The Use Of Mobile Devices In Schools

The Use Of Mobile Devices In Schools Most of our classrooms of today do not differ much from those of the 19th century, chalk and talk, as well as desk and texts (Roschelle et al. 2000: 76) are still the primary structure of classroom lessons as they were back then. But yet, as explained by Roschelle et al. (2000), todays curricula, together with societal demands, expects students to learn and know a lot more than previous generations. With time, technology increases rapidly and becomes more ubitquitous. Mobile devices have become an integral part of the 21st century student. From cell phones to mp3 players, digital cameras to mobile tablets. These are their tools that is like extentions to their brain (Prensky 2005: 10) that they use in their everyday lives. Educating students without these tools is like educating a doctor whithout a scalpel. The use of mobile technology to facilitate learning is slowly starting to emerge as an area of its own and refered to as m-learning. This review will be looking at what research has been done in the literature regarding the use and integration of mobile devices in the educational system. Research Topic The chosen research topic is part of an existing research project where Android mobile tablets are distributed to schools with mathematics content on. The purpose of my research will be to evaluate the usefulness of the mobipads in supporting mathematics learning in classrooms. This research topic falls into the broad area of mobile learning (m-learning). Problem Outside of schools, new technology such as mobile devices is changing the way we find information, how we learn and even how we are entertained, but, although our education institutes are aware of these happenings outside of schools, they still prohibit the use of mobile phones and other mobile devices (Squire 2009: 73). It is inevitable that technology, but especially mobile devices, needs to be integrated into the schooling system which leaves us with the question: How can mobile devices be integrated into our learning institues to be perceived useful by both educators and learners? Main Research Question As stated is Section 2, I will be conducting research within an existing project which aims to suggest one way to address the problem as stated in Section 3. My main research question then will be: Are mobile devices such as Android mobile tablets a useful tool to support the learning of mathematics in classrooms? Background Background to Topic Digital natives is what students of today are called according to Prensky (2005: 8), because they grew up and live in the digital world of today (Franklin Peng, 2008: 69). Consequently they are very familier with all types of mobile devices as they use it in their everyday lives in numerous day-to-day activities. When mobile devices (excluding mobile phones) first made their appearance, they were referred to as handheld computers and where merely just stripped down versions of their more complex desktop predecessors (Squire, 2009: 71). Squire (2009) further explains that researchers began to study mobile devices more in depth to find out what makes it unique and how it can be utilized. Anytime/anywhere is the most unique characteristic of mobile devices. Mobile learning (m-learning) is a phenomenon that is rapidly evolving as more and more people rely on their mobile devices to provide them with needed information at any time and any location. According to Chang, Sheu and Chan (2003: 337) m-learning consits of three necessary elements: the mobile learning device; the communication infrastructure and a learning activity. Huang and Lin (2007:585) defines mobile learning as activities in which people use mobile devices such as cellphones, personal digital assistants (PDA), mobile tablets (mobipads), etc. to facilitate learning, studying or teaching of any kind. Ting (2005) goes further by stating that mobile learning is not aimed at replacing the traditional classroom learning system, but it provides an additional way to get learning content and to embed learning into the daily lives of people. Huang Lin (2007) cunducted research in the user acceptance of m-learning. Their reseach findings suggest that individuals perceive m-learning a s omnipresent and easy to use and with the mobility it offers, m-learning is regared as a very useful by students. Mathematics has always been known as a problem subject that students underachieves in and struggles to understand. Rubin (1999: 3) argues that it is due to the fact that mathematics is often viewed as an abstract topic, filled with symbols and invisible concepts. He continues to argue that the lack of dynamic and visual illustrations of the maths concepts, makes it all the more difficult to understand, especially for the 21st century student that is more visual orientated. According to Rubin (1999: 3), technology can help to create dynamic visual images. Franklin and Peng (2008) did just that. They distrubuted iPod Touch mobile devices in an eighth grade math class where the students created math videos to explain difficult math concepts to their fellow students. Some of the students responded by saying that in order to be able to create proper videos, it required them to think harder and longer about the mathematics concepts and that they realized how hard it is to explain maths to others. Swan, van t Hooft and Kratcoski (2005: 100) supports Franklin and Pengs (2008) findings by stating that the use of mobile devices can support personalized and collaborative learning. Swan et al. (2005) provided