Flexible Learning Essay Example for Free

Flexible Learning Essay Education is a broadly debated topic, now there is a new concept emerging, ’flexible learning’. This essay will discuss what is understood by this term and how it could affect the way of the future in education. Furthermore it will discuss how flexible learning has engaged technology and how it has made education more accessible and equitable. Next it will demonstrate how individual students have benefited through the use of technology with flexible learning, and how students are able to be the central focus of their own education. Technology brings with it many advantages for the future of education, however not without some setbacks, this essay will also discuss these. This essay will argue that because of the increasing accessibility and improvements in technology, flexible learning should be the way of the future in education. Flexible learning is quickly becoming the way of the future for education, as it engages and implements the use of sophisticated technology. According to George and Luke (cited in Andrews Ferman 2001) flexible learning is a multi-directional approach to learning using different methods of delivery. On the other hand, Nunan (cited in Andrews Ferman 2001, p. 2) considers that ‘flexible delivery is often taken to mean the same thing as increasing flexibility in learning’. Summarising Harmes (2010) explains flexible learning engages technology, allowing the use of the internet, e-mail, and other digital interactive technology. It also allows the student to freely access online lectures and study material and more importantly it enables teachers to position the student as the central focus of the learning experience. This can be seen at universities including the relatively new University of Queensland campus at Ipswich who are using technology to promote flexible learning. It was in fact the purpose built with this in mind; and included computer rooms, a self-directed learning centre and even wireless laptops (AndrewsFerman 2001). Another example of flexible learning is discussed by Huijser, Bedford and Bull (2008) who describe the Tertiary Preparation Program (TPP); this is a course which is accessed online and on-campus. TPP students can engage in online lectures, Wimba classrooms and forums, study material can also be submitted online and feedback returned to student, again online. Using technology students have engaged in flexible learning all over Australia, including international students. Furthermore TPP is currently funded by the government making it free; this allows students to prepare for higher study prior to investment. The outcome of this should be a higher intake of fee paying students, which in turn should lead to increased government funding for universities. Flexible learning through technology has made education more accessible and therefore equitable. Harmes (2010) discusses how the internet has increased the number of students to able to study degrees through online study material and lectures. As a result of technological advances the world has become a â€Å"global village â€Å"and students can participate in a global classroom. Worldwide opportunities using technology and flexible learning should be funded locally (Zhao 2009). Ultimately this will enable there to be proximity through distance, and will allow students to study anytime and anywhere, thus making education more equitable explains Harmes (2010). There are students from as far away as remote Western Australia studying through the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). They are able to access all the lectures and tutorials online, and USQ plans to offer many more academic programs online by 2012 (The Chronicle 2009). ‘Technology is the tool used to provide a facility for a teacher facilitated, learner centred environment’ (Bonanno, 2005). It is only through the many improvements and advances in technology that education has been so accessible and with it flexible learning has been implemented. Flexible learning has made education more accessible because, study is teacher facilitated and enables the student to be positioned as the central focus of education. According to Harmes there are many benefits of flexible learning, students are able to access their study any time they like, and this means that they are able to co-ordinate study around work and family life. The flexibility that technology provides has enabled students to study at their own pace (Andrews Ferman, 2001). Additionally students have a sense of freedom with their study, slotting it in whenever they please. Knowles (cited in Choy and Delahaye 2002) researched how adult learners are more likely to be motivated and experienced in life, and that they are ready to embrace learning with deeper appreciation and understanding. Knowles (1973) continues by discussing how this self-driven learning is assisted through flexible delivery and how students benefit from a mature independent approach to education with the option for teacher help when needed. As a result of this Bonanno suggests that with good self-discipline and time management students are able to have freedom and access to study anytime and place, thus enabling many styles of learning. Technology has increased the flexibility that students have, thus allowing greater access to education. Despite the fact that education has embraced technology, there are still some problems which must be resolved. According to Ralston (1999) it appears that although many have embraced technology for learning, there are still many who are either too afraid to or do not have the skills and confidence to do so. Furthermore he suggests that that those who do not attempt to engage technology will be severely disadvantaged, because the twenty-first century is the age of technology. Andrews and Ferman (2000) noted on their study of the University of Queensland, -Ipswich campus that many students found the course material limited, that there was a lack of structure, and there were also a significant number of technical difficulties. Additionally Bonanno (2005) discusses some of the disadvantages of technology and states that the learner can easily lose motivation partly due to a lack of classroom spirit and teacher facilitated learning. Technology can be out of date or difficult to understand and often it can be confusing and sometimes it can just be that there is no technical support available. Bonanno’s (2005) comments that many problems occurring are learner related and that in order to be successful the learner must be self-motivated and have a reasonable degree of self-competency. She also comments that the facilitator or teacher must be motivated as well and be able to produce engaging study material for the student to work with; they must also be able to direct, listen and support students. Despite some complications, changes in technology help to make sure education is more accessible and equitable. Universities are able to capture larger numbers of students enabling more funding from the government. Students are able to be in control of their own education pathway and are able to be flexible about when and where they choose to study. Students can also choose to study gregariously in online classrooms and even traditional classrooms. Problematic areas will in time be improved as technology upgrades on a daily basis; including faster internet options. With this evolving technology people’s knowledge and experience will increase and in time student numbers and study options will grow. It is realistic that flexible learning will be and indeed should be the way of the future in education and that there will be a worldwide classroom. References Andrews, T Ferman, T 2001, ‘The flexible learning experience – how good is it really? ’ in L Richardson J Lidstone (eds), Flexible learning for a flexible society, pp. 39-45. Proceedings of ASET-HERDSA 2000 Conference, Toowoomba, Qld, 2-5 July 2000. ASET and HERDSA http://www. aset. org. au/confs/aset-herdsa2000/procs/andrews-t. html. Bonanno, K 2005, Online learning : the good the bad and the ugly, Proceedings of the XIX Biennial Conference Meeting the Challenge, Australian School Library Association, Zillmere, QLD, pp. 1-7 Choy, SC Delahaye, BL 2002, Andragogy in vocational education and training: learners perspective, Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Conference, Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA), Melbourne, VIC University of Southern Queensland 2009, University offers online options to its students, The Chronicle, 10 Jul, p. 41. Collis, B Moonen, J 2002, Flexible learning in a digital world: experiences and expectations, Kogan Page, London, UK, pp. 8-10,17,26-27. Harmes, M 2011,TPP7120 Studying to succeed ,Appendix 3’Flexible and Blended Learning’, University of Southern Queensland,Toowoomba,viewed 25 September 2011,http://usqstudydesk. usq. au/ Huijser, H, Bedford, T Bull, D 2008, OpenCourseWare global access and the right to education: real access or marketing ploy? , International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-13. Ralston, P 1999, Education for IT equity, The Australian, 12 Jan, p. 44. Zhao, Y 2009, Catching up or leading the way: American education in the age of globalization, ASCD, Alexandria, VA, pp. 98-113.

