Acount of patient Essay Example for Free

Acount of patient Essay The experience of reflection as a implement for understanding in workplace education, can allow the student to problem solve in practice. By exploring the persons own unique circumstances and past experience they can, in order to learn, bear in mind past beliefs and recollections as a basis to accomplish a desired learning result. (Rolfe, 1998). Taylor (2000) suggests that, to reflect on action from an event, we must recollect our thoughts and memories. That is when we must use the faculty of contemplation, meditation and consideration, which permits us to realise the insight of our past experiences and thoughts, in order to adapt our behaviour, should we encounter similar related incidents in the future. Introduction This reflective case study has been written using the Gibbs (1998) model of reflective writing. Confidentiality has been preserved throughout in accordance with the Health Professions Council (HPC) Code of Professional Conduct (HPC, 2002) and I have chosen the pseudonym of Joyce Charles for my patient. Although this was the first week of my second placement in general practice this was the first time that we had met, therefore, I introduced myself and made clear at the practice and explaining that I was a Paramedic undergoing further training to become an Emergency Care Practitioner (ECP) (as described by Silverman et al 1999). Joyce gave me verbal consent (Department of Health 2001) to take part in her consultation and treatment. Description The rationale for reflection in relation in to this topic is to understand the difference in todays standards and how important the Health Care Professionals role will impact in providing care for patients suffering chronic disease. Joyce had returned to the surgery following a glucose tolerance test, for diabetes, she was a 43 year old clinically obese female. The previous week  she was seen by the Doctor as she had some sores that were not healing properly. Joyce was asked to return to see the diabetic nurse at the surgery clinic to obtain her results and ask any questions, that arose. I was invited to work along side Faith, who was one of the nurse practioners assigned to the Surgery and she would take the main lead in the consultation. Although part-time, one of her many roles, was to facilitate the diabetic clinic, with lots of experience, she was willing to share a considerable amount of her medical wisdom. Kadushin (1992) suggests that primary components of clinical supervision should be about education, support and management. Being a practice nurse in the village surgery she had implemented many of the National Service Frameworks (NSFs) and Integrated Care Pathways (ICPs) enabling the practice to initiate Government targets in promoting healthcare to the community. My role in this consultation was to obtain a full history (appendix 1) (Hatton and Blackwood) and to lead the health promotion conversation and to give general health information and diet and lifestyle. Feelings Joyce was going to be given the news that she had Type 2 diabetes and after a few minutes she asked a number of questions and as she did so, her voice started to waiver and she clearly was quite shocked at this news. She had tears welling up in her eyes, then burst into tears. This outburst of emotion overwhelmed and surprised me, however the nurse was also a trained counsellor and was very supportive and sympathetic in her manner. I was now quite worried that I would become too focused in this one area of her emotion. Benner (1984) indicates that one of the exceptional attributes of expert nurses is that they spend a great deal of their nursing time thinking about the future course of a patient, anticipating what obstacles might occur and what they would do about them. I always seem to lose my confidence and train of thought as a result of being watched, probably fear of being criticised in a non conducive manner. Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1977) note that as long as the beginner is following the rules, his/him performance will be halting, rigid and mediocre. Whist I was attending one of my first lectures, I was advised to use the acronym LEAPS which is a way of effectively conducting a consultation by listening, empathizing, asking questions, paraphrasing and summarising. Techniques like this enables practitioners who are at the beginning of their new roles, a foundation on which to build the consultation, leading to confidence, which I hoped would be communicated to Joyce. I did feel a degree of consternation when I started talking about diet, as Joyce had a body mass index of 39, which is just one below the morbid obese level (Simon et al 2002) and she appeared embarrassed and visibly upset. I managed to answer her questions concerning her condition, and how it would affect her daily life, such as could she still drive, would she have to have injections every day, and she has a holiday abroad, could she still go. Once she had the information, Joyce, seemed to relax and manage to retain some of this information, this assisted to make me more relaxed too, as I felt that at least this part of the consultation was being received well. Evaluation Even though Joyce was upset, I was very pleased to have the occasion to play an important function in the explanation to Joyce that she had a Long Term Condition (LTC) and that I was asked to provide the most significant features of managing the condition, diet and lifestyle information. The discussion was well planned and undertaken in way that was both sensitive and constructive and make sure that Joyce was given appropriate health and lifestyle information and had the chance to share in the decision-making processes regarding the long-term management of her condition. Sonkensen et al (1986) stated that unfortunately, most diabetic education is centred around the time of diagnosis. This is the time when the patient is least receptive and is unable to comprehend what is being said. Therefore, I asked Joyce to make a further appointment with the dietician, who would address any deeper problems. I had already gathered