a sample of students with mobile computing devices to take home with them. Their results shows that these devices were not only used inside the formal environment of school, but also infomrally outside of school boundries to facilitate learning. This can be partly explained by the fact that students having a mobile device in hand feels like second nature to students of the contemporary age, it keeps them busy and entertained. Swan et al. (2005: 100) found that students were more motivated and engaged in more learning activites which resulted in students being more productive. Students using mobile technologies to collaboratively perform problem-solving activities, proves to have a positive influence on their level of understanding of the processes and content (Klopfer, Yoon Rivas 2004: 348). In their research case study, Franklin and Peng (2008: 78) found that using technology even helped special education students to better understand the concepts of the mathematics and kept them interested in the content of the work for longer. As previously discussed, the current generation of students grow up constantly exposed to technology and thus are more technology literate than those students of a decade ago (Swan et al. 2005). Keeping in mind the increasing use of mobile gaming devices and video gaming consoles, Squire (2009) investigated how the use of mobile devices ousite of the school environment impacts learning and education. Squire (2009: 72) argues that although the utilization of mobile devices in formal schooling environments are coming around slowly, there already is a big emerging market for gaming companies to develop games for learning. Nintendos Brain Age product and More Brain Training advertising campaigns and UbiSofts My Spanish Coach is a few examples the Squire (2009:72) mentions were one can see that more gaming companies are developing educational games that facilitates some sort of learning. Squire collaborated with Klopfer in (Klopfer Squire, 2008) to investigate the use of augmented reality (AR) games for learning purposes in educational institutes. AR games were developed on the concept that students are players within virtual worlds that are created by the game based on real worlds, and move around, interact and respond to simulated activities (Squire, 2009: 73). Squire (2009: 73) explains further that while students move through this virtual version of a real world, they get access to news clips, historical photographs and other multimedia data relevant to the specific place they are in within the game. Squire (2008: 73) found that through this kind of learning, students develop a tendency to ask deeper questions in problem-solving situations. More reseach done by Klopfer and Squire (2008: 6) brought to light that there are numerous entertainment and educational applications for mobile devices that only enhances these devices teaching potential. All of these apllications are developed with the chatacteristics of mobile technology in mind that includes portibility, connectivity and individuality. These entertainment and educational application offers features like real-time data on a wide range of subjects, immediate feedback on questions and aswers and facilitation of group work by students. Through the literature, it is becoming evident that educators are starting to believe that they can use the unique facilities that mobile devices offers to keep students engaged and more easily distribute the coursework and content to them (Franklin Peng, 2008: 71). Schools of thinking emerging from literature In the literature it comes across that the general school of thinking falls within an interpretivism paradigm which, according to Oats (2006: 291), is used to understand the social context of something. The use of mobile devices is by itself of social nature because it is used to communicate with others, work collaboratively with others and to entertain. When one studies the use of mobile devices, the use of data gathering methods like interviews, questionnaires and diary studies or journal studies are used were the learners are asked to analyse themselves in terms of their own thought and learning experiences (Pachler et al. 2010: 71) with regards to using these mobile devices. This goes together with observations that the researcher does in the natural environment where the mobile technology are being utilized. This kind of research is usually done over a time period, to be able to get a more holistic view of the specific phenomenon. The case study research strategy allowed Frankli n and Peng (2008) to give an indepth discussion of the utilization of iPod Touch mobile devices in two middle schools. Klopfer and Squire (2008) conducted a series of discriptive case studies to learn what the users experiences were of learning through augmented reality games and found it to be a strategy that gets user data quickly and leeds to a rich and detailed description thereof. They gathered their data through participant observaton, unstructured interviewsTo research the use of mobile tablets in a classroom environment for learning mathematics, I will be following the above school of thinking as I think it is most relevant. Many studies do follow the more scientific methods by making use of experiments that they implement in the field to determine the effect of the implementation of the mobile devices. Scanlon, Jones and Waycot (2005:7) refers to an experiment done on a sample of secondary school students. Each student was given a Pocketbook and were instructed to do a few activites with