Integrating Technology in the Language Arts Classroom Essay -- Teaching

Integrating Technology in the Language Arts Classroom School leaders today are under extreme pressure to improve student achievement levels. Yet, in the face of tight budgets, threats to cut extra-curricular activities, and an extensive shortage of textbooks in the schools, exactly what are teachers supposed to do to ensure that â€Å"no child is really left behind.† Despite what looks like a dead end, there is hope. By integrating the usage of technology in the Language Arts classroom, students are presented with a wide range of opportunities for improving in writing, literacy, and cultural awareness. According to the article, â€Å"Are we there yet?† a survey issued by the National School Boards Foundation says that many schools nationwide have made great progress in connecting classrooms to the Internet. Yet, this is not exactly enough. Today, the focus must be on integrating this technology as an integral tool for instruction and administration, not as just an extra â€Å"if-time† activity. By doing this, the core educational priorities that are set by the federal, state, and local governments will match the goals, interests, and objectives of students in diverse learning communities. In addition to this, the usage of technology is viewed by parents to have a positive impact in children’s lives. Although parents understand that there are dangers associated with the Internet, they mostly believe that the positive implications for it are much stronger. For school leaders, however, the correct installments of filters, firewalls, and honor codes are the only p rotections that they have against providing students with more positive than negative images. Having said all of this, what are technologies implications for improving the La... ...thers, they will develop a more complete sense of themselves and the world around them at the same time. In conclusion, technology in the Language Arts classrooms will provide students and teachers with a wide array of opportunities and options for broadening instruction and assessments. Increased usage of technology will act as a supplement for traditional instruction, and thus strengthen the effect that it will have in the lives of students everywhere. Therefore, where there are tight budgets, and shortage in textbooks, the usage of technology gives communities hope and a stronger belief that no child will be left behind. Works Cited â€Å"Are we there yet?† http://www.nsbf.org/thereyet/fulltext.htm â€Å"A Friend for the Language Arts.†www.electronic-school.com/0198f4.html â€Å"Using Virtual Learning Space to Promote Multiculturalism† http://www.techlearning.com

