Knowledge and knowledge management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Knowledge and knowledge management - Essay Example Knowledge management practitioners and scholars acknowledge that there exist knowledge that is hard to articulate and grasp. Most of these scholars to approach the issue by a taking the representational point of view and trying to represent that which is not representable, that is, trying to make hard the soft knowledge. However, knowledge as a soft or hard quality brings out a clear perception that this is not the right understanding in knowledge management. Wenger (1999), in his understanding of knowledge management, uses shared artefacts and social processes as his case study to explain individual’s reification and participation in understanding KM If we concur that experience and interaction with individual’s milieu necessitate the learning process, then it is also easier to concur that learning involves explicit and tactic knowledge. Argote and Ingram (2000) emphasizes that the main key attribute to knowledge is that it exists in the head of individuals, and it only becomes information when it is on paper or any other medium. The original knowledge, however, remains in the author’s mind and an ideal world it is only transmitted to the readers mind through this medium. According to Grover and Davenport (2001), progresses today has seen to it that knowledge is put on record inform of stories. The above sentiments created sparks among the knowledge practitioners who questions the form that the knowledge takes in the story. With other such as Woods and Prusak (1999) wondering on whether the soft knowledge is transforming to be harder. During articulation and understanding there is always some levels of abstraction. In order to retrieve something back, the soft knowledge is necessary. Kidd (1999) explains that an individual who concentrates on the hard aspects of knowledge, mostly newcomers, can only comprehend a story at its superficial level. He further illustrates that the interpretation

Jurnal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Jurnal - Essay Example She believes that as a woman, she not only needs to look beautiful but also confident and efficient to show the opposite sex that women have brain that can outsmart them. She also thinks that she can get away with anything! She is a marketing manager in a cosmetic company. She has a dynamic personality and her confidence in her abilities is important part of her professional success. Her smiling appearance and ready apologies for lateness just do not let any negative feelings to persist. Would my impatient behavior have any long lasting impact? I do not think so! She comes from different culture where personal relationships are important but punctuality is not. This is what I have come to realize which may or may not be true for others. But she has a heart of pure gold and I love her for her vivacious personality. She bears no hard feelings for others. She is late for the 5th time in a row. I have now resigned myself that we would be late for cinema. She is very conscious of her looks. Appearances are very important for her and dressing smartly ensures that clients and business partners are impressed at first sight. She is as usual impeccably dressed. (words:

Abstract for Choices, Values, and Frame Essay Example for Free

Abstract for Choices, Values, and Frame Essay Reading 2.2 Kahneman,D and Tvesky, A. (1984), ‘ Choices, values, and frames’. Ameriacn Psychologist, 39 (4) Abstract This article discuss when consumers feel a certain price which is bringing the loss rather than the income, they are more sensitive to price. Consumers are feeling a certain price more cost-effective manner and the other a less cost-effective. They will accord the cognitive psychological evaluation to exhibit a completely different personal attitude and decision making. Economic decision making theory has always been that people are fundamentally rational animal. However, human beings have irrational features in many aspects. One of the most attract somebodys attention example is calling the â€Å"framing effect In this effect, the positive or negative way to make a decision has had a dramatic effect on subsequent choice. The researchers found that integration from the decision system of emotional preference were potential causes of framing effect. With the potential risk benefit choices need to pay the cognitive effort than defined benefit choice; however, determining the damaged choice and risk selection potential damage to pay cognitive effort is the same. There are two fundamental analyze principles for rational choice theory: dominance and invariance. Dominance can be defined that project A in the worst case is better than project B, project A should be accept. Invariance requires that human describe selectivity problem for the same thing that will draw the common preference. Framing effect can be divide two types: positive and negative. The positive frame shows risk-averse preference for gains. On the other hand, the negative frame shows risk- seeking preference for losses. In addition, in mental accounting, money can be attributed to the different types of account which cannot replace each other. People are always divide outcomes into different mental accountings and use decision value and experience value, in order to evaluate the results whether can be accepted. EXAMPLE To discuss the cognitive psychology effects our daily life, I will give a  example of rent or buy a house in Sydney. If we want rent a house or apartment in Sydney which have two bedrooms, a living room and 2 bathrooms, according to my experience, we need to pay 600-800 dollar each week. Most of us may not feel pressure to rent an apartment for one or two years. If we spend 20000 or 30000 as down payment which is use for purchase an apartment. I think we could be hesitating. We analyze that purchase a apartment is better than rent in order to live one or two years in some place. We are willing spend less to live although we make sure loss 600-800 each week. However, it leads to a value of experience, and this experience value effect our decision. Finally, we would rather to rent an apartment although we know it not a rational investment. Reading 8.3 Abstract This article point out that the exercise of power in the process of development and implementation of organizational information systems are very expensive and time consuming. Accordingly, the theory of ‘sociology of translation’ provides corresponding solutions for the organization. According to the theory, there are two important features in the problemastisation. Firstly, actor or group should more specific in a general problem to find a mental to solving. Secondly, actors should be defined identities in a plan that will use their skill and experience precisely. The author point out an example that senior manager enjoy the IT program and analyze it to use reducing cost as a new tool. In addition, most of the consultants believe that organizations should make clear position, future goals and behavior before implement IT strategy. Meanwhile, consultants also believed that IT system is great significance strategy for organizations lead to successful. For another example, IT consultants try them best to make sure problematisation steady. The successive problematisations build an exercise of power and prevent other alternative problematisations from getting onto the agenda of the project team. In conclusion, the author solves the problems in the information technology process in the theory of concepts. Consultants adopted the theory of  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœsociology of translation’ to solve organizations’ problem. Discuss the nature of the relationship between external management consultants and customer or user groups. The author considers the other resource management role and differential access to its knowledge and skills, such as an important exercise of power relations. Example ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning): Enterprise resource planning system is basing on information technology. The use of information technology implementation of enterprise supply chain management, in order to realize scientific management of each link in the supply chain. ERP integrates information technology and advanced management ideas become the modern enterprise mode which reflecting the era of enterprise reasonable allocation of resources. It maximizes the creation of social wealth and become the cornerstone of corporate survival. In the company, the general management mainly includes three aspects: production control (planning, manufacturing, logistics (distribution), procurement, inventory management) and financial management (accounting, financial management); three systems are integrating and the importance of human resources constitutes the primary module of ERP system. The ERP system of business each module refinement, split, forming a relatively independent software syst em and the seamless connection, so that the enterprises of different scales can be freely combined according to need and make enterprise resource optimization configuration. Reading 1.3 Abstract The author claims a general make a strategic relate to several aspects. This article points out that your teammates or colleagues making decision will affect on yourself. Namely, the title of this article: â€Å"looking up and looking around†. Firstly, â€Å"looking up† is a basic human nature in any situation. In other words, when you meet a more experience and knowledge person (such as your manager and your boss) make a strategic, and then making decision follow how he/she would act. Secondly, ‘looking around’ is one of your opinions. When you work with your teammates or colleagues, you will find out how they deal with problems and what they make decisions. Then  you will follow their opinions to deal with yourself problems. The author also points out that â€Å"decision- making paralysis† always effect on everyone no matter you are middle manage or even the top manager and CEO. When face with a problem, human minds always goes blank. They want to find a solution to solve the problem. If not, they will look for someone to take the burden. On the other hand, they will afraid to make decision in any situation because they don’t want the decision bring fail. Most of managers suffer from anxiety that colleagues will find out their incapability. There is important problem that makes a rational strategic not only managers’ duty, it also relate to company’s structure and the project. Manager always are demanded to make a decision quickly which based on information transmits from primary levels. However, the information not particularly correct that leads to some wrong decisions in that situation. Obviously, the manager who makes the wrong decision in a organization should take the bl ame and be fired. This situation always happens in many companies. The author claims that a outstanding managers should have a rational analyze and quick thinking abilities. Example In my experience, when I worked at an international land sales company, my manager receives a project to help a China company find an office. Our team receive the order which needs a 300㎠¡ work place in shanghai CBD. Firstly, we should make a research to find out whether a suitable square. Our manager makes a decision to ask some building manager which is located in shanghai CBD. Finally, we find a suitable place for the China Company. However, when we check require with the company, our assistant told us we get wrong squares that is 400 ㎠¡. So our manager has to afresh contact to the building list. Fortunately, we found a 90 ㎠¡ near the former one. Our manager decides to connect the two work place to reach 400㎠¡. We successfully completed out task on time.

