The Impact of Assistive Technologies as Learning and Teaching Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Assistive Technologies as Learning and Teaching Essay Traditional classrooms in which the teacher delivered content by standing before a class of students, patiently waiting to be filled, much like empty vessels, have long been noted for their inherent shortfalls in meeting the cognitive and developmental needs of each of the range of students in their care. Research has proven that such methods do not work effectively to the benefit of all learners in a classroom because each learner has specific cognitive needs that may not be met in such a situation. Theorists as recent as Howard Gardner with his multiple intelligence theory in 1989 have emphasized the point that no two children learn in the same. The implication of this is that the teacher has to incorporate a variety of teaching strategies, tools, aids and other facilities in the classroom in order to provide the students with the best possible learning environment. Moreover the challenges that students with disabilities face are in themselves several, thus it is an added strain for them to attempt to cope with traditional teaching and learning methodology. For each child in the general education system, but even more so for these special learners, instructional modes have to be adjusted to cater for the specific needs of each learner if the overall curriculum goals are to be achieved. The use of Assistive Technologies (AT) in the classroom contributes to improvements in the performance and motivation of students across subject areas. Assistive Technology refers to the range of equipment and products that a teacher can introduce to the teaching learning situation as a means of improving the capabilities of students with disabilities. Such technologies are numerous. Non electronic equipment such as picture and alphabet boards, as well as light pointers, can be introduced to the special needs classroom (Beck, 2002). Technological advancements have facilitated the development of a number of software packages that can be used to supplement the resources that the teacher already uses in the classroom. Speech synthesis and voice recognition software and other subject specific software that have been created for use in the classroom are useful tools that have the potential, when used appropriately and effectively to enhance the classroom environment. In this paper reference will be made to several specific researches that have examined the usefulness of Assistive Technologies in the general education classroom. Since most of the research was necessarily specific to students with special needs, they bear considerable relevance to meeting the needs of these specific students. The findings could, however, be easily used in a multicultural classroom where learners are of varying physical and cognitive abilities even if their disabilities are not extensive. Armed with the knowledge of these assistive technologies teachers have the potential to transform their classrooms into an environment that caters for the specific needs of all students, whether those needs come in the form of physical disabilities, cognitive, social, psychological or other peculiar needs. In this paper a number of researches conducted on the impact of the use of assistive technology in the classroom would be presented. The research discussed initially will highlight how in one classroom a teacher created material with the aid of several assistive technology tools and demonstrate the endless possibilities for their usage in the classroom. A further research will be more specific to the advantages of using individual personal computers in the classroom. Further research will demonstrate how this tool and other assistive technology, used along with other medium can improve learners’ literacy (reading, writing and speaking) and numeracy (geometry) skills. Additional research into the tools introduced into the classroom for two other specific subject areas (social studies and environmental science) will be discussed. The result of examining these researches will show that the use of assistive technology in the classroom does in fact contribute significantly to improvements in learners’ performance and motivation. The research that Beck (2002) discusses follows the progress of three-year-old students in the Preschool Education Program. The ten students observed in this case study demonstrated various physical and cognitive shortcomings. Multiple assistive technologies were used to help develop the literacy skills of these students and allowed them to participate in different learning activities eventually leading to improved performance (Beck, 2002). Beck (2002) argues that students with disabilities have more difficulty meeting their goals in literacy skills than other students in the general education system. To facilitate easier interaction in the classroom specific assistive technology tools were created and employed by the classroom teacher. One of the first daily classroom activities is modified using a piece of software a picture communication schedule. This shows the students a picture and written text of its meaning. This approach facilitated student’s reading as they were able to associate the words with the object depicted. The second type of assistive technology was implemented at the language learning center.   Class books for reading were modified and recreated into story boards. These story boards were placed in the classroom. Students could independently follow the book by examining the pictures created to match specific words. The creation of the picture boards was facilitated through the computer software Overlay Maker (Beck 2002). The BIGmack technology was also used. This allowed students to participate in group reading activities by replaying preprogrammed phrases from the book being read, while the rest of the class read aloud (Beck, 2002). Additionally through the use of Intellipics the teacher recreated stories from the class book by using pictures that include sound and animation when selected. Students were permitted five-minute rotations at a computer to practice recognition and reading independently as facilitated by the Intellipics program. Beck (2002) gives a broad assessment of students’ attitude and performance prior to using these technologies. She notes that before, students were not engaged effectively in the reading corner as they just browsed through books, making little attempt to read the pages. She observed that improved interest in reading is the most significant and pleasing result of the introduction of the assistive technologies. The success of the introduction of these equipments in the classroom, though not overly extensive is, nevertheless, informative. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the use of assistive technology in this classroom was done primarily in the form of observations, checklists and informal teacher observations. Following a rubric, students were rated on their ability to activate the switch on the BIGMack when appropriate, their ability to name and identify a picture symbol or point to a picture after hearing its corresponding word. The results showed that approximately 90% of the students activated the BIGMack switch and 80% were able to satisfactorily match picture to word. A similar 80% of students were able to correctly name the picture symbols (Beck, 2002). This clearly shows a significant improvement in student performance when the assistive technology was used. Though these observations were not very scientific they still give a good impression. Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) has become an important element in today’s classroom environment. This type of instruction is becoming a significant assistive technology tool when enhancing student learning in various subject areas. It must here be noted that most schools in the United States have a form of CAI in the classroom. The article presented by Boling Martin (2002), sought to determine the effects of CAI on the development of vocabulary on 21 first grade students from a mid-Atlantic elementary school. Ten boys and eleven girls were involved in this six week study. These students were determined to be of a low socio-economic status and had limited exposure to educational experiences outside the school. They were also of mixed ethnicity, thirteen (13) Caucasians, six (6) African-Americans, one (1) Hispanic and (1) Pakistani. The study randomly assigned students to one of two groups. One group the control group, had 10 students and the experimental group had 11 students. All students continued to receive regular reading vocabulary instruction by their teachers. During their assigned 20 minute drop everything and read (DEAR) program both groups read a total seven pre-selected stories. In the control group the story was first read to the students by the teacher, next they listened to it on tape while following in the story book, and finally they were permitted to read any preferred printed literature after the first two tasks were completed. The experimental group used a computerized story board to explore the story first with each student having access to a computer, mouse, keyboard and headphones. Students would read and follow a story independently and where unfamiliar words were met, a click on the word would give its pronunciation. The program used in this study was the WiggleWorks software that offered literacy curriculum based on a combination of speech, sounds, graphics, text and other features.   