Medicare United States Essay Example

Medicare United States Paper The government program which provides health insurance coverage to people 65 years and over in the United States is known as Medicare. Medicare is a single player health care system. A single player health care system is a system under which health care providers are only paid from a single fund. This system is considered to be a system of universal health care. It was signed into law on 30th July, 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson as a change to the social security legislation. When it was ratified President Johnson presented former President Harry S.  Truman with the first Medicare card making him the first beneficiary of Medicare in the United States (SeniorJournal. com, 2001). The true history of the program however goes back to 1945 when then President Harry S. Truman requested congress to create a national health insurance program. Due to the opposition of the Soviets at the time and rejection of communism, the dangers of socialized medicine were fiercely debated for the next 20 years. By the end of his term Truman backed away from his plan for universal health care. We will write a custom essay sample on Medicare United States specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Medicare United States specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Medicare United States specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer However, his rivals in the social security administration and other sections of government ran with the idea of insuring social security benefactors. When it was signed into law as part of Lyndon Johnson’s great society the Medicare Part B premium was three dollars a month. Part B premium serves the outpatient basis of the medical insurance and is geared towards those individuals who are retired or no longer working. Then in 1972 the program was expanded to include disabled individuals who were under 65 years of age and those with end stage renal disease were also enabled to receive coverage. It also expanded to include chiropractic services and other forms of therapy such as speech and physical therapy. This was also the year that payment to health maintenance organizations began and the supplemental security income for the elderly and disabled poor was established to automatically give these recipients coverage under Medicare. In 1982 the program expanded to include hospice treatments on a temporary basis to assess the financial costs of these institutions. The benefits would not become a permanently ratified until 1986. Then in 1983 they changed their system of payment from one of reasonable cost to a case by case basis based on the diagnosis for in-patients in hospitals. In 1984 the President, federal employees, members of congress and federal judiciary also became covered by Medicare. In 1988 a major overhaul of the Medicare program was made in order to provide benefits for life threatening illnesses and prescription medication, it was cancelled the very next year. This was followed by coverage for routine mammographies in the same year. The next year coverage for pap smears started and physicians were now paid based on their schedules. In 1997 the balanced budget act was passed which enabled various providers from Medicare to have their funding reduced. This was enacted under the Medicare choice program which provided advantages to those individuals who are financially burdened. However, congress soon revisited this act due to pressure in 1999 and passed the Balanced Budget reform act which returns some of the cuts to the providers. These returns were increased by the 2000 Budget improvement and protection act (SeniorJournal. com, 2001). Thus, in 2000 the Medicare Choice final rule took effect. At this time the Medicare Part B premium was at forty five dollars and forty cents a month. Inaugurating it in 2001 and launching it in 2002 Medicare started a new program known as Quality Initiative. This was a new program which encompassed not only quality monitoring by independent surveyors. But also pay for performance plan along with the hospital compare website. They also eventually revealed that they would no longer offer payment for treatment of hospital acquired infections and problematic hospital events. In 2006 they began a prescription drug coverage program. This at a monthly premium puts individuals on a drug plan to cover their drug costs. The current premium for Medicare part B is ninety six dollars and forty cents per month (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2005) (Medicare, 2009). A look at the government website for Medicare and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid do not reveal the mission statement for the organization. What is present however is what the program actually entails in terms of services. As mentioned before Medicare is a health insurance program for people of ages 65 and over who may have certain disabilities and also those of all ages with End Stage Renal Disease. It provides three types of insurance. Part A is hospital insurance which covers the costs of hospital care, hospice care and inpatient care. It may not be required to be paid if the payroll tax of an individual pays for it. Part B medical insurance is the type which covers outpatient care and doctors services. It also covers certain other physical and occupational therapies in health care and is bought with a monthly premium. The third is prescription drug coverage which covers the individual’s drug plan for a monthly premium (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2005). In terms of the criminal justice system Medicare does not pay for those individuals who have been sent to prison since they lose their social security on incarceration. However if an individual pays their