Marijuana-A description of the drug and its aeffects Essay Example for Free

Marijuana-A description of the drug and its aeffects Essay Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States. It is made from the dried leaves and flowering tops of the Indian hemp plant Cannabis Sativa. People smoke, chew, or eat marijuana for its hallucinogenic and intoxicating effects. The flowering tops of the Cannabis plant secrete a sticky resin that contains the active ingredient of marijuana, known as Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The plant has both male and female forms. The sticky flowers of the female plant are the most potent. Hashish is a similar drug prepared from the same plant. It differs from marijuana in that it is made of only the resin from the plant, but where marijuana is made up of flowering tops and leaves. The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The membranes of certain nerve cells in the brain contain protein receptors that bind to THC. Once securely in place, THC initiates a series of cellular reactions that lead to the high that users experience when they smoke marijuana. There are usually phases in marijuana use there are: intoxication, initial stimulation, which includes giddiness and euphoria, followed by sedation and pleasant tranquility. Mood changes are often accompanied by altered perceptions of time and space. Thinking processes become disrupted by fragmentary ideas and memories. Other feelings include increased appetite, heightened sensory awareness, and general feelings of pleasure. Negative effects of marijuana use can include confusion, acute panic reactions, anxiety attacks, fear, a sense of helplessness, and loss of self-control. Like alcohol intoxication, marijuana intoxication impairs judgment, comprehension, memory, speech, problem-solving ability, reaction time, and driving skills. Although marijuana is not physically addicting and no physical withdrawal symptoms occur when use is discontinued, psychological dependence develops in some 10 to 20 percent of long-term regular users. Smoking marijuana can damage the lungs, and long-term use may increase the risk of lung cancer . Even infrequent use of marijuana can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and frequent chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency to obstructed airways. Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke. Marijuana use has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens. Marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. It also produces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form, levels that may accelerate the changes that produce malignant cells. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs exposure to carcinogenic smoke.Some other effects of marijuana may occur because THC impairs the immune systems ability to fight off infectious diseases and cancer. In laboratory experiments that exposed animal and human cells to THC or other marijuana ingredients, the normal disease-preventing reactions of many of the key types of immune cells were inhibited. In other studies, mice exposed to THC or related substances were more likely than unexp osed mice to develop bacterial infections and tumors Depression, anxiety, and personality disturbances are all associated with marijuana use. Because marijuana compromises the ability to learn and remember information, the more a person uses marijuana the more he or she is likely to fall behind in accumulating intellectual, job, or social skills. Students who smoke marijuana get lower grades and are less likely to graduate from high school, compared to their non-smoking peers. Workers who smoke marijuana are more likely than their coworkers to have problems on the job. Several studies associate workers marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers compensation claims, and job turnover. A study of municipal workers found that those who used marijuana on or off the job reported more withdrawal behaviors such as leaving work without permission, daydreaming, and spending work time on personal matters. Although no medications are currently available for treating marijuana abuse, recent discoveries about the workings of the THC receptors have raised the  possibility of eventually developing a medication that will block the intoxicating effects of THC. Such a medication might be used to prevent relapse to marijuana abuse by lessening or eliminating its appeal.