Students were also able to create word banks by clicking on a plus sign and later develop their own stories or sentences using those words (Boling Martin, 2002). Determining the success of one method over the other was dependent on the students’ performance on vocabulary tests administered before and after the commencement of the study, regardless of the assistive technology used. The results were examined using both pairs of tests. The results showed significant positive effect for both groups but students using the assistive technology software showed greater improvement in their ability to remember more vocabulary words. According to Boling Martin (2002), the experimental group gained significantly as reflected in the difference between the mean scores for the pre test 3.7 and the post test 16.9. Overall the experimental group benefited to a larger extent than the control group. The use of the computer in the learning corners in the Preschool Education program and the Computer Assisted-Instruction testify to the immutable usefulness of this piece of equipment – the computer in the classroom. Acknowledging this fact several laptop immersion programs have been initiated in a number of states across the U.S. including Maine, California, and South Carolina. The Microsoft Corporation caught on to this program in 1996. Report from these immersion programs has suggested that the incorporation of laptops in the general education system not only led to improvements in students’ motivation but have also shown increase in students’ participation and in the rate at which they complete scheduled tasks (Bulek Demirtas, 2005). While educators have been arguing about the utility of laptops in the classroom, some people have questioned the degree to which these have contributed to improvements in student performance. A study was conducted at the Harvest Park Middle School to ascertain what specific impact the use of laptops have on students overall learning, specifically on their individual class grades, grade point average, writing skills and scores on standardized and other external exams (Bulek Demirtas, 2005). This school participates in the laptop immersion program which involves parents and students first applying and then each parent is required to purchase the laptop for his/her child.   In cases where there is economic disadvantage there is the option of a one year loan of a laptop subject to application and approval. Training in the use of the computer is provided. Subsequent to that the students use their laptops independently across their specific subject areas to perform any variety of curricula-related tasks such as researching, preparing presentations, typing essays and note-taking. The school, located in Pleasanton, California has approximately 24% of its population enrolled in the program. Their grade levels range from sixth through to eighth. A representation of Asians, Filipinos, Whites and Hispanics are enrolled in the program (Bulek Demirtas, 2005). The data collected from test results of students enrolled in the laptop immersion program as compared to those not involved, shows something pretty impressive. Five categories of grades were collected for students in the program over a three year period and these were pitted against the grades obtained by students not involved in the program. Their end-of-course grades were collected for each subject and from this their G.P.A. was calculated averaging their grades for all courses taken by each student. Grades were also gathered from the district writing assessment for the sixth and eighth graders and from the California Standards Tests. For sixth and eighth graders this test is strictly multiple choice while for the seventh graders a writing test is included. The last set of grades came from a Norm-Referenced Test in which all three grade levels were tested in spelling, language, reading, and mathematics. The data reveals significant difference in the scores received for all these assessments between students involved in the program and those who were not. In the initial year not much distinction existed between grades but subsequently the laptop users began to showed marked distinction in their grades. The grades obtained by both groups for English Language Arts and Mathematics showed laptop users had higher GPA scores than non-laptop users.   Sixth grade students had a better significant score by 37 points, seventh grade students by 36 points, and eighth grade students by 16 points. The end-of-year grades for these same subject areas showed more A scores and fewer F scores than non-laptop users (Bulek Demirtas, 2005). There was a very considerable difference at the seventh grade level where students in the immersion program had 16% more A’s than non-laptop users (Bulek Demirtas, 2005).   In the eighth grade, however, there is a slight shift in statistics, non-laptop users actually received 3% more A’s than laptop users.   Overall, 90% of students in the laptop immersion program received a letter B grade or performed better in English compared to 79% among the non-laptop users (Bulek Demirtas, 2005). In the district writing assessment for sixth and eighth graders, a higher percentage of laptop-using students met or surpassed their grade level expectations by 16% in grade six and 8% in the eighth grade (Bulek Demirtas, 2005).   The study showed that students in the laptop program scored more Solid Consistency Scores, 3, than the others. In the state mandated exam, students in the laptop program scored at or above the national average in the mathematics and language arts part of the exam for all grade levels (Bulek Dermitas, 2005).   There was considerable difference also in the mathematics sixth grade category where it showed students in the immersion program had a higher percentage by 13 points. The California assessment exam also showed a significantly higher result in the scores of the laptop users compared to the non-laptop users in all grade levels.   Bulek Demirtas (2005) reveal that the laptop users scored higher by a difference of 17% in language arts and 18% in mathematics. The results obtained from the study of the Harvest Park Middle school prove that the laptop immersion program had a positive impact on student achievement (Bulek Dermitas, 2005). The potential uses of the laptop in coordination with other software and technological tools therefore present boundless opportunities for the classroom teacher to modify technique and vary delivery strategy so as to ensure improved student performance. In a study exploring the use of a word processor for teaching the academic outcomes of students with special needs that had been tested as having writing disabilities, Hetzroni and Shrieber (2004), further add merit to the argument for the use of assistive technology in the classroom. In a case study involving three 7th grade students with writing disabilities, the computer word-processing program, when used correctly, was proven to be effective in increasing their writing scores. In this study the researchers functioned under the premise that the slow completion of classroom tasks caused by weaknesses in writing skill could be compensated with the use of assistive technology tools. Three male students, aged 12 to 13 were selected for the study based on their noted learning disabilities and even though they all showed reading scores appropriate to their required age level, it was believed that poor writing skills significantly accounted for their consistent underachievement. They were also required to demonstrate basic keyboarding competence. The study aimed to compare the percentage of spelling and reading errors present in the students work at the end of each language arts and Bible class, the amount of work completed (by examining the exact number of words written) and overall organizational quality, with and without the use of a computer equipped with word processing software. The study was carried out in the two subjects specified and was conducted on the basis of two alternating phases. Phase A (separated further into A1 and A2) covered the period when the students worked independent of the computer and word processing tool. Phase B (separated further into B1 and B2) covered the period when the students were allowed to use a portable computer. The sequence of the program was in-class observation and evaluation of each student by the invigilator under phase A1, an intermediary training session for four 45 minute sessions on basic word processing followed, phase B1 was conducted involving in-class observation and evaluation of the impact of the use of the word processing tool on each student’s performance, in phase A2 the computer was removed and students had to resort to using paper and pencil/pen and then in the final phase B2 the computer was reintroduced. The results of this study proved that the three students improved their writing skills by 5%, reading skills by 3%, organization skills by 30% and decreased errors by 50% (Hetzroni Shrieber, 2004).   There was, however, no noticeable difference in the average number of words the students were able to produce when assisted by the word processor (Hetzroni Shrieber, 2004). While the sample used in this study was very small (only three) it is still important. It goes a far way in demonstrating that, because writing difficulties can impact performance, assistive tools catered to the needs of such students could potentially yield improvements in student’s performance. Even if this is only to a small degree, any improvement in students’ performance is welcomed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Given that students who have a Learning Disability (LD) have demonstrated significant weaknesses in their writing and reading skills, probably more so than any for any other skill, the use of technology must continue to be integrated in the classroom to assist students with LD’s. In a study presented by Zhang Brooks (1993) the benefits of one particular writing assistive technology, called ROBO-Writer is examined. The purpose of this article was to study the effects of ROBO-Writer as a writing tool for students with LD’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The study was conducted over a three month period in a mid-western school and consisted of thirty-three students classified as having a LD. These students included twenty-three male and ten female students ranging in age from 7.7 to 13.2 years in grades 2 to 6 (Zhang Brooks, 1993).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A week prior to the commencement of the study, students were requested to hand-write freely on any topic of interest. From the papers produced, students were matched based on their mechanics, organizational quality and length and placed into groups of three and then further dispersed randomly to form three distinct groups (Zhang Brooks, 1993). The groups were assigned to use three different writing tools over the three month period. One group (MS), used Microsoft’s Word Processing, the second group (RW), used the ROBO-Writer, and the third group (CT), used the traditional paper-and-pencil writing method (Zhang Brooks, 1993).   Assessment of the merits of one method over another would be dependent on the syntactical and linguistic quality of the texts produced by the students irrespective of the particular technology used during the study period. A one-week training in their assigned technology was provided for the students in the MS and RW groups. Three assignments were given initially. All students were required to produce essays on topics of interest, written during normal assigned class writing time lasting for approximately 20 minutes, using their assigned technology. Later the students had to compose and develop a story over the course of 2 weeks using eight twenty minute sessions. A week after completing this assignment they were given a third story to produce in only 20 minutes this time. The final writing assignment was done a month afterward. For this task students spent 30 minutes writing on a specified topic. Initial observation of the students revealed that the MS and CT made little attempt to revise or edit their work before submitting while the RW group were involved in editing their work using the tools available in the software. Assessment of the written work was done by graduate students enrolled in a holistic assessment seminar. The basis of assessment was a modified rubric because the students have learning disabilities (Zhang Brooks, 1993). The results of the study show that the method used to produce the tasks had a significant influence on the overall quality of the written products. The statistical results obtained from correlation of the scores reveal that there was a considerable disparity in the average performances on the last three tasks. Without exception the students in the RW group received considerably higher scores than those in the MS or CT groups (Zhang Brooks, 1993). The above studies testify to the benefits of using assistive technology in the form of special word processing software, as opposed to traditional paper and pen methods particularly for students with learning disabilities. The research discussed by Craddock and Eng (2003) broadens the scope by demonstrating that, while assistive technology could be useful, they must be catered to the specific need of each student if they are to be effective. In a study proposing to look at how assistive technology improved students’ grades and performance, Craddock Eng (2003) provided information on how assistive technology was effectively used in the classroom with students having disabilities. The study was done over a two year period but was not confined to the classroom. Students were also observed in their interaction outside of the classroom setting.   There were forty-five students with learning disabilities that participated in the study and more than 25 individuals engaged in evaluating the students during this period of time using different forms of evaluations including formal assessment, observations, and written reports (Craddock Eng, 2003). The students were selected on the basis of their special needs. These students were lacking in assistive technology that could prove beneficial. An initial evaluation was done to assess each student’s specific need (Craddock Eng, 2003).   After evaluation and approval, each student received a specific assistive technology. The range of assistive technology provided to the students included touch screens, alternate keyboards, Reading/Writing Programs, screen enlargements, and talking processors.   Subsequently the study focused on assessing whether or not the selected technology would effectively assist or had no effect on these students’ performance. Prior performance data was obtained for each student and this later formed the basis for comparison with performance after the introduction of the assistive technology. Later on, according to Craddock Eng (2003), data was collected periodically after students were capable of using the assisted technology. After students became relatively comfortable with using the technology, they were able to use their new tools to help them improve many skills in different areas such as reading, writing, and speaking. The students were formally assessed every six weeks. Since students were using different types of assisted technology and were in different classrooms, evaluations took different forms, for example, improvement in interaction was assessed for students with speech problems as they were now able to communicate with the teacher and other students using a talking processor instead of a writing pad. Other students who couldn’t write used a Word-Processor program that allowed them to type their answer or message. The evaluation of these students did not only focus on changes in their academic performance. Certain important achievements, not capable of being formally evaluated, such as their new ability to communicate with peers and teachers as never before, were quite evident (Craddock Eng, 2003).   The findings concluded that more than two-thirds of the assisted technologies provided allowed students to work, communicate, and interact in the classroom with students and teachers.   Students using a talking processor showed improvement particularly in oral exams (Craddock Eng, 2003). Those students using a Word-Processor program were able to communicate with others and increased speed in communication by typing their message. One of the most significant improvements for these students was speed in communication and response (Craddock Eng, 2003).   Students using these technologies improved their scores by over 30% because the appropriate technology allowed them to answer correctly and freely.   However, some of the findings concluded that some students did not improve in response time or student performance using the talking processor (Craddock Eng, 2003).   Some students were able to answer rapidly but their answers were incorrect.    This concluded that even if students had the appropriate assisted technology improvements on exams was not guaranteed.   These technologies were able to facilitate and improve interaction, communication, and response time as never before.   The study concludes that, besides improvement in their grades and performance, they were also observed to be better able to interact and communicate with others (Craddock Eng 2003). Most of the researches presented so far have focused primarily on the language arts program. This may suggest that assistive technology could only be useful in helping develop language skills. This, of course, is not a true picture. Three further articles expound on research of the use of assistive technology in other subjects areas, specifically social studies, mathematics and environmental science. In Funkhouser’s (2002/2003) presentation, he points out that Mathematics software is part of the growing demand on assistive technology. A thirty six week study at a large high school aimed to ascertain if student success in geometry could be improved with the introduction of assistive technology. The study aimed to compare effects of a constructivist approach to a behaviorist instructional approach using a mathematics software program as assisted technology (Funkhouser, 2002/2003). Forty nine tenth and eleventh grade student participated in the study including both males and females. Using a normal scheduling process students were divided into two groups. One was the control group and the other was the treatment group. The control group consisted of twenty-seven students and the treatment group contained twenty-two (Funkhouser, 2002/2003). Two different learning environments were created each using different textbooks one employing a constructivist and the other a behaviorist approach.   