Pros and Cons of Computers in Kindergarten Essay

Pros and Cons of Computers in Kindergarten Research Essay Assignment Pros and cons of using computers in kindergarten classrooms Having computers in kindergarten classrooms could improve the level of instruction and can address long-term success in schools. The real pros and cons of using technology in the classroom create a stalemate that can prevent technology from being used more widely in the classroom. Whether we use technology with young children–and if so, how-are critical issues facing early childhood educators and parents. The questions about when children should start using computers; developmentally appropriate computer activities in preschool, kindergarten, and early primary classrooms; benefits of computer use; integration of computers into classrooms; and teacher training. As children enter kindergarten and the primary grades, it is important that they continue to have access to a computer center with a library of developmentally appropriate software. Fun and educational computer activities allow kindergarteners to socialize improve classmate relations; learn about modern communication and problem-solving skills. Children need opportunities to make choices about some of their computer experiences. In addition, kindergarten or primary-grade teachers will want to use the computer for more directed activities that match their learning objectives. For example, to enhance language skills and using the template provided in Starfall or similar software. Children could also work in small groups using software such as Scholastic’s Magic School Bus Explores the Rainforest to compare two of the seven ecozones in the program. Using software such as Edmark’s Kids’ Desk: Internet Safe, other small groups can investigate these two ecozones on Internet Web sites selected by the teacher. The groups then merge to share their discoveries and write a report on the ecozones, illustrating each with pictures drawn by members of the group or downloaded from the Internet sites. Through exploring computer experiences, these children build memory skills, learn how to seek out information, use knowledge until they have a clear understanding from  multiple sources, and integrate their knowledge of how each ecosystem functions. In the process, they learn to delegate responsibility, interact with others, solve problems, and cooperate to reach a goal. Kindergarten children have a positive outlook and an accepting nature. They take pride in their new reading and counting skills and love to converse and share ideas. They are eager to behave well; they are trusting; and they don’t question authority. Kids at this age may be capable at using computers, i.e. following commands, using the mouse, and playing computer games (Jaeger, 2010). In order to understand the pros and cons of computers in the kindergarten classroom, we need to take a look at some of the pros and cons and the goals related to of reading the children’s achievement. Pros: By incorporat ing technology into lessons, students will become more engaged in and excited about the subject at hand. Lessons that would normally be tedious can be much more engaging with virtual field trips and streaming videos. Cons: Finding the right materials online to integrate into a lesson is not always easy. This means teachers may spend a lot more time planning lessons and become overwhelmed and frustrated. Pros: Computers allow students to learn through exploring the internet and doing research. The act of looking up information and researching papers with such an extensive resource can keep students engaged in a project and learning. Cons: Some students will explore beyond the bounds and parameters of the project and become distracted by other activities that they find on the internet. Pros: In special needs classrooms, each student is able to go at his or her own pace with the help of technology. This allows the students get individual instruction directly from the computer, which allows the teacher to accomplish more while feeling less stretched. Special needs students who are handicapped can also make use of assistive technology, which can allow them to communicate better. Cons: Special needs technology can be very expensive and take an inordinate amount of money to acquire and operate. Research has shown that children who use computers with supporting activities that reinforce the major objectives of the programs have significantly greater developmental gains when compared to children without computer experiences in similar classrooms-gains in intelligence, nonverbal skills, structural knowledge, long-term memory, manual dexterity, verbal skills, problem solving, abstraction, and conceptual skills (Haugland, 1992). The benefits  of providing computers to kindergarten and primary-grade children vary depending upon the kind of computer experiences offered and how frequently children have access to computers. The potential gains for kindergarten and primary children are tremendous, including improved motor skills, enhanced mathematical thinking, increased creativity, higher scores on tests of critical thinking and problem solving. In addition, computers enhance children’s self-concept, and children demonstrate increasing levels of spoken communication and cooperation. Children share leadership roles more frequently and develop positive attitudes toward learning. In conclusion, early childhood programs serve diverse populations and have different schedules, curriculums, staffing patterns, resources, and so on. Goals for computer use and the steps that schools take to integrate computers into their classrooms may be completely different but equally successful. A viable beginning is for teachers, administrators, and parents to share magazine, journal, and newspaper articles they have seen regarding children using computers. The understanding of computers in the kindergarten classroom is accompanied by both a personal and professional commitment to early success for all children. Reference 1. Jaeger, V. (2010). Parenting Resources Guide. Niagara Region Public Health 2. KidSource Online. Computers and Young Children. Retrieved from http://www.kidsource.com/education/computers.children.html#top 3. S.W. Haugland. The effect of computer software on preschool children’s developmental gains. Journal of Computing in Childhood Education, 1992.

Dynamics Of Globalization Essay

Two themes emerge from Robert D. Kaplan’s â€Å"The Coming Anarchy. † The first is civilization and de-civilization against all odds. The second is Africa, an example of the group countries that are left behind by civilization. These two themes will be discussed in this essay. The movie â€Å"Girl in the Cafe† is a perfect illustration of what is happening in Africa. The movie took place at a time where most countries have attained a high level of civilization. They have technologies, cultural developments and modern values and concerns. It took place at a time where globalization is at a high level that countries’ leaders meet together to decide the fate of the world. Amidst all their issues stood one issue that not all countries find to be a priority—the condition in Africa and the fate of its people amidst the poverty and difficulties being experienced in the country. It is sad to say that when globalization began to take place, not all countries were able to follow. In fact, even at present, some countries are too attuned to being globalized, but most countries are still struggling with the concept and imagining themselves being globalized and enjoying the benefits that are claimed to come together with globalization. Some countries remain behind their countries’ boundaries by choice, but many remains behind by sheer inability to cope with world developments. Unfortunately, the so-called gap between the rich and poor manifests not only among individuals, but also among countries. Unfortunately, these poor countries are the ones always plagued with issues and hindrances that make it more difficult for them to globalize. Unfortunately, these poor countries are always left behind. It may be asked, â€Å"how did globalization come about? † Globalization may be a need as many people say. In my opinion, globalization is a product of civilization. The world began kept with boundaries. People in the past have limited view of the word. There is an international anarchy, not in the sense that there is chaos and disorder, but in the sense that there is no central government that governs the whole world. Governments are small and order is limited to very small communities. However, people began to explore and discover. They form larger governments and organize into states. Globalization is just a continuation of this—a manifestation of a search for a more advanced civilization. In fact, there were several claims in the past about the creation of an international government. Even at present, an international legal order is manifest, although loosely due to several conceptual and political hindrances such as sovereignty of states. However, it cannot be denied that countries are now forming unions and organizations and building international institutions such as courts and tribunals to govern conduct. The inquiry is therefore clear. â€Å"Will the world organize into a bigger union? † The irony in this question is that many countries such as Africa has not yet achieved the high level of civilization that many other countries have achieved. By not being highly civilized, I do not mean to say that they are savage, but only that they are left behind in terms in terms of political, economic and technological developments. Theirs are mostly a case of lawlessness and crime. Chaos and disorder prevails dues to poverty, disease and inadequate natural resources that are existing in the country. It is like being back during the period before the existence of social contracts where every man is a man for himself. The main concern is individual survival, not the advancement of civilization. These countries who were left behind have not made themselves as civilized and globalized as others countries have made themselves. How can they cope with the new world order that will be established in case civilization and globalization become more advanced? Going back to the question, the articles answer seems to be no. The pattern that may be observed is not integration, but disintegration. Countries are beginning to disaffiliate from their respective unions and affiliations. The reasons are simple, resources are scarce and countries have to fight over these resources to survive. It is â€Å"Africa† in a larger scale. The thing that prevents countries like Africa from assimilating to a grand globalization scheme will prevent many countries from becoming more politically and socially advanced. Worse, it may cause their social and political system to deteriorate, bringing them back to a path where they have already trodden before. That path is a path towards pre-civilization. Anarchy may return. An era of lawlessness and crime may again plague the world. The world may revert to the period before civilization when there is no social contract. The world may go back to a period where it is every man for himself or every country for itself. The pillars of cooperation, which countries have so painstakingly erected may easily collapse in the middle of poverty, need and competition for scarce resources. This prediction may be exaggerated, but it may happen; and what better way exists to show what may happen, but through an exaggeration. It is again a point of interest at this point the situation in countries like Africa. While Africa and other countries are still struggling to achieve the level of civilization and globalization that exist in the world, other countries are already going through the process of de-globalization and de-civilization. Even in de-globalization and de-civilization, they seem to be unable to keep up. Or is it that other countries are the ones keeping up with them in terms of de-globalization and de-civilization? It is in times like this that one may realize why government and laws are important. There may be wrongs committed in the government and it may limit or even abuse individual rights. However, governments create order. In times of difficulties, governments take charge. Governments are necessary in the development of a healthy and orderly social and political system. Law controls people. It may cause evils, but it also controls evils. Law is essential in governance and civilization.

The YUM brands Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The YUM brands - Essay Example Yum! Brand is one of the new developed companies worldwide. For instance, in 2010, the Company opened more than 500 restaurants in the mainland China. The main aim of the company is to be a leader in every significant food service category in China. KFC was the first restaurant chain to enter China in 1987 with quick services. It was also the first to bring franchising to China in 1992. KFC is still the number one quick-service restaurant brand in China.   Furthermore, it is the largest and fastest developing restaurant in the country with about 3,500 restaurants in different cities. Pizza Hut company was the first restaurant in the chain to introduce pizza and the western food-style to China in 1990 and was also the first to introduce the delivery of pizza to China in 2001. Pizza Hut has therefore emerged to be the number one casual dining brand in China with more than 560 Pizza Hut dining restaurants in many cities (Nunes et al 2010). The improvement of KFC in China is a clear in dication that knowing a business environment is very important. This is because the KFC brands have great force in China as they strive to achieve their goal and increase the business performance. The core part of improving the business is by understanding the STEP analysis. STEP analysis of business is an environmental model that stands for Social, Technological, Economic and Political factors. STEP is also used to represent the decision and frame work of macro-environment factors that are used in scanning. Other models such as SWOT, Mintizberg, and transformation model can also be used to describe the business environment.   In order to achieve the proposed goals, the business should consider various environmental factors both external and internal. When doing market search, the company is required to take into consideration various external factors that would help to know the progress of the business performance. Environmental analysis is relatively qualitative and involves the identification analysis of environmental variables, which influence the business performance. SWOT analysis and PESTEL analysis are some of the environmental analysis frameworks that have been given much attention in the world of business management literature (  Leo 1999). The international differences in habits, value, tastes and demographics, age structure, lifestyle, and income of the local people are some of the social factors that illustrate what contributed to the success of KFC in China which has the greatest number of populations. The main social factors that affect KFC store include demographic issues explaining the extent of the diverse population that contribute to the large number of its diverse consumers. For KFC to succeed in China, its managers made every effort in order to ensure that the company appeared as part of the community. In addition, demographics are in the same category with the values that are held by that particular community so as to reflect on thei r lifestyle or way of life. Most KFC customers are presented to be in the same age structure of population, class, and the structure of income of the local population (Qin, Prybutok,& Zhao, 2010). For instance, in the corner grocery shop, most customers are people living nearby, the families, the people of same age groups, and the immigrants of the area. Business environmental analysis looks at the intrinsic factors in the business envi

Presenting the Gospel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Presenting the Gospel - Essay Example For the secular humanist I would take a different approach. Secular humanists are people who do not believe in God or have turned away from him. I would read to them Roman 1:16. I would also tell them about Jeremiah was one of the great prophets of the Holy Bible. He probably lived in the 6th century B.C. Jeremiah is famous as "the broken-hearted prophet," whose sad life, and prophecies of dire warning to the Jews went largely unheeded. God reportedly told Jeremiah, â€Å"You will go to them; but for their part, they will not listen to you.† Many hundred of years later he is still famous as a powerful prophet and man of God. With a better understanding of Christian history, they would get a better sense of the gospel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some people to this day think of Jeremiah as a kind of prophet of doom whose life was given over to telling people how terrible the destruction of their city was going to be. There is something in this idea. But Jeremiah was more significant than a simple doomsayer. He also believed people had turned away from God and should turn back to him. He also said in his prophesies that the destruction of Jerusalem and the terribleness of the wars to be fought would be transitory; the people of Israel would be able to eventually get through them and find themselves in a better place sometime in the future. As such, there was a hopefulness about this famous

Reflection paper of being diabetic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection paper of being diabetic - Essay Example I knew I would not be able to remember all the information I was reading, but I would get an idea about the food items having more carbs and what I should avoid, if possible. The most difficult part of this assignment was that I had to monitor my intake of carbohydrates, fat and fiber. All these interacted and influenced blood sugar levels. I read the labels of all the food items that I was going to consume. In the absence of labels, such as fresh foods, I had a carbohydrate chart. I monitored my blood glucose levels at least twice a day and kept a record of such readings. Also, I had a tough time about checking my blood sugar and keeping it in proper range. Partly because I was embarrassed and I did not wish the people to judge or think that I was a real diabetic when they saw me doing it. The most difficult part was following a diabetic meal plan because it was related to self-management skills that I had to learn, live and stay with. Knowing what I should eat did not mean that I would eat that way. For example on some days I did not take the correct type of diet. I craved French fries often. I succumbed to that craving on rare occasions. I made sure that I counted it in my eating plan but it was hard for me. This experience has made me understand the difficult life of the diabetic people. I have really come to appreciate this assignment as it has enlightened me how lucky I am to be healthy and do not have diabetes. Also, this assignment has provided to me the details about this life-threatening condition by giving me stimulus for self-improvement and for obtaining perfect health. I hope that I can change my food habits for the sake of my health. There are resources available to educate one. Now I believe that if someone has symptoms of diabetes, he has to undergo tests right away and if found diabetic, take steps to control it and remain well-informed on this illness. They need not wait until they get too sick

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Reflection - Essay Example Even the leadership traits that I considered to prevent the achievement of organizational goals educated me on better leadership approaches. Therefore, this paper gives a reflection of my growth in leadership, aiming to be a school principal, based on transformational leadership theory. Transformational leadership has been associated with desirable organizational performance irrespective of the context. According to Boerner, Eisenbeiss, and Griesser (2007), this style of leadership causes positive results by promoting leader-follower relationship. This reflects my approach to leadership. It is an approach that I used when managing my father’s company to cause the company to post positive results. I associated with the employees and got to understand them better. This informed my decisions that proved to be effective. Being social, transformational leadership best fits within my personality traits as it promotes relationships. Considering my prospect of being a principal in a s chool, I work towards ensuring that I develop a relationship with my students. This will enable me understand them better and therefore make informed decisions on leading them. Hence, transformational leadership promotes the leadership traits that I exhibit hence my choice of basing this paper on the theory. One of the strategies in transformational leadership is to inspire followers to attain extraordinary results. According to Boerner et al. (2007), this entails the alignment of goals and objectives of followers to that of the organization and provision of the necessary support, coaching and mentoring to achieve the desired goals. This was the approach I used to cause positive outcomes when tasked to manage my father’s company. As my chosen style of leadership, I led the workers from the front. I did what was expected and thus set a standard for them to follow. I motivated them into achieving the set objectives. This led to a reduction in time wastage at work, misunderstand ing among employees and negligence of duties. This would be the same approach that would be applied when I become the principal. My greatest role as a principal would be to promote positive relationships among parents, teachers and students so as to positively impact on students’ performance. To achieve this, I would be needed to make it clear to each of these parties what their roles would be. I would ensure that they understand the reason for giving them the respective responsibilities is to see the school perform well. As a way of motivating them to work towards this goal, best performers would be rewarded. This follows the inspirational motivation argument in transformational leadership which according to Boerner et al. (2007) calls for leaders to motivate their followers and encourage them to share in the future vision. This arouses both the individual and team spirit. The second strategy that I would use would entail individualized consideration. Leading a mixed group s uch as a school entails leading many people from different backgrounds. First, the students vary in ages, gender, behavior and even racial background among other distinctions. The same applies to parents, teachers and support employees. Thus, each of these persons would have distinct needs that require individualized attention. In one of my refection papers, I gave the example of Toyota, a vehicle manufacturing company, whose success could be linked to this argument. Toyota manufactures cars that meet the

Human Resources consultant Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Resources consultant - Case Study Example This would have helped the bosses portray that they are quite interested in the store and the employees working there. 2. According to Equity theory, workers are motivated if they perceive that the reward is equal to the input given by workers (Koontz, 1986, p.295). The workers of Flight 001 do not perceive that the reward or compensation given to them is equal to their input and hard work due to which they have been de-motivated. Due to lack of motivation, the workers might not use their knowledge, skills and abilities at the optimum level and they might under produce. To motivate employees owners shave to pay compensation according to the amount of hard work and dedication injected by the workers in the business. 3. The hygiene factors that are being met in the organization include status, work environment and supervisory procedures. In this case we can see that employees feel that they are not just employees who are being supervised and assigned tasks, they feel that they are a very important part of the organization. This shows that the environment of the organization is quite flexible, there is less supervision and workers in the organization are quite loyal as they are treated as a part of the organization. Motivational factors existing in the organization’s environment include: recognition of achievement, greater responsibility and flexible working environment. The motivational factor of greater responsibility is available because owners have not just assigned tasks to workers, but owners are viewing employees that the main reason of organization’s success and are provided higher responsibilities such as decision making and problem solving. The organizations environment is quite flexible because the organization is not using any supervisors to keep an eye on the employees and employees are making decisions on their

Sustainable Development and its overall impact Assignment - 1

Sustainable Development and its overall impact - Assignment Example is an evident fact that the industrial development in one country of a region can create environmental issues in the region and thus the other countries of the region are equally affected by these activities (Muschett, 1997). Therefore one of the most important principles of sustainable development is formulation of international laws to protect the environmental impact beyond borders. The members of the international community should cooperate with each other to ensure better economic growth, which ultimately leads to the achievement of various goals of sustainable development; however this cooperation should not be limited to economic growth and nations must extend support to each other for ensuring global peace and security as it is also an important aspect of sustainable development (Guruswamy and McNeely, 1998). Another important principle of achieving sustainable development is creating awareness among the masses about the advantages associated with it. A large majority of people in the world is not aware about sustainable development; under these circumstances the efficient use of resources in the world is not possible. Measures should be adopted to clear the doubts in the minds of people about the advantages of sustainable development. The large initial cost which occur due to the incorporation of sustainable development practices in various industrial and construction projects stop investors from adopting them because they are unaware of the long term financial incentives thus creating awareness is of prime importance to ensure sustainable development. Social capital i.e. the role of people in sustainable development is not given the due importance in the principles mentioned in the document. People should learn to accept responsibility to preserve the resources and climate of the planet for future generations. Accepting responsibility is an important principle as, along with creation of awareness, it is the most basic step towards achieving the goals

Accounting and Non Accounting Case Analysis Essay

Accounting and Non Accounting Case Analysis - Essay Example This can be done only if the information received by the decision makers like Chancellor Brown will not be poor, lacking or far from the actual figures. One very good strategy is the United Kingdom government to make most government transactions with its constituents and other nations TRANSPARENT. One very good government strategy is the United Kingdom’s efforts to sell some of its idle assets which are recommended by the different departments. The different departments of the government is given a free hand to determine whether to maintain, reduce or increase the next accounting period’s budget.The government must continue its budgeting process by prioritizing its expenditures to health, infrastructure and the educational system, among other priority projects. Each department of the United Kingdom Government must be thrifty in its purchases and payments. This means that all unnecessary wastes of office supplies, electricity, light and water, telephone and other expense s must be minimized to the level of â€Å"necessary† and not â€Å"regular† expenses."necessary" and not "regular" expenses. The golden rule of government spending is for the United Kingdom government to limit the output or expenses to the inputs or resources. The government must also be complacent and continue its present sustainable fiscal policies. One of the major government moves is to target the annual inflation rate. There are many factors that affect inflation. Ordinary lay people interpret inflation as the monthly or even weekly increase of daily needs of man like food, clothing, and shelter. It is generally a persistent and readily felt rise in the prices of prime commodities. This rise in the prices of daily commodities results in the lower value of the monetary currency. The inflation rate can be triggered and increased by other factors like the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product, and other factors. The government now has to print more paper money because now the ordinary lay people need more paper currency to pay for the once lower priced basic goods like milk, fish, and others. The present rapidly expanding United Kingdom economy(Wormell, 2000) has contributed much to affect the inflation rate of the state. In an inflationary situation, the man on the street will have to spend more money to get the same quantity of basic needs they consume during the previous years. The United Kingdom must therefore constantly watch and take necessary steps to keep the prices of basic necessities or goods at stable, if not permitted to be lowered, prices. The present open policy of the United Kingdom government has helped much in alleviating the tight economic situation prevailing within its territories. The present increase in the unemployment situation has contributed to the inflation of goods. The daily moves of the Parliament and Chancellor Brown will also trigger the increase or decrease of the inflation rate. The present government is presently implementing the four principles of macroeconomics(Fleetwood, 1999) of the government which are (a) Principle of stability through constrained discretion, (b) Principle of credibility through sound long term policies, (c) Principle of credibility through maximum transparency and (d) Principle of credibility through commitment. Statements and Budgets The budget for the fourth quarter of the coming year 2007 is shown in Exhibit A below. The fourth quarter 2007 budget is based on the third quarter 2005 actual data taken. For the 4th quarter, 2007, the Gross Domestic Product at current market prices is 333.52 billion pounds whereas the households have 209.88 billion pounds. The