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During the 2016 presidential campaign and elections, the social network Twitter was highly popular and visible. Both candidates utilized this platform to connect with the public to update, deliver information, and make comments about each other. Initially, I thought, "Twitter? So what." But according to Leetaru (2013), "Twitter has become a pulse of a planet-wide news organism, hosting dialogue about everything from the Arab Spring to celebrity deaths." (Stone, 2012). Over the past few years, governments have utilized Twitter, sort of like an international 911 to attain real time correct information regarding emergencies and other phenomena that affect people in large geographic areas. Continue reading "Tweet, Tweet Technology"
Month: June 2017
Self Efficacy and Education: Technology Explored
Collective Blog By: Rosmari Graham, Bradley Hill, Ashley Spencer, Abigail Franc, Joshua Kaufer, Amy Lamenzo, Jaclyn Seymour, and Dennie Williams
In this collection of essays, students of Edinboro University's Technology of Communication course explore components of their readings of Albert Bandura, focusing on the topic of self-efficacy. This topic is discussed with a focus on how self-efficacy relates to education and technology, especially on its effect on students. Each section of this essay approaches these topics with slight variation, applying various other relative facets that apply to self-efficacy.
Technology and Education
Technology has always been foreign territory for those who were not raised around it. Jobs were just hands-on activities with minimal technological efforts, communication was mainly done face to face while the internet was still blooming, and yes, there was no app for that. Most 18-25 year-olds could probably recall a multitude of instances where members of older generations cast technology away as complex, confusing, and even demonic. The point being made is that in today's society, the tides are turning. Adults are increasing their self-efficacy in technology and it's starting with the classroom.
Educational Technology is the term used to describe the new traditional classroom. Teachers who are used to transparent projector paper and dry erase markers are being given high tech smart-boards and Elmo projectors that hook up directly to a monitor and are touch screen. Teachers who are classic notebook and pencil people have mobile computer lab's in the form of tablets stationed in their classrooms while their kids are answering their questions on word documents and google is the go to research tool before a book. Every subject is being translated to a digital platform and it's requiring our teachers to go through trainings and professional developments, forcing teachers (especially those more towards the older generation) to become comfortable with technology they'd never own in their own personal lives. This method of technological integration into traditional teacher pedagogy is improving self-efficacy in technology for teachers across the country and evolving the classroom environment. In addition, a teacher that is confident in their ability to use technology will find themselves able to relate to student's better, and also encourage students in their ability to utilize the technology in an educational sense, thus increase student self-efficacy in educational technology.
Educational Technology is a concept still being unwrapped out of it's packaging here in America, but across the globe, Educational Technology has made it's footprint on society. A group of researchers out of the University of Bingol, in Turkey, studied 158 teachers in the Turkey Area in 2012. In 2012, educational technology was becoming relevant and meaningful to society. The study was given to elementary, middle, and high school teachers. The study was titled "Teachers' Computer Self-Efficacy and Their Use of Educational Technology" and it focused on "their computer self-efficacy perceptions, frequency of computer use for certain purposes, and computer level in certain programs in terms of different independent variables." When the teacher's self-efficacy was evaluated. It was identified that the majority of teachers have universal positive feelings towards utilizing technology in their everyday classroom and are extremely confident in their ability to do so. The information also communicates an increased understanding in basic computer apps (i.e. microsoft office.) The data also tells us that the only other source rivaling the Internet for teacher prep are "conventional books" which tells us that the Internet is now as common, traditional, and easy to use for our teachers as books are.
Where are we today with Educational Technology? Teachercertification.org which is run by QuinStreet, Inc., a popular marketing company, wrote an article about the effectiveness of technology in the classroom. The article divulges that the concerns of technology harming a student's ability to interact face to face and inhibiting their learning capabilities in the classroom by making technology a crutch, are a thing of the past. We have moved on from technology being a distraction and technology has now become a tool/an asset in the classroom for engaging, student friendly work. "Technology in the classroom can help in many ways – it can make a lesson more fun and interactive, and it can prove to students that what they are learning is applicable in the real world." the article states.
Being able to use your technological experience from class in the evolving tech savvy real world is an important component to educational technology. If we are to prep our students for the new job market that doesn't look at hard-labor as a factory job anymore but has taken difficult high paying jobs to a screen and a keyboard, we must prepare them starting in their primary education days. This also requires us to support and train our teachers. Increased self-efficacy in educational technology amongst teachers will reflect in self-efficacy of our students with their respective subjects.
With this being said, It's important to look at the work of teachers, especially teacher's who still take old-school traditional approaches to education. Some practices are becoming obsolete while other, time-effective, technologically apt techniques are being applied. This can even be applied to the collegiate level. Do we continue to look at technology as a shortcut, or do we empower our students with technological tools to help them in today's society? Education is evolving, and educators need to be confident in their technology use in order to prepare our students for this change.
Teachers and New Technology
Technology is a great tool to use in the classroom, but what good is technology if teachers are incompetent in using it themselves? Without the application of a tech savvy educator mediums such as ipads, laptops, and computer labs go unused and vacant. Tools such as these are only as useful as the teacher who is utilizing them in her classroom.
Research shows that much of the lack of incorporating technology into lessons goes back to the teachers' self-efficacy in technology. Teachers who do not have the confidence in using technology often times will not use it in their classrooms. This could result in students not being exposed to technology regularly therefore having a lower self-efficacy themselves.
Amy Farah wrote Factors Influencing Teachers' Technology Self-Efficacy: A Case Study (2011), focus groups and personal interviews were conducted that resulted in several factors that influence technology self-efficacy levels in the classroom. Focusing on teachers' self-efficacy in regards to technology can be beneficial. If teachers are adequately taught how to use technology and see the value in it then their self-efficacy will increase leading to a greater amount of technology used. "If specific factors affecting teachers' levels of technology self-efficacy can be identified, then that information can inform educational stakeholders of aspects that have the ability to move teachers further along the technology integration continuum" (Farah, 2011, p 4-5).
The first factor is the teacher's perception of the support between co-workers, technology specialists, and administration for instructional technology and making it a school initiative. A second factor is simply knowing what technology tools are available. If educators are not aware of the various mediums of technology then they are not able to utilize the various methods. Another factor relates to the content area being taught by teachers and their ability to see how technology can reach students in their specific subject areas. The amount of time spent using technology in the classroom goes hand in hand as another factor that helps determine the self-efficacy level of teachers. Lastly, is the opportunity to learn about the instructional technology, or at least the perceived availability of trainings. Lack of time in the school day and insufficient professional development training can deter teachers from learning how to use and manage technology in their classrooms ( Farah, 2011).
In addition to the work related factors Farah (2011) discovered four personal factors that were found to play a part in the level of self-efficacy that teachers have when working with technology. Personality traits of educators influence the way they deal with technology. Traits such as persistence, risk- taking, and inventiveness allows teachers to be creative and problem solve when something goes wrong. Access to various means of technology at home along with the time to learn about them can help determine self-efficacy levels. The value that teachers place on the importance of technology as an instructional tool for learning also influences the level of self-efficacy they have. If technology is not seen as important in the development of life-long learners than a great deal of emphasis will not be placed on using it in the classroom. Fear can also lead to low self-efficacy and the refusal to use technology in lessons. Some teachers fear that technology may not work properly and they are unsure of how to fix it. Another fear is that students will misuse technology and not use it in the way that it is intended (Farah, 2011).
Developing self-efficacy in teachers' ability to utilize technology is important because when people have high self-efficacy in something they are more likely to embrace it. The case study done by Farah (2011) identified several implications that can be done to help raise teacher's self-efficacy in technology. The first finding was that males tend to have a higher self-efficacy in technology than women do. Knowing this females should be focused on to help raise their self-efficacy and the perceptions that they have of themselves. Second is that professional development on the topic of educating teachers on technology needs to be utilized by the school district. Third is based on the lack of time that teachers have. Planned time should be scheduled for teachers to learn about technology that can be employed in their classrooms. Fourth is to alleviate hurdles in the way of teachers' ability to use technology such as blocks or restrictions on the computers and to possibly involve teachers on how some of the budget could be spent in the technology department (Farah, 2011).
We live in a world where technology is the future. Teaching students with the aid of technology is imperative. In order to reach the students this way teachers must have a high technology self-efficacy level. If they do not then minimum, if any, technology with be utilized in the classroom. Teachers need to be focused on in order to raise their self-efficacy that will result in students self-efficacy in technology also increasing.
Technology in the Classroom: Performance and Attitude
The use of technology in a classroom is now inevitable. However, it's still a controversial topic on just how effective learning through a screen can be.
There's been research conducted on both the positives and negatives of using technology in an educational setting. Technology in the classroom is not a new concept. However, it is growing everyday and is now making textbooks, papers and pencils obsolete. Research has also been done on the effects of the attitude of the teachers toward technology and how that affects student's performance.
Kumar Sumita and Rani Mamata, both professors in the department of Business Studies at Mount Carmel College, published "Attitude of Teachers towards the Use of Technology and Innovation in the Classroom." We know attitude affects self-efficacy. Self-efficacy also affects performance, all adding to the never-ending circle.
"For better or worse, your attitude affects your performance. Your attitude has a profound impact on the way you lead people… the person with the best attitude will win," (Sumita and Mamata, 2016). The journal article evaluated how technology can be utilized to ensure the effectiveness teaching methods by surveying more than 200 respondents from 10 colleges across Bengaluru.
The survey first evaluated the respondents attitude directly by using a Likert Scale.
Majority of the teachers responded by saying attitude is a way of behavior – 34 percent. Some said attitude is complete mental state of belief and feelings – 26 percent. Twenty-four percent said it's a neutral state of readiness, while the remaining 17 percent said it's designed class stimuli (Sumita and Mamata, 2016).
Out of the 200 respondents, 79 said they use technology in the classroom, 34 said no. However, 46 teachers say they sometimes use technology, while 41 said they never use technology in the classroom (Sumita and Mamata, 2016). The teachers were also asked about the future of classroom teaching. Forty percent of respondents said technology enriched classrooms are the future, 38 percent said online learning is what is ahead, and 22 percent said real time interaction while stay aface (Sumita and Mamata, 2016).
Interestingly enough, majority of the teachers surveyed said the age of the facilitator does not play an important role in the use of technology in the classroom (Sumita and Mamata, 2016), which seems to contradict the way the younger generation seems to adapt technology easier and more quickly.
The study found that, although technology is important to make teaching effective and is the future of learning, those surveyed said technology will not serve as a substitute for teaching (Sumita and Mamata, 2016). Those who embrace the technology will likely be more efficient in teaching students. This study closely correlates to what is discussed in "Self-Efficacy," by Albert Bandura.
"People's beliefs in their coping capabilities affect how much stress and depression they experience in threatening or difficult situations, as well as their level of motivation (Bandura, 1994). The teachers who embrace technology in the classroom will increase their self-efficacy, increasing their motivation to learn the mediums and therefore increase their overall ability to educate young minds. "There is a growing body of evidence that human accomplishments and positive well-being require an optimistic sense of personal efficacy," (Bandura, 1994).
"The quality of learning is derived by the quality of teachers and by the way teachers engage the learners in their classroom. So class room teaching demands more innovation and improvisation in the new millennium," (Sumita and Mamata, 2016).
However, the never-ending cycle continues. As Bandura explained, school is a place where children develop self-efficacy and competencies to acquire knowledge and problem-solving skills to effectively participate in society (Bandura, 1994).
The more self-efficacy and embracing teachers are, the more self-efficacy they can instill on their students.
Art, Education, and Self-Efficacy
We human beings are born with senses that help us navigate this World and find our place via connections and extensions from the self, we educate ourselves through modeling. This field of awareness/consciousness allows us to find patterns and connections using our senses, by seeing and engaging with others through our use of language be it verbal, visual or modeled. As we gain more input we develop a series of patterns that in turn build up and make up the knowledge we utilize to navigate ourselves within the World. From the series of patterns we acquire, we then obtain a perceived self efficacy, how we believe we perform, how we feel, how we are motivated and how we think about ourselves determine how we behave cognitively, affectively and motivationally which are all dependent on our pattern of experiences and those modeled. As McLuhan stated, "technology is an extension of us (McLuhan,1964)," we find connections and patterns to those similar to our own via the internet, technology has just sped up the process, distance and extended our potential power to developing those connections/extensions.
The pattern of life is a growth process. Technology has only induced more area that an individual can be exposed to and navigate. So we must use technology wisely, as with driving a car super fast we must use extra caution maneuvering our vehicle, we in turn must use self regulation when using technology, as it allows us to expand our knowledge base at incredible distances and speeds. " Most images of reality on which we base our actions are really based on vicarious experience (Bandura,1995)." For the most part knowledge is gained through vicarious experience and that is where and when we develop self-efficacy through imagery, seeing the model.
Art is a language. Art is quality. Art defines as a quality of communication. Art is subjective. Art is created with intention. Since Art is subjective many times the intention is unknown to the viewer. How is it an artwork still speaks to a viewer after centuries? Art has been in existence since the beginning of Human Life and visually dialogues with the viewer even over generations and always communicates to that individual/viewer subjectively information that connects to an individual's' or a society's' life patterns. Panofsky has stated, "We actually read what we see according to the manner in which objects and events were expressed by forms under varying historical conditions."
The relationship? McLuhan defines 'art' as both a 'storehouse of achieved values' and the 'antennae of new awareness and discovery' enabling 'a unified and an inclusive consciousness in which there is an easy commerce between old and new'(MB 87). So is it that Seeing the Pattern 4 Art has become Technology evolved is my question I leave for you to ponder? Has the internet become the patron for the Arts? Would you agree? Results Art in the environment is a means of Universal communication as is Technology. This communication that takes place between the viewer, the art form, and the technological extension is of a transcendental sort, it is as if the creator of the art form/technological extension is able to communicate a need which is then received by the viewer. This need is many times unconscious but understood, this is language. Incorporating art forms, technological extensions into our public spaces (reality and virtual) is an important interactive means of maintaining our Art Culture {as McLuhan(CIOB) said, "feedforward"} which maintains an interaction where human beings thrive. As Art stems from interactions and exchange as does technology (science of craft from Greek -techne, art, skill, -logia cunning of hand).
Blended Education Models: Positive Impact on Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy is vital to an individual's success in education, their career, and life-long learning. As stated by Bandura (1986), "persons who feel confident and competent attribute more value to their learning process than those who have more negative self-efficacy beliefs about their learning." In this research essay, I will discuss how educators and students are utilizing technology and media to increase the opportunity to develop self-efficacy.
Discussions often focus on on-line learning versus traditional face to face teaching methods. However, more recently, educators have placed an emphasis on developing blended learning methods. As explained by Motteram (2006), blended learning models consist of a mix of the traditional physical classroom with elements of virtual online learning. Research is indicating that these methods are producing positive results that lead to self-efficacy for teachers and students. According to a study conducted by Abdelraheem, (2014),Abdelraheem, (2014), students who were exposed to a blended strategy and enrichment program performed better academically than students who were not.
According to Baker (Huffington Post; 3/28/13) and top educators around the U.S., "the traditional educational model born in the industrial age with a one-size-fits-all approach, was not meeting the needs of our knowledge economy." He believed that the teaching of reading, writing, and basic math were not meeting the needs of individuals preparing to enter the global workforce. Memorization and recall continue to be measures of a student's ability, and tests consist of multiple-choice and true and false questions. Standardized testing continues to be a major form of assessment that is considered outdated.
As stated by Baker (2013), educators shifted focus to developing human talent and improving how to use it to meet the growing needs of organizations/employers and global workforce. Therefore, the focus of educational institutions places more emphasis on developing individuals who are versatile life-long learners. Problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, collaborative skills, and creativity are necessary for individuals to function effectively in today's workforce and to remain employable. Blending educational methods enhances opportunities to experience interactions that enable individuals to develop these skills. Individuals must be able to meet organizational needs and reinvent themselves for the ever-changing global workforce.
As stated by Tassaneenart, Kanthawongs, Kanthawongs, and Suwandee (2016), "social and human interactions are vital to teaching and learning." The internet and technology have evolved into tools that enable these interactions between individuals across the entire globe. Educational institutions have integrated these various technologies into their learning models. Students are capable of interacting with classmates, instructors, and/or other individuals to engage in the learning process. The internet, computers and tablets, and mobile devices have enabled the classroom to expand so that learning takes place both inside and outside of the classroom.
Educational institutions that traditionally utilized and preferred formalized technologies have followed the lead of students to repurpose informal technologies and networks. Students world-wide have recognized the value of social networking regarding connectivity, instant responses, and efficiency in organizing and facilitating collaborations. Most educators and students have access to mobile devices and are competent in using them, so educators often utilize social media to supplement face to face courses. They are free, they create a sense of academic community, and most students are familiar and comfortable with using them.
In a study conducted in South Africa by Peeters (2016), first year students participated
in a peer collaborative project in which a closed Facebook group was created for support and development of self-efficacy beliefs regarding academic writing skills. The results indicated that the students in the Facebook group considered themselves significantly better prepared to complete their task in comparison to members of the control group.
In Thailand, Tassaneenart, et. al (2016), conducted a study to explore the impact of motivational goals for using social networking sites and computer self-efficacy towards e-learning effectiveness. And like Facebook, instructors used LINE, because it was free. Although Facebook was the most popular network for social use, Thai instructors and students utilized the LINE chat app more frequently, because of its social and academic capabilities. Students and teachers shared and discussed ideas with each other more efficiently and at any time. The result was better grade point averages and faster prompt responses from instructors.
The results of the study indicated that "LINE chat can motivate students and improve self-efficacy through increasing critical thinking by building knowledge through 'social constructivism' by giving students prompt responses from instructors and other students" (Van de Bogart and Wichadee, 2015). Also, researchers reported that LINE chat provided a psychological component that enabled students to communicate their feelings through various modes such as emoticons, picture, or video without feeling threatened as they might in a face to face situation. Furthermore, the research indicates that LINE chat enables Thai students, who often preferred to only listen to their instructors rather than speak to them, now communicate with them in virtual worlds instead of face to face (Tassaneenart, et.al, 2016).
Overall, the majority of research indicates that the use of blended educational models entailing social media networks and technology promotes self-efficacy by enabling students to have an accessible platform to engage and learn at their own pace, through peer review and feedback, collaboration, increased access to instructors, and opportunities for academic acculturation.
Social Media, School Districts, and Self-Efficacy
