Childrens Learning And Development Unit Children And Young People Essay

Childrens Learning And Development Unit Children And Young People Essay There are three prime areas of Learning and development, these prime areas begin to develop from a base of secure, loving relationships and children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs. Children have a different way of learning and develop their learning at different rates. The three prime areas of learning and development are as follows: Communication and language development- this involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment, and to develop their confidence in speaking and listening. Physical development-involves encouraging children to be active in their play and learning. Children should be given the opportunity to move around and develop their motor skills. Personal, social and emotional development- this area of development helps children to develop an awareness of themselves, to form positive relationships, develop respect for others. It supports children in managing their feelings, and behaviour and to develop a sense of their self-esteem. The specific areas of learning develop out of the prime areas of development and identify specific skills to be developed. The four specific areas of learning and development are as follows: Literacy development-children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials to develop an interest in books and understanding of written print. This encourages children to begin to link sounds and letters and they begin to read and write. Mathematics- is all about providing opportunities for children to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers through early rhymes and songs, calculating, simple addition and subtraction, and developing an understanding of shapes, spaces, through exploring and categorising objects. Understanding the world-involve guiding children to make sense of their different communities; children will also be given the opportunity to learn about the world around them. Expressions, arts and design- involves enabling children to explore and investigate a wide range of and media and materials and discover how they work, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, role play and design and technology. ((Open Study College Early Years Level 3 pgs. 75,76) Planning to meet childrens development needs is important when planning activities, because all children develop at their own rate in their own time. According to (The Department for Education March 2012) Practitioners must consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child in their care, and must use this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development. Each child is view as a unique person with their individual needs: a unique child will have their own personality, characteristics and interest. When a child is born they can sense love from their parent, and carers, this will make them feel safe and secure in their environment. when planning for an activity in your setting, practitioners should consider the age group that the activity is for an if it is suitable for all the children involved, you also need to take in consideration other needs such as disability or special needs, for example, if the setting that has a child with hearing problems, then the practitioner should consider planning visual activities for that child to be involved and take part. Practitioners should look at what skills and knowledge the children are demonstrating and build upon this. This will ensure that the individual needs of the child are being met. Practitioners must respond to each childs emerging needs and interests, guiding their development through warm, and giving them a positive interaction. Within the early years settings practitioners working with the youngest children especially need to focus on the three prime areas of development, which are the basis for successful learning in the other four specific areas. For children whose home language is not English, practitioners need to take reasonable steps to provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning; they must work in partnership with their parents in order to support their language development at home too. Each area of learning and development must be achieved through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity. Play is vital for childrens development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others. It is important that practitioners plan effectively because every child is unique and has different abilities, learning skills, attention and education backgrounds, each child needs individual support and planning. It is recommended that the practitioners follow a cycle of planning, observation and assessment of each of their key children. Through observing, practitioners can gather a lot of information about a childs knowledge, skills and abilities, through assessment a practitioner will look at findings from their observations and use them to plan further activities for that child. In my previous nursery (x) where I worked we had to plan daily activities, I had to support childrens learning experiences through play, we had to plan activities to suit the individual needs of the children, the indoor and outdoor environment was used as part of play, observation, discussions with parents on the interests of the child, we also carried out a one to one talk with children for their own id eas to help us with further planning. Practitioners need to form a base of secure, loving relationship and a positive environment with young babies and children in order to support the learning and development of the seven areas of learning. Communication and language development is divided into three aspects: Listening and attention- Practitioners can build positive relationships thorough being physically close, maintaining eye contact, sing songs and rhymes during every day routines, practitioners can support childrens learning by listening to children and taking account of what they say in your responses to them, share rhymes, books and stories for many cultures. Play games which involve listening for a signal such as Simon say and use ready steady go. Understanding- Practitioners should look at the baby and say their name and wait for their response. Prompt childrens thinking and discussion through involvement in their play. Show children a photograph of an activity such as hand washing helps to reinforce understanding. Speaking -Practitioners should model language to babies, speaking clearly to them and using appropriate body language and gestures. When babies try to say a word, repeat it back so they can hear the name of the object clearly. When children begin to talk, practitioners should be partners in conversation, modelling the correct use of language. Personal, Social and Emotional Development is also divided into three aspects: Making relationships- Practitioners can support children in making relationships by encouraging children to play with a variety of friends from all backgrounds so that everybody is being involved. Self-confidence and self-awareness- Practitioners should organise the environment for children to access different resources and materials to promote their independent choice making. Managing feelings and behaviour- Practitioners need to find out from the parents as much as they can about the individual children before they start the setting so that the routines they follow are familiar and comforting. Practitioners need to set clear rules and boundaries for children to follow in managing appropriate behaviour. Physical development is divided into two aspects: Moving and handling- practitioners should help babies to become aware of their own babies through touch and movement. Treat mealtimes as an opportunity to help children to use fingers, spoon and cup to feed themselves. Practitioners should plan activities where children can practise moving in different ways and at different