it. Questionairs served as a pre- and post-intervention measurement. A simmular research structure was followed by Klopfer et al. (2004). Rivera (n.d.) conducted a quasi-experiment with a control group and treatment group to test the effects of integrating technology such as skype to communicate with educators and online interactive white boards for online tutoring sessions. Rivera used the course exams as a measuring instrument as well as the amount of times the students accessed the online help site for the course. Observing the two control groups in their classroom environment and online was another gata gathering me thod that she utilized. Sometimes authors combine different research strategies to best suit their research objectives. Huang and Lin (2007) made use of an online survey as a means of gathering data which they then statistically analysed to be able to prove or disprove hypothesis. When authors follow a more scientific school of thinking, generally the data is statistically analised to answer their research questions and draw conclusions from. Challenges The following are challenges that have been identified by the literature regarding the use of mobile devices for educational purposes in classrooms: Lack of technical support. During their research Franklin and Peng (2008:75) that the need for quality technical support is critical. Challenges that they came accros was the provision of wireless technology without an expert to set it up. Although, the teacher had to contact the principle everytime a website that the students needed to work on, got blocked. It is not uncommon that schools are provided with technology to use in their classrooms, but without the necessary technical support and expertise. This can place a big damper on the idea that technology in classrooms is a fun experience and rather easy to use. The scarcity of recharging stations for the mobile devices. Providing facilities for roughly 40 students per class is a primary challenge (Franklin Peng, 2008: 76) that cannot be avoided when wanting to introduce mobile devices into classrooms. Technology skills of educator. Educators of the classes where the mobile devices are implemented, first needs to develop and learn the necessary technology skills to operate the mobile devices (Franklin Peng, 2008). This will be a challenge especially when the educator is of an older generation that did not necessarily grow up with technology and was not previously exposed to a lot of technology. Roschelle et al. (2000: 90) argues that technology support for teachers is often overlooked easily. The curriculum needs rethinking. Squire (2009: 73) expresses difficulties of trying to integrate the mobile media devices into the traditional schooling structure. Franklin and Peng (2008: 76) argues that presenting subjects like maths visually and with the use of technology, is a foreign concept for most educators in schools. The schools capacity to change. Roschelle et al. (2000: 91) argues the some schools are more reluctant at accepting the use of technology into their classrooms and curriculum. They still view the use of mobile devices for learning as foreign and unknown and therefore prefer to hold on to their current schooling structure. Opportunities The following opportunities for further research in the field of m-learning and mobile devices in education that have been identified by the literature: Huang and Lin (2007: 586) states that not much empirical research has been done on on mobile learning from the perspective of the learner. They argue that m-learning can only be improved if the behaviour, experiences and acceptance of the user of m-learning is studied. According to Squire (2009: 70) there has been little research done on to study and understand the impact of mobile media on learning where the mobile device is used outside of formal structures and in students own time. This is supported by Scanlon et al. (2005: 2) when he identifies that there is a need for research on the learning of science on mobile devices in an informal setting. Roschelle et al. (2000: 76) states that further case study research is needed to identify ways to use mobile technology that will support learning most effectively and the successful implementation thereof. More case study research is needed to investigate and better understand the aspects of peoples daily lives where they use mobile devices (Scanlon et al. 2005) and how m-learning relates to that. The use of mobile devices for educational purposes in classrooms as an m-learning tool offers several advantages and opportunities for the students as well as their society: Students can share the knowledge on the mobile devices with their peers in collaborative activities and with other friends or family at home. This opportunity was revealed when Franklin Peng (2008: 77) saw students sharing their earphones with someone else so both can whatch the educational videos on the iPod Touch. Students are provided with the opportunities of anytime/anywhere learning (Squire 2009: 71). Scanlon et al. (2005: 6) supports this by stating that due to the fact that mobile devices are rather affordable and provide portability, accessibility and immediacy, students can get what they need, when they need it (Staudt Hsi, 1999 In Scanlon et al. 2005: 6) and not be bound by their physical location. Students do not just learn about the subject presented by the mobile device, but they also learn how to use the technology, as some students do not have the technology at home and thus not the opportunity of learning about it otherwise (Franklin