Leading Strategic Change At DaVita Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leading Strategic Change At DaVita - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the turnaround in the fortunes of DaVita is attributable to managerial changes incorporated by the company by hiring a new C.E.O, Kent Thiry. Thiry has been the C.E.O of DaVita since October 1999 and has been an instrumental force in its growth and success. He is an experienced C.E.O and a graduate of Harvard in MBA. In October 1999, a time when Kent Thiry took over as C.E.O for Total Rental Care the company was collapsing. Basically, Total Renal Care could not honor its loan obligations, was already paying the charge to its creditors, its leverage had shot up due to the many acquisitions and most vividly the company was on the brink of bankruptcy. Additionally, its stock price had dropped greatly, its systems non- performing and its employees demotivated and unhappy. What made the situation even worse was the shareholders’ loss of faith in the company to the point of using it. The future of the company was uncertain. The new C.E. O, Kent Thiry was facing a dilemma of how to rescue the company that was heading for a closedown. It was now his obligation to turn things around and gain the lost confidence. Thiry was taking over a nightmare job, one that many would avoid. Because of the many challenges that Total Renal Care was facing at the time Thiry took over as C.E.O, a turnaround of things was a priority for him and the management. The purposes of these transformations especially the restructuring of the debts and cash flows were to ensure the company was back on its financial feet. This was to ensure the firm avoids the foreseen financial risk of bankruptcy. Additionally, the early meetings of the CEO and the executive were significant in streamlining the company’s payroll decisions, operating philosophy and other vital legislation that the company wanted to instill. Adoption and recognition of centers aimed at giving attention to their market with a view to making them feel appreciated and cared for .

L. Chinense Growth Conditions and Artificial Pollination

L. Chinense Growth Conditions and Artificial Pollination INTRODUCTION The genus Liriodendron is a distinctive and valuable hardwood that has great ecological and economic values. It grows fast and the wood is light and soft, so it is cultivated in many temperate mountains of the world for wood production [1-4] and it’s recommended for waste landfill remediation [5]. Its a flowering plant with beautiful leaves and hence used for urban landscaping as it provides shading as well. Besides, the tree genus Liriodendron is valued as materials source for honey production, chemical extracts [6-8], biomass and biofuels [9, 10]. The genus Liriodendron survived from the last Ice Age and was distributed in large geographical ranges of North American and East Asian respectively. Currently it comprises only two morphologically similar species, Liriodendron tulipifera L. and Liriodendron chinense (Hemsl.) Sarg. [11]. However L. chinense (Liriodendron chinense (Hemsl.) Sarg.) has been regarded as a rare and endangered plant because it occurs in small, isolated and thinly scattered populations [12]. L. chinense was listed in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Plants in China [13], and has currently been classified as a lower risk or near-threatened species (http://www.iucnredlist.org/). In the process of L. chinense sexual reproduction, the low seed setting percentage is a marked trait. After years of statistics, the setting percentage of L. chinense is not more than 10% in natural state, and it is hard to find the seedling in natural environment [14]. In the last two decades, many researchers have conducted studies, such as examining the relative contribution of the pollen fertility and transfer, availability of resources, flower or seed predation and genetics, to find out why L. chinense only produce few seeds [15-18]. Unfortunately, there has been no consistent conclusion. Pollination, as a key event in reproductive process of plants, especially in rare or endangered plant species like L. chinense that have low seed production, is probably one of the weak links in the reproductive cycle. Any barrier occurring between pollen and stigma interaction will lead to low seed production, however, few studies have focused on the pollination in L. chinense. Zhou and Fan ex amined the pollen quality, pollen germination and growth on stigma using fluorochroma method. The results indicated that in vivo the pollen grains can load on about 64% pistils of the gynoecium, but the rate of pollen tube passing the style is low, only 24% [19]. In addition to few pollen tubes passing the style, the pollen tubes may grow twined or in no direction, suggesting that only a smaller percent of the pollen tubes penetrates the micropyle and enter into ovule [20, 21]. These results show that the interaction between pollen and stigma occurs in different phases after pollen grains loading on stigma, and there are different barriers distributed in stigma surface, style and ovule during pollen tube growth. In self-compatible plants, the pollen-stigma interaction comprises six stages between pollen and pistil: pollen capture and adhesion, pollen hydration, pollen germination, penetration, growth of pollen tube through the stigma and style, pollen tube enter into the ovule and discharge the sperm cells [22]. After the pollen-stigma interaction, the nuclei of two gametes fuse to form the zygote. However, in self-incompatible plants, no matter the barriers occurs in which stage of interaction, there is no formation of a viable zygote. Previous studies in L. chinense showed that many pollen grains germinated on pistils of the gynoecium but few pollen tubes could penetrate the pistil style, and most of the pollen tube couldn’t pass through micropyle and enter into ovule. This phenomenon suggests that there might be other factors affecting pollen-stigma interaction in L. chinense. To verify this hypothesis, we conducted a systematic morphological and proteomic analysis on the pistil of L. chinense during pollination. The result provides new insights in the mechanism underlying sexual reproduction in L. chinense. MATERIALS AND METHODS L. chinense growth conditions and artificial pollination The L. chinense plants was grown in Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. During the flowering season, which extends from late April to May, the branches with flower buds which were about to open were cut from the tree and cultivated with half-strength Hoagland’s nutrient solution in greenhouse under 14 h light (400-800ÃŽ ¼molm-2s-1) at 26 ±2oC and 10 h darkness at 20 ±2 oC [23]. The relative humidity was maintained at 60-70% [19]. The flower buds with an opening on top and a probability of opening the following day were chosen and the androecium was emasculated at night before pollination. Artificial pollination was done the next afternoon as follow: Mature pollen grains were harvested from open flowers and then were smeared on the pistils without androecium