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Introduction The field of education has benefited from the thoughts and ideas of many people. Seneca and Freire are two good examples of such benefactors. Seneca, in one of the many letters through which most of his ideas came to be known, discredits the notion that liberal education per se is of any use.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Re-evaluating Freire and Seneca specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Education for him would only be meaningful if it contributed towards improving one’s character. For liberal education however, this does not form the goal. Freire on the other hand, feels that there should be a shift in pedagogy in order to get rid of the inequality that characterizes the student-teacher relationship. This, he asserts, could only happen if there was rupture from the narrative based content delivery to methods that were more imitative of dialogue. This essay seeks to show that while Seneca†™s ideas have been invaluable to the development of the field of education, they would today be easily found obsolete. Freire’s ideas, on the other hand, remain as venerable as ever; his recommendations however borders on the impracticality of the structured contemporary education context. Seneca’s argument Seneca was a thoroughgoing stoic. Stoicism is a belief in the supremacy of reason over passion and the inherent value that is to be found in virtue (Castellano). Material possession and social standing were of little value to stoics as neither helped advance virtue (Castellano). The philosophy of stoicism was of a great influence in Seneca’s conceptualization of education and what its aims ought to be (Bilson). For this reason, Seneca felt that education should have had the edification of character as its only aim. His perception of the liberal arts, therefore, was not kind at all. He felt that liberal education turned people into â€Å"pedantic, irritatin g, tactless, self-satisfied bores (who) spend their life learning things they’ll never need† (Seneca). Knowing for its own sake, as the goal of liberal studies to Seneca constituted a worthless aim. For him, worthwhile education was that which helped one achieve attributes such as bravery, self-control, loyalty and wisdom (Seneca). Thus, he posited that the study of the liberal arts such as poetry, philosophy, music and geometry would be of use only if it was done as preparation for the acquisition of moral values (Seneca). That he attached little meaning to the study of liberal arts hardly means that he had a soft spot for vocational education. He felt nothing but contempt for the acquisition of skills for the sake of profiting from them (Seneca). He felt that one should engage in vocational skills for the reason that they are central to the survival of humans.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% O FF Learn More To make a vocation, a lifelong pursuit was for him utterly contemptible and such an endeavor should only be undertaken if one was mentally incapable of pursuing goals of a higher nature (Seneca). Such was the philosophy of Seneca, which as we shall see next remarkably differs with that of Freire. Freire’s argument Freire, on the other hand, was concerned with the classroom practice of education. He felt that the student teacher dichotomy that existed in the practice of education in Brazil was reflective of the relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed since in this system â€Å"knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing† (Freire). Because it was based on the narrative technique, the teacher played narrator while the students made up the audience. In such a setup, the teacher was an all-knowing, inviolate being while the student was his meek and ignorant subj ect (Freire). The students in this analogy were like containers that needed to be filled with knowledge by the teacher (Freire). Thus, the teaching process involved the depositing of knowledge by the teacher into the students’ heads while the students’ role was to memorize the facts given to them by the teacher and to give them back when it was required during testing. Teaching, therefore, as can be inferred, was a one sided affair since it was teacher rather than student oriented. In order to address this problem, Freire posited that a method that was akin to dialogue should be adopted (Freire). This was the only way to ensure that communication between the teacher and learners took place and that the dynamic nature of knowledge would be captured. Comparison of the two arguments A shallow conceptualization of Freire’s theory might mislead one to think that his main concern was pedagogy. However, the essence of Freire’s work was the appropriation of the e ducation process to free the oppressed. As such, both Freire and Seneca comprehend education as a means to an end: the end being freedom for Freire and Virtue for Seneca. The two are however different in that while Freire aspired for an egalitarian society, Seneca supported elitism. Freire acknowledged the unequal nature of society and divided society into two groups: the oppressors and the oppressed (Freire). It is the difference between these two groups that he sought to address using education.