While we have confirmed that the use of social media in the classroom can benefit both students and teachers alike globally, what about right here in the United States? The power of social media communication has lead to online bullying, harassment, and crime. However, this source has also brought freedom and comfortability amongst peers and educators, opening a more accessible door for secured online communication. It seems that as our world becomes more and more engrossed in the world of social media, more guidelines are starting to be formed in terms of the education. We've all experienced that instant sensation of being liked and noticed simply by receiving a friend request or a like on our photo from a peer or 'higher up' (teacher, public figure, or celebrity perhaps) on Facebook. While some can simply take this as a moment of confidence, others can take it to the next level. In a teacher-student situation, an educator could become 'overly involved' with a student, or a student could borderline stock a teacher that they have friended on Facebook. This brings me to the main discussion of this section: Is it appropriate for students and educators to have a relationship on Facebook? Furthermore, do these relationships (or lack thereof) positively or negatively affect a person's sense of self-efficacy?
In a recent survey, two different parents of teenagers involved in the public school system were asked if it was appropriate for students and teachers to have the freedom to connect and chat on social media. Alexandra Fleming asked parents: "Should teachers and students be friends of the Facebook variety? Should they text, tweet, snap or 'gram each other?" (Today, 2014). One parent sided with the idea that is it most certainly appropriate for students to have a texting relationship with students if it is strictly about school work or extracurricular meeting times. "I'm OK with texting one-on-one," she says. "I believe in writing because it serves as documentation. And social media is a way for teachers to be leaders and role models with their students. It takes a village." (Today, 2014). However, the other parent believed that their could never be a valid enough reason for a teacher to text a student when there are many other ways of communicating necessary information to them. The study went on to state that while social media is the communication of choice when it comes to teenagers, it is best that every school have a strict policy that students and educators must adhere to in regards to social media. Hans Mundahl, a former school administrator, called social media communication amongst teachers and students a "gray area." He provided his top four recommendations to educators and school districts to keep things under control. Number one being that every school should have a strict policy in terms of social media. Faculty should not friend, follow, or engage with students directly through social media. Texting with students is OK if it's within school specified boundaries and has some sort of 'office hours' policy. Lastly, every school should have a policy about being photographed without permission (Today, 2014). The study was based on the idea that the younger generation does not understand the boundaries that can be broken with social media and the dangers that they could potentially face if interacting inappropriately with the wrong person.
This information is most certainly still valid in the classroom today and can be related to many school districts and after-school programs. Without the proper policies set in place, a business or school district can go under quite quickly. It is important to recognize 'shifts' in today's society in terms of education and communication. Without this recognition, more problems can arise in the future. In terms of self-efficacy and students, it is understandable that some students may feel hurt by not being able to 'friend' or 'follow' a specific teacher they admire on social media. However, this is part of the lesson they must begin to learn, according to Mundahl. Students now have to be aware of the dangers that social media can bring about when dealt with inappropriately. Like anything in life, it is best to have some sort of boundaries.
Self-Efficacy: Advertising and Media Messaging
"There was an enormous body of masculine opinion to the effect that nothing could be expected of women intellectually. Even if her father did not read out loud these opinions, any girl could read them for herself, and the reading, even in the nineteenth century, must have lowered her vitality, and told profoundly upon her work. There would always have been that assertion – you cannot do this, you are incapable of doing that – to protest against, to overcome." Virginia Woolfe, A room of one's own
Before children even get to school, implicit bias appears in their world both in their environments and through media messaging. Although teachers play a large role in the ability of forming young minds, the ability of children to create self-efficacy in a classroom setting is not just related to the variables within the classroom, but also numerous external factors including parental attitudes, physical environment, religion and the exposure to information through mass media.
Mass messaging from advertising to television programming have played a part in creating ideals behind gender roles which ultimately can cause an effect on self-efficacy from pre-school through career choices. Creating interest in a product is the primary role of advertising, however, advertising, has also played a role in creating implicit gender bias throughout the years. Looking back through the past 50 years, the hypothesis of this preview of a much larger project, one can see a correlation between the implicit bias in advertising and the self-efficacy of school-aged children related to their role identification. Walking back through the advertising looking glass of the early 1960's one can see the stereotypical roles being displayed in both print advertising and television programming and commercials. The general theme of advertising and programming in the 1960's includes the stereotypical view of the female being the "stay at home mom" and the man of the household going to work and being the "breadwinner." This advertising also mirrors the statistics of educational attainment, low numbers of women working, and the earning differences of those women who were working compared to their male counterparts.
In recent years, research has concentrated on identifying the reasons for the lack of women in STEM fields as a result of gender bias related to these fields. Social psychology has surveyed the content of stereotypes and their effect on social perception, behavior and the motivational biases of prejudice (Katz & Braly, 1933; Brewer, 1979; Rokeach & Mezei, 1966). Research indicates that one faces judgments based on stereotypes about one's group which carriers over on the ability of someone to gain self-efficacy related to that stereotype, particularly in an education setting. Looking at the stereotype related to girls and poor achievement in math demonstrates that performance is linked to gender stereotyped roles that suggests gender-based inability (Spencer, et. al., 1999) .
Although there is a plethora of literature related to implicit bias and educational self-efficacy related to females and race, there is little evidence that this same research has been carried over to boys. This may be based on data that suggests that males students show an equal efficacy for traditional male dominated fields as well as female dominated fields when comparing factors in a college setting. There is much research on role of occupational efficacy in career choice and development in young adults but little literature on how children develop their sense of occupational efficacy related to career paths (Bandura, 2001).
Here you will find two sets of information on occupations. The first part presents data for traditional (female-dominated) occupations, which were selected based on women as a percent of total employed (includes full-time, part-time and self-employed). Traditional or female-dominated occupations are those in which women represent 75 percent or more of total employed. The second part presents data for nontraditional (male-dominated) occupations, which were selected based on women as a percent of total employed (includes full-time, part-time and self-employed). Women represent 25 percent or less of nontraditional occupations. Occupations where base was less than 50,000 employees don't meet publication standards and are not included. Additional notes found at the end of each table. This page is updated annually; sign up to receive e-mail alerts when new or updated content is available.
Traditional (female-dominated) occupations, 2014 annual averages (PDF)
Nontraditional (male-dominated) occupations, 2014 annual averages (PDF)
You can see when reviewing the female dominated occupations referenced to above that both men and women are influenced by gender role identification and feelings of self-efficacy towards career choices based on gender role stereotypes. How early does this begin to happen? Has it changed for both women and men over time? Studies indicate that children begin to establish stereotyping by the age of 4 and that children "categorize stimuli as they attempt to structure knowledge and reduce cognitive complexity" (Mervis & Rosch, 1981). If children begin the process of interpreting information at this young age, it is possible that advertising and programming they are exposed to permeate their subconscious very early and begin to form gender roles based on content in a similar fashion to the experiences of other environmental factors such as parental views and opinions. Over time, advertising and programming has evolved and barriers of role stereotypes and subsequent educational self-efficacy have decreased.
Educators do play a role in self-efficacy and potentially have the power to change the dynamics embedded into the subconscious minds of children. One way to help accomplish this is by introducing technology into the classroom. By creating environments that are rich in activities, children are motivated to work on activities that produce new skills (Meece, 1997). Children are intimately tied to their technology for social gratification. Rather than looking forward to recess, they look forward to sending a text message, checking out facebook and interacting with other students through twitter. Although technology has advanced, education has essentially stayed the same or lagged behind the technological era particularly in elementary education. Teachers are often times reluctant to adopt technology innovation in the classroom due to the constantly changing knowledge needed to maintain relevance, lack of self-efficacy and existing beliefs (Straub, 2009; Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007). Again, teachers are faced with the same implicit bias that children are. In order to prepare teachers to incorporate innovative technologies in the classroom to change the dynamics of self-efficacy related to gender bias and other factors, we must first help them to expand and elaborate their own knowledge systems (Borko & Putnam, 1995).
One of the most effective ways to break down the barriers to effective use of technology is to address these self-efficacy issues at a college level to produce the next generation of teachers that will gladly incorporate technology into their classrooms. A theoretical framework to address knowledge integration in technology instruction is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). Developers of TPACK ascertain that in addition to the content specific knowledge teachers need to gain knowledge of how to integrate technology into their overall instruction through learning experiences that support and intersect technological pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge and technological knowledge (Thompson & Mishra, 2007).
In order for universities to support teacher candidates to integrate technology use with their students, teacher candidates should progress through education programs that are strategic and have ongoing exposure to technology-rich activities just like their students. They need exposure to high level technology practices to increase their self efficacy and be required to consider both the benefits and constraints of the technology, how the technology use can impact their learning and how they would use the technology in their own classroom (Rock, 2016). Continue reading "Self Efficacy and Education: Technology Explored"
Twittersphere: The NEW News
No one understands how hesitant I was to title this post what it is. You have to understand, we, as a generation have been conditioned to believe that twitter is for fun, casual, and NEVER reputable. Imagine the world's disbelief when the greatest political debate platform wasn't a town hall in a city ripe for tourism and money making, but it was actually none other than twitter. I know what you're thinking. Are we really in a place in society where our political leaders are engaging in similar social media feuds that our celebrities made famous? Are our political leaders and celebrities becoming the same people? (Of course they are. Ask Arnold Schwarzenegger.)
A 2011 Clay Shirky foresaw social media influence in current events. "The idea that media, from the Voice of America to samizdat, play a supporting role in social change by strengthening the public sphere echoes the historical role of the printing press." (Shirky, The Political Power of Social Media, 6) So if we as a society have not completely disregarded the legitimacy of our politicians who engage in twitter debates [and instead, we elect them] then why have we not regarded twitter as a reputable research platform where literal history is being made every day?
It's also Clay Shirky who recognizes, however, that our progression as a society to be more apt towards twitter and other social media platforms as reputable sources is limited by our ability to communicate cross-cultural ideals and have a "single community" social media presence. In his 2002 "Communities, Audiences, and Scales" "With such software,the obvious question is "Can we get the best of both worlds? Can we have a medium that spreads messages to a large audience, but also allows all the members of that audience to engage with one another like a single community?"(Shirky, Communities, Audiences, and Scales) The answer seems to be"No."" Shirky talks about the difference between an audience and a community and how we struggle with connections online because we can't truly connect with each other in the way a community needs to, therefore our messages don't reach people in an effective way. Since we cannot reach each other in a community aspect, we cannot connect. This limits the depth of social media connectivity and therefore we cannot explore the full potential of social media transforming them from shallow communication portals, to reputable in depth communication channels.
In efforts to take twitter beyond the threshold of just another social media platform, we have to acknowledge its limited audience. Because twitter is a free speech medium of sorts, it's banned in many countries which allows mainstream news outlets to take the lead in coverage and access. "Overall, mainstream media appears to have more even coverage, with less clustering around major cities" (Mapping the Global Twitter Heartbeat, Twitter versus mainstream news media.) With Twitter really coming into it's prime as a social media platform, we have to recognize it's not prominent on accessibility the way traditional news coverage is which goes back to our inability to reach each other to make twitter more effective.
So what will it take to verify twitter? We have to acknowledge the evolution of news media. If our politicians can utilize the platform to discuss matters of the country, we should be able to take our news from the site. Information falls directly from the mouths, or the hands, of the people we are reporting on. Next we address the communication gap and accessibility for all people across the globe in efforts to take the Twittersphere from an audience, to a community. If we make these changes, we can evolve how twitter is viewed and maybe, how social media is used in future elections. (Social media was a mess due to the this being the first election social media was utilized in this way. Traditions have to start somewhere!)
Our Evolving Communicative Landscape & Twitter
A landscape defines as an area where all visible features of an area of countryside,urban or land are often considered for their aesthetic appeal (Google). Our idea of a landscape has evolved it has become aesthetically visual on many levels. Not only from visual imagery but a landscape of visual storytelling, an extension of our physical reality that extends virtually and is visualized and distributed tenfold. Twitter has demonstrated this. According to Leetaru, Wang, Cao, Padmanabhan & Shook the Mapping of the global Twitter heartbeat, Twitter, has grown to count nearly 3 % of the entire global population among its active users who have sent more than 170 billion 140 character messages ( Leetaru, Wang,Cao,Padmanabhan,Shook). Amazing statistics that confirm how our Communication Culture has evolved into visual storytelling: brief words with images that spread at the velocity of our current World's heartbeat.
The textual geography of Twitter, its growth and impact has been significant it will be interesting to track which regions have the most influence on our global landscape overtime. Twitter's basis of communication is around the broadcast communicative model which means users publish a public message to be read by all users of this service. These posts then can be publically communicated and referenced directly to other usernames and can be retweeted by other users. This connective extension between users and information is a fascinating model that demonstrates how little yet how interconnected we are. How our World's communication is like a Visual Art Museum where we find trends of Culture, Politics, Data,Society et al that contributes to our World's heartbeat.
Works Cited:
Mapping the global heartbeat:The geography of Twitter by Kalev H.Leetaru,Shaowen Wang, Guofeng Cao, Anand Padmanabhan,Eric Shook.
First Monday, Volume 18, Number 5 – 6 May 2013
It is All About a Neighborhood
Final Blog Post- Rosmari Graham
Title: It is All About a Neighborhood
"Can we get the best of both worlds? Can we have a medium that spreads messages to a large audience, but also allows all the members of that audience to engage with one another like a single community? The answer seems to be No (Shirky, 2002). Has this changed since the writings of Shirky in April of 2002? Is it is now possible to spread messages to larger crowd that allows all of the members of that crowd to engage with one another like a single community. It is all about creating a sense of neighborhood. This is not a recent development or a new concept based on advances in technology or social media. One name really explains it all, Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rodgers created a neighborhood that inspired generations of children from different socioeconomic backgrounds, races, genders and intellectual capabilities. Continue reading "It is All About a Neighborhood"
Did Trump Have the Upper Hand?
In general, the internet has allowed our world to grow in terms of global communication tremendously. Of all the social media platforms available today, Twitter is one of the most popular, especially amongst political candidates. "In 2016, 44% of U.S. adults reported having learned about the 2016 presidential election in the past week from social media, outpacing both local and national print newspapers" (Pew Research Center, 2016). In comparison to previous election years, this is a pretty significant change in the way our world is choosing to receive its information. For most "people, especially in the United States, social media is the easiest and most convenient way to receive news. Social media seems to be a means of connecting in the hopes of receiving real information. While this is not to indicate that all tweets and posts are inaccurate, the growth of social media is beginning to treat users more like an 'audience' instead of an inclusive group with opinions that are being addressed appropriately. According to Shirky, "growth in group size alone is enough to turn a community into an audience, social software, no matter what its design, will never be able to create a group that is both large and densely interconnected" (Shirky, 2002, p. 1). We see this playing out in the world of Twitter. So many people turn to this particular platform to receive any and all information, making it a very powerful source to users. Unfortunately, the more popular these types of social media sites become, the less personal they will feel to its users.
Hamby addresses the issue of the lack of experience that political reporters now possess. It seems that more and more political candidates are turning to social media to make their mark on the public. "More and more, the mainstream political press is being cut out of the election process, raising questions about the value of being a reporter" (Hamby, 2013, p. 5). Interestingly enough, we saw this to be true in the most recent election. While Clinton, Sanders, and Trump all had active social media accounts, Trumps were the most successful with the public. While both Clinton and Sanders focused more on linking their followers back to their campaign pages, Trump focused moreso on connecting his followers to the news media online. Essentially, he relied less on reporters and his campaign team and strived to direct his followers to material that was already floating around in the media that was available to him. In the end, this gave Trump the upper hand in terms of retweets, comments, follows, and Facebook reactions. Could it be that the way Trump utilized social media was one of the main reasons he won the election?
Lastly, I want to address the way Trump handled the public in terms of social media. McGonigal states that "The economy of engagement is also an economy of feelings, in which positive emotions—pride, curiosity, love, and feeling smart—are the ultimate reward for participation" (2008, p. 16). Trump played on these "feelings" as McGonigal states. Over time, our world has been brainwashed to believe that money is the root of all motivation. Of all people for this statement to fall on, it would be Donald Trump. However, he proved us wrong in terms of the election. Of all the candidates, he was the one to engage with the public most. He took the time (or maybe people he hired took the time, which would be ironic) to answer the public and post what they were saying. He cared more about the people following him than his campaign. Do you feel like his engagement with the public was sincere? Did you notice that Trump seemed to be the most prominent presidential candidate on Twitter during election season?
Candidates differ in their use of social media to connect with the public. (2016, July 18th). Retrieved from http://www.journalism.org/2016/07/18/candidates-differ-in-their-use-of-social-media-to-connect-with-the-public/
The Modern Cyborg: McLuhan Today
Cyborg is derived from the 2 English words cyber and organism. Google describes a cyborg as "a fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body." When I was growing up, Cyborg was my favorite team member of the Teen Titans, and I always wondered how long would it take for society to be able to make me a cyborg so I could be just like him. According to McLuhan, we're already there and we've been there for a while now. I don't mean that in medieval Europe, people were running around with half their bodies made out of technology. However, since then, and maybe even before that, technology has been evolving human ability from the way we talk, to the way we work, cook, sleep, and everything in between.
Bandura taught us that our aptitude for technology, like most things, is created through social cognitive theory. We learn through observation and we improve self-efficacy by doing over and over again. McLuhan looks at media/technology as the main component of our evolving society. McLuhan shows us that technology has been the driving factor in the development of human ability and interaction. Technology isn't just a machine we use, it becomes a part of us, and extension of ourselves, integrating itself into every aspect of our life and changing what traditional looks at. For proof of this, you can look at things like radio and tv which are late 19th century/early 20th century inventions that completely revolutionized how we see and hear the world. However, those born and raised in the late 20th century/early 21st century will be raised in a world where radio and tv are relatively prehistoric and the seeing and hearing experience has been propelled into high definition music and video streaming applications that fit cozily on a mobile phone.
Yes, in Today's society, we have redefined the harmony between technology and human beings. What was once a fantismal concept of a majority robot and part human being, is now a normal human being with the ability to enhance their sensory input/output through technology in their lives that have become second nature. In today's society, it's important to note that technology has become the buffer for traditional communication, and according to McLuhan, this is the new traditional. Having a cellphone was just the start, and for the fact, so was texting. Now popular social media platforms have become the primary means of communication between multitudes of individuals. Your profile is no longer a hobby, but has evolved into your social media presence. Instagram and Twitter accounts are being asked for during job interviews. You don't have to talk on the phone to order food anymore, instead technology has evolved so much that you can have door to door grocery and meal delivery with just the push of a couple buttons.
The ability to live and survive is being compacted into these tiny devices that we grab off of our side tables and dressers without even thinking of. When my generation were hitting their early teens, we were heckled for being so attached to our mobile devices, but now, members of society who don't own one are closer to off the grid than on. Continuing to hound "millennials" about excessive technology use is futile because the next generation is inherently plugged into the world with the amount of technology in society now. What's normal and traditional will continue to be revolutionized by new technological advances and we, as a society, will continue to be the new Cyborgs.


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I've been following designer Jonas Damon for a little while now, and like most design-watchers, I rather liked his charming wooden Torch Flashlight, and the Twice Twice Clock he created recently. He strikes again, this time turning his eye to another oft-stashed-in-the-back-of-the-desk object: the Scotch tape dispenser. Recalling a grinning whale, Moby is bound to brighten any desktop.
Clearly I'm a pushover for wooden versions of common household goods--I still love my wooden pushpins even though their damned little round heads come off at the least prompting--and I confess to feeling the same for this tape dispenser. Staplers, pen holders, Rolodexes, we've ceded them all to that great bland Staples aesthetic of black plastic and dull stainless steel. The odds that this tape dispenser does a better job than the one you've already got are slim. Though when you finally cast that one across the room, unable to face another day of a desk covered with uninspired office accoutrements, Moby is the only place to go.
It's available for pre-order now from Areaware's website. It will become available in just a few weeks time on November 10th.

subset: commoncrawl


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All the talk of souls and shadows and serpents and Jung etc going on in the topic about Daedalus and now I post this 😛 I actually painted this for a cover for a book I also illustrated, before Daedalus and Hecate, it was highly enjoyable work that I got a lot out of in more ways than one. This quote especially spoke to me at the time:
'The only thing that burns in hell, is the part of you that won't let go of your life. Your memories, your attachments, they burn them all away. But they're not punishing you,' he said. 'They're freeing your soul. If you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But, if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the Earth. It's just a matter of how you look at it that's all. So don't worry, okay?' — Quote from the film 'Jacob's Ladder'
This was something I felt happening to me over the last year or so. Ram Dass talks about it as fire of purification and that there will come a point when you actively seek it out to free yourself:


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Total Credit Hours: 124
Transfer Credits: Up to 94
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Visit our faculty page to view current business administration instructors.
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Students enrolled in the online business administration program at Southwestern College can expect to:
- Explain contemporary leadership and management theories, concepts, and practice and their respective applications.
- Evaluate the appropriateness of management and administrative methods and practices for routine administrative operations and functions, and for addressing change and other challenges presented in domestic and global organizations.
- Collaborate effectively with individuals, teams, organizational partners, and other related circumstances using appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Apply best practices for knowledge-based strategic, operational, and functional decision making.
- Use appropriate technologies to support functional and administrative processes.
- Employ sustainable, ethical, legal, and socially responsible business practices.
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Article: Business Degrees – Knowing the Difference and How to Choose
Article: 5 Degrees with Career Versatility
Operational Leadership Certificate
Strategic Leadership
Human Resource Management and Development
Success in increasingly complex domestic and global business environments requires effective leadership and support from those with business administration and discipline specific knowledge and skills. This program provides knowledge and skills in business administration; strategic, marketing, human resource, and financial management; and sustainable business practices. Emphasis is placed on responsible citizenship at the individual and corporate levels, including ethical, legal, and socially responsible behaviors and business practices. Business administration graduates have practical, marketable business administration, management, and leadership skills grounded in industry–accepted theories and practices to help them enter and/or progress in a competitive job market, while building a solid theoretical foundation for potential graduate studies.
Admission Requirements
- Have completed a minimum of 6 post-high school college credits
- Minimum GPA of 2.0
Core Major Requirements
ACCT305: Corporate Finance
A successful accountant is one who is both knowledgeable of the role of accounting and finance from a corporate perspective as well as being an expert in corporate accounting practices and processes. Learners gain the corporate perspective in this course, setting the context for the knowledge and skills emphasized throughout the program. Learners study corporate finance practices such as long-term and short-term investing, capital cash management, and finance decisions required in the financial management of a business.
Prerequisites: MASC115, SSC 110, and SSC 111.
COM125: Speech
This course helps learners majoring in any discipline strengthen communication skills essential for success in academics and the workplace. Learners will focus on listening, evaluating, and delivering spoken discourse based on audience and purpose. Learners will evaluate why some people are more effective than others as public speakers, analyze speeches and audiences, study ethical considerations for speakers, research and organize findings on a topic, and present findings before an audience, and learn techniques for identifying and reducing speech anxiety. *COM125 is a pre-req for some classes in the program and not the program as a whole.
HUM201: Ethics
Ethics introduces learners to moral philosophy, the branch of philosophy that questions what is good and bad. The course surveys a number of important ethical theories — ethical relativism, objectivism, egoism, altruism, utilitarianism, duty – based moral theory, natural law, natural rights, and virtue ethics — as they examine reasons why certain actions are morally right or wrong. Learners will apply ethical theories in the evaluation and analysis of current controversial issues, question ethical matters from a variety of angles, and acquire new tools to assist them in making ethically sound, well – informed decisions throughout their lives.
ACCT285: Financial Accounting
This course provides a basic understanding of the financial reporting requirements of business organizations. Learners will translate business transactions into journal entries and post the journal entries to ledger accounts, examine and develop the components of basic financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, statement of equity, and statement of cash flows), and complete the accounting cycle. Learners will use horizontal, vertical, and financial ratio analysis to analyze the financial performance of a company.
MASC110: Statistics and Probability
This course acquaints learners with the tools and major components of statistics. Learners will apply technology to analyze data. The course also includes the foundational terminology and practices used in contemporary statistics, such as data collection, metrics, score interpretation, and experimental design. Additionally, this course will promote the skills that learners need to be able to take information from the world around them and use it to make sound decisions based on solid evidence.
MASC115: College Algebra
This course provides learners with the algebra, reasoning, and problem‐solving skills needed for everyday life. The course focuses on simplifying expressions and solving equations in real‐world situations using variables for unknowns. Learners will solve problems using algebraic principles and tools and then incorporate these mathematical concepts into realistic business, consumer, science, and statistical contexts.
SSC110: Principles of Microeconomics
Principles of Economics II Micro EXP provides learners with an introduction to fundamental economic concepts and to how these concepts play out in the real world. Learners will apply essential models of economics to concepts such as economic interdependence and market equilibrium and think about how these models contribute to optimal resource allocation. Learners will address classic microeconomic issues such as profit maximization and determining the optimal output. Learners will also discover how decisions are made within companies in different market structures and how the industry within which a company operates affects its competitive efficiency.
SSC111: Principles of Macroeconomics
This course introduces learners to fundamental economic concepts and encourages them to consider how those concepts apply to the real world and to their own lives. Learners will explore the models of economics, how they portray economic interdependence and market equilibrium, and how they contribute to optimal resource allocation. Learners will examine classic macroeconomic issues, such as the effects of government intervention on businesses and individuals. They will evaluate macroeconomic conditions, think about how monetary and fiscal policies affect the corporate world and the overall economy, distinguish between short‐ and long‐run macroeconomic forces and learn how monetary systems influence economic variables.
Major Courses:
BSAD310: Financial Accounting Systems
Accounting information provides essential knowledge for effective strategic, operational, and financial decision making. Learners study the recording, reporting, and interpretation of business transactions from a systems perspective. Applying Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and ethical practices, learners use accounting systems and subsidiary ledgers to collect, classify, summarize, and report business transactions; analyze and prepare financial statements for a variety of real business situations. Learners consider the requirements of external users of accounting information and their dependence on reliable and relevant information for making decisions, as well as legal and regulatory constraints for best practice. Prerequisites: MASC115 – College Algebra and ACCT285 – Financial Accounting. Prior study of corporate finance highly recommended.
BSAD320: Managerial Economics
Economic analysis provides essential knowledge for business decision making and the development of business strategies. Given global and regional economic constraints, learners analyze business problems and evaluation solutions by applying micro and macro level economics models and methods.
Prerequisites: SSC 110 – Principles of Microeconomic, SSC 111 – Principles of Macroeconomics, and MASC115 – Statistics and Probability
BSAD340: Legal Environment of Business
Legal and regulatory compliance is a critical consideration for all business activities in the United States. Learners examine the relationships among individuals, partnerships, and corporations, as they apply to law. Contracts, consumer law, and the legalities of employer-employee relationships are examined. Legal considerations relevant to global initiatives are explored.
Prerequisite: HUM 201 – Ethics. Prior study of professional communication recommended.
BSAD394: Marketing
Marketing strategies, methods, and practice are experiencing rapid transformation due to the emergence of disruptive technologies and changes in consumer demand. Marketing theories, strategies, ethics, and legal requirements are examined. Learners will also study current and emerging trends in pricing, promotion, distribution, planning, and the product delivery cycle. The impact of these factors on the marketing of different products and services are assessed. Prerequisite: HUM 201 – Ethics. Prior study of professional communication recommended.
BSAD410: Global Business
The ability to analyze the competitive structures and strategies of global businesses and to formulate effective strategies is an essential competency for businesses in the global marketplace. Competitive strategies, ethical and legal considerations, and management practices for a global business enterprise are examined. Learners evaluate the economic impact of foreign exchange, balance of payments, and the global monetary system on global strategies and operations. Prerequisite: BSAD320 Managerial Economics. Prior study of professional communication recommended.
BSAD420: Information Systems Analysis & Design
Information systems are the backbone of most business processes and central to the success of many business strategies. Learners examine critical success factors for information systems. These factors include ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements; strategic and operational decision making; employment of effective methods for systems selection, development, and implementation; and the inclusion of key stakeholders throughout the process. Learners select, design, plan development and implementation, and document the system development cycle for a selected information system solution.
Prerequisite: HUM 201 – Ethics.
BSAD430: Financial Management
Managing financial resources effectively in a complex and disruptive economic environment presents significant challenges for businesses in both the private and public sectors. Learners examine finance concepts and principles; ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements; and financial management best practices. Learners engage in financial analysis and project the impact of potential financial strategies for making decisions.
Prerequisite: BSAD310 – Financial Accounting Systems. Prior study of professional communication recommended.
HRD301: Principles of Human Resource Management & Development
Principles of Human Resource Management and Development – The strategic role of the human resource function in today's organizations is aligned and integrated with the overall mission and key objectives of the broader organization. Having a solid foundation in the areas of managerial and legal responsibilities, current trends in HR, performance management, recruitment, succession planning, training and development, labor relations, and other key areas, is critical for the entry and mid-level employee. These topics and more are covered with a specific focus on their application in real-world scenarios.
Prerequisite: COM 125 – Speech. Prior study of business law is recommended.
BSAD415: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
Effective interpersonal skills are essential for professionals as they communicate, collaborate, and negotiate with other individuals and groups within and outside an organization. Successful learners develop the professional interpersonal, facilitation, negotiation, conflict management, and dispute resolution skills necessary for success in today's complex business environments. This complexity includes elements such as the social, cultural, and economic diversity of the workforce in domestic and global environments. Learners apply these skills in a series of scenarios including those related to personnel, team, contractual, procedural, change, and other stakeholder concerns.
Prerequisite: COM 125 – Speech
BSAD440: Strategic Management
Employing successful strategies is essential for private and public sector organizations to be competitive, perform effectively, achieve corporate goals and objectives, and meet the expectations of stakeholders. Learners study strategic management theories and principles and examine best practices for developing and executing sucessful strategies in complex, disruptive domestic and global markets. Models and methods for leading and motivating employees to effectively execute those strategies are examined.
Prerequisites: All major courses with the exception of the Capstone. Prior study of professional communication recommended.
BSAD497: Business Administration Capstone
Learners engage in two projects that assess their achievements and preparation for pursuit of professional aspirations in the field of business administration. Through application and assessment, learners examine the knowledge and skills gained throughout the program, achievement of the program outcomes, their roles as individual responsible citizens and in encouraging corporate responsible citizenship, and their preparation for business leadership.
Prerequisites: All major courses. Prior study of professional communication recommended.
Foundation Requirements*
CORE101: Developing Academic and Professional Strengths
How does higher education help create the type of person that businesses want to hire? Learners will explore the answer to this question, and in doing so, help lay the foundation for academic and professional success. Each learner will develop a core set of skills needed to be both an effective college student and a successful professional in the 21st‐century workplace. Learners will develop and practice practical strategies with which to become more efficient and effective learners, while also developing higher‐order learning skills to reflect on critical issues relevant to both academic and professional environments such as personal responsibility and ethics.
CORE110: Information Literacy
This course is designed to provide learners with the skills that are fundamental to becoming an information‐literate professional who can locate, evaluate, organize and communicate information. The abundance and rapid flow of data requires skill development in the understanding of information resources, accessing information sources, determining the credibility of Internet information, logically organizing sources and finally presenting the information professionally.
ENGL101: Composition 1
This course helps learners develop writing skills that are transferrable to any academic or workplace writing task. The course guides learners through the process of planning, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading academic and workplace writing. Learners will develop skills necessary to craft coherent sentences and paragraphs, to edit editing their writing for proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. They will learn about narrative structure and techniques as well as the elements of successful argumentation and persuasive discourse. This course also guides learners through every stage of the research process. Learners will develop a research plan, conduct research, organize and draft a research paper, and then revise, edit, and proofread that research paper.
ENGL102: Composition 2
This course builds on the thinking and writing skills introduced in Composition 1. Learners will write critical, argumentative essays based on their interpretations of nonfictional texts, including literary, film, and cultural texts, and in doing so, will recognize the role of rhetoric in the writing situation as they craft persuasive discourse. In doing so, they will learn methods of questioning, analyzing, and evaluating their own beliefs as well as the perceptions and perspectives of others. These methods of critical thinking are intended to improve the quality and organization of learners' writing for any purpose, including academic and workplace purposes. In addition to writing essays, learners will develop more advanced research strategies, as well greater proficiency in APA style.
Prerequisite: ENGL101
COM125: Speech
This course helps learners majoring in any discipline strengthen communication skills essential for success in academics and the workplace. Learners will focus on listening, evaluating, and delivering spoken discourse based on audience and purpose. Learners will evaluate why some people are more effective than others as public speakers, analyze speeches and audiences, study ethical considerations for speakers, research and organize findings on a topic, and present findings before an audience, and learn techniques for identifying and reducing speech anxiety. *COM125 is a prerequisite for some classes in the program and not the program as a whole.
HUM201: Ethics
Ethics introduces learners to moral philosophy, the branch of philosophy that questions what is good and bad. The course surveys a number of important ethical theories—ethical relativism, objectivism, egoism, altruism, utilitarianism, duty‐based moral theory, natural law, natural rights, and virtue ethics—as they examine reasons why certain actions are morally right or wrong. Learners will apply ethical theories in the evaluation and analysis of current controversial issues, question ethical matters from a variety of angles, and acquire new tools to assist them in making ethically sound, well‐informed decisions throughout their lives.
COM301: Professional Communication
This course prepares learners to communicate effectively in business settings by helping them develop their written and oral communication skills. The course focuses on traditional and Web‐based forms of communication used in business today, including e‐mail, letters, memos, reports, proposals, and presentations. The course teaches learners to plan, write, and revise communications for a variety of audiences and in different mediums. It also teaches learners to communicate with greater clarity, economy of language, and vigor, as well as how to communicate professionally with employees, customers, and hiring managers. Learners will participate in interactive online activities and complete real‐world assessments that help them produce, evaluate, and improve their own written, oral, and multimedia communication skills.
Prerequisite: ENGL102. A final grade of C or higher for this course is required for learners to enroll in the capstone course.
*MASC110 Statistics & Probability, or MASC115 College Algebra, or more advanced college credit bearing mathematics course requiring college algebra or higher as a prerequisite
Disciplinary Perspective Requirements*
Social Sciences (6 credit hours)
Humanities (6 credit hours)
Natural Sciences/Math (4 credit hours)
*Most foundation and disciplinary perspective requirements are waived for students with an AA, AS, or AAS degree. Speak to your admissions counselor for details.
Graduation Requirements
- Complete all foundation and major courses with an overall GPA of 2.0
- Complete a minimum of 124 credit hours, with at least 60 hours at a bachelor's degree-granting institution
- Complete at least 30 credit hours with a C average or above from Southwestern College
All degree requirements are subject to change. Please see Southwestern College Professional Studies Catalog for the most current degree requirements.


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text:
Thursday, September 1, 2011
I've been thinking about Netflix's recent marketing implications. You probably know that several weeks ago the online TV and movie giant announced a restructuring of their prices. Instead of paying one price for streaming and DVD options, beginning September 1 — today — customers will pay separate prices for each service. Outraged, thousands of angry customers canceled their subscriptions. Can I blame them? I'm a Netflix consumer, but it hasn't stopped me yet.
But let me put this into a branding perspective: First of all, branding is the promise we make to customers that we vow never to break. It is creating and maintaining the essence of the brand. Consumers will stay with a solid brand even when newer or sexier brands are introduced. With that understanding, wasn't Netflix's original branding 'one low price' for two services? Though their service hasn't changed and product is still the same, I can't help but see this as a reneging of their most fundamental platform.
However, and it's a big one… I took a look at their portfolio over the past year and even considering that they lost thousands of subscriptions, their stock has continued to rise. All I have to say about that is that their public relations team must be doing a killer job. After all, something's keeping me around isn't it?
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These notes will be shipped to you via USPS mail. You will have the opportunity to choose Express Mail (the faster option) or Priority Mail (the slower option) at checkout.
The Smokin'Notes are shipped as soon as they are available, which is usually six (6) days before each exam. You can pre-order the Smokin'Notes at any time and your order will be shipped as soon as the notes are available.


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India is known to be the land of Saints and Gods. The country is filled with various types of discoveries, inventions and magical things.
Before the genesis of our culture and society, our ancients already wrote 'Granths', 'Vedas' and other spiritual books about the world and its existence, which they have learned from years of regards and Yoga. In ancient times, various saints after doing years of hard meditation, found the secrets hidden in the 'Vedas' and came out with such amazing inventions that shocked the kings of those times as well. These inventions, later, came to be known as modern science.
Note: Acharya Sushruta's work was later translated to Arabic language and gradually passed on to European countries. He used a curved needle and removed the cataract by pushing the lens. The eyes were then immersed in warm butter and were properly covered until they were completely healed. People from far off countries came to India to seek treatment.
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Riverhawk Cross Country Trails
A network of trails for conditioning, or use of a multi-loop for a 5k cross country route, can be found on the Anne Arundel Community College. The course weaves across open field areas as well as wooded areas as part of the Earl S. Scott Nature trail through a small tract of forest and running along a stream.
Although the course is often used for neighboring high-school cross-country meets, the trails are utilized by Riverhawk cross-country teams (and other Riverhawk sports teams) for strictly practice and conditioning.


text: Have you ever been inspired? Inspired enough to make a big change in the world? Even if that change required you to travel half way around the world and raise 10s of thousands of dollars? Today, we speak with Steven Pile, a California musician who is raising funds to build a solar-powered music school in … read more


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Jon Favreau's Chef did the impossible. It pulled me out of hibernation. Much like the movie's premise to do your own thing, and to do what you do best, Chef worked for me at the meta level and gently nudged me to re-start writing about movies. So, DUN…DUN…DUN…presenting the resurrection of Prakash J with four … Continue reading
Category Archives: Short Take
Cinema InFlux (2012-13) – Part II
Let's continue where we left. Finally, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty made it to Indian shores—just in time before the Oscars. Was it worth the wait? Read on. Also featuring Tarantino's Django Unchained. Don't ya miss it. But please, don't do the mistake I did: watching it back-to-back after Lincoln. Why? I'll let you figure … Continue reading
Cinema InFlux (2012-13)
Much like the current Indian fiscal year that started in 2012 and ends in 2013, my cinematic fiscal (assuming cinema viewing generates blissful revenue that feeds the soul) started in 2012 and continues to have its run in 2013. Huge credit for it goes to 2012 year-end Hollywood releases that are yet to see the … Continue reading
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)
I Met a Short Frail Strange Woody Allen On a lazy Sunday afternoon your grey cells are hibernating and all you do is stare into infinity, dream about dreams that always remain dreams, and the sweet pleasure that dissatisfaction brings. A perfect day to indulge in some strange, unpredictable (or maybe predictable, depends on how … Continue reading
Moon (2009)
The Dark Side of the Moon Instead of falling in to the black hole of science fiction (sci-fi) mediocrity with run-of-the-mill flicks, give movies like Moon a chance. The gravitational force of Moon's plausible, astute and insightful subject is bound to draw you closer to your 'self' and re-invoke eternal questions such as: Is it … Continue reading
21 Grams (2003)
Cinematic Redemption for the Soul Life is a mystery that reveals itself only when essential. So does death. And so does 21 Grams. Three parallel narratives of three self-condemned lives; one non-linear screenplay outlined in one pendulous to-and-fro editing style. The net effect: one pleasantly discomforted audience. Continue reading


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Dogs of the Dow Strategy for May 2020
The Dogs of the Dow is a straightforward investment strategy first introduced by Michael B. O'Higgins in his book Beating the Dow. The procedure is very simple. At the end of the year, look at the Dow Jones Industrial Average index, pick the ten stocks with the highest yield, and invest an equal amount of … Read more Dogs of the Dow Strategy for May 2020


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Constantia Glen Five
x1 - £30.95 - per bottle
x6 - £28.66 - per bottle
x12 - £28.42 - per bottle
A critically acclaimed, powerful, intense, rich, full-bodied Bordeaux style red wine with blackcurrant, black plum, black cherry and oak inspired notes on the nose and the palate. Pairs well with lamb, beef (especially steak) or good quality strong mature cheese.
Wine Facts
|Powerful, intense, rich, full-bodied red wine
|South Africa
|Western Cape (Constantia)
|Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot
|Bottle Size
Vineyard & Wine Region Information
Constantia Glen has a unique position cradled between the Constantiaberg and Table Mountain (World Heritage Site) ranges, with predominantly north-east facing slopes. This singular location allows for exposure to late afternoon sun, ideal for the slow ripening that shapes our classically expressed wines. Decomposed granite and Table Mountain sandstone are the dominant soil types that lend minerality and the graceful character to our wines. High water retention of the rich clay sub-soils allows for sustainable dryland cultivation, while ecologically sound practices include biological insect and pest control by means of natural predators.


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Spring Concert Tonight, May 18, at 7:30pm; Please have your children in their classroom by 7pm.
Bake Sale at Spring Concert! Mrs. Brosnan' s 5th grade class will be running a bake sale at the Spring Concert, with proceeds benefiting the class shopping trip to restock the Holy Trinity Food Pantry. There will be sweet treats and savory snacks, as well as drinks, all $1.
Reminder: NEXT WEEK, the week of May 22 will be the last week for purchasing Grocery Gift Cards to meet the 2016-17 obligation. (put link to website page here?)
At the Westfield Campus, orders with checks sent to the office by 2:30pm Tuesday, May 23 will be filled by Thursday, May 25. Cards will be available for direct purchase on Wednesday mornings from 8:45am – 9:15pm in the Mountainside Campus lobby through Wednesday, May 24.
Remaining balance due letters will be sent out the week of May 29.
Congratulations to HTS Outstanding Graduate, Isabela Allen, who was recognized by Cardinal Tobin and Dr. Dames at the celebration for the Outstanding Graduates of the Archdiocese at the Retreat Center in Kearny.
Congratulations to Girl Scout Troop 40402 for earning their Bronze award, the highest national honor at the Junior Scouting level! To earn their award, the girls created puppet show DVDs of the popular children's stories "Corduroy" and "Peter Pan" for the patients of Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, as entertainment and literacy reinforcement. They also made laminated place mats and cards to accompany the puppet shows, as well as ran a sticker and small toy drive in their efforts to support the hospital patients.
The Holy Trinity Chess Team competed in the Supernationals Chess Tournament held from May 12-14, in Nashville, Tennessee. Over 5500 K-12 players attended the event, representing over 1500 school teams from across the country. Players played in one of 25 sections based on their age and ability. Four players from Holy Trinity competed in the seven round tournament. Chris Spencer, a 2nd grader, finished in 19th place out of 222 players in the K-5 Under 1200 section. Angelika Demetrick, a 7th grader, finished with 4 wins in the K-8 Under 750 section. 8th grader Sebastian Agasino ended with 3.5 points for the tournament in the K-9 Under 1250 section. Andrew Demetrick, a 2nd grader, ended with 3 wins in the K-3 Under 700 section. This was the second straight year that Holy Trinity School has competed in the U.S. National Chess Championships. Congratulations to the Chess Team!
Save the DATES: (more info to follow)
May Crowning- Wednesday, May 24th, Holy Trinity Church, 1:20pm
Blue&Gold Alumni Spring Fling- May 25th, 6:30-9:30pm- front lawn
No School- Faculty Retreat – Friday, May 26th
8th Grade Sports Dinner- Wednesday, May 31st
HSA Bulk Clothing Drive- POSTPONED to the FALL
The ANNUAL HTS Walk-a-Thon will take place on Wednesday, May 31 at 10am. Permission slips and Sponsor sheets went home last week. All parents are invited to walk with the students.
Let's MEAT at MOOYAH" on Wednesday, May 31st between 4:00pm and 9:00pm and help support the HOLY TRINITY DRAMA CLUB! Mooyah will donate a portion of the sales from the event to the drama club. Please come and support your fellow students and enjoy a burger and shake.
8th Graduation Mass, Thursday, June 8th, 6pm at St. Helens Church
8th Grade Graduation, Friday, June 9th, 7:30pm at Holy Trinity Church
Deacon Tom Pluta of Holy Trinity Church will be honored for his 25 years of dedication to the community at a Gala held on May 20. Please see www.pauljacksonfund.org for more information.
Check us out at https://www.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/paul-jackson-fund-giving-hope-gala-auction-1949
For some inspiration to bid or donate, check out Paul's Story & Mission https://youtu.be/CYcK7MyOQIE
And if you're coming to the Gala Saturday, you can preview the on site silent auction items and register now for quick check in at the hotel Kiosk.
Matt Kujawski '14 asked HTS to share the following information about a Dance Marathon at Westfield High School on Friday, May 19 from 5-10pm to benefit Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside. Please see the attached for more information.
Hit One Out for Charity!
The Sister Pat's Wiffle Ball Tournament on 5/26 is still open for registration and looking for teams to enter…Start off your Memorial Day weekend with a blast and help a good cause. Join together with your friends or family, and consider forming a team of 5 to 8 and participate in the 7th Annual Charity Wiffle Ball Tournament benefitting Sr. Pat's Kids Camp. Sr. Pat's Kids Camp is a week-long summer camp experience in upstate New York for underprivileged children with cancer. The Tournament will be held on Friday, May 26th, after school at Tamaques Park in Westfield. The cost is a $15 donation per player. All profits will go directly to Sr. Pat's Kids Camp. Throughout the event, food and drinks from local stores will be available for sale, and games will be available throughout. To volunteer or if you have any questions, please email Katie Sullivan at firstname.lastname@example.com . To register for the tournament, please visit sisterpatskidscamp.org and download the sign-up sheet under the Fundraising Events Tab.


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Kim Kardashian: Kanye West Loves My Growing Body!by Hilton Hater at .
Kim Kardashian is ignoring the haters and focusing on the lover.
In a new interview with E! News, Kim addresses the recent tabloid covers that scream about her weight gain, but says she doesn't care because there's only one person whose opinion she values.
"[Kanye] loves it and just embraces it," Kardashian says of her expanding figure. "And he's helped me to really feel sexy and embrace it."
Kim laughs at the magazines who all say she "weighs like 500 pounds" and says she wishes that were the case.
Instead, she's allegedly turned off by junk food. What does she chow down these days in that case?
"I crave carrots and celery with ranch. I have to have that once a day, and protein bars."
Kardashian is due in July, the same month the Kate Middleton baby is set to arrive.
And that multi-million dollar deal she'll make with a tabloid to publish the photos that yell KIM GETS HER BIKINI BODY BACK? It ought to be finalized by August.


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Ze Eduardo's agent has confirmed a deal has been struck for the Santos striker to join Serie A. "He will play for Genoa."
The striker had also been linked with a series of top clubs, including Fiorentina, Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim.
"It's true, Ze Eduardo will play for Genoa," agent Luiz Taveira told Sky Sport Italia television.
"In the next few hours, we will close up the deal with President Enrico Preziosi."
The 23-year-old forward can also play as a trequartista or even wide on the left flank.
Ze Eduardo has already played for several sides in his career, including Palmeiras, Cruzeiro, Gremio and Santos.
Watch Serie A live in the UK on Premier Sports for just £11.99 per month including live LaLiga, Eredivisie, Scottish Cup Football and more. Visit: https://subscribe.premiersports.tv/


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Staying in a position to perform backups video games on PS2 can be convenient and typically very expense conserving. Thanks to the a variety of disc examining configurations of diverse types of the PS2 program, discs are far more prone to scratches than on any other console. You can stay away from owning to re-obtain video games by understanding how to perform backup PS2 video games.
In this tutorial, you will study the very effortless system of how to perform back up video games on PS2.
PS2 players used to use a modchip or swap magic or cogswap to backup video games and perform them. These procedures are not only much too intricate for normal folks, but also not protected to use. If there is anything completely wrong in the procedure of putting in, they may entirely wipe out their expensive PS2 and the video games. Also, just one really should devote a further couple bucks to invite expert to do the modification, and some money on the modchip or other supplies. Which is all additional charges, which could be saved by employing a game copying software package. With the support of a excellent game copying software package, just one can make one:one backup copies of his most loved PS2 video games, just the very same as the original. So the backup is playable on PS2.
Certainly they contained the boot sequence as a part of the software package. This sequence was embedded deep in these kinds of plan and heavily encrypted and empower you to burn up it onto normal disks. The software package is alternatively simplistic as we did not really feel we wanted a complex interface. It will work pretty significantly like a normal CD/DVD burner. You can copy/Burn ISO files onto the disk and it mechanically burns the boot up sequence with the game. So this copying software package plan is the key for you to study how to perform back up PS2 video games.
As for your talk to, a nicely reputed copying software package of this form is termed Duplicate That Game. Here is an straightforward evaluation of Duplicate That Game!
To begin backing up PS2 video games, you have to have to start the plan you set up. Once this is introduced, you have to have to insert the disc you want to backup. Click on on the Duplicate button and depart it be. In quite a few applications, the location of the knowledge that will be copied is mechanically introduced to the push. It will re-impression or mirror the knowledge and will request you to insert a blank disc after the copying is completely ready. As quickly as the backup copies manufactured, you can perform this backup game on PS2 with out a difficulty.
So in get to perform backup video games on ps2 and safeguard the original from problems, you have to have to begin appropriate away to get a excellent copying software package, Duplicate That Game, as I advocate. Want to study far more information about Duplicate That Game? Visit Duplicate That Game Assessment!


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Jane Hogben Tiny Jugs - various designs
These tiny jugs are perfect for dressings, a single serve of milk or just to look pretty in the kitchen. Hand made by Jane Hogben Pottery in England, they feature several stunning designs in a range of colours: Eau de nil, grey, blue, yellow, cream and pink. Also listed in larger size jugs.
We have a small selection here, available to buy directly online but there are lots more designs in store so if you can't find what you are looking for here, please contact us and we will do our best to help.
Tiny jug is approximately 5.5cm tall and holds approximately 50ml.


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Black Friday Is Almost Here
One of the most exciting events of the year is about to take place next week. Every year I think about it, plan for it, discuss it with my friends and coworkers, and wait with great anticipation for its arrival. It's not the Iron Bowl, it's not Thanksgiving, it's BLACK FRIDAY!!!
There are few things more exciting than buying a flash drive at 6:00 am on Friday morning for pennies on the dollar. Finding these incredible deals takes planning. If you're like me, you head to The Summit on Wednesday evening when the Thanksgiving edition of The Birmingham News first becomes available. Forget finding one on Thanksgiving Day, it won't happen. The anticipation of taking that 10-pound newspaper home to uncover the great deals can only be compared to waiting in line to ride a roller coaster. You know it will be thrilling and can't wait for the experience.
Although nothing compares to flipping through ad after ad to see which pharmacy has the best prices on Christmas presents, you don't have to wait that long. There are a number of great websites which give you a sneak peek at the Black Friday ads. Not only that, several will allow you to join a mailing list for updates to information on the website. Some allow you to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates along with providing apps for your mobile devices. With all these tools at your disposal, you can feed the need you have to immerse yourself in the Black Friday experience.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not a morning person, so all the deals you have to camp out for are long gone by the time I make it to the store. My coworker is dismayed by my reluctance to go early enough to get in line for a wrist band. This reluctance in no way diminishes my Black Friday experience. Many retailers allow you to buy the products online; not the wristband products, but other discounted items in the ads. Not to mention that many retailers have online specials as well. Finally, we must not forget about the elephant in the room, my dear friend, Amazon.com.
Check out these websites to get a jump on your Black Friday planning. I am a librarian, so I'd be remiss if I didn't also list a number of books for your consideration. You can read while you're waiting in traffic, but NOT if you're driving. Distracted driving is dangerous. Happy Shopping!
- BFAds.net -- mailing list, apps, Facebook, Twitter
- BlackFriday.com -- Wishlist, Facebook, Twitter
- TheBlackFriday.com -- mailing list, apps, Facebook, Twitter
- Black Friday @ GottaDEAL -- mailing list, apps, Facebook, Twitter