using a soft brush. This artificially pollinated pistil was cut from the flower 30 minutes after pollination and stored in liquid nitrogen. Similarly, the pistil after 1 h pollination was harvested, sto red in liquid nitrogen. The harvested un-pollinated pistil was stored in liquid nitrogen. All three of these samples were named as S2, S3, and S1 respectively and stored in -80 oC freezer. All three treatments (S1, S2, and S3) were repeated five times respectively. Paraffin section Anthers and pistils were fixed in FAA solution containing 5% glacial acetic acid, 5% formaldehyde, 70% ethanol at room temperature for 24 h. After dehydration and infiltration, the samples were embedded in paraffin and cut into 10- µm-thick sections by Rotary Microtome Leica RM2265 (Germany). Then the sections were sealed by neutral balsam and photographed by Olympus-BX51 (Japan). Gel-based proteomics in L. chinense Protein extraction and 2-DE Proteins of pistils were extracted as previously described [24]. Briefly, 0.25-0.3 g of pistils were ground in 2 ml pre-cooled homogenization buffer which contains 20 mM Tris-HCl (pH7.5), 250 mM sucrose, 10mM EGTA, 1% Triton X-100, 1 mM PMSF, and 1 mM DTT. The homogenate was shifted into a centrifugal tube and centrifuged at 12000Ãâ€"g for 30 min at 4 oC. The supernatant was collected in new centrifugal tube and mixed with 3 volumes cold acetone. The tube was kept at -20 oC at least 2 h, and then centrifuged at 12000Ãâ€"g for 30 min at 4 oC, and the precipitate was collected and washed with cold acetone three times. After centrifugation, the pellet was vacuum-dried. The immobilized pH gradient strips (17 cm, pH 4-7 linear, Bio-Rad, USA) were loaded with 350 ÃŽ ¼l sample buffer containing 800 ÃŽ ¼g sample proteins at room temperature in tray for 16 h. Isoelectric focusing was performed with the PROTEAN IEF system (Bio-Rad, USA) for a total 80000 V-hr. Then the strips were equilibrat ed in equilibration buffer I (6 M urea, 2% SDS, 0.375 M Tris-HCl pH 8.8, 20% glycerol, and 130 mM dithiothreitol) for 15 min and equilibration buffer II (6 M urea, 2% SDS, 0.375 M Tris-HCl pH 8.8, 20% glycerol, and 135 mM iodoacetamide) for 15 min sequentially. After equilibration, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was carried out with 12% acrylamide gels. The 2-DE gels were stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue (CBB) R-250. Image analysis of 2-DE gels The 2-DE gels were scanned at 600 DPI resolutions with an EPSON PERFECTIONTM V700 PHOTO scanner (Epson (china) Co., Ltd.). The images were analyzed with PDQuestTM 2-DE Analysis Software (Version 8.0, Bio-Rad, USA). Spot volumes were normalized by total spot volumes per gel to avoid experimental variations among 2-DE gels. Comparisons and statistical analysis were performed using the calculated average values of each biological replicate among the three different treatments. The protein spots with more than a two fold change among treatments and that passed a Student’s t-test (P Protein identification by MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS The significant differentially expressed spots were excised from the gel manually, and washed with double distilled water twice for 20 min, then distained with 100 ÃŽ ¼l of 50 mM NH4HCO3 in 50% v/v acetonitrile (ACN) for 1 h until the gel is mostly colorless at room temperature. The liquid was removed and 50 ÃŽ ¼l ACN was added to dehydrate the gel. After drying the gel, 25 mM NH4HCO3 containing 10 pmol trypsin (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) was added to the tube and kept at 4 oC for 1 h, and then it was kept at 37 oC overnight. The proteins were then digested according to the method described before [25]. The peptides were extracted and collected using three kinds of solution (0.1% TFA/99.9% acetonitrile, 0.1% TFA/99.9% H2O, 0.1% TFA/50% acetonitrile/49.9% H2O) from gel spot. The peptide solution was concentrated to 10 ÃŽ ¼l, and then desalted by ZipTip C18â„ ¢ pipette tips (Millipore, Bedford, MA, USA). After trypsin digestion, the protein peptides were dried by SpeedVac. Then pept ides were dissolved in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid, and then 1 ÃŽ ¼l of the sample solution was loaded on Anchor Chip Standard (Bruker Daltonics Inc, Germany). After the Anchor Chip drying, the matrix solution (20 g/L HCCA, TA 95%) was loaded on point corresponding to the location of the sample to a target spot. Through ultrafleXtreme (Bruker Daltonics Inc, Germany) Operation, the PMF data was obtained. The instrument parameters for MS acquisition were list as follows: laser intensity was 20%-26%, reflector detector voltage was 2438 V. Protein identification using MS/MS raw data was performed with flexAnalysis software (Bruker Daltonics Inc, Germany) coupled with Mascot Server software (version 2.4.01) based on the NCBI protein database and SwissPort database of green plants. The searching parameters were set as follows: peptide masses were assumed to be monoisotopic, 100 ppm was used as mass accuracy, a maximum of one missing cleavage site, and modifications which included Carbamidom ethy and Oxidation were considered. (The timestamp of NCBI protein database is 2011/11/09, there were 949,856 sequences of Green Plants and 5,512,397,590 redundant total sequences in NCBI database; the timestamp of SwissPort 57.15, there were 28,783 sequences of Green Plants and 515,203 sequences non-redundant total sequences in SwissPort). The proteins which scores greater than 42 (NCBI) or 26 (SwissPort) (P Gel-free proteomics in L. chinense Protein extraction The protein samples for iTRAQ were recovered in lysis buffer (30 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.5, 7 M urea, 2 M thiourea, and 4% [w/v] CHAPS) by phenol extraction and methanol/ammonium acetate precipitation as described previously [26]. The protein pellets were resuspended in buffer (7 M urea, 2 M thiourea, 4 % CHAPS and 10 mM DTT) in a minimal volume and protein was quantified using BCA protein assay kit (Pierce, USA). Digestion and iTRAQ labeling About 100 ÃŽ ¼g proteins of each sample per tube were prepared. Then it was reduced by adding DTT to a final concentration of 12 mM and incubated for 1 h at 37 oC. Subsequently, iodoacetamide was added to a final concentration of 50 mM, and the mixture was incubated for 1 h at room temperature in the dark. Then the mixture was transferred to centrifugal units (VN01H02, Sartorius, Germany) and centrifuged at 12,000Ãâ€"g for 20 min, and then the filtrate was discarded. Subsequently, 8 mM urea solution was added into the centrifugal units and centrifuged, repeated this step twice. After that, 100 ÃŽ ¼l dilute buffer (50 mM triethylammonium bicarbonate) was added into the centrifugal units and centrifuged. Then 50 ÃŽ ¼l dilute buffer containing 2 ÃŽ ¼g modified trypsin (Promega) was added into the centrifugal units at 37 oC overnight. The resulting peptides were then labeled with iTRAQ reagents (AB Sciex, USA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For each time point (i.e ., S1, S2, and S3), each sample was iTRAQ labeled 3 times except S3. (i.e., 113-, 116-, 119-iTRAQ tags for S1 3 replicates. 