Both groups covered the same topics. However, only the treatment group used the Geometry Supposer software as assistive technology. The pre-test and a post-test evaluation of both groups, consisting of ten questions pertaining to math attitudes, student approaches, student procedures and geometric calculations performance showed that there was significant improvement in knowledge by the treatment group by a t-test value of 2.06 (Funkhouser, 2002/2003). The results on improving student attitude were not significant between both groups. However, according to Funkhouser (2002/2003), students received significant benefits from constructivist computer-assisted instruction. This next research, discussed by Boon, Burke, Fore Spencer (2006), involves the integration of technology in an effort to enhance learning in social studies classes. The researchers attempted to assess the impact of cognitive organizers, with the integration of technology, Inspiration 6 software, on increasing content-area learning for secondary students with and without disabilities in inclusive social studies classes. There were forty-nine tenth grade students who participated in the study that lasted three weeks. From this group, twenty students were classified as having a learning disability (Boon et al 2006).   This school was located in the southeast part of the United States.   A general education teacher and two special education teachers participated in the study.   The method consisted of comparing a pretest and posttest on the result of cognitive organizers opposed to traditional textbooks. The group of students was separated into two groups classified as a control group and an experimental group. Both groups used the same textbook. In addition to the text book the control group used were involved in group activities, used guided handouts, worksheets, and video presentations. The experimental group used desktop computers, disks, guided outlines, reading materials, and Inspiration 6 software (Boon et al. 2006). The teacher in this classroom was also provided with a folder containing presentations, templates, and lesson plans.   The teacher also participated in one forty-five minute training on how to use Inspiration software.   Students in this group were also trained on using the software and creating outlines, charts, webs, using the voice converter, and converting outlines into a cognitive organizer.   This software allowed them to insert photos, sound, graphics, highlight text, change backgrounds. In the experimental group, students were introduced to a new chapter and given a pretest consisting of thirty-five questions.   Students were provided with a cognitive organizer for writing the chapter’s attributes as a class guided activity.   When students finished the chapter, they were able to input all the information they wrote in an outline on the Inspiration software.   The software allowed students to transform it into a cognitive organizer and diagram (Boon et al. 2006).   Using this cognitive organizer, students were able to study the chapter’s concepts throughout the study.   At the end, the teacher administered the posttest with the exact questions as the pretest. In the control group, the students completed the same pretest as the experimental group.   Afterwards, the students read orally as a class discussing the chapter’s concepts and later completed a ten-question worksheet to review vocabulary, people, and important events (Boon et al. 2006).   Throughout the study, students watched videos, completed group activities, and read the chapter various times.   At the end, the teacher administered the same posttest as the experimental group.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both tests administered consisted of grading each question using points from zero to two.   The same score procedure was used for students with learning disabilities.   Ã‚   The results indicated that prior to the technology intervention no major significance in scores was found.   After the technology interference, a major difference was found as students in the experimental groups scored a mean average of 52.54 compared to the 26.84 of the control group (Boon et al. 2006). Students in the experimental group also improved their scores between the pretest and posttest by 41 points.   Overall the students who use the cognitive organizers performed better that those who just used the traditional textbook instruction. The use of cognitive organizers therefore has the potential to notably improve content-area learning for students with and without disabilities (Boon et al 2006). In the third subject-specific research Chanda, Sharonda Briers (2003) discussed how technology programs implemented in a classroom of economically disadvantage students, including disabled, enhanced their performance on the subject of Environmental Science.   The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of classroom strategies involving computer use on the performance of economically disadvantaged students (Chanda, Sharonda, and Briers, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The setting for this study was the Pennsylvania Middle school.   There were 311 students ranging from age 11 to 14 years (Chanda et al, 2003). The study was done using a quasi-experimental design meaning it included a pre-test, intervention, and post-test (Chanda et al., 2003).   Only 249 students were eventually analyzed because the other 62 missed one part of the design.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the pre test the researchers designed a 25 multiple choice exam consisting of questions dealing with Environmental Science, computer skills, and student demographics (Chanda et al, 2003).   The post test consisted of 49 multiple choice questions dealing with the same subjects.   Students had 30 minutes to complete the items. According to the Chanda et al. (2003), students had a 1 week intervention on Environmental Science using special software that allowed them to work in groups. Students worked in groups but were still tested individually. Students working together from two separate stations could take on the role of driver or navigator. The drivers in each group could control the computer program and all actions. The navigator’s purpose was to guide the driver in everything. The navigator would tell the driver what to click, where to go, and type all answer in the program. However, both students had to jointly decide on the answers working together to complete the assignments (Chanda et al, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The post-test data concluded that students managed to improve their performance on the post-test after the evaluation due to the program based on the driver navigator method (Chanda et al, 2003). What the article fails to detail though is an explanation or depiction of the exact numbers, percentages, or data on their improvement. The students were also evaluated on the basis of gender and this produced significant results. According to the Chanda et al. (2003), when students were grouped by different gender, the males dominated the driver part and would take over the navigator part giving them less improvement on their post test. Significantly also students in the same gender had a more significant improvement on their post-tests after following their proper roles by working together to meet the objectives in the subject areas (Chanda et al, 2003). In conclusion, the special program did enhance their performance on the specific subject areas due to its driver navigator method on doing assignments and projects (Chanda et al, 2003). In their article Cramer Smith (2002) argue that the argument for the use of technology as an assistive tool is not very convincing. While they believe that the integration of technology into the classroom, not as a substitute to the traditional instructional method, but as a way of supporting the teaching learning process is useful, they do not find that there is enough evidence to support the claims that they impact student performance extensively. In an article Cramer Smith (2002) present the findings of a study assessing the effectiveness of these new forms of learning tools. The research examined whether the use of an innovative program titled â€Å"The Movie Project† designed to improve essential literacy, oral, technology and grammar skills in a fun and exciting way makes a impact on student’s productive skills. â€Å"The Movie Project† is a unit of content delivery designed by educators that seeks to have students actively involved in the productive aspects of language. At the beginning of each school year a topic is chosen for a movie and students in groups prepare a movie script, the best one voted on in class. Between January and April the entire class works on producing an eight to ten minute movie, each student vying for positions as actors, producers, camera operators etc. To complete their movie students had access to a variety of technological tools such as camcorders and computers (Cramer Smith, 2002). The research presented by Cramer Smith (2002), compares the performance of students from two schools, one actively involved in â€Å"The Movie Project† – called the Movie Project School, and the other and the other where technology was not integrated into the teaching process – called the Traditional School. The number of participants was eighty-eight and fifty five students and three and four language arts teachers respectively. Besides their use of â€Å"The Movie Project† teachers were interviewed to discuss their use and integration of technology in various aspects of the classroom. The Movie Project School was thus identified to be the most technological rich school while the Traditional School had less access to and used technology far as an assistive tool. Writing samples were collected from a randomly selected group of students from both the Movie Project and the Traditional School. Two separate sets of writing samples were collected for each student involved. One was collected at the beginning of the year and the second was collected at the end of the year. All language arts teachers at the two schools participated in the study except one in the traditional school because no beginning-of-the-year writing samples were obtained. A total of 148 writing samples were submitted by the language arts teachers, eight were used during the standardization procedure and one had to be discarded. A writing sample represents both the beginning and the end of the year work for each student. Each student’s paper was scored on the basis of the quality of the development of ideas and how well these ideas are articulated and organized (ideas, organization and voice). For each of these three areas a separate aggregated score was produced for each grade level with the scores for the beginning and the end of the year also separated. At the beginning of the school year the average scores received for students at the Movie School for ideas, organization and voice were 2.89, 2.61 and 2.81 correspondingly with a median of 3.0 across. For the Traditional School the equivalent scores were 2.46, 2.24 and 2.30. The comparative results between beginning-of-year and end-of-year samples for each student and between the Movie School and the Traditional school did not demonstrate any significant changes. The average scores for the end-of-year samples for the Movie School were 3.2 for ideas, 2.93 for organization, and 3.19 for voice. The median was again 3.0. For the Traditional School the mean scores were now 3.28, 3.08 and 2.97 and they too had a mean of 3.0 overall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The argument put forward by Cramer Smith (2002) is clear, there is not enough empirical evidence to conclude that assistive technology dramatically increases students’ performance. They believe that the lack of success of research into the impact of assistive technology could be because it is very difficult to measure the extent to which assistive technology as isolated factors contribute to improvements in students learning. By its very name assistive technology suggests that other traditional methods are employed in the classroom as well. Cramer Smith (2002) argue that a vast number of factors can also mitigate either for or against improvement in student’s performance with the aid of assistive technology. In the research just outlined for example, it was noted that students in the Traditional School for given more writing samples to produce as well as journaling was required at least twice per week as opposed to only once per week in the Movie School. Additionally, even though in the Traditional School computers were not as prevalent, their students used technology more often than those in the Movie School.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The conclusion is that, in order to assess the overall effectiveness of assistive technologies as opposed to the traditional method, other independent variables would have to be removed as these could obscure the results in favor of one position over the other. Too many factors are at work in the classroom for this isolation to be possible. Until such a research becomes possible teachers should not, however discount the use of these technologies in the classroom. The traditional teaching methodology is ever changing and teachers are constantly pressed to develop new ideas and strategies to meet the needs of their students. Even if there is no broad consensus on the overall impact of assistive technology, the task of determining its usefulness for individual students must be left up to the teacher. It is the teacher who interacts daily with these learners. It is the teacher who can determine whether or not changes in attitude arise from exposure to assistive technologies. It is the teacher who feels rewarded when a child’s life, even if it is only one, is shown to be positively impacted when their learning disabilities are offset by the use of assistive technologies. While some of the researches presented were not specific to the learning disabled classroom, they are still of relevance. The goal should not only be to separate the learning disabled from the main stream system, but to see how best to integrate them into the regular school system. A multicultural classroom where each student is able to function effectively in the classroom, despite whatever physical, psychological or cognitive difficulties they may have, where ethnic, gender and other differences are accommodated, is the ideal. Training in the use of assistive technology cannot be only for special education teachers. All teachers, across all grade levels, must learn to incorporate these and several other technologies in the classroom so as to create the healthiest environment for student motivation and cognitive, social, psychological, physical and other forms of development.       REFERENCES    Beck, J. (2002, Nov/Dec). Emerging Literacy Through Assistive Technology. Council for Exceptional Children, 35, 44-49. Boling, C. J., Martin, M. (2002). The Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction on First Grade Students’ Vocabulary Development. Reading Improvement, 39, 79-88. Boon, R.T., Burke, M.D., Fore, C. Spencer, V.G. (2006). The Impact of Cognitive Organizers and Technology-Based Practices to Promote Student Success in Secondary Social Studies Classrooms for Students with Learning Disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 21(1), 5-15. Bulek, J. Demirtas, H. (2005, January) Learning with technology: The Impact of Laptop Use on Student Achievement. The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 3 (2). Chanda E., Sharonda P., Briers G. (2003) Evaluating Classroom Strategies to Enhance Performance: Using a Computer-Assisted Program. NACTA Journal, 12, 1-5. Craddock, G. Eng, B. (2003). Satisfaction in Assistive Technology Use: Factors that Impact on Students with Disabilities, Research Results. Cognitive Processing, 4, 28-39. Cramer, S. Smith, A. (2002). Technologys Impact on Student Writing at the Middle School Level. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 1-9 Funkhouser, C. (2002/2003). The Effects of Computer-Augmented Geometry Instruction on Student Performance and Attitudes. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 35(2) 163-75. Hetzroni, O., Shrieber, B. (2004). Word Processing as an Assistive Technology Tool for Enhancing Academic Outcomes of Students with Writing Disabilities in the General Classroom. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(2), 143-154. Zhang, Y. Brooks, D. (1993). The Holistic Quality of Texts Created by Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities is Improved when Appropriate Computer-Based Software is Employed as the Writing Tool. Retrieved November 2, 2006, from http://dwb.unl.edu/Diss/YZhang/YZDissPaper.html

Essay --

Preservation and Conservation Methods Preservation is a crucial element in the whole operation of a records programmed. The aim of archival preservation is to prolong the usable life of useful research information in two ways. First, preventive preservation seeks to reduce risks of damage and to slow down the rate of deterioration. This aim is usually accomplished by selecting good quality materials and by providing suitable storage environments and safe handling procedures. Secondly, prescriptive preservation is a means of identifying and treating or copying damaged materials to restore useful access to the information. A variety of methods exist to protect audiovisual materials physically and ensure their stability and security. Environmental controls, the use of quality storage containers and good handling practices will help extend the life of archival materials. 2.6.1 Techniques of preservation Proper Care and Handling of Audio Visual Materials Taking care when handling any collection item is one of the more effective, cost-efficient, and easily achieved preservation measures. General †¢ Wash and thoroughly dry hands before handling A/V materials †¢ Store and handle materials in a clean environment †¢ Keep food and drink away †¢ Do not touch playing surface(s) †¢ Keep playback equipment clean and well maintained †¢ Allow materials from cool storage to acclimate to room temperature before playing back Discs †¢ Handle grooved discs (78s, 45s, LPs, lacquer discs) by the edge and label areas only †¢ Handle optical discs (CDs, DVDs) by the edge and center hole only Magnetic tape (Cassettes, Audio and Video) †¢ Handle by the outer shell only †¢ Do not touch the spools 2.6.2 Storage Audiovisual are made of modern materials that may have inh... ...n general scope within the institutional objectives in supporting the outreach programs aims Exhibition Exhibition Details Nation’s Memoir ï‚ § Exposing the audiences to the interesting places, important events and people both the ordinary one and includes the extraordinary who have take part in developing the country into what it is now – a proud nation. The Galleria ï‚ § It has been planned to a suitable period for viewing to our audiences to be on our daily opening hours and open for reservation for particular purpose of visit. The Galleria included several Malaysia’s valued audiovisual records and archives on our collection. It could be referred to be ‘birth certificates’ for our beloved country. The related items in The Galleria may covers subject ranging from cultural heritage, historical places, and other appropriate items to be showed to the audiences.

