-worker helped to spread her ideas and style in the rest of the world. What was her inspiration? Though there are different things that attracted Graham to dancing, the most important among them were the classical mythologies she read. Other inspirations are the American past, biblical stories, historical figures, contemporary social problems, poems, stories, and so on. These motivations really helped her to develop new ideas and thoughts. These inspirations facilitate to found new music and gradually she won in her attempts to bring out new movements to express her own ideas.

Failure of the American Dream in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Failure in The Great Gatsby In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, all the characters are, in one way or another, attempting to become happier with their lives. The characters in the novel are divided into two groups: the rich upper class and the poorer lower class(West egg and East egg) though the main characters only try to make their lives better, the American dream they are all trying to achieve is eventually ruined by the harsh reality or life. Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich couple, seem to have everything they could possibly want. Though their lives are full of anything you could imagine, they are unhappy and seek to change, Tom drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(pg. 10) and reads "deep books with long words in them"(pg. 17) just so he has something to talk about. Even though Tom is married to Daisy he has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and has apartment with her in New York.. Daisy is an empty character, someone with hardly any convictions or desires. Even before her relationships with Tom or, Gatsby are seen, Daisy does nothing but sit around all day and wonder what to do with herself and her friend Jordan. She knows that Tom is having an affair, yet she doesn't leave him even when she hears about Gatsby loving her. Daisy lets Gatsby know that she too is in love with him but cant bring herself to tell Tom goodbye except when Gatsby forces her too . Even then, once Tom begs her to stay, even then Daisy forever leaves Gatsby for her old life of comfort. Daisy and Tom are perfect examples of wealth and prosperity, and the American Dream. Yet their lives are empty, and without purpose. Though Myrtle Wilson makes an attempt to escape her own class and pursue happiness with the rich, she ends up gaining nothing and eventually dies. She is basically a victim of the group she wanted to join. Myrtle tries to become like Tom by having an affair with him and taking on his way of living, but in doing so she becomes unsatisfied with her life. Her constant clothing changes show that she is unhappy with her life, she changes personalities every time she changes her dress: "with the influence of the dress her whole personality had also undergone a change.

Benefits of Sports

Should students be involved in sports during their busy academic life? I  believe  so,  there are three  major benefits that i believe are the most important reason to start a sport: They are   Health, helps build good values, and are just all in all fun. I encourage students to take up sports. Even  though I’m a student myself and i know how busy we get from homework and test, but sports can help relieve stress and make school more fun.A report from the United Nations Inter-Agency Task force on sports for Development and Peace stated that young people can benefit from physical activity as it contributes to developing healthy bones,  efficient  heart and lung function as well as improved motor skills and cognitive function. Physical activity can help to prevent hip fractures among women and reduce the effects of  osteoporosis. Remaining physically active can enhance  functional  capacity among older people, and can help to maintain quality of life and   Independence. Sport teaches many good values that one can use in sports and their daily  life.Honesty,  disciplined  respect, and many others are just some of the values that sports teach us. A student can use these  values  in their daily  routine. Sports can help a student learn about arriving on time, setting  priorities, and to  encourage  team work. The key to creating and sustaining values based on sporting is Living Values: living values in  everything  you do, every time,  every day. Sports can be really fun and exciting. I  practice  Taekwondo and its exiting being put up  against  a bigger, faster, and stronger  opponent. It’s a very rewarding experience to see how much hard work pays of in combat and it can be applied in school.You may not see the results running and  practicing  everyday but once you get in to battle it shows, and it’s the same for school you may not see the results of  content  studying until you t ake an exam. It’s very exciting and I recommend all students to try sports it is very fun. In conclusion I believe students should start a sport since it offers many benefits Like: health benefits, good values, and it’s fun. I encourage my fellow students to join a sport It really makes the learning experience more enjoyable, and I believe it prepares us for success.

An Education and History Boys Comparative Film Essay Essay

Through the analysis of where an education originates, The History Boys and An Education have two vastly contradictory viewpoints. The History Boys demonstrates both academic education and an education on life gained within school grounds. An Education, however, illustrates a young Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan) as she gains her education far from her school environment – despite much attempted intervention. In both The History Boys and An Education the teachers play an integral role in shaping the educational path for our protagonists. Hector (Richard Griffiths) bases his teachings on the principle of educating the boys in regard to life and not purely academic learning. When the viewers are first introduced to Hector, they are made aware of the high regard with which the boys view him. During the scene when the boys celebrate their final marks, they bow down to Hector as if they are not worthy. If the manner in which Hector teaches the boys is considered, it becomes evident that he understands the idea of literature perhaps having an impact on his students later in life – â€Å"all knowledge is precious whether or not it serves the slightest human purpose†. He seems to be concerned with how the boys utilise their learning within everyday life; how they apply ideas and philosophies concealed in knowledge at a standard worthy of Oxford and Cambridge. Within Hector’s classroom, there are many literary references present on the walls – more than once the viewer’s eyes are drawn to a photograph of W H Auden – who can be considered similar to Hector in that both had homosexual inclinations. During the boys’ outing to an old monastery, Hector advises the boys on knowledge, and the transfer thereof, with the words, â€Å"pass it on†. In this, he is able to teach the boys a lesson more important than any taught in the classroom. In An Education, Miss Stubbs as well as the Headmistress (Emma Thompson) allude to an education coming from within a school and being purely academically centred. The Headmistress reminds Jenny that neither herself nor Miss Stubbs would be where they are if it were not for their decent school and university education. Miss Stubbs admits to Jenny that she attended Cambridge – only to be offended by Jenny, who could no longer see the benefit of an academic education. Within Miss Stubbs’s classroom, we are  able to see that the walls are fairly empty and her desk uncluttered. This stands in contrast with the Hector’s vibrant classroom. In the opening scene of An Education the camera tracks the movement of the overlays into Miss Stubbs’s classroom and to a group of girls who look stricken with boredom and later on read with that same unenthusiastic demeanour. Continually throughout the movie, we are reminded of the popular 1960s belief that education meant almost everything if one was to attend a prestigious university and find a job that provided a salary, but that was not necessarily fulfilling. The History Boys proves to the viewers that life lessons can be and are taught within school parameters. Although much of the focus is centred on the Ox-Bridge examinations, Hector and Irwin, specifically, are able to teach the boys life lessons over and above the syllabus. Hector teaches the boys the importance of knowledge, even if it has no obvious use. To Hector, language, literature and music are to be considered in high regard with the intent of creating a cultured being rather than one only able to regurgitate useless ‘gobbets’, as referred to by Irwin. The question, â€Å"how does History happen?† is asked more than once throughout the film’s duration. As the film progresses, the answer emerges – history is merely one thing after another. When the boys are confronted with Hector’s death, they are able to realise how fleeting life is. Death calls for introspection and a deeper consideration of what it is in life that is truly important. Hector is able to teach the boys that education is indispensable in whichever form and from whichever source it comes, which, as well as the idea that one must pass knowledge along, is a most crucial aspect to the film. In An Education, it is clear that Jenny receives her education outside of school parameters – despite the objections posed by Miss Stubbs and the Headmistress. Although Jenny is a dedicated student, who in the beginning tries to gain her education within school and from her teachers, she inevitably gains it from her relationship with David (Peter Sarsgaard). During the opening scene, the students dancing with books on their head appeals to the formal environment they attended school in. David was able to show Jenny the other side of this spectrum – he introduced her to art,  music, wine and lavish restaurants. David travelled to Oxford and Paris with Jenny, where everything was tinted with a blue haze and made to seem flawless. He provided her with a life where she could speak French and surround herself with art and culture; the life she had so longed for. However, when Jenny discovered that David was a married man, she was also able to learn that a lifestyle such as the one David and his friends led often hid many secrets. He was a dishonest man – and it taught Jenny that trust should not just be given, but rather earned. When she visits Miss Stubbs, her words, â€Å"I feel old, but not so wise† prove that when one is young, they can so easily be deceived by materialism and the idea of love – a lesson no school would be able to teach. Both The History Boys and An Education demonstrate how education has no set definition. It can be defined as learning fact, or as learning about life. Both also prove to us that education does not have to come from an educational institute and its employees. Life can sometimes prove more educational than the classroom.