A Very Brief History on the Existence of God Essay -- Philosophy, Des

The subsequent essay will provide a brief overview on the existence of God from Renà © Descartes through Immanuel Kant. First, section (1), examines Descartes’ proof for the existence of God. Section (2), explores G.W. Leibniz’s view on God’s existence in addition to his attempts to rectify the shortcomings of Descartes’ proofs. The remainder of the essay then examines two additional philosophers, David Hume in section (4) and Immanuel Kant in (5), who contend that God’s existence cannot be rationally proven. (1) As a devout Catholic, Descartes undeniably believed in God. He makes his faith clear in the letter of dedication preceding Meditations on First Philosophy. Here, Descartes writes that we must â€Å"believe in God’s existence because it is taught in the Holy Scriptures, and, conversely, that we must believe in the Holy Scriptures because they have come from God† (Descartes, 1). Nevertheless, in the beginning of the Meditations, Descartes casts doubt on everything -including religion- in his search for absolute certainty. In the Third Meditation, he doubts the existence of God before providing his first rationalistic proof for the existence of God. In offering the proof, he first questions â€Å"whether there is a God† (25). However, even though he questions God’s very existence, Descartes maintains his innate idea of God. After some deliberation, he concludes that because he has an innate idea of God, (which is not fabricated by the mind or drawn from the senses), it must be God who endowed him with his innate idea. Descartes likens his innate idea of God to the â€Å"mark of a craftsmen impressed upon his work† –similar to a stamp which says ‘Made by God’. Additionally, Descartes reasons that because he exists as a thinking thing and ... ...od to exist. As the above has illustrated, both Descartes and Leibniz believed that the existence of God could be proved via reason. But, Hume and Kant, which will be subsequently covered, did not believe argumentation or reason could establish the existence of God (3) David Hume attacks both Descartes’ and Leibniz’s methodology for establishing the existence of God in the following: â€Å"there is an evident absurdity in pretending to demonstrate a matter of fact, or to prove it by any arguments a priori. Nothing is demonstrable, unless the contrary implies a contradiction. Nothing, that is distinctly conceivable, implies a contradiction. Whatever we conceive as existent, we can also conceive as non-existent. There is no being, therefore, whose non-existence implies a contradiction. Consequently there is no being, whose existence is demonstrable† (Bailey, 79).

The Storm – Kate Chopin

KATE CHOPIN (1850-1904)She was an American author of short stories and novels. She is now considered by some to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century. Chopin was born Katherine O'Flaherty in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father, Thomas O'Flaherty, was a successful businessman who had emigrated from Galway, Ireland. Her mother, Eliza Faris, was a well-connected member of the French community in St. Louis. KatherineShe was the third of five children, but her sisters died in infancy and her brothers (from her father's first marriage) in their early twenties.She was thus the only child to live past the age of twenty-five. After her father's death in 1855, Chopin developed a close relationship with her mother, grandmother, and her great-grandmother. She also became an avid reader of fairy tales, poetry, and religious allegories, as well as classic and contemporary novels.REGIONALISMIn literature, regionalism refers to fiction or poetry that focuses on specific features – including characters, dialects, customs, history, and landscape – of a particular region. Kate Chopin is considered to be one of the best US Southern regional writers.THE STORMâ€Å"The Storm† is a short story by the American writer Kate Chopin, written in 1898. It did not appear in print in Chopin's lifetime; it was published in a volume called â€Å"The Complete Works of Kate Chopin† in 1969. The story is set in the late nineteenth century at Friedheimer's store in Louisiana, and at the nearby house of Calixta and Bobinot.CHARACTERS†¢ Bibi: four-year-old son of Calixta and Bobinot†¢ Calixta: mother of Bibi†¢ Bobinot: husband of Calixta and father of Bibi.†¢ Alcee Laballiere: former Calixta’s beau (lover).THEMES†¢ The main topic in the story is the sexuality, a topic not publicly discussed in 1898. For this reason, the story was not published during her lifetime. The relationship between Calixta and Alcee holds a degree of passion absent from their marriages. Calixta's sexuality is directly tied to the storm.ANALYSISThe Chinaberry tree being struck by lightning is also representative of Calixta's sin in a Catholic area, where adultery is considered a sin that is so grave that it sends them to hell unless they repent before they die. 1] [2] This piece was written at a time when faith was beginning to be questioned. The narrator begins by describing Calixta as a worrisome wife, but, after Alcee notices her for the first time in five years, the description shifts to her youthful beauty. Calixta's husband, the reader assumes, no longer looks at her the way Alcee does. He sees her as a real woman, but she pretends that everything has changes especially after having a child. After the rain stops â€Å"the sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems. This could symbolize new outlooks on the two lovers' marriages.The point of view is 3rd person omniscient. The story also highlights i mages of purity. White imagery is introduced at the beginning of the second section when Calixta unbuttons her white blouse at the neck. When we see the interior of the house for the first time, the narrator describes the â€Å"white, monumental bed. † When the sexual tension is released, the sexualized purity reaches a climax; her neck, exposed by the act of unbuttoning, is white, and her breasts are â€Å"whiter. She is â€Å"as white as the couch she lay upon,† and her passion is described as a â€Å"white flame. † Added to this seemingly paradoxical use of white are the references to the Virgin Mary. While Assumption is a place name, it is also the feast that celebrates the bodily ascension of Mary into heaven, a metaphorical description of what has just happened to Calixta, and, to further the connection, â€Å"her firm, elastic flesh† is compared to a â€Å"creamy lily. † The lily is Mary's flower.SYMBOLISMThe Storm The storm is a super obvi ous symbol. It's involved in practically every element of the story. First off, it's the title. Second, it plays a huge role in the plot, forming the beginning and the end of the story. It also plays a really important part in the middle by bringing Calixta and Alcee together, pushing them into each other's arms and giving them the time and space to get physical before the world outside returns to normal. Assumption Assumption is the small town where Calixta and Alcee met up and shared kisses long ago. It's also, tellingly, where they did not give in to their carnal desires completely – they never had sex there.The name Assumption has religious connotations that remind us of virginity and chastity. In Christianity, it's a reference to a specific event: the Virgin Mary's ascent to heaven after she dies. Whitenes With all the whiteness mentioned repeatedly throughout the story, â€Å"The Storm† practically reaches Moby-Dick levels. White usually symbolizes purity or chas tity, but this story twists it around to represent sexual desire and longing. While this whiteness in literature would traditionally refer to a body that the male character couldn't access, that purity is transformed into sexuality here.The â€Å"flame† of Calixta's â€Å"passion† is â€Å"white†; her body in all its ecstasy is â€Å"like a creamy lily. † In this story, the color white might almost be better understood as red-hot. It means giving in, not holding back.SUMMARYBobinot and his four-year-old son, Bibi, are at Friedheimer's store when a particularly violent storm emerges. The two decide to remain at the store until the storm passes. Meanwhile, back at their house, Calixta is so occupied with her sewing that, at first, she does not notice the ominous clouds or thunder.Finally, she notices that it is growing darker outside and decides to shut the windows and retrieve Bobinot's clothes, which are hanging outside. Alcee, one of Calixta's former bea us, rides up on his horse and helps her remove the remaining clothes from the line. The storm worsens and Calixta invites Alcee into her home until it abates. Alcee is hesitant to come in and stays outside until it becomes apparent that the storm is not going to let up. Calixta gathers up the lengths of cotton sheet she had been sewing while Alcee takes a seat in the rocker.Calixta goes over to the window and observes the intensity of the storm and worries about her husband and son. Alcee attempts to comfort her and reminisces about the passion they once felt for each another. As the storm increases in intensity, so does the passion of the two former lovers. Alcee brings up the passion and love they once had for one another. The adulterers' sexual encounter ends at the same time as the storm. Alcee rides off on his horse. Bobinot and Bibi return from the store and Calixta immediately embraces them.Calixta acts like nothing hadwas happened and she even wants to feast with her husband their way back to home. The story ends with the sentence: â€Å"So the storm passed and everyone was happy† symbolizing Calixta and Alcee were happy to have the affair. This is also a good sentence to summarize the whole of the story. When the storm hashave passed they all returned to the normality.BIBLIOGRAPHYhttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Kate_Chopin http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Storm_%28short_story%29 http://www. katechopin. org/the-storm. shtml

Government Involvement in the American Economy

As Christopher Conte and Albert R. Karr have noted in  their book,Outline of the U.S. Economy,  the level of government involvement in the American economy has been anything but static. From the 1800s to today, government programs and other interventions in the private sector have changed depending on the political and economic attitudes of the time. Gradually, the governments totally hands-off approach evolved into closer ties between the two entities.   Laissez-Faire to Government Regulation In the early years of American history, most political leaders were reluctant to involve the federal government too heavily in the private sector, except in the area of transportation. In general, they accepted the concept of laissez-faire, a doctrine opposing government interference in the economy except to maintain law and order. This attitude started to change during the latter part of the 19th-century, when small business, farm and labor movements began asking the government to intercede on their behalf. By the turn of the century, a middle class had developed that was leery of both the business elite and the somewhat radical political movements of farmers and laborers in the Midwest and West. Known as Progressives, these people favored government regulation of business practices to ensure competition and free enterprise. They also fought corruption in the public sector. Progressive Years Congress enacted a law regulating railroads in 1887 (the Interstate Commerce Act), and one preventing large firms from controlling a single industry in 1890 (the Sherman Antitrust Act). These laws were not rigorously enforced, however, until the years between 1900 and 1920. These years were when Republican President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), Democratic President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) and others sympathetic to the views of the Progressives came to power. Many of todays U.S. regulatory agencies were created during these years, including the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Trade Commission. New Deal and Its Lasting Impact Government involvement in the economy increased most significantly during the New Deal of the 1930s. The 1929 stock market crash had initiated the most serious economic dislocation in the nations history, the Great Depression (1929-1940). President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) launched the New Deal to alleviate the emergency. Many of the most important laws and institutions that define Americans modern economy can be traced to the New Deal era. New Deal legislation extended federal authority in banking, agriculture and public welfare. It established minimum standards for wages and hours on the job, and it served as a catalyst for the expansion of labor unions in such industries as steel, automobiles, and rubber. Programs and agencies that today seem indispensable to the operation of the countrys modern economy were created: the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates the stock market; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which guarantees bank deposits; and, perhaps most notably, the Social Security system, which provides pensions to the elderly based on contributions they made when they were part of the workforce. During World War II New Deal leaders flirted with the idea of building closer ties between business and government, but some of these efforts did not survive past World War II. The National Industrial Recovery Act, a short-lived New Deal program, sought to encourage business leaders and workers, with government supervision, to resolve conflicts and thereby increase productivity and efficiency. While America never took the turn to fascism that similar business-labor-government arrangements did in Germany and Italy, the New Deal initiatives did point to a new sharing of power among these three key economic players. This confluence of power grew even more during the war, as the U.S. government intervened extensively in the economy. The War Production Board coordinated the nations productive capabilities so that military priorities would be met. Converted consumer-products plants filled many military orders. Automakers built tanks and aircraft, for example, making the United States the arsenal of democracy. In an effort to prevent rising national income and scarce consumer products from causing inflation, the newly created Office of Price Administration controlled rents on some dwellings, rationed consumer items ranging from sugar to gasoline and otherwise tried to restrain price increases.