premiums for Medicare B directly they are still eligible for the program. Otherwise their Medicare benefits will run out in 3 months. They also lose coverage under the drug prescription plan. In the case of individuals who are in psychological institutions for the criminally insane and in nursing homes serving out their sentence are covered under the Medicare part B program (Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, 2009). If we look at the financial records of Medicare for the past three years, i. e. from 2007 to 2009 we find that Medicare has faced striking loses and financial challenges. According to the April 2007 report the Health Insurance Trust Fund which gives finances to part A of the Medicare plan will no longer be viable after the next 20 years. Meaning it will dry out in 2019. Once it is gone Medicare will turn to payroll taxes to cover the costs of 79% of part A. The 2007 report was also the first one which included the Medicare funding warning. This was due to the fact that this was the second report which stated that the in the next seven years 45% of all funding for Medicare would come from common revenues (Aflcio. org, 2007). The 2008 financial report contained information which stated that the estimated health insurance deficit over the next 75 years was expected to be around thirteen trillion dollars. To eliminate this problem the only foreseen solution was to increase payroll taxes by 122% or to reduce benefits by 51% or some combination of both and that failure to do so would result in even greater increases and reductions. The report also spoke of the problems of the long term sustainability of Medicare with the rising cost of Health Care in the United States. The report also stated that due to these expenses Medicare would continue to be a burden, relying on the country’s GDP to function. They said that Medicare spent 3. 2% of the country’s GDP in 2007 and is estimated to spend 6. 3% in 2030 and 10. 7% in 2080 (American Academy of Actuaries , 2008). In 2009, the report once again showed the financial failings of the Medicare organization. It now reported that the Health Insurance fund would empty out in 2017 two years sooner than predicted in 2008. The report also said that the benefits given out by hospitals this year will outpace the earnings to such an extent that it will result in bankruptcy by 2017. This year they said that the Health Insurance deficit would require an immediate 134% increase in payroll and 53% reduction in benefits or some combination of the two with the total deficit over the next 75 years totaling 14 trillion dollars (American Academy of Actuaries, 2009). A critical analysis of the effectiveness of Medicare finds that Medicare has failed to perform adequately for several years and its performance in the 2009 fiscal year was not satisfactory. Not only have they not taken any steps to curtail the projected deficit. Since 2004 the costs of the Medicare program have exceeded income from payroll tax revenue forcing the program to rely on interest earnings to help pay benefits. Furthermore immediate action needs to be taken to insure that the Health Insurance Trust Fund which is on it way to depletion in 2017 is preserved. As the reliance of Medicare on GDP grows it is predicted that social security costs will grow along with it. This is because after 2010 the number of people receiving benefits through Medicare and social security will sharply increase. It is expected that the part B premiums will increase in the ensuing years as beneficiaries will have to pay more due to ever increasing health costs. However, by law since the Part B premium cannot exceed the cost of living adjustment provided by social security. Thus, nearly 75% of the Medicare beneficiaries will not pay increased premiums placing the financial burdens on the rest of the 25% of the population (American Academy of Actuaries, 2009). It is also expected that since the prescription drug plan is not subjected to any legislation, the prices for its premiums will dramatically increase over the next few years. The current business model employed by Medicare quite frankly is a disaster of epic proportions. With the current recession of the economy in the United States and the ever increasing cost of health care, it is not conceivable for Medicare to maintain any form of profitability or stability long term in this market. Not only that but shareholder and consumer confidence along with an overwhelmingly negative perception of the general public will curtail any efforts by Medicare to rectify its earning procedures for years to come. Thus eventually Medicare will not only become unsustainable for its beneficiaries but also for the federal government. Since the substantial increase in health care cost and increasing complexities of the health care system will be a dominant force in the industry over the next few years. It is essential that Medicare streamline its operation and keep costs down while keeping consumer confidence up. In order to do this they must completely abandon the current Modus operandi they have adopted and turn towards creating a new plan that is customized towards providing a standard form of service rather than awarding cash on a performance basis. Additionally, they must insure that their new programs are not only more streamlined but are also created to insure the best health care possible for their consumers. It is inevitable that the price of the Medicare premiums will increase over the next few years. However, if Medicare changes its modes of operation from stressing quick cures to instead creating an emphasis on primary prevention the long term benefits on the civilian population and the organization will be incalculable. It is through this means that they will create a more standardized approach towards