The implications of erecting additional Transmissions Lines in New Assignment

The implications of erecting additional Transmissions Lines in New Zealand by Transporter - Assignment Example The act took effect from the year 2011. The NZ government has authority to review the electricity pricing every five years. The government authorized Transpower to carry out the business to improve on the efficiency of power supply in NZ. Revenue collection by Transpower has control by the government for it not to exceed Maximum Allowance Revenue (MAR) (Sankaran, 2006). Transpower Company, however, negotiates with the NZ government for it to finance its operations including expansion of the national grid. The electricity company used its outstanding capital proposal as one of strategies to seek for the government approval to its revenue collection plan. The national grid of New Zealand This refers to the NZ main transmission line for electricity. The grid, owned by Transpower New Zealand Limited covers 11,803 kilometers carrying high voltage lines. The distribution of electricity takes place through 178 substations built by Transpower at different strategic locations all over the cou ntry. The main source of electricity in NZ is hydroelectric. The generating stations lie along large lakes and rivers in the southern region of NZ. The sitting of the stations depends on water availability and the head of water. Reaction turbines and impulse turbines perform well in power generation using water head (Sankaran, 2006). In NZ, most of power demand is in the Northern Island. This means that power transmission over a long distance is crucial hence the necessity of the grid. The grid, therefore, runs across Cook Strait, through the two Islands. Setting out a grid over such a long distance is a costly investment and; therefore, NZ commercial commission has to work in collaboration with the company. After negotiations, between NZ and Transpower, planning of grid expansion and upgrading of the necessary infrastructure took place. The project is to cost $5 billion over the duration of 10 years (Iyer, 2010). Typical power supply system Large generating station Step up transfor mer- Super grid Step down transformer-Grid substation Step down transformer- Grid transmission line (grid switching substation) Primary distribution- for heavy industries Step down transformer- high voltage sub station Step down transformer- for local distribution A map showing National Electricity transmission grid in NZ Source: Best, 2012 History The first hydroelectric power station in NZ was in Bullendale, which lie in Otago. The main purpose of the plant was to provide power at the phoenix-mining centre located about two miles away from the station. This was back in the year 1885. A transmission line linking the generation point and the mining site was necessary making the first ever power grid in the country. The development of other discoveries requiring electricity led to construction of more transmission lines with the first principal grid constructed between 1913 and 1914. The supply voltage in the first transmission lines was 3.3 kv but, as the transmission distance incre ased, transmission voltage increased (Sankaran, 2006). New Zealand has divided electricity business in various stages and assigned each stage to different companies. The stages include, authorized generators, distributors which include the electricity lines companies, retailers who sell the power to consumers, and transmission companies in this case the Transpower. Transpower, therefore, deal with high voltages

Law of E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Law of E-commerce - Essay Example With all arsenals pointed at streamlining electronic money institutions through legal, supervisory principles, the binding implementation provisions found quite a number of disparate legislative instruments that tended to hinder the functionality of the directives. The 2000 directives were the first attempts by the Union to harmonize EU e-money banking practices through legal frameworks (Vereecken, 2000). Unknown to the policy drafters was that the directives were headed for major legislative thrusts, which has since prompted the revision of e-Europe Action Plan on the same but with no tangible improvement as once anticipated. The provisions of the action plan of 2005 being the main EU e-money policy blueprint in this area was an updated version deliberated upon since 2000 (Penn, 2005). Indeed, the period of euphoria that characterized the adoption of the directive seemed to have died leaving the future of e-money regulatory legislations much less promising than never imagined. As a matter of fact, many new ideas never sprouted beyond their piloting stages. In essence, The EU e-Money directives were much more of wasted efforts than gainful strategies given that e-Money technology, to a grater extent, remains a figment of salesmen’s imaginations. Background of E-Money Regulations When e-money made a debut into the banking scene, almost all financial institutions in North America as well as the entire Europe took a noticeably stance well armed with different regulatory mechanisms. Rather than a ‘wait and see’ approach adopted by the United States, EU member states took immediate steps, to regulate e-money as soon as the technology appeared (European Commission, 2002). As early as 1994, EMI had recommended that only bank-issue e-money be legalized (EMI 1994; DeGeest 2001). The immediate established target as insinuated above comprised of standardizing measures with a wide spectrum of actions that included access to the Internet, as well as rais ing consumer confidence in IT-supported learning networks embodied in new electronic payment systems. Against a backdrop of concerns from different financial quarters, EU Commission pursued perspective was that proliferation of e-money without regulations could inhibit the proper functioning of the money market and stifle competition as well as innovation in the payment sector. What followed was a draft of directives on the same (EU Commission, 1998). Action Plans set out to achieve the objectives of the EU included numerous legislative measures. Among these were the Directive 2000/28/EC of the European Parliament in conjunction with the EU Council Directive 2000/12/EC touching on the conduct of business of credit institutions forming the first batch of e-Money Directives (EMI Directive, 2000a; 2000b). The second batch of e-Money Directives was the Directive 2000/46/EC from the same intuitions touching on prudential supervision of electronic money institutions (Long and Casanova, 20 02; 2003; EMI Directive, 200

Slow Learners In Malaysia Education Essay

