Creating Web-Based Instructional Materials Essay

INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The World Wide Web (WWW) is changing the way we learn and the way we teach. Teaching has embraced the innovative ways that WWW can offer to users. WWW allows dynamic and interactive ways of teaching things which are impossible on printed materials. There are on-line courses, on-line tutorials and virtual classrooms. The key to the success of these teaching institutions that proliferated in the web are the effective instructional materials. WBT is media-rich training fully capable of evaluation, adaptation, and remediation that can provide the available tools to organize and deliver content into well-crafted teaching systems (Tobin & Kesselman, 1999). PURPOSE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The purpose of this document is to create a general guideline in creating web based instruction materials. The document will take into consideration the methods that are familiar to the author. GUIDELINES General Steps The general steps in making web-based instructional materials consist of the following (Clay, Harlan & Swanson, 1997): Determining the core competencies to be included the instructional material Determine the contents of the instructional material based on the core competencies selected. Deciding the method or strategy used to convey to the users the ideas presented. Developing the instructional material as a word processed document, an audio or a video material. Mounting or uploading the material into the web Providing the feedback portal for users Beta Testing Final Modification based on feedback, retest and release Determining the core competencies The very first step is deciding the target core competencies for this instruction material. For example, this instruction material may be intended to teach Basic Algebra, Earth Science or Differential Calculus. This will serve as the goal of the web-based instruction material. The intent of the web-based instruction material is to transfer the core competencies from the instruction material to the user. Brainstorming and visiting existing web based instructional materials are good ways of finding the core competencies. Determining the content   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the core competency has been decided, the next step is to produce a structured content. The content should start from the basic principles of the core competencies towards the complicated areas. The structure therefore should be laid out in such a way that it will start from the least difficult to understand to the most difficult to understand. The content formatting should also take into account that the pre-requisite topics should be place ahead. This means that for the contents that is needed to understand another set of content, should be placed ahead. Deciding the method or strategy The method of presentation should be planned before proceeding to the actual development of the material. The method should be based on the target audience of the instructional material. It should be based on the comprehension level of the audience. Novice audience should be given methods that are easy to comprehend such as more images than words. Expert audiences may be presented with more literals than images to maximize the amount of information. Interactive items such as graphs made using either Flash or Java applet technologies should also be considered to convey the relationship between varying variables which can controlled by the user or audience. Developing the Instructional Material The development of the instructional material shall be done in the software that handles editing of html files or more complex file formats. HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are the format of choice as opposed to adobe printable document format (PDF) or word document format. HTML would be more flexible to incorporate interactive objects such as Java applets or Flash Animations. It is the fastest in terms of page loading in the web. The presentation editor software may consist of the following: Microsoft FrontPage Microsoft Word with the proper HTML conversion plugIns HTMLkit Macromedia Flash Adobe Photoshop Other HTML editors and there a thousand available free software in the web At the start, images, interactive applets, video clips, audio clips, or animated gifs shall be prepared ahead using the appropriate software. Graphics should help to convey information and not just be decorative; each page should have a clear title and includes headers and footers (Tobin & Kesselman, 1999). Pictures can be scanned using a scanner to convert into images in jpg, gif, png or bmp format. The other alternative is to take pictures directly using digital cameras. Video clips can be created using digital cameras with video streaming, or using other digital video recorders. Images can be edited using either paint, Microsoft photo editor or more complex image editing tools such as Adobe Photoshop. Interactive applets can be generated using Java Development Kit which can be freely downloaded from the web. In order to be able to run java applets the user PC should have Java Runtime Environment to run java applets, again this can be downloaded for free from the web. Video clips can be prepared using Windows Movie Maker. Animated gifs can be prepared using a number of software free or commercial. These are then integrated into the html file using an html document editor such Microsoft Front Page or HTMLKit. We also need the appropriate sound card and speakers to listen to the audio materials included in the presentation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A summary of all the hardware needed to create instructional materials mentioned above are listed below: PC with Linux or Windows Operating System Scanner to digitize printed pictures and images Digital Camera Digital Video recorders Printers Flash Disk or Pen Drives Sound Card and Speaker Mounting the Material into the Web   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The html files can then be uploaded into the website using either ftp upload or simply using the available upload managers normally provided by web hosting companies. Documents can be linked directly to the directories of the linking page. One of the main aspects when mounting materials into the web is to keep material size to minimum. This would help in the uploading process and also in the loading process of the users. We had to think in terms of kilobyte file sizes, not megabytes because delivery over the Web is too slow to expect users to wait around at your web site for large graphics to appear on their screens (Clay, Harlan & Swanson, 1997). This is because we have to consider that there are still a number of users who are using modems as slow as 28.8 kbps. Providing Feedback Portals   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Feedback portals, or any form or method that would allow users to provide feedback is a very important part of a web-based instruction material. This will provide an easy way to evaluate, test or improve using feedback from users. Beta Testing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In any form of development, testing is always an integral part. By going through all the possible paths of the web-based instruction material and testing every possible path is essential to insure proper operation of the instruction material. This may also include testing on various web browser tools. Different web browser tools may cause some degree of difference in the presentation of html files. This step also includes proofreading of the entire material. Any bugs, errors or unwanted features shall be recorder for modification or correction. Final Modification based on Testing, Retest and Release After the beta testing, the errors shall be corrected and retested until no errors persist. Finally, it shall then be released with a proper version control. References    Clay, S. Harlan, S. and Swanson, J. (1997). Continuing Web Education. Retrieved from the USCB Library website: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/universe/clay.html, on January 16, 2007 Tobin, T. and Kesselman, M, (1999). Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Research. Retrieved from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions website: http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla65/papers/102-163e.htm   January 17, 2007   