medicine and prevent the occurrence of more life threatening diseases that are considered a financial black hole. Meaning these diseases require years of funding to treat patients with no guarantee of recovery. However, it is much more likely that Medicare wills continues it current mode of operations and will continue to employ the use of the failed Quality Initiative. With increasing Job losses and a recessive economy it is doubtful that the organization will find its way back to profitability and become free of the aid it is receiving from the GDP of the United States and the Health Insurance Fund. Additionally it is conceivable that Medicare will abandon all the programs it consider non essential. Among those will be programs which are geared towards the medical aid of felons or sex offenders. It is possible that the health benefits afforded to senior citizens in nursing homes may be revoked in an effort to increase funding for the organization. It is equally plausible that Medicare will possibly outsource some of its businesses to local prisons such as their help lines and customer relations due to budget concerns and deficits. However, it is inevitable that in the end no amount of funds will help the organization return to a mode of profitability. It has been suggested by the republican body recently that it may be more prudent for congress to scrap the program completely in favor of a more contemporary approach. In my opinion I believe that is a much better option over the wait and see approach the Medicare has obviously adopted over the last few years. It is true that an immediate increase in payroll tax and an immediate reduction in benefits will alleviate the actuarial balance within the next few decades. However, the long term sustainability of such a plan is whimsical at best. Additionally one must consider if the longitivity of this organization is based solely on the success of these factors, then their increase within the next few decades is assured creating a greater burden on the populace. The financial difficulties that face Medicare today are not as simple as they appear. Nonetheless it is apparent that reform of the organization is essential to its long term survival. Its biggest concern is sustenance without sacrificing the quality of care of its individual. However, with ever increasing cost of health in the United States, its possible that might just happen. References Aflcio. org. (2007). Medicares Financial Condition. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from Aflcio. org: http://www. aflcio. org/issues/healthcare/financial. cfm American Academy of Actuaries . (2008, March). Medicares Financial Condtion: Beyond Actuarial Balance . Retrieved May 30, 2009, from American Academy of Actuaries : http://www. actuary. org/pdf/medicare/trustees_08. pdf American Academy of Actuaries. (2009, May). Medicares Financial Condtion: Beyond Actuarial Balance. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from American Academy of Actuaries: http://www. actuary. org/pdf/medicare/trustees_09. pdf Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. (2009). Bazelon Center Fact Sheet Medicare p. 2. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: http://www. bazelon. org/pdf/Factsheet-Medicare. pdf Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2005, December 14). Overview. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: http://www. cms. hhs. gov/MedicareGenInfo/ Medicare. (2009). Medicare premiums and coinsurance rates for 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from Medicare: http://questions. medicare. gov/cgi-bin/medicare. cfg/php/enduser/std_adp. php? p_faqid=2100 SeniorJournal. com. (2001). Brief History of the Medicare Program. Retrieved May 29, 2009, from SeniorJournal. com: http://seniorjournal. com/NEWS/2000%20Files/Aug%2000/FTR-08-04-00MedCarHistry. htm

Letters and Email essays

Letters and Email essays Computer technology has advanced our society in many different ways. With the power of the Internet, communication is a click away. Communication technology has revolutionized the way we send mail. Before computers and the Internet, handwritten letters have been the basis of communication. People have been handwriting letters for centuries. Whether it is greeting cards, invitations, holiday wishes, or just dropping someone a line, pen and paper letters were in heavy use. That is until the development of the Internet and mass production of personal computers. Electronic mail has become the most popular form of communication in the twenty- first century. With the ease of use in computers, and the communication power of the Internet, it only takes mere seconds to type up and send an email. As the computer becomes a more popular appliance to have in your home, almost replacing the television, people have discovered the many advantages of electronic mail. Electronic mail has many advantages over traditional handwritten letters. One of those advantages is its delivery speed. Electronic mail is delivered instantly to its recipient upon the click of a Send button. Before you would have to wait from two days up to a week for your recipient to receive your mail, it is now done instantly with the power of the Internet. For that reason, traditional handwritten letters have been labeled Snail Mail. Another advantage of email is the text or content of the letter is very easy to format. Computers are highly used for data processing and business statements. Businesses can type and edit a financial statement on a computer much faster than doing it with a pen and a piece of paper. Combine that versatility with instant mailing, and you have the easiest form of communication that is available today. You can delete text, add text, center it, indent it, and change the font size and the font face, all wit ...

History of the United States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of the United States - Research Paper Example This meant that there would be a federal government—the president and Congress—but also state governments. Each would have various powers. The country that the Founding Fathers set in motion would soon dominate North America, sweeping across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean in the east, to the Pacific and the West, and eventually incorporating Alaska and Hawaii. It would contain the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains, the Florida Everglades and the Smoky Mountains, the Redwood forests of California and the Great Lakes. The climate and geography range dramatically across the country, as do the people who come from all around the world as immigrants. Over the last hundred years the population has grown dramatically as people from all the countries of the world sought out a better life on America's shores. The population is diverse and freedom-loving. One of the aspects of the United States that sets it apart from other countries is its fascinating political history . The first European settlers had to make accommodations with the Natives who had settled the land thousands of years ago. Sometimes there was peace between these groups and sometimes there was war. In the end, the Natives were marginalized, and the Europeans began to dominate. They built cities and plantations and developed a vibrant economy and trade links. Soon enough the settlers had another foe, their British colonial masters, who were intent on taxing them without representation. The British became increasingly repressive and Americans began to feel their oats. This soon led to conflict and a declaration of independence. The Revolutionary War went on for nearly a decade, but in the end America was free. In the period between independence and the Civil War of the 1860s, the United States expanded dramatically. During the brutal Civil War between North and South over the issue of slavery, industrialization occurred at a rapid pace (Kennedy, 125). Much of New England developed a manufacturing sector; and, following the war, many people moved north to take up factory jobs. These jobs were hard, but they paid more than work picking cotton. This left the South short of resources for some time and increased resentment between the two main regions of the country. The 20th century saw more change as the World Wars forced the United States to look outwards at the world. These wars dramatically increased the size of the American economy and the sophistication of its technologies. The Depression showed how entwined the American economy was with the rest of the world's. It marked some of the darkest days in American history. The post-war history of America was perhaps the most dramatic, as America became a superpower and developed nuclear weapons and built military bases around the world. The Cold War saw the United States face off against the Soviet Union and its communist allies, a face-off the U.S. won with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 (Cowley, 157). S ince that time, the U.S. has been the only superpower in the world. America today has many challenges, among them terrorism and managing the rise of new powers such as China and India. Today, although facing financial problems, America is still a major power and a force for good in the world. It is a country whose people can be proud to be called its

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 37

Case Study - Essay Example Just to keep employees on their feet, customer feedback cards are available in each store so that customers can contribute to helping the company to improve efficiency. Lastly, the company’s IT system has helped it to continue to stay one step ahead of its customers by providing products that they want before they know they do. All of these factors have helped to contribute towards Giordano’s competitive advantage in the marketplace by helping it stay ahead of the competition. 2) Giordano’s operations strategy is very consistent with its marketing strategy. The focus of Giordano’s marketing efforts is on two areas, high-quality service and low cost leadership, both of which Giordano are very successful at achieving. The test will come when Giordano is forced to move its marketing strategy away from low cost leadership to a combination of high quality products at considerable prices. If Giordano is able to adjust its operations strategy to take this new market positing into account, then the company has a very good chance of capturing a significant market share. 3) The biggest operations management challenge for Giordano as it expands into new territories is staying true to its principles. Although the company will need to adjust its marketing strategies based on the local culture, the focus still needs to be on excellent customer service along with high quality products. As of right now, Giordano does not allow its foreign subsidiaries to act independent of each other. Control is centralized in one region: Hong Kong. If Giordano is going to increase its market share in new markets, then it will need to rely more upon locals to increase performance and efficiency. There is nothing wrong with monitoring each foreign subsidiary from Hong Kong, but there needs to be some freedom given to subsidiaries so that they can become a force in their local market. 4) For Giordano’s operations strategy in the

The Concept Of Cultural Heritage

The Concept Of Cultural Heritage To understand cultural heritage and interpretation, it is essential to understand the various definitions and theories in relation to the concept of cultural heritage. The term cultural heritage refers to the things, places and practices that define who we are as individuals, as communities, as nations or civilizations and as a species (Wedenoja, 2010). In other words, it is the cultural legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, preserved in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations. It is a legacy which we often want to recognize and reserve because it strengthens our cultural identity of sense of who we are as people. However, what is considered cultural heritage by one generation may be rejected by the next generation, only to be revived by a succeeding generation. Cultural heritage is not limited to material manifestations. It also includes living expressions and the traditions that groups and communities around the world have inherited from their ancestors and transmitted to their descendants. Thus, cultural heritage can be grouped into broad categories: tangible and intangible. Tangible cultural heritage can refer to moveable objects and immoveable sites. These include archaeological sites, artifacts, buildings, historic sites, monuments, graves, and culturally significant landscapes like sacred places. Landscapes are considered heritage when they have natural features that may have cultural attributes including flora and fauna. Heritage sites like these often serve as an important component in a countrys tourist industry, attracting many visitors from abroad as well as locally. UNESCO  [1]  defines intangible cultural heritage as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the non-physical characteristics, practices, representations, expressions as well as knowledg e and skills that identify and define a group or civilization (UNESCO, 2010). These include language, oral histories, beliefs, practices, rituals, ceremonies, customs, traditions, music, dance, crafts, and other arts. Heritage that survives from the past is often unique and irreplaceable. This places the responsibility of preservation on the current generation. Safeguarding cultural heritage has become one of the priorities of international cooperation since 1972 when the General Conference of UNESCO adopted the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. There are 878 World Heritage Sites as of 2008. They are located in 145 countries and 678 cultural, 174 natural, and 26 mixed sites (UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 2010). The preservation of living heritage has only become significant in 2003 when UNESCO adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. (This is the short version > still have a lot of detail to add because the term cultural heritage is very detailed and has meant different things in the past decades. Unless the professor thinks this is enough.) Cultural Heritage and the Challenges of Tourism In recent years, key heritage sites have seen a remarkable increase poorly guided or unguided tourists. Tremendous pressure has been forced upon areas like Angkor Wat, Luang Prabang or Halong Bay the growing number of visitors and the general growth in Tourism. International agencies such as the World Tourism Organization have predicted that tourism numbers will continue to rise over the next 10 years, predominantly so for the continent of Asia. Such growths in visitor numbers worsens existing problems at World Heritage sites which include vandalism, lack of awareness of cultural and heritage significance of sites, congestion and destination and cultural commodification. As global tourism increasingly interface with heritage sites, the pressures of meeting challenges will be more pronounced. In addition to the negative effects of unguided mass tourism at heritage sites, a rise in niche cultural tourism also prompts the need for the training of cultural heritage specialist guides for World Heritage sites. The development of such niche groups of culturally-sensitive and learning-seeking tourists is constituted within the broader developments of what has been termed by tourism academics as special interest tourism and the diversification of the tourism market. However, the development of niche cultural tourism is hampered by the widespread lack of cultural heritage specialist guides in Asia-Pacific. In the APETIT meeting in 2002, the training of professional guides was highlighted by UNESCAP and UNESCO as key to improvements in the tourism system and industry. What is Digitization? We use the term digitization to refer to the process of converting physical resources or information into a digital format (Digitization, 2007). In other words, digitizing means simply capturing an analog signal in digital form. Photos taken with a digital camera, or data collected by an electronic measuring device are automatically converted into digital form. However, text and images that are in a tangible form can be digitized with a scanner (Ibid). When scanning texts or images, an optical character recognition program, also known as OCR, analyzes a text image for light and dark areas in order to identify each alphabetic letter or numeric digit, and converts each character into an ASCII code (Ibid). Audio and videos can also be digitized by a process in which an analog signal is changed, without changing its essential content, into a digital signal (Ibid). The process of sampling measures the amplitude, or signal strength, of an analog waveform at evenly spaced time markers (Ibid ). It also signifies the samples as numerical values for input as digital data (Digitization, 2007). Objects and sites on the other hand require a more complicated process. A 3D scanner is utilized to analyze an object or environment. The 3D scanner creates a point of cloud of geometric samples on the surface of the object or site and these points can then be used to digitally reconstruct the object or site (3D Scanner, 2010). Digitized resources can be easily shared through digital devices, equipment, and networks. Despite its many advantages, digital resources still need special care and preservation as they can become obsolete. Therefore, everything must be digitized at the highest quality and migrated to the latest storage and formats. Digitization of an object using a 3D Scanner (Scribe It, n.d.) Why Should We Digitize Cultural Heritage? Cultural Heritage should be digitized for the following reasons: Preservation of Tangible Cultural Heritage Digitization can help preserve tangible cultural heritage including objects and buildings. All objects and the valuable information they contain will be available without jeopardizing their integrity by handling or by exposure to the elements. For instance, the Stonehenge in Great Britain is using technological interpretation to conserve the heritage site. Brian Bath states in his publication The Use of New Technology in the Interpretation of Historic Landscapes (2006) that a massive number of visitors wanted to see every angle of the Stonehenge