Understanding Educational Research & Assessment Essay Example for Free

Understanding Educational Research Assessment Essay The purpose of this research is to determine the influence of technology on achievement in the public school system. Using technology is not a new form of teaching in the school systems, but the question are how effective is technology in the classroom and does it really help in some academic subjects. A classroom teacher has to use different learning methods in order for the students to understand the concept being taught. Unfortunately, computers cannot teach some academic areas such as literacy skills, math skills, writing and reading skills. Using technology can enhance learning in the classroom by helping the teacher generate ideas to keep students motivated to do their work. Sharon Judge (2005); tested the connection between academic success among young African American children and their access to computers in their school and in their home. Her study focuses on 1,601 African American public school children who went to kindergarten and first grade. The results show that access to a home computer, computer areas within classrooms, child to computer ratios, software, and computers in schools were certainly correlated with academic achievement. In addition, constant use of software for literacy and math games were positively connected with academic success during kindergarten. High achievers that used software for literacy and math more often than both low and average achievers put together during kindergarten. Sharon Judge (2005) also examined the fast expansion of children access to computers and the internet in the United States is extraordinary. As of 2001, statistics say that about three-quarters of children between the ages of five and seven use computers at school, and fifty-six percent use computers at home. DeBell Chapman (2003). On the other hand, countless studies were written about the topic that showed that technology access and use in U. S.schools is a bit negative in schools serving Black, Hispanic, and low socio-economic status (SES) students who tend to have the lowest access to, and the most remedial usages of new technology (Becker, 2000; Dividing Lines, 2001; Wenglinsky, 1998). In addition, an important gap exists in home-computer ownership and Internet access between African American and white households (DeBell Chapman, 2003; Fairlie, 2002; Puma, Chapin, Pape, 2003; Solomon, 2002). Research Design/Methodology The purpose of this research is to determine how the influences of technology benefit the achievements in the public school system. The study methods will include information that was written in the region of study, the information will consist of several scholar articles and the influence of technology achievement in public schools. The research will include how technology usage in the classroom affects students and how technology improves the overall performance in the classroom. A scholar article is a professional paper written by a specialist in a given branch of knowledge. This data includes all the reviews of the scholar articles that were written by the specialist in a particular subject of information.

Meningitis Essay examples -- Health, Diseases

In nineteenth century Geneva, a family came down with a strange disease— one that had never previously been diagnosed. In a short time, many people in their town were infected and thirty-three people were left dead. This strange disease was later determined to be meningitis. In 1806, the United States saw its first outbreak of meningitis in Massachusetts. It was not until 1887, however, that Professor Anton Weichselbaum was able to determine a cause of meningitis: a bacterium called Neisseria meningitides. Penicillin was first used to combat meningitis in 1944, and in 1978, a vaccine became available. The usage of vaccines was detrimental in the battle to gain control over the spread of meningitis (7). Even with these vaccines, however, meningitis continues to infect individuals today. Meningitis is the swelling of the meninges that surround the central nervous system. The tri-layered membrane is composed of the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater, which protect the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis is contagious to other people. It can be spread through exchange of saliva, as well as from coughing and sneezing (4). Everyone is at risk for catching meningitis—even people in good health. It is especially common in young people living in close proximity to each other, such as in college dorms (6). Meningitis can be caused by several things. The more common causes include bacteria, viruses, and fungus. Other, less common causes of meningitis can be cancer, brain surgery, drugs, and chemicals (3). Bacterial meningitis is the most severe form and one must seek medical attention immediately (8). Bacterial meningitis is capable of killing a person in just one day (6). At least thirteen strains of such bacteria exist (15). The ... ... causes swelling of the meninges surrounding the spinal cord and the brain. Meningitis can be caused by several things- the most common are bacteria, viruses, and fungus. Symptoms are comparable to that of the flu; therefore people may not initially realize that they have this disease. The earlier a person seeks treatment, the better the outcome. Most people survive their battle again meningitis, but some come away with lasting affects. Meningitis has been around for hundreds of years, and in that time period, there have been many advances made in the handling of the disease. With the invention of modern vaccines, meningitis is under better control and the occurrences of infection are much lower than they were in the past. With continuing research, there is still hope to make more gains in the prevention and treatment of meningitis and potentially save more lives.

Was the Reconstruction Period a Failure

Was Reconstruction a failure? As the bloody Civil War drew to a close, the period of reconstruction began to take shape across the states. There were many questions aroused following the war regarding the physical re-building of the nation, demobilisation and most importantly what was to replace the pre-war norm of slavery? America’s position on the latter, was of course both vague, with differing opinions from the North to the South, these differences which should have been settled with the outcome of the Civil War meant the war on the battlefield had transgressed to one on a social and political level.However as Michael Les Benedict quite aptly states that ‘winning had been more important than figuring out what to do afterwards,’ which resulted in a sporadic reconstruction being forced by dissimilar motives. When looking at how successful the Reconstruction period was in America one should consider the intentions behind such Reconstructing, this poses the questi on therefore of whether the period was one of rebuilding relations between the North and the South or between the slaves and citizens?This essay will look at therefore the attempt at creating an increasingly harmonious nation with the interruption of unstoppable de facto discrimination that made reconstruction a void period. When discussing the reconstruction some decide to begin with the Emancipation Proclamation where Lincoln addressed the nation on 1st January 1863; â€Å"I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free. This of course was the primary leap into the unknown, however as this was not passed through Congress and there only being a few states state’s emancipated renders 1863 as an ineffectual starting date for the Reconstruction period. However what was important during this time was the role of African American’s in the war which shaped their position in post- war America. ‘By the wars end, some 180,000 blacks had served in the Union Army. ’ Although there was severe dissatisfaction over conscription, the opportunities offered in the army was the foundation for the move towards equality.Primarily it was an opportunity for Afro-Americans to prove their capability and ability to be disciplined; this allowed them to be seen as equals, as equal as possible as the time. ‘Although slavery was still legally intact, in the summer of 1862 General Butler began substituting a system of compensated labour,’ Butler’s recognition of military status of black soldiers was an example of the positive outcome of the war, and what impact It had on integration even though ‘most of the soldiers spoke scornfully of ‘niggers’’ there was an un-admitted truth that the war could not have been won without the help of the Negros.Learning from the military integration and flowing the passing of the 13th Amendm ent in 1865 saw the true beginning of the reconstruction period and as a result there was an increase of active participation of African-Americans in society. ‘Local leaders played such a variety of roles in schools, churches, and fraternal organizations that were bridges to the larger world of politics. ’ The primary source of involvement was through the parishes however Afro-Americans were soon able to work their way further as in 1865 John S.Rock of Boston was the first black lawyer admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court, this showed that ‘slowly the North’s racial barriers began to fall. ’ This positive change not only saw the increased integration of black’s within the judicial branch, however also in the executive, ‘among the ablest were Robert B. Elliott of South Carolina and John R. Lynch of Mississippi. Both were speakers of their state House of Representatives and were members of the U. S. Congress. ’ However such was short lived due to the ever increasing violence from the Ku Klux Klan; this shows that the restoration was limited to the North.As previously mentioned the 13th Amendment was a milestone in the road to freedom or blacks, however ‘the amendment closed one question only to open a host of others. ’ This was because although freed on paper and equal under the law, Afro-Americans were not quite regarded as equal under the eyes of society. The federal government therefore set up a protective organisation; the Freedman’s Bureau which meant ‘there was a freer attitude towards supplying money for plantation equipment, clothing, and food, including salt, bacon, and other necessities for the Negros. The was a successful outcome of the Bureau, however there was obvious weaknesses within the Bureau, commenting on the organisation, a citizen expresses that ‘it would have been wise if our statesmen could have received, digested and acted upon the answers these men [ blacks] gave to their questions. ’ This suggested the nonchalant attitude the bureau had towards the emancipated slaves, rendering the establishment of a new life increasingly difficult without federal aid.Further evidence of the federals restricted willingness to give aid can be seen through their attitude as ‘for a while northerners regarded the proposed Fourteenth Amendment as an incredibly lenient settlement of the Civil War. ’ Prior to this the Civil Rights Act had been passed in 1866 which declared that ‘every race and color, without regard to any previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall have the same right. This shows that had the 14th amendment seen to be too radical then the importance of the Civil Rights Act had not been thoroughly enforced of accepted. ‘Years before the end of slavery, black abolitionist Charles L. Reason had predicted th at emancipation would impose â€Å"severe trials† upon the freedman. ’ This prediction of course was one of great clarity as during the reconstruction period there was a general neglect of emancipated slaves and a re-establishment and maintenance of white supremacy.The neglect can be seen though the inefficiency to support the released slaves and their struggle during the reconstruction period, ‘finding employment and housing, food, clothes and medicine for the flow of refugees into the Department was almost impossible. ’ There was such little prospect for a freed slave that the result was to work practically how life had been previous to the 13th Amendment just without chains or to get involved with sharecropping which resulted in the increase of Tenant farming. Planters had no desire to further economic democracy, white or black, and no confidence that freedman could farm successfully independent of whites. ’ The lack of confidence in the freed ma n bears question to what it was really the Civil War was fought for. ‘In 1861, the restoration of the Union, not emancipation, was the cause that generated the widest support for the war effort,’ this supports the evidence that there was a lack of concern for the emancipated slaves, as this was not at the forefront of Americans objectives.Quite a profound contribution to the failure of the reconstruction period was none the less than the president at the time, Andrew Jackson. Following the assassination of Lincoln was the beginning of the end for the Reconstruction period as Jacksons interpretation of reconstruction was a reflection of his southern prejudices. Jackson excluded black’s from politics, in fact excluded numerous problems from his time in office; ‘Johnson had always believed in limited government and a strict construction of the Constitution.In Congress, he had moved to reduce the salaries of government workers, voted against aid to famine-stric ken Ireland, and even opposed appropriations to pave Washington’s muddy streets. ’ This could either be described as laissez faire methods of rule or negligence. Although the Civil Rights Act did eventually get passed this was with no thanks to President Johnson, who during what was meant to be the restoration period vetoed it twice meaning its eventual passing through congress was due to an overall majority vote from his cabinet.The lack of the presidents intervention, or acceptance of the Sherman-Johnston agreement reflected the lenience accepted by the executive at the time as it was agreed that ‘the executive authority of the government of the United States not to disturb by reason of the late war so long as they live in peace and quiet. ’ This meant very liberal treatment of the ex-rebels of the Civil War. The leniency toward the de-mobilisation of the South meant it possible for ‘the same people, the same issues that had precipitated the great war to remain. This therefore making the restoration of slavery further possible, rather opposite to the original intentions of restoration, it was what Les Benedict described as the ‘death of the Confederate reconstruction. ’ ‘Laura Towne reported that the freedman would not believe that Lincoln was dead’ as he was the foundation for the emancipation of the slaves and one who had revolutionary visions at a time of prevalent discrimination. As previously mentioned, Afro-Americans were increasingly getting involved in positions and society; however this was not true to everyone and was definitely not on the increase. Cleveland County, North Carolina, counted 200 black members of biracial Methodist churches in 1860, ten in 1867, and none five years later. ’ There is a recurring trend of the laissez faire method of rule or negligence towards the Afro-Americans during the reconstruction period. Under President Ulysses S. Grant the state produced less for ms of reconstructive policies to protect the black’s from a prejudice society. ‘He had won election in 1868 by urging, â€Å"let us have peace,† and he had not intervened in the South until Klan violence had forced his hand. This shows the executives turning a blind eye towards the violence and discrimination that prevailed throughout the reconstruction period. Not only was there negligence towards imposing protection for the emancipated slaves, but there were further restrictions implemented on their freedom such as the Black Codes; Sec. 3. ‘Every negro is required to be in the regular service of some white person, or former owner, who shall be held responsible for the conduct of said Negro. ’ This shows that although black slaves were meant to have been emancipated, there was always the clause of being emancipated under the control of the white man.The fact the white man had control over the emancipated slave made freed life sometimes harder than t he days of slavery. Additionally although the 15th amendment was passed with the intention of enabling the emancipated the privilege of the vote, it was not long followed by the restrictive Jim Crow laws which had further implication into the post-Reconstruction period and into the twentieth century. The Crow laws not only made it impossible for makes to ascertain suffrage due to the Grandfather Clause, but enabled de facto segregation.The reconstruction period was not only a failure due to the legislation or lack of legislation, but the economic depression resulted in ‘the first great crisis of industrial capitalism permanently altering the nature of economic enterprise, and had profound political and ideological consequences. ’ This meant that due to economic hardship there was a decrease in sympathy towards the Negro who had nothing compared with the white man who had nothing. ‘By the end of 1874 nearly half the nation’s iron furnaces had suspended opera tion’ The reconstruction period was one that saw a plethora of legislative change, however not all for the better.There were many empty promises directed at the liberated slaves, however liberated is not the correct term to use. The emancipated slaves saw little to no improvement in their lives, and not only were the reconstruction a failure with regards improving relations between North and South; it was a failure with repairing relations between the slave and the citizen. The fact the reconstruction period was so short and its ending reverted back to previous times renders the reconstruction period a failure. There remained the underlying intentions, just lacked motivation to implement the reconstruction of the ‘United’ states.Additionally these intentions derived from a handful of just minded thinkers such as Lincoln, however there were too many, with great power who were not yet ready to accept the equality that was preached to clearly in the Declaration of I ndependence, the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th amendment. Therefore as there was such little actual change when reflected against how much legislative change at Washington makes the Reconstruction period a failure as perception, treatment and understanding of a different race did not improve.

Inventors And Inventions The Invention Of The Wheel

Inventors and Inventions What does it mean to invent something? Has anyone ever truly invented anything? Wikipedia defines invention as â€Å"a unique or novel device†. At Dictionary.com the definition is better described as â€Å"U.S. Patent Law: a new, useful process, machine, improvement, etc., that did not exist previously and that is recognized as the product of some unique intuition or genius, as distinguished from ordinary mechanical skill or craftsmanship.† While the patent office is filled with so called inventions, many that were never produced, some argue that the ideas were either stolen or just evolved naturally out of other people’s research. From the unknown inventor of the wheel, to Ford, Edison, and Steve Jobs, you can find brilliant applications of technology, but have these people actually invented anything? It is quite possible the concept of the wheel was around for thousands of years waiting for someone to think of the axle before the wheel was put into practice. According to Wikipedia, and Mental_floss.com the first wheels were the potter’s wheel and not used for transportation. We will likely never know who used it first for transportation, or if it happened in different places without influence from each other. The wheel in my opinion evolved out of common sense and practical necessity, the same way children tend to learn things the same way without influence from each other. Let’s take a look at some more modernShow MoreRelatedDa Vinci Better Inventor Than Edison1385 Words   |  6 Pagesor tools of works to survive. In fact, man has been inventing since he has existed. Today, I am going to compare two of the greatest inventors of the world. They lived almost 415 years apart in different cultural periods. One was an engineer, an artist, an architect, a scientist, while the other was a businessman, an engineer, a visioneer: two of the best inventors who had ever existed, Leonardo Da Vinci and Thomas Alva Edison. I’ll have to choose between a talented artist whose works inspires millionsRead MoreThe Cotton Gin And The Assembly Line1494 Words   |  6 Pagesway that people go about doing labor. The impact of these inventions has reached far and wide whether it be speeding up jobs or finding an easier way to do things. In order to compare the two inventions, it is important to better understand each invention in detail. The cotton gin is a simple machine that was used in the south to extract cotton seeds from the cotton. It consisted of a set of wheels on an axle attached to a crank. Each wheel had a metal hook attached to it, similar to circular sawRead MoreCanadian Inventors and Engineers870 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough Canadians have made more improvements and advances on inventions rather than solo inventions, Canadian inventors have contributed more than they are generally given credit for. Canadian inventors have been making contributions to society for hundreds if not thousands of years. 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Before paper was invented, the peopleRead MoreEssay on Inventions and Discoveries of the 1960’s1605 Words   |  7 PagesInventions and Discoveries of the 1960’s The 1960’s era was a time period notorious for its technology and innovation. This particular era of time was booming with creativity. People started to venture outside of the traditional mindset established by their elders, and the new generation made a great impact on the American lifestyle. The original models of these creations have been modified into complex designs, yet as we strive for perfection, we still use these revolutionary concepts. LikeRead MoreWhat Did Edison Make The Changed And Impacted The World Today?1484 Words   |  6 Pages Thomas Edison Today people are using many conveniences that come from the inventors in 1880 s and 1890 s. And Thomas Edison is one of the famous inventor. So many of Edison s inventions are held in such a high regard that he is considered the greatest inventor of all time. The New York World, in 1901, called Edison Our Greatest Living American, The Foremost Creative and Constructive Mind of This Country, Our True National Genius. Edison was a successful manufacturer and business. What didRead MoreExtraordinary Impact of Inventions of the Industrial Revolution674 Words   |  3 PagesNevertheless, one aspect that better symbolized the Industrial Revolution was the sudden surge of new inventions and machinery that begun during the Industrial Revolution. Among the numerous inventions that appeared during the Industrial Revolution, the spinning jenny, the steam locomotive, and the steam engine were three of the most remarkable. The spinning jenny, steam locomotive, and steam engine were inventions th at greatly enhanced all types of industries in the Industrial Revolution. During the IndustrialRead MoreThe Invention Of The Motorcycle Industries1297 Words   |  6 PagesRoper should find himself becoming an inventor. As an adolescent Roper demonstrated his ingenuity when he made a stationary steam engine. More surprisingly because Roper had yet to see one for himself in person. As of today’s date the invention is still kept on display at Francestown Academy. Although Roper is known for his steam powered velocipede, he was quite the inventor. He patented a wide range of products many that paved the way for future inventors. Such as sewing machines, automatic fire