114-, 117-, 121-iTRAQ tags for S2 3 replicates. 115-, 118- iTRAQ tags for S3 2 replicates.) MS/MS Analysis Then the mixture of labeled peptides was concentrated and acidified to a total volume of 2 mL. Labeled peptides were desalted with C18-solid phase extraction and dissolved in strong cation exchange (SCX) solvent A (25% (v/v) acetonitrile, 10 mM ammonium formate, and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid (pH 2.8). The peptides were fractionated using an Agilent HPLC system 1260 with a polysulfoethylA column (2.1 Ãâ€" 100 mm, 5  µm, 300 Ã…; PolyLC, Columbia, MD, USA). Peptides were eluted with a linear gradient of 0–20% solvent B (25% (v/v) acetonitrile and 500 mM ammonium formate (pH 6.8) over 50 min followed by ramping up to 100% solvent B in 5 min. The absorbance at 280 nm was monitored, and a total of 37 fractions were collected. The fractions were combined into 12 final fractions and lyophilized. A quadrupole time-of-flight (LTQ Orbitrap XL) MS system (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bremen, Germany) was applied as described previously [27]. It interfaced with an Eksigentnano-LC AS2 syste m (Eksigent Technologies, LLC, Dublin, CA) using high energy collision dissociation (HCD). Each fraction was loaded onto an Agilent Zorbax 300SB-C18 trap column (0.3 mm id Ãâ€" 5 mm length, 5  µm particle size) with a flow rate of 5  µl/min for 10 min. Reversed-phase C18chromatographic separation of peptides was carried out on a pre-packed BetaBasic C18PicoFrit column (75  µm id Ãâ€" 10 cm length, New Objective, Woburn, MA) at 300 nl/min using the following gradient: 5% B for 1 min as an equilibration status; 60% B for 99 min as a gradient; 90% B for 5 min as a washing status; 5% B for 10 min as an equilibration status (solvent A: 0.1% formic acid in 97% water, 3% ACN; solvent B: 0.1% formic acid in 97% ACN, 3% water). Database Search and Quantification The MS/MS data were processed by a thorough search considering biological modification and amino acid substitution against non-redundant NCBI green plants 20131014.fasta (1,544,439 contigs) under the Sequest ®algorithm of Proteome Discoverer.1.4 software (Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.). Protein function analysis by blast2go software (http://www.blast2go.com/b2ghome) was conducted according to the early literature [28-31]. The search results were passed through additional filters before exporting the data. For protein identification, the filters were set as follows: significance threshold Phttp://mascot-pc/mascot/help/quant_config_help.html); S2/S1 or S3/S1 ratios >2 and

Truman Capotes In Cold Blood: A Nonfiction Murder Mystery :: In Cold Blood Essays

In Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, the author uses a style of writing combining factual, journalistic writing with the mystery and intrigue normally found in traditional fiction novels to develop a new genre that critics found unique from the modernists of his time. In the beginning of this book, the murders and victims seem unrelated, but as the book moves ahead, the relationship becomes clear. The victims, who are the Clutter family of four, are the typical all-American family. The family is murdered in their own home by two ex-convicts named Dick and Perry. The murder takes place in Holcomb, Kansas, but Dick and Perry travel around the U.S. and Mexico cashing bad checks until they are finally caught in Las Vegas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capote’s general style revolves around a family and home destroyed within a context of hidden corruption, alienation, and loneliness (Kazin). His sympathy and compassion towards his characters shows how involved he is in his subjects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capote’s writing style in the book In Cold Blood is very straightforward. He writes from an omniscient point of view. In preparing to write In Cold Blood, Mr. Capote lived in the town for five years. In the course of that time, he interviewed everyone including the two murders Dick and Perry. H had taken over 6,000 pages of notes. Each scene in the book is climatic like a movie (Kazin). They go back and forth the investigation in Kansas to the adventures of the murders. The writing and scenes are visual (Kazin).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Truman Capote’s writing falls into the modernism period. The Clutter family represents the ideal American family. The father is a successful farmer and a prominent figure in the town. The daughter is the all-American girl â€Å"†¦be a straight-A student, the president of her class, a leader in the 4-H program and the Young Methodists League, a skilled rider, an excellent musician (piano, clarinet), an annual winner at the county fair (pastry, preserves, needlework, flower arrangement)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (18). Capote is also experimental with his formatting of the book by cutting from scene to scene to make the reader feel as if they are reading two stories at the same time. That reinforces the thought and fact that the two things are happening at the same time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book can be considered both journalism and novelism (Langbaum). Truman Capote's In Cold Blood: A Nonfiction Murder Mystery :: In Cold Blood Essays In Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, the author uses a style of writing combining factual, journalistic writing with the mystery and intrigue normally found in traditional fiction novels to develop a new genre that critics found unique from the modernists of his time. In the beginning of this book, the murders and victims seem unrelated, but as the book moves ahead, the relationship becomes clear. The victims, who are the Clutter family of four, are the typical all-American family. The family is murdered in their own home by two ex-convicts named Dick and Perry. The murder takes place in Holcomb, Kansas, but Dick and Perry travel around the U.S. and Mexico cashing bad checks until they are finally caught in Las Vegas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capote’s general style revolves around a family and home destroyed within a context of hidden corruption, alienation, and loneliness (Kazin). His sympathy and compassion towards his characters shows how involved he is in his subjects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Capote’s writing style in the book In Cold Blood is very straightforward. He writes from an omniscient point of view. In preparing to write In Cold Blood, Mr. Capote lived in the town for five years. In the course of that time, he interviewed everyone including the two murders Dick and Perry. H had taken over 6,000 pages of notes. Each scene in the book is climatic like a movie (Kazin). They go back and forth the investigation in Kansas to the adventures of the murders. The writing and scenes are visual (Kazin).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Truman Capote’s writing falls into the modernism period. The Clutter family represents the ideal American family. The father is a successful farmer and a prominent figure in the town. The daughter is the all-American girl â€Å"†¦be a straight-A student, the president of her class, a leader in the 4-H program and the Young Methodists League, a skilled rider, an excellent musician (piano, clarinet), an annual winner at the county fair (pastry, preserves, needlework, flower arrangement)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (18). Capote is also experimental with his formatting of the book by cutting from scene to scene to make the reader feel as if they are reading two stories at the same time. That reinforces the thought and fact that the two things are happening at the same time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book can be considered both journalism and novelism (Langbaum).

Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan Essay

Section One: Vision Statement As an educator I will encourage the students to do their best in the classroom leading to academic growth. Utilizing new technology to enhance what is taught from the textbook will help the children reach academic plateaus and beyond. Research has shown that technology is being used for communication in the educational environment. This advancement has allowed for new possibilities in regards to collaboration and sharing of information and knowledge that will be expected to expand over time. New forms of technology â€Å"have the power to improve parent-teacher relationship by providing easy, efficient, and effective methods of communicating information regarding students† (Zieger and Tan 30-54). Section Two: Mission Statement I will provide all of my students a safe and nurturing environment to allow them to thrive and grow both academically and personally. Every student will be given the upmost respect which will teach them to reciprocate these behaviors amongst themselves. Through the creation of an environment conducive for learning the students can utilize the many resources available so they may achieve their academic goals. These resources include numerous educational websites, in addition to other technological resources, that will help students surpass academic standards. A class web site is an informative tool that provides access to what is being taught in the classroom and can be presented through pictures and videos. This means of communication helps to reinforce, to the student, lessons they have been recently taught. The class web site is a solid link, when utilized by parents, between home and school. The site often includes the parent  handbook, homework assignments and class activities. This advancement in technology allows the parents an opportunity to stay connected with the school community (Vitalaki, Anastasiadesm and Tsouvelas 125-135, 2014). Class web sites reach out to the local and global communities as well. The school accountability committee encourages and provides opportunities for citizens â€Å"to be involved in the planning and evaluation of the school’s instructional program and quality improvement process† (Vitalaki et al). Planning for unexpected emergencies is something every school must consider and have protocol in place for contacting parents. An important element of the protocol is the emergency contact list. This information is necessary to implement student release procedures and should be updated every school year. This will ensure timely communication between the school and parents/guardians if the student should get sick or injured during school hours. As an educator, I have Found EPALS to be an educational tool to connect my students to the global community. This resource allows teachers and their students to participate in collaborative projects. Through this opportunity the children are connecting with students around the world while taking part in educational activities, discussions, and games. One of the projects through EPAL is sharing cultures- a collaborative project between China and the United States. This project gives American school children the opportunity to learn about China while sharing their experiences with students from another country (Vitalaki et al). The cyber world can be a very scary place, but one that isn’t going away. For this reason, shielding children from negative portions of the internet has been a growing concern over the past few years for both the parents and the educators. Teachers today have the responsibility to inform their students on how the internet can be used as a resource for finding information in a safe manner. â€Å"Misleading and inappropriate information on the web is one of the major problems that children tend to have while navigating the internet† (Marcoux 67-68). Internet safety is an issue I will discuss early in the year with my students. During the discussion I will teach them that some people that are online have bad intentions. These people could be bullies or predators. Cyber bullying is a serious problem that takes on many forms such as sending mean messages or threats to a cell phone and spreading rumors online. â€Å"Cyber bullying can be damaging to adolescents and teens. It can lead to anxiety,  depression, and even suicide.† Young people who have been a victim of cyber bullying are between two to nine times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims (Marcoux 67-68). To help alleviate this problem it is the responsibility of educators to discuss this with their students as part of their internet safety discussion. Through the efforts of educators across the country we can promote internet security and encourage â€Å"safe surfing†. Communication through technology serves many purposes in the educational setting. The many benefits range from improving relationships with parents using various means through an emergency plan when the unexpected happens. These advances, plus many more, enhance the educational experience of students today. Section Three: Integrating Instructional Technology Developments in technology have found their way into many aspects of our daily lives. Integrating instructional technology into the 21st century classroom is no exception and is essential in providing the teacher and student with the resources needed to be successful. The importance of this integration has been recognized to the point that, â€Å"for more than three decades, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders have promoted computer technology use within and across learning environments to enhance teaching and learning† (Walery). The integration of technology in the classroom increases academic achievement and encourages creativity. Teachers are expanding their use of technology for learning because they believe it enhances their ability to communicate with the children and offers stimulating, interactive access to the numerous resources offered on the internet. Through the integration of technology students are encouraged to collaborate, provide input, and share ideas. The students are requesting permission to install educational apps on their IPads which generates an increased level of excitement for learning for the student in a digital era. Teachers and students alike are always looking for the