a small amount printed leaflets and provided some website addresses with appropriate information. This was to ensure that when Joyce left the surgery she would be able to  find information on her condition, when she felt that she would need it. The level of planning that had taken place before the consultation began was very good and met the patients needs of, honesty, attention, time allowed for questions and the use of clear language as described Mueller (2002) in his recent paper on this subject. These factors are essential in ensuring that the patient accepts their chronic condition early, this ensures that long-term management can begin, and the patient can begin the long process of learning to live with their condition. Analysis Two main areas emerged during the history taking, the psychological factors of obesity and the affects of obesity on diabetes, and the recognition that there was a history of depression. Depression is not generally listed as a complication of diabetes. However, it can be one of the most common and dangerous complications. The rate of depression in diabetics is much higher than in the general population. Diabetics with major depression have a very high rate of recurrent depressive episodes within the following five years. (Lustman et al 1977) A depressed person may not have the energy or motivation to maintain good diabetic management. Depression is frequently associated with unhealthy appetite changes. Before Joyces situation can be considered it is clear that the underlying depression as well as the diabetes needs are met in the her treatment plan. Failure to do so would prevent us from achieving our first goal of weight reduction. Obesity may be called the modern living disease and is an associated condition to many long term health conditions such as coronary heart disease, kidney failure, cancer and diabetes. Over the last 25 years, the level of obesity in the UK has grown by over 400 % (House of Commons Health Committee 2004). A huge amount of research is underway across the world to try to understand the causes of this obesity explosion. Most people who are obese are not aware of why they overeat, how much they eat, or how frequently they eat (Bellack, 2000). Joyce had been overweight since her teenage years and as a result, had been teased and bullied, this may have been a prelude to her initial depression too. Nutrition education is an  integral part of all behavioural approaches to weight control. Bellack (2000) also indicated that patients must have the relevant information to use in understanding and structuring their dietary practices and in assessing the potential effects of behaviour change. I had advised Joyce of the adverse effects of quick weight loss and fad diets, so it was important for her to seek further advice from the dietician. The Nurse Practitioner was an advocate of the Health Action Model (HAM) which was devised by Tones () and it emphasises the importance of self-esteem on behaviour. This model identifies a variety of physiological, social and environmental influences which research and practice have shown to be imperative. Using this model has help Faith to achieve desirable behaviour changes in all areas of LTC patients under her care, and Joyce would benefit from this experience, eventually when Joyce had settled into the realisation of her newly diagnosed condition. It is clear that to prevent an ever-increasing burden on an already stretched healthcare budget that primary care will play a vital role in the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Diabetes is already costing the UK in excess of 9% of the entire healthcare budget and this is predicted to rise over the next 25 years to a level around 25% (House of Commons Health Committee 2004). The NHS is committed to developing a range or strategies to reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes developing in the population. This is enshrined in standard 1 of the National Service Framework: Diabetes (2001). This Standard looks at the key interventions increasing and promoting physical activity and by increasing the amount of training and education available to health professionals on the interventions that are effective in preventing and managing obesity. When analysing the entire case it is clear that Joyce was Identified as an at risk patient at an early stage and that the required diagnostic tests where carried out without any delay. Once a diagnosis was made, a planned and structured approach was used to convey this to Joyce in an honest, sensitive and understandable way. Information was made available to Joyce as well as providing addresses for her to source her own information. In consultation with Joyce, a follow up regime was designed that suitable for her needs as  well as adaptable for the future. On reflection, I feel that this case was dealt with in a highly successful manor. As with all chronic conditions it is imperative that Joyce understands her unique care pathway, that will, with her compliance support and aid her to lack of complications in her future years. Conclusion I can summarise my reflections on Joyces case as follows. Before breaking news about a chronic disease or life threatening illness careful thought should be given to planning. This should follow close as possible the SPIKES (Baile 2000) model of breaking bad news, which advocates that setting up the correct environment, being prepared to deal with the patients emotions and having a strategy and plan prepared to manage the patients condition are fundamentally essential. To prevent the healthcare costs of the nation spiralling out of control over the next few years, in conjunction with chronic disease health surveillance and health promotion under the guidance of the NSFs and Nice guidelines will demonstrate a marked improvement in further As demonstrated in Joyces case it is important that the clinical team employ a holistic approach when dealing with patients, this becomes even more crucial when dealing with the complexities of a chronic illness. My final conclusion is that early detection and diagnosis of a chronic condition will need to become higher