Traditional Universities No More

 

The days of traditional classes at higher education institutions have changed drastically. Students of the modern world are impatiently waiting for colleges to catch up to their needs. Students today are in the world of social media, instant responses, and technology access everywhere on cell phones to i pads. Students no longer have the patience to sit through traditional lectured classes, they now prefer on-line lectures. Higher education institutes must find ways to recruit students and meet their demands by providing more creditable on-line classes and communicating through social media. In order for a university to be competitive they must do both, the new generations learn and communicate these ways.

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogging and pod-casting are the tools of choice for US institutions of higher education. All of them have realized double-digit increases in adoption in the past year. Video continues to be strong with 41% using it. YouTube made its first appearance in this new study and debuted at 86% using the relatively new tools. It is interesting to note that pod-casting now highlights faculty, students, lecture series etc. to create the experience of being on their campus. www.umassd.edu

The goal for all higher education institutions is clearly to make some changes to keep up with today’s societies needs to communicate and engage with the tech savvy young people of today who want schools based on their online presence and offerings.

http://chronicle.com/article/Todays-Unpresidential/135228/

http://www.msm.nl/Introduction/News/Weblogs/Rita-van-Deuren/October-2012/Attaining-and-Sustaining-Mass-Higher-Education-%E2%80%93-a.aspx#.UI8whWfWXvE

http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesandresearch/socialmediaadoptionsoars

 

Everyone always thinks a mother should stay home with the kids. That mothers should helps kids with their homework and do house cleaning. But now a days men can stay home and be a stay at home dad.

In the industrial revolution, men would be the one’s at the factories working with their kids. The mothers would have to stay home and take care of the house and kids. But in today’s society women have more job offer’s. They are at the same level as men. Women can be lawyers, construction workers, firefighters, police officer’s, etc.

Also kids need their father in their life. They need help with school work. It’s that leader ship they need. Father can do the same things as women can do.

Staying home full-time to take care of your children is an option that most of us can’t take on. With the economy the way it is mothers have no choice but to have a full-time paying job. This wasn’t always the case.

Since the beginning of the 19th century motherhood as an institution has changed. Women started off being the one who was told to stay home to teach and educate their children but this was only for the middle-class white women. Colored women were still expected to go out into the work force. They were, in a sense, deemed unfit to take care of and educated their own children.

In the 20th century, women wanted to work outside of the home but were considered, by child experts, not a good mother if they didn’t stay home with their children. This was due to research that indicated how benifical it is for children to be home with their mothers.

Now in the 21st century most women have no choice, financially speaking, to be at home with their children. Either they need more then one income in the household or they are a single parent who can’t afford daycare. This puts limits on our choices as mothers. We want to provide for our children, but are in a hardship.

In any case motherhood is what keeps our society going. If we, as women, do not reproduce then our society, one day, could disappear.

http://www.njmac.ca/taf/issue9/mother.htm

http://suite101.com/article/social-institution-of-motherhood-a64879

Marriage-Happily Ever After?

The knowledge of marriage between a man and a wife has been evident since Adam and Eve. (Genesis 2:23)  Marriage has been the foundation of family structure.  Two people; a man and a woman who marry, establish a life together, are faithful to each other, have children together, eventually grandchildren, and live happily ever after until death do them part. 

 Over the past hundred years, society’s views on marriage have changed.  In the 1920’s dating became popular, making people wonder if marriage was going to go way-side.  In the 1950’s post war time, marriage was expected.  Family values were stronger than ever. Along with the ring came one’s right to spousal benefits- “What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours”, health care decisions, power of attorney, marriage acquired assests, and much more. If you chose to remain single during this time you were viewed as if there were something wrong with you.  In the 1970’s women decided that they were going to have equal rights and were self-sufficient. Divorce rates began to sky rocket for the first time. Now in the 2000’s everyone focuses on love. Marriage for the sake of having a family structure is no longer the focal point.  Marriage as a union has changed from being a union between a man and woman to encompass gays and lesbians.  Seven U.S. states (mostly in the N.E. with the exception of D.C., and Iowa) now view gay marriage as a legal marriage.

  www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200505/marriage-history

 

I have included a couple interesting links on marriage as an institution.

 

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2032116,00

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/116400

Nursery school is a social institution which holds an important place in the life of a child. It is important because it is the introduction to peer socialization for many youngsters. It serves as a preview to school and more demanding pursuits such as sports teams. It allows the young child to interact in a situation which is less threatening and holds less import in the larger scheme than elementary school.

While nursery school affords a new and exciting challenge for the small child it also has benefits for the young family as an institution. It allows the parent a practice session in the soon-to-be longer separation that school and other demands will place on the relationship between the parent and child. It allows the parent to see the child in a new light, that of an independent person with perhaps heretofore unknown strengths and talents.

