How to Start a Writing Group

How to Start a Writing Group How to Start a Writing Group How to Start a Writing Group By Mark Nichol This is the second post on our series about writing groups. The first one is 5 Reasons to Start a Writing Group. You’ve determined to seriously pursue a writing career, but you feel like you need support and feedback. Although you joined a couple of writing groups, you dropped out of each one because the fit just didn’t feel right. What do you do now? Start your own group, of course. 1. Compose How many members do you want? What level of experience should they have? Should all members be writing for the same market? It’s best to start small (up to half a dozen people), seek people with similar experience levels (writers with one or more published short stories, for example), and select others writing in the same genre or niche and working in the same form, whether short stories or novels as you are. The closer the skills and interests of group members, the more productive it will be. (But be flexible about demographic details such as gender and age.) 2. Propose Design a simple but informative flyer. Specify the details about ideal group composition you have decided on, pick a day and time for regular meetings (the most frequently recommended meeting duration is two hours), and provide contact information. Print copies and post them, but be discriminating: Target writer habitats such as bookstores (especially those that sell used books), cafes, and schools, and avoid blanketing general-purpose bulletin boards. 3. Screen Briefly interview people who contact you. Tell them you’ll check back after you’ve lined up the number of people you want to start with. Take notes and, immediately after the call or email exchange, evaluate them with a simple yes, maybe, or no and perhaps a couple of notes to remind you why you assigned that grade (â€Å"sincere asked about my writing†; â€Å"insecure? but good fit,† â€Å"arrogant†). If a â€Å"no† persists in trying to join, tell them, â€Å"I’m looking for people who aren’t yet quite at your level† or â€Å"I have the number I want, but I’ll keep you in mind if someone drops out.† 4. Form When you have enough â€Å"yes† candidates, consider adding a couple of strong â€Å"maybe† prospects in case one or two people drop out; if you have more defections later, you can always recruit others or disband and start again. If three of you work well together but don’t feel comfortable continuing with one or more of the others, break up the group and start over with that cooperative core. But take care to avoid acting like a clique, and be diplomatic. 5. Locate Choose a setting and stay with it. If you plan to host at your home, stick to that location rather than rotating among everyone’s domiciles. Better yet, meet at a local library (some have small meeting rooms available for just this type of purpose) or a community center, or a quiet cafe. 6. Schedule Contact and confirm your finalists, and if anyone backs out, keep recruiting from the â€Å"maybe† list or from new candidates. Set up the first meeting; if the day and time doesn’t work for someone, jot down their preference and bring it up when the rest of the group convenes for the first time. If the alternate day and time is equally convenient for everybody, consider switching for subsequent meetings. If not, wish the person good luck in finding a group that meets at a better time for them. 7. Assign Ask members to bring an excerpt from a current project something that will take five minutes or less to read so that others will have an immediate grasp of everyone’s skill and style. Next up: How to conduct writing groups. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply withStory Writing 10150 Plain-Language Substitutions for Wordy Phrases

Accepting Complements

Accepting Complements Accepting Complements Accepting Complements By Mary There are a number of words that people have a hard time keeping straight. Usually these words sound alike, but have very different meanings. For instance, should you say Please accept my complement! or Please accept my compliment!? Accept or Except? Accept is to take or receive something, while except means something is left out. I am proud to accept this award. Everyone except Jim was at the party. Complement or Compliment? Complement is something that complements something else or goes well with it, while compliment is a praise. The new chair is the perfect complement to the rest of the furniture in the room. My boss complimented my performance in the new account presentation. The next time you are including these words in your writing, stop and reflect on the true meaning of the sentence so that you can be sure you made the right choice! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Program vs. ProgrammeOne Fell SwoopHow Do You Pronounce "Often"?

Government 2 Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Government 2 - Dissertation Example There are times that legislative branch will require the executive branch to be witness against a certain issue. This executive privilege prevents the executive branch to share information. The executive privilege will make sure that the discussions between the president and his advisers regarding their decision can be protected. If this privilege is eliminated, there will be issues and questions why the executive branch reached to certain decision. It might be that there will be clash in the power in the branches of government. 2. What specific items out to be listed on a report card that is used to evaluate a federal bureaucracy? Bureaucracy is considered a process of organizing people and work based on the principles of hierarchical authority and formalized rule. This is considered the most efficient means to organize people to work in unity on great tasks. American government is in practicing federal bureaucracy. There is fragmentation of power in the American political system. I n order to check the federal bureaucracy, there are specific items used to evaluate this policy or process. The first is to check if the whether the power is disseminated properly.

Post devolution, do separate or dual identities exist in England and Dissertation

Post devolution, do separate or dual identities exist in England and Britain - Dissertation Example Such assumptions were based on the esoteric understandings of the two labels, British and English, and tended to affect the framing of the concept of a so called national identity that were based on territorial differentiation and the respective identities, nature of citizenship, and social inclusion. The nationalistic identity of any state which is dependent on its socio-political characteristics, may go through various transformations (like devolution); and under pressures from the changed local, political, and social conditions, may undergo differentiation. Under changed circumstances the nationalistic identity of ‘Britishness’ may take a back seat, with the regional identity of ‘Englishness,’ eclipsing the former. ... The Existence of Separate or Dual Identities in England and Britain post devolution period 1 Introduction 1.1 Background History â€Å"The history of England [is] not in England but in America and Asia† J.R. Seele Since 1997, United Kingdom has been undergoing devolution as regards to its 4 member states, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. England has been ‘eventually promised’ a new and ‘Greater London Authority,’ with a separate and Assembly and mayor, while separate regionally elected assemblies are also on the annals for England; while the remaining 3 states have been given varying degrees of autonomy in their assemblies. Thus this entire process of devolution spells out into new territorial contours within the realms of United Kingdom. A look at the history shows us that Britain did not quite have a homogenous nature right from the time of its conception, and the then British foreign secretary Robin Cook, ascertained that the concept of this â€Å"homogeneity of British identity that some people assume to be the norm was confined to a relatively brief period. It lasted from the Victorian era of imperial expansion to the aftermath of the Second World War...The diversity of modern Britain expressed through devolution and multiculturalism is more consistent with the historical experience of our islands† (Cook, 2001). The topic or concept of ‘British,’ after being reviewed by various experts has been found to consist of a large and gaping conceptual void (Kumar, 2000, 576). Historical records, in general, are found aplenty, starting with political, constitutional, social, and economic histories of England, yet there has

