ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The knowledge of the efficacy of art education is important for school tutors and their faculty who desire to have the best teaching methods. Additionally, parents are interested in having their kids go through the education system and graduate being well armed with skills to help them cope with the ever changing world and discourage jeopardy of their futures as adults (Steers, 2007). Communities also wish that the learned population were able to put into good use their acquired knowledge for the well being of the society. This paper analyzes in detail the art education and its importance to education stakeholders and society. The main aim of a teacher is to equip students with the necessary skills postulated by the curriculum. The transfer of knowledge from teacher to student often entails the use of different methods. However, several researches in the education sector agree that students’ learning need to be engaging if they are to grasp the details (Manzo, 2008). The use of art has been identified as one of the effective forms of engaging students and helps them think in a wider perspective. The application of art into the process of learning enables foster student creativity outside the learning material used in the course. In addition, a teacher who uses art in his/her course encourages student participation to an extent where the students is able to learn in an independent form. Moreover, the student emulating the teacher and the advanced examples in the learning tutorials is able to learn with a little personal effort. The ability of engaging individual knowledge to process given information individually is the nerve of the philosophy of art teaching. The intention of a teacher is to facilitate learning and he/she is required to lay a foundation for the student to construct it from there. Learning is a mental process. Students need to be nurtured and shown the importance of art if the subject is to be accommodated with much ease. In addition, the students have a responsibility of changing their perspective and align it with the topic. The realization of the aforementioned is through cultivation of a cordial relationship between the tutor and the student in relation to art. In addition, there is need for the tutor to engage the mental and social state of the student to foster interest in the subject. Motivation is the result of mental engagement and it entails keeping the student’s spirits high at all time to enhance learning. There is a thin line between individual lives and art subject as the two are entangled to help student develop new dimensions of learning. This means that an art teacher is responsible of nurturing a mind that has ability to develop new horizons outside the learned areas. It is therefore paramount that the teacher is well versed with the
Introduction In recent years, it is becoming increasingly clear that programs or projects hardly survive in the absence of an evaluation. A program evaluation, among other things, provides formative feedback that inarguably assists to guide the program during the implementation phase. Among the deliverables, an evaluation provides summative information that evidently demonstrates the effectiveness of the program towards achieving its stated goals and objectives (Royse et al., 2010). More importantly, this information can be used to optimize the program’s results, efficiency, and quality (Fink, 1995). Below, this paper addresses some questions relating to an evaluation of Teacher Education Training (TEP). Evaluation Questions According to Fink (1995), evaluation questions are mainly posed primarily to judge the program’s merits, that is, if goals were met, benefits achieved, and standards of achievement, among others. As such, the following are the evaluation questions:   * To what extent did the TEP achieve its goals and objectives in terms of enhancing your teaching methods?   * Has the TEP impacted you in any way in terms of imparting knowledge to the students you teach?   * Have there been any changes in the way you comprehend the subject you teach after undergoing the TEP?   * In your opinion, do you think the TEP is worth been replicated in other curriculums of other universities?   * Do you still employ the TEP techniques you learned?   * How has the TEP changed your general perspective in teaching your subject? Standards According to Fink (1997), “setting the standards means deciding on the information needed to provide convincing evidence of a program…” The standards that are decided upon must be appropriate, measurable, and credible. In the case example, the following are the standards:   * Testimonials from teachers who have undergone or are in the process of undergoing the TEP about trends of improvement   * Observations by the evaluators on teaching methods between those in the proposed curriculum (TEP program) and past graduates   * Comparison of student achievement records, i.e., those taught by TEP trainees and those taught by past graduates   * Observation for possible differences in performance for teachers on TEP in terms of age, interest, and experience Design The evaluation design is the structure or backbone of any project evaluation process since it does not only document outcomes that can conclusively be linked to the intervention, but it also gives direction on how the subjects will be compared to record possible differences. The design selected by the evaluators has far-reaching ramifications on the project final outcomes (Fink, 1995; Creswell, 2003). In the case study, the design employed is to compare teachers who have undergone TEP with previous graduates in terms of changes in teaching methods, knowledge of subject taught, and student performance. The measures employed include:   * Testing and surveying all subjects in th
