Jokes in English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jokes in English - Essay Example One of the main reasons why this is possible is because of the adoption of the English language in various parts across the world. It has therefore become common for most learning institutions to incorporate English as one of the core or optional subjects. Students are required to learn several skills in speaking, reading, listening, and writing in the English language. However, an essential part that every instructor needs to know is that jokes play a very huge part in developing these skills (Sosothikul, 2007). English language and its culture embrace jokes to a high level making them an essential part that is not worth foregoing. It is believed that the best way to understand the English language then one has start reading English jokes as it enables one to practice things such as phrasal verbs and the slang, which is essential for everyday life. Objective of the study The objective of this study is to help English students to understand how they can utilize jokes in broadening th eir understanding and use of the English language. ... The study will therefore utilize the various texts and articles available to create a comprehensive understanding of English jokes. Study question The study seeks to answer the question on how are jokes utilized in teaching and understanding the English language? Jokes in English Jokes When it comes to English, there are several sources of short jokes available on the internet, inside English texts, and speeches. Jokes originate from various situations, memories or sometimes converted from one language to another. In his contribution to English jokes, Dundes (1985) tries to explore explores the Jewish folklore which is a rich source of jokes owing to the fact that the Jews are always big on humor. In the article, he identifies how the translation of Jokes to English affects their meaning and if the converted jokes continue to hold the same humor and influence (Dundes, 1985). Jokes in English have become a common way of life and their origins date a long time back in history. John Cle ese is a common household name in the UK and various parts of the world. He has had several contributions towards humor and comedy in Britain and across Europe and the United states (Tebbe, 2008). In an article on John Cleese, Tebbe (2008) explains the origins of jokes and their contribution to the comedy industry in the UK. One thing is however evident that the origin of jokes cannot entirely be studied because to an extent we can say that comedy has been there since man existed. Influence on people Jokes have different and varying influence on people across different platforms. A good joke at home would or may have a different impact were it told at work place. This is because the jokes touch on several subjects in people’s lives and some end up being offensive while some

Roman Architecture Essay Example for Free

Roman Architecture Essay Some 2,025 years ago, an aged Roman architect named Vitruvius wrote all he knew on architecture on 10 scrolls and presented it to Emperor Augustus in the hope of developing this dying art. Known as the, ‘Ten Books on Architecture,’ this piece of antiquity is the only such work to survive through medieval times, and continues to be an important resource for architects today Prof. Thomas Gordon Smith, Viturvius on Architecture. The early Christian church was spectacular in architecture. They were an end-product of a combination of assimilation and rejection of precedents, such as the Greek temple, the Roman public building, the private Roman house, and the synagogue. The Early Christian church (the Basilica church) architecture developed from Roman secular basilica; a centralized type from Roman tombs (Early Christian Architecture, Ch.4, p.159-169, n.d) . 2.0 Introduction Roman architecture dates back in time when Greek architecture was at its best. Many of the Greek style have been perfected by the Romans and this can be seen in the architectural brilliance in their churches to date. The Pantheon is a prime example of architectural brilliance. The Pantheon was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the Roman state religion, but is now a Christian church since the 7th century. Such is the construction that it remains the best-preserved and the oldest important Roman building in the world. What’s more, this building has its original roof intact. It remained in use throughout its history (Architecture, chapter four, pp. 159-169). 2.1 History The Pantheon was built as early as 27-25 BC during the third consulship of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. As testimony stands the inscription of his name on the portico of the building, which reads, ‘M ·AGRIPPA ·L ·F ·COS ·TERTIUM ·FECIT.’ It was originally built with adjoining baths and water gardens, but this structure lay destroyed by a raging fire in AD 80, only to be rebuilt around 125 during the reign of the then Emperor, Emperor Hadrian. On reconstruction, the text of the original inscription of Agrippa was added; a practice followed during Hadrians rebuilding processes all over Rome. The building went through subsequent repairs under Septimius Severus and Caracalla. In 609 the Byzantine emperor Phocas presented the Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV, who reconsecrated it as a Christian church, the Church of Mary and all the Martyr Saints. The buildings consecration as a church saved it from the abandonment which befell the majority of ancient Romes buildings during the early mediaeval period. The building however lost some of its external sculptures above Agrippas inscription. The marble interior and the great bronze doors have survived, although the doors came in for repair works several times. Since the Renaissance the Pantheon was used as a tomb, and those buried here were the late painters, Raphael and Annibale Caracci, the architect Baldassare Peruzzi and King Vittorio Emanuele II and his Queen Margherita, and King Umberto I.   Since 1946, when Italy became a republic, many members of Italian monarchist organizations still maintain a vigil over the royal tombs in the Pantheon. Despite protests from republicans, the Catholic authorities have allowed this practice to continue. The Pantheon however, remains to be a church with masses continuing to follow celebrations and weddings (Architecture, chapter four, pp. 159-169). 2.2 Structure The Pantheon was perhaps among the most difficult piece of architecture to build. The huge structure would make even today’s architects amazed by their precision and craftsmanship. The dome would have taken years to perfect and establish, for it was very high up from the floor and definitely a challenging task. Following is a detailed description of this mighty structure. The Pantheon is circular in structure with a portico of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns; eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind. These huge columns, under a pediment, open out into a rotunda, under a coffered, concrete dome, with a central opening called the oculus, the Great Eye, to the sky. A rectangular structure links the portico with the rotunda. On the walls behind the portico are the statues of Caesar, Augustus and Agrippa. The large bronze doors, once gold-plated remain, but without the gold. The pediment, decorated with bronze sculptures depicting the Battle of the Titan s, shows gaping holes where once stood the clamps which held the sculptures. The height to the oculus (the roof) and the diameter of its inner circle are 43 meters, making the whole interior fit within a cube. This dome remains the largest surviving antiquity, and was the largest dome in Western Europe until Brunelleschis dome of the Duomo of Florence was completed in 1436. The dome was covered with gilded bronze plates. The interior of the roof was crafted to symbolize the heavens. The Great Eye, at 27 feet, and at the domes apex, was the source for lighting the interior and represented the sun. The interior also featured sunken panels (coffers) of bronze star ornaments. These coffers not only presented a decorative splendor, but helped reduce the weight of the roof. The top of the rotunda wall had a series of brick-relieving arches that were visible on the outside were once hidden by marble facings. The Pantheon is made up of such devices; there are relieving arches over the recesses inside, all that were again originally hidden by marble facing. An important aspect of the structure is that the proportions of the building are in discord to classical ideal. The rather large pediment appears far too heavy for the columns supporting it; the earlier expectation was that the building would be much taller than its current size actually is, and this raises the issue of its affect on the larger columns. Since there was shortage in supply of raw material (imported stones), the columns were not enough to build as per designs, and completed somewhat out of proportion. The composition of the concrete used to construct the dome remains a mystery. It would need technological excellence to create anything close to this, for; the dome was so heavy that it would barely have been able to stand on its own weight. Concrete has very low tensile strength, yet the Pantheon has stood for centuries. It is believed that the Romans used pozzolanic ash from a nearby volcano and fist-sized rocks to the concrete made up of a hydrate lime. The high tensile strength it appears, seems to come from the way the concrete was applied in very small amounts and then tamped down to remove excess water. This would have removed the appearance of air bubbles that form in concrete as it dries, increasing its strength enormously (Architecture, chapter four, pp. 159-169, n.d). The Roman Christian church remains one of the most brilliant discoveries in architectural history. This was achieved through ways of assimilating and rejecting various precedents, such as the Greek temple, the Roman public and private buildings, and the synagogue. Italy was the home of Christianity, and this effectively led to the development of an underground Eastern mystery cult during the first three centuries AD, and established as the state religion of the Empire under the successors of Constantine.   The early Christian Architecture saw the development of basilica churches from Roman secular basilicas. In Rome, classical marble wall membering, vocabulary and massive walls were gradually replaced by broad, flat surfaces. Evenly lighted, these structures had plain brick exteriors and mosaic bands as interiors. 