on the health care agenda. This will require more collaboration between health professionals and the greater sharing of patient information. Action Plan As I have previously mentioned the SPIKES model provides an excellent strategy for breaking bad news and is one that I shall be adopting into my clinical practice. This system asks you to plan the Setting. Think about the patients Perception. Invite the patient to give their permission to break the news. Provide adequate information and Knowledge, be prepared for the patient Emotions and ensure that there is a Strategy to provide on going support. I feel that this will be an excellent tool for my future as an  Emergency Care Practitioner. It is essential that in my role as a modern health professional that I have a responsibility to ensure that I continually upgrade my knowledge of where to obtain good quality health information. Patients have a right to information that is easy to understand and is available to them when they need rather than when the clinician decides that they should receive it. When in consultation with a patient it listening is an essential skill, I will continue to improve my listening skills which are of particular benefit when dealing with issues such as health promotion this is described as the listening process by Ewles and Simnett (2003). Finally, it is of absolute importance that all health care professionals and I continue to use evidence-based practice. The area of chronic disease management is one that will continue to grow over the next few years, during this time there will be many changes and adaptations to current guidance on diseases such as diabetes. I will need to ensure that I have access and adequate time to seek out these changes and update my clinical practice accordingly. Should I ever encounter a comparable experience in the future, I will try to revaluate this occurrence, Palmer et al. (1994) considered reflection to be the retrospective contemplation of practice, suggesting that a careful review had to take place of what had happened previously. LAiguille (1994), on the Other hand, implies that reflection also prevents the Practioner from becoming complacent with everyday aspects of work and to reflect and learn from a new experience everyday. The occurrence of education must be developed to facilitate the clinician to provide a sound basis enabling advancement that leads to advanced skills. References: Baile W.F. et al. (2000) SPIKES-A six-step protocol for delivering bad news:application to the patient with cancer. Oncologist. 5. (4):1597-1599 Benner, P. (1984) From Novice to Expert; excellence and power in clinical nursing practice/ Patricia Benner commemorative ed. (2001) Prentice Hall International (UK) Limited. London Bulman C., and Schutz S. (2004). Reflective Practice in Nursing. 3rd ed. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Department Of Health (2001) Good practice in consent implementation: consent to examination or treatment. London. Department Of Health Department Of Health (2001) National Service Framework: Diabetes. London. Department Of Health Dreyfus, H.L.; Dreyfus S.E. (1997) Uses and abuses of multi-attribute and multi-aspect model of decision making. Harper and Row. New York Gibbs (1988) Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further education unit. Oxford. Oxford Polytechnic Hatton C.and Blackwood R. (1991) Lecture notes on Clinical Skills. 4th ed. Oxford. Blackwell Publis Holloway, A Whyte, C. (1994) Mentoring: The definitive handbook. Development Processes (Publication) Ltd/Swansea College, Swansea House of Commons. (1995) Long-term care: NHS responsibilities for meeting continuing health care needs. First report, session 1005-1996, HC 19-1 Annexe 2. London HMSO Health Professions Council (2003). Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics. London. HPC. Kadushin, A. (1992) Supervision IN Social Work. 3rd edition. Columbia University Press. New York LAiguille Y (1994) Pushing back the boundaries of personal experience. Blackwell Science. Oxford Lustman, PJ, Griffith, LS, Freedland, KE, Clouse, RE; (1997) The course of Major Depression in Diabetics Gen Hosp Psychiatry New York 19(2) 138-143. McGlone F. (1992) Disability and dependency in old age: a demographic and social audit. Family Policy Studies Centre London Mueller P. (2002) Breaking bad news to patients. The SPIKES approach can make this difficult task easier. Postgraduate Medicine 112 (3) Palmer A, Burns S, Bulman C (eds)(1994) .Reflective Practice in Nursing. Blackwell Science. Oxford. Rolfe, G. (1998) Beyond expertise: reflective and reflexive nursing practice. In: Transforming Nursing Through Reflective Practice, (eds C. Johns D. Freshwater). Blackwell Science, Oxford Silverman J.,Kurtz S. and Draper J. (1999) Skills for Communicating with Patients. Abingdon. Radcliffe Medical Press. Simon C. et al (2003) Oxford Handbook Of General Practice. Oxford. Oxford University Press Tones B.K. (1987) Making a Change for the better. Healthlines. November p17 United Kingdom.House of Commons Health Committee (2004) Obesity, Third Report of Session 2003-04 volume 1. London. TSO. (Chairman D. Hinchcliffe MP)

Technological Advancement is Natural Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive

Technological Advancement is Natural As we enter the twenty-first century, it is clear that many things about our method of interacting with our environment are different than in previous centuries, and that, in fact, the very philosophy of the man-nature interaction may change again. Some look forward to these changes. Others are fearful or condemnatory. In many cases, people implicitly or explicitly argue that certain technologies are unnatural. They claim that while certain technologies may be useful, other technologies represent a form of Nature manipulation and this that tinkering is unwise. Since this argument may appear in many places, it is important to critically analyze it. I feel that this argument is the arbitrary reaction of one philosophy against another, and does not by itself prove anything. Examining perceptions of the natural from history and certain exemplary situations, along with modern thinking on the subject, may illuminate the deeper issues that lie behind this argument. Aboriginal humanity seems to have had various religious systems designated broadly as "nature-worship". Objects in nature, places, and the spirits of friends or relatives (living or dead) were to be worshiped, feared, and appeased. For instance, a native American might leave an offering to the soul of a deer he had hunted. Other societies would gather in groves or caves to celebrate religious ceremonies. In agrarian and feudal societies, more complex and technical religious systems were developed. They might be designated "Polytheism", "Monotheism", and "Universalism". For the purposes of this discussion, let us define these terms as follows: Monotheism identifies exactly one transcendent supernatural being, who, by his own nat... ...nded tones of fear of the alien and suspicion of the mixed." I also worry that, in the debates over modern technology, many people fear change and use the word "unnatural", as well as others, to draw unwarranted assumptions into the debate. There are cases where "tinkering" with nature can have major unintended consequence, just as a man manipulating the works at a hydroelectric dam could cause a flood in the valley below. However, these consequences arise not because it is evil to play with nature but because Nature herself is both extremely powerful and morally neutral. Man has always tried to subdue Nature and hold her at bay. This becomes easier as we understand her better, so I claim that technology is perfectly natural. Work Cited Holy Bible. Authorized King James Version. Ed. C.I. Scofield. New Scofield Reference Edition. New York: Oxford UP, 1997.

Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education Essay

Introduction: Information and communication technology (ICT) is a force that has changed many aspects of the way we live. If one was to compare such fields as medicine, tourism, travel, business, law, banking, engineering and architecture, the impact of ICT across the past two or three decades has been enormous. The way these fields operate today is vastly different from the ways they operated in the past. But when one looks at education, there seems to have been an uncanny lack of influence and far less change than other fields have experienced. A number of people have attempted to explore this lack of activity and influence (e.g. Collis, 2002). There have been a number of factors impeding the wholesale uptake of ICT in education across all sectors. These have included such factors as a lack of funding to support the purchase of the technology, a lack of training among established teaching practitioners, a lack of motivation and need among teachers to adopt ICT as teaching tools (Starr, 2001). But in recent times, factors have emerged which have strengthened and encouraged moves to adopt ICTs into classrooms and learning settings. As we move into the 21st century, these factors and many others are bringing strong forces to bear on the adoption of ICTs in education and contemporary trends suggest we will soon see large scale changes in the way education is planned and delivered as a consequence of the opportunities and affordances of ICT. This paper seeks to explore the likely changes we will see in education as ICT acts as a powerful agent to change many of the educational practices to which we have become accustomed. In particular, the paper will explore the impact both current and emerging information and communication technologies will be likely to have in coming years on what is learned, when and where learning will take place and how the learning will occur. The impact of ICT on what is learned: Conventional teaching has emphasized content. For many years course have been written around textbooks. Teachers have taught through lectures and presentations interspersed with tutorials and learning activities designed to consolidate and rehearse the content. Contemporary settings are now favoring curricula that promote competency and performance. Curricula are starting to Emphasize capabilities and to be concerned more with how the information will be used than with what the information is. A. competency and performance-based curricula: The moves to competency and performance-based curricula are well supported and encouraged by emerging instructional technologies (e.g. Stephenson, 2001). Such curricula tend to require: access to a variety of information sources; access to a variety of information forms and types; student-centered learning settings based on information access and inquiry; learning environments centered on problem-centered and inquiry-based activities; authentic settings and examples; and teachers as coaches and mentors rather than content experts. Contemporary ICTs are able to provide strong support for all these requirements and there are now many outstanding examples of world class settings for competency and performance-based curricula that make sound use of the affordances of these technologies (e.g. Oliver, 2000). For many years, teachers wishing to adopt such curricula have been limited by their resources and tools but with the proliferation and widespread availability of contemporary ICTs, many Restrictions and impediments of the past have been removed. And new technologies will continue to drive these forms of learning further. As students and teachers gain access to higher Bandwidths, more direct forms of communication and access to sharable resources, the capability To support these quality learning settings will continue to grow. B. information literacy Another way in which emerging ICTs are impacting on the content of education curricula stems from the ways in which ICTs are dominating so much of contemporary life and work. Already There has emerged a need for educational institutions to ensure that graduates are able to display Appropriate levels of information literacy, â€Å"the capacity to identify and issue and then to identify, Locate and evaluate relevant information in order to engage with it or to solve a problem arising from it† (McCausland, Wache & Berk, 1999, p.2). The