Philosophy of Assessment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Philosophy of Assessment - Term Paper Example This essay considers my personal philosophy of assessment. One of the primary considerations I recognize in terms of assessment is developing a means of judging student participation and effort throughout the marking periods and course. One of the primary challenges I had when originally considering assessment was the nature of developing assessment strategies that are student specific, or measure objective standards of comprehension. While ideally classrooms are constituted by students of the same level of achievement, in reality this is not always the case. Early in my teaching career I recognized that I would have to make the difficult decision of requiring all students to achieve the same level of achievement. From this foundational level I then began to design assessment strategies that required students to achieve an objective standard of accomplishment. In these regards, I have been greatly influenced by constructivist theory of assessment, specifically a text Understanding by Design. This text contends that assessment should be designed from a top-down structure with the end goal in mind. Working from this theory, each semester I considered the ultimate objective for the course and then worked back from that in developing assessment strategies that would work as standards bearers for the marking period. Still, I recognize that this approach to assessment should only be used to construct a general approach to curriculum development. As is later demonstrated, the most effective instruction and assessment will consider the learner’s background knowledge and phenomenological grasp of the learning material in developing dynamic and multi-varied assessment mechanisms. In addition to these constructivist approaches to assessment, I have become more directly acquainted with direct methods of assessment. It’s indicated that one of the primary such means of demonstrating direct assessment strategies is through the teacher’s active involvement in student learning. In these regards, â€Å"the teacher a) presents information, b) develops concepts through lecture, c) requires students to recite or respond to questions, d) provides feedback and reteaching as necessary† (Payne 63). In terms of my own assessment strategies, I implement direct methods in a variety of ways. After determining the end of course objective I would then break down the marking period into manageable units (chapters). Within each of these units (chapters) there would be a final exam and quizzes. The quizzes were implemented in large part as a means of motivating students to remain consistent with scholastic work throughout the chapter. In these regards, oftentimes I approached quiz grades with a more lenient approach than I did the chapter tests. The student quiz scores also functioned to aid me in identifying areas of student progress that are more in need of attention. Indeed, student quiz assessment was a learning process for the students as well, giving them an early idea of elements of the text that they must further study. With the final exam then students had to demonstrate their mastery of the material. Rather than functioning as a learning aid, the final exam existed solely for the purpose of measuring the student’s achievement in relation to the objective progress they made within the specific unit. Through research I have discovered a

Breach Of Acountability Essay Example for Free

Breach Of Acountability Essay Duties have become a main stay in the interactions of humans over the years. Human interactions have created room for trust, which strengths relationship. On the hand, there could be abuse of this trust in a breach; this does not strengthen, but rather weakens or in any way completely destroy such relationships. Quite a number of organizations have been destroyed because of such collapse of accountability. This has its root in a character deformity that has pervaded every strata of society. It runs through arms of government, their agencies, non-governmental organizations, private industries even to family and day to day human relationships. Therefore, if there are humans with no such respect for integrity and reputation for keeping promises, they are likely going to show their character through a number of antisocial behavior that make lives and property insecure. Such disturbances can not be isolated to any particular organization or a group of people. It represents a society. BREACH OF TRUST IN THE POLICE The Police are an agency of government that deals, in simple terms, with the protection of lives and property within their specified jurisdiction. They maintain law and order in the society. Their work is sustained by government allocation derived party from the citizen’s taxes. This force uses a number of measures in the discharge of duties, including physical and sometimes deadly force. The use of such force is restricted only to situations that warrant them. Besides, for an effective police force, citizens and police officers have to work hand in hand in stemming the tide of criminal activities in the society. This requires substantial accountability from both sides, especially the force. The privilege that the Police enjoy on the nature of their can actually be misused: this raises legitimate and expected concern. The extension of character defiance in the society has also permeated the force, as there have now been reported cases of Police brutality towards the harmless populace. Quite a number of such cases have been reported; these usually have inherent root in societal menace, particularly racism. Of such cases are the recorded beating of Rodney King by four police men in Los Angeles in 1992; these men were charged to court and were acquitted of the charges. The verdict caused uproar in the area. The argument of the police towards such abuse of power is that such was necessary for the situation in order to effectively law and order. THE GUINEAN DIALLO’S CASE A classical example of police brutality is that of the 27-year old Guinean Merchant, Amadou Diallo who was killed by four New York City police men like a criminal facing a firing squad. The ugly incident took place on February 4, 1999 when the promising young man was fired 41 shots in which 19 entered him. Diallo was returning home the night of the catastrophe when an unmarked car parked close to him, and from it emerged four white policemen. He was then questioned, and they reported that he refused to answer their questions. Diallo then reached for his pocket; one of them thought he wanted to bring out a gun. He shouted and they started firing the West African ceaselessly. He eventually collapsed at the door of his apartment drenched in his own cold blood. His hand aimed at a purse, and not a gun. STRUGGLE AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY Then the struggle against Police brutality and breach of accountability began with many high placed blacks rising up to the occasion to defend the rights t life of the harmless young man killed for ‘ no obvious reason’ other than racism and intolerance. Diallo began the martyr for the struggle against reforms in Police methods and investigations in the city and other parts of the country. His death shocked the nations, and ignited many protests and criticisms of the Police. The Four white Policemen, namely Sean Caroll, Edward McMellan, Kenneth Boss and Richard Murphy, were charged to court. The trial began on February 2, 200 almost a year after the incident. On the 25th of the same month, these men were discharged and acquitted of all charges. The verdict sparked up series of demonstrations and protests led by the Clergyman, Rev. Al Sharpton. Other black leaders joined in the struggle for justice in this case. Critics of the judgment pointed out the failure of cross examination by the district attorney and introduction of racial factor that beamed brightly in the killing. Besides, In April 2000, Diallo’s family filed a $61million suit against New York City and the four police officers indicted; they demanded for one million per bullet shot and the remaining $20 million for the agony inflicted on the family by virtue of loss of Amadou Diallo. POLICE REFORMS The underlying issue in this killing is the racial factor that was obvious. Quite a number of similar killings have been reported. It is important to reiterate the fact that such killings show a vivid picture of the state of the society, and can therefore not be isolated from it. If there are elements in the society who have not come to term with racial intolerance, they would employ any opportunity at their disposal to exude it. This case therefore calls more important for consideration of racial discrimination, as a national issue of concern which requires immediate public attention to avoid a recurrence. Besides, the best part of the work would have to done by the affected minority group. Besides, this calls for a reform in the activities of the Police, including how more fair investigations can be carried with full accountability to the populace. This requires ‘restricted openness’ that would be effective in arriving at logical conclusions of prosecuting culprits with the rule of law. The justice system should also be sensitive to issues of racism in its verdict. BIBLIOGRAPHY Police Brutality. Accessed from www. hrw. org/reports98/police Vila, Brian, The Role of Police in American Society: A Documentary History. Communities against Brutality Accessed from www. cuapb. org Woods, Gerald. The Police in Los Angeles: Reform and Professionalization.

The Growth Of Information And Communication Technology

The Growth Of Information And Communication Technology The growth of information and communication technology has significantly impacted on every facet of the world on most often noted is the internet. The advancement of Information and communication technology ICT, coupled with the rapid uptake of increasingly affordable, key technologies such as the Internet, has also helped foster an environment that promotes globalization of knowledge and information. The Internet has revolutionalized communication making information access across boundaries deemed seemingly impossible in the past a thing of general practice. People around the world are able to communicate with unprecedented ease. In the past, government has enjoyed great successes in censoring traditional communication media and this has affected information flow to the masses. The internet on the other hand with is multi-directional information flow communication nature where anyone can air their opinions on any desired issue at will has posed great challenges to governments. For countries with repressive regimes, the Internet has become a revolutionary force as it allows the free flow of information and which has been perceived as threat by the authorities in some countries. Government in some countries have responded imposing strict censorship on Internet usage by the public through monitoring, filtering and access to some site in the internet in a bid to control access to information. Internet censorship can be defined as the control or suppression of the publishing or accessing of information on the Internet. Internet censorship has been a greatly debated topic around the world with people having different opinions. In most countries governments at different level have been the in the fore front in the campaign for a regulated internet. Though there are a few arguments that support the need to have the internet censored, it has been largely rejected by organizations and individuals across the world as censorship of the internet is widely regarded by many as an attempt by government to suppress freedom of speech. This essay examines the arguments against internet censorship by government, its impact, successes and failures of government in some countries that embarked on such projects, and the challenges they have faced. It also assesses the key importance of censorship and concludes with an individual opinion evaluating the stated arguments. The case against the government Campaigners against the governments censorship of the internet have strongly opposed censorship and have stated that it prevents freedom of speech thus undermining confidence and trusts in the medium and this inhibits crucial flows of data. Also, Internet censorship and filtering leads to monitoring which is seen by many as another big brother ploy by government to invade the public privacy. It is more often argued that the government will use internet censorship as a tool to promote political agenda and the public has been quick to conclude that the true voice of the public will not be heard. In Australia, the National-Anarchists reject any parliamentary censorship of material and the reasons given has been summed up simply, any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both Benjamin Franklin.[1] Reports on internet censorship show the level of its pervasiveness recently being experienced in some countries. There are several tools and solutions instituted by the government of these countries for the purpose of internet censorship and also the content censored also vary with most blocked contents being political, pornographic, religious contents and others. [2] The common argument used by most countries in proposing censorship is that of child pornography. Most people however believe that the governments plans on internet censorship do not quite provide the solution to child pornography. It is often seen as, and in fact proven by experts that websites play only a minor role in circulation of child abuse materials and cannot be simply banned by Government [1]. It is often suggested that censoring for children by utilizing a user backed software and filtering systems instead of governmental censorship is a viable solution for keeping children away from indecent internet content. There are several software systems that allow parental control of internet materials. The OpenNet Initiative (ONI) has made a categorization of nations that is classes as internet enemy list. The ONI is joint project between some academic institutions across the world with the goal to monitor and report on internet filtering and surveillance activities by different nation. The project uses several means to determine the extent and nature of government-run internet filtering programs. It lists China, Iran Saudi Arabia etc in the forefront of internet censorship in the world. A new wave is now being generated by the Australian government as it moves to launch its own internet censorship project, [3] which has sparked up several arguments across the world. According to the ONI reports, censorship varies with countries and some countries have pervasive filtering policies, often routinely blocking access to not just pornographic and prohibited contents, but also human rights organizations, news, blogs, and Web services that challenge the status quo or are deemed threatening or undesirable. The Chinese governments The Great firewall currently uses four mechanisms DNS blocking, reset commands, URL keyword blocking and content scanning to prevent Internet users in the country from reaching blacklisted Web sites or content [16]. This technique though quite effective faces some technology challenges as private VPNs used by banks, manufacturing and other businesses often allow users within these organizations bypass this great firewall. These VPN services are now even open to the public for sign up at a fee that is quite affordable and attempts by the government to clamp down on this may impact on the economy since businesses will be affecte d. The general public thus rides on this loophole [4]. Methods of implementing censorship have also been criticized. Blocking unwanted and prohibited content using a dynamic process that would require analysis of website content in real-time would significantly slow down the internet. This is already being experience on the china network. [4]. Reports from Australia also suggests this will be the case when the Australian project kick off. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) confirmed that under trial conditions internet filtering reduced speeds between 2% and in excess of 75%, but with half the tested products falling between 20-30%. It was concluded that proper implementation of the censorship project could result in a 20% drop in internet speeds [5]. Policies have been another hugely criticize factor. Often times government policies on censorship do not make a clear distinction on materials unfit for internet content, this resulting in legal and harmless contents being blocked. Organizations have challenged and even filed lawsuits to prevent passage of censorship bills in some states citing free speech violation and the decision to embark on censorship as unconstitutional. This is the case of a Utah Internet Censorship law, intended to restrict childrens access to material on the Internet but that may in fact also restrict adults access to a wide range of lawful material [6]. Examples cited COPA internet censorship law of 1998, included whether an education web page showing young women how to perform self examinations for breast cancer be banned and being classed as sexually explicit [7]. Australian government for example intends to use a public complaints mechanism for blacklisting URLs as well as URLs provided by international agencies. Analysts have questioned the accountability and transparency of this and have stated that the same government bureaucrats who put together their initialed flawed blacklist would remain responsible as arbitrators of the system. In support of the publics claim, a recently leaked list of blacklisted website showed that about half of the sites listed were in fact not related to child porn as claimed by the government but rather other contents that were to a certain degree could be classified as legal content for the adult community. This has sparked further debate on the issue [8]. A word for the government The biggest arguments presented so far by the government in support of internet censorship have been issues relating to preventing access to illegal contents and child pornography, racism, fraud terrorism, religion etc. With the attempts so far made by several nations to impose some form of censorship meeting with similar resistance, government should realize that the key challenges faced are three fold, the people, the law and the coping with technology. One could however wonder why the topic on censoring the internet would generate so much argument when the public indeed presently abides by certain degree of censorship. From schools preventing access to certain contents and websites, warnings are displayed on university networks on the impact of downloading of file sharing, companies prevent employees from accessing chat systems, networking website and other sites at work using firewalls to ISPs blocking potential dangerous contents either because of virus or to keep their network safe and uncompromised, Why then is the public so opposed to the government censoring the internet? It could be safe to state that the public is just not ready for the extreme spectrum of Internet control which would result in a globally regulated internet by the government for the fear that the public could lose its freedom of speech and the fear unknown. Conclusion Recommendation Though internet censorship could be considered a necessity in cases where there is need to set a standard for publishing and the kind of information to publish on highly sensitive topics, by and large the foreseeable disadvantages far surpasses the benefits that may be accrued. I do not see Government succeeding in the offing in the fight to regulate content on the internet. Technology favours the public internet users rather than government and as such the government will be playing catch-up and their efforts may yet be foiled. Technology is presently enabling data encryption, user generated videos and pod casts thus complicating the tasks by the monitoring bodies. Also the laws governing internet censorship if passed will meet several barriers as they are more likely to be passed by countries independently. The internet spans boundaries and how these laws would apply to other countries a crucial aspect of consideration. The law will need to keep up with changing technology as such there will be no rest for law makers. Passing laws takes considerable time, and lapse in law would result in loopholes that could be exploited by the public. In addition, the controversies generated by government censoring the internet far outweigh the benefit. The internet is a global communication platform and the government needs to study close before imposing laws. Close attention should however the paid to the fact that the global nature of the net does present problems to censorship. To conclude, though the proposed laws by government to regulate the internet is of good intention, it is unwise for the government to censor the internet because any law infringing on the publics right to free speech or breaching individuals right to privacy and freedom on such a vast communication medium as the internet will be difficult to enforce.

The Great Gatsby As A Tragedy Essay example -- English Literature

The Great Gatsby As A Tragedy A hurried read of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby can generate a tragic impression. The deaths of three of the main characters and the failure of Gatsby and Daisy's romance can be viewed as tragic. However, a deeper analysis of the book reveals a much deeper tragedy. The relentless struggles of Gatsby himself parallel Fitzgerald's apparent ideas of the struggles of all Americans. The American dream romanticized by the majority of the population is really unattainable because it is, in fact, nonexistent. Every character has an unfortunate role and could be called a tragic character. However, the main tragedy is that of the title character. Gatsby experiences nothing but tragedy in his life. He begins miserable and ends miserable. He begins his life in a poor family where he feels he truly does not belong. His parents were unsuccessful and "his imaginationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦never really accepted them as his parents at all"(104). Always envisioning a better life for himself and a bigger purpose for his life, he has an amazing ability to make his dreams come true. As a child he dreams of being wealthy and living in luxury, and he attains this. When he is older he dreams of having Daisy, and for a time he achieves this dream as well. He reaches out for the green light at Daisy's dock symbolizing the embracing of his dream. Once the distance between him and this dream is removed, he has exactly what he thinks he wants. However, it is this belief in the dream that leads to his eventual downfall. Nick reflects on Gatsby's aspirations saying, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us" (189). Gatsby has an unusual quality of persistent hope... ...is family, education, and the way he fell into his money. His name is not actually Gatsby either. Like the "Great Houdini", Gatsby can make unreal things seem real. His entire life is an illusion to everyone but Nick. It is heartbreaking that in order to be happy Gatsby feels that he must put up these false fronts and skew reality in the eyes of others to make him into something that he is not. Gatsby's struggles are very similar to those of the American society in this particular era. In one case, the contender is reaching for an unworthy dream and in the other it is the contender that is unworthy of the dream. Fitzgerald combines the two struggles to produce an overall tragic comment on society in the 1920s. The lack of heart in the old aristocracy, the death of the American dream and the falsehood of the dreams unite to form the tragedy in the novel.

Save Ganga Movement

Save Ganga Movement Save Ganga Movement is a widespread Gandhian non-violent movement supported by saints and popular social activists across the Indian States Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in support of a free Ganga. The movement is supported by Ganga Seva Abhiyanam, Pune-based National Women's Organisation (NWO) besides those of many other like-minded organizations and with the moral support from many religious leaders, spiritual and political, scientists, environmentalists, writers and social activists.Ganga Calling – Save Ganga is another such campaign supported by Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action (ICELA) Ganges is the largest and the most sacred river of India with enormous spiritual, cultural, and physical influence. It provides water to about 40% of India's population in 11 states. It is estimated that the livelihoods of over 500 million people in India are dependant upon the river, and that one-third of India's population lives within the Ganges Basin.Despite this magn itude of influence and control by the river over present and future of the country, it is allegedly under direct threat from various man made and natural environmental issues. Pollution River Ganges flows through the most densely populated regions of India passing 29 cities with population over 100,000, 23 cities with population between 50,000 and 100,000, and about 48 towns. A sizable proportion of the effluents in Ganges are caused by this population through domestic usage like bathing, laundry and public defecation.Countless tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals contribute to the pollution of the Ganges by dumping untreated toxic and non-biodegradable waste into it. It is this sheer volume of pollutants released into the river every day that are causing irreparable damage to the ecosystem and contributing to significant sanitation issues. Dams Built in 1854 during the British colonization of India, the Haridwar dam has led to deca y of the Ganges by greatly diminishing the flow of the river.The Farakka Barrage was built originally to divert fresh water into the Bhagirathi River but has since caused an increase of salinity in the Ganges, having a damaging effect on the ground water and soil along the river. [4] Apart from this, Bangladesh and India faced major tensions due to this barrage. The government of India planned about 300 dams on the Ganges in the near future and the tributaries despite a government-commissioned green panel report that has recommended scrapping 34 of the dams citing environmental concerns.

James Town

During 1607-1611 of Early Jamestown, Why Were So Many Colonists Dead? King James I sent 110 people over for a new start of life. The Englishmen arrived to Jamestown believing that they would find gold and a new way of freedom with government and religion. Most of the colonist died during the early years of 1607-1611. No skills for the New World later made the colonist have a hostile relationship with the Native Americans and the environment that they weren’t immune for lead to their deaths. Many colonists died because they had no skills to survive in a new place.According to the â€Å"First and Second Jamestown Ship List† in Document C, 47 of the 110 colonist were Gentlemen in May 1607. These Gentlemen came to Jamestown with the belief that they would find wealth. The Gentlemen, including other colonists, didn’t know how to farm or hunt. They traded with the Powhatan Confederacy for food but that got old, and the Indians later put a stop to the trade for the Engl ishmen to â€Å"Starving Time† in 1609. Also, there was only 1 doctor. Therefore, if someone got sick they would have a way bigger chance of dying than seeing that 1 doctor.The evidences helped explain why so many colonists died because the inexperience of the colonist led to them not being able to support themselves. The Native Americans were antagonistic to the colonists. â€Å"The Virginia Adventures† in document D says, â€Å"Though West was able to load his (small ship) with grain, the success involved some harsh and Crewell dealinge by cutting towe of the Salvages heads and other extremetyes. † Instead of the colonist finding and growing their own food they killed 2 Indians. This was probably one reason why the Indians would attack the colonists.On document E, â€Å"Chronology of English Mortality in Virginia, 1607-1610† there was a first ever Indian attack at Fort James and 2 people died. If the colonists and the Indians had a different start of re lationship, there wouldn’t be that many people dead. The Englishmen could’ve learned skills from the tribes. The Englishmen and the Indians would perhaps have a different relationship. The environment had a big effect on the death of many colonists in early Jamestown. In â€Å"The Lost Colony and Jamestown Droughts† in document B it shows that there was a drought around 1605-1615.There wasn’t enough water to drink, let alone grow crops or livestock. People also died because of diseases including malaria, scurvy, and dysentery. There were also other sicknesses that the Englishmen weren’t immune to. When illness struck the colonists, there was only one doctor and that was the same as not having any. The water was really filthy. Document A states that, â€Å"Because of the adjacent river and creeks became brackish as water levels rose, reliable sources of fresh water would have been scarce by the seventeenth century†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This made the risk o f getting a disease higher than not having water at all.The environment was a major death factor even if they learned how to plant or grow livestock. If the colonists were able to support themselves then more would have survived. The death of so many colonists in early Jamestown was mostly cause by the environment and the unfriendly relationship between the early settlers and the Native Americans that was triggered by the colonists not being able to support themselves.