Slow Learners In Malaysia Education Essay Abstract- Current trend indicate that learning through the use of application and courseware had become important teaching method. However, it is different case for slow learners. As most schools slowly adapting the more effective teaching method, they cannot keep up with the flow. Even though there are courseware developed for the slow learners, the courseware is far from fulfilling their specific needs. Statistic shows that in a US typical classroom there will be 3 or 4 slow learners. In areas of poverty and many low-income urban areas, the children per classroom who could be characterized as slow learners might be twice that number. The characteristic of the slow learners are often described as immature in relations, find it difficult to solve complex problem, work very slowly, can easily lose track of time, unable to perform long-term goals, and have poor concentration skills. However, they are very good with hands-on materials. This paper will present the development of coursewa re made to teach English for the slow learners. Keywords-component: courseware; slow learners; English; Introduction Background Slow learners are no longer rare cases in Malaysia. However, they are not categorized as people with special needs. Some might confuse the slow learners with dyslexia. However, both terms are different. Dyslexic will have difficulties in learning to read and write despite having same learning process and effort with others. For slow learners, they do not do well at schools or task that require extensive reading, writing, and mathematic but they perform great outside class especially in hands-on tasks. They will need extra time in completing the tasks given. Because of their characteristics, slow learners are always left behind as they cannot catch up with the learning process gone through by other kids. Even though new technology has been developed to enhance learning process, they are left out because it is not suited for their learning needs. This project is intend to enhance the English courseware specifically for the slow learners in way that will serve their learning needs which is different from other kids. The courseware will be focus on non-linear techniques to make it flexible and more conducive for the slow learners. As there is not much of courseware developed for slow learners, the product of the project will significantly bring the learning process for the slow learners into new level and brighten the hope for them to learn like normal kids. Problem Statement Teaching slow learners isnt same like teaching normal kids. Teaching them require different methods and approaches because of their characteristics. As learning process moving on taking advantage of computers and internet, slow learners are left behind because there are no specific learning applications for them that will suit their needs especially in critical subjects such as Science and Mathematic. There are lots of courseware in the market out there but it is too little in numbers and it is far from perfect. This new courseware to be developed will be a great tool for teacher to teach English to the slow learners because it will enhance whats already in the courseware and make it better. Objectives and Scope of Studies Objectives The objective of this project is to enhance the current English courseware from Mohd Izzat Helmi Bin Yahyas English Courseware for Slow Learners project and will be specifically designed for the slow learners so that the learning process will suit their needs. Because of their characteristics, the courseware will need careful designation.. The courseware will enrich English learning process which already in the current courseware and make it more interactive and flexible. Scope of Studies The project will involve the study of slow learner behavior and courseware development. The result of the study then will be analyzed to develop and enhancing cognitive skills training that will be integrated with the courseware so that the target to teach slow learners can be achieved. Target group of the courseware will be primary school student in Standard 4 to Standard 6 (10-12 years old). The courseware will be developed as a game to teach General English. Literature Review Game-Based Learning Marc Prensky (2003) says that since Pong is introduced in 1974, the unique expertise that game designers have honed to a superfine edge is player engagement: the ability to keep people in their seats for hour after hour, day after day, at rapt attention, actively trying to reach new goals, shouting with glee at their successes, determined to overcome their failures, all the while begging for more. Along with the new technology that had been developed in recent years, games had become more than just entertainment, it had evolve to become the medium of learning. In Digital Game-Based Learning (Prensky, 2001), explain that children nowadays are different from previous generation where they grow up with digital technology and their minds are changing to accommodate the technologies with which they spend more time. From there, it is clear that most children nowadays from different gender, ages and social groups spends most of the time with video games. Many experts see the values in video games as a medium of learning. Its true that this children love games more than schools but their attitudes toward games is the attitude of the learners; passionate, cooperative, and actively involve in problem-solving. Research by Zyda (2007) argue that computer games are an engaging medium for learning, since games can stimulate cognitive processes such as reading explicit and implicit information, deductive and inductive reasoning, problem-solving, and making inferences from information displayed across a number of screens To define game based learning will be quite complicated because there are several different opinion on the matter. Kirjavainen(2009) define game-based learning as field of research and game design based on observations that play, structured or unstructured, conditions the human brain for transformation and learning. Wee Hoe Tan(2008) defines game-based learning as form of learner-centered learning that uses electronic games for educational purposes. However, the concept of game-based learning is still the same; the use of game with the defined learning outcomes for the purpose of learning. Kasvi (2000) lists the seven requirements for effective learning environment as: Provide a high intensity of interaction and feedback; Have specific goals and established procedures; Be motivational; Provide a continual feeling of challenge, not too difficult to be frustrating nor too easy to create boredom; Provide a sense of direct engagement on the task involved; Provide the appropriate tools that fit the task; and Avoid distractions and disruptions that destroy the subjective experience. Kasvi (2000) suggests that computer games fulfill all of these requirements and believes that they satisfy them better than most other learning mediums. By looking at how the Western world had utilized game as learning module in classroom, it proves that the statement is true. R.V. Eck(2006) explain that games like Civilization, SimCity 4, Cruise Ship Tycoon, and Roller Coaster Tycoon had already been implemented in classroom. People might be skeptical at first glance. All these games have prove them wrong. For example, in Roller Coaster Tycoon students build roller-coasters to different specifications, which is what