Impact of information technology on the mission of the World Bank The twenty first century has seen the revolution in business operations using information technology as the main tool. Information and communication technology has been resourceful in the improvement and enhancement of business in both the manufacturing and service sectors. In the service sector, the banking subsector has been benefiting a lot out of the acquisition and use of information and communication technology instruments in delivering services to customers. The World Bank is one of the major beneficiaries of the use of advanced information technology systems in enhancing service delivery to customers. The World Bank Group is the large source of funding in the world. Therefore, it has wide and expansive operations that extend to the entire world. Owing to the expansiveness of the services being offered by the World Bank, it can be deduced with no doubt that the bank has an elaborate mission. The World Bank centers on reduction of poverty around the globe by providing financial services like loans to different projects in different countries around the world. Therefore, its activities involve the sharing of information and knowledge within a wide network of employees placed in different destinations across the globe (Mcfalan & Delacey, 2003). The decision to incorporate advanced information technology services in its operations was one of the main strategies of achieving the objectives and fulfillment of the mandates of the bank. This decision came after the assessment of the profile of the organization: its vision, mission, goals and objectives as well as the growth patterns. This was in the year 2003 when the CEO of the bank also noted a quick pace of change in the local and foreign environment of the bank. Among the developments included the increase in sources of technical assistance, reduced backing for official aid, and the expansion of the development agenda. This came at a time when information technology had become a useful tool instrument in disbursement of information and knowledge thence a strong basis for development (Mcfalan, & Delacey, 2003). Therefore, the World Bank adopted information technology and incorporated it into its strategies. The World Bank also considered it a source of improving the attainment of its objectives of service delivery improvement. The use of information technology was termed as the broader mission of the bank. IT was a key driver in two major development changes that were to be implemented by the bank. These are the decentralization of operations and the enhancement of knowledge creation in the bank. Decentralization of operations of the bank was eased through the use of advanced digitalized systems. The objective of the bank in facilitating economic development in the world was greatly boosted by information technology. It has become easy for the bank to design tools that help in speeding up collaborative efforts. This enhances a healthy working environment between employees and other work partners. Therefore, with information technology, the pace at wh
The process of personal discovery is an intricate and often convoluted journey that takes an entire lifetime. The mystery of self-realization has been explored quite a lot in books and movies, yet The Seventh Seal seems to have addressed the topic of self-discovery most delicately. The movie shows the process of a personal realization through overcoming one of the basic fears shared by all people, namely, the fear of death. Although The Seventh Seal incorporates the elements of tricking death, which would, later on, become rather clichéd tropes, the underlying message of studying one’s fears and limitations allows delving into the study of the human nature and watching the protagonist mature emotionally. Introducing the idea of playing an actual game with death and making it lose, The Seventh Seal explores an existential concept that would become a popular trope afterward. The fear of death is an inherent aspect of every person’s life, and reconciling with this emotion is a crucial step in one’s way too personal growth. In a certain sense, addressing the fear of death implies discovering the meaning of life. Indeed, by coming to terms with the fact that a day when one is no more will finally come, one will be able to get one’s priorities in order. One may argue that The Seventh Seal renders the idea of actually tricking death and, thus becoming immortal. However, on closer scrutiny of the plot and the theme of The Seventh Seal , one will have to admit that the idea of winning over death is imbued with a range of additional layers of meaning, a range of which include complex philosophical notions sand allude to biblical concepts, as well as religious ideas, in general. Thus, the idea of conquering death is shifted into the background in “ The Seventh Seal ,” whereas the motif of cognizing one’s self and exploring one’s vulnerabilities comes at the forefront. The key theme of the movie might be seen as slightly morbid, with the concept of dying being in the focus of the audience’s attention. However, the final message that the viewers are expected to internalize is surprisingly optimistic since it posits that embracing the fear of death allows one to become wiser and, ultimately, happier. Thus, the importance of self-cognition is emphasized heavily throughout the movie. As the lead character laments “I want knowledge!,” one realizes that the process of embracing death and viewing it as an inevitable end to an otherwise fulfilling life helps to realign one’s priorities and become wiser ( The Seventh Seal ). The film functions both as a philosophical commentary on the meaning of life and a platform for one’s personal, emotional, and spiritual growth. Despite the focus on tricking death, The Seventh Seal represents the process of emotional growth since it allows one to embrace the primal fear of death and reconcile with it, resetting life priorities and cognizing one’s nature. The movie shows quite evidently that the limitations which people impose on themselves prevent them from performing a complete self-assessment. As a result, people tend to live without questioning their needs and the cause of their unhappiness. The
Introduction The paper is a reflection about the visit to Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) in St. Louis, MO. CID aims to teach deaf and hard of hearing children listen, talk, read and succeed by partnering with families and collaborating with professionals and institutions of higher learning. The institution wants to assist learners to communicate and achieve their best globally. The reflection covers the climate of the school; health and safety; and policy and procedure issues. The Climate of the School The CID school climate is designed in an acoustically friendly manner to ensure that children can learn to listen and talk. For instance, the new school, known as ‘quiet school’, has incorporated several aspects of modern designs and is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to support acoustics learning for the best listening and speaking outcomes for deaf children. Also, the school was carefully designed according to ASHA standards for optimal benefits for learners’ residual hearing abilities and therefore, the design incorporated modern technologies to enhance speech. The CID school was relocated to South Taylor Avenue away from the noise of the US interstate highway. Still, its landscaping was done to act as a sound buffer while construction materials and designs were chosen to block external noise and absorb noise that originates within the building. Moreover, the building’s design also incorporated noise reduction technologies in the floor designs, heating systems, as well as in cooling applications. Finally, the CID school environment was intended to accommodate both children’s and parents’ needs with its observation rooms, colorful child-sized furnishing, 20 classrooms, a library, art room, offices, discovery rooms and living room among others. Health and Safety Health and safety issues are top priorities at the CID school as it strives for both students’ and parents’ safety and health and therefore, all employees are responsible for ensuring a secure, safe environment. Fire warning signs and installed hand sanitizer, for instance, are in washrooms while visible emergency exit plans, fire drill maps, and the building map can be noticed on walls. Although the CID is designed to ensure a safe, secure environment, it lacks adequate resources for unexpected emergencies such as fire outbreaks. A lack of such vital resources can interrupt learning and affect the school negatively given the nature of learners. The school team, however, is responsible for meeting the required safety standards, offering guidelines and implementing them to support students, parents, and faculty. Also, the CID supports children to learn personal health and s
The emergence of virtual reality is a significant technological achievement that can be used not only as a means of entertainment, education, and design, but also for creating a completely new type of works of fine art. One of the most distinguished artworks produced by using the apparatus of virtual reality was “Osmose” by Charlotte Davies. The people who have the experience of being in this virtual reality were able to explore a vast, breathtaking world. Notably, “Osmose” possesses all the five distinguishing qualities of the digital media as described by Packer and Jordan (2002): integration, interactivity, hypermedia, immersion, and narrativity. The art project “Osmose”, created in 1995, is a virtual reality artwork which allows its participant, or an “immersant” (as Char Davies calls them), to “float” through a number (about a dozen) of virtual worlds, or “realms” (Packer & Jordan, 2002, p. 294, 295). It “refreshes… ‘ways of seeing’” and perceiving the world around the participants by changing the (perceived) surrounding space and the rules of interaction with it, thus making the “immersant” to give up their usual perceptual habits (Packer & Jordan, 2002, p. 295, 298). The artwork of Char Davies shows a number of digital media’s distinguishing qualities described by Packer and Jordan (2002). The participant feels as if they are a part of the digital reality when they are floating through the constructed worlds of the watery abysses or deep forests; the feeling of integration with the reality is strong. The “immersants” also were able to interact with the virtual reality, to affect it; many of them claimed that the more they were involved in the digital world, the more they attempted to interact with it and the more emotions they gave, the stronger they felt that the virtual reality was their personal experience rather than the digitally created model (Grau, 2003, p. 200). The work of art might also be considered a hypermedia, for it contains numerous graphical, video, audio elements, is not linear, and refers, even though indirectly, to other works of art. The participants also experience a strong feeling of immersion in the virtual world; it was already noted that they perceive the virtual reality as a strong personal experience. The people who participated in the project felt as if they were a part of the digital world, travelling through its spaces; as if they were an “embodied being,” according to Char Davies’ expression (as cited in Packer & Jordan, 2002, p. 293). It no wonder, therefore, that the author of the project calls its participants “immersants.” And, finally, narrativity is also a characteristic of the virtual reality of “Osmose”; the participants constantly interact with the world, and even their motions and breath cause them to alter their position in it. They perform actions, but it is apparent that they also see them from their own point of view, as if the world around them unfolds ar
What patterns do you see in the distribution of earthquakes across the continental United States? In the United States of America, earthquakes are fairly distributed since as we can see from the information provided, from 1975 to 1995, in the whole of the US, it was only four states (Florida, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin) that did not have any earthquakes but in addition to that, the State of California seems to have the largest number of earthquakes which range at about 10,000 per year though most of them are small and are only detected using seismographs but not felt (Earthquake Facts, 2009). Locate your home in Waco, Texas, and make a note of the relative risk to you by indicating the color where you live. The USGS also reports on earthquakes around the world. Visit this interactive map to find the latest global earthquake data from the past seven days. There is no color where Waco Texas is located thus there is little risk of earthquakes in the area. This shows that in the last week there have not been any forms of earth movements in the area (Latest Earthquakes in the World – Past 7 days- 2009). What patterns do you see in the distribution of earthquakes around the world? The distribution of earthquakes in the world varies according to the region. According to the world map provided, North America and South America continents carry the heaviest burden of earthquakes followed by Asia while Africa rarely suffers from earthquakes and their effects. The highest percentage is particularly in North America where chances of an earthquake are very high compared to other continents (Latest Earthquakes in the World – Past 7 days- 2009). Click on one of the earthquakes on the map and make a note of its magnitude and region. The Southern Idaho earthquake had a magnitude of 3.9 and it occurred on January 26 th , 2011. Idaho is located at 42.447 o N and 111.542 o W. The earthquake’s depth was at approximately 0.1 km though it was poorly constrained from southern Idaho, it spread to 15km WSW 257 o from Georgetown 21km at SE 133 o from Grace, 24km at NW 306 o from Montpelier, and 190km at N9 o from Salt Lake City. Its’ location uncertainty covered the horizontal ground of plus or minus 0.9km and a depth of 7.8km more or less (Earthquakes hazard program, 2010). Would you be willing to live in one of the red areas on the map? Explain Yes: If the only place I could live was in those areas and without living in the area it could be hard to support myself then I would rather risk my life but be armed with all the accident preventive and earthquake knowledge materials that I can access. If you and your family were forced to relocate to a red area, how could you use the USGS resources on earthquake readiness to help your family prepare? If we were forced to relocate to one of t
Summary Figure 1: Oil Bunkering #2 (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016).   * Photographer : Edward Burtynsky (born 1955)   * Title and Date : Oil Bunkering #2, Niger Delta, Nigeria, 2016   * Medium/Scale : Digital image, chromogenic print, size 99.1 × 132.1 cm   * Collection : Part of the Anthropocene project (2016). Rights belong to the author. Brief Description Oil Bunkering #2 is a digital image shot by Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky, known for his pro-active environmental position (Figure 1). The copy that belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art was printed using chromogenic print (C-print). In other words, it is written on photo paper with the help of Chromira or a similar digital writer. It shows the part of the high-density Niger Delta region that is contaminated with oil and its by-products. Although the image is beautiful, it still makes people wonder how they impact the planet. Medium Burtynsky is also known for his large-format landscape photographs, and this one is not an exception. The colored aerial image was taken with the help of a chopper, drone, or airplane allegedly using a 60 megapixel Hasselblad (Weingart, 2017). The author prefers it due to the softer color negative that makes photos look less commercial. The images shot for the documentary also involved the Red Epic Dragon camera (Filmmaker Staff, 2019). During the project, Burtynsky often worked with an 8×10 format to capture the whole scene in a single frame. The lenses involved are wide-angle ones; the shutter speed should be between a second and three seconds. The aperture seems to be not so high, as the depth of field is quite deep. Burtynsky did not use any additional light in the daylight. To make this large-scale image, the artist had to wait for adequate light (Buder, 2019). The Canadian photographer uses Imacon embedded software in the camera and the computer for color management (Weingart, 2017). Oil Bunkering #2 has soft and warm colors that are elements of the artist’s own style. For the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the image was printed in 99.1×132.1 cm and put into a black 104.8×137.2 cm frame. Content and Context The large-scale image shows the part of the river in the Niger Delta polluted with oil. It is an effect of the process called “bunkering” when poor locals siphon off oil from the pipelines and process it in their micro-refineries (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016). It leads to ongoing pollution of land, air, and delta waters, causing devastating effects on residents’ livelihood and health (Ratcliffe, 2019). This photograph is balancing between pure reporting and conceptual work that raises symbols and essential ecological issues. For instance, the bifurcated river from above resembles a tree hit with destructive black material. Oil Bunkering #2 provokes mixed feelings regarding the association between human activity and nature exploitation. This image can be fully understood only as a part of a series called the Anthropocene . The scenes here are organized by subjects, including mi