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Re-evaluating Freire and Seneca specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Seneca, on the other hand, does not only acknowledge elitism but seems to suggest that it is occasioned by nature. By positing that the vocational aspects of society should be left to those who were not adequately gifted mentally to pursue higher goals, he endorses the notion that elitism is occasioned by nature (Dickens). Seneca would probably agree with Freire’s idea on pedagogy. His apparent silence on pedagogy does not mean that he would not appreciate the best possible ways of achieving his aims of education. Freire, on the other hand, might disagree with Seneca’s ideas, especially regarding Seneca’s natural basis for the existence of the two classes of the oppressors and the oppressed. The Viability of their Ideas In the contemporary education context, Seneca’s ideas would be found, to some extent, a little outdated, but useful as well. While virtue might not carry as much importance today as it did to the stoics of Seneca’s time, it nonetheless is still considered a worthwhile pursuit. Liberal arts would, however, hardly be found to be antithetical to virtue. Broad based knowledge is actually seen as means to acquire refinement and sophistication. It is also to be found at the very core of the concept of the contemporary educated person (Bilson). The pursuit o f a single goal in the acquisition of education would also be found narrow-minded. That is why most institutions of higher learning today offer broad based education that not only offers specialized employable skills but also basics in fields such as rhetoric, philosophy and communication skills. As such, Seneca’s ideas would be found obsolete by many contemporary education practitioners. Seneca’s concerns regarding utility as an education goal are however useful to the extent that overemphasis on personal fulfillment would potentially strip education of its utility. Seneca felt that we should know only that which is useful for us to know and not a modicum more (Seneca). Due to the fact that the education process presents financial investment from the state, the private individual or both, it of necessity required to eventually result in tangible returns for society. Liberal education however does not have productivity as its end. Investing in something that isnâ€℠¢t needful and bears society no benefits at all would therefore not be sensible at all. For this reason, liberal education per se should best not be catered for by society but rather by the individual who undergoes it. At the same time, the idea of knowledge as its own end begs for some limits to be set. Would it be worthwhile to spend the whole of one’s resources on knowledge that is of no use to anyone other than the one who pursues it? This kind of endeavor would be found of little value to the individual or to the society. Therefore, Seneca’s ideas comes in handy if such limits have to be set and if liberal education is to live up to its usefulness to the pursuit of liberal arts.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The ideas proposed by Freire are no doubt meaningful in the contemporary world. Their practical value is however beset with concerns of a fundamental nature. Foremost, the question of how best to impart knowledge remains the preserve of theory showing that conclusive pedagogical answers to the question are yet to be achieved. Freire’s recommendations might, however, be too idealistic to have any practical use. There is a reason why what Freire described as the ‘banking concept of education’ is still being practiced in today’s classrooms. In spite of the many problems associated with it, it still remains the most practical means of classroom teaching. This is in view of the current unsatisfactory teacher-student ratios. The use of dialogical teaching methods would best work if more informal education setups were adopted. For instance, it has been argued that to deem the teacher and student equal in a formal classroom setup would be rather wishful (Baldisson e). This is in view of the fact that formal education is based on the difference in understanding between the teacher and the student (Baldissone). As such, the teacher’s assertions always carry more weight than those of the students. To therefore claim to practice Freire’s dialogical methods would largely be found to be mere rhetoric. At the same time, the dialogical method has been found unusable in the teaching of particular subject areas. The method is based on the assumption that the teacher and students are flexible in the ideas that they hold and can therefore be prevailed upon to change if reasonable bases for doing so are presented. This is however not the case. For example, dialogical methods would not be successful if the teacher and students hold hard-line stances on the subject area (Baldissone). A good example of such a subject area is morality. Indeed, the formulation of Freire’s theory was flawed to the extent that while it originally had an info rmal education orientation, Freire ended up recommending its use in the context of structured curricular. The notion that education can be used as a means of liberation might also be rather wishful. This is especially so where it would be needed most: in poor countries. It should be understood that adopting Freire’s theory merely to change classroom practice would be to misunderstand its original goal. Freire meant for it to be used in a much broader scope; he meant it to be applied to arouse the consciousness of the oppressed in order for them to fully conceptualize their position in the social, cultural and historical contexts (Freire). In doing this, the oppressed would be humanized and freed. Conclusion It is clear that Seneca and Freire are quite different in their comprehension of the concept of education. Their only similarity lies in their focus on the outcomes of education. Considering the applicability of their ideas in the contemporary world, Seneca’s ideas are quite obsolete while Freire’s would only work in an informal context. Works Cited Bilson, Vic. â€Å"The nature of man.