Media Essays Baudrillard Media Terrorism

Media Essays Baudrillard Media Terrorism Baudrillard Media Terrorism Discuss Baudrillard’s controversial contention that Western media have been complicit in terrorism. What does he mean and how convincing is his argument? Jean Baudrillard was an influential but highly controversial French Philosopher, Sociologist and cultural theorist. The â€Å"prophet of the postmodern media spectacle† (Butterfield: 2002) best known for his work on contemporary social theory, the modes of mediation and technological communication (Kellner: 1994: 1), commenting in particular on AIDS, cloning, the first Gulf War and terrorism. Baudrillards writings and his almost confrontational view have led to him being fiercely criticised by many, giving him nicknames such as â€Å"the high priest of post-modernism† (Gane: 1991: 47) and â€Å"the David Bowie of Philosophy† (Merrin: 2005a: 5). His continual TV appearances, tours and newspaper coverage only reinforced his critics â€Å"suspicion of his superficiality† (Merrin: 2005a: 6). Overall his theories were regarded as old hat up until 9/11 and the World Trade Centre terrorist attacks, where his writings on the matter once again put him in the spotlight, although not all agreed with what he has to say none could help but take note. Before I get into Baudrillards writings on terrorism it is important to outline some of his earlier works and theories, so you get a good scope of the mans thinking’s and view of the world in which we live in. An important point, central to all Baudrillards theories is his concern over the importance of images within contemporary culture. He builds upon Plato’s allegory of the cave, in which he compares the world’s population to cave dwellers, viewing false reality instead of absolute truth, in the form of shadows on the wall. Baudrillard takes inspiration from this idea, as well as the work of Lev Manovich, to come up with a theory which has been described as â€Å"inverted Platonism† (Stam: 2000: 306). In â€Å"Plato’s Cave† the cave dwellers, shackled to the wall, naively view the shadows cast on the back wall as actuality as they have never seen anything other than that, they never experience the absolute truth only the manufactured truth. Baudrillard takes this one step further though by â€Å"denying the existence of any actuality or reality that may be revealed† (Plantinga: 1996: 307), arguing that there is no protocols now in place which can help us distinguish between appearances and reality. Baudrillard states that we are stuck in a postmodern â€Å"hyper-reality†, where ‘truth’ is â€Å"simply the latest media consensus† (Plantinga: 1996: 307). The televisions, images and mass media which have now replaced Plato’s cave wall have become a means not of informing and revealing truth but of taking part in the creation of the manufactured consensus which passes as truth and knowledge in the postmodern world (Plantinga: 1996: 307). The real has almost completely disappeared, with any glimmer of absolute truth over-shadowed by media simulation. In his book Simulacra and Simulation Baudrillard looks at the West’s relationship between reality and images. He claims that modern society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs, and that humans are experiencing a simulation of reality rather than reality itself. This is an idea famously explored in the Wachowski brothers film The Matrix (1999), with the character Morpheus referring to the real world as the â€Å"desert of the real† (Baudrillard: 1994: 1), a reference lifted straight from Baudrillards work. Baudrillard has since claimed in interview that The Matrix is nothing more than a misunderstanding of his work (Lancelin: 2004). The simulacra that Baudrillard refers to are signs of culture and media that creative the perceived reality, serving as a powerful form of â€Å"social control† (Baudrillard: 1993a: 60), and can be divided into four discreet semiotic stages. Before simulacra, in pre-modern societies signs are few in number and simply refer to and reflect reality. Their primary purpose is to reflect a divinely sanctioned hierarchy and social positioning (Barker: 1996: 50), rigid and firmly fixed in place. Religious paintings such as those of Jesus or the Virgin Mary are held to be true copies of a higher reality, which people can worship like they are the real thing, disregarding the fact that they are nothing but a replica. The so called First Order of Simulacra stretches through the 14th and 15th centuries, during the Renaissance period. Baudrillard states that during this counterfeit time we changed from being a limited order of signs, â€Å"to a proliferation of signs according to demand† (1983: 85). As religious views and sanctioned hierarchy begin to fade, man-made copies of the real world start to be produced on mass. For the first time during this period we get signs splitting away from reality, the truth can be altered and changed to suit different purposed, creating false copies which are not representable. The third stage and Second Order of Simulacra came as a consequence of the Industrial Revolution, where advances in mechanical production in things such as cameras and printers radically changed the relationship between signs and the real. At this stage an â€Å"industrial law of value† (Smart: 1993: 52) reigns, where technological and mechanical reproduction come to constitute a new reality. The more these signs multiply, the more their relationship with the real is undermined. As Walter Benjamin once said images become the things themselves, absorbing â€Å"the process of production, changing it finalities and altering the status of product and producer† (Baudrillard: 1983: 98). The reproductions dilute the experience of the unique image, they lose the special value associated with the unique and authentic, instead acquiring a much more abstract kind of value. Baudrillard’s Third Order of Simulacra is where we are at now. In our contemporary postmodern societies, images have floated free of reality, taking the processes of abstraction which took hold in industrial modernity to their extremes. As Baudrillard says â€Å"one is not the simulacrum of which the other would be the real: there are only simulacra† (1994: 21). The copy has now become the real, with nothing authentic left behind the simulation. It is no longer possible to appeal to a real referent, as distinctions between representations and objects can no longer be sustained in a world where simulation models rule (Smart: 1993: 52). Baudrillard’s work explores the paradoxes of post-modern, simulation culture, stating that we have now got to a stage where the simulations merely refer to other simulations. As he sees it we can no longer experience anything outside the codes of simulation, the boundaries between signification and reality have imploded, so now all we can experience are representations of representations. According to Baudrillard reality has either disappeared or never existed in the first place. This death of reality has caused enormous panic amongst our post-modern culture as we attempt to nostalgically resurrect and retrieve the real. We find evidence of these attempts to search for authenticity everywhere, as Baudrillard says â€Å"when the real is no longer what it used to be, nostalgia assumes it full meaning† (2001: 174). The rise of myths of origin, second-hand truth and objectivity, lead to an escalation of the true lived experience, which grows into a demand for things which are more and more real. Baudrillard defines this obsessing of the real as â€Å"hyperreality† (1995: 28), with it in fact taking us further away, rather than closer to the real. We as a postmodern culture never stop on our search for more reality, through things such as DVD deleted scenes and commentaries, and the watchings of documentary series such as Bodyshock and Extraordinary People, with their less than subtitle titles, we attempt to come closer with ‘reality’, but once again we are just one step closer to a media fabrication. Baudrillards views reject those of traditional Marxist productivism, with him thinking they no longer offer an adequate explanation to postmodern situations. He has turned to theorists who look at formulating an alternative notion of economy and culture, based on observations of primitive societies, in particular the work of Georges Bataille. Bataille’s notion of the â€Å"solar economy† (1997: 193) of excess and destruction argued that there is a more fundamental, primary form of economy which could be taken straight form primitive society. Baudrillard also studied the work of Marcel Mauss, with his theories on gift-giving. Mauss states that there was no â€Å"pure expenditure† (Mauss: 2001: 98) without the expectation of a replicating â€Å"counter-gift† (Mauss: 1998: 101). This â€Å"symbolic exchange† between gift and counter-gift becomes the law of the universe, the challenge to give. Baudrillard refers to the semiotic culture in which we live as â€Å"the code† (2001: 7), where control has been taken from the realm of decision-making. Where our Western binaristic semiotic culture rests largely on binary opposites, good and evil, life and death, etc, societies based on symbolic exchange do not. Everyday life deals with symbolic offerings of gifts to the dead, and they are expected to respond as a matter of obligation. I n western semiotic culture, our choices are defined in terms of yes/no decisions, binaristic regulations which displace real choice, pepsi or coke, Manchester United or Manchester City, for example. When Baudrillard refers to an event as symbolic he means that it is a gift, and thus demands a counter-gift in return, resulting in a challenge. 