drive to promote such developments Stems from general moves among institutions to ensure their graduates demonstrate not only skills and knowledge in their subject domains but also general attributes and generic skills. Traditionally generic skills have involved such capabilities as an ability to reason formally, to Solve problems, to communicate effectively, to be able to negotiate outcomes, to manage time, Project management, and collaboration and teamwork skills. The growing use of ICTs as tools of Every day life have seen the pool of generic skills expanded in recent years to include information Literacy and it is highly probable that future developments and technology applications will see This set of skills growing even more. The impact of ICT on how students learn Just as technology is influencing and supporting what is being learned in schools and universities, So too is it supporting changes to the way students are learning. Moves from content-centered Curricula to competency-based curricula are associated with moves away from teacher-centered Forms of delivery to student-centered forms. Through technology-facilitated approaches, Contemporary learning settings now encourage students to take responsibility for their own Learning .In the past students have become very comfortable to learning through transmissive Modes. Students have been trained to let others present to them the information that forms the Curriculum. The growing use of ICT as an instructional medium is changing and will likely Continue to change many of the strategies employed by both teachers and students in the learning Process. The following sections describe particular forms of learning that are gaining prominence in universities and schools worldwide. A. Student-centered learning Technology has the capacity to promote and encourage the transformation of education from a Very teacher directed enterprise to one which supports more student-centered models. Evidence of This today is manifested in: The proliferation of capability, competency and outcomes focused curricula Moves towards problem-based learning Increased use of the Web as an information source, Internet users are able to choose the Experts from whom they will learn The use of ICT in educational settings, by itself acts as a catalyst for change in this domain. ICTs By their very nature are tools that encourage and support independent learning. Students using ICTs for learning purposes become immersed in the process of learning and as more and more Students use computers as information sources and cognitive tools (e.g. Reeves & Jonassen, 1996), the influence of the technology on supporting how students learn will continue to increase. B. Supporting knowledge construction The emergence of ICTs as learning technologies has coincided with a growing awareness and recognition of alternative theories for learning. The theories of learning that hold the greatest Sway today is those based on constructivist principles (e.g. Duffy & Cunningham, 1996). These Principles posit that learning is achieved by the active construction of knowledge supported by various perspectives within meaningful contexts. The strengths of constructivism lie in its emphasis on learning as a process of personal understanding and the development of meaning in ways which are active and interpretative. In This domain learning is viewed as the construction of meaning rather than as the memorization of facts (e.g. Lebow, 1993; Jonassen & Reeves, 1996). Learning approaches using contemporary ICTs provide many opportunities for constructivist learning through their provision and support for resource-based, student centered settings and by enabling learning to be related to context and to pra ctice (e.g. Berge, 1998; Barron, 1998). As mentioned previously, any use of ICT in learning Settings can act to support various aspects of knowledge construction and as more and more Students employ ICTs in their learning processes, the more pronounced the impact of this will Become. The impact of ICT on when and where students learn In the past educational institutions have provided little choice for students in terms of the method And manner in which programs have been delivered. Students have typically been forced to Accept what has been delivered and institutions have tended to be quite staid and traditional in terms of the delivery of their programs. ICT applications provide many options and choices and Many institutions are now creating competitive edges for themselves through the choices they are offering students. A. Any place learning The concept of flexibility in the delivery place of educational programs is not new (e.g. Moore & Kersey, 1996). Educational institutions have been offering programs at a distance for many Years and there has been a vast amount of research and development associated with establishing Effective practices and procedures in off-campus teaching and learning. Use of the technology, However, has extended the scope of this activity and whereas previously off-campus delivery was An option for students who were unable to attend campuses, today, many more students are able to make this choice through technology-facilitated learning settings. The scope and extent of this Activity is demonstrated in some of the examples below. The communications capabilities of modern technologies provide opportunities for many Learners to enroll in courses offered by external institutions rather than those situated locally. These opportunities provide such advantages as extended course offerings and eclectic class Cohorts comprised of students of differing backgrounds, cultures and perspectives. ï‚ ·Ã¯â‚¬  The freedoms of choice provided by programs that can be accessed at any place are also Supporting the delivery of programs with units and courses from a variety of institutions, There are now countless ways for students completing undergraduate degrees for example, to Study units for a single degree, through a number of different institutions, an activity that Provides considerable diversity and choice for students in the programs they complete. B. Any time learning In concert