Marxism in “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti Essay

How is Marxism presented as a metaphor in Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘Goblin Market’? In Goblin Market, Rossetti presents Marxism as a metaphor through a number of different characters and through the language used. It could be argued that in the poem there is this idea that consumerism is bad, and that we are never satisfied with what we have which is essentially the theory behind Marxist views. An example of this in the poem is that once Laura has had a taste of the fruit she immediately wants more. This is shown in Laura â€Å"in an absent dream†¦longing for the night†. Laura is just wasting away waiting for the night to come so she can hear the goblins cry yet again. The use of the word ‘longing’ could be used as a metaphor for the desire and addiction involved in consumer consumption in the economy as a whole. Another way by which Rossetti presents Marxism through metaphor is through the goblins. The goblins could represent business men and therefore be a metaphor for the greed and gluttony in capitalistic society, who tricks people into buying their products. For example when it says â€Å"brother to sly brother† it is as if the goblins have spotted a vulnerable customer who they know they can persuade to buy their produce. Rossetti’s use of the word ‘sly’ infers that the goblins are devious and deceitful in their transaction of the goods, which suggests the greed associated with capitalism through a Marxist opinion. It could therefore be argued that, even though money is the central medium for business, in ‘Goblin Market’ the real value is in the greed and the experience. The golden lock of hair given to the goblins could represent this method of trade however. The â€Å"Goblin men† Are a metaphor for capitalism, and the exploitation of women by these capitalists. The Goblin men want her to buy their fruit, which could be seen as a metaphor for consumerism. On the other hand, it could also be suggested that this metaphor is for the capitalist system as a whole. To get this fruit Laura has to sell her body, and purity, represented by the hair that she sells to the goblin men. Look at this passage in particular. With the help of Marxist criticism we can make the argument that Rossetti was influenced by her contemporary society. As mentioned earlier, every society must – according to Marxism – pass through three stages in order to develop. The third stage of society’s development, the bourgeois society, is a society where all means of production is controlled by one class in society and can therefore be interpreted as the Victorian society and its relationship with the British colonies during this time. The goblins in this poem could therefore be said to represent the controlling force in the economy. The study of the fruits that the goblin men sell through a Marxist perspective is a very important part of the analysis of ‘Goblin Market’. When considering the items offered to the two girls, certain properties of the fruits are particularly interesting. The fruits are described by the author as tempting, sweet-tasting and luscious-looking. They are also exotic and not the kind of fruits which are grown in the typical British climate and nature which presents them as very idealistic. These idyllic fruits could therefore be argued to be a metaphor for the appeal of the capitalist regime and the presentation of propaganda through consumer products – which draws a parallel to the way in which the fruits are presented as â€Å"sweeter than honey† and â€Å"clearer than water† which both have connotations of natural purity and fairness. By using these exotic fruits as the bait with which to trap the innocent girls, the reader gets the feeling that the goblin men have travelled around the world in order to collect and sell the fruit. The selling and consuming of this fruit can therefore be interpreted as the conquering and exploitation of the British colonies all over the world. The structure of ‘Goblin Market’ could be seen to represent Marxism through the use of enjambment and the visual appearance of the poem, due to it being an evenly laid out piece of writing. This is because Marxism was the basis for communism which tends towards fairness and even structure in society which is reflected in the structure of the poem. For example, the lengths of the stanzas are all similar. On the other hand, another interpretation of the structure could be that it lends itself to a reading of â€Å"Goblin Market† as a Christian allegory of temptation, fall, and redemption, and some  critics have contended that this is the main purpose of the tale. In conclusion, the Marxist viewpoint in Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘Goblin Market’ is presented through metaphor. These metaphors take various shapes in the characters and the structure of the poem, as well as the use of language to insinuate the corruption involved in a capitalist societal structure.

Rebutting Arguments to Legalize Euthanasia or Assisted...

Rebutting Arguments to Legalize Euthanasia or Assisted Suicide This essay focuses on several of the most common arguments in favor of the legalization of euthanasia or assisted suicide - and rebuts them. The language is simple, or, as they say, in laymans terms so as to be easily understandable. The sources are from professional journals, internet websites, and news outlets. The first common argument favoring euthanasia or assisted suicide is this: Since euthanasia and assisted suicide take place anyway, isnt it better to legalize them so theyll be practiced under careful guidelines and so that doctors will have to report these activities? That sounds good but it doesnt work. Physicians who do not follow the†¦show more content†¦According to the third annual report issued by OHD, physicians were present at only 52% of reported deaths.(Oregon Feb.21) In the Netherlands, prior to enactment of the 2001 law, physicians were assured that they would not be prosecuted for euthanasia or assisted suicide as long as they followed guidelines and filed a report after the patients death. However, official surveys of Dutch doctors, in which physicians were granted both immunity and anonymity, revealed that only 41% of euthanasia and assisted suicide deaths were reported.(Van) Cases which failed to meet practice guidelines were most likely to go unreported.(Id. 1710) Another popular argument in favor of legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide is this: Isnt euthanasia or assisted suicide sometimes the only way to relieve excruciating pain? Quite the contrary. Euthanasia activists exploit the natural fear people have of suffering and dying. They often claim that, without euthanasia or assisted suicide, people will be forced to endure unbearable pain: During a radio debate, T. Patrick Hill (who was then an official of Choice in Dying and currently serves on the board of directors of the New York Citizens Committee on Health CareShow MoreRelatedThe Concept and Origin of the Assisted Suicide Movement3079 Words   |  12 PagesOne of the most contentious issues in the entire field of healthcare and end-of-life care is the notion of assisted suicide, wherein the individual who wishes to end his or her own life is assisted by someone else, usually a physician. As Werner (2005, p. 135) notes, straightforward answers to the difficult questions concerning the issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide are not yet available, but one can at least have a more robust conception of the issues history, which in turn allows one