speeds, balancing, target throwing, rolling, kicking and catching Health and self-care- practitioners should Plan to take account of the individual cultural and feeding needs of young babies in your group. Respond to how child communicates need for food, drinks, toileting and when uncomfortable. Encourage children to be active and energetic by organising lively games, since physical activity is important in maintaining good health and in guarding Against children becoming overweight or obese in later life. Literacy- Practitioners should provide a variety of books for all children according to their age and stage of development, it is also important to sit down with the child and spend time in reading stories aloud to them in circle time. Practitioners should support early writing skills. Also support children in recognising and writing their own name. Mathematics- practitioners can sing number rhymes s they dress or change babies e.g. one, two buckle my show. Sing counting songs and rhymes which help to develop understanding of number, such as two little dickey birds Children count reliably with numbers from one to 20, place them in order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number. Practitioners can provide shape sorters and jigsaws puzzles for older babies and toddlers to enable them to fit the correct shapes into the hole. Understanding the world- is divided into three aspects: People and communities: Practitioners need to celebrate and value cultural, religious and community events and experiences. Encourage children to talk about their own home and community life, and to find out about other childrens experiences. The world: Practitioners need to help children to find out about the environment by talking to people, examining photographs and simple maps and visiting local places. Technology: babies and young children use technology from a young age with action toys. They will learn how to operate the toys. A children grow older they should be given more complex toys such as wind ups or mechanical toys. Children are curious about the technology around them such as computers, televisions, cd players; practitioners should provide them with the opportunity to use this technology. Expressive Arts and Design-is divided into two aspects: Exploring and using media and materials -practitioners should sing songs and nursery rhymes with babies and can provide different musical instruments. Older children enjoy dancing to music; practitioners should encourage movement to the music. Being imaginative- Practitioners should provide a variety of role play materials and support childrens imaginative ideas. Help children communicate through their bodies by encouraging expressive movement linked to their imaginative ideas. This source of information has been taken from (Open Study College-Early Year Level 3 Pgs 81-90). (Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). There are 3 characteristics of effective learning which help us to focus on and understand how children learn. The characteristics of effective learning are as follows: Playing and exploring this characteristics observes how children engage with their learning. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Finding out and exploring- through play children will find out about and explore the objects around them. Play is a key role for children to develop the understanding of different objects in the world around them, also the understanding of different cultures, and religions of others can be developed through play. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Using what they know in their play- play is a key role to promoting childrens learning and development. Free play is important for children as it gives children the opportunity to explore their own feelings, views and ideas. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Being willing to have a go- children will develop their self- confidence and will enjoy challenge and risk. Active learning this characteristic observes how children are motivated to learn. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Being involved and concentrating- will develop childrens ability to hold concentration in activities for longer periods and will help children maintain focus and attention on their activities. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Keeping trying-through trying out new experiences and activities, children will experience failure and disappointment. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Enjoying and achieving what they set out to do- succeeding and achieving new skills will build childrens self-confidence and pride in their own abilities. Creating and thinking critically this characteristics observes how children are thinking. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Having their own ideas- within play children will act out as role models and explore their own ideas. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ making links- once a child has discovered their own ideas and methods, they will be expected to try them out again. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Choosing ways to do things and finding new ways- children will develop strategy in their own learning. Children will think about what went well and how to change the activity when they approach it again. Practitioners can support childrens thinking by asking them open ended questions. According to (Tunja  on September 9, 2012) Playing and Exploring is when Children can represent their experiences through play and rehearse what they will be able to do without adult help later on. Play brings together ideas, feelings, relationships and the physical life of a child. Children who are encouraged to express themselves freely through play are likely to be more able to adapt and learn new skills in a school environment. Active Learning often occurs naturally during exploratory play. For example, where children are concentrating on something and keep trying until they succeed in their attempts. This might be something as simple as threading beads on a string or more complex such as assembling a construction toy with bolts and a spanner. Creativity and Critical Thinking is linked to active learning and can occur where children are able and have time to develop their own ideas. This helps them be able to make links between their different ideas. For example, this is often observed in schemas. Such as when children experiment with a theme like rotation. They might rotate themselves, whisk their milk with a straw and spin wheels linking how things move in circles or spirals. According to (Abbot and Moylett, 1999, Early Education Transformed )Educationalist Susan Isaacs states Children in their play can escape into real experiences or out of it and through doing this they learn about reflecting on life, getting a sense of control over their lives, developing self-esteem and feeling abhorred. Piaget  was a French speaking Swiss theorist who posited that children learn through actively constructing knowledge through  hands-on experience. He suggested that the adults role in helping the child learn was to provide appropriate materials for the child to interact and construct Jean piaget believed Children were often viewed simply as small versions of adults and little attention was  paid to  the many advances in intellectual abilities, language development, and physical growth. Conclusion Supporting childrens learning and development is implemented through the seven areas of learning they have been split in to the prime areas and specific areas. The characteristics of learning identify how children learn; the ways in which a child engages with other people and their environments is through playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking carefully. It is important that practitioners plan effectively because every child is unique and has different abilities, learning skills, attention and education backgrounds, each child needs individual support and planning.