9/11 was the largest example of this symbolic challenge, and perhaps â€Å"the most potent symbolic event since the crucifixion of Christ† (Butterfield: 2002), where the terrorists gave a gift to the west in the form of terrorism, so there was no alternative than for the gift to be countered. Baudrillard stated that the erection of the twin towers â€Å"signifies the end of competition† (1993a: 69) and the monopoly of binary logic. Where before the Manhattan skyline had been filled with skyscrapers all competing with each other for our attention, the World Trade Centre with its two identical towers put an end to it, they where both the yes and the no. William Merrin says that Baudrillard is â€Å"motivated by his belief in the radical presence and possibility of symbolic forces opposing, spiralling with and irrupting within the semiotic culture† (2005b). His views have never differed from those that semiotic culture has never truly freed itself from older symbolic culture, with the symbolic operating within the semiotic. We need to break out of this yes/no culture and find the symbolic within and outside culture. For Baudrillard it is this outside culture, notably Islam, which threatens the Western semiotic system. Although his theory has been attacked as â€Å"an imaginary construct which tries to seduce the world to become as theory wants it to be† (Kellner: 1989: 178), Baudrillard claims that the media itself creates many of the worlds events, and thus are actually ‘non-events’ as they are creations of simulation. Things such as Reality TV and celebrity news create a large number of these hyperreal non-events, which just wouldn’t happen without the media. We as media consumer’s infact crave real events to happen, even going as far as to fantasize about them. Films such as Cloverfield, The Siege and Day After Tomorrow, show our secret fantasies of mass destruction and death, which creep into our mundane lives. With the rise of these non-events comes the rise of ‘fateful events’, in the same way simulation triggers a quest for the real. The death of Princess Diana was the result of a media circus, reality TV which created both a non-event and a â€Å"secret exhilaration† (Merrin: 2005b) In the same way as Diana’s death, 9/11 was a non-event in the sense that it was experienced as a hyperreal image and embraced as a media event. The buildings where chosen as targets due to their media prominence, relating to films and previous fantasies of destructions. It was however also, as Baudrillard calls it, an â€Å"absolute event† (2003: 41) in that it testified to some secret symbolic sense of fate in Western culture. For Baudrillard â€Å"in the end it was they who did it but we who wished it† (2003: 5), the terrorists where just â€Å"pushing that which already wants to fall† (1993b: 209). Baudrillard sees this terrorism as being produced by the repression of the symbolic, with it returning, infiltrating and destroying us like a virus. The closer the western project of globalisation gets to perfection, the more we will see resistant symbolic challenges. Baudrillard says that the more cursed gifts of westernisation we give out the more countergifts we will receive in the form of sacrificial death. 9/11 is a paradox, Islam’s countergift to the west. The west has responded in the only way they know how, as a semiotic culture, by going to war. Although it was not as simple as yes/no, good/evil, this is how it was responded to, conceived in binary, systematic terms. As Baudrillard states â€Å"if we hope to understand anything we will need to get beyond Good and Evil† (2002), this was much more than just a clash of civilisations; it was gift giving at its most destructive. Jean Baudrillard sets out to be provocative in his work, he wants to stand out and make people take not of him, even if it’s for all the wrong reasons. He describes himself as a â€Å"terrorist and nihilist in theory as the others are with their weapons† (1994: 163), noting that change must be brought upon our postmodern society, although not through means of violence. For Baudrillard it is our semiotic culture that have given rise to terrorism, through its imposing of our values on other cultures and mass media fantasization of our own destruction, so we must accept the returning gift of terror which comes with that. As Baudrillard says, the only thing which is not acceptable about terrorism is the violence behind it, â€Å"theoretical violence, not truth, is the only recourse left to us† (1994: 163). Through his work he was trying to do what the terrorists where, just without killing anyone. Bibliography Barker, S., 1996. Signs of Change: Premodern, Modern, Postmodern. New York: SUNY Press Baudrillard, J., 1983. Simulations. New York: Semiotext(e) Baudrillard, J., 1993a. Symbolic Exchange and Death. London: Sage Baudrillard, J., 1993b. Baudrillard Live: Selected Interviews. London: Routledge Baudrillard, J., 1994. Simulacra and Simulation. Michigan: University of Michigan Press Baudrillard, J., 1995. America. London: Verso Baudrillard, J., 2001. Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings. Stanford: Stanford University Press Baudrillard, J., 2002. L’Espirit du Terrorisme. Trans. Donovan Hohn. Harper’s Magazine, February 2002. p.13-18 Baudrillard, J., 2003. The Spirit of Terrorism. London: Verso Botting, F. Wilson, S., 1997. Bataille: A Critical Reader. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Butterfield, B., 2002. The Baudrillardian Symbolic, 9/11, and the War of Good and Evil [ONLINE]. Postmodern Culture, 13.1 (September). Available at: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/postmodern_culture/v013/13.1butterfield.html [accessed: 12.03.08] Gane, M., 1991. Baudrillard: Critical and Fatal Theory. London: Routledge Keller, D., 1989. Jean Baudrillard: From Marxism to Postmodernism and Beyond. Stanford: Stanford UP Keller, D., 1994. Baudrillard: A Critical Reader. Oxford: Blackwell Lancelin, A., 2004. Le Nouvel Observateur with Baudrillard [ONLINE]. Le Nouvel Observateur. Available at: http://www.empyree.org/divers/Matrix-Baudrillard_english.html [accessed: 17.04.08] Mauss, M., 1998. Marcel Mauss: A Centenary Tribute. Oxford: Berghahn Books Mauss, M., 2001. The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. New York: Routledge Merrin, W., 2005a. Baudrillard and the Media: A Critical Introduction. Cambridge: Polity Merrin, W., 2005b. Total Screen: 9/11 and the Gulf War Reloaded. International Journal of Baudrillard Studies, Volume 2, Number 2, July 2005 Plantinga, C., 1996. Moving Pictures and the Rhetoric of Nonfiction: Two Approaches. In Bordwell, D Carroll, N., Post-theory: Reconstructing Film Studies. Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 307 Smart, B., 1993. Postmodernity. London: Routledge Stam, R., 2000. Film Theory: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell

The Importance of Technology Education in Schools Essay -- Teaching Ed

The Importance of Technology Education in Schools The education world has been greatly influenced by rapidly changing technology and the increasing availability of information. Schools have advanced by leaps and bounds when it comes to incorporating technology into the learning environment, however, many more advances need to be made. In all areas of the country, educators are trying to help students keep up with technology, but there are more changes that are essential for preparing the next generation for the future. By increasing computer usage by students, installing classroom Internet access and providing instructional classes dedicated to software and hardware education, schools have tried to provide an up-to-date education for students. This is all very important, but is it enough? I feel that perhaps this just isn’t going to cut it for the twenty-first century. Michael Eisenberg and Doug Johnson pose the question in the ERIC Digest, â€Å"Can the student who operates a computer well enough to play a game, send e-mail, or surf the Web be considered computer literate?† [1] I believe the answer is yes and no, it depends on whom you are comparing them to. If you are comparing these kids with many adults, then yes they are; however, if you are comparing them to the next younger generation of children that are learning to do these things before they even learn to read, then the answer is a large resounding NO. Schools need to incorporate technology education into all areas of curriculum. Students need to be able to understand not only the how-to of computers, but they need to understand when to use it, where to use it, and why it should be used. Many students only have a basic working knowledge of computer... ... 5. 5. Network systems and data communications analysts 6. 6. Desktop publishers 7. 7. Database administrators 8. 8. Personal and home care aides 9. 9. Computer systems analysts 10. 10. Medical assistants3 Locally, the high schools have begun to understand this growing need and have issued laptops to all students in the freshman classes. This is just a first step. The teachers must now make good use of these new tools and help the students understand the how, when, where, and why of their gifts. It will be awhile before education can afford to catch up to societies needs, but if we recognize the need now, changes can be made to ensure that our next generation will be prepared for the future. A future were bugs are very different from insects, surfing requires no water and viruses have nothing to do with infection.

Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Essay

Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Education not only revolves around academic intellect, but also around experiences one comes across in life. It is clearly evident that all living creatures, with human beings being the highest form, have evolved throughout history up until now, solely by learning or being educated in order to survive. For example, from the moment a baby comes into the world, the infant tries to acquaint him or herself to the environment maybe by touching or by struggling to see the world ahead. Even in today’s society, social status is not depended solely upon one’s economic wealth, but also by the capacity of one’s intellect. The same rules apply when thinking in terms of learning in the classroom. Because the idea of being â€Å"educated† means so many things, it is hard to distinguish who is the more intelligent individual when comparing to another bright human being. As the short story titled, â€Å"The Lesson,† by Toni Cade Bambara suggests, educ ation comes in many forms; the two main forms everyone is familiar with, academic intelligence and knowledge gained from personal experiences or interactions with the rest of the world. But, the story favors knowledge being gained from personal experiences where one interacts with the world around him. Some might think that the more money people have, the more intelligent they are. Many ignorant individuals believe that social status engenders one’s educational background. Yes, for some it is true, but not for all. Education can lead to success. Many people, especially students receive higher education in hopes of succeeding in the business world. But what is success? Is it the kind of success where one feels good... ...Quite similarly, Miss Moore’s students realized that the world does not live much like â€Å"a democracy.† They commented that â€Å"equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough.† Some people ridiculously spend so much money on toys that can feed a family of six or seven. Miss Moore realizes that her students have learned an important lesson in their life without the use of school textbooks or classroom atmosphere. In conclusion, education is so powerful that it does not only revolve around academic intellect, but also around experiences one has come across in life. As the students in â€Å"The Lesson† have learned an important lesson outside of the classroom about money and their value on human life, it clearly shows that experiences can light the bulb inside the brain more so than a teacher trying to teach its students in a classroom. Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Essay Education, Academic Intelligence, and Personal Experience Education not only revolves around academic intellect, but also around experiences one comes across in life. It is clearly evident that all living creatures, with human beings being the highest form, have evolved throughout history up until now, solely by learning or being educated in order to survive. For example, from the moment a baby comes into the world, the infant tries to acquaint him or herself to the environment maybe by touching or by struggling to see the world ahead. Even in today’s society, social status is not depended solely upon one’s economic wealth, but also by the capacity of one’s intellect. The same rules apply when thinking in terms of learning in the classroom. Because the idea of being â€Å"educated† means so many things, it is hard to distinguish who is the more intelligent individual when comparing to another bright human being. As the short story titled, â€Å"The Lesson,† by Toni Cade Bambara suggests, educ ation comes in many forms; the two main forms everyone is familiar with, academic intelligence and knowledge gained from personal experiences or interactions with the rest of the world. But, the story favors knowledge being gained from personal experiences where one interacts with the world around him. Some might think that the more money people have, the more intelligent they are. Many ignorant individuals believe that social status engenders one’s educational background. Yes, for some it is true, but not for all. Education can lead to success. Many people, especially students receive higher education in hopes of succeeding in the business world. But what is success? Is it the kind of success where one feels good... ...Quite similarly, Miss Moore’s students realized that the world does not live much like â€Å"a democracy.† They commented that â€Å"equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough.† Some people ridiculously spend so much money on toys that can feed a family of six or seven. Miss Moore realizes that her students have learned an important lesson in their life without the use of school textbooks or classroom atmosphere. In conclusion, education is so powerful that it does not only revolve around academic intellect, but also around experiences one has come across in life. As the students in â€Å"The Lesson† have learned an important lesson outside of the classroom about money and their value on human life, it clearly shows that experiences can light the bulb inside the brain more so than a teacher trying to teach its students in a classroom.