† 2011. Web. Baldissone, Riccardo. â€Å"Critical pedagogy and beyond.† 2008. Web. Castellano, Daniel. â€Å"Foundations of Ethics:† 2011. Web. Dickens, Peter. â€Å"Social Darwinism.† ThinkQuest. 2011. Web. Freire, Paulo. The Banking Concept of Education. New York: Norton Co. 2006. Print. Seneca, Lasalle. On Liberal and Vocational Study. New York: Norton Co. 2006. Print. This essay on Re-evaluating Freire and Seneca was written and submitted by user Ed1s0n to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Re Table of Contents Introduction History and the process of reentry process System and Policy Solutions as to strengthen various services Conclusion Works Cited Introduction Reentry refers to the issues related to the transition of ex-offenders from incarceration to community. Reentry comprises of all the efforts aimed at ensuring that those released from prison are able to relate well with the general society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Re-entry collateral consequences on education and housing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Collateral consequences of criminal charges or the â€Å"Four’Cs† are the indirect consequences of criminal convictions and â€Å"comprise a mixture federal, statutory and regulatory law as well as local policies and are part of arrest, prosecution or conviction but are not part of the sentence imposed† (National Crime Prevention Council 1). The essay looks at re entry collateral in details and the effects it has had on the community and individuals. The systems and policies being applied by organizations are analyzed. A discussion on how to improve the policies being implemented before they become laws is included in this article. History and the process of reentry process It can be correctly argued out that those who are involved in the reentry programs have one main goal of ensuring that the subjects integrate well with the society. It is significant that the returning person is able to fit well with the society as this will make it possible for him/her to avoid engaging in criminal activities. Some of the challenges the ex-prisoner is likely to face include housing, public safety, employment and families. Other challenges to reentry include problems with family relationships where if not already problematic, are often weakened by incarceration. Convicted felons have difficulty finding employment and this can be aggravated by prison exper iences (Irwin 1). Recidivism is the process whereby there is a tendency to re-lapse into previous criminal behavior; the individual characteristics that influence recidivism includes â€Å"demographic characteristics, prison experience, employment history, education level, criminal record, and substance abuse dependence† (The Heritage Foundation 1). It has been noted that recidivists tend to have a history of crime record which is traceable to their early ages when they were still young (The Heritage Foundation 1). Ex-prisoners have a lower rate of literacy than individuals in the general population, ex-prisoners also face unmet health and mental needs and housing issues due to legislation that bar the ex-convicts (National Crime Prevention Council 1). Some of the housing issues that ex-offenders face include: finding affordable rental housing, maximizing the use of existing housing resources and identifying and eliminating the stigma of ex-offenders in order to receive housi ng from the society (The Heritage Foundation 1).Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It has been noted that families offer very significant support for the individuals who are entering the society from the prisons: â€Å"former prisoners living with their families are less likely to drop out of reentry programs compared to their counterparts who do not live with their families† (The Heritage Foundation 1). Collateral consequences mean legal, social and economic barriers to an individual reentry into his/her society: Although many individuals released from jail leave with the hope of a fresh start, these barriers make it difficult for the individual to integrate into the community and hence the reason why many ex-prisoners go back to jail. (Irwin 1) Elsewhere collateral consequences have been described as: â€Å"Invisible punishments, unseen and often devastating, largely hidden a nd unspoken until it is too late† (National Crime Prevention Council 1). Collateral consequences are indirect consequences of criminal convictions and comprise â€Å"a mixture federal and statutory and regulatory law as well as local policies† (National Crime Prevention Council 1). The second chance act signed into law by president Bush is a response to a glowing crisis in the United States of America faced by ex-prisoners once they are out of jail. It has made significant improvement but a lot needs to be done by community groups, county governments, state governments, church welfare groups and nongovernmental organizations for it to fully succeed and its impact felt in the society. The act recognizes the need for comprehensive and integrated services. It is a benchmark for reentry programs and policies for the federal government to intervene in a growing crisis (The Heritage Foundation 1). The government has made significant funding since the act become law and signif icant impact has been felt where the program has been initiated and in most cases the results from such an initiation has been a great success.