with geographical flexibility, technology-facilitated educational programs also remove Many of the temporal constraints that face learners with special needs (e.g. Moore & Kearsley, 1996). Students are starting to appreciate the capability to undertake education anywhere, Anytime and any place. This flexibility has heightened the availability of just-in-time learning and provided learning opportunities for many more learners who previously were constrained by other commitments (e.g. Young, 2002). Through online technologies learning has become an activity that is no longer set within Programmed schedules and slots. Learners are free to participate in learning activities when time permits and these freedoms have greatly increased the opportunities for many students to Participate in formal programs. ï‚ ·Ã¯â‚¬  The wide varieties of technologies that support learning are able to provide asynchronous Supports for learning so that the need for real-time participation can be avoided while the Advantages of communication and collaboration with other learners are retained. Emerging Issues A number of other issues have emerged from the uptake of technology whose impacts have yet to Be fully explored. These include changes to the makeup of the teacher pool, changes to the Profile of who are the learners in our courses and paramount in all of this, changes in the costing And economics of course delivery. A. expanding the pool of teachers In the past, the role of teacher in an educational institution was a role given to only highly qualified people. With technology-facilitated learning, there are now opportunities to extend the Teaching pool beyond this specialist set to include many more people. The changing role of the Teacher has seen increased opportunities for others to participate in the process including Workplace trainers, mentors, specialists from the workplace and others. Through the affordances And capabilities of technology, today we have a much expanded pool of teachers with varying Roles able to provide support for learners in a variety of flexible settings. This trend seems set to Continue and to grow with new ICT developments and applications. And within this changed pool of teachers will come changed responsibilities and skill sets for future teaching involving high levels of ICT and the need for more facilitative than didactic teaching roles. B. expanding the pool of students In the past, education has been a privilege and an opportunity that often was unavailable to many students whose situation did not fit the mainstream. Through the flexibilities provided by technology, many students who previously were unable to participate in educational activities are now finding opportunities to do so. The pool of students is changing and will continue to change as more and more people who have a need for education and training are able to take advantage of the increased opportunities. Interesting opportunities are now being observed among, for example, school students studying university courses to overcome limitations in their school programs and workers undertaking courses from their desktops. C. The cost of education Traditional thinking has always been that technology-facilitated learning would provide economies and efficiencies that would see significant reductions in the costs associated with the delivery of educational programs. The costs would come from the ability to create courses with fixed establishment costs, for example technology-based courses, and for which there would be savings in delivery through large scale uptake. We have already seen a number of virtual universities built around technology delivery alone. The reality is that few institutions have been able to realize these aims for economy. There appear to have been many underestimated costs in such areas as course development and course delivery. The costs associated with the development of high quality technology-facilitated learning materials are quite high. It has found to be more than a matter of repackaging existing materials and large scale reengineering has been found to be necessary with large scale costs. Likewise costs associated with delivery have not been found to diminish as expected. The main reason for this has been the need to maintain a relatively stable student to staff ratio and the expectation of students that they will have access to teachers in their courses and programs. Compared to traditional forms of off-campus learning, technology-facilitated learning has proven to be quite expensive in all areas of consideration, infrastructure, course development and course delivery. We may have to brace ourselves for the advantages and affordances which will improve the quality of education in the near future to also increase components of the cost. Efforts of Indian government in this aspect Realizing the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) the Ministry of Human Resource Development as per the Mission Document, ICT is the tool in education available to enhance the current enrolment rate in Higher Education, at present 15 percent to 30 percent by the end of the 11th Plan period. The Ministry also launched a web portal named â€Å"SAKSHAT† a ‘One Stop Education Portal’. The high quality e-content once developed will be uploaded on SAKSHAT in all disciplines and subjects. Several projects are in the completion stage and are expected to change the way teaching and learning is done in India. The Mission has two major components viz., (a) content generation and (b) connectivity along with provision for access devices for institutions and learners. It seeks to bR&Dge the digital divide, i.e., the gap in the skills to use computing devices for the purpose of teaching and learning among urban and rural teachers/learners in Higher Education domain and empower those, who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy. It plans to focus on appropriate pedagogy for e-learning, providing facility of performing experiments through virtual laboratories, on-line testing and certification, on-line availability of teachers to guide and mentor learners, utilization of available Education Satellite (EduSAT) and Direct to Home (DTH) platforms, training and empowerment of teachers to effectively use the new method of teaching learning etc. On the one hand, the Mission would create high quality e-content for the target groups and on the other, it would simultaneously seek to extend computer infrastructure and connectivity to over 18000 colleges in the country including each of the departments of nearly 400 universities/deemed universities and institutions of national importance. The peer group assisted content development would utilize the Wikipedia type of collaborative platform under the supervision of a content advisory committee responsible for vetting the content. Interactivity and problem solving approach would be addressed through â€Å"Talk to a Teacher† segment. It is an opportunity as well as a challenge for the bright faculty members of our Universities and Institutions of Excellence to invest their intellectual capital for the knowledge empowerment of all the learners of our Country. We need to synergize our individual efforts in this direction. Summary and Conclusions This paper has sought to explore the role of ICT in education as we progress into the 21st century. In particular the paper has argued that ICTs have impacted on educational practice in education to date in quite small ways but that the impact will grow considerably in years to come and that ICT will become a strong agent for change among many educational practices. Extrapolating current activities and practices, the continued use and development of ICTs within education will have a strong impact on: What is learned; How it is learned; When and where learning takes place; Who is learning and who is teaching. To ensure that the opportunities and advantages are realized, it will be important as it is in every other walk of life to ensure that the educational research and development dollar is sustained so that education at large can learn from within and that experiences and activities in different institutions and sectors can inform and guide others without the continual need for re-invention of the wheel. Once again ICTs serve to provide the means for much of this activity to realize the potential it holds. References Collis, B. (2002). Information technologies for education and training. In Adelsberger, H., Collis, B, & Pawlowski, J. (Eds.) Handbook on Technologies for Information and Training. Berlin: Springer Verlag. Duffy, T., & Cunningham, D. (1996). Constructivism: Implications for the design and delivery of instruction, Handbook of research for educational telecommunications and technology (pp. 170-198). New York: MacMillan. Oliver, R. (2000). Creating Meaningful Contexts for Learning in Web-based Settings. Proceedings of Open Learning 2000. (pp 53-62). Brisbane: Learning Network, Queensland. Oliver, R. & Towers, S. (2000). Benchmarking ICT literacy in tertiary learning settings. In R. Sims, M. O’Reilly & S. Sawkins (Eds). Learning to choose: Choosing to learn. Proceedings of the 17th Annual ASCILITE Conference (pp 381-390). Lismore, NSW: Southern Cross University Press. Soloway, E. & Pryor, A. (1996). The next generation in human-computer interaction. Communications of the ACM, 39(4), 16-18. Starr, L. (2001). Available at http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech075.shtml [Accessed July 2002]. Stephenson, J., Ed. (2001). Learner-managed learning- an emerging pedagogy for online learning. Teaching and Learning Online: Pedagogies for New Technologies. London, Kogan Page. Young, J. (2002). The 24-hour professor. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 48(38), 31-33.

How Racism Affects Minority Students in Public Schools

Institutional racism doesn’t just affect adults but children in K-12 schools as well. Anecdotes from families, research studies and discrimination lawsuits all reveal that children of color face bias in schools. They’re disciplined more harshly, less likely to be identified as gifted or to have access to quality teachers, to name but a few examples. Racism in schools has serious consequences—from fueling the school-to-prison pipeline to traumatizing children of color. Racial Disparities in Suspensions Persist Even in Preschool Black students are three times more likely to be suspended or expelled than their white peers, according to the U.S. Department of Education. And in the American South, racial disparities in punitive discipline are even greater. A 2016 report from the University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education, found that 13 Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia) were responsible for 55 percent of the 1.2 million suspensions involving black students nationwide. These states also accounted for 50 percent of expulsions involving black students nationally, according to the report, â€Å"Disproportionate Impact of K-12 School Suspension and Expulsion on Black Students in Southern States.† The finding most indicative of racial bias is that in 84 Southern school districts, 100 percent of students suspended were black. And grade school students aren’t the only black children facing harsh forms of school discipline. Even black preschool students are more likely to be suspended than students of other races, the U.S. Department of Education found. The agency reported that while blacks make up just 18 percent of children in preschool, they represent nearly half of preschool children suspended. â€Å"I think most people would be shocked that those numbers would be true in preschool because we think of 4- and 5-years-olds as being innocent,† Judith Browne Dianis, co-director of think tank the Advancement Project told CBS News about the finding. â€Å"But we do know that schools are using zero-tolerance policies for our youngest also, that while we think our children need a head start, schools are kicking them out instead.