Assessment and Learner Essay Example for Free

Assessment and Learner Essay This discussion paper is part of a series being published and disseminated by the Office of the Queensland School Curriculum Council. The purpose of this series is to encourage discussion on various issues concerning assessment and reporting. Teacher observation is one of several types of assessment techniques recommended by the Council in its Position and Guidelines on Assessment and Reporting for Years 1 to 10 and in its syllabus documents for the key learning areas. Other assessment techniques include consultation, focused analysis, peer assessment and self-assessment. The Position and Guidelines state that: ‘Observation involves teachers in observing students as they participate in planned activities. Teacher observation occurs continually as a natural part of the learning and teaching process and can be used to gather a broad range of information about students’ demonstrations of learning outcomes’ (p. 16). Teacher observation has been valued as an important assessment technique in the lower primary school, but has in the past received less attention in later year levels. Secondary schools especially have favoured formal testing and structured assessment tasks rather than in-situ observation, although there has been some movement towards in-situ observation in some subjects in recent years, even in the senior years. The Council’s Position and Guidelines and syllabus documents elevate teacher observation to a more prominent position in the range of assessment techniques that teachers might use. Other techniques have been identified as consultation and focused analysis as well as peer and self-assessment. Focused analysis includes more formal assessment procedures such as set tests and set tasks. However, these categories of assessment techniques are not necessarily distinct. For example, as this paper explains, observation may be employed in association with focused analysis, especially where what is observed is student performance on a set task. This discussion paper is not an official policy statement of the Council. Rather, it represents the views of the author, Dr Graham Maxwell, of the School of Education, The University of Queensland. As such, it offers a personal perspective on the issues. Dr Maxwell has been involved in research and consultation on assessment for many years in Australia, USA and UK, ranging over all sectors and levels of education. He has taught courses and conducted workshops on assessment for pre-service and in-service teachers for 30 years. He has also been involved in recent Council deliberations on assessment and reporting. The audience for this discussion paper is professional educators, especially schoolteachers and administrators who must deal with assessment and reporting practice in classrooms and schools. Such people already know a great deal about assessment and reporting theories and practices, and this discussion paper builds on that knowledge. The hope is that the discussion paper will serve as a basis for professional debate, development workshops and collaborative planning. iii The Office of the Council would be pleased to have your reactions to and comments on the discussion paper, as well as any examples of ways in which the discussion paper may have helped to clarify or resolve any theoretical or practical problems you are facing in the implementation of Council syllabuses. These reactions, comments and examples would assist the Office of the Council in deciding what further assistance it might be able to provide on these issues. JE Tunstall Director Queensland School Curriculum Council October 2001 iv CONTENTS Preface Introduction Arguments for valuing teacher observation Collection and recording of evidence Planning for teacher observation Factors affecting validity of teacher observations and what to do about them 1. Prejudgments and prejudices 2. Selective perception 3. Providing inadvertent clues 4. Inappropriate inference 5. Inconsistency Conclusion Some useful references on teacher observation iii 1 2 5 7 9 10 11 11 12 12 13 14 v Teacher Observation in Student Assessment INTRODUCTION Teacher observation is one of the assessment techniques recommended in the Position and Guidelines on Assessment and Reporting for Years 1 to 10 of the Queensland School Curriculum Council (the Council). For the implementation of Council syllabuses, assessment is seen as involving a variety of school-based (teacher-enacted) techniques for profiling student demonstrations of learning outcomes. Teacher observation, that is, observation of a student by a teacher, is one of those techniques. It can be used in conjunction with other techniques. 1 Teacher observation has been accepted readily in the past as a legitimate source of information for recording and reporting student demonstrations of learning outcomes in early childhood education. As the student progresses to later years of schooling, less and less attention typically is given to teacher observation and more and more attention typically is given to formal assessment procedures involving required tests and tasks taken under explicit constraints of context and time. However, teacher observation is capable of providing substantial information on student demonstration of learning outcomes at all levels of education. For teacher observation to contribute to valid judgments concerning student learning outcomes, evidence needs to be gathered and recorded systematically. Systematic gathering and recording of evidence requires preparation and foresight. This does not necessarily mean that all aspects of the process of observation need to be anticipated but that the approach taken is deliberate rather than happenstance. It is necessary, at least, to know in advance both what kinds of learning outcomes are anticipated and how evidence will be recorded. Adequate records are essential for good assessment. Teacher observation can be characterised as two types: incidental and planned. †¢ Incidental observation occurs during the ongoing (deliberate) activities of teaching and learning and the interactions between teacher and students. In other words, an unplanned opportunity emerges, in the context of classroom activities, where the teacher observes some aspect of individual student learning. Whether incidental observation can be used as a basis for formal assessment and reporting may depend on the records that are kept. Planned observation involves deliberate planning of an opportunity for the teacher to observe specific learning outcomes. This planned opportunity may occur in the context of regular classroom activities or may occur through the setting of an assessment task (such as a practical or performance activity). 2 †¢ 1 2 Other possibilities for collecting evidence by observation exist, including observations by another teacher, observations by other students, and student self-observation. This paper concentrates on teacher observation and does not consider these additional forms of observation. Ultimately, the teacher must judge the validity and relevance of all forms of evidence, so these alternative forms of evidence involve similar principles of assessment to those applicable to other forms of evidence, including teacher observation. ‘Classroom’ should be interpreted liberally. It may include settings outside the school, such as field excursions, public presentations and work experience. What matters is the presence of an assessor, typically the teacher, to observe and record the event. 1 Discussion Paper on Assessment and Reporting ARGUMENTS FOR VALUING TEACHER OBSERVATION Teacher observation is an important but underutilised assessment technique. It is sometimes argued that teachers are unable to make appropriate and dependable assessment judgments from observations of students in natural settings. The table (below) details some of the claims of this viewpoint, together with some relevant rebuttals. Handled carefully, teacher observations can provide important evidence for assessment judgments. In some cases, they provide the only way of obtaining evidence about particular learning outcomes, especially those involving practical techniques, performance activities, ‘real life’ projects and group work. Table 1: Arguments against teacher observations and rebuttals of those arguments Arguments against teacher observations Lack of representativeness Students may not demonstrate all relevant learning outcomes in natural settings. They may know or know how but the context may not prompt them to demonstrate this. Lack of observation Teachers may not observe the demonstration of a learning outcome when it occurs, either because their attention is els ewhere or because they fail to recognise it. Lack of control of influences The student can derive unintended cues and prompts from the setting, even from the teacher, and these can be unnoticed by the teacher. Student performance may then be misinterpreted. Lack of standardisation All students do not undertake the same tasks under the same conditions. Teacher judgments of student demonstrations of learning outcomes are therefore undependable. Lack of objectivity Teacher judgments are subjective and prone to inconsistencies. Too much is left to the discretion of the teacher. Possibility of stereotyping Subjective judgments allow the possibility of stereotyping of students in terms of other performances or characteristics. Possibility of bias Subjective judgments allow the possibility of conscious or unconscious bias for or against particular individuals or groups. Rebuttal of those arguments Learning outcomes that have not been demonstrated can be deliberately prompted. Assessment should be planned as well as incidental. Teachers can ensure that assessment is comprehensive. Over time, teachers have many opportunities for observation. It is not critical if particular opportunities for observation are missed. Some observation is deliberate and focused. No single occasion is sufficient for judging a student’s demonstration of learning outcomes. Multiple opportunities and a variety of contexts allow cross-checking the robustness of the student’s performance. Quality requirements for teacher judgments are ‘evidence-based’ and ‘defensible’. Tailoring and adaptation allow optimum student performance and holistic interpretation of the evidence (taking contextual factors into consideration). All assessment involves sequences of subjective decisions; mechanistic marking schemes reflect earlier design decisions. Procedures to strengthen and verify teacher judgments can be introduced. Stereotyping is not inevitable. Each assessment occasion can be approached as a fresh opportunity to test hypotheses derived from prior impressions. Conscious bias is unethical. Unconscious bias requires constant vigilance. It is difficult for bias to survive evidence-based justification to students and their parents (a form of accountability). 2 Teacher Observation in Student Assessment An important argument in support of teacher observation is that teachers have access to a rich and diverse range of evidence on student learning outcomes from observations of their students; and that the capability of teachers to collect and interpret this range of evidence should be respected. Otherwise, a rich source of evidence on student learning outcomes is being ignored. In any case, the issue is not whether teacher observations should be used — since they are necessarily used informally during teaching — but how teacher judgments can be strengthened and improved so that they can be used for formal purposes, especially for reporting and certification. A strong justification for using teacher observation in assessment is its capacity to enhance assessment validity. By extending the range of possible assessments, teacher observation allows assessment to be more: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ comprehensive — ensuring recognition of all desired learning outcomes, especially those not otherwise assessable than in classroom contexts; connected — situated within familiar learning contexts and closely related to curriculum frameworks, learning experiences and pedagogical planning; contextualised — sensitive to the effects of context on performance and deriving assessment evidence from a variety of situations and occasions; authentic — interesting, challenging, worthwhile and meaningful to students; holistic — emphasising relatedness and connections in learning and involving performance on complex wholes rather than separate components. All of these characteristics can be supported as important for high quality learning and assessment. Assessments with these characteristics have better representation of, clearer relevance to, and stronger consequences for desirable learning outcomes. Appropriate representation, relevance and consequences are often now recognised as the requirements of valid assessments. Past practice in assessment, particularly in secondary schools, has not accorded much recognition to teacher observation for formal purposes. Some people have argued that while teacher observation is necessarily a component of classroom teaching, a clear distinction should be made between informal and formal assessment. For example, some educators argue that assessment situations should not be confused with learning activities. 3 This draws too firm a distinction. Certainly, there should not be strong accountability for first attempts. Also, reports need to indicate the progress made by students at the time of reporting. However, a firm  distinction between assessment situations and learning activities stems from over3 This is argued by Caroline Gipps in her book, Beyond Testing: Towards a Theory of Educational Assessment, The Falmer Press, London, 1994. 3 Discussion Paper on Assessment and Reporting concern for comparison and ranking. Where the aim is to map the student’s profile of demonstrated learning outcomes, standardised comparison is not the issue. The question is simply what justifiable evidence is there for concluding that the student has demonstrated a particular learning outcome. This does not require students to be ‘tested’ under controlled — and artificial — conditions. An alternative vision is one where assessment becomes incidental to and indistinguishable from learning activities. This allows for the strongest connection between pedagogy and assessment and, as already argued, a strengthening of the quality of the learning and the validity of the assessment. It can be argued that unless there is a strong connection between pedagogy and assessment, the assessment will be disembodied and discriminatory, that is, unconnected to any means for improving student learning and privileging students with existing cultural capital. Such an approach focuses on the student’s best performance over time and values the progress they are making (similar to ‘personal best’ in athletics). Howard Gardner puts it this way: ‘Rather than being imposed â€Å"externally† at odd times during the year, assessment ought to become part of the natural learning environment. As much as possible it should occur â€Å"on the fly†, as part of an individual’s natural engagement in a learning situation. Initially, the assessment would have to be introduced explicitly; but after a while, much assessment would occur naturally on the part of student and teacher, with little need for explicit recognition or labelling on anyone’s part. †¦ As assessment gradually becomes part of the landscape, it no longer needs to be set off from the rest of classroom activity. As in a good apprenticeship, the teachers and the students are always assessing. There is also no need to â€Å"teach for the assessment† because the assessment is ubiquitous; indeed, the need for formal tests might atrophy altogether. ’ 4 4 ‘Assessment in context: The alternative to standardized testing’, in B. R. Gifford M. C. O’Connor (Eds), Changing assessments: Alternative views of aptitude, achievement and instruction (pp. 78119), London, Kluwer, 1992. 4 Teacher Observation in Student Assessment COLLECTION AND RECORDING OF EVIDENCE All assessment requires the collection and recording of evidence of student learning. For the implementation of Council syllabuses, it has been recommended that the evidence focus on the demonstration of learning outcomes. Evidence is documentation that records, illustrates or confirms student demonstrations of learning outcomes. Collection and recording of evidence is necessary for two reasons: accountability — justification of the assessment judgments; and verification — confirmation of the assessment judgments. Accountability and verification are key factors in assuring the quality of assessments. †¢ †¢ Accountability (justification) means being able to explain and defend assessment judgments to students, their parent(s) and other teachers. Verification (confirmation) means being able to revisit the foundations for assessment judgments — being able to check their completeness, relevance and veracity. Teacher observations are primarily directed at the observation of events, performances and activities. In some cases, an artefact may be produced as a consequence of the event, performance or activity. In other cases, no artefact is produced and the event, performance or process iself is the sole focus of attention. An artefact is something constructed by the t student, for example, a worksheet, a piece of writing, a design, a painting, a composition, a webpage — in other words, a product of some kind. Teacher observation is not primarily concerned with the artefact itself but with the way in which the artefact was produced, that is, with the process. 5 Evidence of process, whether or not there is a resultant artefact, may involve either direct record or written record. These two types of record have different characteristics. A direct record keeps a ‘trace’ of the event through an audio-recording, a video-recording or a sequence of photographs. The activity or event might be, for example, a speech, a dramatic presentation, a group activity or a practical task. The term ‘trace’ emphasises that the record is not the same as the event itself. At best, it allows some features of the event to be represented and recalled. Some features of the event may be lost, such as the ‘feel’ of the occasion or the ‘spark’ between presenter and audience. Some features of the event may be filtered or distorted by the medium of recording, for example, through positioning and handling of the 5 In some cases, a sequence of artefacts may be produced and these may provide a progressive record of stages of production. These could involve, for example, a sequence of written drafts, initial designs, trial compositions, or tentative frameworks. In this case, the artefacts indicate milestones of development towards the final product. It is important to keep the total sequence of artefacts, together with annotations about contextual factors, such as the way in which the student has made use of comments and suggestions, so that a complete interpretation of what the student has done can be made. 5 Discussion Paper on Assessment and Reporting recording device. It is important, therefore, to realise that such a record offers only partial representation of the event. Nevertheless, such ‘traces’ are better than having no record at all. A written record can take the form of an observation sheet or a logbook (diary of events). Observation sheets can be more or less structured: at one extreme they contain checklists of learning outcomes; at the other extreme they contain broad categories for writing on-the-spot comments or annotations; and in between these extremes is a combination of them both. 6 A logbook provides a record of critical incidents or key comments (sometimes referred to as an anecdotal record); for accuracy of recall, entries need to be made as soon after the event as possible. The student’s name and the date also need to be clearly recorded. A sequential collection of such records is sometimes called a ‘running record’. When keeping an observation sheet or a logbook, written entries can be (relatively) high inference or (relatively) low inference. ‘High inference’ means that a judgment or interpretation is made, whereas ‘low inference’ means that the specifics of the event are described (without any attempt to interpret what they signify). Thus, using a checklist of core learning outcomes would involve high inference, whereas providing a descriptive account of student performance without direct reference to core learning outcomes could involve low inference. In the latter case, judgments relating to the demonstration of learning outcomes can be delayed until a variety of evidence has been collected. The advantage of low inference observations is that they are more ‘objective’ or ‘transparent’ and can provide a ‘closer-to-the-event’ basis for later verification; the specifics of the event are more easily accessible. The advantage of high inference observations is greater ease and efficiency in record keeping, but the specifics of the event are not then retrievable from the record. It is possible to record both a judgment (high inference) and a description (low inference), thus retaining some of the benefits of each. Descriptive accounts can include written commentary on student performance under specific headings on an observation sheet; critical incidents or significant events recorded in a logbook; and key performance features recorded in a logbook. Critical incidents and significant events are particularly noteworthy instances of the demonstration of particular learning outcomes (or the lack of it), especially those observed for the first time or demonstrated in a particularly dramatic or unexpected way. Key performance features are salient features of an observed performance whether or not they are particularly ‘critical’, including evidence that strengthens or confirms early judgments relating to student demonstrations of learning outcomes. When an artefact, direct record or descriptive account is kept and placed in the student’s assessment portfolio, the artefact, direct record or descriptive account can be referred to again at a later time in order to retrieve the specifics of student performance. This allows assessment judgments to be delayed until a convenient time or allows assessment judgments to be 6. Rating scales are not mentioned here since arbitrary distinctions of quality are not part of the assessment position espoused by the Council. However, the sequences of core learning outcomes (arranged in levels along a developmental continuum) provide quasi-rating scales. It is a matter of convenience and style whether a sequence of core learning outcomes is characterised as a quasi-rating scale (showing where the student is positioned along the developmental continuum) or simply an expanded checklist (showing which core learning outcomes the student has demonstrated). 6 Teacher Observation in Student Assessment verified on a subsequent occasion, for example, for purposes of moderation. It is difficult to verify written records of judgments without an accompanying artefact, direct record or descriptive account as a reference point. 7 Table 2: Summary of types of teacher observation evidence Focus on product — keep artefact(s) Focus on activity — record process †¢ Direct record (‘trace’) o Audio-tape o Video-tape o Photographs Written record o Observation sheet  § Checklist (high inference)  § Description (low inference) o Logbook  § Description of critical incidents  § Description of key performance features †¢ PLANNING FOR TEACHER OBSERVATION Teacher observations cannot be useful without planning. Different types of evidence require different types of planning. An essential requirement for  all types of evidence is anticipating the kinds of learning outcomes that may be demonstrated. This is particularly important where observation is incidental and where judgments (rather than descriptions) are recorded. Council syllabuses provide a framework of learning outcomes that serve as the perceptual reference points for recognising the characteristics of student performance. The framework of learning outcomes makes available to the teacher concepts and language for recognising and describing what a student knows and can do. Learning the structure, language and concepts of the framework therefore is a key aspect of planning for teacher observation, as it is too for teaching. Incidental observation necessarily involves little additional planning, apart from the normal planning of classroom learning activities for students. Incidental observation is opportunistic, 7 Where there is no supporting evidential record for the judgment, verification of the judgment is strictly impossible. The record of judgment needs to be considered in the context of other evidence collected from different times and events. Where it corroborates other evidence, the judgment is strengthened. Where it contradicts other evidence, more evidence may be needed. Ultimately, the weight of evidence is what matters. ‘Other evidence’ could include the judgments of other observers, that is, other records of judgment of the same event. 7 Discussion Paper on Assessment and Reporting  capitalising on revelations of student learning during regular classroom learning activities. In this sense it cannot be planned. It is essentially unanticipated. It can only be recorded through descriptions in a logbook. Although there may sometimes be an artefact to provide corroboration for the teacher’s observation, any process details depend on teacher description. Incidental observation is therefore the weakest form of teacher observation and would preferably be used only as supplementary evidence to support other forms o evidence. f Relying on incidental observation alone would be unsatisfactory (see caveats below). Planned observation can involve planning  for ‘in situ’ observation (in learning situations) or planning for set assessment tasks. There is little to distinguish these two situations in practical terms. However, as assessment becomes more important, particularly in Years 8 to 10, students may need to know when they are being assessed, since they may otherwise choose not to show their actual capabilities. Absence of demonstration of learning outcomes might not indicate incapability of demonstrating those learning outcomes but lack of appropriate challenge or opportunity. Formal assessment occasions would appear to become more important in the secondary school than in the primary school, at least for the present. 8 For all planned observations, whether ‘in situ’ or set tasks, thought needs to be given to how the event and/or the observations will be recorded. Consideration needs to be given to whether a direct record will be kept and what form of observation record will be made. The validity of teacher observations is strengthened by preparing an observation sheet that allows systematic recording of observations and judgments. An observation sheet may include checklists of learning outcomes and/or categories for describing student activities and performances. Learning outcomes might be made more explicit by listing their elaborations, components or criteria, that is, by providing more detail on the characteristics of the desired learning outcome. The advantages of prepared observation sheets include: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ opportunity to share learning expectations with students in advance encouragement of student self-monitoring and self-assessment clarification of the desired learning outcomes to guide learning focus on the desired learning outcomes to guide teaching cuing of attention to the full range of relevant learning outcomes having available an explicit and standard recording format ease of recording of student performance characteristics structured means of providing feedback to students. 8 In the long term, taking up Howard Gardner’s vision (see footnote 4), a more natural approach to assessment would require that classrooms become more like normal work environments. This does not necessarily mean that the student (as the worker) is under constant surveillance but that there are  opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities in situations that really matter (but are preferably ‘authentic’ rather than ‘artificial’). The necessary shift in assessment practice to support this is from ‘one-off testing’ to progressive demonstration of ‘best (sustained) performance’. Reformed assessment practice would place more onus on the student to demonstrate the desired learning outcomes (and to indicate when they think they are doing so) together with specific ‘invitations’ to students to demonstrate their level of development in relation to sequences of learning outcomes of increasing complexity. 8 Teacher Observation in Student Assessment  Disadvantages of prepared observation sheets include: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ the need to allow for several levels of learning outcomes on a single sheet it can be difficult to anticipate all the learning outcomes that might appear it is possible that other serendipitous learning outcomes will be missed students’ learning may be constrained by listed learning outcomes. The disadvantages are outweighed by the advantages. They can be overcome, in any case, by careful design of the observation sheet, tailoring it to the current stage of student development, and allowing space for additional observations to be recorded. Observation sheets should be used as a tentative organising structure for recording teacher observations rather than a limiting framework for the actual observations. Space also needs to be provided on the observation sheet for including descriptive details of the context. These details need to include any characteristics of the setting or the occasion that could have influenced the student’s performance, either positively or negatively, and that might be relevant in making a judgment about whether the student has demonstrated particular learning outcomes. The details can be physical (e. g. , uncomfortable surroundings), psychological (e. g. , personal attributes in stressful situations) or social (e. g. , other events in the life of the school or the student). Through all of this, it must be remembered that any written record  of observations is necessarily selective. Only certain features of student performance are likely to be noticed and can be recorded. Therefore, having a clear understanding and ready access to the framework of expected learning outcomes is essential. One technique for reducing the cognitive demands of open observation is ‘spotlighting’. This means targeting specific learning outcomes (across several levels of a strand) on particular occasions. This has the added advantage of ensuring systematic coverage of all relevant learning outcomes. However, it should not be pursued so religiously that evidence of other learning outcomes outside the spotlighting target is ignored. 9 FACTORS AFFECTING VALIDITY OF TEACHER OBSERVATIONS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM Teacher observations will be valid to the extent that the evidence is appropriately recorded and interpreted, that is, whether: †¢ †¢ the recorded evidence accurately represents the observed student performance the interpretation (judgment) of this evidence is justifiable. Accurate recording requires transparent and unbiased perception of the student’s performance. Justifiable interpretation requires careful consideration of what the student’s performance signifies, in terms of learning outcomes, taking into consideration any factors 9 Margaret Forster and Geoff Masters discuss ‘spotlighting’ in Performances: Assessment resource kit, Camberwell, Victoria, Australian Council for Educational Research, 1996. 9 Discussion Paper on Assessment and Reporting that may have influenced the performance. The use of the term ‘justifiable’ here emphasises that there may not be a single unequivocal interpretation of the evidence but rather that the interpretation should withstand challenge as being reasonable and defensible. There also may be a requirement that the interpretation be consistent with the interpretations of other teachers. 10 The following discussion covers some factors that can affect the accuracy of the recorded evidence or the justifiability of the interpretation or both.

Efficiency and Web Page Design :: Internet Cyberspace Essays

Efficiency and Web Page Design One of the biggest challenges for web designers today is trying to have a ‘killer app’, yet make it efficient enough for the common surfer. We’re talking about file size. Zona Research (June 1999) reported that 70% of online users were only connected at 56K or less. Granted this number may have decreased a bit in the last 16 months, but the fact is, most people have a slow connection. As a surfer browses through the numerous sites on the web, they want to see the information the site has to offer. Some studies indicate that if you page takes longer than eight seconds for something to start appearing, you will probably lose your visitors. You need to be able to deliver your pages and information in a neat yet efficient manner. There are several factors that cause your visitors to have slow downloads. One might be the network or connection speed they have. They may also have poor performing hardware. Not much you can do about these. Maybe it is your server, it could be upgraded; but more than likely it has to do with your files. The size of the files can be caused by large images, or it may just have inefficient code. In order to decrease the download time we will first look at the code and find ways to make the files more ‘lean’; we want to ‘trim the fat’ and get them in the best condition possible. Next we will look at graphics and ways we can optimize them for maximum performance and minimal download time. Finally there are numerous other hints and tricks that can be added to your code to make them download in record times. Making ‘mean’ and ‘lean’ code Every character and space that appears in your code takes up file size The following suggestions can help you to trim up your files and cut second off your site downloads. Make your file names and directory names simple and short. This may sound trivial, but every little bit counts. For example: or Use relative addressing instead of absolute addressing.

Compare And Contrast Sociology Essay Essay

Sociology is based on two frameworks, namely structure-agency and conflict-consensus. These frameworks center around three founders of sociology, Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber. This essay will attempt to demonstrate which author explains sociology within which framework. The structure used for this essay will be a point-by-point structure. This essay will start off with structure, move on to agency and then to conflict and lastly conclude with consensus. Structure is the social patterns, which influence and may restrict the choices and opportunities of the individual. Durkheim is a structuralist and explains structure through social facts. Social facts are the structures, values and norms, which surpass the individual and may lead to social constraint. Durkheim believes that structure together with hierarchy is the most important aspect of maintaining a civilized society. Similarly, Marx is also a structuralist. However, he explains structure through dialectical materialism. Through this, he believes that history is not driven by ideas but rather by economic and class interests. Thus, structure is based on what the interests of the most influential class (in an economic context) are. In contrast, Weber is not a structuralist and focuses on agency more than structure (this will be explained further later on). However he does explain structure through bureaucracy and a rational-legal model. He defines bureaucracy as routine tasks that become jurisdictional areas and are ordered by rules and regulations. Thus, structure can only optimally function if bureaucracy follows the strict rules and regulations put in place without any corruption. On the other hand, agency is the ability of individuals to make their own decisions and act independently through free will. Durkheim does not believe that society is based on the individual but more on the social structures around the individual. He maintains that individuals will come and go from social institutions, but institutions have a life over and above the individual and therefore structure plays a more influential role than agency. Likewise, Marx also believes that structure is more important than agency but also emphasizes the fact that structure leads to the detriment of the majority of individuals. This means that the majority of individuals’ interests are not taken into consideration and are over powered by the role of structure. On the contrary, Weber starts his argument with agency and explains agency through â€Å"verstehen† and the theory of social action. Weber maintains that it is important to understand why the individual does a certain action (â€Å"verstehen†) and that there are three different types of social action that make up a civilized society: Traditional action (actions carried out due to tradition and because that’s they way things have always been done), affective action (actions carried out due to emotion to express personal feelings) and rational action (actions carried out using reason to achieve a certain goal). Weber also believes that legitimate authority is based on agency and the free choice of individuals. The conflict theory maintains that social, material and economic inequality are the forces of social change within a society. Durkheim is of the belief that conflict will not achieve social change, but rather consensus (will be explained further later on). He stresses the fact that conflict will only cause disorder and chaos within a society and a society will not be able to move forward if there is too much conflict. However, Marx emphasizes conflict over consensus and that inequality and class conflict furthers one side of society (the bourgeoisie) and not the other (the proletariat) due to the economic interest of the upper class. Weber is in the middle of Durkheim and Marx on both conflict and consensus. Weber is of the opinion that conflict is due to inequality within a society and the fact that there are certain people in power by force (are not chosen to be in power), which contributes even more to conflict. In contrast to conflict, consensus maintains that social and economic systems are fair and sustain social order in society. Durkheim believes that for there to be a normative basis for order within a society, there has to be moral and normative consensus. This means that everyone within a society needs to have the same values, and when everyone has the same values they become norms for a society to live and act by. Marx on the other hand, does not believe in consensus but rather in conflict. He focuses on the fact that a society can only progress if there is conflict, not shared values and norms. If there is no economic interest within a society or class, a society will remain stagnant and not move forward. As stated before, Weber stands in the middle of Durkheim and Marx on consensus and states that for there to be consensus within a society, legitimate authority needs to be achieved through the consent of the people in a society. This means that all people should decide together on who should be given authority to do what. However he also believes that for a society to progress forward, conflict and consensus need to occur simultaneously. In conclusion, the three different authors all have very different but equally important viewpoints on society. Durkheim emphasizes structure over agency and consensus over conflict. Marx also focuses on structure over agency but rather conflict over consensus. And Weber stresses agency over structure and that conflict and consensus are equally important. Therefore Durkheim, Marx and Weber have many differences and similarities within the structure-agency and conflict-consensus frameworks.

Graduation speeches Essay

A good speech for an elementary graduation would depend on who is going to be doing the speaking. For a teacher, you’ll want to make sure you thank the students for all of their hard work and wish them the best in the next grade they move up to. For kids, they can thank their teacher for a good year and thank their parents for their support.This page contains a funny sample speech for Middle School or Elementary School graduations for principles, teachers or other key note speakers. The speech template can be customized for graduations from preschool, 8th Grade, Junior High School, clubs, high school or other graduation events as well. This speech is humorous but also talks about dedication and personal commitment. We hope this graduation speech for keynote or guest speakers is helpful. Let me begin by welcoming all of you to today’s event and thanking (NAME OF PERSON WHO INTRODUCED YOU) for that kind introduction. I’m very pleased to have been invited to speak here today on what I know is a very special day. It’s special for the graduates, for their proud parents and grandparents, and for their very relieved teachers. Just wait until these students are graduating college. Then their parents will be the  relieved ones. As I begin, I have to say, I think the best speeches are those that have a great beginning, a memorable end, and not much in between. I will try then to make a great speech. Today is one of those great occasions when we get to celebrate our young people – their achievements, their perseverance and their successes as they grow up. It’s one of the times you can take a break and reflect, feeling good as a parent or a mentor, knowing that the kids you care about are doing just fine and they’re on the right path. Graduates, you should know that your moms and dads are very proud of you today. They have high hopes for you, and they believe in you, and you are making them proud by showing what you can do. Take a look at them now, and you can see them smiling and snapping photos so they can record this moment forever. Today is an important day for you and for them. Today they are very, very proud of you. (PAUSE) Today would be a good day to ask for money. Today would also be a good day to hug them and thank them for supporting you, because as much as this is your achievement, this is also the achievement of the people who care about you. That means your mom, your dad, your step mom or step dad, your grandparents, your sisters and brothers, and all the other people who care about you. They want you to be your best and to live up to your potential. Graduations can be seen as a coming of age, a sort of official way to recognize when a person steps into the next stage of life, and graduates, you are stepping into a new stage. With every year, you have become a little more independent. I bet you can still remember your first day here – it might have been exciting and a little intimidating too. I bet when you look at the (INSERT LOWEST GRADE IN SCHOOL HERE, 1ST GRADERS, 6TH GRADERS, ETC) going to class you think, Wow! They look so little! I can’t believe I was ever that young! Get used to it. You’ll be thinking that for the rest of your life. But when you she younger students, you can tell how much you’ve grown up, how much you’ve learned and how much you’ve matured. Think back on some of the exciting things that happened this year, all the things you learned. This year, you†¦ (ADD SOME INFO ABOUT THE CLASS OR SCHOOL HERE. TALK TO TEACHERS OR WHOEVER INVITED YOU FOR SOME IDEAS. IT CAN BE FIELD TRIPS, TOPICS STUDENTS LEARNED, ETC. YOU CAN ALSO ADD SOME FAMILY-FRIENDLY HUMOR ABOUT WHAT KIDS LEARNED). You had some great time this year, and maybe you had some tough times, but you did it and you succeeded. You’re ready for that next step. I ask you as you prepare for this next step to do a few things. First, stop texting your friend about how you wish the speaker would hurry up and finish talking so you could go to (INSERT NAME OF LOCAL PARTY PLACE, MALL OR RESTAURANT POPULAR WITH STUDENTS). Secondly, I ask you to take this chance to dedicate yourself to making the next year even better. Remember that you don’t have to follow the crowd. Do the right thing, even if no one is looking. Study hard and remember that you’re investing in yourself with every test you take and every book you read. And finally, don’t be in too big of a hurry to grow up. These are some great times in your life. Don’t rush past them. There are great things coming, and just as your parents are proud, each one of you should feel proud of yourself. So congratulations to all of the graduates, congratulations to the parents, and finally, congrats to the teachers and everyone else who helped our graduates reach here today. I’ll leave you with this final quote, from a great author with whom I imagine you are all familar, by the name of Dr. Seuss. â€Å"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.† Congratulations again, and thank you for your attention. 2 Welcome to today’s ceremony and thank you for attending. I’m honored to be speaking with you today on such an important occasion. We’re here today to honor our service members and to remember their sacrifices they have made and the courage it take to defend honor, duty, country. The writer Michel de Montaigne once said, â€Å"Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul.† We’re here today to honor our heroes, to remember their achievements, their courage and their dedication, and to say thank you for their sacrifices. Thinking of the heroes who join us in this group today and those who are here only in spirit, a person can’t help but feel awed by the enormity of what we encounter. We stand in the midst of patriots and the family and friends of those who have nobly served. I’d like to ask the service members and veterans who are here to stand. Thank you for answering the call to duty. You have made our armed forces the most respected in the world. [Lead applause] Please be seated. Now I’d also like to ask the family member of any service member to stand. We know you have lived through difficult times and often taken the heavy load to keep the home fires burning. Thank you for what you’ve done. [Lead applause] Please be seated. The service members we honor today came from all walks of life, but they shared several fundamental qualities. They possessed courage, pride, determination, selflessness, dedication to duty and integrity – all the qualities needed to serve a cause larger than one’s self. Many of them didn’t ask to leave their homes to fight on distant battlefields. Many didn’t even volunteer. They didn’t go to war because they loved fighting. They were called to be part of something bigger than themselves. They were ordinary people who responded in extraordinary ways in extreme times. They rose to the nation’s call because they wanted to protect a nation which has given them, us, so much. Since the first shots at Lexington and Concord were fired and our Revolutionary War began, American men and women have been answering the nation’s call to duty. Millions of Americans have fought and died on battlefields here and abroad to defend our freedoms and way of life. Today our troops continue to make the ultimate sacrifices, and even as we lose troops, more Americans step forward to say, I’m ready to serve. They follow in the footsteps of generations of fine Americans. Veteran’s day, originally called Armistice Day, was originally designated as a day to celebrate the end of World War I. The first World War ended November 11, 1918 and the legislation that created Veteran’s Day was, and I quote, â€Å"dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.† As time went on and we engaged in further conflicts during World War II and Korea, veterans’ groups lobbied for a change. Rather than honoring the armistice and only those who served in World War I, the holiday would now honor all veterans from every war and conflict the United States had encountered. We’ve honored our troops and their service and sacrifice ever since. We have awarded medals to many Soldiers, added their names to monuments and named buildings for them, to honor them for their bravery. But nothing can ever replace the hole left behind by a fallen service member, and no number of medals and ribbons can comfort the ones left behind. Today, people throughout the country will gather together to remember, to honor, and to pay gratitude to those who have served our country. Our gathering is just one small spark in the flame of pride that burns across the nation today and every day. It’s not a lot, but its one small way we can honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live in freedom. Your presence here today and that of the people gathering all across America is a tribute to those lost troops and to their Families. It is a way to say we remember. From the Soldiers who shivered and starved through the winter at Valley Forge to the doughboys crouched in the muddy trenches of France to the platoon who patrolled the hazy jungles of Vietnam and the young man or woman patrolling the mountains of Afghanistan, we remember and honor them all. Thank you for attending today. God bless you and your families, God bless our troops and God bless America.

Romero Brittos Art Form

Romero Brittos Art Form Art is a product or process of arranging items so that they can influence and affect one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect, where the arrangement of these items often has a symbolic significance. In art, creativity and innovations are key attributes and art includes music, painting, sculptures, painting, photography, and literature.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Romero Brittos Art Form specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Those people who are involved in art are called artists and organize their arts in way that will influence people. On the other hand design is a plan or convection for the construction of a system or an object. Arts and design go hand in hand because; Artists cannot be able to perform their work without design. Before starting the artwork, the artist first designs the items, object, or music he or she wants to produce and then starts his work. This paper focuses on a world artist named Romero Britto and his art form. It further focuses on the meanings of his works to him and the influences the artist has to the world (Parker 19). Romero Britto’s Biography: He was born in Recife, Brazil in 1963. At the early age, Romero learned to paint surfaces such as newspapers. At the age of 23, he travelled to Paris where he worked with Matisse and Picasso and combined influences from cubism with pop to create iconic style. This gained him popularity especially through The New York Times that described his work as â€Å"exudes warmth, optimism, and love†. In 1988, Rometo relocated to Miami and became an international artist. During the year 1989, in the campaign of vodka, Warhol, Haring as well as Romero were selected. Since then his pop sensibility has earned him many collaborations, the latest being the FIFA that he created an official poster for the year 2010 World cup. In addition, he has illustrated many books, where Simon, Schuster, and Rizzoli publi sh his books. His popularity has grown tremendously and his work exhibited in galleries and museums in more than 100 countries. In addition, he has created several public art installations. Example of these public art installations are John F. Kennedy Airport (New York) and O2 Done (Berlin). Britto views art as a field of positive change while artists are the agents of this positive change. He collaborates with over 250 charitable organizations which he donates time, arts and resources as well as serving as a benefactor. He also serves in several boards such the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.Advertising Looking for research paper on biography? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Rometo Britto Art: Through the popularity of his work, Rometo has been active in the production of his arts. The form of his art compared to other artists is of high quality. In our context, form has the meaning of how art items are viewed as a whole piece of visible items and the unity of these elements. During the artwork, the artist shifts the focus of his work to the interrelationship between art and audience as well as the form of relationship between the painter and the model. There is a comparison of two windows of flowers from Britto and the other from Weinberg. He asserts that Britto’s metal sculpture flower was bright and colorful to be used for both indoors and outdoors exhibition.† like all his work, it is of intellectual content, going for easy emotional appeal, and relies on industrial perfection to achieve its attraction† (Betancournt 41). This is clear evidence that the kind of art works that Brito produced were of high form, a result of creativity and design used. Britto was attractive just the way a new car is and the flower was happy and engaging what is considered as a standard art world treatment of subject. Moreover, Britto’s flower represented the loca l environment. The brightness and colorfulness represented the bright and colorful nature. Looking at this flower could have changed ones perspective towards nature. Brito’s art form focused on bringing meaning that would help the viewer to be optimistic of what is happening in the world (Barbara 14). In another sculptural piece of art called a mother’s love, he intended to bring meaning of how mothers should have great love to their siblings. It comprised of two elephants sculpture, that is, a mother and a child close together, an illustration that there was communication and love between them (Kirchmar 32). In addition, another piece of his art but this time a serigraph called American revival that has one big heart with the United States of America flag colors surrounded by smaller hearts with different colors signified how the Americans should be united. His intention of using the heart was to symbolize love that should bind the people of America to their nation as well as the nation to its people (Rectanus 15). Influence of Britto; According to his biography alongside the meaning of his artwork, Britto is an artist of high caliber. He has been an agent of positive change to the world through his actions. Having the pilferage to speak at the World Economic summit in Davos is an indication of a person who has initiated change to the world.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Romero Brittos Art Form specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the collaborations with various charitable organizations are a sign of being a good role model. Britto has held countless schools and institutional talks, which justifies that his influence is great in the World since no institution or school would allow someone with negative influence to speak to the students (Wales 19). Similarly, through his arts Britto has been able to pass great message of love, peace, unity, as well as enlightenin g the society on different aspects of nature and culture (Rectanus 53). He has produced sculpture with plants and their species, animals and people to pass important information to the people. For the animals, Britto has given the people an insight of how they should treat and love the animals (Ellwood 67). Britto has been called upon to design various places in order to capture the attention or influence people to have a given attitude to those places. Britto was given the role to create new designs for Land Shark Stadium exterior gateways (Horrow and Tagliabue 53). When the stadium became popular, he turned it into a guest place. The invitation by the president of Brazil at the beginning of the year 2011 in Rede Cegonha to participate in making a logo reached 61 million people including children and mothers. If his work had no influence, the president would not have invited him for the project (Betancourt 16). Britto was known to maintain peace and resolve conflicts by internation al programs for negotiation as a benefactor. In nutshell, Britto can be said to be a person of high caliber, great influence as well as a mentor to people who their career aspiration is in arts. His attitude of having his own principles is a challenge to many who find the world as full of impossibilities. Betancourt, Michael. Re-viewing Miami: A Collection of Essays, Criticism, Art Reviews. Miami: Wildside Press, 2004. Print. Biography. Romero Britto. n.d. Web.Advertising Looking for research paper on biography? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ellwood, Mark. The Rough Road to Miami. London: Rough Guides Ltd, 2002 Print. Horrow, Rick and Tagliabue, Paul. Beyond the Scoreboard: An Insider’s Guide to the Business of Sport. USA: Morgan James Publishing, 2011. Print. Kirchmer, Mathias. High Performance through Process Excellence: From Strategy to Operations. New York: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2009. Print Parker, Barbara. Suspicion of Malice. New York: E-Rights/E-Reads, Ltd. Publishers, 2000. Print. Rectanus, mark. Culture Incorporated Museums, Artists, and Corporate Sponsorships. USA: University of Minnesota, 2002 Print. Wales, Jimmy. Rometo Britto’s. USA: PS-Professional Services, 2008. Print

Slash Your Job Search Time In 3 Simple Steps

Slash Your Job Search Time In 3 Simple Steps Old-fashioned job search methods are proving to be just that: old-fashioned. The newspaper classifieds section is something of a laughingstock, and blasting resumes and cover letters blindly into online application systems is almost just as silly. The face of job hunting has changed. Be on the cutting edge, and cut your job search time in half with these 3 simple steps. Find the Voice Behind the CurtainIn this case, that just means: find the hiring manager. Especially when traditional channels aren’t getting you very far. Go straight to the source. The hiring manager will have fewer filters in place to keep out the likes of you, so you have a better chance of making a connection and getting your application noticed. Use a combination of LinkedIn and the company’s website to find out who your best point of contact would be, then draft the classiest, most professional email you can.When in doubt, send the following two things to the department manager you’d be work ing with directly:Create a  Pain LetterThink of this as a cover letter plus. A pain letter, in case you’re unfamiliar with the term, is a letter in which you try to sell yourself to the prospective company by identifying something that pains them, and showing yourself in the unique and perfect light to fix it. Maybe you explain how you solved a similar problem before, at a previous company, or how you filled a similar gap before- with great success.Don’t forget to pump up the company a bit; don’t just list its faults and weak spots! Do emphasize how grateful you’d be for an opportunity to help take them to the next level of greatness.Humanize Your ResumeWe sometimes make the mistake of sounding too cold and removed in our job application materials- like we’re trying to be super professional. But, we end up sounding kind of dry and robotic. Instead, try wording your resume in the first person, with an emphasis on what your particular skills and ex perience can contribute to the organization.

Your position on priated movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Your position on priated movies - Essay Example Pirated movies might be great for some consumers, but they have a negative impact on the film industry, can influence consumers to pay good money for horrible quality, and is considered a form of theft. Since pirated movies are stolen movies, those who create and distribute pirated movies should be treated and punished as criminals. One of the greatest misconceptions of movie piracy is that wealthy filmmakers cannot possibly be affected by losing sales on their films. Indeed, many people who engage in film piracy condone their actions by pointing out that members of film crews make more money than is necessary and can afford to allow a few movies to be released without requiring pay (Aicher 61). What they do not realize is that the profits made from films do not simply line the pockets of the filmmakers, but are also used for future film productions. This negative financial impact on the film industry will result in fewer high budget films, including many of the popular franchises, such as Marvel’s The Avengers, Star Trek, and The Hunger Games, and a significant decrease of releases in general. Furthermore, movie theaters throughout the world would feel the repercussions of film piracy if the film industry ceased to release movies to be shown at the theaters. Theaters would then lose sales, make no return profit, and be forced to shut down business. Though it may be unfathomable, film piracy has the ability to completely destroy the renowned success of the world’s collective film industry (Segrave 115). Regardless of whether or not people think filmmakers make too much money, it needs to be known that for any industry, an individual person or any entire company requires payment to continue doing what they do best. If those heavily engaged in film piracy persist on taking and selling product that are not their own, they will not only rob the film industry of its legacy but destroy entertainment for people worldwide. The filmmakers are not the only