Astrocyte-Neuron Lactate Shuttle and Hemodynamic Brain Scans Essay

Astrocyte-Neuron Lactate Shuttle and Hemodynamic Brain Scans Hemodynamic brain scans such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) have been of immense utility in the neuroscience fields in illuminating the components and modulation of brain function. However, these hemodynamic brain scans have afforded utility without brain scientists truly understanding the mechanism by which they produce signals. Previously, it had been accepted without verification that the images produced by such techniques were direct results of neuronal activity. However, new techniques in studying brain function have revealed that when astrocyte activity is inhibited, hemodependent brain scans do not function (Halber 2008). Additionally, other studies have demonstrated that astrocytes display finely tuned responses to stimuli (Halber 2008) which are amenable to communication with each other in networks via calcium-wave propagation. In light of these new findings in regards to astrocyte function and communication, their influence on hemodynamic brain scans would offer much lucidity to our current understanding of neuropathology and neuromodulation. General Findings of Astrocytic Influence on Brain Scans Both PET and fMRI scans are hemodependent brain scans. However, the mechanism by which each works do differ from each other by which fundamental principle of blood flow they measure. In fMRI, a BOLD-signal (blood-oxygen-level-dependent) measurement is utilized which is then translated into working images. PET scans require a radioactive labeled tracer which accumulates in areas of activation. These active areas are then expressed in imaging techniques that interpret the level of activation. However,... ...arch 2009. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2008.11.005 Mo. (2008, June 20). Starring role in the brain for astrocytes [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2008/06/astrocytes_starring_role_in_the_brain.php Schummers, J., Yu, H., & Sur, M. (2008). Tuned responses of astrocytes and their influence on hemodynamic signals in the visual cortex. Science, 320, 1638-1643. doi: 10.1126/science.1156120 Segelken, R. (2004). CU laser microscopy technique settles brain chemistry debate, could aid studies of Alzheimer’s, stroke damage. Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved from http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/04/7.1.04/astrocyte-neuron.html Vaishnavi S.N., Vlassenko A.G., Rundle M.M., Snyder A.Z., Mintun M.A., Raichle, M.E., (2010). Regional aerobic glycolysis in the human brain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U SA. 107, 17757–17762. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1010459107