next great idea or the latest app, software or computer program to enhance the learning process (Walery). To effectively integrate technology into the classroom instructors need to understand how to match appropriate technology to the learning goals and expected student outcomes. As with any topic there are pros and cons and integrating instructional technology into the educational setting is no exception. As an educator I feel the positive side of technology in the  classroom is the excitement that it brings to the student. There are many interactive websites available that brings learning to life and they are able to work independently and at their own pace. Students today are no longer sitting at their desk flipping through the pages of a textbook. Education in the 21st century has become more interactive and engages the student in the learning process. The down side to the integration of technology in the classroom is the vast amount of information available through the internet. It would be very easy for a student to get lost in â€Å"the sea of information† that is available. Doing research, even as an educator, requires determination and patience. To make research easier for my students I would provide a list of recommended online resources and allow them to make the choice on which ones suit their needs the best. Students today have access to technologies at home and school, especially in the form of mobile technology such as smart phones and iPods. Wireless classrooms are evolving to keep pace with mobile technology. A wireless classroom utilizes the use of I pads which is a mobile computer that can access the internet (Walery). . This resource allows students to send e-mails through a secure site to their teacher and to communicate, for educational purposes, to another student. In addition to this many apps are availab le that can be used as management tools by teachers and students. Some of these resources include a calendar and calculator. A wired classroom, in contrast, has multiple desktop computers. While you have the availability of the features in a computer you do not have the freedom to be â€Å"mobile with technology†. The integration of technology in the classroom is essential to support and improve the teaching ability of the instructor and the learning that takes place within the student. Without technology integration in the 21st century classroom our students would be unable to compete in the â€Å"real world† upon completion of their high school education. Section Four: Software to Support Assessment Assessments, formative and summative, allow teachers to collect information to improve student learning. These assessments are an ongoing and continuing process with the major goals being to figure out where students are struggling and put more emphasis on those areas. Assessment in the classroom setting helps the teacher examine the expectations he/she has for the  students. The assessment process also provides administration, teachers, and support staff to evaluate the curriculum. When a thorough assessment program at the classroom level balances formative and summative pupil learning/achievement data, a clear picture arises of where a student is in relationship to learning goals and standards (Garrison & Ehringhaus). There are two types of assessments used to evaluate a student’s progress, formative and summative. Both assessments are central portions of the collection of information and allow educators to get a balanced picture of a student’s strengths and weaknes ses (Ehringhaus). According to Heritage, Kim, and Vendlinski (2007), formative assessment is a â€Å"systematic process to continuously gather evidence about learning and if incorporated into the classroom practice it provides the information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening.† The data is then used to identify a student’s capacity to understand, learn, and adapt lessons to help the student to reach the desired learning goal. In the formative assessment the students are active participants along with their teacher. The student shares their learning goals expressing an understanding on how their learning is progressing in addition to how well the material is being mastered. During the assessment process the student receives feedback which serves two functions: to identify problem areas and to provide positive reinforcement of successful achievement. One of the tools used in the formative assessment, which contributes to the success of the child is the student conference During the conference the pupil sits down with the teacher for a couple of minutes to ensure there is a sufficient level of comprehension with the lesson being taught. Instructor feedback serves to identify the degree to which the instructor was successful and to identify needed changes in instruction that need to be made to assist the student in mastering the material. Other tools used in the formative assessment include the formation of a graphic organizer and having a student turn in sentences identifying the main point of a l esson that has been taught. These tools allow the teacher to check the student’s comprehension of the material that has been presented. A summative assessment, in contrast, is used to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit to determine what a student knows and does not know. This type of assessment is more formal and at the district/classroom level is an accountability measure that is part of  the grading process (Garrison). The student’s comprehension through the summative assessment is measured by an exam, project, or paper. The information that is received from this type of assessment is important it only helps in certain aspects of the learning process and can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of school programs, school improvement goals, alignment of the curriculum or student placement in specific areas. Think of the formative assessment as â€Å"practice† and do not hold the students accountable unlike the summative assessment in which plays a role in the students mark at the end of a grading period. There are several advantages to using technology when an instructor needs to assess student learning. When assessing a student via a computer the process is more rapid and productive. When using a computer the students work is graded as the assessment is taken. Another advantage is the human element is removed from the equation. An instructor could grade a test poorly based on their m ood or because the student has poor handwriting. The downside to giving an assessment using technology is that computers cannot read written answers therefore the test would have to be provided in multiple choice formats. Another downside to assessing students on the computer is that this form of technology is unable to grade projects that are submitted by the children. Technology, like so many things we use in our daily routine, has its perks but does not replace a qualified teacher in the classroom setting. There are many websites and programs available for student assessment. Some of these resources are free while others offer a trial period. Some of these educational sites, which can be used in formative or summative assessments, include Voice-over, PowerPoint games, Blogs, Interactive time lines, and Podcast. To keep children involved in learning teachers have a responsibility to explore every available avenue for formative and summative assessments to ensure the students is reaching their academic goals. The technological resources that can be utilized as a teacher are the online gradebook and e-mail. The online gradebook gives parents 24-hour access and allows the parents and students to track information regarding grades and upcoming assignments. Teachers, through the use of the online gradebook, can create assignments with specific dates for when their work is due. The ability to see when a particular student is not doing well because they do not complete work to be done at home or is having difficulty with  assessments gives the teacher the opportunity to adjust due dates to accommodate the students specific need s. The online gradebook provides an adequate amount of vision into the educational setting for parents and is a tool I look forward to utilizing to enhance the education of my students. E-mail, which improves communication for parents and teachers, is a requirement for students to be successful in their endeavors at school. Epstein (2008) observed that â€Å"more students earn higher grades in English and math, improve their reading and writing skills, complete more course credit, set higher aspirations, have better attendance, come to class more prepared to learn, and have fewer behavior problems†¦Ã¢â‚¬  when parents are active in their children’s lives. â€Å"Parents and teachers indicated that emails worked most effectively to communicate about grades because the messages involved simple, concrete information† (Thompson). E-mail is a resource I am looking forward to utilizing as an instructor as it is an effective means of communication with parents which is important for the academic success of their children. I do not feel that technology should be used exclusively for assessments. Assessment, as we have learned, involves more the just test ing and grading assignments. What goes on in the student’s life outside the classroom can affect how they perform at school. When parents choose to be active in their children’s education, they believe their efforts will have a positive impact on their children’s learning (Anderson and Minke). Rogers and Wright (2008) found that â€Å"the main reasons that parents did not use technology to communicate with schools were that they either did not have the technology at home or they did not have the skills needed to use the technology to communicate.† As educators, we need to find the balance between incorporating technology in our classrooms to keep our students engaged in 21st century learning while realizing the importance that face to face communication has in education. Section Five: Technology In The Classroom The internet offers numerous learning opportunities and is loaded with an abundance of information. The concern for educators is how to encourage children to take part in constructive and imaginative learning while safeguarding them from inappropriate material, the possibility of coming into contact with people they do not know. Internet safety entails balancing  perceived advantages against tolerable risk. There are many benefits to allowing students to engage in surfing the net. As educators we need to incorporate a â€Å"Safe & Ethical Internet Surfing Handbook†. The handbook will contain guidelines and a student use agreement form in which the students helped generate. The handbook will also contain information on how to make informed decisions on how to make ethical decisions while surfing the net. This includes proper citation to avoid copyright infringements. Involving the student in the creation of the handbook will facilitate a deeper understanding of the expectatio ns. Utilizing the internet the children gain valuable skills such as creativity, leadership, team building, confidence, communication, innovation, and initiative (Green and Harmon, 2007). To allow my students the many benefits offered on the internet I will create a Curriculum Resource Page. This tool is an instructor created document that consists of hyperlinks to various websites that have been evaluated and chosen by the teacher. The links provided on the resource page support and enhance the learning that is taking place in the classroom setting. An important aspect in utilizing the curriculum resource page is that it reduces the chance that the children will be able to gain access to a website that may be deemed inappropriate. The curriculum resource page is a valuable tool; however, the most important thing an instructor can do is observe the students while doing their lessons. Through observation the teacher can ensure the online safety of the students by making sure inappropriate material is not being viewed. The key is that ethical behavior is not a one or two day lesson, but theme educators discuss throughout the year (Jacobsen & Smith, 1998, paras, 5-6). There is valuable web site that can be incorporated into the classroom discussion regarding internet safety.SafeKids.ne.gov. has lessons, worksheets, and PowerPoint presentations that help reinforce the lessons of online safety to the children. This resource is valuable as it incorporates role playing. This allows the students to be active participants in the lesson of online safety. Youth today are unlikely to think twice about committing a cybercrime (Newman, para.6) and is a growing concern with school-aged children. The use of â€Å"paper mills†, which are websites that deliver term papers which students can download at no cost and then turn in as their own original work. These sites have been increasing at an astonishing rate. In  March of 1999 approximately 35 of these sites existed and by the end of 2003 the number had jumped to more then 250(Newman, para.9). Steube (1996) stated â€Å"as more and more schools venture onto the internet, incidents of plagiarism and copyright infringement that were once limited to classrooms are reaching an international audience (para.4). Plagiarism is viewed by the young as a low risk behavior and as educators it is our responsibility to teach the students that this behavio r is unacceptable and comes with serious consequences. To ensure my students are respectful while utilizing the internet I will implement a student use agreement form that each child along with their parent/legal guardian will be required to sign as parents need to be involved in their child’s behavior while surfing the net. This agreement will contain a code of conduct, in which the children can contribute their thoughts, which will incorporate issues concerning copyright, privacy, and proper use. As an educator I will instruct my students on the correct, ethical, use of computer know-hows as I introduce other age appropriate skills. Some of the areas I will place strong emphasis on are honesty, being trustworthy, and respecting the privacy of others. In addition to these areas of concern I will stress the importance of honoring copyright laws to avoid plagiarism. To ensure my students are aware of how to avoid plagiarism I would present a Power Point teaching the proper way to cite resources. I would show this resource intermittently throughout the year to make sure the concept is not forgotten. Through my effort my students will become responsible cyber-citizens (Baum, 2005). The incidence of plagiarism has become more become more widespread because it is easy to get the information by visiting websit es on their specific topic. Other less known Codes of Computer Ethics I will address include is the use of all capital letters is considered yelling and therefore impolite, and that humor and sarcasm are viewed as criticism and therefore should be used sparingly or avoided all together. References Aronin, A. and O’Neal M. Twenty ways to assess students using technology. Science Scope 34.9 (2011): n. page. Grand Canyon University Fleming Library. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. Baum, Janna J. Cyber ethics: The New Frontier. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning 49.6 (2005): 54-78.Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Cakir, R. (2012). Technology Integration and Technology Leadership in Schools as Learning Organizations. Turkish Online Journal Of Educational Technology – TOJET, 11(4), 273-282. Garrison, C. and Ehringhaus M. Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom. Association for Middle Level Education. N.P., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. Herro, D., Kiger, D., & Owens, C. (2013). Mobile Technology: Case-Based Suggestions for Classroom Integration and Teacher Educators. Journal Of Digital Learning In Teacher Education, 30(1), 30-40. Hussain, Ashiq1, et al. Assessment Model: How To Assess Students’ Learning? International Journal of Science in Society 2.4 (2011): 85-97. Omni File Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Wed. 6 Apr. 2014. Lambert, K. (2012, April). Tools for Formative Assessment. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://www.levy.k12.fl.us/instruction/Instructional_Tools/60FormativeAssessment.pdf Marcoux, E Betty. Cybersecurity and School Libraries. Teacher Librarian 38.2 (2010): 67-68. Education Research Complete. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Pilgrim J . Bledsoe C. and Reily S. New Technologies in the Classroom. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin 78.4 (2012): 16-22. Education Research Complete. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Riemenschneider, Cynthia, K. Lori N. K. Leonard, and Tracy S. Manly. â€Å"Students’ Ethical Decision-Making In An Information Technology Context: A Theory Of Planned Behavior Approach.† Journal Of Information Systems Education 22.3 (2011): 203-214.Business Source Complete. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. SafeKids.ne.gov – Internet Safety Information for the Whole Family. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://www.safekids.ne.gov/lesson_1.html Sharples, M. et al. â€Å"E-Safety and Web 2.0 For Children Aged 11–16.† Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 25.1 (2009): 70-84.Education Research Complete. Web. 13 Apr. 2014, Darrell, W. Wireless Technology in K-12 Education. Net Lingo The Internet Dictionary: Online Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms. N.P., Mar.-Apr. 2004. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. Shelly, Gary B. Gunters A. Gunter J. Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology in a connected world.07. Web. 13. 2014 Stull J. Varnum S. Ducette J. and Schiller J. The Many Faces of Formative Assessment. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 23.1 (2011): 30-399. GCU Fleming Library. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. Vitalak E , Panagiotes S. Anastasiadesm Tsouvelas G , and Tsouvelas G. Factors Influencing Parental Control For The Safe And Pedagogical Internet Use Among Primary School Students. Problems Of Education In The 21St Century 42.(2012): 125-135. Education Research Complete. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Zieger, Bardroff L. and Tan J. Improving Parent Involvement in Secondary Schools through Communication Technology. Journal of Literacy & Technology 13.2 (2012): 30-54. Web. 23 Mar. 2014

Do you find any of the arguments for cognitivism convincing? Essay

Cognitivism, also referred to as moral realism, is a belief held that morality is independent of human existence. Cognitivists will state that there are such things as moral facts which we can discover, rather than morals being subjective and developed individually. To them, each judgment is true or false, and this applies to any moral judgment. I believe that rationalism and naturalism can easily be dismissed as implausible, illogical and inhuman. Kant’s cold, calculated approach to ethics is irony of the highest degree, whilst Hume, Mill and Aristotle’s strict moral principles undermine our human fallacies at the foundation. They make too much of an attempt to define ‘good’ (which surely is indefinable, just as â€Å"red† or â€Å"four† cannot be defined, only represented). For this reason, I prefer G. E. Moore’s theory of Consequentialist Intuitionism. His belief that morals are intuited seems a lot more human to us, but it still has a lot of shortfalls. Overall, cognitivism has many more weaknesses than strengths, as I shall discuss. It is, first of all, important to define cognitivism and moral realism. The beliefs state that morality is not invented, but discovered through various means (depending on the theory). Morals are objective, and part of our world, not part of us as human beings. There are moral facts which we must adhere to, and all moral judgments can be true or false. There is always a ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ The first of the cognitivist theories is that of rationalism, and is most commonly associated with Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant. He states that â€Å"reason by itself and independently of all appearances commands what ought to happen† (1), i.e. we can perceive what is right or wrong purely through reason. He believes that every moral judgment should be made using our reason, and that it will always provide the ‘right’ course of action. This follows Kant’s idea of a ‘categorical imperative,’ which is what we are required to do in a certain situation. This creates a kind of set Moral Law based on universalised maxims, which basically means that an action can only be right if it can be universalised. This, according to Kant, leads to a perfect moral system. To his favour, the theory is very simple to understand, and in many ways it is logical, but from there on it raises more questions than it answers. First of all, how can morals possible be independent? If we are to know them a priori, then where does this knowledge come from? It is ludicrous to assume that this knowledge of the moral law appears from nowhere. Arthur Schopenhauer raised this point in his critique of Kant’s moral theory: Kant attempted to give a foundation to Ethics independent of this will, and establish it without metaphysical hypotheses, and there was no longer any justification for taking as its basis the words † thou shalt,† and † it is thy duty † (that is, the imperative form), without first deducing the truth thereof from some other source.