Over the past decade, many billions of dollars have been invested in computer hardware, software, and network access for our nation's schools. This unprecedented support for school technology has come about as a result of the confluence of a number influences. The historical foundations of public education in America; the introduction of the personal computer; and a cultural history that seems to make Americans particularly susceptible (though perhaps not uniquely so) to the idea that "technology is good, that it is value-free, that it should find application in many fields, disciplines, and aspects of our lives." (Kerr 1996) have come together at a time, and in a way, that has caused society to view computers in schools in a uniformly positive way. The paradigm embracing computers in schools has to this point, become so reified that teachers, administrators, and community leaders have seemingly come to view the acquisition of hardware, software, and access capabilities as an end unto itself. This paper examines technology in education by looking historically at the implementation of educational technology before the computer; looking at the implementation of computers in a social context, by arguing for the need to broaden the current discourse about computers in education, and by suggesting a framework around which this broadened discourse may be shaped.
In spite of many predictions that teachers, schools, and textbooks would see their demise at the hands of new technologies of teaching and learning, schools seem to have grown increasingly rooted over the years and seem to have tendencies to remain highly traditional institutions. Computers and computing networks are the most recent in a long line of educational technologies that were looked at as the catalysts for transformative change with the power to revolutionize the way that schools taught and the way that students learned. In order to understand the context of how computers and computing networks have come to be viewed and understood in the education field, it is helpful to first examine how technology has typically been both viewed and implemented for use in schools by teachers, students, and school administrators.
Despite its centuries-old status, the moveable type printing press appears to be the gold standard, against which all other technological innovations in education are now measured. The movable type printing press made possible, "new patterns of knowledge development, storage, and distribution," (Meyrowitz 1996) and thus, ultimately helped to shape the way that we, as a society, have come to view schools and learning.
Skiba, Katherine. "House Republicans and Democrats Debate the Economy - US News and World Report." US News & World Report | News & Rankings | Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, and More. US News, 26 Feb. 2008. Web. 22 July 2011. .
In April of 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick published a game changing paper. It would blow the mind of the scientific community and reshape the entire landscape of science. DNA, fully knows as Deoxyribonucleic Acid is the molecule that all genes are made of. Though it is a relatively new term with regard to the age of science, the story of DNA and the path to its discovery covers a much broader timeframe and had many more contributors than James Watson and Francis Crick. After reading the paper the audience should have a better understanding of what DNA is, the most important experiments that contributed to its ultimate discovery and the names and contributions of the lesser-known scientists that helped Watson and Crick turn their idea
The word ‘depression’ has become a common everyday word. We hear the term ‘depression’ so frequently today, it’s even used in the contexts of jokes. For example you may hear someone say ‘My favorite show is over, now I have nothing to watch, I’m so depressed’. Obviously this person is not depressed, but we have come to overuse it in our expressions, to the point that is takes away from the seriousness of this disorder. Major depressive disorder is a mood disorder characterized by at least two weeks of depressed mood or loss of interest in nearly all activities, along with sleep or eating disturbances, loss of energy, and feelings of hopelessness (Kosslyn, Rosenberg, 2006). This mood disorder is characterized by a depressed mood, lack of interest in activities normally enjoyed, and feeling of worthlessness. Over the course of two weeks, someone who is suffering with major depressive disorder can experience symptoms such as significant weight loss, daily insomnia or hypersomnia, loss of energy, diminished ability to think or concentration, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide (Kosslyn, Rosenberg, 2006).
Thorne, D., & Journal, S. W. (1997, Oct 09). Depressed? reach out for help; SIGNS OF DEPRESSION. Edmonton Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/252468581?accountid=32521
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
“Depression is a mood that goes well beyond temporarily feeling sad or blue” (Duckworth 1). Depression is when one feels out of character, by different kinds of sadness, loneliness, hopelessness, self doubt, and guilt. Usually a person feels more depressed at a time of grievance, like the loss of a loved one, or having a bad day. In most cases simple depression only last for a day in situations of small embarrassment, however if a person is feeling more depressed they will have a huge lack of energy and loss of interest in activities.
Leadership can be defined as the method in which one influences a group of individuals for a common goal. There have many great leaders in the world but these leaders are not born leaders. One must have willpower and the desire to become an effective leader. These leaders become dependent upon based upon their abilities and their success. A leader is looked upon for guidance and the inspiration to know what the right thing to do is. The theoretical foundations of the research of leadership are firmly supported. To better understand the foundations and understand the focus of leadership, it is essential to have knowledge of the history of leadership, the meaning and concept of leadership, types of leaders and leadership styles, and issues in leadership such as issues with culture and gender. According to Antonakis (2004), “leadership researchers have struggled for most of the last century to put together an integrated, theoretically cohesive view of the nature of leadership, invariably leading to disappointment in those who studied it” (p.4). An overview of the history of leadership is necessary to understand the concept of leadership because it also provides a framework for other areas of leadership. In any conventional group, individuals fill different role and one of those roles must the leader which is essential for the group to achieve it purposes.
Burton, Neel. "The Anatomy of Melancholy: Can Depression Be Good for You?" Lecture. TEDx. Narodni Dom, Maribor. 12 Nov. 2013. Youtube. 2 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
To fully comprehend the concept of the nursing process, one must first understanding what nursing is and the history of nursing. Nursing has evolved over the years from a basic system of care to a well-developed professional system in which special ways of think are applied in order to efficiently maximums patient care. The base of nursing is patient care, thus the nursing process is the foundation for nursing practice and key to ensuring the needs of the patient are met.
Leadership is a topic of great interest and for decades now, theories on leadership have been of major interest and the source of numerous studies. In reality, many have tried to define what allows genuine and patriotic leaders to stand out from the masses based on what they exhibit individually, hence, there as many theories on leadership as a result of works done by various philosophers, researchers and professors. Below are the ten theories every leader should know:
Ainsworth, Patricia. Understanding Depression-Understanding Health and Sickness Series. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 2000.
Not many people would argue that computer technology is bad for the K-12 classroom. There is, however, a serious and thought-provoking debate going on regarding computer technology in the classroom. At issue is to what extent and at what age should computers be integrated in American classrooms. There is no question that a certain level of technology will bring improvements in academic achievement. In one study on children of low socioeconomic status a definite improvement was seen. It was noted that, “Increasing the technology available to students encourages, facilitates, and supports student achievement – at the elementary level, the most profound effects were found in the area of mathematics” (Page 391). Page also states that, “numerous studies have demonstrated that young children’s self-esteem or self-concept directly affects their academic performance” (Page 391).
Leadership and the study of it has roots in the beginning of civilization, Egyptian rulers, Greek heroes, and biblical patriarchs all have one thing in common-leadership (THE HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP FOCUS,2005). There are numerous definitions and theories of leadership, however there are enough similarities in the definitions to conclude that leadership is the effort of influence and the power to induce compliance (Wren,1995).The organizational focus of the leader has evolved over this same period, early organizations with authoritarian leaders who believed employees were intrinsically lazy transitioned into way to make work environments more conducive to increased productivity rates (THE HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP FOCUS,2005).
As time goes by, advances in technology will provide more and more avenues for learning by way of the computer. The Internet has opened the doors of the world and unleashed limitless possibilities in research and education. It may be only a matter of time when the classroom is brought online to all children and attending a school classroom outside the home is a thing of the past. Looking back over the last 20 years, I never would have imagined that computers would come this far and impact our lives so much. Just imagine where they will be 20 years from now.
Andy Carvin states “ internet access in schools isn’t worth a hill of beans if teachers aren’t prepared to take full advantage of technology” (2000). Schools spend a lot of money on computer hardware and software as well as other technologies without realizing that many of their employees are unprepared to include them in their teaching and use them to their advantages. Educators often use technology as a classroom management tool rather than an educational one, allowing computer time as a reward for good behavior (Clark & Gorski, 2001). The problem with this is that students learn to use the computer for games and such because it is their reward instead of using it on their own time for educational purposes. This is teaching them the wrong idea. Margaret Honey, director of the Center for Children and Technology in NYC said it best, “The bottom line is, you don’t just put technology into schools or into homes and expect miracles to happen. The technology is only as good as the program that surrounds it” (Meyer, 2002, p.2).