and if the same number of visitors came to the site constantly it would à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a threat exposed surface archaeology and to the protected lichens on the stone surfaces at ground level. Bath (2006) also added that it was hard interpreting the site without explaining the conservation process as well. People wanted to see everything but what they didnt understand was the effect they would have on the site. The solution for this matter was technology. Various forms of Medias like CDs with 3 models and web-based virtual museums were developed in response to assist tourists understand about the conservation and interpretation of the site. 3D/ Virtual Reconstruction of Stonehenge Broadened Access A lot of people cant travel to museums or actual sites whenever they want and even if they could, space constraints imposed on museums would only allow them to see a little percentage of available collections. Therefore, digitizing cultural heritage greatly increases public access. Furthermore, it also advances the work of scholars and researchers worldwide, and opens new opportunities to educators in every setting. Often, objects reside in multiple places even if they are related. Thus, digitizing entire collections allows museums to assimilate their resources, making it possible for scholars working externally to see at a glance their complexity and extent of holdings in a given area. Moreover, digitization also allows museums to share their resources more broadly by integrating collections that have been separated by location across many cultural heritage institutions and research centers. And lastly, digitized materials also help museums reach underserved audiences, as well as th ose not motivated to see museums as a source of information. For instance, twenty years ago, students had to travel to Washington, D.C. to research in the Library of Congress and it was an expensive matter. Now, high school students from around the world have instant access. In 2003, the Library of Congress reported that approximately 15 million people visited American Memory. That is more than the number of people who have worked in the librarys reading rooms over the past 200 years and 1,500 times the number who annually use the manuscript reading room (Cohen Rosenzweig, 2006). New Access Digitization allows access to historical resources that are inaccessible because of their fragility (Cohen Rosenzweig, 2006). As an example, the original 1791 plan for the city Washington is so deteriorated and brittle the Library of Congress does not allow researchers to examine it (Cohen Rosenzweig, 2006). But now anyone can view the digital copy on the librarys website. Not all Library of Congress documents are quite this fragile, but like many other sources, they cant be browsed easily in analog form. LEnfants Original City Plan of Washington 1791 LEnfants Revised City Plan of Washington 1792 Support Education Another benefit of digitizing cultural heritage is that it supports education. Digitization impacts learning in classrooms and everywhere learning takes place. Studies of cultural heritage can come alive with instant access to images, sound files and text extracts. People will be able to experience things not normally possible in a museum, e.g. exploring the inside of a space shuttle in 3D. Furthermore, educators working with cultural heritage can interact virtually with audiences and cultivate forums for exploring topics in more depth and from varying perspectives. Lifelong learners will be able to guide their own learning with help from museums digitized collections. Overall, digitization will give public access to a much greater percentage of museums immense resources, providing better tools with which to spark learning. Brian Bath (2006) stated that the Museum of London set-up a web-based virtual museum and 40 percent of the people who visited the site including students actually came to the museum. As you can see, some people who may have never had interest in going were appealed. Enhances Museums Competitiveness Digitization can enhance museums competitiveness by enhancing visitors experience. A study was carried out by the SITI Research Center of the Queen Margaret University College (Reino, S., Mitsche, N. Frew, A., 2007) in the UK by comparing live interpretation and traditional interpretation at 2 sites, which were Beamish and the Bowes. The result was that ICT improved competitiveness of heritage sites by enhancing learning, entertainment and visitors experience. Beamish which used technology for interpretation had an average of 4% better outcomes in each category. Ease of Access for Researchers In the past, researchers and scholars had to endure the thorough process of ordering up boxes of items in order to find what they were looking for. Sometimes researchers or scholars could not study the archival documents (e.g., glass plate and film negatives) without the prior conversions into readable or viewable media like prints. On the other hand digitization allows quick and easy browsing of large collections of material. Enrich Context Digitization will help enrich context of cultural heritage because everything relevant to an object including details, records, and other interpretative data can be shared. This will enable a richer interaction and enhance users understanding of an object or sites context and meaning. In addition, digitization will enable allows experts to compare artifacts and specimens against those of the digitized museum, substantially increasing information about these holdings at a greater rate remotely. Equally important, it allows people around the world to add additional impressions, associations, and stories to the permanent record. (Will add an example) Infinite Reach Digitization allows infinite reach. It helps people draw multi-media resources from science centers, programs, and museums. Drawn resources could be combined in a way that it could transport an audience back in time. An audience could potentially see how Thai people were living 300 years ago, or witness battles. On the other hand, digitization could also let people experience the present as scientists do. For instance, an audience could be accessing data from Bangkok and could be in the Arctic the next minute learning about ice. And last but not least, people could perhaps travel virtually through space, with a view so clear, making them feel as though they could touch the stars from their armchair. As aforementioned, with digital assets, people would truly have infinite reach. What is Heritage Interpretation? The Basic Principles of Heritage Interpretation The Evolution of Heritage Interpretation and New Media Museums and Their Functions What are Virtual Museums? Still missing but will be added: How can cultural heritage material be digitized? Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Digitizing audio video Cultural Heritage in Thailand Heritage Interpretation in Thailand Examples of Heritage Interpretation and New Media in Other Countries What is the possibility for Thailand? Is it worth it? Assesing Cost and Timelines. Problems with Digitizing Cultural Heritage (Has to be explained in more detail and more examples) Three major problems impede the use of digital technology from being a major tool in preserving cultural heritage. The first one is the enormous amount of financial resources needed for the scanning process, the second one is the quick obsolescence of hardware and software, and the third is the need for standardization of tools and interfaces. As a result, the work done in this area is mostly on a pilot basis, where researchers study the various aspects of certain subjects, build and experiment with modest projects, debate on standards and establish coordinating bodies. Forms of Digitization and Their Advantages and Disadvantages Virtual Museums 3d Technology The origins of heritage interpretation date back to the aftermath of the creation of the first natural parks at the end of the 19th century in the United States. However, it was not until 1957, with publication by Freeman Tildens Interpreting our Heritage that the foundation of the discipline were established. Although in the early days this interpretation was essentially

Child with Autism Essay

There are many books out there relative to the matter of Autism, but I have to say that â€Å"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew† is a the must read for my parents and my colleagues at work, that’s why I chose it for this assignment. Summary This book is an expansion of a successful article that Ellen Notbohm published in 2005. She used the same title. Ellen is a mother of two special needs children, one with autism and the other one with ADHD; however this book is written from the perception of an individual with autism. This is not a long book. It has only ten chapters and is about 130 pages, including the preface and the introduction, called in this book as, â€Å"It begins†. In this part of the book, â€Å"It begins†, the author tries to convince families and caregivers who are dealing with autism, to see it not like a disease. Ellen wants people to help their children to live with it, not to teach them to suffer for something that the children can not even control or they may not even know about. After this introduction, we found that each chapter can be described like a handbook. Each of the ten chapters has just a few bits of information about the common problems that a child with autism presents. However, when you finish reading the book, you will find that this information all together is a complete and trustful story encyclopedia that can help parents, teachers and many other professionals who work with ASD individuals a young age. In the first chapter, the wish is that people may be able to understand that she or he is just a child that needs love, patience, and help. I’m â€Å"autistic†; I’m not a label, I’m just a child. Going beyond with this marvelous book we found how the sensory issues are the reason of many behavior problems. Behavior doesn’t appear from nowhere, an incomprehensible and unexpected behavior has a sensory cause. Ellen advises parents and caregivers to think and reconsider about their beliefs. She also made some suggestions that can help us to identify and work around the child’s sensory structure. Meltdowns, the well-known meltdowns. These are also addressed in this book. Ellen describes the four trigger clusters, sensory overload, physical/physiological, emotional, and poor examples from adults. She indicates the way to identify their causes as well. She makes us to stop thinking or saying that â€Å"she/he won’t† to analyze and identify what is causing the behavior. Visual learners, this is explained in chapter four. This chapter tells us how these children are concrete learners, and visual thinkers. She also illustrates how verbal communication doesn’t make any sense to these children, by given some examples that she calls common snags. She reminds us that we have to help these children by developing a functional way that she/he can use to express their needs, wants, feelings, fears, etc. If they don’t know how to communicate they will find the way to let us know, which can be expressed with any variety of behaviors. Some techniques are also provided in this book, to help these children to develop or improved social interaction and the formation of self esteem. Ellen, who is talking in this book as a child, reminds parents and caregivers that he/she is trying his/her best with his/her poor and limited social skills. Ellen describes her feels when her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She pictures her emotions and thoughts, and her continued fight with her hopelessness. Ellen finishes the book by saying that it didn’t take long to realize she wouldn’t change her son in any aspect even if she could. â€Å"I wouldn’t have him be anything other than exactly what he is†. Relationship between the book and CEC Standards of the course The relationship between this book â€Å"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew† and the standards for professional educators, CEC, can begin with Standard One, that states how the â€Å"special educators use this knowledge as a ground upon which to construct their own personal understandings†. This book provides valuable information that can help teachers who work with ASD students to get a better idea of their world, and gather this information to build strategies or interventions that will help these children to develop or increase skills that will lead to improvement of their lives. Standard Nine, which addresses the engagement in professional and learning activities with families, colleagues, and activities that will lead to a professional growth, have a relationship with this book, because even though this book is more like a personal reflection from a mother of a child with autism, the book offers with details a full description of the primary problems that every child with autism has to face every day. The information provided in this book is helping educators to obtain knowledge and develop understanding of those incomprehensible and unexpected behaviors that many children with autism have. The last standard and the most important: Standard Ten which emphasizes â€Å"collaboration with families, other educators, related service providers, and personnel from community agencies in culturally responsive ways†, collaboration that can help to address the needs of the students. The collaboration can be practiced by sharing this book with parents, teachers, therapists, etc. As I mentioned in my introduction the information provided by the author can be considered as a handbook. Therefore by sharing this book with them, the special educator can be seen as a resource that is facilitating information to parents across settings and services. Professional practice with parents of ASD children My professional growth as a special educator has been impacted by this book enormously. Last school year when I was transferred to Redondo Elementary, although I have a background as a Special Educator, I didn’t know about autism at all. As a result I found myself desperately trying to find information that will help me to understand autism. One of my colleagues recommended this book and I purchased it immediately. I will say that Standard One is reflecting on my professional growth, because, when I read this book, I found the answer to many questions such as: Why is it that she/he claps? Why is it that she/he spins around? , etc. Knowledge that I apply to my teaching every day. Standard Nine reflects on my professional growth because, after reading this book, I am more â€Å"aware of how their own and others attitudes, behaviors, and ways of communicating can influence my practice†. Now I am able to understand more the culture of autism, and I’m also feeling more perceptive about my students’ needs and parents’ concerns. Standard Ten, which is always the most important for my â€Å"collaboration†. I like to extend an invitation to all my parents during my open house or family nights that we have at my school to read this book. I also like to extend an invitation to my parents to come and see me if they are having difficulties with their child at home, so we can work together to implement an intervention to address that particular problem. I would like to finish with this personal account book review/reflection sharing my favorite quotation of this book. â€Å"Patience. Patience. Patience. Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than disability†.

Computer programm essay Essay

Computers have brought about a revolution across all industries. They have changed the face of society. They are no longer specialized tools to be used by specially trained people. They are ubiquitous and used in almost every sphere of life. Computers are the best means for storage and management of data, they can serve as huge knowledge bases and can be harnessed for all sorts of financial transactions owing to their processing power and storage capacities. As computers are a daily utility, they have gained immense importance in day-to-day life. Their increasing utility has made computer education the need of the day. By computer education, we mean, gaining the know-how of the basic concepts related to a computer and gaining the basic knowledge of computer operation. Knowing about the basic components of a computer, the basic concepts behind the use of computers and the know-how of some of the elementary computer applications constitutes computer education. Learning about the computer basics followed by a practical experience of using a computer is the key to computer education. As computers are widely used today, acquiring computer education is the need of the day. Computers are not only storage devices and processing units, but also are excellent communication media. They are the means to access the Internet and get connected to the world. They are also an effective audio-visual media. Computers can be used to access a vast knowledge base and search for information archives over the Internet. Only computer education can facilitate the use of computers for purposes of communication and entertainment. Computer knowledge coupled with certain other job skills increases one’s chances of getting a job. Those with knowledge of computers are considered trainable for many kinds of jobs. As most of the jobs involve the use of computers, computer education is an eligibility criterion for almost all the modern-day jobs. Higher education involving network administration, hardware maintenance or software skills open doors for brighter job opportunities. Computer education helps one manage one’s own business assets and personal  finances. Computers serve as efficient means for management of information. Personal financial assets, medical records and important documents can be stored in an electronic format in a computer system. Today, banking transactions and payments of bills can be done over the Internet. Similarly, online shopping is becoming widely popular. To be in the race, it is very important to take computer education. The word processing applications of a computer serve as an effective means of documentation. The database management software that are a part of computer systems serve as the means of managing large amounts of data. The networking capabilities of a computer facilitate connecting to the Internet to reach out to the world. Gaming applications and media players are some of the popular computer software, which are popularly used across the world. Computers, which have such a wide variety of applications, are indeed ruling society. To keep up the pace in this fast life of today, computer education is extremely important. Computers are an integral part of life and so is computer education! Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-computer-education.html