Peng 2008). This is valuable to the students development and crucial skills to have in their future. Roschelle et al. (2000: 88) identify a few advantages that doing mathematics on technology devices have for the students: (1) students can explore different ways of solving problems by because they can change and manipulate mathematical notations quickly and then (2) receive immediate feedback on the correctness of their notion and (3) students can make more sence out of the maths contect by either associating mathematical concepts to data from the real world or simulations thereof. Conclusion From the research it is clear that both researcher and educators have noticed the fast growing phenomenon that is m-learning through mobile devices. It is slowly but surely redesigning the chalk talk and desk and texts structure of our classrooms. Numerous studies have been done by researchers, some even collaborated with educators, to examine the presence, effects and uses of mobile devices in schools that facilitate learning in both formal and informal settings. Mobile devices offer some unique opportunities: Learning is no longer dependent on the location of the learner, but rather, anyone with a mobile device and the needed wireless connection can learn anything, anywhere and anytime. Knowledge can be shared a lot easier and promotes collaborative learning. Users of the device do not just learn about the content on it, but also about the technology they are working with. The different uses of mobile devices in peoples everyday lives. Because the use of mobile devices in schools is still relatively new, there are some challenges that were identified through literature: Lack of technical support with problems and queries in the classes where mobile devices are being used. The scarcity of recharging stations for the mobile devices in classrooms. Educators need to develop or update their technology skills before they can facilitate a class where the devices are used. The education curriculum needs to be revised in order to facilitate the use of mobile devices and utilize it to its full potential. Some schools still view the use of mobile devices for learning as foreign and unknown and therefore they are reluctant to change. It is sure that, by time, these challenges will be overcome more easily. Drawn from the research, it can be said with certainty that the use of mobile technology in education institutes is the way of the future, but a lot more research is needed on how to utilize it successfully to provide the youth with quality education that will allow them to strive in the world. By researching the effectiveness of using mobile tablets (mobipads) in classrooms as a tool for learning mathematics, will contribute to the m-learning body of knowledge in a much needed way. Word count: 3160

Compare Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band Essay -- English L

Murder mysteries - Compare Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band. Murder mysteries all have a similar plot consisting of a body, a motive, a weapon, a suspect, an alibi, and detectives. Viewers and readers expect this in the text, Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band are no exception. The structures of the two stories are very different, with The Speckled Band story unfolding in chronological order, finding out the murderer right at the end, however in the Lamb to the Slaughter, the murderer is known at the beginning of the story. The two stories are seen from two different points of view, first-person narrator in The Speckled Band as Dr Watson character within the story and therefore limited in understanding and the all-knowing third-person narrator or omniscient in Lamb to the Slaughter as the narrator stands outside the story itself and guide the reader's understanding of characters and the significance of their story. Most murder mysteries have the typical victims, murderers, and detectives; this is especially true in the older murder mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Speckled Band has a typical detective, the famous detective being Sherlock Holmes with his deer stalker hat and pipe always deep in thought about the investigation "his arms folded, his hat pulled down over his eyes, and his chin sunk upon his breast, buried in the deepest thought". But in the Lamb to the Slaughter the detectives are so foolish and naives, a complete contrast to Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes comes across as a typical fictional detective. In addition Miss Stoner, in The Speckled Band is a typical victim, vulnerable, anxious, weak and scared. She say's " It is not cold which makes me shive... ...ir Arthur Conan Doyle story is set in a period of over 100 years ago. Both of the murders are set in the family home. In the Lamb to the Slaughter, "The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight." "The bedrooms in this wing are on the ground floor, the sitting-rooms being in the central block of the building," describes the house of Dr Roylott in The Speckled Band. From my perspective I think that the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story, The Speckled Band is the most successful out of the two, as the author made the main character, Sherlock Holmes such an intriguing and interesting character, which draws the audience in. He leaves the reader in suspense until the end of the story until the murderer is revealed. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories are so well-know due to the stories being turned into films and shown on the television.

A definition of the values and ethics in sport Essay

Principles A principle is a basic truth, law or policy. Principles are standards that define moral behaviour. A principle in sport might be that the officials teat all equally on the field of play. For example the referee in a rugby match is expected to make decisions on what has happened on the field of play, regardless of who the player is, this illustrates the principle of fair play in sport. In the premier league football it is often though that players ‘get away’ with behaviour that would be deemed unacceptable and against the principle of fair play. Values Values are ideals that form the basis of actions and beliefs. An example of a value in sport is when a player endeavours to play well for the team’s sake and not for his or her own benefit. Foe example, a hockey goalkeeper would put herself at some risk by saving a hard driven shot, this upholds the value of playing for the sake of others. In premier league football a goalkeeper may try very hard to save a shot and risk injury because he is die to gain as an individual in a forthcoming transfer deal. This is not upholding the value of playing for others. Ethics Ethics are rules that dictate a person’s conduct. They form a system of rules that groups and societies are judged on. In sport it is ethical to acknowledge that you have broken the rules of your particular game. For example, a snooker player would tell the referee that he had committed a foul shot even though the referee had not noticed, this shows ethical conduct. In athletics, a runner might take a performance enhancing drug, breaking the rules of competition this is an example of unethical behaviour. The underpinning value of these three definitions is that of fair play and abiding by the rules. Everyone involved at sport at all levels are supposed to encourage ethical considerations that will lead to fair play, it is to be encouraged at all levels of sport and towards all ages of sportsperson but particularly aspiring young athletes. The major underpinning values that are to be taught are:- * Friendship * Respect for others * Playing with a level head and a team spirit * Equal opportunities An explanation as to the importance of ethics and values for sporting organisation and the individuals who participate Individual and group development has a lot to do with the ethics and values that are learnt through life. Ethics and values are important for individuals who take part in sport because sport plays a major role in a lot of peoples lives from an early age. Players and fans that are into sport tend to devote a lot of time and effort to their favourite sport. If you look into the nature of fairplay in sport for some people it leads to their understanding of fairness in a wider social setting, this is because many of our basic values, such as playing fairly are often absorbed through athletic competition because when kids are taught about sports emphasis is often put on playing fair. The underlying importance of this is that if an individual or group do not develop a proper set of ethics and values it will make them and their club look bad. An example is a player like Roy Keane who admitted in his autobiography that he broke a fellow footballer’s leg simply because he wanted to. From this I can understand that Roy Keane did not grow up with the same sort of values that I did. He didn’t get it hammered into him when he was young that breaking someone’s leg isn’t part and parcel of the sport. This also reflects a bad image on the club and if my memory serves me right Manchester United round about that time were considered quite a â€Å"dirty† club. No proud owner of a club really wants their club to be known as an aggressive bunch of cheats. It is nobler to be like Chelsea who last year not only won the Premiership but the fairplay award as well which if you look at it really makes you think â€Å"yeah they are true champions because they won it fairly†. You could argue that they spent 100 million pounds to win the league but they still did it fairly more so than any other team in the land and I and hopefully many other football fans respect them for it. From a strong commitment to ethics and values players can achieve likeability and move onto more successful jobs. An example is Gary Linekar he never received a yellow card in his whole life ans he has since taken over from the legendary Des Lynam as the Match of the Day host. Players with bad reputations that are openly disliked by the majority of fans are unlikely to move onto other limelight jobs when their career over as well as simply being disliked by the general public. When these players careers are over they still have to do the shopping, go out to eat etc. When they go out into the public people are going to have an opinion of them based on the ethics and values that they have shown on the field of play. Who wants to be openly disliked? Clubs have a good public image to gain from having a strong commitment to ethics and values and all good businesses know that a good public image means more money. A consequence of bad ethics and values could be related to athletics. Probably the most talked about ethic in sport is the prohibition of using performance enhancing drugs in athletics. A lot of people do wonder what justifies this prohibition because why shouldn’t athletes, especially competent adult athletes be free to take risks with their bodies? The answer to this comes down to ethics and morals most of us have about sport. This is an important rule because performance enhancing drugs such as steroids have very harmful side effects as well as providing an unfair advantage. It is important that a value such is this is instilled into athletes of all ages because really we would hope that all athletes would want to compete clean not only because they should want to see how good they can become without performance enhancing drugs but hopefully the integrity of