Web 2.0 Learning Essay Example for Free

Web 2.0 Learning Essay The original wiki, The Portland Pattern Repository (Portland pattern repository, n. d) was created by Full Name Cunningham in 1995 (c2. com/cgi. wiki? WikiHistory – reference properly – if there is no author use the title of the page The definition of a wiki is a webpage or set of webpages that can be easily edited by anyone who is allowed access (Edersbach et al. ,2006 ). The overriding goal of a wiki is to become a shared repository of knowledge with the knowledge base growing over time (Godwin-Jones, 2003). Chawner and Lewis (2004) noted that a wiki is an example of â€Å"social software†, â€Å"a type of software that makes it easy for groups of people to work in a virtual environment†. However, Viegas , Wattenberg and Dave (2004) indicate that wikis are vulnerable to malicious edits or â€Å"vandalism,† which can be a problem at may levels. However, Cych (2006) argues that acts of vandalism and mistakes are rectified quite quickly by the self-moderation processes at work (a couple of sentences expanding on this issue is needed here – if I were you I’d try and refer to something which discusses the accuracy of wikipedia against the encyclopeadia britannica). As an alternative to the global editing of wiki’s, restricting access to registered users only is often used for professional, work group wikis. One of the great features of a wiki is its capacity to be able easily editable. A wiki has the capacity to be able to be edited collaboratively rather the information presented in wikis have the option to be edited or added utilizing a very rudimentary mark-up computer code that would use a internet explorer or browser. Broken down, one page within a wiki is referred by many as a wiki page as compared to the entire set of wiki pages is called a wiki when taken into consideration (Cunningham Leuf 2001). Thus, it can be generalized that a wiki is a collection of information where contributors can contribute collectively and users can access freely information. This has been proven as one of the most accessible or effective web 2. 0 applications in providing accessible and affordable information to students and researchers. One characteristic of a wiki that has made it so popular in sharing and communicating information to students is its ease of usability. Students need not have a degree in computer science or web applications but rather just the passion of sharing intuition and a little bit of patience in order to learn the scripts involved in the programming. They are free and without any need for registration so that users need not have the need to register or pay any amount (Aigrain 2003). It also offers real-time editing and creation so it provides the opportunity for students, researchers and faculty with much needed time as they acquire, research, and provide information within the educational institution. To summarize, unlike blogs, Wikis tend to be more structured and flexible,and, while blogs can be highly personal, wikis are intensely collaborative (Godwin-Jones, 2003). Wikipedia Wikipedia is full blown example of a Wiki. Wikipedia is the pet-project of Wikimedia Foundation which is a non-profit organization that aims to provide encyclopaedia-type information to internet users. Wikipedia has then turned out to become almost a household name, with more than 8,000,000 online articles that is accessible in the internet and is presented in more than 250 languages (it is noteworthy that almost 2,000,000 of those articles are made in English). These articles are peer-developed, rather they are developed and continually improved by researchers, users and experts of a particular field in order to provide the most accurate and up to date information on a given topic/subject (Hinchcliffe, 2006). Currently, Wikipedia holds just below 610 million words which are approximately 15 times more than what Encyclopaedia Britannica holds in these books (Godwin-Jones, 2003). Because of its nature of being able to be written collaboratively by practically anyone that has something to contribute in the page, its fame and usefulness as a resource for information has steadily increased even from the start of its creation. Currently Wikipedia is within the top ten websites around the world that is being visited daily by users worldwide (Chawner Lewis, 2004). The name â€Å"Wikipedia† that was developed by Wikimedia is a combination of two words – Wiki which points to an online collaborative effort in creating an article or text and Encyclopedia (Godwin-Jones, 2003). But fame is without its critics. Because of Wikipedia’s astronomical rise and open nature, other people critical about these aspects have begun to look closer on wikipedia’s accuracy, precision with respect to how it is able to present information and reliability for users and researchers alike. Wikipedia has been constantly hounded with comments pertaining to high vulnerability of being vandalized and used for spreading wrong information that can be used as reference. However, because of its huge support from users, contributors and sub-programs have begun to address these problems (Chawner Lewis, 2004). In addition to this, there were studies conducted that focused on these two aspects of wikipedia and they showed that in general, Wikipedia’s instances of vandalism is rather short-lived and is as accurate as any other encyclopaedia, online or hard bound. Because of this it has won such prestigious awards as the Time Person of the year that focused on how Web 2. 0 technologies has furthered and practically galvanized online collaboration and collective effort throughout the world in order to produce scholarly articles for free.

Computing project Essay Example for Free

Computing project Essay The system will require a user name and a password to view or edit anything! Only one person is permitted to use the system, no-one else requires access   All files will also be password protected. Database   The instructor will be able to add or delete any records as needed   It will hold all necessary details Specific Objectives   The database will be able to create reports to show what stage the student is at   The database will calculate how many lessons a student has had and how much they have paid with plus if there are any outstanding balances remaining. My system is designed to help the instructor, the instructor has many problems with the current system, and many times it has cost him jobless hours. The current system is very old and has a lot of potential problems and I wish to make a system that eradicates these obvious problems. My system for a start will store the entire student details carefully and properly in line with all data protection acts. The main thing is that these details should not get lost and the instructor has access to this all the time so that he can contact the student at any time. The details should also be available so that it can be updated any time it needs to be. By having all these details stored onto the system it is kept safely and in one place rather than having paper forms lying about getting lost and muddled up, these forms will only be accessed only in one place so if the instructor needs these back in the office or at to work from at home then it is not possible to have multiple copies as it will not all be up to date. For example if a student changes the home phone number then the instructor will have to update every sheet of paper he has with the students phone number if he does not then it will be inconsistent and this can cause problems. The main reason for my proposal of this system is to ensure that the instructor does not continue double booking and not booking students at all. Currently at the end of a lesson the student asks for a booking and the instructor will look in his diary and book appropriately, many times what happens is the instructor looks at the wrong date, for example if the student asks for April 21st 2008 then the instructor may accidentally open may 21st 2008 and tell the student he is free. But in reality on that day an on that time he is busy. This is one of the things the instructor is complaining about and also another thing that has been drawn to my attention is that he misreads the time, so he tells the student that he is booked at 13:00 tomorrow but he is actually free he has a lesson at 3:00 not 13:00 so this is one way the instructor is loosing out on money. I wish to remove this issue and avoid these mistakes happening. GCE A2 Computing CPT 6 Ram Bhojani EXISTING SYSTEM Instructor Bookings | Ram Bhojani 13HAN PROPOSED SYSTEM DESIGN OVERALL SYSTEM Input Processes Student Name Calculate the number of lessons so far Student Number Calculate the total amount spent. Student Address Add a student Lesson Code Edit a student Price Per Lesson Delete a student Date and time of next lesson Search a Student Day Booked Search Availabilities Time Booked Edit a booking File Outputs Student Details Student details Availability Details Number of lessons each student has had Total spent Balances FORMS General Name Purpose Main Menu This allows the instructor to access the student details and availability details. Student Details This allows the instructor to view all details about a student. It also allows the instructor to print a report on the student progress Availability Details. This allows the instructor to see what dates and times are available in the next two weeks and make a booking. USER INTERFACE DESIGN MAIN MENU STUDENT DETAILS MENU AVAILABILITY DETAILS DATABASE DESIGN INCLUDING ER MODEL STUDENT (StudentName, StudentNumber, StudentAddress, LessonCode, PricePerLesson, DateAndTimeOfNextLesson) Availability (AvailableSlots, NextLessonBooked) RECORD STRUCTURE Instructor Field name Data type Size format Description AvailableSlots Date/time, Date time Shows what dates and times are available NextLessonBooked Date/time, Date time Name of student and the day, date and time of their next lesson. Student Field name Data type Size/format Description Student name Text, 20 The first name and last name of the student. Student number Number, 8 A Unique number given to each student for easy reference. Student address Text, 50 Full address of student, including postal address. Lesson code Number 5 A code that determines what sort of lesson they take, they can have an hour lesson, one and half-hour or pass plus. Price per lesson Number, Decimal 5,2 How much the student pays for each lesson Date and time of next lesson Date time Date time The next lesson student has booked. VALIDATION. I will use validation on some of the fields on the tables so there is less chance of wrong data being inputted. There are only some fields that can have validation but by ensuring they have a working validation it will mean that the system will not be wrong. Things that I can validate are numbers or specific number of characters. This is to make sure that the data entered conforms to a certain standard. The user cannot see the validation rules, so when they make a mistake they find out as an error message appears. VALIDATION Field Name Validation Type Validation Rule Error message Student Number Type Check. 8 digits The student number must be 8 digits Lesson Code Type check 5 Digits The lesson code must be 5 digits. STORAGE AND MEDIA FORMAT For my system I need to know how large each file will be so I have calculated the size of each field, and multiplied that but the amount of fields ii may get, to get an estimate of how large the file could get. Storage and media format Field name Number of records Size of record/ bytes Total size of records/bytes Student name 30 32 960 Student number 30 8 240 Student address. 30 65 1950 Lesson code 30 5 150 Price per lesson 30 8 240 Date and time of next lesson 30 16 480. Available lessons 31 20 620 Next lessons booked 6 134 804 Total 5444b 5. 4kb I have calculated that the approximate maximum size that I will need for the data to be stored will be around 6kb, which is small enough to fit on almost any data storage type. The most suitable storage device for this will be the hard disk drive on the laptop to be used. This means that the system will not be lost easily as it is not a portable storage device but on a actual laptop, which would be looked after carefully. There is a large amount of space on the hard disk meaning that there will be available space for expansion if necessary. Also the laptop can be connected to a computer in the office via a USB cable meaning that the data could be backed up and if needed archived. IDENTIFICATION OF SUITABLE ALGORITHMS FOR DATA TRANSFER Process to calculate Total number of lessons so far = ([Student Lessons])*([Total]) Process to calculate Total spent so far =([Total lessons])*([Price Per lesson]) Produce report of students ready for test Search through student details with criteria field Ready students to find matching records. If there are no matching records output an error message to the user. PLANNED VALID OUTPU.T. For my system outputs I have decided to create a report for students to see their progress. This will need to be created in Access. DESCRIPTION OF MEASURES PLANNED FOR SECURITY AND INTEGRITY OF DATA. The data must be kept secure and correct as this informations is very confidential, if details of the student were to get lost or misplaced then this would be in breach of the data protection act. To keep the data secure I am going to make sure that the user backs up the data at the end of every working week and keeps this disc either safely at home or in the office. There will also be a back up of the main system so if it happens to crash or is damaged then it can be replaced. If the system does crash then the files will have to be manually transferred back into the system from the backup. DESCRIPTION OF MEASURES PLANNED FOR SYSTEM SECURITY The system will not be secured with passwords however the computer will have a password this will be set to expire every 28 days to ensure that the data is safe even if someone gains the password, the user will generally have to be careful and keep the laptop besides him at all times or lock it in a glove compartment. When the instructor goes home he can either take it with him and store it at home carefully or leave it at the office in a safe place. As my system is only designed for one person the password on the system should be a sufficient security measure. TEST STRATEGY The system must be thoroughly tested to make sure that no errors occur the system is up and running. This is logical because if errors occur when the user starts to use the system, it can cost time to get it fixed. Hopefully if my testing strategy is good enough, it will not have any errors when it goes live. I am going to use bottom up testing, to test the system. This involves testing each individual module using prepared test data, which includes normal data, extreme data, upper and lower limits and individual data after this is done I will test the program to see if every route through the program is tested, every statement is executed, accuracy of the processing and that the program fits the original specification. This will make sure that the system is running correctly as this is basically using the whole system. I am also going to test the system in a beta testing method, although this will be a small scale. I am going to give the system to the user for a week just to make sure that everything works correctly. IMPLEMENTATION Login Screen Main Menu This is the main menu of my programme from here there are three options availability details and student details. Finally you can exit. Testing Test ID Test Data Test/Type Reason for test Expected Results Actual Results Data Entry 1. My system does conisit of tables and menus, both the student details and availability detail screens are very simple, it just displays details about these two entities. The booking screen is more complex because it needs to be live, so when the instructor makes a booking it needs to update on the next lesson booked screen and the availability screen. PROCEDURE AND VARIABLE LIST/ DESCRIPTIONS FOR PROGRAMS OR LIST OF PACKAGE ITEMS DEVELOPED Type of item Item Name Descriptions Table Student Details Holds all the details of the students that the instructor teaches, this includes first name, last name, address, phone number and the details of their next lesson that has been booked. Holds the details of all the available time slots in the coming fortnight, this allows the instructor only to see what is available, he can liaise with the student and once a slot is agreed a booking can be made. Form Make A Booking This form allows the user to make a booking for a lesson, he will need to enter the student number, and then first of all select a time and then the date. Once all these are selected the appointment is made. Form Next lesson Booked Has a list of students and the date and time of their next lesson, so the instructor can check on this if he receives a query from the student. CREATION AND CUSTOMISATION OF THE DATABASE TABLES I created all my tables in Microsoft access; I then linked it up to visual basics, The table below is the Student Details table. It consists of mostly text and one field of number, the reason that the telephone number is a text field rather than a number is because telephone numbers usually start with a 0 and if I put the data type as numbers then it will not let me add a 0 at the front. USER MANUAL BRIEF INTRODUCTION The instructor database is a simple system to handle bookings given to the instructor. The system allows the instructor to control appointments already made and allows him to make new appointments. It allows him to keep electronic records of all students, past and present. The students all have unique student numbers that the instructor can use to search for them. It stores details about students names, addresses, telephone numbers and the lessons they have booked. There is a very easy to use form that allows the instructor to make a booking. Microsoft Access 2007 or later. To install the system one must either move the file onto the hard disc of the computer. This can be done by selecting the file Instructor Database System and copying and pasting it into an empty folder on the hard disc, this maybe the best idea as there is a possibility a removable storage device could get lost or corrupt. This system could be also run from a removable storage device by opening the file and run it straight away. To back the system up the system the database file can be copied onto a USB pen or CD-R. When the system is going to be backed up, the file should be copied onto the USB pen, when this done a message box may appear asking if you want to replace the existing file just select yes or yes to all. This would mean that the backup would be separated from the main system, meaning less chance of losing both the original and the backup. USING THE SYSTEM Here is a simple short set of instructions to use the system. When the instructor opens up they will be asked to log on, The username at the moment is Ian and the password is Burleigh. Once they enter all these details correctly it allows them to use the system. Once the instructor logs on, he will come to the main menu of the system, I am going to show him to basic things in this tutorial, how to find the phone number of a student and then how to make a booking. Below is the main menu, to get to the student phone number he has to select the student details button, then the screen will have three buttons saying details, he can select any of these three, they all do the same job. Once that is selected at the screen below will appear, there are no details at the moment, but once show details button is pressed all the details will appear. The instructor now needs to press the back button until he arrives back at the main menu, and then select availability details. Then select make a booking. Once the make a booing screen appears first he has to select the date that he wants, then the time and finally the student number. Once that is done press save and then it is saved. Appraisal Comparision of project performance against objectives. To compare the objectives and the performance , I will put the original objectives down and compare against each one. General Objectives Security. The database will be able to create reports to show what stage the student is at   The database will calculate how many lessons a student has had and how much they have paid with plus if there are any outstanding balances remaining. My system is designed to help the instructor, the instructor has many problems with the current system, and many times it has cost him jobless hours. The current system is very old and has a lot of potential problems and I wish to make a system that eradicates these obvious problems. My system for a start will store the entire student details carefully and properly in line with all data protection acts. The main thing is that these details should not get lost and the instructor has access to this all the time so that he can contact the student at any time. The details should also be available so that it can be updated any time it needs to be. By having all these details stored onto the system it is kept safely and in one place rather than having paper forms lying about getting lost and muddled up, these forms will only be accessed only in one place so if the instructor needs these back in the office or at to work from at home then it is not possible to have multiple copies as it will not all be up to date. For example if a student changes the home phone number then the instructor will have to update every sheet of paper he has with the students phone number if he does not then it will be inconsistent and this can cause problems. The main reason for my proposal of this system is to ensure that the instructor does not continue double booking and not booking students at all. Currently at the end of a lesson the student asks for a booking and the instructor will look in his diary and book appropriately, many times what happens is the instructor looks at the wrong date, for example if the student asks for April 21st 2008 then the instructor may accidentally open may 21st 2008 and tell the student he is free. But in reality on that day an on that time he is busy.

The African Continent

The African Continent Introduction As the African continent gained its independence, countries hoped for booming growth and expected rapid changes. This however did not happen. So after the independence, economists, journalists and researchers started examining the causes of those failures. They have been doing so for over four decades and the situation on the continent does not seem to be much better than it was. Since it is a complex and definitely the most urgent issue of the region, I consider this paper as an opportunity to analyze and discuss possibilities for improvement. In order to limit my scope to a reasonable size, I would like to focus on one particular country Zambia, as the country was a subject to similar, but much briefer analysis I have done and therefore I already have some background information. Since the country is generally underdeveloped, this condition affects all areas of life. That is why it is necessary to work on social, economic, political, environmental and other policies to foster development. Even though these fields are interconnected, I would like to focus on Zambian local governance system in this paper. According to my topic, I assume that the state may be having troubles to fulfill its role since its institutions and ways of governing were created from the elites downward; its system should be adjusted to find more links between itself and its citizens. The hypothesis is that Zambian local governance institutions are not effective as they could be, it would be favorable to use their potential better. My goal is to find out improvements or adjustments for the present system into a more efficient scheme, more suitable to the society and its customs. For this I will start with examining how the society used to regulate its own members, predominantly in small units, throughout the centuries, how it evolved and what were the contributing factors that shaped its present form. For this I would like to start as early as possible in the pre-colonial period. It may seem just too long ago, but that was the longest period with fewest outer influences building foundations that last until now. Later it is indispensable to see how the western civilization attempted to shape the people to the western image, what marks it left and how the states coped with these two ways of life for the last few decades to bring about growth and stability. If there is any viable way of the traditional type of governance I would like to use it as a building brick. In this part, I will rely mostly on Alex Thomsons Introduction to African Politics. Subsequently I will have to come up with a way to incorporate those traditional elements into the present network. To be particular, I would like to focus mainly on the issue of local chiefs and the incorporation of their authorities into administrative system. Resources supporting my conclusions and helping me understand the African reality better are among others blog platforms Zambian Economist, House of Chiefs, and Fareed Zakarias book Future of Freedom. I. Traits of the society Present African society is a blend of two different realities a traditional way of life that had been evolving throughout the centuries of its pre-colonial existence and a modern way of life brought first by the colonization and impacting the continent from the outside more intensely as driven by the globalization process. It is not only a melting pot of different entities, but it is a place where two different lifestyles mix and to some extent clash. Therefore to understand the structure and traits of this society we need to know those two currents that form its foundations. Pre-colonial period The continent has ever been diverse just as it is right now, but there are some general characteristics that applied to the most of the region. Africa had been spotted with so-called non-hegemonic states. Their nature was fundamentally different from that time Europe. Pre-colonial African states were not led by all-powerful governments that administered a part of delineated territory. The abundance of land allowed people to move away, further from the unfavorable authority, splitting, merging, and creating new polities. This type of governance is also way different from todays perception of a state that has, after all, evolved from a European model. As Alex Thomson notes in the Introduction to African Politics that is one of the explanations, why some of the African states did not succeed in building a governing state authority (Thomson: 10). Other trait he mentions is the importance of lineage groups. An individual is always a member of a larger community (e.g. extended family) and as this member adopts the scheme of customs and rules that determine his or her life. Identity of a person is therefore determined as identity of the group. In return this scheme provides welfare and security to its members (Thomson: 10). With these rules, the chief has a significant deal of power over his clan, because the individuals will generally behave as they are expected to. Clans or extended families are able of self-containment. These facts add up to the conclusion that this is a model of society that is able to manage itself well in small units. Colonial Period The above mentioned structures were something different from the European perception of a state and state power. Therefore with the colonization, the Europeans were trying to civilize the African people. In their meaning it was to categorize them into some predefined and clear categories so they became nations just like the European ones were. Repeatedly criticized arbitrary boundaries have split nations apart and left various different nations closed in one state. This division put barriers to earlier loose transition of an individual from one community to another and lay foundations of hostility towards each other. The impact of modernity As the decolonization process has brought the independence to the continent, the new countries and their leaders attempted to catch up with the developed world within few decades (or a single one). The simplest way of doing that was to adopt modern ways of governing the state. Longing for the developed state, the countries wanted to hurry up, so what got adopted the quickest were the most visible signs of the modern world, without adjusting them to the African society. Constitutions, parliaments, voting rights, all of that was included without having people understand them, or without having even the leaders understand the principles of these systems. There was industrialization without considering economic capabilities. George Ayittey calls that development by imitation (Ayittey: 87). Nowadays Africa is a melting pot of clans, families, tribes, and nations that fully realize their identity. Compared to the pre-colonial period however, the changes and overlaps are not as loose anymore. Needless to count how many times in Africa has the group solidarity been abused as a means to escalate a conflict. It is very easy to divide people on the basis of something that does not really impact their everyday life such as race or ethnicity. Current conditions In the previous parts of this work I have described the pre-colonial inheritance of the society. Extended families (or other entities) in which individuals behave according to customs and their social status, gives the entities ability to rule themselves effectively. This creates an informal structure and makes the unit of family or a similar community a suitable building brick for the wider structure and allows for a bottom-up strategy. In spite of some conditions that formed African society and left a mark on it until the present times, certain conditions have changed. What has changed has not only been people and their minds (as a result of colonial rule or modernization), but there have been changes also in the outer conditions. What has once been a continent with abundant land and low population density is now a bit different. The number of people inhabiting the continent has multiplied over the past few decades. The land has shrunk relatively; with growing density of population the land is becoming more important. Apart from the higher density there are now rigid borders that do not allow people to move freely wherever they want. Boundaries that are known to be artificial and illogical have existed for about half a century so nowadays they are starting to work. Despite any border conflicts, irredentist movements and spillovers they cannot be adjusted or removed. II. Zambia overview This landlocked country in the south of the African continent is not much of an exception from other African countries considering its GDP, HDI (or respectively HPI) rates. It is one of the poorest countries in the world; ranking 164th out of total 182 included in the UN HDI statistics.[1] Political system: It is a presidential republic (the president is both head of state and head of government). The cabinet is chosen from the members of the National Assembly and is appointed by president. Tthat gives the president quite strong power over the country. Ethnicity: Major ethnic groups include Bemba, Tonga, Chewa, Lozi, Nsenga, Tumbuka, Ngoni, Lala, Kaonde and Lunda.[2] Nine largest groups add up to approximately 90 percent of the population. Apart from these, many people, predominantly in towns and cities see themselves as Zambians.[3] Speaking of ethnicity, the country has avoided serious ethnic conflict issues yet. Administration: The country is divided into 9 administrative provinces. Further there areis 72 local authorities which will be described in the next chapter. III. Proposals As I have mentioned before, people in remote rural areas do not identify themselves with the administrative system and have maintained a parallel system of managing their communities. To advocate the importance of traditional authorities, it is necessary to gain the inside look. Since it is hard to acquire from the Czech Republic, I would like to use the words of Chola Mukanga, a Zambian economist, posted on his blog. As he writes about majority of people living in rural areas where they do not rely on the government system maintaining social order, he describes the role of the customary governance: The chieftaincy therefore serves a critical function in promoting economic development, when it fills this critical gap in maintaining social order. Although he admits a weakness: Equally the chieftaincy may be seen to stand in the way of economic development where its system of administration appears to restrict the expansion of stronger reforms of social order e.g. expansion of formal s tate structures with greater accountability, all things being equal.[4] The biggest challenge therefore is to make one system out of the two of them. If the existing system is perceived as an alien element it is a reason why it should be abolished. Administrative System Western way of governance counts on clearly delineated boundaries. Border inviolability and territorial integrity are two of the conditions that define a sovereign state nowadays. The same principle is projected inward to the country, since it is subdivided into the smaller units. To have the administrative system working properly, it is necessary to ensure the balance of the geographical division. There are three factors that might influence balance among administrative units: ethnicity not to repeat the disaster of African boundaries, ethnic conflicts and subsequent civil wars population density and its demographic estimate to the future to keep the system viable and balanced in long term resources, wealth and overall economic level to prevent conflicts emerging from regional disparities However, for any adjustments of the administrative division, it is necessary to have thorough statistical information. For any successful plan that is to be implemented, it is necessary to know the starting conditions perfectly. The trouble with creating a picture of a Sub-Saharan country is a dismal state of any statistical data to base plans and proposals on. There is either lack of information or the researchers warn against inaccurate and misleading data that often poorly reflects reality. Apart from the geographical adjustments, there is more that can be changed in the division of power and overall structure. Bornwell Chikulo offers a comprehensive description of the present system and the following analysis is based on his review: [5] There are 72 local authorities countrywide: 4 are designated as City Councils 12 are Municipal Councils 56 are District Councils (comprised of smaller rural-based local authorities). The composition of councils is as follows: All elected councillors in the district All members of parliament in the district Two representatives appointed by all chiefs in the district as a means of involving traditional rulers in local governance. The weakness in this scheme is lack of participation of the locals the councilors that are elected to hold quite large powers, moreover they are not responsible to any of the local powers, but solely to the government. Two chief representatives that are members of the council representing something like voice of the people however cannot be chiefs themselves, as chiefs are prohibited by constitution to hold any public office. Moreover, the evidence shows, the way they are able to discuss and solve the local issues is to talk and cooperate with their members of parliament. This is exactly where the problem is, either the chiefs or their representatives have troubles cooperating with the MPs. Chieftaincy The issue of chieftaincy is lively discussed in Zambia, also in the wider regional level, since the situation in surrounding countries is similar. Although the traditional center of local power National Authorities were bequeathed soon after the independence, president Mwanawasa brought these authorities back in 1996 when the House of Chiefs was established. It consists of local chiefs that are respected within certain areas, some of them called kingdoms. By the constitution they are forbidden to hold any elected office while holding their functions as chiefs. The main issue can be comprised into the question: To what extent should the chiefs be considered and subsequently incorporated as political authorities? It is important to add that Zambian Chola Mukanga sees chiefs as not only a tradition that has prevailed until now, but as an element that is demanded: It goes without saying that the existence of traditional authorities is essentially a function of history and current demand for their services. That chiefs exist is clearly because their existence is demanded. But it was in the area of court administration where significant problems emerged which has continued to fuel significant demand for customary justice as mediated through traditional courts. This demand has principally emerged from two critical sources: insufficient capacity by central government to provide appropriate court capacity and necessarily expertise to adjudicate cases. This is despite the fact that traditional courts (and customary laws) have no formal status and exist parallel to the formal legal system.[6] This view clearly indicates that two representatives for the districts are just not enough. It is not about the number, but also about their power. Even if they are respected by the people and often serve as the judiciary system, they cannot promote much development in their district. It is always the parliament members that vote for the budget and decide on the amount and structure of the transfer money they receive from the government. The MPs also vote on the legislation and their vote is not subjected to any feedback from the chiefs (or currently their representatives) other than a friendly discussion. If the MPs do not reflect the local demands for the love of the people, the chiefs have practically no ability to change it. Appointing special chief representatives is another factor that hinders the process of change and development. Not only it means extra costs, but it also is an extra element in the chain of decisions. The decisions travel from the people to the chief from the chief to the chief representative from the representative to the MP and finally to the parliament. This contains too many members and therefore leaves gaps for possible conflicts. If the structure existed in order to provide, what can be called checks and balances, than it would have an advantage of being stable. However, the power is not distributed evenly among all the agents, but it is still concentrated in the top the parliament and centralized. From Chikulos review as well as from other articles it seems that even though local council exist, they lack decision-making autonomy and are dependent on the central budget. Some opinions indicate that often the politicians from the central apparatus are corrupt and therefore afraid of the power the chiefs have. That is why the politicians want to prevent them from the official power.[7] So even if the traditional ways of governance prevail in the society and are popular it should be clear that it is favorable to use it as a means to make the administrative system more effective and comprehensive. It would be the act of bringing the power closer to the people, just like the motto of the reforms that had been done in the early years of independence. With this act the motto would finally apply. However, the problem does not lie in the obsolete or primitive structure of the society, but in the unwillingness of those that have the power and the means of changing it. Conclusions This paper definitely discusses a complex topic. Although I lack direct experience as I have never been to Africa, I wanted to gain a deeper look into the problems of the Sub-Saharan countries. My conclusions might omit some important factors that otherwise are a part of the reality in Africa. Having read some amount of literature, attempting to present Sub-Saharan Africa however precisely and accurately, still does not make up for the real experience from the region. Therefore I stress that any of the presumptions I have made are based solely on someone elses observations. For people that are not familiar with the topic the root of all the problems often seems very simple. It is easy to put all the blame either on the colonialists for having exploited their colonies during their rule, or the present political leaders for exploiting their countries now, or even the people of those countries for their supposedly insufficient education, inertia, intolerance, or anything else. Even though that my work criticizes few elements of the state and its governance, I hope I have stayed away from prejudices in my work. I have found out that a fair deal of promoting development depends on few people. It might be a challenge for those that have that power to change the system which is beneficial for themselves. American political scientist Fareed Zakaria concludes, in a very general, but very point-blank way Africa needs good governance more urgently than democracy (Zakaria: 120). I have whatsoever no sympathy for any autocratic governments and I have no intention of taking democracy away from the countries that have it. My point is that no one has found a system of government with perfect balance of powers that does not leave a slightest gap for corrupt intentions. Until Zambia gets closer to this model, at least on track to catch up with the western world, it needs a leadership that will not abuse its power; a leadership that will take responsibility for its actions done on purpose as well as those unintended and one that will be able to face the consequences; a leadership that will show every cit izen that the things just work smoother when everyone plays by rules. But these wishes are perhaps utopian for most of the developed countries as well. References AYITTEY, George: Africa Unchained, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005, Chapter 3, The Postcolonial Elite Development Model CHIKULO, Bornwell: Local Government Reforms in Zambia, 2009, retrieved: Dec 18, 2009, http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/ComJlLocGov/2009/7.html THOMSON, Alex: An Introduction to African Politics, Abingdon, Oxon, Routledge, 2004, Chapter 2 History ZAKARIA, Fareed: Budoucnost svobody, Prague, Academia, 2004, 1st edition CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/za.html MWANANGOMBE Lewis: ZAMBIA: Let our Chiefs Govern, Lusaka, published Dec 21, 2009, retrieved: Jan 12, 2010, http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49771 MUKANGA, Chola: Zambian Economist, http://www.zambian-economist.com/2010/01/chiefs-and-economy-economic-institution.html, published Jan 3, 2010, retrieved Jan 12, 2010 United Nations: Human Development Reports: retrieved on Jan 14, 2010, http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/ CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/za.html KVà CA, Vladimà ­r: Africa in International Relations, class handout MUKANGA, Chola: Zambian Economist blog, retrieved: Jan 12, 2010, http://www.zambian-economist.com/2010/01/chiefs-and-economy-economic-institution.html CHIKULO, Bornwell: Local Government Reforms in Zambia, 2009, retrieved: Dec 18, 2009, http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/ComJlLocGov/2009/7.html MUKANGA, Chola: Zambian Economist blog, retrieved: Jan 12, 2010, http://www.zambian-economist.com/2010/01/chiefs-and-economy-economic-institution.html The complaints are not difficult to find in the internet. Web platforms like Zambian House of Chiefs (http://www.houseofchiefs.com/) or Zambian Economist (http://www.zambian-economist.com/2010/01/chiefs-and-economy-economic-institution.html) contain a number of articles discussing this problem. African Inter Press Agency brings related articles every once in a while as well. Recent publishing dates indicate that similar complaints are quite frequent.

Plagiarism and the Internet :: Cheating School Education Essays

Plagiarism and the Internet Herman Melville once stated, But it is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. (http://koti.mbnet.fi/neptunia/creativity/origin1.htm 5). Thousands of Americans would assert that Melville was a very wise author, and even more would attest that they too believe that cheating is wrong; why is it then that over a century after his death, our society has become even more intent on plagiarizing the works of others? Frankly, as time has gone on, it has just become incredibly easy for people to plagiarize, especially now when ideas are so easily accessible on the internet. In order to truly understand this unauthorized use of others ¦Ãƒ  hard work, it is important to explore the idea of plagiarism, laws concerning plagiarism, and this new overwhelming abundance of information on the web. Foremost, plagiary is the use of another person or organization ideas, words, or creations without giving credit where it is due. Not only is plagiarism wrong, it is also on the rise. According to a study done in the Free Press in 1996, 58 percent of high school students admitted to having let another person copy their work in 1969, while twenty years later, 98 percent let someone else copy their work (http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism_stats.html 4). There is very likely a direct correlation between this outrageous increase and the increase in the availability of information on the web. Many students may even be plagiarists without knowing it! It is extremely easy to become lazy and forget to give credit where it is due by using citations in papers. Very often, students may also feel that they cannot word what an author has already said as well as it was said in the first place; therefore, they choose to just use the original author words without quoting correctl y, sometimes without giving the author any credit at all (http://www.umf.maine.edu/~library/plagiarism/what_is.html 4). Plagiarism is just as huge of a problem in schools as it is in the  ¡Ãƒ real world. ¡ÃƒÅ" Not only is the act of plagiary ethically wrong; it is also considered a very serious academic crime. Everyone knows that it is wrong to steal something from another person, but oftentimes people just don seem to want to lump plagiarism in the same category with other criminal acts.

Statement of Philosophy and Educational Goals Essay -- Philosophy of E

Statement of Philosophy and Educational Goals In the following report, I will be discussing my personal philosophy on education and my educational goals. My philosophy will include some of my personal opinions on the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the purpose of public education, teaching methods and the importance of curriculum. My educational goals will focus on my development plans and future education. I feel that it is natural for students, or for that matter anyone, to want to learn. In my own experience, the pursuit of learning requires a high interest level in the subject matter being taught. You may have the most exciting subject on earth. However, if it is presented in an ineffective manner, interest levels will probably drop. I also feel the reverse is true. If a subject seems to be boring to a student, but it is presented in an entertaining, enthusiastic manner, the chance of increasing interest levels and thus learning is more likely to occur. I also feel the nature of knowledge is important, however, I feel the nature of knowledge differs based on subject matter. Matters that deal with sciences and mathematics are often absolute. 2 + 2 will always equal four and so fourth. When discussing social studies, my area of specialization, I feel that most knowledge is relative. Of course certain dates and facts are absolute, but the interesting part of social studies is interpretation. One may gather a group ... Statement of Philosophy and Educational Goals Essay -- Philosophy of E Statement of Philosophy and Educational Goals In the following report, I will be discussing my personal philosophy on education and my educational goals. My philosophy will include some of my personal opinions on the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the purpose of public education, teaching methods and the importance of curriculum. My educational goals will focus on my development plans and future education. I feel that it is natural for students, or for that matter anyone, to want to learn. In my own experience, the pursuit of learning requires a high interest level in the subject matter being taught. You may have the most exciting subject on earth. However, if it is presented in an ineffective manner, interest levels will probably drop. I also feel the reverse is true. If a subject seems to be boring to a student, but it is presented in an entertaining, enthusiastic manner, the chance of increasing interest levels and thus learning is more likely to occur. I also feel the nature of knowledge is important, however, I feel the nature of knowledge differs based on subject matter. Matters that deal with sciences and mathematics are often absolute. 2 + 2 will always equal four and so fourth. When discussing social studies, my area of specialization, I feel that most knowledge is relative. Of course certain dates and facts are absolute, but the interesting part of social studies is interpretation. One may gather a group ...

Lord Of The Flies :: essays research papers

Lord of the Flies opens with the introduction of a small group of English boys that are marooned on an island. The plane was evacuating them from atomic war-ridden England. This is a suiting time for this novel to be written- it shows how savage even little boys can be, and that adults are no different, with their wars and cruelties. A small society is set up, but Jack starts his own rule, contrary to Ralph's leadership. The boys turn on each other, eventually killing Simon in the middle of a hunting dance, and smashing a boulder on Piggy. The choice of "young English lads" is perfect- if, perhaps, "foreign ruffians" were chosen, a stereotypical person might expect cruel and savage behavior. On the contrary, these boys were the "cream of the crop", and all it took was a little trouble on an island to turn them into killing machines. The time is one that the world is turning on each other, and the boys follow suit and turn on each other. Their society is an ironic model of the real world around them. Many countries today are turning on each other, with violent wars and cruelties. Lord of the Flies shows one that mankind must choose to stop cruelty or face destruction. Many people do not believe in violence or cruelty, unless they are in power. When humans strive for power, they get so power hungry that the power backfires. When one is in total control power, one often turns into a more savage person than that same person that is under a rule or with the absence of a ruler does. Humans were not meant to be ruled or to rule. To coexist is mankind's purpose, yet with no rule, there is often an absence of order, but with a human rule, there is always conflict in society. Society today has order, but violence is also prevalent. Near the end of the novel, many of the boys start a fire to smoke out Ralph, and that same fire gets bigger and bigger and eventually is what a ship sees and saves Ralph's life and rescues the boys. What at first was made to bring the death of Ralph later saved him. In human society, and even in the animal kingdom, violent acts may turn into a salvation. Many animals must kill one another to eat.

A significant relationship exists between the age of the workforce and increased levels of job satisfaction

Studies of the correlation between the extrinsic and intrinsic aspects that provide for job satisfaction, has been widely analyzed and studied. This study proposes to analyze whether the age of the employee and length of employment has any relations with job satisfaction.Employees of an educational and research institution were surveyed to establish if the company commands high or low job satisfaction. Having participated in a similar survey a year ago, the new findings were used to compare with previous findings to see if job satisfaction has changed. A correlation and linear regression found that neither age nor sex could be used to accurately establish job satisfaction.Future analysis should have an emphasis on categories and age groups that score low on job satisfaction. This survey is important and can be employed by other businesses to test the level of job contentment. Employees who have a job satisfaction tend to be more dedicated to the organization, value their work and are more productive. Random sampling of various age groups was used in this study in order to come up with an accurate finding.The study encompassed the employees as well as the management. In the company’s workforce, 40% percent are male while 59% are female. Based on the findings of the survey there seemed to be a significant relationship between other demographics like sex, year employed, age as factors affecting job satisfaction. A lack of management to employee’s communication is also one of the factors that affect the employees’ satisfaction.IntroductionMelbourne institute is a large educational facility that also doubles as a research institute.   There are employees here who work full time while others are on short term contracts. Many studies have been conducted to establish the aspects that affect job satisfaction. Irregardless of age studies have shown that a large percentage of full term employed expressed a high level of contentment compared to the s hort or part time workers.Generally a multiple of reasons would motivate an employee to remain in a given company; this may include high pay, job security, benefits during work and retirement. An individual’s number of working years is sometimes proportional to their age. This is important as it is considered status by both the employees and the employer.There are a myriad of considerations that will make an employee decide to stay, extrinsic items are those that have been bestowed to the employee by the employer this may include, praise, bonuses etc. the opportunity of progress is also an important consideration, if an employee feels that they cannot advance despite their age they are bound to consider moving to another company. Job satisfaction is one of the most important attribute of the employment relationship.The implications of job satisfaction are extremely influential in that they can determine other factors like productivity, efficiency as well as turnover in an org anization. It is no longer acceptable for workers to work for minimum wage. Every employee wants to be employed on clear terms with a stable salary, but this alone is not pertinent enough to establish job satisfaction.The relationship between an employer and the employees should provide for means by which they can both achieve their objectives since if   employees are deemed to be satisfied in their capacities its is assumed that their output is greater and quality of work is high. This is first achieved by first appreciating that the benefits are mutual and that both the employer and the employee need each other.Coupling job satisfaction with the age of the employees as well as the length of time they have been employed gives another dimension of the relationship. This relationship not only entails how the employee is viewed by the employer but also by other future prospective employers. Senior employees who have been working for long and have a wide range of experience can be va luable to a company. Experience is also an aspect that is tied to age.If the employer is reward adequately for his service he may have little concern in looking for alternative employment. At the start of career, most employees are satisfied with a good starting salary but as years progress and to get job satisfaction, most of them turn their emphasis on job security. Job satisfaction is a combination of cognitive and effective contentment expressed by an individual.Effective contentment is one based on the entire emotional aspect of the individual. This study seeks to establish if there is a relationship between age and job satisfaction (Biderman, 1995).