Into the Wild Essay

You will have 45 minutes to plan and write an essay on the topic assigned below. Before you begin writing, read the passage carefully and plan what you will say. Your essay should be as well-organized and carefully written as you can make it. I think that Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his Romantic silliness. He made a lot of mistakes based on arrogance. I don’t admire him at all for his courage nor his noble ideas. Really, I think he was just plain crazy. Shaun Callarman Explain Callarman’s argument and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with his analysis. Support your position, providing reasons and examples from your own experience, observations, or reading. The sample student essays that follow reflect the EPT Scoring Guide’s criteria for their respective scores. Sample student essay with a score of 6: Life: Not an Episode of â€Å"Grizzly Man† Yes, living alone in the wilderness like Thoreau and London sounds exciting, especially if you fake a big part of your adventures or if you can pack up and go home when you get too hungry. Chris McCandless doesn’t have these options, but Shaun Callarman believes that Chris is full of â€Å"Romantic silliness,† and by this statement I think he means that Chris goes into Alaska seeing only the good parts of the wilderness experience. Like Callarman, I believe that Chris has a head full of â€Å"Romantic ideas† and that he lacks â€Å"common sense† although I would not call him â€Å"plain crazy.† When Chris decides to map some part of the Alaskan wilderness that’s already been mapped, he is definately showing â€Å"Romantic silliness.† Callarman is right about this; it doesn’t seem very courageous to me to waste time doing work that someone else has already done! I would want to spend my time doing something more useful. The wilde rness in Alaska is being ruined with oil pipes and spills. Chris could of taken some of his â€Å"noble ideas† and used them to better the area. By spending his energy for a good cause, he would not have seemed so arrogant and ignorant, as Callarman states. It might have  felt romantic to him to draw his own map, but he was staying in a bus, so it seems pretty clear to me that somebody else had been there already. Also, Callarman says that Chris â€Å"made a lot of mistakes base on arrogance.† I agree; Chris does make a lot of errors. For instance, he brings the wrong kind of gun, the wrong kind of clothes, too many books and not enough food. What is the purpose of his reading and his library research in Alaska if he’s not going to be willing to take advise? So yes, Chris’s mistakes maybe coming from an arrogant brain. On the other hand, Chris did show some â€Å"noble ideas,† in contrast to what Callarman states. He tries to keep other people from getting involved with him by not letting them get too close. In addition, he really did kill a moose and not a carabou, as some people made fun of him for doing. Finally, he lives a lot longer out in the wilderness than most people could! Chris is definately a bizarre mix of qualities, as Callarman argues, but now that I think about it Chris is not really as bad as he looks. Being young (high school and college) is suppose to be the time of our lives for Romantic silliness. Aren’t we suppose to be idealists during this time? I would not want my plans and dreams to be called â€Å"arrogant† or â€Å"ignorant,† because they’re impo rtant to me and I want them to come true. All in all, with his bad family life and sketchy role models like London, Chris did not do too bad. I do feel sorry for his parents and sister and friends, but his life is a lesson for all of us to be careful but to follow our dreams as much as we can. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guide’s criteria for a score of 6. The superior response indicates that the writer is very well prepared to handle college-level reading and writing. The writer offers a concise and accurate explanation of the Callarman quotation and effectively addresses all aspects of the prompt. The essay demonstrates a thorough, critical understanding of the passage, invoking Callarman both directly and indirectly, integrating quoted material smoothly, and using the Callarman quotation to guide the writer’s response. The essay consistently and insightfully negotiates between Callarman and the writer, even to the extent that the writing itself functions to modify the writer’s position as the essay progresses. With a few exceptions (see the second paragraph, for example) the writer uses transitions appropriately and effectively, both within and between  paragraphs, to guide the reader through the essay. The writer offers specific, accura te, and relevant examples (the map, the insufficient clothing and food, too many books) to support the essay’s points. The writer concludes the essay by referring to London again at the end and bringing the essay full circle. The essay’s paragraphs get shorter toward the end as the writer perhaps begins to rush, yet they are generally unified, focused, and well developed. The writer has learned to write in the literary present tense, with only some wavering of verb tense (especially toward the end of the essay). The essay is generally free of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics, except for minor slips (such as â€Å"definately† and â€Å"maybe† versus â€Å"may be†) that do not interfere with meaning. Sample student essay with a score of 5: Into the Wild Essay Shaun Callarman does not have much good to say about Chris McCandless. He believes that he, â€Å"was bright and ignorant at the same time,† meaning that Chris was smart; just smart enough to get himself killed in Alaska. Callarman also believes that Chris, â€Å"was just plain crazy,† which I think is taking his argument too far. I agree that Chris was foolish and made mistakes based on arrogance, but I don’t think he was crazy. Chris was just a bad combination of brains and stupidity. A college graduate should know enough to prepare for the wilderness. Who goes to a cold and distant place like Alaska with a backpack full of books and a bag of rice? He had enough money to buy the stuff he needed, why not spend some of his savings on a $5 map? His $24,000 would of bought him a lot of equiptment and food. People kept trying to buy him equiptment but each time he denied them. Is this being independent, or is it being stupid? I vote for stupid. Of course, Chris had a lot of problems that contributed to his decision to go into the wild. For example, his parent’s marriage was awful, and his dad’s double life must of been a huge shock. It seems that Chris did a lot of this to spite his parents, like lieing about his identity, ignoring letters from home, and badmouthing his Mom and Dad. There are lots of people like him that feel they have something to prove, so they go out and do something wreckless. Chris didn’t prove anything by going to Alaska, besides that he was an idiot. If he hated his Mom and Dad so much, maybe he should of just  gone somewhere and started a new life, maybe he should of taken his savings and bought a cabin in Alaska and been alone as long as he wanted instead of starving to death in a bus for innocent hikers to find later. If Chris is crazy, then so are a lot of other people, but he seems more foolish and even mean. For example, what about the way he treated the old man Ron? Ron really cared about Chris and he had already lost his entire family, but Chris tried to tell him how to live. After all that, he hit the road again and left Ron behind. This example shows that he only thinks of himself throughout the book, which just makes him like many others, dumb. Callarman lets him off too easy when he calls him â€Å"crazy†. If Chris was crazy, he could of been helped, but I believe he was mostly foolish and angry. He went to Alaska in a temper tantrum to show everyone, but he paid the biggest price in his death. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guide’s criteria for a score of 5. The clear competence of the essay indicates that this writer is ready to handle college-level reading and writing. The writer provides a reasonable and clear thesis that responds to the prompt. The writer opens with an accurate summary of the Callarman passage, choosing to focus on the idea of whether or not Chris is crazy to develop a well-reasoned response. The writer shows some depth and complexity by attempting to consider opposing viewpoints in the third paragraph, although the logic wavers somewhat. The essay tends to overuse generalities (largely that McClandless was â€Å"dumb† or â€Å"stupid†), and some sections are underdeveloped. However, the writer does provide some specific examples (McClandless’ refusal to obtain equipment, his abandonment of Ron) to back up the essay’s assertions. The writer’s personal voice is lively and consistent throughout the essay. Transitions are occasionally awkward or missing, but the writer generally succeeds at using transitional language to guide the reader through the essay. The writer is able to reiterate the essay’s position in the final paragraph without being overly repetitive. The essay suffers from some errors of expression, such as spelling (â€Å"equiptment,† â€Å"lieing†), usage (â€Å"would of,† â€Å"should of†), mechanics (â€Å"his parent’s marriage†), semicolon use, pronoun confusion (the use of â€Å"he† in the first paragraph), and style (overuse of â€Å"a lot†), but these concerns do not generally detract from meaning. On the strong side,  this writer has learned to use a comma before coordinating conjunctions that connect independent clauses. Sample student essay with a score of 4: Chris McCandless was a risk-taker. He was a young man that wanted to be independent and live his life without anyone telling him what to do. Some people, such as Shaun Callarman, describe him as ignorant and arrogant. Others admire him for his ability to maintain his independence and live under his own control while maintaining his morals. Shaun Callarman says he was â€Å"bright and ignorant at the same time.† He had to have been bright. He read amazingly difficult books and followed their teachings as well. However, aside from calling him bright, Callarman also calls McCandless ignorant. Was McCandless ignorant for following the teachings of these books? No. He was just curious and obviously determined. Callarman states, â€Å"He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his Romantic silliness.† I agree with what Callarman says in this passage. Common sense would have told him to bring the necessary supplies with him before attempting to go in to the wilderness of Alaska. I have been taught from a very young age to not go anywhere without my necessities, whether it be money, food, or water. I also have been taught to not go anywhere alone, especially if it is a huge risk. Chris McCandless ignored, or showed absolutely no common sense. I do not however think he was crazy. I do admire him for his ability to retain his morals and live his dreams out to their fullest potential. He took risks and in doing so was able to achieve what he most wanted. Independence. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guide’s criteria for a score of 4. This adequate response to the topic suggests that the writer should be able to handle college-level reading and writing. The writer demonstrates a generally accurate understanding of the passage, although the writer struggles to understand some of Callarman’s points (i.e., how McCandless could be â€Å"bright and ignorant at the same time†). The essay delivers its thesis in the first sentence; this thesis is succinct and responds to the prompt. The first paragraph is brief but adequately set up, with the question, Was Chris independent or arrogant? posed through logic and transitional language (e.g., â€Å"Some people . . .† in the third sentence,  followed by â€Å"Others . . .† in the fourth). The writer quotes Callarman both directly and indirectly and attempts to incorporate quoted material smoothly with tag phrases, introductions, and other markers, although the quotati ons after the first paragraph are repetitive in terms of structure and logic. The essay as a whole is somewhat simplistic and repetitive. The final paragraph, for example, basically restates the thesis paragraph (first paragraph), and the body paragraphs tend to repeat their points as well. The logic in the essay is uneven, particularly in the third paragraph, where the essay seems to argue against its own thesis when the writer attempts to acknowledge Callarman’s â€Å"Romantic silliness† comment. The writer offers transitional language, although somewhat simplistic, within paragraphs (â€Å"however† is a prominent transition) but does not provide similar guidance for the reader between paragraphs. The examples from the text (reading hard books, leaving without necessities) are relevant but are general and underdeveloped. The essay generally demonstrates control of grammar, usage, and mechanics; in fact, this essay is a prime example of a paper that handles the English language quite competently but that struggles in other areas, such as organization and development. Sample student essay with a sc ore of 3: Chris McCandless was an adventourous man. Chris McCandless wanted to live his life to the fullest. Chris had changed his name to Alex the Supertramp. Alex wanted to live on the ‘road’. So he packed up all his belongings and burned his money. He unfortunaly died hundred and twelve days after he ‘hit the road’. Many people think of him as inspiration. While Others belived he was Crazy. I personally believe that Alex was an inspiration. An man by the name of Shawn Callarman had written a passage about Alex. Callarman writes â€Å"I think that Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant.† Callarman goes on to say that â€Å"I think he was just plain Crazy.† I disagree I believe Alex had a purpose in life. I believe that Alex had taken some time to think about his journey. Alex had a purpose in his life. I believe he wanted to show people how they can have goals and still acheive them. Even though he died on his Journey he left a ‘track’ b ehind. Alex had many pals along the way and he made a difference in their lives. Chris McCandless was an inspiration to me. Many people have their opinions of Chris. Chris’s story could lean  towards both ways. I believe that Chris MaCandless made a difference in a least one person’s life on his Journey. Chris McCandless was Crazy but he was not just a regular man. Chris McCandless was an inspiration to us all. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guide’s criteria for a score of 3; however, it is a weak 3. Although the essay suggests developing competence, it is flawed in significant ways that suggest the writer needs additional practice before being able to succeed in college-level reading and writing. The writer makes limited use of the passage, focusing solely on the idea of McClandless’s potential craziness. The essay quotes Callarman by implication and without attribution in the final sentence of the first paragraph. It mentions Callarman directly only in the second paragraph by providing two quotations, the first of which is simply dropped in, then left unaddressed. The writer struggles to choose between two potential thesis statements (â€Å"I personally believe that Alex was an inspiration† and â€Å"I believe Alex had a purpose in life†), both contained in the second paragraph and reiterated but not supported elsewhere in the essay. The body paragraphs are a series of assertions that lack effective transitions. The writer has limited control of syntax and vocabulary, using a highly repetitive sentence structure throughout the essay, with constructions of similar length, grammatical structure, and simplicity (e.g., the first three sentences of the first paragraph open with the word â€Å"Chris†). The writer offers examples from the text that are accurate (McClandless’s changing his name, burning the money, making friends along the way), but these examples are often unspecific and are generally underdeveloped and undersupported. The writer struggles to maintain a consistent and appropriate verb tense throughout the essay. The essay suffers from an accumulation of errors, especially errors in spelling (â€Å"unfortuanly† and â€Å"belived†), punctuation (missing commas and misused single quotation marks), and erratic capitalization (â€Å"Others† and â€Å"Crazy†). Sample student essay with a score of 2: Into the Wild Essay Callarman’s argument is that he thinks that McCandless was bright but a the same time ignorant. He tries to said that he was dum by saying he was  ignorant. Also he try to said that McCandless didn’t have no business to go to Alaska. That he made Mistakes based on Pride. That he was just going there because he was Crazy he didn’t know why he was going there. I also agree with him because why he wanted to go to Alaska. Specialy when he didn’t have the right things to live in a place like that. He also was acting crazy that he didn’t even know what he was doing. He even die because he didn’t have no Food to eat. And he was acting weird with his parents and his brother and sister. Callamar made a good opinion about McCandless by saying that because he didn’t act like a normal person. I think he didn’t act like an adult. Specialy when he sent the Letters to his Family and his Friends. I think he did Miss his people he didn’ t wanted to assume he Miss them. He should to stay with his parents and never went to Alaska. McCandless did it wrong because he went to Alaska just because of his Romantic illness. That was not a good reason to just go away and live to another place were he would not live in good conditions. I think he could Forget about his Romantic illness and he could even get another person. But he even kill his own life which is not a good thing. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guide’s criteria for a score of 2. The serious flaws here indicate that this writer will need considerable additional practice before being able to succeed in college-level reading and writing. This piece provides a good picture of a student whose ESL writing features are profoundly obscuring what would otherwise be a stronger (that is, a 3-level) essay. The writer demonstrates a basic understanding of the passage but focuses on repeating Callarman’s points without establishing a clear direction for the essay. The writer fails to respond to the prompt with a focused thesis. The first sentence of the second paragraph, â€Å"I also agree with him . . . † alludes to a potential thesis that has not yet been offered and that never appears explicitly in the essay. Although the writer attempts four body paragraphs, the paragraphs are not logically linked to one another. The writer attempts in the second paragraph to use transitiona l language to guide the reader through that particular paragraph, but the essay’s organization both within and between paragraphs is left largely to the reader to discern. The essay offers generalizations (â€Å"he was acting weird with his parents†) without providing specific support. The writer  lacks basic control of syntax (see the first sentence of the third paragraph) and vocabulary (â€Å"Romantic illness†), and some statements make no logical or syntactic sense at all (see the third sentence of the second paragraph and the first sentence of the third paragraph). The writer has serious and persistent errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics (spelling, erratic capitalization) that severely interfere with meaning. The problems many English learners have with idioms (â€Å"because why he wanted to go†), verb tenses (â€Å"he tries to said†), and verb forms (â€Å"he even kill his own life†) are pervasive and profoundly obscure meaning. Sample student essay with a score of 1: I sure do agree with Callarmans argument. She is absolutly right McCandless was bright and ignorant. And He defenatly had no common sense, he was one of those weird people you won’t expect. For my observation she gots the same thoughts as I do. I shure think defining terms allows me to cushion my position. The evidence that I will use is that He was writing all his up and down pants. In my point of view I think that McCnadless was avery unique guy. He even did things that no one would do. An example, work everywhere he stop use his name and give out half of his idenity. That is my point and answere for this paragraph. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guide’s criteria for a score of 1. The fundamental deficiencies of this essay clearly indicate that the writer needs much additional practice in order to be ready to succeed at college-level reading and writing. The writer agrees with the Callarman quotation without demonstrating any understanding of the passage. The writer fails to use the Callarman passage to develop a meaningful response to the prompt. The essay, at approximately 120 words, is seriously underdeveloped; statements of agreement with Callarman make up a considerable portion of the text. The digression about â€Å"cushion[ing] my position† contributes nothing to the minimal text the writer provides. The writer’s reflective statements about purpose are similarly wasted. The only evidence provided by the writer is McCandless’s evasive attitude toward self-identification at work, but even this example is so poorly expressed as to be nearly incoherent. The writer lacks basic control of syntax and vocabulary. The writer has serious and persistent errors in mechanics that severely interfere with meaning. Spelling and verb form errors are pervasive.

Analysis of Remarke´s All Quiet on the Western Front

A major reiterated theme of Remarque’s novel All Quiet on the Western Front focuses on BÃ"“umer, the narrator, and his comrade’s accurate view of World War I and how greatly it contrasts to the ideas of the older generation who persuaded the youth to join the war for defending Germany. An analysis of BÃ"“umer’s attitude toward the war reveals that the world of his former authority no longer exists. His first encounters on the front shatter his trust and belief in the views and teachings of the generation that should have been their mentors, directing this inexperienced â€Å"Iron Youth† (18) into the world and preparing him for what would have been his future life. Now, BÃ"“umer realizes that, if he survives the war, he can never return to ideas or desires of his youth nor ever truly re-enter into the lives that the generations before and after him belong. The older generations, consisting of BÃ"“umer’s parents and teachers, receive the war with a joyous enthusiasm of a chance to display German might and honor, though no one had an idea of what the soldiers, their children, would have to endure. They, especially BÃ"“umer’s teacher Kantorek, took every possibility to persuasively impress this patriotic idea upon the younger generation: â€Å"that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing† (13). This generation, the ones who were to equip and direct the younger so that they may survive in this world, was basically sending their sons in blindly and completely unprepared for the true horrors of