Zenzele Review

Zenzele Review If you recall my previous comments on the novel Zenzele, by our contemporary J. Nozipo Maraire, you undoubtedly know that my appreciation of this book ends on the first page. I have previously stated that because of her elementary writing style and child-like narration (un-befitting of the adult narrator), I have hopelessly lost any interest that I could hold to this piece of literature. For this essay, I will attempt to stifle my true opinion of the book and address the social significance of the themes and ideals expressed to racism and prejudice in society today.Shiri, our narrator, lives a simple life in Zimbabwe. That is, if simple includes a massive revolution for independence and facing brutal racism every minute of every day. By mixing history, memory, and tradition, Shiri recounts her life experiences into a symphony of wisdom in which she advises her daughter, Zenzele, a student at Harvard, on how to live her life.'RACISM/THERE IS MORE TO LEARN' Dominic JacquesMost importan tly, Shiri teaches her daughter how to survive as an independent woman in the alien and oppressive culture that is the United States of America. Shiri coaxes her daughter not to forget the culture of her homeland. She insists that stories and traditions from the past can be applied to any point in history, and encourages Zenzele to find meaning in her anecdotes about love, conflict, prejudice, and tradition.While Maraire tells of family and marriage, much of the novel is centered around the revolution of Zimbabwe natives against their European colonial enemy. The import of such a xenotypic culture sparks much civil unrest that leads to brutal prejudice of the natives by the white folk. "Prejudice is in the eye of the beholder... Racism is a phenomenal thing; it is like a thick mist that obscures the vision...