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Re-entry collateral consequences on education and housing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It should be noted that, â€Å"the act did expand the federal government’s role in the reentry process by creating grants for states to implement prisoner reentry programs; the Act authorized $330 million for prisoner reentry programs during fiscal years 2009 and 2010† (National Crime Prevention Council 1). More laws have been passed in relations of the reentry: Congress also passed laws that temporarily or permanently disqualified persons convicted of felony and drug related oddness from receiving certain federal welfare benefits and disqualified those convicted of any drug related offences in the country from receiving federal educati onal grants. In addition, congress passed laws declaring individuals and their households ineligible for federal housing assistance if they have been convicted of specified criminal activity. Moreover congress did give local authorities vast discretion to local housing authorities to establish standards regarding criminal records (National Crime Prevention Council 1). System and Policy In this section a reports on an identified system and policy connected with that system that affects incarcerated, former incarcerated and family members is briefly discussed. Montgomery county has come up with policies, program and a system that offers ex-prisoners a second chance. The system and policy at the Montgomery has registered a significant success and therefore will be a good example to study. Re-entry efforts in Montgomery County in Ohio have been a good study for policy and law makers, it is a success story of an effective well managed program. The re-entry task force in the county assemb led an extensive collaborative force of over 200 community leaders from different professions including ex offenders for their valuable insight into the issue and how the community would benefit from their insight (Montgomery County). The re-entry task force accomplished its work through a combination of several work groups including children, families, continuum of care, employment, housing, legal issues and advocacy, pre/post-release services and technical teams. Re-entry programs in Ohio were 246 in 2009 (Montgomery County). The Montgomery county has been providing a variety of specialized rehabilitative services, which include providing common pleas court system that focuses on encouraging ex-offenders to succeed as law abiding citizens without first going to prison, this program seeks to address whatever dysfunction has resulted in the offender committing the crime, other program include residential drug intervention services, education and employment opportunities, specialized supervision of felony, non support cases and community drug intervention and education.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Specialized services include life support that focuses on providing necessary skills that affect positive behavioural changes such as male’s issues group, emergency assistance and alternatives to violence program (Montgomery County 1). Other specialized programs include case management where there is an individual and group contact between offenders and community control officers, others include secure transitional offender program and felony non support court which is a specialized court that was implemented in an effort to ensure payment of court-ordered child support obligations. Stop the violence me is a program designed to educate men on violence, power and control in relationships and empathy for the victim. To ensure that the efforts make some significant achievement, a number of local, non profit agencies are given financial support to assist the re-entry population (Montgomery County 1). Montgomery County has also provided services to ex offenders who are part of Mon tgomery County â€Å"call in sessions†; these sessions offer individuals a chance to turn their lives around and provide services to those who are willing to do so including case management, job training and educational services. A number of community based providers also offer services to ex offenders; the council also assists a few non profit agencies with financial support to assist the re-entry population such as Dayton urban league, action partnership, Salvation Army booth house, mercy manor and volunteers of America (Montgomery County). Solutions as to strengthen various services Re-entry services must be offered in a coordinated fashion, the re-entry system is usually a complex network made up of many interdependent systems. We simply cannot afford to have these various systems and services working in isolation. Hence, all agencies and organizations – both public and private – will need to be engaged in service coordination in order to respond to the many barriers encountered by the ex-offender upon their release into society. Only Complete service integration through a network of community partnerships will be vital in ensuring that these efforts are to be successful in the future and have positive impacts on both the community and ex offender (Montgomery County). Another factor that demonstrates the importance of public-private partnerships is the fact that the government cannot fund this initiative on its own as the government cannot participate everywhere. Many years of experience have shown that with governmental programs of all types, public money eventually dries up. This is true for both governmental funding used to initiate new services as well as governmental funding used to leverage funds from the private sector for the continuation of services. This results in services decreasing and later ceasing to exist. To counteract this occurrence, the community must exhibit a sincere investment in a particular service and bear a s ignificant portion of the necessary funding. It is only through public-private partnerships that sustainability is even a possibility (Montgomery County 1). The Ohio prisons have realized that it may not be possible to always rehabilitate all convicts in the system and have consequently partnered with the Montgomery County to reduce recidivism and bring attention to the state of reentry in Ohio hence the need for increased cooperation (Montgomery County 1). There is a need to increase the number of transitional, supportive, and affordable ex-offender housing opportunities in Montgomery County for high-risk groups (i.e., individuals with sex offenses on their criminal record, mental health disorders, and/or substance dependency) as well as for families and children (Montgomery County 1). It would be wise if an assessment for the needs of each inmate is carried such that the same can be consistently followed upon being released from prison. When possible, applications and steps toward accessing student loans and other financing will take place prior to release so as to aid in education (Montgomery County 1). There should be negotiation with the local housing authority to recommend that families and children are given a preference on the waiting lists. There is also a need to develop supportive housing units that will supply needed services and appropriate transitional housing for up to one year (Irwin 1). Develop a program for ex-offenders to use â€Å"sweat equity† to rehabilitate homes which might otherwise be demolished, similar to the Habitat for Humanity model (Irwin 1). Develop a Housing Locator containing informational materials to be given to ex-offenders before they are released that includes available housing opportunities based upon eligibility criteria, this will lead to former prisoners having shelter and help reduce crime recurrence from such ex-convicts (Irwin 1). A needs assessment must be conducted with each inmate prior to release and it should be incorporated in the Reentry Plan and consistently followed up when the prisoner is released into the community (Irwin 1). It would be significant if courts are given more discretion in determining treatment options and authorizing early discharge from special probation for individuals who make exceptional progress (Irwin 1). Conclusion For there to be successful reentry program and effective policies and systems, there must be effective partnership between the community, ex-prisoners, government, non-profit groups and also inmates themselves to avoid ex-convicts going back to jail. Well implemented reentry programs have helped former prisoners to integrate back to the community and contribute to the growth of the community positively and also become role models for recidivists and prisoners. Works Cited Irwin, John. The Warehouse Prison: Disposal of the New Dangerous Class. NY: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print. Montgomery County. Reentry Report. Montgomery County, 201 1. Web. National Crime prevention council. Prisoner Reentry Presentation. NCPC, 2007. Web. The Heritage Foundation. Secodn Chance Act. The Herotage Foundatio, 2011. Web. https://www.heritage.org/. This essay on Re-entry collateral consequences on education and housing was written and submitted by user Spider-Woman to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Re

Greenwich Mean Time vs. Coordinated Universal Time

Greenwich Mean Time vs. Coordinated Universal Time By the mid-nineteenth century, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) had been established as the primary reference time zone for the British Empire and for much of the world. GMT is based on the line of longitude running through the Greenwich Observatory located in the suburbs of London. GMT, as the mean within its name, would indicate, represented the time zone of a hypothetically average day at Greenwich. GMT disregarded the fluctuations in the normal earth-sun interaction. Thus, noon GMT represented the average noon at Greenwich throughout the year. Over time, time zones became established based on GMT as being x number of hours ahead or behind GMT. Interestingly, the clock began at noon under GMT so noon was represented by zero hours. UTC As more sophisticated time pieces became available to scientists, the need for a new international time standard became apparent. Atomic clocks did not need to keep time based on the average solar time at a particular location because they were very, very accurate. In addition, it became understood that due to the irregularity of the earth and the suns movements, the exact time needed to be modified occasionally through the use of leap seconds. With this precise accuracy of time, UTC was born. UTC, which stands for Coordinated Universal Time in English and Temps universel coordonnà © in French, was abbreviated UTC as a compromise between CUT and TUC in English and French, respectively. UTC, while based on zero degrees longitude, which passes through the Greenwich Observatory, is based on atomic time and includes leap seconds as they are added to our clock every so often. UTC was used beginning in the mid-twentieth century but became the official standard of world time on January 1, 1972. UTC is 24-hour time, which begins at 0:00 at midnight. 12:00 is noon, 13:00 is 1 p.m., 14:00 is 2 p.m. and so on until 23:59, which is 11:59 p.m. Time zones today are a certain number of hours or hours and minutes behind or ahead of UTC. UTC is also known as Zulu time in the world of aviation. When European Summer Time is not in effect, UTC matches the time zone of the United Kingdom. Today, it is most appropriate to use and refer to time based on UTC and not on GMT.

