The Meaning of Love According to Plato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Meaning of Love According to Plato - Essay Example The symposium is a venerable treatise record of speeches employed in both story and verse by six prominent Athenians to convey a clump of myths and motifs regarding nature, meaning together with the purpose of live. A symposium was a social event in Ancient Greek where people partied after an evening meal. In this occasion, people would drink wine saturated with water, sing songs, make conversation, and tell stories and riddles as well as fables. Those who participated perfumed wore garlands, danced, and entertained by hired mimes, acrobats, and flute-players. It was during his occasion, Plato remarked on conversations regarding the meaning of love with a discourse of speeches. He begins lessons of this formidable yet a life-determining discussion by referring to love as a great god, marvelous as to how he came into being, and very wonderful according to how he treats fellow gods and people. Love is a god and no one knows when it commenced existing but believed to have come into bein g after what the poets’ term as chaos and earth (Plato 57). Referencing from Plato’s definition of love, I think love in terms of genealogy is the oldest god meaning that it is virtually eternal and there has never been a time when it was not there. Since love is a god and ancient, he offers the greatest goods such as gentle relationship full of great love with neither shame nor pride. Love is the origin or source of greatest gifts that has its stand in the heart of all humankind considered noble and within every generous act. Plato’s description of love as source shows that love is a motivational power that generates need to establish a relationship and maintain it for as long as possible. In this case, the value of the greatest gifts of love does not necessarily mean satisfaction of erotic needs (Plato 19). It also values virtue development and distinguished character within both parties. Some of the gifts that come along with love include justice within towns , good guidance in life, bravery in war as well as getting rid of fear and shame. Love fills people with might that enables them to overcome danger and deepens their courage to an extent of losing their lives in place of their loved ones. Love is a motivation for noble and high actions and benefits the lives on men effectively as it gives the greatest gifts (Plato 23). Regarding this definition of love, I think love is kind and caring as it gives people motivation and courage to face any kind of challenge or risk including death. I also presuppose that love creates emotions that make people develop feelings towards others and in the process begin trying winning the subjects love, establish a relationship that the lover maintains for good. Further, Plato portrays definition of love with unmitigated praise saying that love is neither noble nor ignoble. In this definition, there are two types of love, which are Common Aphrodite and Heavenly Aphrodite (Plato 35). In this arena, love is neutral, but what determine its position are its actions and sentiments. If sentiments and actions of love depict negativity, it means that love is ignoble and shameful in this scenario. If love’s actions as well as sentiments come out as a product of nobility and goodwill then love in this particular scenario is noble and honorable. According to Plato, love that a vulgar feels is ignoble and produces ignoble sentiments. He classifies this kind of love in the class of

Monster Mash Essay Example for Free

Monster Mash Essay Everyone loves a good scare. The rush we feel when our worst nightmares are realized, and yet that small inkling in our minds reminds us, this isn’t real. It’s fun. First we clench and scream and our hearts pop out of our chests. Then, we smile, laugh, and say â€Å"wow, that scared me† escape our lips, and we again move on with the rest of our average everyday lives. It’s exciting, and to some, arousing. But the concept of horror raises an all too common inquiry. What if you could become one of those famous monsters of the silver screen? Would you choose to be the seductive vampire, the gnarly werewolf, the ghastly ghost, or the ravenous Frankenstien? Now I know what you’re thinking. What about Jason Vorhees, or Freddy Kruger? What about Leatherface, or the Pinhead? Those are all excellent horror film identities. They are however, latter day principals that have all been crafted from the inspiration of the age old favorites. We couldn’t possibly begin to appreciate Jason Vorhees or Leatherface without first acknowledging the colossal juggernaut that was Frankenstien. So for this paper, I’ll only be focusing on the primary figures of horror. Let’s kick this off with an all-time classic. This horror figure amassed not only one of the largest fan bases in film, but directly influenced its own underground culture. Bela Lugosi donned the crimson cape in 1927 as Count Dracula in a Broadway adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, where he was talent-spotted as a character actor for the new Hollywood talkies, appearing in the first Dracula film with sound. It would be four years later, with the movie adaptation of that play that vampires would become a public icon. Here we are almost ninety years later, vampire lore has erupted into many renditions, many new ideals. There has been games, and music inspired by their sultry image. These being thrive on the lust and temptation of man, the sexiness of evil. They indulge in blood, and ritual. Only ever able to enjoy their immortality at night, as sunlight invariably reduces them to dust and ash. They are dexterous, equally cunning, using sleight of hand and a quick tongue t o gain your every allegiance. They are connected into every faà §ade of regular, and have either allies, or brethren in powerful social circles. The older the vampire, the more attuned to the gift. On the darker side of this coin lies the cold hard fact that you are completely vulnerable to fire, sunlight, and according to EVERY SINGLE vampire movie, the inevitable betrayal of those closest to you. Which for me begs the ultimate question, â€Å"what good is immortality, if you have no one to share it with†. One a cold dark night, when the moon is full, can you hear the howling of their kind. They are excellent hunters, and even better combatants. They are supernaturally strong, fast, and almost impossible to fend off. All it takes is a simple scratch and your fate is sealed. The werewolf is a tragic Monster. There is nothing sexy or fun about this curse. Every four weeks, when the moon is full, your body reconstructs itself. Breaking bones, and rearranging them. Stretching muscle mass, and skin. I don’t recommend watching someone turn if you are squeamish or faint of heart. The mind goes into an instinctive mode, where you can only process hunger, and anger. You’re compelled not by your humanity, but by the beast within. No matter how you shake it, or which rendition of this monster you look at, werewolves are awesome and sad. Immense power, and raw animal agility, but without a single ounce of control. The concept of man becoming beast has been around for a long time. Ancient Celtics used to believe the spirit of the earth created them to protect her forests from all dangers. It wasn’t until 1941 that the â€Å"wolf man† would see the silver screen, and forever change the way we looked at secluded romantic ventures in the wood. Speaking of silver, nothing but, can truly bring this monster to peace. Ghosts are a funny ideal. They scare the daylights out of us, yet never even threaten us with imminent danger. Most of the time, they are the remnants of someone looking to warn us or tell us something they didn’t get a chance to while they were alive. Yet, like the others, they manage to drive us crazy, and inspire multimedia frenzies. Personally, I hate all these darned ghost hunting shows on TV nowadays. They never seem to really grasp the concept. Its like I’m watching the ghost of Seinfeld, trying one last time to do a horrible stand up monologue. Still the imagery of being there, but not there, and subsequently affecting your surroundings with how you feel, sounds like horror gold. For as much literature is out there on these monsters, very little is actually known. There are a lot of myths about spirits, so it’s hard to decipher what is truth from what is fiction. Some sources say they cannot cross running water, others say that salt naturally repels them. Most say that wrought iron, or cold iron will disperse them quickly. Last but not least, the awesome Frankenstein monster. The twisted dream of an eccentric medical school dropout. A being brought to life with the grotesque remain of the dead. The feeble attempts of a mad man to play god. This monster is as powerful as he is awe-inspiring. Unnaturally super strong, and equally impatient, he towers over the other monsters. He is remarkably resilient, and can repair himself but using new parts. A horrific machine of flesh and bone. Having to accept the weight of being the only of his kind, is the only solace he will ever hope to achieve. At least not until bride of Frankenstein, and we all know how that ends. Mary Shelly gave birth to this horrific story in 1818, originally adapted to be a drama that focused on Dr. Frankenstein as tortured soul, looking for repentance from his monolithic creation. This would fade in 1931, when Boris Karloff donned the neck bolts and platform boots. Becoming an instant classic on the silver screen, Frankenstein would later be seen taking care of Dracula’s coffin in the daytime and feeding the wolf man on the full moon. Never saying much, as to forego the myth that reanimated brain tissue results in a zombie state of mind, Frankenstein does most of his communication in gestures. I would like to believe that the incredible HULK is somehow inspired by him. Choosing an archetype of horror can be taxing. But knowing not only what you stand to gain, but what you stand to lose is paramount. Everyone focuses so on the merit of being a monster. As much as they are powerful, they are weak. To truly choose means to condemn yourself to a live of horror. Would you sacrifice the sun for immortality? Or are you more privy toward the animalistic freedom in exchange for your sanity. Or maybe you’d remain human, and use this hypothetical as tactical advantage. Knowing is half the battle, right? References: IMDB.com Copyright  © 1990-2013 IMDb.com, Inc. Bela Lugosi http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000509/bio The Wolf Man http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034398/?ref_=sr_3 Frankenstein- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021884/?ref_=sr_6 Monsters An Investigators Guide to Magical Beings Creators: John Michael Greer Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD. Sept. 2001

Impact of Web-Based Instruction (WBI) in Schools

Impact of Web-Based Instruction (WBI) in Schools Nowadays the use of Web-Based Instruction (WBI) has significant impacts on every aspect of our lives. In the context of education industry more and more school and education institutions have come to realize the potential impact of using the WBI in the classroom as part of the learning environment. Despite the many challenges yet to be overcome, the advantages of WBI have been widely recognized. Some of these major advantages include flexibility and broader accessibility (Lee, Cheung, Chen, 2005), improved students performance (Alavi, 1994), reflective evaluation of the learning experience (Hiltz, 1995), and higher computer self-efficacy (Piccoli, Ahmad, Ives, 2001). Academic institutions also benefit in terms of cost reductions and increasing revenues (Saadà © and Bahli, 2005). The success of Web usage for learning is primarily due to its potential to integrate various types of media such as audio, video, graphics, animation and text and delivered in various forms. Statement of the problem: Schools are witnessing a profound increase in the use of multimedia presentations, video teleconferencing, and, more currently, Web-Based Instruction (WBI). WBI presents great potential for instructional improvement by providing ready access to information and allowing more interaction between teachers and learners (Hill, 1997). In order to meet the diverse needs of their teachers when integrating WBI into their subjects, most schools have adopted a few major brands of commercial course management software. Nowadays we have heard that information technologies are going to change school education especially in the way teachers teach and the way our students will learn. But most of us have seen little evidence to support the claim. In fact, teachers utilization of innovative technologies has remained low (Surry and Land, 2000). The