Programming a Tic Tac Toe Game in Visual Basic

Programming a Tic Tac Toe Game in Visual Basic Programming computer games may be the most technically challenging (and possibly the best paying) job that a programmer can have. Top level games require the best from both programmers and computers. Visual Basic 6 has now been thoroughly bypassed as a platform for game programming. (It never really was one. Even in the good ol days, serious game programmers would never use a high-level language like VB 6 because you just couldnt get the cutting edge performance that most games require.) But the simple Tic Tac Toe game is a great introduction to programming that is a little more advanced than Hello World! This is a great introduction to many of the fundamental concepts of programming since it combines techniques including: The use of arrays. The X and O markers are kept in separate arrays and the entire arrays are passed between functions to keep track of the progress of the game.Using VB 6 level graphics: VB 6 doesnt offer great graphical capability, but the game is a good introduction to what is available. Much of the rest of this series is an exploration of how GDI, the next generation of Microsoft graphics, replaces the VB 6 level graphics.Using math calculations for program control: The program uses clever modulo (Mod) and integer division calculations using the two-game marker arrays to determine when a three-element win has occurred. The class of programming in this article is perhaps just a little past the beginning level but it should be good for intermediate programmers. But lets start at an elementary level to illustrate some of the concepts and get you started with your Visual Basic game programming career. Even students more advanced than that may find that its slightly challenging to get the objects in the form just right. How to Play Tic Tac Toe If youve never played Tic Tac Toe, here are the rules. Two players alternate at placing Xs and Os into 3 x 3 playing field. Before the game starts, both players have to agree about who will go first and who will mark his moves with which symbol. After the first move, the players alternately place their marks in any empty cell. The goal of the game is to be the first player with three marks in a horizontal, diagonal or vertical line. If there are no empty cells and neither player has a winning combination, the game is a draw. Starting the Program Before starting any actual coding, its always a good idea to change the names of any components you use. Once you start coding, the name will be used automatically by Visual Basic so you want it to be the right name. Well use the form name frmTicTacToe and well also change the caption to About Tic Tac Toe. With the form established, use the line toolbox control to draw a 3 x 3 grid. Click the line tool, then draw a line where you want it. Youll have to create four lines this way and adjust their length and position to make them look right. Visual Basic also has some convenient tools under the Format menu that will help. This is a great chance to practice with them. In addition to the playing grid, well need some objects for the X and O symbols that will be placed on the grid. Since there are nine spaces in the grid, well create an object array with nine spaces, called elements in Visual Basic. There are several ways to do just about everything in the Visual Basic development environment, and creating control arrays is is no exception. Probably the easiest way is to create the first label (click and draw just like the line tool), name it, set all of the attributes (such as Font and ForeColor), and then make copies of it. VB 6 will ask if you want to create a control array. Use the name lblPlayGround for the first label. To create the other eight elements of the grid, select the first label object, set the Index property to zero, and press CTRLC (copy). Now you can press CTRLV (paste) to create another label object. When you copy objects like this, each copy will inherit all properties except Index from the first one. Index will increase by one for each copy. This is a control array because they all have the same name, but different index values. If you create the array this way, all of the copies will be stacked on top of each other in the upper left corner of the form. Drag each label to one of the playing grid positions. Be sure that index values are sequential in the grid. The logic of the program depends on it. The label object with index value 0 should be in the top left corner, and the bottom right label should have index 8. If the labels cover the playing grid, select each label, right-click, and select Send to Back. Since there are eight possible ways to win the game, well need eight different lines to show the win on the playing grid. You will use the same technique to create another control array. First, draw the line, name it linWin, and set the Index property to zero. Then use copy-paste technique to produce seven more lines. The following illustration shows how to set the index numbers correctly. In addition to the label and line objects, you need some command buttons to play the game and more labels to keep score. The steps to create these are not detailed here, but these are the objects you need. Two button objects: cmdNewGamecmdResetScore Frame object fraPlayFirst containing two option buttons: optXPlayeroptOPlayer Frame object fraScoreBoard containing six labels. Only lblXScore and lblOScore are changed in the program code. lblXlblXScorelblOlblOScorelblMinuslblColon Finally, you also need the label object lblStartMsg to mask the cmdNewGame button when it shouldnt be clicked. This isnt visible in the illustration below because it occupies the same space in the form as the command button. You may have to move the command button temporarily to draw this label on the form. So far, no VB coding has been done, but were finally ready to do that. Initialization Now you get to finally start coding the program. If you havent already, you might want to download the source code to follow along as the operation of the program is explained. One of the first design decisions to make is how to keep track of the current state of the game. In other words, what are the current Xs and Os on the playing grid and who moves next. The concept of state is critical in a lot of programming, and in particular, its important in programming ASP and ASP.NET for the web There are several ways that this could be done, so its a critical step in the analysis. If you were solving this problem on your own, you might want to draw a flowchart and try out different options with scratch paper before starting any coding. Variables Our solution uses two two-dimensional arrays because that helps keep track of state by simply changing the array indexes in program loops. The state of the top-left corner will be in the array element with index (1, 1), the top-right corner will be in (1, 3), the bottom-right in (3,3), and so forth. The two arrays that do this are: iXPos(x, y) and iOPos(x, y) There are a lot of different ways this can be done and the final VB.NET solution in this series shows you how to do it with just a single one-dimensional array. The programming to translate these arrays into player win decisions and visible displays in the form are on the next page. You also need a few global variables as follows. Notice that these are in the General and Declarations code for the form. This makes them module level variables that can be referenced anywhere in the code for this form. For more on this, check Understanding the Scope of Variables in Visual Basic Help. There are two areas where variables are initialized in our program. First, a few variables are initialized while the form frmTicTacToe is loading. Private Sub Form_Load() Second, before each new game, all variables that need to be reset to starting values are assigned in an initialization subroutine. Sub InitPlayGround() Note that the form load initialization also calls the playground initialization. One of the critical skills of a programmer is the ability to use the debugging facilities to understand what the code is doing. You can use this program to try: Stepping through the code with the F8 keySetting a watch on key variables, such as sPlaySign or iMoveSetting a breakpoint and querying the value of variables. For example, in the inner loop of the initialization: lblPlayGround((i - 1) * 3 j - 1).Caption Note that this program clearly shows why its a good programming practice to keep data in arrays whenever possible. If you did not have arrays in this program, you would have to write code something like this: Line0.Visible FalseLine1.Visible FalseLine2.Visible FalseLine3.Visible FalseLine4.Visible FalseLine5.Visible FalseLine6.Visible FalseLine7.Visible False instead of this: For i 0 To 7linWin(i).Visible FalseNext i Making a Move If any part of the system can be thought of as the heart, its subroutine lblPlayGround_Click. This subroutine is called every time a player clicks the playing grid. (Clicks must be inside one of the nine lblPlayGround elements.) Notice that this subroutine has an argument: (Index As Integer). Most of the other event subroutines, like cmdNewGame_Click() do not. Index indicates which label object has been clicked. For example, index would contain the value zero for the top-left corner of the grid and the value eight for the bottom-right corner. After a player clicks a square in the game grid, the command button to start another game, cmdNewGame, is turned on by making it visible. The state of this command button does double duty because its also used as a boolean decision variable later in the program. Using a property value as a decision variable is usually discouraged because if it ever becomes necessary to change the program (say, for example, to make the cmdNewGame command button visible all the time), then the program will unexpectedly fail because you might not remember that its also used as part of the program logic. For this reason, its always a good idea to search through program code and check the use of anything you change when doing program maintenance, even property values. This program violates the rule partly to make this point and partly because this is a relatively simple piece of code where its easier to see what is being done and avoid problems later. A player selection of a game square is processed by calling the GamePlay subroutine with Index as the argument. Processing the Move First, you check to see if an unoccupied square was clicked. If lblPlayGround(xo_Move).Caption Then Once were sure this is a legitimate move, the move counter (iMove) is incremented. The next two lines are very interesting since they translate the coordinates from the one-dimensional If lblPlayGround component array to two-dimensional indexes that you can use in either iXPos or iOPos. Mod and integer division (the backslash) are mathematical operations that you dont use every day, but heres a great example showing how they can be very useful. Â  If lblPlayGround(xo_Move).Caption TheniMove iMove 1x Int(xo_Move / 3) 1y (xo_Move Mod 3) 1 The xo_Move value 0 will be translated to (1, 1), 1 to (1, 2) ... 3 to (2, 1) ... 8 to (3, 3). The value in sPlaySign, a variable with module scope, keeps track of which player made the move. Once the move arrays are updated, the label components in the playing grid can be updated with the appropriate sign. If sPlaySign O TheniOPos(x, y) 1iWin CheckWin(iOPos())ElseiXPos(x, y) 1iWin CheckWin(iXPos())End IflblPlayGround(xo_Move).Caption sPlaySign For example, when the X player clicks the top left corner of the grid, variables will have the following values: The user screen shows only an X in the upper left box, while the iXPos has a 1 in the upper left box and 0 in all of the others. The iOPos has 0 in every box. The values changes when the O player clicks the center square of the grid. Now th iOPos shows a 1 in the center box while the user screen shows an X in the upper left and an O in the center box. The iXPos shows only the 1 in the upper left corner, with 0 in all of the other boxes. Now that you know where a player clicked, and which player did the clicking (using the value in sPlaySign), all you have to do is find out if someone won a game and figure out how to show that in the display. Finding a Winner After each move, the CheckWin function checks for the winning combination. CheckWin works by adding down each row, across each column and through each diagonal. Tracing the steps through CheckWin using Visual Basics Debug feature can be very educational. Finding a win is a matter of first, checking whether three 1s were found in each of the individual checks in the variable iScore, and then returning a unique signature value in Checkwin that is used as the array index to change the Visible property of one element in the linWin component array. If there is no winner, CheckWin will contain the value -1. If there is a winner, the display is updated, the scoreboard is changed, a congratulation message is displayed, and the game is restarted. Lets go through one of the checks in detail to see how it works. The others are similar. Check Rows for 3For i 1 To 3iScore 0CheckWin CheckWin 1For j 1 To 3iScore iScore iPos(i, j)Next jIf iScore 3 ThenExit FunctionEnd IfNext i The first thing to notice is that the first index counter i counts down the rows while the second j counts across the columns. The outer loop, then simply moves from one row to the next. The inner loop counts the 1s in the current row. If there are three, then you have a winner. Notice that you also keep track of the total number of squares tested in the variable CheckWin, which is the value passed back when this function terminates. Each winning combination will end up with a unique value in CheckWin from 0 to 7 which is used to select one of the elements in the linWin() component array. This makes the order of the code in function CheckWin important too! If you moved one of the blocks of loop code (like the one above), the wrong line would be drawn on the playing grid when someone wins. Try it and see! Finishing Details The only code not yet discussed is the subroutine for a new game and the subroutine that will reset the score. The rest of the logic in the system makes creating these quite easy. To start a new game, you have only to call the InitPlayGround subroutine. As a convenience for players since the button could be clicked in the middle of a game, you ask for confirmation before going ahead. You also ask for confirmation before restarting the scoreboard.

Case Study Foreign Direct Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Case Study Foreign Direct Investment - Essay Example Continuous growth is essential for company’s survival in the interest of its investors and work force. Hence, this reports addresses strategy development directions in this regard. The idea of growth should be one of the business objectives. The company needs to engage in strategy development so as to create competitive advantage over its competitors. The strategy development is important as it should be difficult for the competitors to replicate. Collaboration with business partners or the stake holders such as the company’s suppliers, distributors and customers is a guarantee creating a competitive advantage which the competitors cannot easily emulate (Campbel, Stonehouse, & Houston, 2002) Different strategies to achieve competitive advantage are 1) knowledge-based strategy, 2) generic strategy 3) hybrid strategy and 4) core competence/distinctive capability/resource-based strategy. Organizations generally will select one of the strategies and incorporate value-adding activities in support of the strategy selected. These strategies are briefly explained (Campbel, Stonehouse, & Houston, 2002). ... Tacit knowledge is that which cannot be stored being mostly of individual experiences of experts. This is also not possible to be copied by the competitors (Demarest, 1997). There should be at least three types of knowledge available within firms. They are know-how, know-why and know-what referring to practical knowledge, theoretical knowledge and strategic knowledge respectively. All these combine to form core competencies of a firm. Generic strategies are the well known Michael Porter’s generic strategy frame work that explains the competitive advantage of a firm. (Campbel, Stonehouse, & Houston, 2002). Hybrid strategy is the combination of knowledge strategy and generic strategy. Lastly, the core competency strategy which is nothing but the essence of the firm’s vast experience in the tradional activity the firm has been engaged in. Ansoff’s matrix will also serve to give the proper direction for the company’ s future activity. In view of the saturated market in Europe, the only way out for XYZ Plc is to seek greener pastures abroad. Developing countries are the niche market for automobiles because the globalization has improved the standard of living for the people therein resulting in creation of demand for automobiles. Markets for automobiles in these countries has not yet saturated. These countries are attractive not only within the context of domestic market for automobiles but also the savings in wages by almost 65 per cent. The countries offering huge opportunities for investment are China and India, the world’s two largest populated countries. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) These countries have benefited a lot from the inward FDI flowing in continuously. India especially has survived the economic crisis that

Weekly Journal #8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Weekly Journal #8 - Essay Example Doing contrary is likely to cause confusion and lack of focus, which may lead to failure or stalling of a therapy. Additional point collectible from the readings is that family therapy approaches can apply in the treatment of other psychological and behavioral malfunctions such as substance abuse, childhood depression, eating disorder, internalizing disorder, childhood depression and childhood anxiety. As a qualified counselor, one needs to accept and value concepts of effective integration as presented in the readings. Actually, an experienced counselor should never combine many approaches to family therapy in their entirety. Instead, one should select and borrow important concepts from other models, which are relevant and capable of addressing challenges and differences encountered at different levels of therapy. In addition, an experienced counselor need to apply more of specially designed integrative model when doing therapy. This can help in avoiding confusion and making clients understand complexity of stages and perhaps reasons for changing in costs of therapy. The concept of preferred view can also help experienced counselors identify problems and dysfunctional relationship quickly (Nichols, 2013). The readings of the week also contain many insights that can be vital to a family therapist. One of the insights is that a therapist can use family therapy approaches to treat other behavioral problems such as childhood depression, childhood anxiety, substance abuse and eating disorders among others. Another insight is that therapeutic techniques are dynamic and multidimensional as concepts of one technique can help in resolving problems encountered during application of another technique (Nichols, 2013). Prior to the week’s readings, one would be thinking that integration of family therapy approaches is wrong and, professionally,

Overcoming Multimedia Addiction Essay Example for Free

Overcoming Multimedia Addiction Essay Some of the students nowadays are struggling to stay awake while the rest of the world is asleep just to read their friends’ posts and comments and status on Facebook. They even spend most of their time staring at the big screens of their personal computers just to play online games like DOTA and Counterstrike. Some also spend their money just to buy the latest mobile phones, mp3 players, and other techno gadgets out there. However, they must keep in mind that everything has its own limits. Otherwise, it can become a cause of concern and in extreme cases, addiction. Multimedia addiction can cause destruction and violence to students. Multimedia is simply defined as multi tasking of applications in a single device or gadget. This includes graphics, animation, pictures, videos, and other applications which can be opened simultaneously or consecutively. Smart phone, laptop, iPod, television, and mp4 player are some of many multimedia gadgets that are ‘in’ especially to students because of its amazing features. Consider the television. Whether it is a box, slim, or flat screen, it has become almost like another member of the household. It sits in the living room, in the kitchen, or even in the terrace of your house. It bombards us with all kinds of information about almost anything under the sun. It informs us on what laundry soap to use; what toothpaste to brush our teeth with, or which candidate to vote in the 2013 election. It brings us local news and news from around the world. And of course, it entertains us with sports, music, movies, telenovelas, lifestyle segments and variety programs. Cellular phones, on the other hand, are used for communication purposes. But because of technological advancements, new applications like built- in cameras are added to them. That’s why many people patronize it so much. Laptops are made for easy handling. Unlike personal computers, you can now bring it anywhere because of its small size. Almost every student today has his or her own laptops. The dependence on multimedia gadgets extend to students who became the primary beneficiaries of these gadgets. Tech- net survey said that 42 % of students are using mobile phones, 36 % are using laptop, 15 % are using play station, and 7 % are using mp3 players (â€Å"2012 Most Addicting Gadgets†, www. Technet.com). The use of multimedia gadgets can be constructive and destructive to students (Despabiladeras 15). Many of them consider the use of these gadgets constructive when they help them in their studies. Today, the internet is the major source of knowledge and information. In just one click, they can now find the answers to their assignments. They also use software like Microsoft office and the like for their project presentation. Many schools now use computer oriented techniques for teaching. The traditional way of teaching like writing too many lessons in a manila paper is already replaced by powerpoint presentations which are indeed favorable for the students. They no longer copy too many notes because there are handouts already prepared for them. Multimedia also gives information about the latest happenings and discoveries around the world. The use of social media sites like Facebook allows them to socialize with other people. Some also say that playing online games like DOTA and Counte rstrike have positive effects on them because they relieve stress from the hectic schedule of their schooling. In contrary, students say that multimedia gadgets can be destructive too. Problems begin when students became addicted to these gadgets to the point of discarding other activities which can truly affect their balance and studies (www. Gadgetforums.com). Because of these gadgets, they now prefer playing games that reading books. In most schools, use of cellular phones is banned but many of the students still carry them. They push their parents to buy them the latest mobile phone or other gizmos because their peers use it. The effect of this addiction is that they can no longer resist themselves from taking calls and accessing Facebook and other social networking sites during school hours. â€Å"The use of gadgets can be destructive when it makes your personality bad like when you become wild because of video games†, Bryan Capus said ( Despabiladeras 15). They forgot to budget their time because most of their time are consumed by these gadgets. The overuse of these also affects their health. Too much exposure to these gadgets can cause diseases like brain tumor and cancer caused by radiation (â€Å" Radiation From Gadgets†, www. Healthcare.com). They are prone to sickness because they no longer engaged in outdoor activities. It is alarming to know that 47 % of students nowadays are addicted to computers and other multimedia gadgets ( Despabiladeras 16.). Their parents have a big role in overcoming their children’s addiction. For example, most of the students are advised or told by their parents to limit their internet surfing time until 8:30 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. or but not to reach 10:00 p.m. as they have classes the next day ( Clifford 72). Some also advice their children to engage in other recreational activities like playing basketball or playing the guitar instead of watching T.V. or sitting all day in front of their PCs. One parent posted the following on gadgetforums.com: In today’s high- tech and modern world, we are all connected with each other through the miracle of working inventions and innovations like PC, tablets, smart phones, gaming, internet and so much more. And I think we feel that we won’t have a normal day without getting hooked to any one of these devices. The problem begins to rise when our children became addicted to these gadgets to the point of discarding other activities which can truly affect their balance and health. To avoid this, I try to ensure my son has balance in this area. Playing team sports has helped, that’s one thing in his like that doesn’t require gadget. Sports is one of the best ways to add moving activities to a child’s routine with the aim of creating a certain balance between studying and playing. We could not really avoid our children to get into gadgets as this is the wave of the future with the introduction of tablets which can he fully integrate with schools in the near fu ture ( www.gadgetforums.com). According to gadgetforums.com, there are eight ways to overcome gadget addiction. First, limit the amount of time you spent on any type of gadget. Second, learn to balance and manage your time. Make a time table on when to use your gadget. Third, spend most of your time in your studies. This will give you higher grades in return. Fourth, read books rather than playing games. Surfing the internet for recent news and discoveries will help too. Fifth, spend your free time with your family and friends. Go to an outing of family reunion that doesn’t require gadgets. Sixth, socialize with your true friends, not your ‘virtual’ friends. Your Facebook friends will never help you if you have a problem. Seventh, avoid buying newly released gadgets if you still have one that is still working. And the last is self discipline. It is interesting to know the opinions of students on multimedia gadget addiction; whether it is constructive or destructive for them and what their parents do in influencing their media habits. To prevent this addiction, students should analyze their gadget preferences and see what’s good of bad in it for them. They must set in mind that multimedia gadgets is there to help them, not to enslave them.

Common Law Concepts Essay -- Urban Development

CONCEPT 1 – COMPENSATION AS A WAY TO REDUCE NUISANCE (Hogan & Edwards, 2003) states the idea of compensation in Common Law is to protect the environment as it amplifies the need for organisations and individuals within a society to prevent nuisance. Furthermore, compensation concept has raised conflict between environmental concerns and restricts the property holder’s rights to fully utilize their resources. Nevertheless, the idea of compensation can also be seen as an ethical guideline for the society, of which if any laws were to be broken, for example harming the environment, appropriate punishments will be conducted. Therefore, the act of compensation may lead to a greater cause in the long run for society to reduce nuisance. To further the statement, an example of compensation having positive justification is when a British oil company British Petroleum (BP) created a large oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico. According to (BBC, 2012) BP faces charges by the United States Government and has to compensate over USD7.5 billion to the victims. Furthermore, BP was responsible to ensure the cleaning of their spillage. Prior to the event, BP reconstructed their health and safety policy by ensuring zero tolerance to callous mistakes for future shipments. This example indicates the establishment of compensation and the involvements in monetary value is of significance and therefore, discourages organisations and individuals from harming the environment in the long run. This is supported by (Reardon, 2012) â€Å"lawsuits have helped push industry to make changes in how they do business.† In other words, compensation acts as an effective way to regulate and teach property holders to refrain from damaging the en vironment. This is justified, a... ...you-cant-sue-your-wireless-carrier-in-a-class-action/ State Environment of Tasmania. (2006, December 14). State Environment of Tasmania. Retrieved from Planning Scheme Provision: http://soer.justice.tas.gov.au/2003/her/6/issue/105/index.php The State of Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management. (2012). Queensland Government. Retrieved from Land Management: http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/land/state/rural_leasehold/duty_of_care.html Tutor2u Limited. (2012). Retrieved from tutor2u: http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/corporate-social-responsibility-introduction.html Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T., S, J., & Meyer, M. J. (1992). The Common Good. Retrieved from Santa Clara University: http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/commongood.html World Commision on Environment and Development. (1987). Our Common Future . Oxford University Press.

Integrating Internet-based mathematical manipulatives within Essay

Integrating Internet-based Mathematical Manipulatives Within a Learning Environment The article explores the development, use and importance of digital manipulatives in a mathematics classroom. These manipulatives are believed to be more versatile, economic and efficient than either the manufactured or teacher-created concrete objects traditionally used in the classroom. Manipulatives have been used from time immemorial and have provided tangible mental picture of abstract mathematical concepts. The digitalization of these manipulatives is an important progress in this process. However, the presumption that the article makes about the efficacy of manipulatives in teaching children along with the supposed teaching potential of the manipulatives is doubtful and smells of commercial publicity. There are several advantages that manipulatives are purported to provide. They concretize theoretical ideas, make the study concrete, build confidence in the learner, help solve problems and make the learning experience interesting. What the paper presupposes is that only the using of digital manipulatives is sufficient to bring each of these advantages. This is not supported by evidence. Let us consider the claim that manipulatives build confidence, if a section of the students is less familiar with web based technology than other students in the class, they are likely to lose confidence-using manipulatives. This may adversely affect their learning of math concepts and unnecessarily handicap them. The paper places some conditions that must be fulfilled to realize the full potential of manipulatives. For instance the parents must experience the system, manipulatives should be used for writing assignment, teacher pronounces the benefits to the students, ground rules are established and students are encouraged to explore more material on the web. If manipulatives are used as prescribed they can improve the understanding of more complex and more advanced math theories. These conditions are impractical. What happens if the parents are unfamiliar with the web? Does it put their children at a disadvantage? A teacher pronounces the benefits of manipulatives to children. This is a straw man. If a teacher uses manipulatives she automatically supports the method, there is no need to sermonize it. A child being encouraged to explore more material on the web is an issue that is not related directly to manipulatives. This opens up a host of debatable issues including the exposure of children to unsuitable material. Digital manipulatives can be downloaded and installed on school computers or distributed to children on CDs to be viewed in their homes. The issue of encouraging children to explore the web is not directly related to manipulatives. Further there is no teacher to guide the children in case of glitches. See what the instructions of a manipulative say. (Public Broadcasting Service, 2006). Familiarize yourself with the rules of this fraction game and have fun creating flag designs with the designated fractions. You can choose to paint by half, quarters, and combinations of quarters and halves and then the program will pick colors for you to paint your design by clicking in the flag. One drawback is that there is no help provided if the fraction portions are incorrect, you can only advance if you have painted to correct fractions. A research that comprised of a survey tested the proficiency development potential of manipulatives in math teaching. The basics tested in the survey were motivation, unique instructional capabilities, and support for new instructional approaches, increased teacher productivity and skills for an information age. Eleven teachers were surveyed using a five-point scale. The results were mixed. The results showed that the teachers felt that the use of digital manipulatives had a high positive impact on motivation, that the digital manipulatives had exceptional instructional capabilities, that the web based manipulatives supported new instructional approaches and that the web based manipulatives provided excellent training for an information age. What the teachers did not agree was that the web-based technology increased their productivity. In addition, the teacher showed apprehension about some issues like their inability to track the progress of the student, tricky web sites, ambiguous instructions and lack of direct feedback. This research is not valid. It does not clarify which constructs it attempts to measure. It does not give the process by which it selected the five variables. In addition, the sample size of eleven teachers is too small to reach any meaningful conclusion. Again, the study does not mention basis or the criteria for the selection of the eleven teachers. The study does not give us the details of how the survey scale was constructed. Was there a pilot test? It seems not. The direct conclusion of the research was that virtual manipulatives encouraged student-oriented erudition. The study assumed that the responses of the 11 teachers were indicative of the affect of the digital manipulatives on children. This is questionable. The background of the teachers is not given. Which type of schools they taught in? What physical manipulatives were the teachers using currently? The teachers were ambivalent as to whether digital manipulatives were better than concrete manipulatives and whether teachers were willing to replace concrete manipulatives entirely with digital manipulatives. The teachers have expressed reservations about their inability to track the progress of the student, ambiguous instructions and lack of feedback. If these concerns are addressed satisfactorily it is doubtful if digital manipulatives will remain student centric. In addition, the paper does not define what it means by ‘student centric’. Currently the digital manipulatives that are available on the net offer innovative, interesting and concrete learning opportunities of otherwise nonrepresentational math theories. The end result is that children manage to learn math concepts that were earlier believed to be too advanced for them. These are believed to increase theoretical learning, deeper understanding of dynamic systems, calculation, communication and innovation in thinking. The paper presupposes that the use of the new technology alone is sufficient for enhanced learning of complicated theories. This is not supported by evidence. The learning experience is a function of the power of understanding of the student, the effort he puts in to comprehend and his analytical skills. In addition, learning is facilitated by teacher inputs and guidance. Digital manipulatives cannot replace teacher inputs nor can they substitute student aptitude and effort. Attributing learning achievements to a learning tool is a lopsided opinion inspired by the sales propaganda of digital manipulatives software developers. In sum, the paper eulogizes the benefits of web-based manipulatives for math learning. These manipulatives are claimed to increase children’s understanding of advanced theories and increase the attractiveness of these theories. These web-based manipulatives are declared to focus on the learner and make an optimal use of web-based technology for visualizing intangible concepts. References: Public Broadcasting Service (2006). PBS Teacher Source: Fraction Flags. Retrieved from http://www. pbs. org/teachersource/recommended/math/lk_onlinegames. shtm on August 19, 2006.

Tennis Ball Drop

Tennis Ball Inquiry Goal Purpose When received this lab we had to come up with an experiment that would have to involve testing two tennis balls but one of the tennis ball had to be altered in one way. The way we tested the tennis ball was by dropping them from a certain height and seeing how high they bounce back up. We then would make a graph and then see the relationship between the data.Once finding the relationship we can then linearity the data. This was initial practice for our next ELSE. Variables Our independent variable for this experiment was the height we had dropped tooth of the tennis balls from. The dependent variable was the tennis balls. One of them we left untouched and the other one was soaked In water before each drop. Procedure To setup the experiment we had to use three meter sticks and two standard tennis balls.We took all three of the meter sticks aligning them vertically up against the wall. Taping them into place we were then able to use them to measure the height of the dropping point. Using our eye sight we had to determine how far up the ball bounced up on the meter stick. We then proceeded to find three appropriate heights to drop then tennis ball at. Dropping it three times at each height and then averaging the data. On the soaked tennis ball we would soak the ball for two seconds before each drop.We also measured the weight of each ball before dropping them. After doing this 3 times each and receiving our averages we were able to create our data and see the relationship between the two. Data The ball that wasn't soaked weighed and average of 5. 4 grams. The soaked ball averaged the weight of 5. 9 grams.

Facts and Figureso on Majungasaurus

Facts and Figureso on Majungasaurus Name: Majungasaurus (Greek for Majunga lizard); pronounced ma-JUNG-ah-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of northern Africa Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (70-65 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 20 feet long and one ton Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Short, blunt snout; spike on forehead; unusually small arms; bipedal posture About Majungasaurus The dinosaur formerly known as Majungatholus (Majunga dome) until its current name took precedence for paleontological reasons, Majungasaurus was a one-ton meat-eater native to the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar. Technically classified as an abelisaurand thus closely related to the South American AbelisaurusMajungasaurus was distinguished from other dinosaurs of its kind by its unusually blunt snout and the single, tiny horn on top of its skull, a rare feature for a theropod. Like another famous abelisaur, Carnotaurus, Majungasaurus also possessed unusually short arms, which presumably wasnt a major hindrance in the pursuit of prey (and may, in fact, have made it slightly more aerodynamic when running!) Although it certainly wasnt the habitual cannibal portrayed on breathless TV documentaries (most famously the late and unlamented Jurassic Fight Club), there’s good evidence that at least some Majungasaurus adults occasionally preyed on others of their kind: paleontologists have discovered Majungasaurus bones bearing Majungasaurus tooth marks. Whats unknown is whether the adults of this genus actively hunted down their living relative when they were hungry, or simply feasted on the carcasses of already-dead family members (and if the latter is the case, this behavior wouldnt have been unique to Majungasaurus, dinosaur-wise, or for that matter to any living creatures except modern human beings). Like many other large theropods of the late Cretaceous period, Majungasaurus has proven difficult to classify. When it was first discovered, researchers mistook it for a pachycephalosaur, or bone-headed dinosaur, thanks to that odd protrusion on its skull (the tholus, meaning dome, in its original name Majungatholus is a root usually found in pachycephalosaur names, like Acrotholus and Sphaerotholus). Today, the closest contemporary relatives of Majungasaurus are a subject of dispute; some paleontologists point to obscure meat-eaters like Ilokelesia and Ekrixinatosaurus, while others throw up their (presumably not so tiny) arms in frustration.

Sinornithosaurus - Facts and Figures

Sinornithosaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Sinornithosaurus (Greek for Chinese bird-lizard); pronounced sine-OR-nith-oh-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of Asia Historical Period: Early Cretaceous (130-125 million years ago) Size and Weight: About three feet long and 5-10 pounds Diet: Probably omnivorous Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; bipedal posture;  long tail; feathers About Sinornithosaurus   Of all the dino-bird fossils discovered in the Liaoning Quarry in China, Sinornithosaurus may be the most famous, because its the most complete:  the perfectly preserved skeleton of this early Cretaceous dinosaur shows evidence not only of feathers, but of different kinds of feathers on different parts of its body. The feathers on this small theropods head were short and hairlike, but the feathers on its arms and tail were long and distinctively birdlike, with tufts of intermediate length along its back. Technically, Sinornithosaurus is classified as a raptor, on the basis of the single, oversized, sickle-shaped single claws on each of its hind feet, which it used to  tear  at and disembowel prey; on the whole, though, it bears a greater resemblance to the other dino-birds of the Mesozoic Era (like Archaeopteryx and Incisivosaurus) than it does to famous raptors like Deinonychus​ and Velociraptor. At the end of 2009, a team of paleontologists generated headlines by claiming Sinornithosaurus  to be  the first identified venomous dinosaur (never mind that poison-spitting Dilophosaurus you saw in Jurassic Park, which was based on fantasy rather than fact). The supposed evidence in favor of this behavior: fossilized pouches connected by ducts to this dinosaurs snake-like fangs. At the time, reasoning by analogy with modern animals, it would have been surprising if these sacs werent exactly what they appeared to berepositories of venom that Sinornithosaurus used to immobilize (or kill) its prey.  However, a more recent, and more convincing, study has concluded that the supposed  pouches of Sinornithosaurus were created when this individuals incisors loosened from their sockets, and arent evidence of a venomous lifestyle after all!

Do pressure groups strengthen or undermine British democracy Essay

Do pressure groups strengthen or undermine British democracy - Essay Example ed to have a thorough examination regarding the role of these pressure groups in British democracy including magnitude of impact they have on the ordinary citizens. The subject deserves to be analyzed from both sides so as to understand the extend which these groups strengthen democracy and the extend they are a hindrance to democracy. A balance between the two sides of the research will be used to draw a conclusion on the role of pressure groups in regard to democracy in Britain. Pressure groups are nothing more than formal institutions whose main aim is to impact on policies for public provisions in a democratic society. They present shared views, attitudes and perceptions regarding various policies. This type of non-partisan activism usually seeks to draw public attention to some issues in which they hold a controversial stand concerning them as compared to political parties. They then use various tools like campaigns and the media to create public awareness and raise public concern regarding them. This is important because some of the ordinary citizens may not be well aware of any change in policies nor how these changes are going to affect them. Therefore, they act as an important public awareness and education tool and hence a channel through which the public can enjoy their democratic rights. According to Coxall and Robins (1998), the best way in which pressure groups strengthen democracy is getting the public to participate in politics regarding various issues that affect them. This is important because it increases public participation in politics and their access to the government’s political system. They become more effective when there are confronting pressure groups holding varied views. This provides a platform for expression of views. The varied ideas are later on used to reach a consensus in which the varied views and concerns are considered. Pressure groups provide social progress as a way of strengthening democracy. The social progress is one

Contrast and Compare Absorption Costing With Marginal Costing Essay

Contrast and Compare Absorption Costing With Marginal Costing - Essay Example Marginal costing and absorption costing are the basic two methods of costing that are used for managerial decision making. This research paper outlines comparison and contrasting of marginal costing with absorption costing to be presented to the manager of Ball Dolbear Ltd that I recently joined as an accountant. This paper describes the meaning and basic principles of both marginal costing and absorption costing. The managerial concepts and significance of both these methods are detailed in this paper. Both absorption costing and marginal or variable costing are types of product costing systems. Absorption or full costing includes direct materials, direct labor and both variable and fixed manufacturing overhead in the product costs whereas variable costing doesn’t include manufacturing fixed costs along with direct material and direct labor (Weygandt, Keiso and Kimmel, 2005, p. 265),. Marginal costing is the basic tool that helps management in taking most appropriate decisions and understands accurate cost structures. Marginal costing or variable costing considers direct materials, direct labor and variable manufacturing overhead costs as product costs. Under marginal costing, variable costs are attributed to cost units for a fixed period and fixed costs are written off in full against the total contribution. (Lucey and Lucey, 2002, p. 296). Nigam, Nigam and Jain (2004) defined marginal costing as the costing technique that â€Å"charges only the variable costs to the cost units† (p. 398). According to CIMA terminology of marginal costing, â€Å"it is a principle whereby variable costs are charged to the cost units and fixed costs attributable to the relevant period is written off in full against the contribution of that period† (Bhattacharyya, 2005, p. 68). Cost of a unit consists only of out of pocket costs that are direct, variable or avoidable costs. These