the sport should be important to them as well. I remember I myself used to be a big fan of athletics back in the day of Linford Christie and Colin Jackson but over time I began to get tired when my heroes, the people I looked up to got stripped of their gold medals because they had cheated. Incidents like these put me off the sport and I no longer watch it, this is why it is important for individuals and organisations to have a strong set of ethics and values. Children look up to and aspire to be like a lot of the athletes that are on the TV these days and a poor showing of ethics and values by a well known professional sportsperson will surely be taken in and acknowledged as ok by many young athletes. Basically fans want to trust that an athlete’s accomplishments are achieved fairly. Consequences of bad ethics and values are that sportspersons integrity is totally lost, the sports integrity itself will go down and younger athletes may lose faith in wanting to be a professional. Coaches at all levels experience the pleasures of watching young people develop sport skills and contribute to successful teams. However, coaches also have important legal and ethical obligations to their athletes. Coaches need to ensure that a strong set of values are instilled right from the start of those of whom they are coaching playing days. There are a range of ethical responsibilities for a sports coach the most common are > To encourage the development of youth into productive citizens and to develop their abilities and attitudes for further learning and success in life. > To encourage participation and involve as many people as possible in a competitive experience. > All team members, regardless of ability are to be afforded opportunities to develop their work ethic, sense of commitment, and social and athletic skills. > All coaching programmes should seek to educate athletes about community support and encourage them to return that support both now and throughout their lives. > And one of the biggest goals to be taught is that of â€Å"The goal is to win, but to win the correct way, a player should never sacrifice his character for a win† Earlier on I described the consequences of a bad set of ethics for an individual. In my opinion a coach with a bad set ethics is far worse because it is just not him or her who looks bad it is the people he/she is influencing as well. First of the importance of a proper coaching is the influential factor. This doesn’t just apply to children but to adults as well. The problem these days is that winning is everything and some coaches do actually teach that. Various coaches at the top level send their players out to win a match through diving, time wasting and fouling opposition players. So adults can be influenced as well and so can kids who are learning in much the same way that winning is everything. It is imperative that a coach instils values and ethics into a child as early as possible so that they are not so easily swayed into cheating as they get older. This once again helps keeps intact the integrity of the player, the club the play for and the sport. The benefit these players will have are that they can become an upstanding member of the public a role model that players can look up to sort of like a David Beckham figure (bad example). Consequences are that from a young age players are conditioned into thinking that winning is everything and this can spill over into real life. A sports player may cheat on a maths test or lie to get a girlfriend because the values that they learnt through their coaching apply to their real life situations. Coaches need to be a positive role model and penalise unfair play! An example I can remember when this was not done was in the final of the 1999 women’s world cup. The American women’s football team completed regulation and extra time play against china with the score drawn. The championship, viewed through the world by millions of fans, many of them young American girls captivated by the success of the American women, was to be settled by a penalty shootout. The coach had decided one of the Chinese shooters, Liu Ying, lacked confidence so said something to the American goalkeeper, Briana Scurry. When Ying made her move, Scurry took two quick steps forward, in violation of a rule of football, to cut off Ying’s shooting angle. The tactic worked. Scurry deflected Ying’s shot and the Americans won. As for as I’m concerned Scurry acted unfairly and cheated by violating a rule on her coaches advice. It set a bad example to all the aspiring young American women and for me and many other people that watched, the American victory was tainted by unethical behaviour in a deliberate violation of the rules. I see that as a major consequence of bad ethics taught and it is still happening all over the world in other sports such as boxing where fighters have cheated in a multitude of ways through their cornermen. To be honest a lot of the people that cheat in sport through advice of their coaches are remembered only for their win and not for the cheating but there are many people still out their who view these sportspeople and the people that coached them as cheats and they have to live that for the rest of their lives. The main value statements that need to be learnt in order to obtain an NVQ in sport and recreations are that people shouldn’t be discriminated against based on their age, gender, ethnic origin or if they are disabled. The reason that these value statements are in place is because in this day and age there is still a lot of prejudice in the world. Prejudice can’t be afforded in competitive sport or the sports industry. Sport in reality is supposed to be all about enjoyment and achievement and shouldn’t in anyway be anything to do with a disability, age or colour of someone’s skin. The benefits of the individuals who learn these value statements and take them in are that they will influence people to shed their differences and help understand other people’s needs and this will help to draw different types of people together. Basically differences can be buried by sport if people learn these statements then apply them to the sporting organisations they work in. An example is that they could encourage different race teams or mixed age teams or include people with disabilities. Most of the football teams that we support today have a mix of nationalities. The small minority of supporters that are racist tend to support the ethnics in their own team with the same love shown to the people in their team that are the same race’s as them. This shows that sport can bring people together at the highest level which means that it can be filtered down to lower levels like people working in leisure centres or small clubs. With regards to age sport and sports facilities should cater for all ages. Just because someone becomes older does not mean that they lose there ability or desire to play sport. Old people should be valued equally when they go to a leisure centre it’s not that they want to do a swimming lap in twenty seconds they just want to enjoy themselves and be involved. Older people might look old but some don’t feel old and contribute their knowledge and experience to those that are younger. The benefits of understanding the older people in the community are that it open doors and gives opportunities for special events such as swimming for the elderly or special classes. Old people don’t want to feel inferior or isolated and if sporting organisations can help and understand them by arranging and encouraging activities for them to take part in it can only improve the organisations overall/community image. People in the community don’t want to feel ostracised so classes such as Muslim women only classes, women only classes and free for the over 60’s classes have helped participation rates in relation to sporting activities. If all the people that are part of an organisation have a good set of ethics and morals it can only be productive for the organisation. Good examples will be set, participation rates will be met and the bank balance should show a good profit. The more types of people that are mentioned in the value statements taking part in sporting organisations can only lead to good publicity for the organisation. The consequences of an organisation not having a good set of ethics and values can be quite severe. There could be legal complications if disabled facilities are not available and possibly if there are not enough people from ethnic origins not taking part. Organisations such as leisure centre’s could lose out on financial gains and suffer loses that could lead to a cut in jobs or the leisure centre losing its contract and being taken over or shut down. As well as that with poor ethics and values there will be no community spirit regarding the sporting organisation because if it does not cater for all the surrounding people it cannot expect to be successful. Successful businesses that have made it have done so due to the fact that they catered for the elderly, disabled etc. Manchester United offer reduced rates for the elderly and disabled and this gives them a good image which is paramount for a big sporting organisation that is in the limelight. Another consequence is that the general health of a community may declines. If the staff at an organisation are showing a lack of morals and values people may not attend which means that they are not getting the exercise that they need and this is particularly important in the elderly. For a lot of people working in sporting organisations they have to realise that the public is the main reason for their existence thus they have to be treated with some respect. If an organisation wants the public to have a good attitude towards them then they have to make sure that all their staff have people skills and a high degree of customer service skills. Employees in sports organisations have very important roles to play because they are on the front lines representing the organisations that they are working for. They need to set good examples and encourage ethics and values in every aspect of their job. If they don’t it leads to customer complaints as well as tainting the image of whomever they are working for. On the management’s side, they need to make sure that they instil good customer service ethics among employees and thus create a people-focused culture. They also have to take a more serious attitude to customers’ complaints and in rewarding those employees who display positive attitudes towards customers. Setting examples at the highest level will hopefully filter down examples to the lower levels staff who won’t want to break the rules and then they should pass on these same examples to the customers they are serving. Once again this leads to increased participation rates, the business should make more money and have a decent public image. Employers and Employees have other important issues to consider such as providing high and health and safety standards. The importance of Health and safety in sporting organisations such as Leisure centres/gyms cannot be over-emphasised. This applies to employers, who must satisfy legislative requirements and employees, who work with hazardous substances. Consumers too are increasingly interested in knowing about the possible dangers of substances used in leisure centres including those that are added to their food. The public and employees stand to benefit from improved safety because effective health and safety management clearly helps reduce accidents. Obviously the less accidents there are the higher the reputation of the leisure centre/gym. A leisure centre/gym is all about reputation especially when there are so many rivals around. Health and Safety at work benefits:- Well-being at work Safety at work Quality of life Motivation Less injury or sickness Job security Good moral Low turnover Increased productivity Lower insurance premiums Increased reputation

The Story Of Beowulf - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 999 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/05/08 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Beowulf Essay Did you like this example? The story of Beowulf is old and prehistoric, telling about three battles between Beowulf and several bad mythical creatures. These creatures were ruthless killers who killed just for the thrill of killing. Beowulf was a courageous and brave hero warrior who came in and saved Herot from Grendel, Grendels mother, and the dragon. Beowulf represents the original super hero from back in Anglo-Saxon England. He is the hero that created a gap between good and evil. In the poem Beowulf, the first battle Beowulf encounters is with Grendel. He is an epic hero because he is brave and fearless. He is willing to do what the other men are afraid of because he knows if he does not step up and fight the evil, then no one else is going to stand up and do it. He goes into the first fight with a lot of confidence. Beowulf takes down Grendel with ease, but he does not realize what nightmare he has walked into. Like most early peoples, the Anglo-Saxons liked their heroes larger than life. Beowulf surely filled the bill. Not only was he extraordinarily courageous and loyal, but he possessed physical strength far beyond that of other men (Damon, 1). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Story Of Beowulf" essay for you Create order The second battle he has to deal with is focused on Grendels mother. Beowulf thinks that since Grendel was easy to take out that she will be even easier, but she is already very upset about the loss of her son. Beowulf encounters a new problem about supernatural forms when he breaks his sword on Grendels mothers scales. This confused him because now he has to deal with a type of form that he is not familiar with. This set back pushes Beowulf to use all the strength he is capable of. He weakens her, and this gives him the advantage he was looking for in this battle. Only Beowulf dared to dive into the murky water. Down he swam, a full days journey through swarms of sea creatures (Geiger 1). The third and final battle is between Beowulf and the dragon. The dragons supernatural form is way stronger than Beowulf. Because Beowulf has gained age and a slower reaction time this would be the most challenging battle for him. Beowulf goes into this battle with the belief that fate is on his side. Little did he know, this would be the battle that ended him. The dragon fatally wounds him. His men, with the exception of one, run in fear instead of coming to Beowulfs aid and killing the dragon. Wiglaf, the only warrior that stays behind, comes to Beowulfs rescue to fight the dragon. Beowulf shows his bravery in this last fight because before he died he gave his everything to hold the dragon off and prevent the dragon from killing him, his men, and the rest of the people. Beowulfs assumption of an idealized feminine role by becoming a peacemaker between the Geats and the Danes; Role of women in the life of Beowulf (Morey 1). Though it is a make believe story, many historians have been interested in Beowulf for over two hundred years. It is unknown as to who wrote it, where it was written, or when it was written. Beowulf is an epic poem of 3,182 lines which was written in Old English. This poem was written down by the monks somewhere between the tenth and twelth It is thought to be one of the oldest poems to survive the Anglo Saxon time period. Many historians believe that it is the most important works of Old English Literature. Beowulf is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf who is a warrior of the Geats, travels to help Hrothgar, who is king of the Danes, in Herot with his army and aids in the slaying of three beasts. Hrothgars mead hall has been invaded by Grendel, the mythological beast. Beowulf defeats the beats and, his mother comes to Herot seeking revenge for her sons death. The final defeat of Beowulf is in his battle against the dragon who wounds him fatally, and he reaches his death. Once Beowulf is dead, his warriors took him to Geatland to be buried. Society was divided into three classes. At the highest were the thanes, the Saxon social class. They enjoyed looking and banqueting and that they were expected to offer their followers gifts like weapons. Below them were the churls. Some churls were reasonably well off. Others were very poor. However at least they were free. Below them were a category of slaves referred to as thralls. Their lives were very hard. Some churls owned their own land however several rented land from a thane. They paid rent by functioning on the thanes land for a part of the week and by giving him part of their crops. The Anglo Saxons conjointly gave America the most English place names. Anglo Saxon name endings include: ham, a village or estate, tun, which is a farm or estate, hurst, a wooded hill and bury, which is derived from the Anglo Saxon word burh, meaning fortress or fortified settlement. The Anglo Saxons called groups of Roman buildings a caester. In time that world evolved into the place name ending chester, caster or cester. Almost all of them lived in little villages several had but a hundred inhabitants. Each village was mainly self sufficient. The folks required solely a couple of things from outside like salt and iron. They grew their own food and created their own garments. Beowulf is an Anglo Saxon piece of literature about a Pagan warrior who is trying to kill the monster Grendel and also ends up fighting with Grendels mother and then with a dragon to try to save his life he has to have help with the dragon. This poem is probably one of the most unique poems that exist in the world. The Anglo Saxon culture and history is very interesting and mind boggling to think about everything they had to go through in their everyday lives.