School activities which facilitate the learning of the students

School activities which facilitate the learning of the students can either be inside or outside of the classroom. Nonetheless, all these activities implicate behavioral expectations which the students must meet. In-class activities include the use of learning centers and computer stations. This activity facilitates learning through the use of different sources which provide the students a better understanding of the lesson. In addition, learning centers and computer stations give the students some hands-on training, which is very effective because it adds up to the learning experience of the students.Finally, these faculties of learning allow the students to enrich their knowledge and imagination, not only limiting the things to be learned to what the teacher has said. For this kind of activity, the students are expected to use the particular source efficiently so that it may help facilitate and enhance learning. This means that all available sources, such as computers, must be used with relevance to the academics. Moreover, the students are expected to practice courtesy. They should be responsible and not be abusive to the things which the school offers.One should also be courteous to his or her fellow classmates, and most especially to the teacher and other personnel present in the particular learning center. Another in-class activity is the teacher-led activities. This kind of activity makes the teacher the sole facilitator of learning. The teacher is the one who gives the basic rules or general instructions of the activity, and lays-out its objectives. The students, on the other hand, are the participants in the learning process and they are the ones who generate the ideas, key points and values of the activity.Basically, at the end of the activity, the teacher summarizes everything the students have said into few general ideas, and sometimes asks the class to repeat them. For a better focus on the students’ attention and participation, the teacher m ay also ask a volunteer from the class to summarize the general ideas of the activity instead of simply saying the main ideas. Finally, the teacher evaluates if all the objectives have been met, then proceeds to the lesson or next activity. For this kind of activity the students are expected to listen attentively to the teacher.They should be attentive in order for them to understand the instructions, objectives and ideas of the activity. Secondly, the students should practice a sense of responsibility. They should be able to know their priorities, what they need and need not to do whenever there is a teacher-led activity which requires their full attention and active participation. Learning does not only take place inside the classroom. Therefore, schools also conduct out-of-class activities in order to let the students experience and explore. Most common type of out-of-class activities include playground time or recess.This is a few-minute break after two to four subjects to give some time for students. This particular activity is a good embodiment of learning outside the classroom. With regard to behavioral expectations, all students are expected to practice camaraderie. This is the time when they are able to socialize with one another. Therefore, they are expected to behave properly, talk to fellow classmates and create friendship. In addition, they are also expected to learn the value of sharing and unselfishness. Friendship grows in the light of sharing. Students must know how to think of other people.Another interesting out-of-class activity is the field trip. This well-planned activity is an educational trip to different places of great significance, usually held once a year. The trip intends to familiarize the students with the historical and cultural significance and influences of the places to be visited. In this kind of activity, the students are also expected to practice camaraderie. This time, the context of camaraderie is deeper because the stud ents are going out of the school into different places and are spending more time with each other.Moreover, the students must be obedient in the sense that they need to follow all instructions given by the teacher in order to avoid problems. The basic method of determining whether the students did or did not understand the proper behavior expected from them is by way of asking. After the teacher has given the activity and the proper behavior expected from them, he or she must first ask the students what they did not understand to what he or she has said. If there is a question raised by one of the students, he or she must restate what is expected of the students and expound it.He or she must make sure that every behavioral expectation she mentioned was clear to the mind of the students before proceeding to the activity. Another effective way of evaluating the students’ understanding of behavioral expectations is by definition. This is to be done after the activity has been fi nished. The teacher will ask the students to define the behavioral expectations he or she has given the class before the start of the activity. By this method, the teacher will fully know how well the students understood the values expected from them.

H.w Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

H.w - Essay Example In supporting this view, Plato gave an in-depth analysis of what justice is. In this analysis, Plato divided justice into two categories, i.e. the justice of the state (political justice), and individual justice. Political justice, for Plato, comes about in a state when the tripartite constitutive elements of the state operate harmoniously. The tripartite elements are the Workers (productive class), the Auxiliaries (the soldiers), and the Guardians (the rulers). A harmonious working cooperation among the three classes of people in the state ensures that there is harmony, and hence justice in the state. Analogously, for Plato, human soul has three elements corresponding to the tripartite elements of the state. The constitutive tripartite elements of the human soul are the appetitive element- corresponding to the productive element in the state, the spirited element- corresponding to the auxiliary element in the state, and the rational element- corresponding to the guardian element in the state. Plato then argued that, the function of the soul is to live and it is these three elements of the human soul that ensures human life. Plato, therefore, conceived justice as a virtue of the soul that is brought about by the harmonious functioning of the three elements of the human soul. As a virtue of the soul, therefore, Plato concluded that justice is good in and of itself because it is a necessary condition for human happiness. In my reasoned opinion, this argument by Plato in response to Glaucon and Adeimantus is persuasive argument. This is because Plato explains clearly, by demonstration and concrete example, why justice is intrinsically good. By arguing that justice is a virtue that results from the harmonious functioning of the three constitutive elements of the human soul, Plato has clearly demonstrated that justice as a virtue is good in and of itself. The main relationship between this response and Plato’s conception of

Describe the influence of biological studies on our understanding of Essay

Describe the influence of biological studies on our understanding of personality - Essay Example This essay considers the biological basis of personality through an examination of the major structural frameworks, as well as genetic factors. Behaviorism contends that all personality is a biologically rooted in experience. Behavioral therapy contends that since behavior is learned through such experience, it can similarly be unlearned. The behaviorist therapeutic approach then functions by examining specifically the individual behaviors of the patient, identifying instances that might be problematic, and then developing means of correcting these behaviors through objective goal setting. It is predominantly rooted in the theories of B.F. Skinner who identified this process of learned behavior as classical conditioning, and outlined a number of means that such behavior can be reinforced and altered through stimulus and reward. (George & Cristiani 1995) The behavioral approach identifies psychic problems as rooted in experience and action. The behavioral model understands human actio ns as in part an element out of conscious control. While the behaviorists aren’t reliant on unconscious impulses that motivate human action, they acknowledge that merely consciously acknowledging that one has a problem is not enough to fix it. Instead, the behavioral model encourages reinforcement techniques designed to condition the mind and impulses to adopt more rational and functional behavior. As the behavioral model is rooted in the highly testable scientific foundations that B.F. Skinner outlines, it has the benefit of objectivity where other therapeutic processes, namely psychodynamic, have been deemed pseudo-science. For example, when attempting to treat insomnia the psychodynamic would focus on the unconscious problems underlining the occurrences, whereas the behavioral therapeutic model would attempt to modify the behavior of sleeplessness. Specific behavior approaches to insomnia has incorporated implementing conscious relaxation (Jacobson in Cormier & Hackney 199 3), as well as positive visualization, where the client envisions instances that put them in past sleep inducing states. Such techniques have documented effectiveness and have been determined to lower oxygen use, and decrease heart rate and blood pressure (American Medical Association 1996). One can also consider the positive outcome the behavioral model could have when implemented to counter-attack addictive behavior, such as drug abuse or alcoholism, and realize that merely cognitively acknowledging that one has a drug abuse problem is not enough to prevent one from using drugs. In these instances, the direct connection between behavior and the individual’s problems is clearly distinguishable. Another example would consider the individual’s aggressive behavior patterns. While in some instances these patterns may be deemed socially beneficial, oftentimes such behavior patters are not conducive to adequate social functioning. In these instances, the individual’s biological rooted nature can function to behaviorally alter these behavior patterns. In these respects, through behavioral condition the individual’s neurological programming is altered so that the aggressive behavior is curbed to more functional states of existence. It’s this malleability of the human brain that is essential to understanding the biological basis of behavioral thought, and attests to this crucial element of human personality

The Issues for TFL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Issues for TFL - Essay Example London being named as the official host of Paralympics and Olympic games, also presented a great challenge to the transport sector of London. Due to the number of people that will use the transport sector and to be in particular, tubes and buses, the transport route must be both effective and efficient. This paper explain how the adoption of Google maps technology in the form of an innovation to make TFL effective and efficient. To work out this, Google maps have been integrated into the transport system. With the implementation of Google maps, there will be saving of time due to excellent organization and information between the transport users and the transport sector. Introduction Google map is a service that involves mapping technology and application by Google, freely that empowers services that are based on maps. It deals in street maps as route planner used by trekkers, public transport and a locator for urban business in many countries. Google maps give high resolution satell ite or aerial images in most urban areas. Various countries have complained that terrorists have invaded the use of Google in locating their target sites (Mitchell, 2010). Up to four transportation modes are available in any given area. Like many application of Google web, it makes a great use of java script. As the map is dragged by the users, there is the downloading of the grid squares from the server and into the page. In search of a business by the users, results are then downloaded for insertion at the background into the map and side panel. Locations are dynamically drawn by placing a red pin at the map images top. Google maps can also be customized by the introduction of tools into its interface. Using the map images and core engine can introduce location of customized icons. The grease monkey, an insertion tool, provide scripts on the client side which are large numbers hence data in the Google map is customized. After having a rough idea of implementation of Google maps an d their customization, the integration into the transport sector of London can be possible. This is especially in the buses and tubes routes. Advantages and disadvantages of Google maps The main advantage of using Google maps is that it provides a variety of map views that it supplies. These include a view of the terrain, view of satellite image and the normal one and this depend on the user need. According to this paper, the variety can be used in TFL effectively. This is because uses of bus and tubes will be effective as the networking of these two can be viewed by the three viewers. This makes the users to be aware of the position of a particular bus or tube hence efficiency in time. Google map also provides multiple destinations of routes for instance in the transport sector. TFL with the help of Google maps, especially during the time of Olympics, will be vital in essence that there will be the presence of a lot of people and availability of routes to ply on the Google maps in the tools will be of great help (Wilson, 2009). Another advantage is that Google maps provide for simplicity. This is because it is easier and simple for a user to install the Google maps in a gadget as the criteria is very clear. The last advantage is that one can choose a travel type. This implies that, one is in a position to choose which mode of transport to use, buses or tubes. Although, Google maps have advantages, there are also disadvantages that are accompanied by it. The main disadvantage

Teaching Assistant Duties Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Teaching Assistant Duties - Assignment Example He is a visual learner, which would account for his enjoyment of reading. Nathans communication skills need to be further developed through social interaction, ie. playtime, in order for him to feel more comfortable during group activities. Rebecca has developed some level of communication and language learning, however, she is behind in development with her age group. Her profile indicates that she has difficulty concentrating and is easily distracted. This would indicate that she has a short attention span and would require shorter, more interactive lesson activities in order to improve her learning. 1. Learning activities, materials and/or equipment, the organization of pupils, staff, and parent helpers are differentiated by the teacher to ensure that the â€Å"programme of work enables pupils to develop in the manner, and the rate, most appropriate to them† (p.145). This provides pupils with learning activities that offer a â€Å"variety of learning modes and experiences, and a fair balance of both mental and physical activity† (p.145). 4. Praise and encouragement are used by staff towards pupils in the form of â€Å"positive feedback, continuous assessment, and clear explanations† in order to continue and promote steady progress made by the pupils. As a teaching assistant, their role in planning and preparing learning activities involve meeting with the teacher regularly to discuss the â€Å"teachers lesson plans, the objectives of the learning activities†, what the teachers expectations are of the teaching assistants contributions to learning activities and the type and level of support for pupils that is expected (p.130). The teacher and teaching assistant will also discuss strategies for learning activity support. Short, after-lesson discussions should also be included as part of the planning and prepare role. During these discussions, the teaching assistant will give feedback about pupil progress during individual and group activities.

Chose one of them Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Chose one of them - Article Example In writing this, the author has ended up comparing apples to oranges to form a path of discovery. Later in the passage, the author admits to the limitations offered by stone tools in order to discover more about human origins. There the author relates that our pens, markers and personal digital assistants would be able to reveal little about us except that we write. In stating this, he is absolutely right. Stone tools can only indicate that human beings were using tools to achieve certain ends. Further down the line, the author has expressed sentimentally that recent investigation proves that stone tools can offer only limited insight into human evolution. However, the author seems disappointed in such an argument because he holds initially that stone tools offer sizable insight into human evolution. Given that this text is an academic investigation, it hardly makes any sense for the author to display his personal sentiments in order to deliver a point of view held by certain profess ionals. This text is also differentiated because the author has modified an excerpt from C. S. Lewis’ novella The Screwtape Letters. The modified text is satirical and has been used rather injudiciously to criticise fellow archaeologists and their unsound professional practices.