Another benefit which may ensue from the child’s introduction and exposure to the adults, many of whom are child care and education specialists, in the new environment of nursery school is the possibility of diagnosis of any learning or social and emotional problems of which the parent was not aware. This early diagnosis can also lead to early introduction of treatment modalities which may ease the child’s transition to elementary school and quite possibly be of great importance in allowing the child to manage and even excel in his or her early education.

So while nursery school may seem to some as just a fun experience and a break for Mom or Dad, it can actually serve a much broader purpose and benefit as a societal and individual tool.

 

http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/en-ca/importance-of-early-childhood-development/how-important-is-it.html

 

http://www.educationcorner.com/importance-of-early-childhood-education.html

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?Importance-of-Early-Childhood-Education&id=2672450

 

I wanted to choose a culture that was very different from ours in the United States, because learning about vastly different cultures can often be thought provoking, and can give people a sense of the bigger picture.  One big component of Japanese society is saving “face.” Face can be considered honor or prestige, but is much broader than the way we use it here. It’s crucial to their society and is affected mostly by denying a request or being criticized or embarrassed. So when someone denies a request, it can be polite to say something like “it’s inconvenient” or “under consideration.” This might have a relation to the idea of harmony.

“Harmony is the guiding philosophy for the Japanese in family and business settings and in society as a whole.” Children in school learn how we are all dependent on one another, and are urged to try and act for the greater good, while trying to offer opposing facts in a polite manner. Working productively means working together, something that is reflected in personal and formal settings. I think they have a good point, although I have to stay objective when studying different cultures. Japan also has a hierarchy, and the oldest person in the group is always respected while the students refer to their peers as senior (senpai) or junior (kohai). When you are sitting down to eat, the elders and honorable guests are the first to start eating.

Japanese language is very different from English, and is spoken by 99% of the country! It’s the sixth most popular language in the world despite being scarce outside of the country. In the United States, almost 18% of people spoke another language in the year 2000. This number has probably grown since then, too.  Japanese puts more emphasis towards the pitch of words, unlike English which gives more emphasis to different syllables. A person also uses the family name first when being introduced, and their personal name second – another custom that might be tied to the stress on the universal matters rather than the individual ones.

Non verbal communication also varies, and staring someone in the eye is actually considered disrespectful, especially if they are your senior. There is even a book to help foreigners understand non verbal signs like scratching eyebrows or the back of heads. Greetings also vary, but foreigners are expected to shake hands because they probably don’t understand the subtleties involved with bowing, the traditional greeting. Bowing when you are being greeted shows respect, and the deeper the bow, the more respect is shown. In the movie, The Last Emperor, one scene depicts a crowd of people bowing with their heads to the floor as the little emperor walks among them (although this movie was about the last Chinese emperor, the meaning of the bow is similar). When you walk into a house, you are also expected to take off your shoes and leave them pointing away from the doorway. There are sometimes even bathroom slippers for guests.

Japanese culture is interesting because it varies so much from our own. It seems like there are a lot of crazy traditions and art forms (especially with a huge list of table manners in the sources), but we can only look at their culture through our own cultural lens. I’m positive that when someone who has lived in Japan their entire life comes to America, they are just as astonished at our own lifestyles and silly traditions

http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/japan/pro-languages.htm

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762163.html

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/japan-country-profiles.html

 

Comparing and ranking nations on any basis is a sensitive issue, especially for those who don’t come out on the top.  PISA is an international comparison of students’ knowledge and skills in three major fields (reading, mathematics and science), published every three years.  Out of the 65 nations that participate, the U.S. comes out towards the middle of the list, behind many smaller nations (31^st in math, 23^rd in science.) The best performers are the students from Shanghai, China, clearly leading in all domains. Singapore and Finland are also on the top, so the attention gets focused on their education systems: what makes them perform so well?

Inside the U.S., we might also wonder about where all the inequality in academic performance comes from.  There is plenty of anecdotal (and also some statistical) evidence that students of Asian background tend to excel, and also that ‘inner city’ high schools tend to lag behind. We all might remember a provocative article (What Makes Chinese Mothers Superior?) by Amy Chua, who became famous a couple years ago as the ‘Tiger Mom.’ She argued that the better school performance of Asian students comes from different cultural values and practices, and starts in the family. The article became a hot spot on the internet, and attracted a record number of comments in the Wall Street Journal.

The PISA results show that some education systems perform better than others, and this is not only a question of finances. It is also possible that some cultures encourage and value high academic performance more than others. Where exactly the difference in academic performance comes from is a complex question, and cannot be answered just based on personal experiences, opinions and anecdotes.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/education/07education.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://ourtimes.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/oecd-education-rankings/

http://persweb.wabash.edu/facstaff/hortonr/articles%20for%20class/cultural%20differences%20in%20biases.pdf

I ran across this fascinating article about the distinctions between Eastern and Western cultures regarding optimism and pessimism and how each integrates these attitudes into their cultures.  In Western culture, the emphasis is on self improvement for the benefit of the self, whereas in Eastern culture the emphasis is on the improvement of the group via the sacrifice of the self.  The article mentions that in Eastern culture, self-criticism is an important element of maintaining and supporting the group.  This self-critical behavior fosters a more pessimistic view of expectations in one’s life.  In Western culture, the emphasis on individualism and self achievement gives rise to a more optimistic view of one’s own expectations, and thus gives rise to ultimate success of the group.

As I read this article, I thought about the  problems plaguing the world, and how various cultures have reacted to their governments.  I have wondered why Americans are not rioting in the streets as much as other cultures.  Certainly there are many in this country who are angry with our government.  Based on this article, explaining the connection of self striving and optimism, I find that it is in our nature as a culture to take a really bad situation and find the guts to dig out of it, instead of freaking out and rioting.  I find that it is our optimism as a culture that keeps us searching for a solution. We believe that we do have a culture that is worth preserving and we need to work together to fix the problems.   This sense of individualism that our Western culture subscribes to is to our advantage, because it encourages self-enhancement (as the article states), which then fosters optimism.

When conducting research on the subject of culture there are so many places to study and, try to understand. I have chosen the culture of India. This culture is so far away from the United States that I couldn’t help but study it. The following are little facts from the website http://www.indianmirror.com/culture/cul8.html

 “India has almost an equal number of men and women and almost half of the women belong to the uneducated category.”

“The Indian girls mostly prefer arranged marriages, by their parents and they take it naturally to deliver babies in the coming year.” “In earlier times mostly boys were preferred to girls, as raising girls, giving them education and then giving a hefty dowry seemed impossible.”

“An Indian woman is best depicted wearing flowers on her hair, with colorful bangles on her wrists and sporting a lengthy sari neatly tucked in.”

This is the culture of the Indian women so it’s completely normal for them to follow this way of life, they don’t know anything else. As it says above, most girls’ prefer to be set up in an arranged marriage. In the U.S., statistics have shown that arranged marriage just doesn’t exist.

More Indian cultures are as follows provided by the website:

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/india-country-profile.html

In relationships in India they all involve hierarchies. In schools, teachers are called gurus and are viewed as the source of all knowledge. The patriarch, usually the father, is considered the leader of the family. The boss is seen as the source of ultimate responsibility in business. Every relationship has a clear- cut hierarchy that must be observed for the social order to be maintained. And they respect this way of living. This is how they grow up so it’s nothing out of the ordinary for them.

. Religion, education and social class all influence greetings in India.

. This is a hierarchical culture, so greet the eldest or most senior person first.

. When leaving a group, each person must be bid farewell individually.

. Shaking hands is common, especially in the large cities among the more educated who are accustomed to dealing with westerners.

. Men may shake hands with other men and women may shake hands with other women; however there are seldom handshakes between men and women because of religious beliefs.

Dining Etiquette

. Although Indians are not always punctual themselves, they expect foreigners to arrive close to the appointed time.

. Take off your shoes before entering the house.

. Dress modestly and conservatively.

. Politely turn down the first offer of tea, coffee, or snacks. You will be asked again and again. Saying no to the first invitation is part of the protocol.

Table manners are somewhat formal, but this formality is tempered by the religious beliefs of the various groups.

. Much Indian food is eaten with the fingers.

. Wait to be told where to sit.

Guests are often served in a particular order: the guest of honour is served first, followed by the men, and the children are served last. Women typically serve the men and eat later.

. You may be asked to wash your hands before and after sitting down to a meal.

. Always use your right hand to eat, whether you are using utensils or your fingers.

. Leaving a small amount of food on your plate indicates that you are satisfied. Finishing all your food means that you are still hungry.

If an Indian women chooses not to listen to what her husband, father, or any male telling her to do something  that is communicating with her has to say, then she shall be punished. This would be considered a limit of culture.

I hope you find this interesting and enjoyable! I can’t believe how different cultures are from what I know, and this is just one!

In the past 30 thirty years childhood obesity has more than tripled. As of 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight. Childhood obesity has a lot of health risks, and can be very dangerous.  Over the past few years people have been speaking about the issue more and more.

Between 2003 and 2005 in California, a policy was placed that sodas and other high sugar drinks were to be eliminated from schools. The policy also included that schools were no longer allowed to sell junk foods. To monitor if taking away junk foods from schools had an effect on childrens’ weight, researchers used eight years of BMI (body mass index) from students in fifth to seventh grade. The study showed the BMI rates from the years before the policy was in place, and years after the policy was in.

The research showed that before junk food was banned from the schools, the BMI of all the students was increasing. The number of overweight students was significantly reduced within the three years after the policy came into effect. The study was also compared to similar research done in Lost Angles. The results they had also showed a decrease in overweight students after monitoring what was available for students at school. Changing how kids eat at school saves them a couple hundred calories a day, which is enough to make a difference in the long run.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/bans-on-school-junk-food-pay-off-in-california/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302083500.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm