American Literacy in the Age of Information Essay Example for Free

American Literacy in the Age of Information Essay The age of information is demonstrated by the development of technology. The American culture has adopted and adapted to a new practice of transmitting and accepting information. Although the age of information presents an outlet for creative expression and exploration, American literacy is in a transitional period because technology is constantly changing and the unlimited amount of capabilities and influence that technology has upon education and communication are significant and since technology is still in the process of development it raises concerns about privacy acts and ethical issues. While this new era enables the opportunity to send and receive information so quickly and efficiently, the new digital age of information requires being educated and knowledgeable about information technology in order to achieve success. Information technology is a term that may be described in many ways but ultimately, information technology (IT) is considered a general term applied to all computer- based technologies of human communications (Information Technology, 2006). Literacy of this time may be simply defined as â€Å"basic competence in reading and writing† (Literacy, 2006). The World Wide Web offers opportunities of unlimited information that could be accessed from anywhere at any time as long as there is internet connection. The freedom to explore and express has two outcomes- to progress society or decline society. Technology has major influences in all trades of the world, but it starts with education. â€Å"Technological education can provide students with a wealth of information and knowledge, which they can then use in the future to pursue related career or simply as a subject of interest and intrigue† (Importance of Technology in Schools, 2009). Creativity and encouragement for young minds to explore all the possibilities produces more productive adults. The introduction of the internet is obviously a worldwide phenomenon. Although this phenomenon provides unlimited access to any genre of information, it may not be true. Educating students on how to productively search for information and how to evaluate credible material makes all of the difference. Furthermore, American literacy is in the process of transition that is constantly improving education and communication. Each individual has different learning capabilities separating themselves from others. The traditional ways of reading and writing with books and pens and paper are updated. It is now made much more convenient, just at a touch! The ability of modern technology provides education for students and adults with special needs that a regular education cannot meet. â€Å"Despite the lack of data showing that technology has a tremendous effect in the classroom; teachers have found that using technology may help address students’ specific learning needs. Charles MacArthur, a special education professor at the University of Delaware, explains that students who have learning disabilities, including dyslexia, typically need help with transcription processes to produce text, spell, and punctuate correctly. However, any students having trouble with writing fluency can benefit from teachers integrating technology into the classroom. And sometimes tried-and-true technology works the best† (Allen, 2008). Addressing students special needs are vital because it encourages and guides them to reach their full potential. The world of technology created an opportunity for special needs students to learn and communicate just as well as independent students. Have you ever wondered what the world would be like without communication? The basic method of communication such as telegraphy advanced to â€Å"snail mail† and it is now at the stage of texting and emailing. Technology is used as a tool in various approaches and may be beneficial or harmful. Finally, the freedom of the new age of information is limitless which raises concerns about privacy laws and ethical issues. With the good, comes the bad. It seems as though there is no way around it. As beneficial as technology is, issues of ethics and privacy concerns Americans who are violated of their personal information. The conveniences of being able to shop, pay bills, create and maintain online accounts online leaves vulnerability to identity thefts and fraud. A USA report suggest that although many Americans acknowledge the potential benefits of being able to interact with government online, similar proportions of the population express concerns about the privacy and security of their personal information submitted through government websites (The New E-Governement equation, 2003). Regulating the internet is going to be a battle. The freedom to explore quality in the truth is a personal right. Criminals and violators will constantly prey on their victims. The resolution lies within the future, but the solution starts with each individual protecting their own identity and prevents fraud and theft. The age of information provides an outlet to send and receive information quickly and efficiently. It is important for students to correctly learn how to utilize the web to enhance their creative expression and information technology comprehension. Education and knowledge is the most powerful took to use when conducting anything. Technology is only progressing and dominating the world. American literacy could not be described as more or less in today’s society but rather enhanced and evolved into normalcy. References: * Education Update:Leveraging Technology to Improve Literacy:Leveraging Technology to Improve Literacy. (2008). Membership, policy, and professional development for educators – ASCD. Retrieved 2012, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education- * Excellence in Government – Home | Online Registration by Cvent. (2003). Retrieved 2012, from http://www.excelgov.org/usermedia/images/uploads/PDFs/egovpoll2003.pdf * Importance of technology in schools | Centre for Education in Science & Technology. (2009).Centre for Education in Science & Technology. Retrieved 2012, from http://www.cest.org.uk/importance-of-technology-in-schools/ * literacy. (2006). In Collins Dictionary of Sociology.

Describe the contributions of 'psychoanalytic theory' to film theory Essay

Describe the contributions of 'psychoanalytic theory' to film theory and visual culture in general. Be sure to discuss the effect of 'pleasure' and the 'gaze' i - Essay Example Psychoanalytic thought pointed to early films of the 1940s as examples, and stated that some of these films were aimed at particular groups of viewers/spectators, in this case women as the films of this era have become known as a genre of "women's films". The subject of women in these films was considered to provide real world women with an ideal subject in that they were the perfect spectator regardless of the meaning delivered by the film. Also the work of Foucault has been drawn upon to empahsise the use of institutional power to normalize the gaze. For example, how things are understood by a person is influenced by the society and institutions in which that person is embedded, as these social norms are presented within the visual images used by that society. In this way, visual culture becomes a body of knowledge that defines and limits what can be said about sexuality and gender relations as well as the identification of self. He considered issues of power and knowledge to be a cooperative state, not a coercive one, so that the maintenance of a dominant gendered, (i.e., male) over a subordinate one (i.e., female) was dependant on the acceptance of each gender as to the social norms that dictate such states. He considered docile bodies as presented on photographic film as conforming to the social norms of the ideal body and sexuality. Metz (1970) has characterised spectatorship as the process of the viewer suspending their disbelief of a fantasy on film and identifying with particular characters presented through the film. Especially, the spectator identifies with the underlying ideology of the film by way of identifying with the structure and visual points of view present within the film. The process of spectatorship initiates fantasy structures that are housed within the unconscious; for example, how to be the ideal woman, or to have the ideal marriage.In this way psychoanalytic theory described human functioning as a process of suppressing unconscious desires, fears and particular memories so as to maintain a socially acceptable lifestyle. In contrast to Lacan's later theories, Freud advocated that the unconscious was a phenomenon that existed within each individual and that drove current behaviours. The idea of the unconscious had a dramatic effect on how academics, philosophers and human psychology theorists approached the human psych. The reality of an unconscious deconstructed a humanist ideal that existed about the self at this time. Freud anticipated that making the knowledge of the unconscious conscious within each person that repression of desires and memories would be reduced, and so too experiences of neurosis which were seen to arise from repression. He emphasized that the "id" or unconscious would be the predominant response to life circumstances if repressed, and so replace the "I" or consciousness and self-identity. He summed this in his famous quote "Where It was, shall I be". In this sense the overall goal of Freud's psychoanalytic approach was to strengthen the "I" and to maintain a conscious and rational identity within people that could be more powerful than the unconscious.Later theories of Jaques Lancan (1978) and subjectivity, investigated film analysis of the 1970s. As such, the gaze was seen as representing a view of language and the language structures used in co mmunication that in turn reinforce culturally-bound experiences of subjectivity. Positional gazes refer to viewing

The main factors affecting the quality of the external audit in the UK Dissertation

The main factors affecting the quality of the external audit in the UK - Dissertation Example This therefore requires an improvement in the quality of the external audit and how it can be improved in order to ensure that the external audit could help to safeguard the interests of different stakeholders. This topic is important in the sense that it can help to identify, within specific context of UK, some of the factors which can contribute towards improving the quality of the audit. Investors and shareholders can be more assured about the overall credibility of the audit and what factors they can look into when assessing the overall quality of the audited financials. Researcher aims to explore the overall nature and the extent of factors affecting the quality of the external audit. On a broader level, this research study will explore different concepts related with the quality of the audit, identification of different methods which are used to improve the quality of external audit as well as the quality and nature of the impact of such factors on the overall quality of the ex ternal audit in UK. ... (Causholli & Knechel, 2009) As such when a conflict of interest arises between agent and the principal, agents may take actions which may not be entirely in the best interests of the principals. In order to narrow that gap, a financial reporting mechanism is prepared which is duly supported by the independent external auditors to ensure that the financial reporting made by the management is free from errors and frauds. The overall concept of audit quality therefore is linked with how well the function of external audit is successful in highlighting and detecting material errors in the financial statements while at the same time reduce the information asymmetry between the shareholders and management of the firm. Underlying the concept of external audit is also the reduction of the information asymmetry between the shareholders and the management of the firm. Preparation of financial statements is one of the key functions management has to perform in order to inform the shareholders a nd other stakeholders about the overall performance of the firm during given period of time. As such, it is through the financial statements that the management informs the shareholders regarding the overall quality and effectiveness of the management as the same has to translate into better financial position and profitability for the firm. Reducing the information asymmetry therefore can further improve the credibility of the financial statements but also provide a third party endorsement that the financial statements are prepared in true and fair nature. The concept of Audit quality and factors affecting it Audit quality is one of the much