engineers should do. By extending the gameplay with basic learning process like calculus physic knowledge, it will make a valuable learning experience. Slow Learners in Malaysia In Malaysia, dyslexic children had begin to receive attention when MyLexics, a courseware to help the dyslexic learn basic Malay language is introduced (Haziq, 2009). However, its a different story for the slow learners. In fact, there are cases reported where slow learners are left behind in the classes (NST, 2008). Cases like this shouldnt happen because even though they are weak in study they are definitely very good in other aspects. Even worse, One in every three juvenile delinquent in integrity school in prison or detention centers displays learning difficulties including being slow learners. (The Star, 2008) Many believe that if these youth not identified and helped will cause them to end up as criminals. Most of them tend to drop out of schools and vulnerable to negative influence because of the problem they facing. Overcoming the Weaknesses Research by LearningRX(2006) argue that weak cognitive skills are the cause of learning disabilities such as dyslexia and slow learning. Important skills such as concentration, perception, memories and logical thinking are not as good as other normal people which make reading, writing, and thinking more difficult. However, this weakness can be improved through specific training and testing. Mel Levine (2008) explain that how Kitty Hawk Elementary School in North Carolina America had implied School Attuned Program using the Neurodevelopmental Profiles where all students with different cognitive skills can learn. Lisa Galleli, a teacher at Kitty Hawk describes her management plan for one such students as He had significant graphomotor weaknesses with spelling and writing. But he really shined in his social skills and that made all the difference in the world. He was also good at math and problem solving. We use his strength who keep him motivated with success while tackling his writing problem. The result had proved that it is not impossible to overcome the weakness. Neurodevelopmental Profile is researched and synthesized by Mel Levine and his colleagues consist of 8 constructs that are: Table 1: 8 constructs of Neurodevelopmental Profiles Attention This includes the ability to concentrate, focus on one thing rather than another, finish tasks, and control what one says and does Temporal-sequential ordering Whether its being able to recite the alphabet or pushing a response button on Jeopardy, being able to understand the time and sequence of pieces of information is a key component of learning. Spatial ordering The ability, for instance to distinguish between a circle and square or to use images to remember related information Memory Even if people are able to understand, organize, and interpret complex information at the moment, their inability to store and later recall can dramatically affect their performance. Language Developing language functions involves elaborate interaction between various parts of the brain that control such abilities as pronouncing words, understanding different sounds and comprehending written symbols Neuromotor functions The brains ability to coordinate motor or muscle function is key to many area of learning, including writing and keyboarding. Social cognition One of the most overlooked components of learning is the ability to succeed in social relationship with peer pressure. Higher-order cognition This involve the ability to understand and implement the steps necessary to solve problems, attack new areas of learning and think creatively. By realizing that every human have some strong functions and some weak ones, Mel Levine found that it is possible to describe each individuals unique mix of strength and weaknesses. Using the right method in developing the courseware and the right approach for the slow learners, it is not impossible that this courseware will be definitely help them. Formative VS Summative Evaluation In order to gather data for the enhancement of the courseware, an assessment need to be done. There are two methods to be used; formative evaluation and summative evaluation. According to H.L Roberts(2009), formative evaluations also known as developmental or implementation evaluation assess what works and what does not work about a particular activity or project as it is happening. It is used to assess the value of a project as it is taking place to determine how it can be improved. The method use in formative evaluation is the same like other assessment which include survey, interview or data collection. This type of evaluation relies on qualitative data that is how participants felt about the process as well as quantitative data, such as charts or test scores. Formative evaluation typically involves a small group of users and participants in the project being evaluated. Participants in formative evaluations look not just at the goals of the process and whether those goals are achieved but also at the process itself and where that process is a successful one or not. Even though this type of assessment is quite complex, there are benefit in it. It allow early identification of potential problem in the subject of assessment. Moreover, it can be a good way of gauge the user perception on the subject because it rely on user feedback. As for summative evaluation, Fox Valley Technical College(2007) describe it as process that concerns final evaluation to ask if the project or program met its goals. It is cumulative in nature. It concentrates on learner outcomes rather than only the program of instruction where the aim is to determine the users mastery and understanding of information, concept, skill or process. Ongoing summative assessment represents important tools for monitoring the progress across time. There are various method of summative assessment such as demonstration, licensing, internship, portfolio or clinical. Summative evaluation is typically quantitative, using numeric scores or letter grades to assess learner achievement. In a sense, it lets the learner know how they did and how good they are However, theres more to it. By looking at how the learners did, it helps to know whether the product teaches what it is supposed to teach and how efficient it is. Here the courseware will be using formative evaluation method. By using formative evaluation, the current English courseware functionality can be assessed to find out whether its working to perfectly or not.. Even if the courseware is working properly, it wont fulfill its objectives if the user (in this case student) dont like it or having problem in using it. By using formative evaluation method, user feedback can be recorded and area of improvement can be found. In conclusion, formative evaluation method will assess the courseware from two perspectives; the courseware functionality and user feedback. Both will greatly help in the enhancement process of the current courseware. Methodology Throw-Away Prototyping The methodology chosen for the project would be Throw-Away Prototyping. Dummy prototype, which is presentational only will be developed. Thorough analysis will be done before first dummy prototype is developed to ensure the prototype have enough details representing real working system. From there, the dummy prototype will be shown and tested with the user to get feedback and identify additional requirement. The next prototype will be developed until it really visualize real working system. When it is ready and all issues are resolved, it will be implemented as fully-functional system. Figure 1: Throw-Away Prototyping Planning The planning phase is the crucial one in developing the project. First thing to be considered is how the project will be developed. For that, the Gantt Chart for the project is build so that each project milestone during the one year of the project can be tracked. Other than that, research is made to find suitable tool to be used for the development of the project. As the project intended to enhance the current courseware, research also made to identify suitable test subject to try the current courseware. Initial Analysis During this phase, the test scenario is developed and interview as well as questionnaire is build to get data from the target school. Data is gathered as much as possible which also include slow learner syllabus in school and from there thorough analysis is done. The purpose is to identify strengths, weaknesses, area of improvement and what to be done for the enhancement process. Prototype Building After all analysis has been done, the design of the courseware begins. A sketch is done to get the overview of new courseware to be developed. The sketch will gone through refinement to integrate the content and multimedia elements (animations, flow of information, etc). The details of the design will be recorded. After all details completed, the development of the prototype begin. When the dummy prototype is complete with all required features, it will then tested at the school to find whether it visualize all the issue that should be addressed. If further refinement is required, the dummy prototype will continuously be build until all requirements is complete. Implementation After all requirements had been fulfilled and the dummy prototype is really visualizing the courseware, it will be declared to be complete and real working courseware will be implemented. Research Methodologies To get all the information required, two research methodologies will be chosen that are: Interview: An interview is conducted with the respective teacher of the school. A test scenario will be deployed to the student using the current courseware along with the interview. This is part of formative evaluation that will test the functionality of the courseware and gauge the user on how they use the courseware. The objective is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current courseware and find the area of improvement. Questionnaire: The interview and questionnaire will be done with the respective teacher to gain in depth details of how slow learners learn and gain all relevant data which will be reference in developing the new courseware. Result Discussion Requirement Gathering Interview In the way of gathering data required for the enhancement of the English courseware, an interview is conducted with Pn Khadijah, Coordinator of Special Education for Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Yusuf who is also the English teacher for Special Education Department. Using the current courseware made by Mohd Izzat Helmi B Yahya, a test scenario is deployed where the goal is to identify the strengths and the weaknesses of the courseware so that the result found can be implemented during the development of new English courseware. The test scenario will verify the conditions and steps taken in using the courseware sample to get the result for further analysis. Three slow learner students from Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Yusuf take part in the test scenario. Below are the details of the three students: Respondent 1 A 12 years old boy and is preparing for his UPSR next year. He falls into the category of normal slow learner. His performance in the class is very good. He has the basic skills of using computer which make him able to use the sample courseware properly. Respondent 2 A 12 years old boy. He falls under the category of slow learner and Syndrom Down. He has the basic skills of using computer which make him able to use the sample courseware properly. Respondent 3 A 7 years old boy. He just started his school early this year. He is the most challenging student because he falls under the ICU slow learners category. Moreover, he doesnt have basic skills of using computer which make the test scenario more difficult to be performed. The purpose of choosing these three students is to observe how different categories of slow learners make use of and react to the courseware. Basically, all the student use the courseware in the same way depends on their knowledge and skills about computer. Below is the summary of result from the test scenario done with all three students. Table 2: Summary of test Scenario Result No Simulation Date Action and Data Expected Result Actual Result 1 12 Apr 2010 Launch the courseware interface Courseware interface appear successfully 2 12 Apr 2010 Launching topic 1 Topic 1 launched successfully 3 12 Apr 2010 Launch Learn from topic 1 menu Learning module appear successfully 4 12 Apr 2010 Checking audio for topic one Audio working successfully 5 12 Apr 2010 Checking synchronization of audio and visual flows. Audio and visual is synchronized Flow of audio and visual is too fast 6 12 Apr 2010 Click the button Play Again for topic 1 learning module Audio and visual replay 7 12 Apr 2010 Launch Exercise for topic 1 Exercise launched successfully Exercise for Topic 3 about colors appear 8 12 Apr 2010 Performing exercise about numbers Exercise done successfully Exercise cannot be performed because exercise for colors appear 9 12 Apr 2010 Click the button Play Again for topic 1 exercise Exercise can be redo Exercise appear is not for topic 1 10 12 Apr 2010 Launching topic 2 Topic 2 launched successfully 11 12 Apr 2010 Launch Learn from topic 2 menu Learning module appear successfully 12 12 Apr 2010 Click and hover on the images of the body parts Audio and visuals working to describe the images Audio working only if cursor is hovered on the image. When image clicked, nothing happened 13 12 Apr 2010 Launch Exercise for topic 2 Exercise launched successfully 14 12 Apr 2010 Drag the words into the respective body part Words dragged successfully Because there are some input of the exercise not in the learning module of topic 2, student get confused easily 15 12 Apr 2010 Click the button Play Again for topic 1 exercise Exercise can be redo 16 12 Apr 2010 Launching topic 3 Topic 1 launched successfully 17 12 Apr 2010 Launch Learn from topic 3 menu Learning module appear successfully 18 12 Apr 2010 Click and hover on the images of the color. Audio and visuals working to describe the images Audio appear when the image is clicked. When it is hovered nothing happened 19 12 Apr 2010 Launch Exercise for topic 3 Exercise launched successfully 20 12 Apr 2010 Dragging each color into the respective jar. Each color dragged successfully 21 12 Apr 2010 Return to courseware interface from any point of the courseware Courseware interface appear successfully Other that that, Pn Khadijah says that , the teaching syllabus and method are different from the mainstream syllabus. They use preschool syllabus in their learning modules However, if they show good performance the teacher will prepare them to be in national examination like UPSR. More information about the interview will be explained in the next section below. Questionnaire In order to get in-depth details of requirements of the courseware to be developed, interviews and questionnaire is conducted with the respective teachers of the schools. This is important because not all required data can be acquired through the test scenario assessment. The teacher answering the questionnaire is Pn Khadijah, Coordinator of Special Education for Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Yusuf. She has years of experience in teaching slow learners especially in English subject. Pn Khadijah is given the overview of the current English courseware and then she is given the questionnaire. Below is the result of questionnaire answered by the teacher: Data Analysis From the interview and questionnaire conducted with students and teacher of Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Yusuf, there are several issue should be addressed about the current English courseware and also what can be improved for the courseware to be developed: Flow of audio and visual must be synchronized and not too fast because slow learners couldnt catch up if its too fast For unknown reason, exercise for Topic 1 that should cover about numbers is replaced with exercise from Topic 3 which is about colours results in having two exercises about colours and the absences of exercise about number. The instruction is different than what can be done in the learning module. For example the instruction of topic 2 says to click the image to hear the audio. But instead, the audio only appear when cursor is hovered on the image. Nothing happened when it is clicked. Input of the exercise should be the same as what it appears in the learning modules to avoid confusion for slow learners. For example, the input of the exercise for topic 2 includes the stomach part even though it is not taught in the learning modules. Input of learning modules shouldnt be more than 5 in a topic because slow learners could easily forget what they learn if theres too many input. Slow learners in Malaysia are familiar with the Malaysia English. Using U.S English or Britain English in the courseware would confuse them. Students especially kids like learning using computer. Slow learners are not excluded. So the courseware to be developed must be visually attractive. Proposed System Architecture Figure 2: Proposed System Architecture The courseware will integrate use suitable multimedia elements that will support interactive learning environment either for the use at school or at home. This will make the learning process will be more engaging and entertaining. The courseware will consist of 3 modules primarily developed for students of Standard 4 to Standard 6. All this modules will be developed based on learning syllabus for slow learners from Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Yusuf. After the application is launched, students will be accessing the courseware interface. To ensure the flexibility of the learning process, students will be given freedom to choose which module they want to use. After each module there will be exercise that will test the students understand of the current topic. However, students are free to choose whether they want to do the exercise or not. If they dont want to do the exercise, they can proceed to next module or return to the courseware interface to choose other modules. In addressing that slow learners cannot cope with too much input at a time, each module will consist of two parts. This will enable the students to enrich their learning without taking too much input at a time. They have the freedom to choose which part they want to use in a module. The three modules are: Numbers, Reading Skills, Body Parts. Module 1:Numbers The first module will teach the students the foundation of recognizing numbers. The first part will teach about how to identify ordinal and cardinal numbers and whats the difference about them. The second part will teach the student how to differentiate between odd numbers and even numbers using the same modules in current English courseware with enhancement made on it. Module 2:Reading Skills This module is intended to enhance the reading skills of the students.. The activity in the first part will be focus on matching picture. Each time a picture from two sets of pictures will be shown to the student and from there the students will be asked to match the picture with the picture from the set which is not shown. The second part will focus on matching letter and words. The concept will be the same like in the first part. Module 3:Body Parts This module will teach the student the foundation of identifying body parts. The first part will teach the student about main body parts in general. The second part will teach the student specifically about parts on head The tools chosen for the development of the project will be Gamemaker 8. The reason to use this tool is because it is easy to be used compared to most of other tools. It allow the user to use collection of freeware images and audio for starters like the author to make a game looking courseware which will encompass on drag-and-drop action using the mouse. This tool will be used along with other tools like Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Macromedia Flash where necessary to make the courseware more interactive and rich. Conclusion Current English courseware is using basic concept of combining audio with visual in the teaching. Even though, it is still not perfect. There is lots of area for improvement can be made for the courseware. The authors project will take the opportunity to make enhancement on the courseware to maximize its potential. The new courseware to be developed will be more interactive and rich while in the same time addressing the issue of current courseware. With assistance from various parties such as the authors supervisor, Miss Elaine, teachers of Sekolah Kebangsan Sultan Yusuf as well as other people, this project will succeed. Acknowledgement The current courseware mentioned in this paper is developed by Mohd Izzat helmi B Yahya where his work had been base for the authors English courseware developed for slow learners. Here the author also would like to thank Ms. Elaine Chen Yoke Yie as the supervisor for the project, Pn Khadijah, Coordinator of Special Education for Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Yusuf, and all other parties who had contribute to the project whether directly or indirectly.