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

Human Resource Management - Essay Example Thus, under management, there exists difference between staff authority and line authority. Line authority offers managers the privilege or power to issue commands or orders to other employees or managers. Line authority establishes subordinate-superior relationship. Thus, managers connect line managers with administering various functions like production or sales which are very important for the survival of a business or industry. Line authority ushers a relationship which is advisory in nature. Line managers have line authority whereas staff managers normally have staff authority. However, staff managers do not have authority down the chain of command. Staff managers always have supportive or advisory functions. However, line managers who give the busiess the biggest headache are the ones who normally meet the business goals but make life traumatic for the business with their idiosyncratic demeanour. These are the persons who are usually blamed for showing an attitude issue: a poor , a bad, a negative attitude. Such idiosyncratic demeanour may result in either diminishing or low productivity, increasing or high error rate thereby resulting in the deteroiration of quality, frequent infringmetn of procedures and rules, lack of cooperationf from subordinate employees or lack of team spirit, poor overall performance of the business, large employee turnover and acute resistance to change in the organisation (McConnell 2010:314). As Boxall and Purcell (2003) rightly said that "here is no such thing as the single HR practice of the firm. It is more accurate to imagine the HR practices of the firm as norms around which there is variation due to the idiosyncratic behaviour of line managers† (as cited in Redman and Wilkinson, 2009), this research essay will make an earnest attempt whether there exists a single HR practice of the business as this will be influenced due to idiosyncratic behaviour of line managers in a major way. â€Å"Line Manager – Definiti on† The front line managers are one who can be accountable for the success or failure of a company and to whom much authority has been delegated for decision making and with whom the CEO is likely to spend less time. Thus , the front line managers may be general managers of sales or R&D department , floor- shop supervisors , general managers of call centres or restaurant chains. Line managers occupy a pivotal position in any organisation as they boost and motivate the morale of the employees who design, manufacture and market the company’s services or products to end consumers. Line managers are like backbone of a company as it is they who administer its execution. CEO of a company is briefed with the current happenings in the company due to the feedback loop given by the line managers . Thus , the line managers are a vital part of CEO team and comprises of senior functional heads , executive team or major investors or customers of the business. CEO should see that the line managers are being given much significance as they comprise a vital group in the management cluster , sharing much of his time by lisentening to them and employing the feedback of their interaction with the line managers to mobilise the whole organisation and

Value of Diversity in the workplace Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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The Spiral Life Cycle Model Information Technology Essay

The Spiral Life Cycle Model Information Technology Essay A spiral model is nothing but a system development life cycle model used in software development project management. Unlike the waterfall model which adopts a more linear approach, the spiral model combines elements of both design and prototyping in stages in an effort The concept and ideology of a spiral life cycle model came into existence in the mid 1980s and was introduced by an American software engineer, Barry Boehm. He penned down his thoughts on the model in his article A Spiral Model of Software Development and Enhancement. Though, this model was not the first model to discuss iterative development; the spiral model proved to be an evident influence on introducing two other software development methodologies, the Model Based Architecture and Software Engineering (MBASE) and Extreme Programming. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/23272870/A-Presentation-On-Using-the-WinWin-Spiral-Model-A Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj_pqDpLJQ0 spiral iterative development Spiral model The spiral model is a software development process combining elements of both design and prototyping-in-stages, in an effort to combine advantages of top-down and bottom-up concepts. Also known as the spiral lifecycle model (or spiral development), it is a systems development method (SDM) used in information technology (IT). This model of development combines the features of the prototyping model and the waterfall model. The spiral model is intended for large, expensive and complicated projects. History The spiral model was defined by Barry Boehm in his 1986 article A Spiral Model of Software Development and Enhancement[1]. This model was not the first model to discuss iterative development. As originally envisioned, the iterations were typically 6 months to 2 years long. Each phase starts with a design goal and ends with the client (who may be internal) reviewing the progress thus far. Analysis and engineering efforts are applied at each phase of the project, with an eye toward the end goal of the project. Steps The steps in the spiral model iteration can be generalized as follows: The system requirements are defined in as much detail as possible. This usually involves interviewing a number of users representing all the external or internal users and other aspects of the existing system. A preliminary design is created for the new system. This phase is the most important part of Spiral Model. In this phase all possible (and available) alternatives, which can help in developing a cost effective project are analyzed and strategies to use them are decided. This phase has been added specially in order to identify and resolve all the possible risks in the project development. If risks indicate any kind of uncertainty in requirements, prototyping may be used to proceed with the available data and find out possible solution in order to deal with the potential changes in the requirements. A first prototype of the new system is constructed from the preliminary design. This is usually a scaled-down system, and represents an approximation of the characteristics of the final product. A second prototype is evolved by a fourfold procedure: evaluating the first prototype in terms of its strengths, weaknesses, and risks; defining the requirements of the second prototype; planning and designing the second prototype; Constructing and testing the second prototype. Applications The spiral model is mostly used in large projects. For smaller projects, the concept of agile software development is becoming a viable alternative. The US military had adopted the spiral model for its Future Combat Systems program. The FCS project was canceled after six years (2003-2009), it had a two year iteration (spiral). The FCS should have resulted in three consecutive prototypes (one prototype per spiral-every two years). It was canceled in May 2009. The spiral model thus may suit small (up to $3 million) software applications and not a complicated ($3 billion) distributed, interoperable, system of systems. Also it is reasonable to use the spiral model in projects where business goals are unstable but the architecture must be realized well enough to provide high loading and stress ability. For example, the Spiral Architecture Driven Development is the spiral based SDLC which shows the possible way how to reduce a risk of non-effective architecture with the help of spiral model in conjunction with the best practices from other models. Spiral Model History The spiral model was defined by Barry Boehm in his 1988 article A Spiral Model of Software Development and Enhancement. This model was not the first model to discuss iterative development, but it was the first model to explain why the iteration matters. As originally envisioned, the iterations were typically 6 months to 2 years long. Each phase starts with a design goal and ends with the client (who may be internal) reviewing the progress thus far. Analysis and engineering efforts are applied at each phase of the project, with an eye toward the end goal of the project. The Spiral Model The spiral model, also known as the spiral lifecycle model, is a systems development method (SDM) used in information technology (IT). This model of development combines the features of the prototyping model and the waterfall model. Thespiral model is intended for large, expensive, and complicated projects. The steps in the spiral model can be generalized as follows: The new system requirements are defined in as much detail as possible. This usually involves interviewing a number of users representing all the external or internal users and other aspects of the existing system. A preliminary design is created for the new system. A first prototype of the new system is constructed from the preliminary design. This is usually a scaled-down system, and represents an approximation of the characteristics of the final product. A second prototype is evolved by a fourfold procedure: (1) evaluating the first prototype in terms of its strengths, weaknesses, and risks; (2) defining the requirements of the second prototype; (3) planning and designing the second prototype; (4) constructing and testing the second prototype. At the customers option, the entire project can be aborted if the risk is deemed too great. Risk factors might involve development cost overruns, operating-cost miscalculation, or any other factor that could, in thecustomers judgment, result in a less-than-satisfactory final product. The existing prototype is evaluated in the same manner as was the previous prototype, and, if necessary, another prototype is developed from it according to the fourfold procedure outlined above. The preceding steps are iterated until the customer is satisfied that the refined prototype represents the final product desired. The final system is constructed, based on the refined prototype. The final system is thoroughly evaluated and tested. Routine maintenance is carried out on a continuing basis to prevent large-scale failures and to minimize downtime. Applications For a typical shrink-wrap application, the spiral model might mean that you have a rough-cut of user elements (without the polished / pretty graphics) as an operable application, add features in phases, and, at some point, add the final graphics. The spiral model is used most often in large projects. For smaller projects, the concept of agile software development is becoming a viable alternative. The US military has adopted the spiral model for its Future Combat Systems program. Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Estimates (i.e. budget, schedule, etc.) become more realistic as work progresses, because important issues are discovered earlier. It is more able to cope with the (nearly inevitable) changes that software development generally entails. Software engineers (who can get restless with protracted design processes) can get their hands in and start working on a project earlier. Disadvantages Highly customized limiting re-usability Applied differently for each application Risk of not meeting budget or schedule Risk of not meeting budget or schedule Spiral Model The spiral model is the most generic of the models. Most life cycle models can be derived as special cases of the spiral model. The spiral uses a risk management approach to software development. Some advantages of the spiral model are: defers elaboration of low risk software elements incorporates prototyping as a risk reduction strategy gives an early focus to reusable software accommodates life-cycle evolution, growth, and requirement changes incorporates software quality objectives into the product focus on early error detection and design flaws sets completion criteria for each project activity to answer the question: How much is enough? uses identical approaches for development and maintenance can be used for hardware-software system development

Social Media and its Influence on our Youth Essay -- Twitter, Facebook,

The correlation between the development of youth and social media has become blatant. Although few of the consequences are favorable, the majority have displayed a negative impact. The drive social media can implement on youth is exceptional. The pressure and strain social media can place on our youth is an enduring force which leads individuals to question themselves as a person and feel inclined to fit a norm expressed in media and social media of our society. The underlying force social media can play in the lives of the youth is astonishing and is a force that must be dealt with and controlled, for it not only holds the power to give an individual strength, but also to break them down. Social media is described as content created and shared by individuals on the web using freely available websites that allow users to create and post their own images, video and text information and then share that with either the entire internet or just a select group of friends (Affilorama, 2012). They are more like a website allowing you to express your daily activities, beliefs, locations, likes, dislikes, photos, music, etc. They are used by creating a profile, and logging in through either the website, or apps now used on smartphones, or any portable device with Wi-Fi connection. Although most social media networks are directed towards adults and young adults, young children are getting into these websites as well. There are usually age limits but there isn’t a certainty that all the users provided their actual age, allowing whoever wants to be a member of these sites to bypass an age limit â€Å"security† procedure. Facebook and MySpace require users to be at le ast 13, but they have no practical way to verify ages, and many young users prete... ...he Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. Retrieved May 14, 2012, from Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/4/800.full Ron, C. (2010). What is the purpose of LinkedIn and how can it help expand business? Retrieved May 15, 2012, from LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/sales/lead-generation/MAR_SLS_LGN/764379-73067709 Thomas, T. (2012). 30 Statistics about Teens and Social Networking. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from Top Ten Reviews: http://facebook-parental-controls-review.toptenreviews.com/30-statistics-about-teens-and-social-networking.html Wikipedia.org (2012). Facebook. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook Wikipedia.org (2012). Twitter. Retrieved 05 11, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter