Mrs. Kr

How long are the Florida Keys? Ans:106 Miles 2. Name the ten keys highlighted at this site. Ans:Key Largo, Islamorada, Long Key, Key West, Marathon, Big Pine, Tavernier, Grassy Key, Bahia Honda, Little Torch Key 3. Which key is known as the diving capital of the world? Ans:Key Largo is known as the driving capital of the world 4. Briefly describe the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. Ans: John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is a spectacular underwater park. There is a nature trail inside the park.In the parks visitors center you are introduced to the underwater beauty of sea life 5. Describe parasailing. Explain what determines how high a rider can go. In one sentence, explain if and why you would like to try it. Ans:Parasailing involves the use of a parachute and a boat. The elevation of the rider is controlled by the speed of the boat and the amount of cable. I wouldn’t try parasailing because I’m scared of heights 6. What are the three sections of t he Florida Keys? Ans:Upper Keys, Middle Keys, and Lower Keys 7. Identify the key whose name means â€Å"purple isle. † Ans:Islamorada 8.List the key known as the sport fishing capital of the world. Ans:Islamorada 9. What part of Florida is known as the backcountry? Ans:Florida Bay 10. Name the largest U. S. park east of the Rocky Mountains. When and why was this park established? Ans:Everglades National Park is the largest U. S. park east of the Rocky Mountain. It was established in 1947† to preserve the primitive conditions† of certain wetlands extending from the Florida mainland 11. List some activities available in Everglades National Park. Ans:Ranger-led walks and talks. Boat tours. Hiking, biking and canoe trails. Back country camping and fishing 2. What was Tavernier Key used for in the eighteenth century? Ans:Wrecker used it as their base during the day, but at night they searched its reef for valuable goods from ships that had urn aground and sank13. Which key is both smaller and less developed than its neighbors, and what is its best asset? Ans:Long Key is the smaller and less developed than its neighbors. Its best asset is that it offers seclusion and ready access to activities on neighboring keys. 14. Name the first and second longest bridges in the Florida Keys. Ans:The longest bridge is the 7-mile bridge; Long Key bridge is second 5. How did Marathon get its name? Ans: Helping to build the tracks for a railroad in the middle of the keys, a worker commented that the job was a marathon 16. How many bridges connect the Florida Keys? Ans:42 17. Which bridge appeared in the movie True Lies? Ans:7 mile bridge 18. What is a botel? Ans:a floating motel room with dockage for a guest’s boat 19. In addition to Marathon, which other key has a commercial airport? Ans:Key West 20. What are the tiny, white-tailed deer on Big Pine Key called? Ans:Key Deer 21. What attraction does Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary have for tourists?Ans:P eople think it is the most spectacular coral reef in the Lower Keys. People enjoy snorkeling, skin diving, fishing, and boating. 22. What two corals does the article about the sanctuary mention? Ans:elkorn coral and massive star coral 23. How did Little Torch Key get its name? Ans:It was named after the torchwood tree 24. Which key is known in Spanish as Cayo Hueso? What does the name mean, and how did the key get this name? Ans:Key West is known in Spanish as Cayo Hueso, Which means â€Å" island of bones† Spanish explorers gave the key this name because they found the skeletal remains of Indians there 25. How far is Key West from Cuba?Ans:90 miles 26. What role did Key West serve before Fidel Castro came to power? Ans:it was a stopping for travelers between the United States and Cuba 27. What are some attractions of Duval Street? Ans:Sloppy Joes, Dival Street extends into art distract 28. Briefly describe the Hemingway Days Festival. Ans:The festival is in honor of Ernest H ernigway, who once lived in Key West. It includes a Hemingway look-alike contest 29. What happens during Sunset Fest? Ans:Every night people watch the sunset while being entertained by musicians and carnival acts 30. How do the locals refer to the Florida Keys and Key West? Ans:Paradise

Learning Disabilities Essay

My Uncle had a learning disability and it was not until he was in the third grade that it was discovered. His mother and teachers were not worried that by the end of second grade he could still not read, he however can say the alphabet and corresponding sounds of the letters, he could write his name and he did not manifested any other difficulty but that of reading. He said his teachers thought that he was just a slow reader. What his teachers did not know was that he memorized everything by rote and he remembered the sequences of the pictures that were asked during class. It was in the third grade that one of the teachers just finished a specialization in learning disabilities that it was discovered that he had dyslexia, although he remained to be undiagnosed for the next two years because there was no specialist in the town. He said he knew what the name of the pictures was but when he was asked to read, the letters was chasing each other and he could not catch u with the letters. Dyslexia is a learning disability which involves the difficulty and inability to read, spell and write words. On the other hand, dyslexics are highly visual and have excellent long-term memory which accounts for the ability of beginning readers to mask their reading deficiencies (Mather & Goldstein, 2001). The teachers however said that he could still continue going to school and will be given special consideration in his classes due to his condition even without proper medical and psychological assessment. I guess my uncle was lucky that the teachers at his school was understanding and did not give up on him. However he really did not know what his condition was until he had to see a doctor that explained to him what his condition was he could not remember anything about that day but that he could clearly see the face of the doctor and a big window in the office. He also had problems with math which became more pronounced when they were asked to solve math problems by hand. But when called during oral recitation, he knew the answers to the problems. In other subjects he did fairly well especially when he did not have to write or read anything. Some of his teachers gave him oral exams and he had to take it in the teacher’s office after classes. He said it made him feel special and that it did not bother him at all, he did not repeat a grade and he finished until sixth grade in that school. He felt comfortable in this school, although he was the only one who had dyslexia it did not made him feel an outcast. However, there were times when he felt so frustrated at not being able to work on the same tasks and assignments as his classmates did. His classmates tried to help him in doing homework and other projects and he thought it was the best thing for him because it made him feel accepted. But that all changed when he got to high school. High school was difficult for my uncle. He was transferred to a new school because his old school did not have any high school and since he did complete the required subjects and had passing grades he was admitted to a regular public high school. At the start of classes, he was not equipped to face the academic requirements during freshman year as a normal student. After the first quarter, he was placed with the slow learner classes but he was frustrated most of the time because hen was not a slow learner, he could answer all the quizzes if he was just asked rather than writing it. He was too ashamed to tell his mother about things at school that he endured being in the slow learners’ class. He did made friends with the kids in his class but he did not have any friends. The teachers were actually good but did not seem to understand his condition, at the end of the year he was promoted to sophomore year but he begged his mother to transfer him to a school that was not as big as the local high school since he did not have any friends. In the end he was transferred to small private school where special education classes for people with dyslexia were accommodated. In this school, my uncle said he felt at home instantly and he was not afraid of making mistakes and built his confidence again. He had friends who understood his condition and he learned that there were people like him too. Dyslexia is a learning disability that occurs regardless of intelligence level, which means that it does not affect intelligence (Mather & Goldstein, 2001). My uncle is now a landscape architect and his designs are very good. He can do almost anything perfectly without any need for assistance except for reading, writing and working with numbers. He has a positive personality and people like him, when he talks no one would know he is dyslexic. He is an inspiration knowing that he had been able to live a productive life despite his dyslexia. He now uses the tools available for dyslexics like audio-books, drawing pads and picture books. Although he had some difficult experiences in school, he said that one must still strive to go to school and finish college despite having dyslexia. His school during freshman year did not accommodate his learning disability because the school was not informed of his condition, because they lacked the knowledge and the tools to accommodate his condition and he did not take it against the school. My uncle had been fortunate that he was able to benefit from special education classes, accommodating teachers and a supportive family. Learning disabilities is only a difficulty and not a disease hence, proper learning accommodation and measures should be extended to them since they do benefit from the right kind of education (Mather & Goldstein, 2001). Reference Mather, N. & Goldstein, S. (2001). Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviors. Baltimore: Paul A. Brookes Publishing.

Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom Essay

The Board of Education and Administration of Holland Elementary School have agreed on a decision that will come into effect at the beginning of the Fall 2013 school year. As well as introducing many of our newly acquired teachers to the classrooms, we will also introduce a new artificial intelligence that our students have never experienced before. This will come in the form of robotic instructors who will assist our current teachers with their work and teach other lessons on their own. This may come as a shock to some, but I am extremely confident in this decision. Artificial intelligence coming to the classroom this year will have a positive impact on our school system with increased teaching strategy to achieve a higher level of learning. Robots with artificial intelligence teaching students in the classroom is something that may seem to some like a science fiction fantasy, but the reality of the matter is that robotic helpers, teachers, and playmates are part of a booming technology that has already started flourishing in other countries. Articles from the New York Times have informed us on the hundreds of robots South Korea has already hired to assist teachers, and teach certain subjects on their own (Benedict Carey and John Markoff Students, Meet Your New Teacher, Mr. Robot Para 10). The robots they use are usually computer screened faces with bodies that have arms and legs, allowing them to be entirely mobile on their own. The robots use motion tracking and speech recognition to act human like. This makes them able to engage people in conversation, play games, complete simple tasks, and teach simple skills to others (Carey and Markoff Para 8). Adam Sneed, a researcher for The Future Tense Program explains in his article Coming Soon to a Kindergarten Classroom: Robot Teachers how robots give realistic human-like responses to social cues given by people in their surroundings (Para 6). They also understand the concept of personal space, and when approaching people, they know to stop before anyone’s personal space is invaded (Carey and Markoff, Para 19). The robots are programmed to act as if they have feelings similar to those of children. If the robot is damaged purposely by the students, it will begin to cry. Children react to this by feeling very sorry and backing off right away. If the robot continues to cry, the students offer it peace as they would with another child. Experiments that have shown this in the past are a display of the strong bond students can make with the robots (Carey and Markoff Para 25). Robots with artificial intelligence can engage children through many ways that are subconscious to humans. They hold eye contact with the children and use physical rhythm to stay involved with them. For example, if a child is swaying from side to side, the robot will start to sway as well. The robots mirror the children as a game to connect with them, gain their friendship, and build a sense of trust. If a student lifts his or her arm, the robot will lift their arm as well. The robots will also play vise-versa, letting the children mimic their moves (Carey and Markoff Para 4). Robots also show a large understanding of tasks that are explained to them. In a study done at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a robot was told where certain objects belong in a classroom and then was instructed to put them all away. When the robot came across a toy that it was unsure about, it stared at the toy in hesitation to pick it up. The robot’s instructor asked if it had any questions, and the robot replied by asking where the toy belongs. When it was explained that the green toy belongs in the g reen bin, the robot nodded its head, put the toy in the bin, and said â€Å"makes sense† (Carey and Markoff Para 45-47). This is an example of how the robots that will be incorporated into our classrooms can expand their knowledge and learn from the students to help them improve their teaching. Artificial intelligence is such a large benefit to our students because of all the good teaching qualities the robots have been programmed with that not all human teachers possess. These qualities include encouraging, non-judgmental, infinitely patient, and comforting. Our robots would never get mad at a student for something, and they will never yell at a student or make his or her feel bad for thinking incorrectly. James Marshall Crotty, co-founder/peripatetic publisher of Monk Magazine has recorded in his article Why Kids Prefer Robots to Teachers and Parents that students feel more welcomed and accepted because of this, allowing them to feel more room for guilt-free error. This will eliminate the social boundaries that often keep students from being creative so they will be able to be themselves with much mo re confidence and learn in a more proficient mind set (Forbes Para 7). Robots are able to detect when children are not engaged in the learning, and they are also able to understand signals that children subconsciously put out when they are confused or have a question they are waiting to ask, in which case the robot would offer them the chance to ask their question (Carey and Markoff Para 52). These are all very important skills that are necessary for an instructor to have. The new robots will be an extraordinary help to our special education program which includes mostly students with Attention Deficit Disorder and Autism. Sneed explains how robots will help our students learn social and cognitive skills in a way that is less intimidating to them than through human contact. At times when children with Autism are shy and will not communicate with other people, the robots are able to bring them out of their shell and teach them social skills (Para 5). The robots also provide the students with certain therapies that help their disabilities such as repetitive tasks and imitation. The robots are able to keep any student on task just as efficiently, if not more than human teachers, which is something that will benefit everyone (Carey and Markoff Para 20). Robots are especially good at teaching subjects such as foreign language. In a study performed at the University of Southern California, a robot was used to teach the Finnish language to a group of preschool students. It would pick up objects and say what they were in Finnish, and use productive teaching strategies such as games and repetition to help the children retain the information. When the study was finished, all of the words taught by the robot were significantly imbedded into the children’s memories, while the words they learned from multimedia tapes or other sources were not embedded well at all. This is due to the cognitive engagement, patience, and encouragement the robots provide for the preschoolers. Many different experiments such as this one show that robots’ teaching strategies impact students at about the same level as human teaching strategies (Carey and Markoff Para 21-24). Experiments are performed all over the world by many different specialists who study robotics, and anyone can see, their data concludes that artificial intelligence has a positive influence on the learning levels in a classroom. Specialists have also taken into account the feelings of children who have had the opportunity for artificial intelligence to become a part of their lives. Studies reported by Crotty show that a majority of students are pleased to have a robot to study and play with (Para 2). Robots are able to make games out of children’s homework, and the knowledge they gain from their assignments is portrayed as fun, giving them incentive to get their work done as well as possible. This is very helpful, especially for children who are discouraged in school and have low self-efficacy (Crotty Para 4). The robots are viewed by the children as friends and as very helpful companions. A quote from an article by Rendeiro Fonesca in United Academics Magazine brings us into the life of a boy who had artificial intelligence assisting him at home as well as in school: When I get home, my robot helps me with my homework. My mother and father came in and said no video games now, homework first, but when they saw that I was already finished and had done everything correctly, they were glad that I had made friends with the robot. It could do everything—play soccer, build Legos, read, do math, write, and all the movements a person can make. Since my parents really are always at work a lot, they can’t always help me or play with me or cook something. Now the robot helps them with that.† —Boy, 9, Germany. (Fonseca Robots in the Classroom Para 4) According to this article, children see their robots as reassuring, helpful, encouraging, and as a very big influence to help them with their learning. They often feel more comfortable being their true selves around the robots than they do with a teacher they are unfamiliar with, which helps to be creative in their work when the robots are around (Fonseca Para 10). They also encourage children to be proud of themselves, which gives them incentive to show their parents and human teachers how well they are doing with the instruction given by the robots (Crotty Para 6). While we understand that robots teaching children in the classroom is viewed as unnatural by many, we ask for your cooperation to please understand the significant advancement in technology that has occurred in the past ten years. In Crotty’s article, he also explains how technology is viewed through the eyes of children as something very human. It is a major part of our culture, and young students don’t know of any life deprived of the conveniences technology has given us (Para 4). Robots seem strange and unfamiliar to us, but every new technology appears this way when it is first introduced. The introduction of artificial intelligence to the Frenchtown Elementary School District will lower our budget by decreasing the amount we will be paying in teacher salary. It will bring new learning opportunities to our children, open up a new kind of culture into our lives, and provide excellent assistance to our special education teachers, as well as general classroom lessons. With this addition to our curriculum, the administration hopes to achieve higher state testing scores, and higher overall levels of learning and motivation. Works Cited Carey, Benedict, and John Markoff. â€Å"Students, Meet Your New Teacher, Mr. Robot.† The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 July 2010. Web. 26 Oct. 2012 Crotty, James Marshall. â€Å"Why Kids Prefer Robots To Teachers And Parents.† Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 03 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. Fonseca Rendeiro, Mark. â€Å"Robots in the Classroom.† United Academics: Connect Science and Society. UA Magazine, 22 Jan. 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. Sneed, Adam. â€Å"Coming Soon to a Kindergarten Classroom: Robot Teachers.† Slate. The Slate Group, 6 Aug. 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.

Meaning Behind Aussie Battler Essay

The film industry determines the way we view our films. Australian films often backup the idea of the ‘Aussie battler/hero’. A battler/hero is known as someone who fights for what they believe in, their country, their heritage, their family, friends, dignity and pride. A battler’s job is to protect and hold onto what they are fighting for, whether it is for the good or for the bad. The Aussie Battler is known for being a working class citizen who commits there heart and soul into their work, land, culture and family. Many Australian films explore the concept of ‘Overcoming Adversity’ and explore into the idea of the ‘Aussie Battler/hero’. Wonderful examples of films that directly look into this idea of the ‘Aussie Battler/hero’, is Ned Kelly (2003) and The Castle (1997). Ned Kelly is a film based in the 70’s/80s about a group of young men, Ned Kelly (Heath Ledger), Joseph Byrne (Orlando Bloom), Dan Kelly (Laurence Kinlan) and Steve Hart (Philip Barantini), also known as ‘the Kelly gang’, fighting to preserve their heritage and remain true to their family. The director of Ned Kelly ‘Gregor Jordan’ has contributed the idea of how overcoming adversity can be problematic and difficult, but can also change society. The Castle a film directed by Rob Sitch is about a man, Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) facing the authority because he believes in fighting for his right to not lose everything he has worked for, for unnecessary government requests. The film industry determines the way people view films. Australian films often backup the idea of the ‘Aussie Battler’. An Aussie battler is referred to as someone who fights for what they believe in, their country their heritage, family, friends, dignity and pride. A battlers job is to protect and hold onto what they believe is worth fighting for, whether is is for good or bad. The Aussie battler is known to be a working class citizen who commits their sweat, blood and time into their work, land, culture and family. Many Australian films explore into the concept of ‘overcoming adversity’, and look deeply into the understanding the idea of the ‘Aussie battler’. Wonderful examples of films that directly look into this concept of the ‘Aussie Battler’ is ‘Ned Kelly’ (2003) and ‘The Castle’ (1997). ‘Ned Kelly’ is a Film based in 1880’s about a group of men (Ned Kelly (Heath Ledger), Joseph Byrne (Orlando Bloom), Dan Kelly (Laurence Kinlan) and Steve Hart (Philip Barantini), also known as ‘The Kelly Gang’. The gang’s objective is to fight, preserve their heritage and change how the authority treats the Irish. The director of ‘Ned Kelly’, ‘Gregor Jordan’ has contributed the idea of how overcoming diversity can be problematic and difficult, but can also change society’s views and ways. The Castle’, a film directed by ‘Rob Sitch’, is about a man, ‘Darryl Kerrigan’ (Michael Caton) facing the authority because he believes in fighting for his right to not lose something that is a big part of his life and some thing he has worked for his whole life. The events that arise in both films revolving around the characters, reiterate this idea of ‘Overcoming Adversity’ and the ‘Aussie Battler/hero’ is emerged through a variety of techniques incorporated from their respective directors. In the first scene of Ned Kelly he is portrayed as a great contribution to society by saving his class mates life from drowning in a river. He received a green hero’s sash. Another scene that also really shows Ned as a battler is where he is chasing one of the authorities through the bushes. Ned shoots the authority multiple times and once he finally stops Ned tells him ‘he would not have shot if he hadn’t kept running’; he also tried to stop him from bleeding but in the end couldn’t and was forced to put a bullet through his heart. A scene where Ned’s image is turned around is where he steals the horse and gets caught from the authority; Ned loses it and threatens the authority which then lands him in jail and from this point on Ned falls into the role of ‘The Aussie Battler’. Ned Kelly belongs to an Irish heritage that immigrated to Australia for a better life, but not realizing what laid ahead for them they were pushed low down in society and struggled to keep an income. The Kelly’s were given a piece of land by the selectors where they were allowed to grow their own crops, producing their own food and founder animals for income. The authorities in Ned Kelly were self-centred and, self-indulged. The way the authority treated the Irish was different to how they treated their own. That’s where the Kelly Gang and the authority differed. Ned was pleasant to everyone he came across, he didn’t chose to harm them, gave them respect and the rights they deserved wether they were his own people or not. The events that arise in both films revolving around the two main character ‘Ned Kelly’ and ‘Darryl Kerrigan’, reiterate this idea of ‘overcoming adversity’ and the ‘Aussie battler’ is emerged through a variety of different techniques that have been incorporated by their respective directors’. In a scene towards the start of the film that shows Ned as a battler is where he is hunting a policeman through the bush lands because he ran. Ned finally guns down the policeman and finds the man lying on the ground in immense pain. Ned tells the policeman ‘he would not have shot him if he had not run’. This scene shows the battler side of Ned because further on in this scene Ned is forced to kill the policeman because there was nothing he could do to save him. The Castle is a classic Australian film the stereotypes the Aussie image but also conveys the message that Australians are tough and fight for right. The Kerrigan family is an admirable representation of the average Australian family. They are tight-knit, willing to help and passionate about sticking together as a family. There is a scene that particularly shows off the characteristics of a battler/ fighter within the castle. This scene is were Darryl is at his court hearing. When the Jury goes on break, Darryl sends out his message to his lawyer who then uses what he says in his debate. By Darryl really expression his true emotions, they win. Darryl Kerrigan resembles the typical Australian father. Although his family isn’t well off and don’t particularly live in a great spot (beside an airport), its home, it all comes from the heart. Darryl is a battler; he supports everyone’s opinions but in the end makes his decisions based upon his beliefs. He doesn’t particularly have a high status in society with him working as a tow truck driver but still manages to stay positive because he doesn’t care what people think of him, he’s a proud Australian. He works and fights for the things he needs and can appeal to ones emotions. He uses his power to battle against the bad to win the good. The directors of both Ned Kelly and The Castle have incorporated a variety of different cinematic techniques that make both films memorable in their own manner. Techniques that come under the branch are Setting, Dialogue, and Costuming, Camera angles and movement and sound. Ned Kelly desires the affect for its audience to become entangled within the films story line and to do this the film must include a range of different and somewhat unusual techniques to gather attention. The setting for Ned Kelly is rather stereotypical to the era the film is set in. Most scenes where the Kelly gang do major work is set on the authority’s side. This is the brighter, more classic, rich side, whereas most other scenes such as fighting and war is done in the bushlands, outback where the Kelly’s feel safe and indulged in their own culture. The lighting in Ned Kelly is very much so leaned to low key lighting. If you notice high key lighting comes into play when the Kelly’s are in the authority’s territory and low key lighting for the rest. The dialogue used in Ned Kelly is very traditional and formal. The authority take on a different role in there dialogue as they used different words, words that come off more offensive and cruel. Costuming is also another very outmoded label. The Kelly’s customarily wore old, scrawny, filthy unwashed clothes. They also were mostly seen in dark long pants and jackets, not a lot of skin was shown which contributed to the aspects of low key lighting. The outcast side of people had scrawny hair, beards and were dressed in dirty clothing. Whereas the upper-class side were dressed in clean cut, brighter coloured clothing that resembled there place in society. In both Ned Kelly and the Castle similar camera angles and movements were used. High Angles where used to show power i. e. the authority standing over Ned making him look weaker and more vulnerable. Particularly towards the start of both films you notice low angles and high angles being used to show authority, but as the films progressed you start to notice the change in angles and where the cameras are positioned. Throughout both films you will notice an establishing shot being used at the start of most scenes followed by either a close up or mid shot, depending wether the scene was to include dialogue where then they would need a close up or just a mid-shot. There were many cuts during dialogue which also showed great importance in what the characters were saying. The castle resembled typical Australian dress standards for that time (Flannelettes, Jeans and bowl cuts). The Authority seemed to be dressed in smart clothing the reminded you of control and responsibility. Dialogue in The Castle was stereotypically an Australian accent. The slang, the way the words are slurred and how the pronunciations of words are carried out. The authority defiantly takes on another type of channel of communication, they talk more proper, formal and tend to shorten their words to sound like they aren’t slurring. The setting in the castle is bright and cheerful. It creates a friendly environment that also shows a real Australian household. They do this by creating a rundown house, not much money and living right next to an airport. The lighting the frames this film is high key. Even when darkness controls the time of the scene light still manages to be the key element to the shots. Both films show and encourage messages about Australia in two completely different but similar ways. Ned Kelly shows a message that stealing is wrong and fighting is not the answer, but fighting for what you believe in, fighting for the right to not let others contradict your life is ok. On the other hand the message about The Castle is exactly the same but carried out differently. The castle shows the fact that Australians are not very materialistic and in general are quite simplistic and positive. Both films also conveyed the message that family is important and supporting that idea of love and trust is what makes life worth living for. Ned Kelly chose reveal the idea of using violence, crime and death to portray its message, whereas The Castle did not. The Castle showed its message through family values, gratitude and reverence. Both of these films had the authority against them, they stuck together and became united as one. By the end of both films we were left with the feeling of knowing and understanding how both families’ fought together. If one was going down they were all going down. What was also so great about these two films is that we could watch them grow from battlers into heroes. Ultimately both films were devised to create a sense of understanding about the Australian culture. For certain message and concepts to be conveyed a range of different techniques had to be used, from characterization, to cinematography. The plots direction leaded to the audience grasping different emotions and challenged the audience to experience a film unlike most modern productions.

In this assignment, we would present our findings on whether Singaporeans are receptive to Telecommuting

In this assignment, we would present our findings on whether Singaporeans are receptive to Telecommuting. Telecommuting is the substitution of telecommunication for transportation, permitting work to be performed at a remote site anywhere except from the office. We conclude that Singaporeans are not very receptive to Telecommuting although Singapore is quite a technologically advanced country in Information Technology. A total of 20 respondents ( males and females) were asked to complete a survey form. Their age group was around 21-30 years of age. They were mainly made up of NUS students and system analysts. Among the 20 interviewees, 55% indicated that their current jobs do not require them to telecommute. Half of the 20 respondents spend on the average, 0-10 work-related hours in front of the computer every week. In addition, 90% of them feel that Telecommuting could not replace most of the jobs in Singapore. Below are the four highly topped responses that the interviewees made regarding their feelings towards Telecommuting in general. In the survey, 90% of those participating recognize that there is a loss in human touch while 85% of the interviewees feel that there is a loss in team cohesion. Telecommuting may cause a relative loss of synergy, because of reduced face-to-face contact, although electronic mail and on-line documentation can counterbalance this. Thus, Telecommuting results in less social interaction and reduced contact with the physical part of the organization (the office). This leads to isolation, loneliness and a reduced sense of identification with the organization and its members. The survey reported that 80% of the interviewees recognize that there is no need to commute with telecommuting. Telecommunication technology lets telecommuters transform almost any space into a workplace. Instead of going to work, telecommuters let work come to them. Time is saved too when the telecommuter does not have to travel to work. He beats the hassle of traveling to work and getting stuck in traffic jams. The time saved can be used to generating more output for his work. Moreover, 70% of those participating in the survey feel that they are able to spend more time with family and friends with Telecommuting. Telecommuting can help balance work and family demands. In this sense, Telecommuting can play a part in helping to bond the family together. When the parent does not have to leave home to go to work, he/she is able to spend more time at home with his family. The parent is able to show more concern for his children and spouse, as he/she knows what is going on in their lives. This will greatly improve the family cohesiveness. We found out that 65% of the interviewees think they are not able to work from home. This could be because Telecommuting requires unwavering self-discipline as telecommuters can make a choice between eight hours of work time or eight hours of web-surfing. The latter is of course more tempting. The reasons why Singaporeans are not receptive to Telecommuting might be due to three reasons. Singaporeans have a collectivistic culture and value team cohesion as well as membership. They are socialized to be emotionally dependent on organizations and institutions. As a result, Singaporeans are not used to the idea of Telecommuting. Firstly, the close proximity between family members due to Singapore's small physical size makes Telecommuting unfeasible. Secondly, the accessibility of Singapore due to its efficient transport network ensures that employees can commute between home and office quickly.