Accounting Systems Essay -- Business Management

Accounting Systems In accounting systems, certain controls are needed to ensure that employees are doing their jobs properly and ensure that the system runs properly. These checks are in the best interest of the organization. These controls come in the form of internal and external controls for the system. The internal controls are the checks that are placed in the system by the company's own management and directors. Today more and more companies are moving from the manual accounting systems to computerized accounting information systems. The advantages of a computerized system are increases in the speed and accuracy of processing accounting information. However, as systems become computerized, the internal controls for that system has to be adapted accordingly. This is because computerized systems bring with them certain unique problems that can only be removed or minimized by adapting the present controls and adding new controls. In a manual system there is a paper trail for the internal auditor to follow. All records and transactions are kept on paper and so an auditor has clear and documented proof of what has transpired. Computerized systems rarely have a clear paper trail to follow. Since computers do all of the sorting of the information the company rarely sorts the source documents. Also the computer does most of the calculations and processing so there would not be the amount of documentation that there would be in a manual system. Another problem of computer systems is the fact that there can be difficulty in determining who entered the data. In a manual system the identity of the person entering the data can be identified possibly by the person's handwriting. This cannot be done in a computerized system. ... ... disaster. This includes transaction logs of complete system dumps which will make periodic backups of all the transactions that occur within the system. Computerized accounting systems bring with then a set of new and unique problems. The internal controls that have been put into place for a manual system to help the internal auditor cannot fully prevent or minimize the possibility of errors or fraud that come with the computerized systems. Therefore the old controls must be modified for the new system and new controls must be put in. Only then can the internal auditor ensure that the number of errors that occur within the system be minimized or even eliminated. Bibliography Basset P.H. (1993) Computerized accounts, NCC Blackwell. Grudinsku G., Burch J., (1998), Information Systems Theory and Practice, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Lanzones Peelings as Mosquito Coil Essay

1. SUMMARY Education for Sustainable Development allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future. Education for Sustainable Development means including key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning; for example, climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behavior and take action for sustainable development. Education for Sustainable Development consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way. Education for Sustainable Development requires far-reaching changes in the way education is often practiced today. UNESCO is the lead agency for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) Sustainable development is a difficult concept to define; it is also continually evolving, which makes it doubly difficult to define. One of the original descriptions of sustainable development is credited to the Brundtland Commission: â€Å"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs† (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, p 43). Sustainable development is generally thought to have three components: environment, society, and economy. The well-being of these three areas is intertwined, not separate. For example, a healthy, prosperous society relies on a healthy environment to provide food and resources, safe drinking water, and clean air for its citizens. The sustainability paradigm rejects the contention that casualties in the environmental and social realms are inevitable and acceptable consequences of economic development. Thus, the authors consider sustainability to be a paradigm for thinking about a future in which environmental, societal, and economic considerations are balanced in the pursuit of development and improved quality of life A widely accepted definition is â€Å"development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†. Currently we are not even meeting the needs of the present let alone considering the needs of future generations. The United Nations have declared 2005 – 2014 as the decade for Sustainable development, in an effort to reverse Sustainability is now recognize to be a key area of development for the education sector. In particular, the policy and practice context points to the need to consider how best to embed it into higher education learning and teaching strategies and curricula. The Higher Education Academy is currently undertaking a program of development activity and capacity building so as to better assist institutions and subject communities in their development of curricula and pedagogy to equip students with the skills and knowledge to live and work sustainably. This recognize the importance of increasing ‘sustainability literacy’ among students and the growing demand for sustainability skills among employers. Current work includes a baseline research study to identify existing good practice in the sector. The impacts of global warming and climate change is said to be â€Å"the greatest injustice of our time†. The world’s poorest people have contributed least to its cause but they are the ones who suffer most from its devastating effects. Poor and developing countries are the most that are at risk due to long term flawed natural resource management practices and policies, increased population density and settlements in fragile eco-systems, increased demand on environment and natural resources, poor governance and prevalence of corruption. The acceleration of changing weather patterns due to global climate change aggravate further the underlying risk that many poor and developing countries are facing. Poverty incidence is higher in areas where natural disasters occur. The poor are mostly located in the rural areas and are dependent on agriculture, fishery and livestock that are inherently climate sensitive. Farmers and indigenous peoples in upland communities live in landslide prone areas and the poor in the urban areas live in hazardous areas like along riverbanks. â€Å"Poor households and poor nations throughout much of the world face two disadvantages: the inability to generate income and the vulnerability to physical social and economic downturns. Drought, flood, conflict, inflation, disease and recession hit these groups and countries hardest. Furthermore, repeated exposure to these downturns reinforces the conditions of poverty.† Whatever progress we make from our poverty reduction and community development initiatives; these are shattered the day after a disaster. These clearly states that disasters do not only worsen poverty in poor and developing countries but by the same token undermine past, current and future efforts to tackle poverty. DRR, Literacy and Education Over the past years, we saw the transformation of many disaster responses from emergency and relief response during or immediately after a disaster, towards a Mn ore comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) approach. Likewise, Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction Programs using participatory approaches are being conducted in many countries by government and non-government organizations. Since the adoption by 186 UN member states of the Hyogo Framework for Action, promotion of DRR in education had been taken, specifically in the formal education sector. Policy guidelines, tools and methodologies had been developed to guide policy makers, implementers and practitioners in integrating DRR in education. This includes not only integrating and mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in education but as well as developing guidelines in school building construction. The Philippines is one country where this initiative was pilot tested. Several materials related to this had been developed by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and other agencies and organizations. A wealth of DRR education materials had also been developed – the Asia-Pacific Cultural Center for UNESCO (ACCU) Planet 4 module on disaster preparedness is one very good example. Literacy and education is crucial to Disaster Risk Reduction. Reducing risks and enhancing people’s resilient capacities to deal with disasters requires them to understand how they could best protect themselves. Literacy and education is a necessity in raising awareness on the nature and presence of natural hazards as well as the vulnerabilities and threats faced by the community. It plays a central role in building life skills that could make a difference in life threatening situations during disasters. DRR and ESD Since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, disaster reduction has been recognized as an integral component of sustainable development (Chapter 3 of Agenda 21) and the cross-sectoral nature of disaster risk reduction was again emphasized in 2002 during the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The linkage between disaster risk reduction education and sustainable development had been visible on other international agendas. Disaster Risk Reduction encompasses economic, political, cultural, social and environmental dimensions and that formal and non-formal education initiative under this theme is consistent with the frameworks of ESD in three important ways: 1. Education for disaster risk reduction is interdisciplinary. Therefore, important consideration is given to the impacts on, and relationship between, society, the environment, economy and culture. 2. Education for disaster risk reduction promotes critical thinking and problem solving and other social and emotional life skills that are essential to the empowerment of stakeholder groups threatened or affected by disasters. 3. Education for disaster risk reduction supports the Millennium Development Goals. Without considering Disaster Risk Reduction in development planning, all efforts including, decades of development initiatives could be destroyed in seconds. ESD in a Climate Changed World The nature of disasters in our climate changed world placed us to come into terms with our past and current behaviors, lifestyle practices and our views of society, the economy, the world, the environment and humanity in general. It bared the flaws of our past and current development models and paradigms that gave birth to our current environmental and climate predicament. It exposed who are vulnerable and who are accountable and revealed the cause and effect relationship between disaster and development – from a global to local perspective. The risk posed by the threats of climate change to humanity is a strong urgent call for us to rethink the dominant views that influence the social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental dimensions of our lives. No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it. We must learn to see the world anew. Our current challenges in the face climate changed induced disasters opens up an avenue to question the current domi nant form of development and education that brought us these problems. It gave us the reality of our current context to reflect on our current education frameworks and a platform to create the kind of education that will save us. Despite many International Agreements and Declarations on the Right to Education, millions of children and youth are still out of school and millions of adults are still unable to read and write. Without education, these children, youth and adults face a very bleak future and are denied of their ability to develop their full potential – a massive loss of human potential that could aid in eradicating poverty and in achieving sustainable development. Understanding the Right to Education As well as being a right in itself, the right to education is also an enabling right. Education ‘creates the â€Å"voice† through which rights can be claimed and protected’, and without education people lack the capacity to ‘to achieve valuable functionings as part of the living’. If people have access to education they can develop the skills, capacity and confidence to secure other rights. Education gives people the ability to access information detailing the range of rights that they hold, and government’s obligations. It supports people to develop the communication skills to demand these rights, the confidence to speak in a variety of forums, and the ability to negotiate with a wide range of government officials and power holders. Our Constitutions Bill of Rights provides that â€Å"No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.† Lack of education incapacitates an individual to assert and protect his own rights. The Right of Suffrage provides that no literacy requirements shall be imposed on the exercise of the right to vote. However, lack of education compromises a voter’s position to exercise his right to vote wisely for his and his country’s benefit. Education is a powerful tool that can provide people, especially the poor and vulnerable groups with the necessary knowledge, awareness, skills and competencies to transform their conditions. It is a primary vehicle by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and obtain the means to participate fully in their communities. It has a vital role in empowering women, safeguarding children from exploitative and hazardous labor and sexual exploitation, promoting human rights and democracy, protecting the environment, and controlling population growth. It is a tool for empowerment – a powerful means to beat poverty. Unfortunately, these ideas however explicit remain poorly understood and internalized by our â€Å"educated† policy and decision makers in government. Twisted priorities and distorted values even outright corruption have crept in such that construction of buildings, purchase of school facilities, task forces and even feeding programs have become the milking cow of those in certain higher echelons of government. Learning interventions, alternative education programs and other support services to address shortcomings of the educational system will remain as that – stop-gap, isolated and spotty no matter how heroic, noble and outstanding the efforts of certain public servants and civil society sectors are – because a makeshift solution can be sustainable only to a certain extent and can never take the place of a mandate and a policy on education bolstered by a Constitutional guarantee which is s till to be fully implemented. Neither the call for Charter Change nor the lip service of those in the business of education can bring about substantial change in the education system. Enlightened sectors in public and civil society need support and encouragement to enable them to show the way and serve as models for the process of education. Various issues affecting local populace can be opportunities for people’s organizations, community and area groups to galvanize and demand for their education needs and other rights. There has to be a consistent lobby for the state to deliver on its obligation on the right to education. For so long as structural and material projects are given precedence in public investments by government to the detriment of education and other social development projects, the quality of education and, consequently, even our overall economy will remain poor and stunted. 2. REACTION It is not unusual to encounter a study expounding that there is something terribly wrong with the country. But we don’t know exactly what it is that we’re doing wrong. Thus the appeal of events like this launch. I must admit that in reading the Report, I can’t help but feel alarmed. It is particularly stressing to read that the state of education continues to deteriorate. One of the most striking observations in the Report is made in its companion paper. It points out that the issues we confronted in the colonial times persist today. This strikes me deeply. Education has always been one of my core advocacies. So I found it personally illuminating that the Report used the education sector as the model for analysis. The significance of education is highlighted best during times of crisis. A well-educated citizenry is our best bet in taking advantage of the eventual rebound of world economies. When the upswing starts, our people must be there to compete. And the key here, as the Report points out, is to break the stasis in education. What drew my attention in the report was the presence of success stories. It is wonderful that out of all the issues, we do have successful endeavors to share. The Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP) and Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) are welcome developments. But beyond this, we should take note of the Report’s more insightful points. For one, it is enlightening to read that contrary to traditional thinking, funding, may not be the biggest obstacle to educational reforms. This is a good point. Greater changes can happen if we address organizational culture, and improve professional managerial expertise. By saying this, the Report gives us the chance to effect reforms that are not heavily dependent on funding. Yes, the report is quite distressing. But I can’t help but agree with its main points. If we are to do some good, we must change institutions. Piecemeal reforms produce piecemeal results. The same philosophy pushed me to spearhead the creation of COMSTE, which works through a Technical Advisory Council of which Doctor Balisacan is a prominent member. Its job is to undertake a national review and assessment of the science, technology and engineering research and development system of the country. The intention is to make reforms that will boost competitiveness in key areas: science, math and engineering education, health services, energy and environment, food and agriculture, IT and IT-enabled services, and semiconductors and electronics. COMSTE operates on certain key assumptions. There have been technological, socio-political and economic trends that have changed the nature and practice in the targeted sectors. However, the laws and rules governing the regulation and practice of professions have not kept up. Indeed, these laws have not been updated for decades. In addition, our laws and structures governing the development of educational curricula and the hiring of experts have become too rigid. In a way that mirrors the theme of the Report, our curricula ended up being so tied down with â€Å"formal rules†, they suffocated. This gave rise to a â€Å"culture† of instruction that is unbending and incapable of adapting to rapid development. 3. RELATED TO THE LESSON From the time sustainable development was first endorsed at the UN General Assembly in 1987, the parallel concept of education to support sustainable development has also been explored. From 1987 to 1992, the concept of sustainable development matured as committees discussed, negotiated, and wrote the 40 chapters of Agenda 21. Initial thoughts concerning ESD were captured in Chapter 36 of Agenda 21, â€Å"Promoting Education, Public Awareness, and Training.† Unlike most education movements, ESD was initiated by people outside of the education community. In fact, one major push for ESD came from international political and economic forums (e.g., United Nations, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Organization of American States). As the concept of sustainable development was discussed and formulated, it became apparent that education is key to sustainability. In many countries, ESD is still being shaped by those outside the education community. The concepts and content of ESD in these cases are developed by ministries, such as those of environment and health, and then given to educators to deliver. Conceptual development independent of educator input is a problem recognized by international bodies as well as educators.

Elmo makes Music Essay

Sesame Street live concerts are known for providing kinetic shows which feature interactivity for children. The â€Å"Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music† concert, was held at the Memorial Auditorium on January 16, 2009. The show consisted of two acts, comprised of multiple skits each. This format allowed for a rapidly changing mix of sets and costumes, which help to foster a sense of excitement and expectancy for the audience. The combination of visual and musical expression — each with many quick-paced variations — explored the universality which is implied in music, expressed at a level which even small children could understand. One of the key elements of the Sesame Street live shows is the presentation of music as a spectrum of feelings and colors. To this end, the musical numbers provided a great range of styles and moods, from dance-numbers to more pensive, introspective melodies. The participatory aspect of the show is also a key to its resonance and high entertainment value. By offering music which features bold, often simple melodies and stark, expressionistic musical tones, the children in the audience are able to rely on their natural instinct to clap, shout, and sing-along. In this way, ‘Sesame Street live: Elmo Makes Music’ has a special musical message for the children, which is that music is a part of each and every one of them. no matter their particular place or station in life. By encouraging children to sing along, or to participate in the show by using their hands and stamping feet to keep the rhythm of the music, the show promotes a sense of integration and communal experience which is ure to last far beyond the confines of the concert hall. Additionally, because the premise of the show was based upon continual surprise, the children in the audience are left with a sense of open-possibilities and wonder. For example, the plot of the show centers around the idea that the actual band that was supposed to perform could not do so, because the truck with all of the music teacher’s instruments did not arrive on time. Accordingly, the whole show focuses around surprising Jenny, the music teacher who was upset because of her missing music instruments. The sesame street cast members decided to form their own band by creating percussion instruments and such, out of articles that they found, and could produce sound with. This is an obvious â€Å"allegory† for the individual talents and capacities that each person holds within them; taken together, as a community, these capacities and talents make â€Å"music† which can also be seen as social harmony and cultural understanding. Specific songs included the rhyming poetically based ‘Sunny Days’ Sesame Street theme, as well as ‘What Makes Music’, and the popular ‘Who Are the People in your Neighborhood’. There was also a saucy little number called the Cookie Crumba Rumba which lent a sultry, rumba beat to the program. Since the Rumba is a romantic dance that uses a lot of hip action and body movement, I leave it to your imagination to picture the comical aspects of this particular musical performance. Historically the rumba requires the performer to show plenty of emotion, and the fake heads were stuck in permanent grins, which made it even funnier. The Alphabet Dance, Fuzzy and Blue and Elmo’s World concluded Act I. In Act II the band led off with Together we will Make Music, and this was followed by a hilarious Bert and Ernie’s version of the famous Bee Gees Disco movie Boogie nights. Bert was dressed up in the memorable John Travolta white polyester suit. Other numbers such as Triangle Cheer and a very lively Rockin’ Robin were especially fun. Percussion instruments definitely predominated, with an occasional wind instrument, as in the Honk Bang Whistle and Crash, skit. Thank You for the Music was somewhat reminiscent of the Carol Burnett theme, ‘So Glad we had this Time Together’. The last scene the new music teacher Jenny joins in, with the official Sesame Street Band. The concert was a treat for the children, and the most difficult part of all for parents seemed to be explaining to their children why they could not join their friends on stage. Elmo Makes Music invited audience participation, and the children were thrilled to use their voices to sing, and their feet and hands to produce sounds as their own personal percussion instruments, to keep time with the beat and tempo. Because the overall theme of the show is that of communal inclusion, the mechanics and techniques used in creating the aesthetic approach of the show gives the show a sense of wholeness and authenticity.