† (2) This very well asks this question. Another very large issue with Kant’s theory is his intense focus on reason. I disagree strongly with this. How can moral decisions be made in a complete absence of emotion? Surely emotions and feelings form the basis of our judgments? Schopenhauer illustrates the impossibility of a â€Å"loveless doer of good, who is indifferent to the sufferings of other people† (2). This seems like a very obvious fallacy, and I agree with it. It completely undermines the whole point of morality, for surely one can appreciate the absurdity of a â€Å"loveless doer of good.† Where does this categorical duty arise from, if not emotion? Reason does not motivate man, it guides him. Emotions drive man to perform action, but Kant completely overlooks this, even though fellow rationalist David Hume (who Kant once claimed â€Å"awoke him from his dogmatism†) makes this point: â€Å"Reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.† (3) Overall, Kant’s rationalism is a very weak theory (not unlike the bulk of his work, I daresay), and I completely disagree with every single part of it. How this theory is even being discussed in today’s society, let alone in the 16th/17th Century leaves me in the dark. It is not even worth considering as a moral theory, and should be dismissed from consideration immediately. The second theory is less specific, referring more to several similarly-aimed theories, rather than just one. These theories are John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism and Aristotle’s Theory of Virtue in particular. Naturalism is a theory that focuses on ‘good’ as natural properties. This can be a multitude of things. John Stuart Mill said that â€Å"the creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.† (4) This means, in essence, that happiness is the ultimate good. Obviously, happiness is a natural principle, and therefore it makes Utilitarianism a naturalistic theory. Aristotle’s virtue theory is somewhat different. It refers to set virtues that must be followed in order to reach the Highest Happiness, which is fulfillment of one’s function as a human being. (5) This means that Aristotle’s definition of ‘good’ is to fulfill the function of your soul, which involves living a virtuous life. In general, these theories seem quite sensible, as naturalistic properties are a logical place to start within morality. Unfortunately, there is one very major problem which G.E. Moore pointed out, and it is known as the Naturalistic Fallacy. This fallacy describes how one cannot possibly define ‘good’, just as you cannot define ‘blue’ or ‘six’. They are purely concepts we assign to certain things, not objective definites. Moore said that â€Å"‘Good’ is one of those innumerable objects of thought which are themselves incapable of definition, because they are the ultimate terms by reference to which whatever is capable of definition must be defined.† (6) Obviously the naturalistic theories attempt to make sense of ‘good’ by definition, and that is the most obvious problem with them. How can one possibly say that one thing in particular means ‘good?’ Surely it’s a matter of opinion, and entirely subjective? And, as with other cognitivist theories, there is the problem of objective morality. Where does this ‘happiness’ and these ‘virtues’ come from? Are they not subjective human inventions, not discoveries? Overall, this is also a very weak theory, although it does have some stronger points than rationalism. However, I disagree with this theory as well; since it offers a strict approach to ethics and makes us define ‘good’, which I think defeats the whole object of morality. The third and final theory is also, in my opinion, the strongest. G.E. Moore devised this theory as retaliation the naturalists. He draws inspiration from their committing of the naturalistic fallacy and proposes a completely different cognitive theory. Moore, in his Principia Ethika (6), states that there is no need to define ‘good’ (see quote above). Our intuition reveals what is right or wrong without the need for a set ‘good.’ As an empiricist and a consequentialist, Moore believed that one could intuit, through experience, what the right decision would be in a moral judgment. Intuition would help us discover the objective morals and use them correctly. The right application was to find â€Å"friendship†, according to Moore. W.D. Ross took an interesting approach and turned this on its head, defining it instead as a deontological theory. In his most famous work, The Right and the Good, he said that â€Å"the moral order†¦is just as much part of the fundamental nature of the universe (and†¦of any possible universe in which there are moral agents at all) as is the spatial or numerical structure expressed in the axioms of geometry or arithmetic.† (7) Basically, he states that the morals are part of the universe itself, and that we don’t need experience to interpret it, we need only our intuition, which will tell us them directly. Although this theory is a lot more human and obvious to us, and is the strongest of the three theories, it stills falls short, and is a fairly weak theory. Isn’t Moore’s suggestion of ‘friendship’ a thinly veiled attempt at definition of ‘good’, or at the very least a specific instruction? Not especially ‘intuiti ve.’ Also, where do we intuit these morals from? Sorely morality in general cannot be objective (which, granted, is a problem with cognitivism, not specifically intuitionism). Again, this is a weak theory, even though it prevails over the other two. In the end, cognitivism as a whole is not especially useful as a guide as to where morals come from. I stated earlier that cognitivism has many more weaknesses than strengths, and I displayed that through my various condemnations of the theories individually, and also of cognitivism as a whole. Surely morality cannot be objective? Isn’t the whole point of morals the fact that they are individual and developed subjectively? Surely there would be no moral disagreement if they in fact were objective, but that is obviously not the case. No, the answer lies in the direct counterpart of cognitivism, non-cognitivism. Morality is for certain subjective, as it is part of our human nature to form opinions based on emotion and preference, not in principles which are apparently entwined in this world we live in. Cognitivism, as a whole, is completely useless in terms of moral analysis and I completely and utterly disagree with all it states. Bibliography 1. Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork on the Metaphysics of Morals. 1785. 2. Schopenhauer, Arthur. On the Basis of Morality. 1837. 3. Hume, David. A Treatise of Human Nature. 1739. 4. Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. 1861. 5. Aristotle. Ta Ethika. 6. Moore, G.E. Principia Ethica. 1903. 7. Ross, W. D. The Right and the Good. 1930.