† Preschool children sometimes engage in troublesome behavior such as kicking, hitting and biting, but quality preschools have behavior intervention plans in place to counter these forms of acting out. Furthermore, it’s highly unlikely that only black children act out in preschool, a stage in life in which kids are notorious for having temper tantrums. Given how black preschoolers are disproportionately targeted for suspensions, it’s very likely that race plays a role in which children teachers single out for punitive discipline. In fact, a study published in Psychological Science in 2016 suggests that whites begin to perceive black boys as threatening at just 5 years old, associating them with adjectives such as â€Å"violent,† â€Å"dangerous,† â€Å"hostile† and â€Å"aggressive.† The negative racial biases black children face, and the correlated high suspension rates result in African American children missing a great deal of school. This can lead to them falling behind academically, including not reading at grade level by third grade, and eventually dropping out of school. Pushing children out of class increases the chances that they will have contact with the criminal justice system. And a 2015 study published on children and suicide suggested that punitive discipline may be one of the reasons suicides among black boys are rising. Of course, black boys aren’t the only African American children targeted for punitive discipline in school. Black girls are more likely than all other female students (and some groups of boys) to be suspended or expelled as well. Minority Children Less Likely to Be Identified as Gifted Poor children and children from minority groups are not only less likely to be identified as gifted and talented but more likely to be identified as requiring special education services by teachers. A 2016 report published by the American Educational Research Association found that black third graders are half as likely as whites to participate in gifted and talented programs. Authored by Vanderbilt University scholars Jason Grissom and Christopher Redding, the report, â€Å"Discretion and Disproportionality: Explaining the Underrepresentation of High-Achieving Students of Color in Gifted Programs,† also found that Hispanic students were also about half as likely as whites to be involved in gifted programs. Why does this imply that racial bias is at play and those white students aren’t just naturally more gifted than children of color? Because when children of color have teachers of color, the chances are higher that they will be identified as gifted. This indicates that white teachers largely overlook giftedness in black and brown children. Identifying a student as gifted involves a number of considerations. Gifted children may not have the best grades in the class. In fact, they may be bored in class and underachieve as a result. But standardized test scores, portfolios of schoolwork and the ability of such children to tackle complex subjects despite tuning out in class may all be signs of giftedness. When the school district in Broward County, Florida, changed the screening criteria for identifying gifted children, officials found that the number of gifted students in all racial groups rose. Rather than rely on teacher or parent referrals for the gifted program, Broward County used a universal screening process that required that all second graders take a nonverbal test to identify them as gifted. Nonverbal tests are said to be more objective measures of giftedness than verbal tests, especially for English language learners or children who don’t use Standard English. Students who scored well on the test then moved on to I.Q. tests (which also face allegations of bias). Using the nonverbal test in combination with the I.Q. test led to the number of black and Hispanic students in the program tripling from 1 to 3 percent and 2 to 6 percent, respectively. Students of Color Less Likely to Have Qualified Teachers A mountain of research has found that poor black and brown children are the youth least likely to have highly qualified teachers. A study published in 2015 called â€Å"Uneven Playing Field? Assessing the Teacher Quality Gap Between Advantaged and Disadvantaged Students† found that in Washington, black, Hispanic and Native American youth were most likely to have teachers with the least amount of experience, the worst licensure exam scores and the poorest record of improving student test scores. Related research has found that black, Hispanic and Native American youth have less access to honors and advanced placement (AP) classes than white youth do. In particular, they are less likely to enroll in advanced science and math classes. This can reduce their chances of being admitted to a four-year college, many of which require completion of at least one high-level math class for admission. Other Ways Students of Color Face Inequalities Not only are students of color least likely to be identified as gifted and enroll in honors classes, but they are also more likely to attend schools with a greater police presence, increasing the odds that they will enter the criminal justice system. The presence of law enforcement on school campuses also increases the risk of such students being exposed to police violence. Recordings of school police slamming girls of color to the ground during altercations have recently sparked outrage across the nation. Students of color face racial microaggressions in schools as well, such as being criticized by teachers and administrators for wearing their hair in styles that reflect their cultural heritage. Both black students and Native American students have been reprimanded in schools for wearing their hair in its natural state or in braided styles. Worsening matters is that public schools are increasingly segregated, more than they were in the 1970s. Black and brown students are most likely to attend schools with other black and brown students. Poor students are most likely to attend schools with other poor students. As the nation’s racial demographics shift, these disparities pose serious risks to America’s future. Students of color comprise a growing share of public school students. If the United States is to remain a world superpower for generations, it’s incumbent upon Americans to ensure that disadvantaged students and those from ethnic minority groups receive the same standard of education that privileged students do.