integration of technology such as WBI into the classroom has remained low and educational technology use has been minimal, infrequent, and limited as an add-on rather than as indispensable to teaching and learning (Becker, 1991). Surry and Ely (2002) diagnosed, as a reason for this lack of utilization, which instructional designers had focused on developing. They added that there is no guarantee for diffusion of instructional technologies itself. While the diffusion and implementation of innovation is important. Rogers (1995) and Stockdill and Morehouse (1992) described, it is a complex process that is influenced by many factors. Technological superiority is only one of a number of factors that influence a persons decision about whether or not to adopt an innovation. A more complex interaction of social, economic, organizational, and individual factors influence which technologies are adopted and how much they are used after they have been adopted. As one of the major areas of diffusion of innovation study, instructional technologies have focused on the identification of the significant factors contributing to educational technology implementation. Most studies of this issue have been simply investigating factors or have confined the research scope to only examine either the psychological perspective of factors (Marcinkiewicz, 1994; McKinney, Sexton, Meyerson, 1999; Olech, 1997), or the external or environmental perspective of factors (Daugherty and Funke, 1998; Groves Zemel, 2000), disregarding other relevant variables. Daugherty and Funkes (1998) study focused only on the teachers perceived supports or incentives as factors influencing the use of Web-Based instruction. They surveyed school teachers and students involved in Web-Based instruction on the advantages, disadvantages, and general effectiveness of using the Internet as a teaching and learning tool. Teachers reported the lack of technical support, lack of software or adequate equipment, lack of teachers or administrative support, the amount of preparation time, and student resistance are barriers to use Web-Based instruction. According to Hamilton and Thompson (1992) in reality it is assumed that a person will be influenced by psychological and also environmental factors at the same time for a decision to adopt or utilize an innovation and Ely (1999) identified eight environmental conditions. His approach recognizes that the characteristics of adopters and the innovation are not the only factors influencing its diffusion. His research suggests that the environment such as supports and incentives in which the innovation is to be introduced can play an equally important role in determining a change efforts success. In the this study, the three categories of variables known to relate to the level of innovation use are identified based on the diffusion and innovation models. First, in the area of personal characteristics, previous experience and self-efficacy are selected as key variables. Second, complexity and relative advantage in this study are selected for the area of perceived attributes of innovation. Last, for the area of perception of influence and support from the environment, supports, and time are selected. To go beyond the single-equation approach using multiple regressions and address the associated limitations, structural equation modeling (SEM) will be used. Using this technique, indirect effects among variables are identified in the model that is specified from the literature and theories by the researcher. These indirect effects, when added to the direct effects in the model, allow the determination of total causal effects. Research Objective: Identifying the direct, indirect and total effects of the identified predictor variables (self-efficacy, relative advantage, complexity, computer experience, supports and time) on criterion variable (level of WBI use). Research Questions: What are the direct, indirect and total effects of the identified predictor variables (self-efficacy, relative advantage, complexity, computer experience, supports and time) on criterion variable (level of WBI use)? Purpose of the Study: The purpose of the study is to build a model to predict the level of diffusion and utilization of Web-Based Instruction in school. To test the model six independent variables (self-efficacy, relative advantage, complexity, computer experience, supports and time) from the three perspectives affecting the diffusion and utilization of WBI will be used. The selection of the variables is substantiated by empirical evidence from previous relevant innovation studies (Rogers, 1995; Ely, 1999). The result of this study would also be helpful to instructional designers. When it comes to successful educational program design, the consideration of the target audiences characteristics is essential to the analysis phase in most instructional design models. Because the predictor variables are susceptible to interventions such as training or staff development, the identification of the potential factors that are highly related to the integration of a new technology. Operational Definition: Predictor Variables: Six independent variables which are selected from the three perspectives affecting the diffusion and utilization of WBI. The variables are computer experience, self-efficacy, complexity, relative advantage, supports and time. Diffusion of Innovations: The adoption and utilization of Web as a teaching tool. Level of Use: Degree of integration of WBI that has been attained by teachers in order to attain existing instructional goals. Web-Based Instruction: A hypermedia-based instructional program which utilizes the attributes and resources of the World Wide Web to create a meaningful learning environment such as Blackboard and WebCT. Chapter II: Literature Review: The objective of the study is to identify factors affecting the likelihood of diffusion in educational setting is usually perceived from one of three major perspectives. The first of these is concerned with the characteristics of the adopter, such as computer experience and self-efficacy. The second perspective is focuses on the characteristics of the innovation itself. The third perspective focused on the characteristics of the environment in which the innovation is to be introduced. This approach highlights the importance of factors outside the innovation which can set the stage for its success or failure. The review will be focus on diffusion of innovation, relation to factors affecting the diffusion and implementation of Web-Based Instruction in an educational setting, informational technology diffusion models, model constructs and Web-Based Instruction (WBI). Diffusion of Innovation: Sanders and Morrison (2001) have identified three reasons why the study of diffusion theory is beneficial to the field of instructional technology. The first reason is most instructional technologists lack the knowledge of why their products are or are not adopted. They believe a study of diffusion theory could rectify this situation. Second, the field of instructional technology is often associated with the concept of innovations and they suggested that if instructional technologists understand the diffusion and diffusion of innovation theory. They will be more prepared to work effectively with potential adopters. The third reason is the studies of the diffusion theory could result in developing a systematic model of diffusion and diffusion for the instructional technology field. Everett Rogers is the most widely cited author in the area of general diffusion theory. Rogers (1995) theories form the basis of most studies related to diffusion. Rogers theories seem to be common elements of most diffusion theories. They are diffusion process, adopter categories, innovation attributes, and rate of diffusion. So the instructional technologists not only need to create well-designed products but need to ensure the diffusion of these products. The main concern of the diffusion of innovation research is how innovations are adopted and why innovations are adopted at different rates. The diffusion process outlined by Rogers (1995) has five steps knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. According to this theory, potential adopters of an innovation have to learn about an innovation and are persuaded to try it out before making a decision to adopt or reject the innovation. The adopters decide to either continue using the innovation or stop using it. This theory is very important because it shows that diffusion is not a momentary irrational act, but an ongoing process that can be studied, facilitated and supported. Factors Affecting Diffusion of Innovation: The experts in diffusion of innovation find that there is no single or a certain group of factors identified to explain the lack of use of Web-Based Instruction in school education. In this section, I will explore the factors have been examined and identified from many studies. The experts in educational technology have done numerous studies to find out the factors affecting the diffusion of Web-Based Instruction in school. Morris (2001) have found that the lack of technical support, lack of adequate equipment, amount of time required, student resistance or lack of computer skills, network problems and identified lack of teachers or administrative support are the barriers that teachers confronted when incorporating Web-Based instruction. From a survey of 557 teachers, Anderson, Varnhagen and Campbell (1998) also found that although most teachers believe that learning and communications technologies are essential to improving the quality of school education, many barriers were identified to realizing that capacity. They identified nine factors as major or minor barriers. The greatest barrier identified was lack of funding. The second greatest barrier was lack of time to learn technologies. The others are classroom infrastructure, adequate computer hardware or connectivity, institutional incentives, knowledge about applying technology in teaching, access to software tools, lack of training and support, an d information about available technology. Pitman, Gosper and Rich (1999) examined teachers use of instructional technology in a school classroom. In this study, they limited instructional technology to internet-related technologies including e-mail and the World Wide Web. The study identified significant relationships between teaching style, perceived effectiveness of technology, perceived access to technology and perceived administrative support and the use of technology. Beggs (2000) have conducted the survey of 348 teachers. In this survey teachers at a school were asked about their self-perceived use of technology, factors influencing their use of technology, and barriers to the use of technology in the classroom. The factors are improved student learning, advantage over traditional teaching, equipment availability, increased student interest, ease of use, compatibility with discipline, time needed to learn, materials in discipline, compatibility with materials, training, administrative support, personal comfort and coll eague use. Rogers (2000) have conducted the study to examine barriers to technology diffusion through a structured interview conducted on the telephone or in-person. The barriers that he identified are need technical support staff, need release time and time for training, funds, and lack of sharing best practices across system. Through this through review, it seems that the factors emerge into three categories as like personal characteristics which include factors such as years of teaching, previous experience, teaching style, self-efficacy, and anxiety, innovation characteristics such as relative advantage, complexity, and compatibility, and environmental and social factors such as support and time. In the case of a factor of support, the factors like accessibility or availability, technical and administrative, workshop, and incentive may be grouped into a single factor as support. Refer to importance of considering both the person and the social environment as joint determinants of behavior, Surry and Farquhar (1997) described adopter based theories as opposite to developer-based theories. Developer-based theories are to increase diffusion by maximizing the efficiency, effectiveness and elegance of an innovation. They assume that the best way to bring about educational change is to create a system or product that is significantly superior to existing products or systems. In summary, this section focused on the studies conducted to find out the factors affecting the diffusion of instructional technology. Since these studies have not looked at the interactional effects of determinants on an adopters behavior so more attention seems to be needed on the interrelationships among identified variables. Innovation Diffusion Models: In contrast to the studies that focus on single factors or a list of factors, a few models have been developed and empirically studied to identify the interactional effects of variables on innovation usage. These models focused on the identification of the determinants of usage, such as attitudes, social influences, and facilitation conditions (Davis, Richard Paul, 1989; Mathieson, 1991). Theory of Reasoned Action: The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) was first proposed by Azjen and Fishbein (1975). The theory specified a causal relationship between individual behavioral intention and actual behavior. The components of TRA are behavioral intention, attitude, and subjective norm. TRA suggests behavioral intention depends on a persons attitude toward behavior and subjective norm. Behavioral intention measures a persons relative strength of intention to perform a behavior. Attitude is comprised of beliefs about the consequences of performing the behavior multiplied by his or her valuation of those consequences. Subjective norm is seen as a combination of perceived expectations from referent individuals or groups along with intentions to comply with these expectations. (Azjen and Fishbein, 1975). TRA became the basis for developing the following two models, Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). In fact, to account for conditions where individuals do not have complete control over their behavior, TPB extended TRA. Theory of Planned Behavior: Azjen and Madden (1986) modified TRA and generated a model named the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The only difference between the TRA and TPB is the inclusion of perceived behavioral control. Perceived behavioral control reflects a persons ability to actually perform a behavior. It is influenced by the effects facilitating conditions and self-efficacy. Hoffman and Novak (1994) included ease of access, ease of use, price, knowledge, past experience, and skill to represent the perceived behavioral control in their study of hypermedia using TPB. Each of the determinants of intention, like attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control, is determined by underlying belief structures. These are referred to as attitudinal beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs which are related to attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control respectively. Technology Acceptance Model: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was developed by Davis (1986) and introduced by Davis, et al. (1989). This model is an adaptation of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). TAM contends two distinct constructs like perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Davis (1989) defined perceived usefulness as the degree to which an individual believes that using particular system would enhance his or her job performance and ease of use as the degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would be free of physical and mental effort. This model is more specific and simple because it only provides two factors which are important determinants of innovation usage (Mathieson, 1991). These factors are specific, easy to understand, and can be manipulated through system design and implementation. In addition, they should also be generalizable across settings. Although it is a special case of the TRA, TAM excludes the influence of social and personal control factors on behavior, which is also identified as important factors in the previous research (Groves Zemel, 2000; Knutel, 1998). Components of the Study Model Constructs: The six predictor variables believed to be important in influencing the diffusion of innovation which has derived from the Rogers model and other relevant constructs from other models and other reviewed studies. Followed is the explanation of each of the six predictor variables and the criterion variable in more detail. Personal Characteristics: Computer Experience: Computer experience is defined as the extent to which adopters perceive previous computer experience and performance with internet connection as good. Also, it includes amounts of time using computer with internet connection in this study. The more positive experiences one has, the more confident one is in a similar innovation (Stone Henry, 2003). In other words, positive past experience with computers will increase ones confidence while negative experience will reduce it. This view is supported by Ertmer, Evenbeck, Cennamo and Lehman (1994), who found that although positive computer experience increased computer confidence, the actual amount of experience was not correlated with the confidence beliefs of students. This suggests that it is the quality, not the quantity, of experience is a critical factor in determining self-efficacy beliefs, which is one of the most important and popular variables in the diffusion and utilization of innovations studies. There have been numerous studies involving the experience and attitude-behavior relationship (Anderson, Varnhagen, Campbell, 1998; Christoph, Schoenfeld, Tansky, 1998; Daugherty Funke, 1998; Ellsworth, 1998; Groves Zemel, 2000; Hill, Stone Henry, 2003; Kao, Wedman, Placier, 1995). Bandura (1977) suggests that experience is likely to reduce anxieties and induce individuals to change their behavior. The information gained by performance accomplishments provides the most influential source of efficacy information (Bandura, Adams, Beyer, 1977 and Zimmerman, 2000). Hill, Smith, Mann (1987) provide evidence that experience with computer technology lead to a higher likelihood of technology adoption through changes in perceived self-efficacy. Self-efficacy: Self-efficacy, a key element in Banduras social learning theory (1977), refers to ones belief in ones capability to use Internet in this study. Self-efficacy has been found to influence the decision to use computers (Hill, Smith and Mann, 1987). Bandura (1997) defined perceived self-efficacy as personal judgments of ones capabilities to organize and execute subjects of action to attain designated goals, and he sought to assess its level, generality and strength across activities and contexts. Zhang and Espinoza (1998) found that comfort or anxiety about computers perceived by students predicted their confidence levels about computers and the confidence level is a significant predictor in deciding their desirability of learning technology skills. In addition, from the findings in his qualitative study Zollinhofer (1998) supported that teachers who have low self-efficacy are susceptible to cyber anxiety which can increase resistance to learning new technologies. According to Banduras (1977) self-efficacy theory, judgments of self-efficacy are based on several kinds of information including performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and emotional arousal. Venkatesh and Davis (1994) theorize that perceptions about a new systems usefulness and a new systems ease of use influences and are anchored on an individuals general computer self-efficacy. From this evidence, it can be hypothesized that self-efficacy influences perceived relative advantage and ease of use of innovation, and also influences utilization of an innovation through those two intervening variables. Perceived attributes of innovation: Rogers (1995), Wolfe (1994), and Farguhar and Surry (1994) identified perceived by potential adopters, relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability as five main attributes of an innovation as important factors in determining the rate of diffusion. According to Rogers theory, potential adopters of an innovation have to learn about an innovation and are persuaded to try it out before making a decision to adopt or reject the innovation. This five attributes are frequently cited as playing a key role in the perceptions of adopters in regard to the implementation of instructional innovations. For this study, although perceived attributes compatibility, observability and trialability could contribute to some extent in diffusion process but only relative advantage and complexity which distinguished by Vinson (1996) and Moskal, Martin, and Foshee (1997) are included. This is because they have the strongest influence from Rogers five attributes. Relative Advantage: Relative advantage is defined as the degree to which an innovation of WBI as an instructional technology in this study is perceived as being better than the technology it supersedes and other solutions being considered (Rogers, 1995). The degree of relative advantage is often expressed as economic profitability, social prestige, or other benefits. The degree of use is expected to be increased by the teacherss perceived relative advantage of WBI. Rogers generalized from previous research that the relative advantage of an innovation, as perceived by members of a social system, is positively related to its rate of diffusion. In their study, Venkatesh and Davis (1994) tested the effect of self-efficacy on the perceived ease of use construct using two different information technologies, E-mail and Gopher. They found that the perceptions about a new systems ease of use are anchored on a persons general computer self-efficacy. Complexity: Complexity is defined as the degree to which the WBI as an instructional technology is perceived as difficult to understand and use (Rogers, 1995). It is similar to the ease of use construct used by Davis, Bagozzi, Warshaw (1989). They define it as the degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would be free of physical and mental effort. In their study they find a positive correlation between perceived ease of use and behavioral intentions. They found ease of use to be a strong determinant of use. It is expected that the more complex WBI appears to teachers, the less they will use it. An innovation which is perceived as being difficult to use will meet with greater resistance to its use and diffusion than those which are considered as easy to learn. Hence, another generalization drawn by Rogers was that the complexity of an innovation, as perceived by members of a social system, is negatively related to its rate of diffusion. Then, who perceives an innovation as being more or less difficult? The findings (Ghaith Yaghi, 1997; Guskey, 1988) indicate that more efficacious teachers considered an innovation as less difficult to implement. Perception of influence and support from the environment: Groves and Zemel (2000) from their study has been identified that environment as a category of influencing factors on diffusion and utilization of innovation. Ely (1999) proposed eight environmental condition dissatisfaction with the status quo, existence of knowledge and skills, availability of resources, availability of time, existence of rewards or incentives for participation, expectation and encouragement of participation, commitment by stakeholders involved, and evidence of leadership. A few studies have been conducted to determine the best predictors among the eight conditions using stepwise multiple regression analysis. Ravitz (1999) found out availability of resources, availability of time, existence of rewards or incentives, commitment, and leadership are the most important determinants related to the implementation of innovation. In another pure survey study, Daugherty and Flunke (1998) reported the barriers confronted by teachers when incorporating Web-Based instruction a re lack of technical support, lack of software or adequate equipment; amount of time required and lack of teachers or administrative support. From reviewing the related studies, supports and time were selected as key variables for this study. Supports: Groves Zemel (2000) found out that the supports like training available on how to use, information or materials available, and administrative support were rated as very important factors influencing use of instructional technologies in teaching. Morris (2001) found out that lack of technical support, lack of adequate equipment or software, and lack of teachers or administrative support are the barriers teachers confronted when incorporating distance education. Farquhar and Surry (1994) proposed organizational factors with the adopters individual factors as influential factors which affect the diffusion and utilization of the instructional product. They asserted that inappropriate environmental support can often be an important hindrance factor of successful innovation diffusion. The teachers training and other resources to use and learn the WBI technology can be effective and productive by lessen teachers perceived level of complexity to use or learn WBI as an instructional technology. Time: Seminoff and Wepner (1997) discovered that of the 77 respondents in their study on instructional-based projects, 64% indicated that release time for preparation of technology-based projects was not being provided. In the survey study about factors influencing the use of technology and perceived barriers to use of technology, Groves Zemel (2000) found that teachers perceived time needed to learn as an important factor in influencing use of technology. Plater (1995) indicates that managing teachers time is the single most important asset of the school. In the past teachers had only a few time-related issues, including meeting classes, keeping office hours, and attending teachers meetings. Plater goes on to say that schools must recognize teachers time as valuable resource and begin to think about departmental needs and prepare individual teachers to meet these needs. While teachers training should be part of the overall preparation for WBI, teachers training can only be effective and productive if there is adequate preparation time to incorporate what has been learned in training. In the present study time is defined as perceived available time needed to learn and use WBI as an instructional technology. The more available time teachers perceive, the less complex they perceive to learn and use WBI as an instructional technology. Level of Use: Level of using Web-Based Instruction is a dependent variable for this study. Moersch (1995) proposed a conceptual framework that measures levels of technology use. In this framework, seven distinguished implementation levels teachers can demonstrate. According to Moersch (1995), as a teacher progresses from one level to the next, a series of changes to the instructional curriculum is observed. The instructional focus shifts from being teacher-centered to being learner-centered. Computer technology is used as a tool that supports and extends students understanding of the pertinent concepts, processes and themes involved when using databases, telecommunications, multimedia, spreadsheets, and graphing applications. Traditional verbal activities are gradually replaced by authentic hands-on inquiry related to a problem issue or theme. Heavy reliance on textbook and sequential instructional materials is replaced by use of extensive and diversified resources determined by the problem areas under discussion. Traditional evaluation practices are supplanted by multiple assessment strategies that utilize portfolios, open-ended questions, self-analysis, and peer review. To measure the level of innovation use, in addition to above levels of innovation use which are used to measure the degree to which an adopter integrates the innovation into practice, a number of studies (Cartas, 1998; Lin Jeffres, 1998; Jaber, 1997; Wallace, 1998) in the studies of diffusion and utilization of instructional technologies have used three different categories of questions to measure the usage level the frequency of technology use, the amount of hours in using a technology and the number of programs or functions used. Since it seemed that levels of use studies (Moersch, 1995; Reiber Welliver, 1989) dealt with questions pertaining to the specific aspects of computer technologies to measure the levels of technology, the present study created the questions including the three categories of questions pertaining to WBI use. Web-Based Instruction (WBI): WBI is defined as an innovative approach for delivering instruction to a remote audience using the World Wide Web as the instructional delivery system (Khan, 1997). Web-Based learning environments use the resources of the Web to create a context in which learning is supported and fostered. Web-Based Instruction is growing faster than any other instructional technology (Crossman, 1997). More and more school teachers are using WBI as an integral part of instructional activities. School cannot work in isolation and must respond to societal change (Innovation in Distance Education (IDE), 1997). WBI offers medium for school education to accommodate the information age and a networked worl

Free College Essays - Response Essay to Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

Response to The Scarlet Letter "Confess thy truth and thou shall have eternal rest." I belive that is the moral to be taught in this novel of inspirational love, yet a novel of much sorrow. The impossible became possible in The Scarlet Letter, a story set back in the Puritan Times. In this response, I will give my reactions in writing to different aspects of the novel;the characchters, my likes and dislikes, my questions, and my opinion of the harsh Puritain lifestyle. Hester Prynne, the Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth each suffered guilt in their own way in the novel The Scarlet Letter. In the beginning of the novel, Hester Prynne should have not suffered the way she did on the scaffold alone. She was forced to be intergated by the high-officials of the town, while holding her little Pearl in arms. Making matters worse, the father of the child was in that very group of officals. She was then sentenced to wear the scarlet letter "A", showing her guilt "externally". Unable to take it off, she was forced to show her guilt to the entire settlement. However, the Reverend Dimmesdale suffered "internally", with a scarlet letter of his own engraved in his mind, and on his chest as well. He felt like he betrayed God, and beat himself in a frenzy to prove his wrongdoing. He often questioned wheather his authority was true or not. Roger Chillingworth suffered the least, because he only failed to reveal the secret that he knew, the father of the child who Hester Prynne was forced to live with. This small restriction to his life forced him to suffer "internally". I had different likes and dislikes in the novel The Scarlet Letter. There were many things that needed to be judged to fit into the given catagories, including; character attitudes, and character decisions. For example, the attitude displayed from the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale was rather unnapealing to me. There are different ways of settling ones guilt rather than whipping oneself in a closet. The one character whose attitude was appealing to me was that of Pearl's. She showed that mistakes in a relationship often lead to bad situations. Her mischeif and connection to the devil are examples of just those situations. Character decisions played an euqally important role. For example, I thought the descision for Hester not to tell who was the father of Pearl on the scaffold to be very brave, but was wrong.

Odysseus and Supernatural Beings

Odysseus and Supernatural Beings Throughout Homer's Odyssey, there are many supernatural beings that interact with Odysseus. These beings play an important role as either advisors, temptations or foes to Odysseus. Throughout his journey he is confronted with conflicts where he is either helped or hindered by these supernatural beings. Below are some examples of the beings that either helped or hindered Odysseus during his journey. The goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, is the most powerful intelligent and influential woman in Odysseus’s life. She is always at his side. She speaks on behalf of Odysseus, telling Zeus, her father, that her heart breaks for forlorn Odysseus. Odysseus longs to see the curls of smoke rising from his home fires in Ithaca, she says, but Calypso will not loosen her hold on him. She reminds Zeus that Odysseus dedicated many burnt offerings to him at Troy. Swayed by her words, Zeus sends the messenger god, Hermes, to Calypso’s island with a command to release Odysseus. Athena aids Odysseus in many ways throughout his entire journey, like when she changes the course of events that take place when he first meets the princess Nausicaa of Phaeacia. Athena changes the course of the ball that the girls are throwing so that it falls on Odysseus and wakes him up, leading him to meet Nausicaa. Many times Athena convinces Zeus and the other Gods that Odysseus is worth saving. Perhaps the most formidable foe of Odysseus is the sea god Poseidon, who continually attempts to thwart the efforts of Odysseus to make a safe journey home. On one of Odysseus adventures he angers the great sea god, Poseidon, by blinding his son, Polyphemus, king of a race of one-eyed giants who inhabit the island of Sicily. In retaliation, Poseidon relentlessly torments Odysseus after he leaves Sicily, imperiling his voyage at every turn. He is aware that he cannot kill nor stop Odysseus but continues his efforts to make Odysseus journey throughout the story full of peril. An example of Poseidon’s wrath is seen as soon as he arrives back from Ethiopia and spots Odysseus making passage towards Phaeacia, he says, â€Å"Just look at him there, nearing Phaeacia’s shores where he’s fated to escape his noose of pain that’s held him until now. Still my hopes ride high-I’ll give that man his swamping fill of trouble,† Poseidon attacks Odysseus with a giant wave, and destroys his newly crafted raft. Odysseus survives with the help of the sea nymph Ino . The beautiful goddess Calypso who falls in love with Odysseus after he washes ashore on her island. Calypso, by means of enchantment, holds him prisoner there for seven years. Calypso used trickery and deceit to have possession over Odysseus. She was a beautiful nymph with a wonderful voice. Calypso uses these advantages to get what she wants. Calypso tries to make Odysseus her husband and asks him if he would want to be immortal by staying on the island with her. Odysseus tells her â€Å"I each day I long for home, long for the sight of home†¦. † In the end, the Gods overpower Calypso into letting him go, but she still demonstrates the god's idea as if it was her own. She tells him â€Å"O forlorn man, be still. Here you need grieve no more; you need not feel your life consumed here; I have pondered it, and I shall help you go†¦. In the end, she helps Odysseus after releasing him by providing him a raft and provisions to help him on his way without incident if the gods wish it. In conclusion, Odysseus, a mortal, is both helped and hindered by these supernatural beings. He encounters the wrath of Poseidon numerous times throughout his travels. He was held captive by Calypso on her island while longing for home. The Goddess Athena guided and protected hi m the most throughout his travels. Without the aid of these supernatural beings, the journey of Odysseus would not have been the brave, courageous, and risky adventure that it was.

Protein Electrophoresis essays

Protein Electrophoresis essays Protein Electrophoresis Disagrees with Phylogenic Relationships in 5 Species of Fish Proteins are involved in nearly all aspects of life in eukaryotes, from structural support, to signaling within an organism, and everything in between (Campbell Organisms analyzed are enclosed in: The methods used for this lab were found in Landel and McFarland (2004) and Bio-Rad (2000). The Mini-Protean 3 gel box was assembled and filled with 1x TGS electrophoresis buffer. Five 1.5 ml flip-top micro tubes were obtained and labeled. 250 l of Bio-Rad Laemmli sample buffer was added to each labeled flip-top micro tube. Bio-Rad Laemmli sample buffer was consisting of Tris buffer, SDS, glycerol, and bromphenol blue dye. Tris buffer provided appropriate pH. SDS dissolved proteins and gave a negative charge. Glycerol made samples sink into wells. Bromphenol blue dye visualized samples. Also, five screw-cap micro tubes ...

Hobbes and Locke essays

Hobbes and Locke essays Thomas Hobbes was interested in why people allowed themselves to be ruled and what would be the best form of government for England. In 1651, Hobbes wrote his most famous work, the Leviathan. In it, he argued that people were naturally evil and could not be trusted to govern. The constant state of war is what Hobbes believed to be mans original state of nature. According to Hobbes, man should not be trusted in the state of nature and limits must be put on freedom and inalienable rights. Hobbes lived in the 17th century, and wrote during the English Civil War, therefore; his political views were most likely influenced by the war. Hobbes thought that by bringing back the monarch, or any other sovereign, there would be an end to the civil war and it is necessary to peace and depending on sovereign power (415 Leviathan). Men are in competition for honor and dignity, according to Hobbes. Envy and hatred arise, eventually causing war. With this view that only selfish interests motivate hu mans, Hobbes argues that people are better off living in a world where the government has control over all the people and their actions. Hobbes believed that an absolute monarchy-a government that gave power to a king or queen was the best type of government. He interpreted government to be a single governing body, made up of the power of the masses. Hobbes wrote that if there was no power to keep people in fear, they would continually fight against each other. Hobbes believed that the need for government is to protect us from our other fellow citizens. For this reason, the power of the sovereign must be supreme. He also felt that nations, like people were selfishly motivated which would result in war. In conclusion, through moral acts of giving up ones rights, one can hope to end the state of natural war between people, and reach a state of peace where defending oneself isnt a constant struggle. Hobbes percepti ...