Critiquing Strategic Plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critiquing Strategic Plans - Essay Example The strategic plan is to have substantial investments so as to assure the long term efficiency and to achieve substantial revenue growth. (James, 2009) Any investment will be done in accordance with the minimum funding level policy for the company’s reserve. The company subsection entails dynamism in aspects as in the vision and mission which is a strength.However; the company has several specific operations with the long term inefficiency costs. This insufficient costs constitute company weakness.The company should therefore set manageable subsections of the objectives that will be handled in accordance to the available costs. (James, 2009) The Arizona Strategic Highway Safety Plan is scheduled to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on public roadways. The mission is to have zero deaths across the public roadways. Ordinarily, there are 12 safety emphasis areas including speeding and aggressive driving, impaired driving, occupant protection (seatbelts, child safety seats), motorcycle safety, distracted driving, roadway infrastructure improvements (intersections, lane departures), age-related driving, heavy vehicle/transit/bus safety, non-motorized users (bicyclists, pedestrians), natural risks (weather, animals), traffic incident management (secondary collisions, work zones) and cross-jurisdictional issues. The safety plan outlines a clear set of actions and proposed strategies to be taken over the next five years to reduce motor vehicle and pedestrian-involved crashes, and save lives on roadways (ADOT, 2014 ) The strength is the support of the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Arizona Department of Health Services, our federal partners and the hundreds of participating stakeholders across our state. The strategic plan has not involved the educative programs and this is a weakness. There is need for proper education on the

Writing about Construction Sequence of a Storage Ponds Research Paper

Writing about Construction Sequence of a Storage Ponds - Research Paper Example The stored water can be used for irrigation, and also fighting fire.But for the Forest Hills Metropolitan District Storage Pond Development, the new storage ponds would be used for â€Å"Water Augmentation purposes (releasing water from the ponds back into the Bear Creek watershed for use by water users downstream with senior in the event of a forest fire. It is however important that the basic procedure in the construction of a pond is followed so that the owner can come up with a top quality pond that is easy to maintain (Hyde & Perry 5). The first step in this process is finding a good location for the pond. This process is more important than the actual pond construction. Most sites are unsuitable for pond construction and whether the construction is inch perfect or not, the pond will fail if the site is not good enough. It is therefore important to analyze the safety of the area, topography, geological makeup, features of the drainage area and the water holding ability of the s oil in that particular area. Pond safety When planning for a pond, do not ignore the chances of the pond failing and in addition to the damage that can be caused by the rapidly released water. It is therefore important to locate the pond in an area where such a failure cannot cause damage to infrastructure or risk the lives of people or livestock. If it has to be in such an area, it is important to seek the services of an engineer who can come up with a design that is safe and fail proof. The site should not have any underground cables or pipelines as they can be broken or cause injury during excavation. This should also be the case to areas with electricity lines crossing above as they could be caught by a fishing line if they hang low. Water bodies attract different sorts of people from children to adults, this applies to ponds as well. It is therefore important to make the pond safe for activities like fishing. The pond owner should have any stumps removed so that boat riders sho uld not have any trouble when having fun in the pond (Hyde & Perry 7). Soils in the Pond The texture of soil can vary depending of the depth and might change strongly over a short distance. For the site to be appropriate for a pond, the soil has to be able to hold water. The soil layer should be thick in order to prevent excessive leaks, clay soil is recommended for pond construction since their texture is good and even better when it is a mixture of sand and clay. Sands with course textures do not hold water and are not recommended. A mixture of sand and gravel is even worse. In case a part of the pond has poor soil, it can be made impervious by adding betonies clay, this is however an expensive affair and it is advisable that an alternative pond site is chosen (Hyde & Perry 10).The profile of the soil beneath the damn should be studied as well because if it is not impervious, the water can seep away in the long run and therefore the foundation of the pond should be sealed using im pervious soil to make seepage impossible. Geology Building a pond in areas with limestone deposits is risky since the area might have invisible crevices which could make the pond to leak, such areas even have granular soils which leak even when wet. Such sites should have a thorough investigation done of them so that it is certain that they can hold water. Topography The cost of construction of a pond mainly depend on the lay of the land since if a pond with a high storage volume is needed, the site should have a low earth fill so that excavation work does not cost too much. A site with two ridges towering over either sides is good since it allows a large area to be flooded with ease. These areas also reduce the chances of some areas of the pond having shallow water. Excavated ponds are