Surface Anatomy Organ Location

Surface Anatomy Assignment 8th November 2012 Lungs The lungs extend from the diaphragm to just slightly superior to the clavicles and lie against the ribs anteriorly and posteriorly. The base of the lung is concave and fits over the convex area of the diaphragm. The narrow superior portion of the lung is called the apex. The apices of the lungs extend about three centimetres above the medial third of the clavicles. The medial surface of the lung is called the hilum. The hilus of the lungs is through which the bronchi, pulmonary blood vessels and nerves enter and exit.Anteriorly, they lie at the level of the costal cartilages 3-4, which is at the level of T5-7. The inferior margins of the lungs are: T-6 mid-clavicular line, T-8 at the mid-axilla, and T-10 posteriorly. Each lung is contained and protected within a double-layered membrane called the pleural membrane. The superficial layer, known as the parietal pleura affects the anterior margins of the lungs on either side. On the righ t, it is deep to the right side of the sternum between the second and fourth costal cartilages inferiolaterally to the level of the deep surface of the sixth right intercostal cartilage.On the left, deep to the sternum near the midline, inferiorly between the levels of costal cartilages 2 and 4, displaced laterally and more obliquely than left side to a point about 3 centimetres lateral to the left sternal edge at the upper margin of the sixth costal cartilage. The space created by the lateral deviation of pleura and lung on the left side is termed the cardiac notch. Heart The heart rests on the diaphragm, near the midline of the thoracic cavity in the mediastinum. An important and readily palpable landmark for the heart is the sternal angle.The sternal angle is the junction between the manubrium and the body of the sternum, and corresponds to the second costal cartilage. The apex of the heart, which is formed by the tip of the left ventricle, rests on the diaphragm at the 5th inter costal space in the midclavicular line, or 8-9 centimetres from the midsternal line. It is important to note that the apex is not the most superior part of of the heart. The lower right corner of the heart is to is found on the right 6th or 7th sternocostal junction.The base of the heart is the most superior portion of the heart and is predominantly retrosternal, located between the 2nd and 3rd costal spaces. Other margins of the heart include the anterior surface, which is deep to the sternum and the ribs, and the interior surface between the apex and and the right border which rests on the diaphragm. Liver The liver is almost completely covered by visceral peritoneum. The greater part of the liver lies under cover of the lower ribs and their cartilages, but in the epigastric fossa it comes in contact with the abdominal wall.The liver resides in the upper right quadrant of the abdominal cavity. The exact position of the liver varies according to the posture of the body. In the erec t posture of the adult male, the edge of the liver projects about 1 centimetre below the lower margin of the right costal cartilages, and its inferior margin can often be felt in this situation if the abdominal wall is thin. In the supine position the liver recedes above the margin of the ribs and cannot then be detected by the finger; in the prone position it falls forward and is then generally palpable in a patient with loose and lax abdominal walls.Its position varies with the respiratory movements; during a deep inspiration it descends below the ribs; in expiration it is raised. Pressure from without, as in tight lacing, by compressing the lower part of the chest, displaces the liver considerably, its anterior edge frequently extending as low as the crest of the ilium. Again its position varies greatly with the state of the stomach and intestines; when these are empty the liver descends, when they are distended it is pushed upward. Stomach The stomach is found in the left upper part of the abdominal cavity.The shape of the stomach is constantly undergoing alteration; it is affected by the particular phase of the process of gastric digestion, by the state of the surrounding viscera, and by the amount and character of its contents. Its position also varies with that of the body so that it is difficult to indicate it on the surface with any degree of accuracy. The anterior surface of stomach is related to the left lobe of the liver, the anterior abdominal wall, and the distal transverse colon. The posterior surface of the stomach is related to the left side of the diaphragm, the spleen, the left kidney, and the pancreas.The greater curvature of the stomach starts at the left of the heart and runs from the opening along the left border of the body and the inferior border of the pylorus. The lesser curvature starts at the right of the heart and runs a short distance along the right border of the body and the superior border of the pylorus. (Note: Pylorus is the sphincter through which the stomach communicates with the duodenum. ) Spleen The spleen is located in the left hypochondrium and lies between the 9th and 11th ribs.The superior surface of the spleen is smooth and convex. It conforms to the concave surface of the diaphragm. Small and Large Intestines The coils of the small intestine lie mainly in the umbilical and hypogastric regions. The ascending colon passes upward through the right lumbar region, lateral to the right lateral line. The transverse colon crosses the abdomen on the confines of the umbilical and epigastric regions, its lower border being on a level slightly above the umbilicus, its upper border just below the greater curvature of the stomach.The descending colon courses down through the left lumbar region, lateral to the left lateral line, as far as the iliac crest. Kidneys The paired kidneys are located just above the waist between the peritoneum and the posterior wall of the abdomen. The kidneys sit between the low er levels of the thoracic spine and the upper regions of the lumbar spine. Specifically, the right kidney has its upper edge opposite the 11th thoracic spine and the lower edge of the 11th rib.Its lower edge is opposite the upper edges of L-3 spine and vertebral body and about 4 centimetres above the highest point of the crest of the ileum. The left kidney is usually 1. 25 centimetres higher, but being a little longer than the right, its lower limit may not be quite that much higher. The kidney is slightly lower in women and children than in men. Generally speaking, the left kidney is higher (highest border T-11 lowest border L-2) whereas the right kidney is lower (highest border T-12 lowest border L-3).The right kidney is also less enclosed by the rib cage, because of the presence of right lobe of liver above it, therefore pushing it down. Urinary Bladder The urinary bladder is a hollow organ that is situated in the pelvic cavity posterior to the pubis. It sits in the musculature o f the pelvic floor when empty. When full, or distended, it rises toward the umbilicus, carrying the peritoneal fold with it so as to leave a space of 2. 5 to 5 centimetres between it and the top of the pubis. In males it is directly anterior to the rectum; in females it is anterior to the vagina and inferior to the uterus.

Free Essays on Cain

Michael Corcoran September 20, 2004 Paper #2 English 236 Explain the real reason for God’s Preference for Abel’s sacrifice instead of Cain’s The story of Cain and Abel from the birth of Cain to the death of Abel is very brief, only lasting a few versus. It is because the passage is so short and vague that so many interpretations can be taken from it. The bible does not concentrate on why God chooses Cain’s sacrifice, of the fat of the firstlings of his flock, to be superior to Abel’s crops. When comparing the two sacrifices, it seems as though Abel’s sacrifice of his crops is much better then the fat of his lambs which is something that is typically scraps or leftovers. If this is true then presumably God is doing nothing more then playing favorites. He is doing just as some parents do in being strict and stern on the older child while babying and nurturing the younger child. However this is simply not true. God is not a God of favorites or injustice. God is an all knowing all loving God. He sees the heart and knows the true intentions of everyone including Cain. â€Å"But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the Heart.† God knew where Cain’s heart was when he chose and sacrificed the fruits of his land. Cain’s heart was not to the level of what god desired or at least not to the same level as Able. And once the sacrifices were made God did not strike down upon Cain with punishment. He simply felt â€Å"no regard† (Genesis 4:5) for a sacrifice that Cain put no effort into. It was Cain who was â€Å"very angry† (Genesis 4:5) with God. God seems to be surprised with and questions Cain’s anger and tells him that if he do es well and puts effort into his sacrifices, like he was told, then of course he will be accepted ... Free Essays on Cain Free Essays on Cain Michael Corcoran September 20, 2004 Paper #2 English 236 Explain the real reason for God’s Preference for Abel’s sacrifice instead of Cain’s The story of Cain and Abel from the birth of Cain to the death of Abel is very brief, only lasting a few versus. It is because the passage is so short and vague that so many interpretations can be taken from it. The bible does not concentrate on why God chooses Cain’s sacrifice, of the fat of the firstlings of his flock, to be superior to Abel’s crops. When comparing the two sacrifices, it seems as though Abel’s sacrifice of his crops is much better then the fat of his lambs which is something that is typically scraps or leftovers. If this is true then presumably God is doing nothing more then playing favorites. He is doing just as some parents do in being strict and stern on the older child while babying and nurturing the younger child. However this is simply not true. God is not a God of favorites or injustice. God is an all knowing all loving God. He sees the heart and knows the true intentions of everyone including Cain. â€Å"But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the Heart.† God knew where Cain’s heart was when he chose and sacrificed the fruits of his land. Cain’s heart was not to the level of what god desired or at least not to the same level as Able. And once the sacrifices were made God did not strike down upon Cain with punishment. He simply felt â€Å"no regard† (Genesis 4:5) for a sacrifice that Cain put no effort into. It was Cain who was â€Å"very angry† (Genesis 4:5) with God. God seems to be surprised with and questions Cain’s anger and tells him that if he do es well and puts effort into his sacrifices, like he was told, then of course he will be accepted ...

Hispanic Americans essays

Hispanic Americans essays Since the United States started counting the population, African Americans have always been the most dominant minority. However, now Hispanics outnumber African Americans as the largest minority group, with 38.8 million of them now living in the USA, according to Census Bureau estimates. The figures, as of July 2003, show a 9.8% increase since the Census was taken in April 2000. The U.S. population grew 2.5% to 288.4 million in the same period. Hispanics accounted for half of the national increase. Non-Hispanic blacks, including people who say they're black and another race, grew at a much slower rate than Hispanics, up 3.1%, to 36.6 million. Hispanics make up 13% of the nation's population. The main emigrating country for these new Hispanic Americans is Mexico, the table below shows:- According to Steven Camarota, a member of the Centre for Studies of Immigration, the majority of the immigrants are in the sector of the services: manual operators, manufacturers and workers. Nevertheless, many operate companies in more complex sectors and work in technical management, marketing research, and agriculture. Camarota said that at the moment 32.4 million people born in other countries now reside in the United States. That 32.4 million make up 14.3% of the labour force of the nation. One in three immigrants is Mexican, with a total of 9.6 million, according to this study. Camarotas study also found that the Mexicans are also in the first place as far as the number of people in poverty, with 2.3 million, or 24.4% As the new largest minority, the Hispanic population are going to face problems but also have opportunities available to them, opportunities that other minorities didnt have during the times of their population explosions. Theyre also going to face competition and discrimination from other minority groups, as well as other Hispanics. Whether crossing the Mexican border or arriving by boat or plane from C...

Comparative economic systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Comparative economic systems - Essay Example With industrialization came the need for a skilled and diverse workforce where traditional work arrangements were no longer feasible. During the Cold War period the world was divided into two main camps with the West (USA, W. Europe) embracing a free market economic system and the East (USSR, China) embracing a command economic system. In a free market economic system a nation’s economic activities are the result of individual decisions by buyers and sellers reflected in the price of products and services in the marketplace. People have the freedom to develop their talents and abilities and take up work or enter professions according to individual choice. They can also produce and supply goods and services as private businesses freely within legal and contractual obligations. The free market economic system of the West adumbrating free enterprise has been (and continues to be) referred to as capitalism. Up until the end of the Cold War, capitalism was a term of opprobrium to the East where communism ( a term of opprobrium to the West) was the term used for a command economy where all economic activity of the nation was controlled centrally by the government (mediated by the Communist Party). No private individuals were allowed to own and operate the means of production of goods and services. Public ownership, except in very small scale, local economic activity, was the norm. As everyone knows, USA exemplifies the paradigmatic capitalist state while Soviet Russia and China used to exemplify communism. Things have changed for Russia and China since the 1980s (although the latter still holds onto the communist label) and what these changes are, how they have been adopted and the progress achieved are the concern of this paper. A third kind of economic system called socialism is adopted by some countries with most of the major industries,

Examining the Use of online tools and their Impact on Learning in the Essay

Examining the Use of online tools and their Impact on Learning in the higher education - Essay Example 4). This leads to the improvement of educational quality. Colleges and universities are now adopting online tools in offering higher education through social sites, graphics, videos, audios, and words (Reuben 2009, p. 1). This paper examines the use of online tools that include blogs, wikis, RSS, and cloud computing and their impact on learning in the higher education. Cloud computing is a new technological evolution that is applicable in higher education. Various computer tasks rely on cloud computing, which depicts an improvement on the traditional learning practices. Through cloud computing, users can access data outside the traditional data center walls. We can define cloud computing as the aspect of replacing software traditionally installed on campus computers with new internet applications that seek to reduce IT complexities and cost in learning institutions that offer higher education (Nicholson 2009). Higher education institutions using cloud computing derive the capacity to gain significant flexibility and agility (Nicholson 2009). Indeed, the increased use of cloud computing in offering higher education emanates from the fact that this online tool guarantees higher accessibility, availability, and efficiency of higher education. However, in using cloud-based services, higher education institutions bear the liability of addressing security, legal, and compliance issues subject to the large number of users (Nicholson 2009). Indeed, higher education institutions define their responsibilities and focus on fundamental privacy and security issues in adopting cloud computing. Nevertheless, it is evident that the cloud-based services offered in the modern education system allow these institutions to replace the traditional learning tools with advanced learning tools that improve the quality of education. More so, cloud computing allows students