3.0 Literature Review The Romans adopted the classical Greek architecture for their own purposes, but which, they modified to suit their needs and create a new architectural style. Both, the Greek and Roman styles of architecture are thus, often considered one body of classical architecture. â€Å"Roman architecture represents a fusion of traditional Greek and Etruscan elements, notably the trabeated orders† (Early Christian Architecture, n.d), with changes coming about in their structural principles based on the design of arch and usage of concrete.   The Romans achieved originality very late in their existence; they were nearly carbon copies of early Greek structures. It was only later that the influence of Etruscans in the form of arch and the three-dimensional countenance of domes began to take shape. The two developments of any significance were the Tuscan and Composite orders. While the Tuscan model was made of the shortened, simplified variant on the Doric order, the Composite model was more elaborate; tall orders with the floral decoration of the Corinthian and scrolls of the Ionic. With the discovery of concrete, the Romans were able to construct curved and stronger structures.   Tile-covered concrete took over from marbles as the primary building material and architects were able to innovate using its flexibility to build huge, structural buildings that were extremely brilliant monuments. Structures with huge supporting pillars to support arches and domes came into being; they also inspired the development of colonnade screens, a row of purely decorative columns in front of load-bearing walls. Tiling took the Romans by storm, as many Roman homes joined the well known mural in decorating floors, walls, and grottoes in geometric and pictorial designs (Early Christian Architecture, n.d).   A recent study of Eastern Roman architecture illustrated the ‘imperial’ style and universality of Roman architecture, drawing upon Greek prototypes but designed to be of single theme to integrate a ‘common cultural basis.’ Architecture was seen as a manifestation, a tool to enforce its power over subject nations by a common, imposed vocabulary seen to be the same in every city of the empire, except for some minor decorative details and construction techniques. There is a homogeneity to Roman architecture cannot be denied, but it was never the overriding factor either. Nowhere was regionalism more important in Roman architecture than in the East. In this past, this has been minimized, usually because Roman architecture has been viewed almost wholly from the Classi cal perspective (Ball W, p.247, 2000). Counter Reformation attitudes however are not reflected or influenced the architectural development in ancient Roman architecture. The influence of early Christianity and Scholasticism can be seen in some isolated cases, such as the Cathedral of Mantua in 1545 by Giulio Romano, where colonnades, architrave, and flat ceiling of the nave can be traced back to Old St.Peter’s (Kruft H. W, Ch.8, p.93, 1996) .   The Romans contribution to architecture remains exemplified through its robust presence throughout Europe and North America by way of arches and domes of governmental and religious buildings (Early Christian Architecture, n.d). During the 17th century, Roman Catholic churches reveled in artistry that combined architecture as well as painting and sculpture. The interiors were conspicuous by the baroque combines all three arts to produce a sense of emotional exuberance. This style differed from the Renaissance. The Roman Catholic world was the home of baroque, and the Catholic Church enjoyed an aura of centuries of authority and prestige. St. Peter’s Church in Rome set the example for numerous other churches built and decorated in the 17th century to put baroque. Welcomed by rows of saints, gesticulating eagerly in stone from alcove or roof line, the interior was full of mingling curves of columns, altars and sculpted groups, breaking up the solidity of side walls, leading up to an illusionist ceiling that became a source that provided light to the inside. The ceilings were decorated with angels and people of fame or virtue, streaming upwards into the distant clouds of heaven (Historyworld, n.d). Frescos’ were predominant Roman style architectural revelations. The Romanesque and Gothic St Marys Cathedral, built between the 9th and 14th centuries, featured impressive frescos, an 11th-century bronze portal, a Romanesque crypt, and paintings by Hans Holbein the Elder. The survival of a few twelfth-century windows displaying the prophets (see photo at the end) are among the oldest stained glass windows in German churches (HHOG, 2006). Erfurts landmark is dwarfed by Mariendom (Cathedral of Mary) and the Severikirche (St. Severus Church). The churches are standing examples of German architectural masterpieces of gothic style. The ‘Gloriosa’ (1497) (see photo), also called, the ‘queen of bells,’ has been praised for centuries for her magnificent sound. Inside the cathedral one sees the impressive gothic choir with its colorful cycle of stained glass windows that number 13 in all. They are over 40 feet high and are considered to be among the greatest works of medieval stained glass art. The Cathedral houses many noteworthy treasures of art created over the centuries. A wide and impressive open air stairway leads up from the Cathedral Square to the Cathedral and the Church of St. Severus (HHOG, 2006). 4.0 Summary Roman architecture dates back in time when Greek architecture was at its best. Many of the Greek style have been perfected by the Romans and this was evident in the way they built their churches. The Pantheon was an example of Roman architectural excellence, for the structure used some of the most complicated designs and shapes to defy logic. The Roman Christian churches remain one of the most brilliant discoveries in architectural history. Their style of designing and construction was achieved through ways of assimilating and rejecting various precedents, such as the Greek temple, the Roman public and private buildings, and the synagogue. 5.0 Illustrations The Pantheon: Photo Courtesy: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Workshop/5220/ancient/pant.html Twelfth-century windows displaying the prophets are said to be the oldest stained glass windows in Germany Photo Courtesy: http://www.hhog.de/4067.html Cathedral and Church Photo Courtesy: http://www.hhog.de/3666.html 6.0 Bibliography Ancient Roman Architecture, http://www.crystalinks.com/romearchitecture.html Reading: Architecture, chapter four, pp. 159169 Early Christian Architecture, http://www.pitt.edu/~tokerism/0040/syl/christian.html Prof. Thomas Gordon Smith, Viturvius on Architecture, http://architecture.nd.edu/publications/faculty_publications.shtml Hanno-Walter Kruft, A History of Architectural Theory: From Vitruvius to the Present, 1996, Princeton Architectural, ISBN 1568980108 Warwick Ball, 2000, Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire, Routledge, London, ISBN 0415243572 Historyworld Index Search, HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE, Baroque as a style: 17th 18th century AD, http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=1545HistoryID=ab27#1545 HHOG, Historic Highlights of Germany, Dom (Cathedral), Augsburg: The German Renaissance, http://www.hhog.de/4067.html HHOG, Historic Highlights of Germany, Erfurt: The Medieval City, Mariendom (Cathedral of Mary) and Severikirche (St. Severus Church) http://www.hhog.de/3666.html

The Sniper Essay -- English Literature Essays

The Sniper "The Sniper" places a strong emphasis on the evils of war, and yet paints a vivid image of mankind's qualities and their society. Employing the technique of describing one particular sniper to symbolise a general subject, readers are able to gain a deep insight into the evils of war. In this story, the assembly of setting, contrasting characters and themes of fanaticism and division of loyalties are vital to conveying the horror of war. On the other hand, "The Sniper" also discusses the power of war, depicting it as the decider of life and death for men. Its force is further emphasised when neighbours are turned into enemies under war's influence. The setting of the story, Dublin, has been written in such a way that only highly negative images are conveyed to portray evil. From the beginning to the end, Dublin is seen as an insecure, fearful, and vulnerable town abundant with weapons of war and associated horror.  ¡Ã‚ §Dublin lay enveloped in darkness ¡Ã‚ ¨ instantly transmits a sense of mystery, weariness and fear. This negative image is strengthened by  ¡Ã‚ §Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically like dogs barking on lone farm. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Dublin can be almost compared to a person, who has struggled under stress and is now defeated. The city is empty, apart from the roar of  ¡Ã‚ §machine guns and rifles ¡Ã‚ ¨ which have converted the city not a place of misery and ba... The Sniper Essay -- English Literature Essays The Sniper "The Sniper" places a strong emphasis on the evils of war, and yet paints a vivid image of mankind's qualities and their society. Employing the technique of describing one particular sniper to symbolise a general subject, readers are able to gain a deep insight into the evils of war. In this story, the assembly of setting, contrasting characters and themes of fanaticism and division of loyalties are vital to conveying the horror of war. On the other hand, "The Sniper" also discusses the power of war, depicting it as the decider of life and death for men. Its force is further emphasised when neighbours are turned into enemies under war's influence. The setting of the story, Dublin, has been written in such a way that only highly negative images are conveyed to portray evil. From the beginning to the end, Dublin is seen as an insecure, fearful, and vulnerable town abundant with weapons of war and associated horror.  ¡Ã‚ §Dublin lay enveloped in darkness ¡Ã‚ ¨ instantly transmits a sense of mystery, weariness and fear. This negative image is strengthened by  ¡Ã‚ §Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically like dogs barking on lone farm. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Dublin can be almost compared to a person, who has struggled under stress and is now defeated. The city is empty, apart from the roar of  ¡Ã‚ §machine guns and rifles ¡Ã‚ ¨ which have converted the city not a place of misery and ba...

Community Windshield Survey Essay

Purpose The purpose of this assignment is to complete a direct observational assessment of a community in your area. This windshield survey will be the initial step in uncovering a community health problem in your area and identifying community dynamics. This problem will be further assessed in the following two assignments. Course Outcomes This assignment enables the student to meet the following course outcomes. CO #2. Integrate clinical judgment in professional decision-making and implementation of the nursing process through analysis of community health nursing practice. (PO #4) CO #5. Analyze the nursing roles in the community health setting. (PO #7) CO #7. Accept accountability for personal and professional development as part of the life-long learning process. (PO #5) Due Date Submit to the appropriate basket in the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. MT Sunday of Week 2. Points: 150 points Directions 1. Download the NR443 Community Windshield Survey Form from Doc Sharing. You will type your name and answers directly onto this Word document. Your form does NOT need to follow APA formatting; however, you are expected to use correct grammar, spelling, syntax and write in complete sentences. 2. Save the file by clicking â€Å"Save as† and adding your last name to the file name, e.g., â€Å"NR443 Windshield Survey Form_Smith† 3. Submit the completed form to the â€Å"Caring for Populations: Community Windshield Survey† Dropbox by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. MT at the end of Week 2. 4. Length: The completed form should be no more than three pages in length (not including any optional references). Guidelines Below are the requirements needed for successful completion of the Windshield Survey Form: 1. Introduction to the Community: Identify the community you will be using for this assignment and provide a brief one to two paragraph description of the community. Your community should be the area where you  live or the area surrounding your work setting. 2. Windshield Survey: Assess your community by doing an informal windshield survey. Information about the components of a windshield survey is located in your textbook, Nies & McEwen (2011) on page 97 (Box 6-2). Drive through the area and report your observations by describing each of the following six areas using the questions in the text as your guide (one to two paragraphs each): a. Community vitality b. Indicators of social and economic conditions c. Health resources d. Environmental conditions related to health e. Social functioning f. Attitude toward healthcare It is helpful to conduct this assessment at least two different times: during the day or evening, on a weekday and/or on the weekend. If possible, plan on asking someone to drive during your survey so that you can take notes. 3. Conclusion: Provide a summary of your findings. The information gathered during the windshield survey should assist you to identify a community health problem that will be further assessed in the next assignment. 4. References: The purpose of this assignment is to document your observations of your community. Outside sources are not required. However, if sources are used, these sources must be cited within the form and listed in the Reference section. Best Practices in Preparing the Form The following are best practices in preparing this project: Make sure all elements of the form are included. Review directions and grading rubric below thoroughly. Cite any outside references as above (these are optional). Proofread prior to final submission. Check for spelling and grammar errors prior to final submission. Abide by the CCN academic integrity policy, which may be found in the Policies under the Course Home tab.

Assessment in Schools Essay

1. Reasons for Assessment Diagnosis: helping young people to establish a baseline and understand their progress, strength and develop needs. Recognition and motivation: recording and rewarding learners’ progress and achievement. Standard setting: confirming levels and thresholds of achievement Differentiation and selection: enabling employers and higher education providers to understand what young people have achieved, and how individuals compare with their peers. 2. Purpose of Assessment. Selection Standards Teachers feedback Motivation Assess readiness for future learning. Preparation for life- â€Å"life is like this† Evaluate curriculum effectiveness Information to others Statement of curriculum Attainment Record of progress- over time 3. Baseline and benchmarking Purpose of baseline scheme Characteristics of a baseline scheme Chapter 4. Target Setting 6. Assessment for learning. Assessment for learning is about supporting classroom learning and teaching. It connects assessment and learning/teaching. What is assessment for learning? Assessment for learning. is part of effective planning focuses on how students learn is recognized as central to classroom practice  is a key professional skill is sensitive and constructive fosters motivation promotes understanding of goals and helps learners know how to improve develop the capacity for assessment recognizes all educational achievements Key Issue: 1. Involvement, discussion and feedback Sharing criteria Discussion Feedback Involvement 2. Planning and evidence Gathering evidence Recording personal learning plans Planning for individuals 3. Partnership Partnership with parents and pupils 7. Assessment as learning Assessment as learning is about learning how to learn. It connects learning/teaching and curriculum. What is Assessment as learning? Key issues: 1. Pupils as learners Reflection Reporting Self/peer assessment Motivation 2. Teachers as learners Developing assessment policy Interpreting evidence Collaboration 3. Management of learning Management supports Manageability 8. Assessment of Learning Assessment of learning is about gathering and interpreting the evidence. It connects curriculum and assessment. Gathering and interpreting evidence Teacher assessment is first and foremost about helping pupils to learn. Fundamental principles Developing Assessment Instruments  Application of assessment instrument Assessment as an end-of-key-stage process Management and monitoring of assessment, recording and reporting Recording and evidence Planning Reporting to parents and guardians Assessment as an ongoing process. Transferring Marking and providing feedback to pupils Using assessment information to monitor progress towards meeting targets Internal/External Assessment Grading Systems Chapter One(1) 1. Reasons for Assessment Diagnosis: helping young people to establish a baseline and understand their progress, strength and develop needs. It is a more detailed type of evaluating the learner to find out their ability, skills, level of performance, knowledge, understanding, intelligence quotient etc. Diagnosis helps the teacher to be able to find out the areas of weakness of the students and their areas of strength. It is from these that the teacher will together with the student plan on a possible course of action to taken in order to assist the students to meet the educational they may have. The teacher may select the students who need further examination by the specialist to confirm if they are faced with a learning difficulty that the teacher may not be able to diagnose. All this is done in the interest of the student i. e. to assist him/her overcome the areas of weakness and try to catch up with the rest of the students. The assessment tasks should be varied in strength to be able to find out the different abilities of the students. Recognition and motivation: recording and rewarding learners’ progress and achievement. Assessment is also carried with an aim of rewarding student according to their performance. In some schools badges are designed and made to be worn by the top achievers in particular subject area and in the overall performance at each grade or stage. The prestige that goes with walking around the school wearing such a badge motivates students to compete for the badges and feel recognized by their peers as good performers in a particular area of study say science, mathematics, languages or even in humanities and applied subjects. If one manages to win two three or more badges they are held in honour by their fellow students and given a lot of recognition both within the school and out. This recognition serves as a motivating factor for the learners to work hard to achieve in their studies and other field like in sports. Similarly, such recognition encourages students to maintain their high standards always for fear of ruining the image they may have created for themselves hence it helps in shaping their character. Unfortunately, some of those low achievers may want to be recognized in a different way hence may resort to unwanted behaviour. Standard setting: confirming levels and thresholds of achievement. Assessment helps the teacher to set standards of performance in his/her class at particular stages or levels of learning. Thus the students will be made aware of the expectation by their teachers with regard to performance hence they will strive to meet the set standard. Unless the standard of performance is set many people tend to relax and very little effort will be made to achieve the goals and objectives. The setting of standards will help to drive away laziness from among the students and the teachers. If the learners and teachers know they have a standard of performance they need to measure to, it will definitely create a sense responsibility in them. It is important to have standard of performance set and made clear both to the learners and the teacher. Differentiation and selection: enabling employers and higher education providers to understand what young people have achieved, and how individuals compare with their peers. Assessment differentiates learners at all levels whether it is the prime purpose for the assessment or not. Somehow, there those who will emerge at the top of the whole group. It is this differentiation that will determine the intake of students into the next level of their education. Most selection is done based of the assessment that has already been carried out at the previous level of study. At the end their course most of the students are usually awarded with certificates of merit. It is based on these certificates that their prospective employers base their consideration of selecting possible employees and inviting them for interviews. Generally, the higher the qualification one has, the more skill or tasks he has gone through to achieve what he has achieved. Consequently, the more the knowledge one is deemed to have acquired and therefore more competent on the job market. Thus the rating of the individuals against the performance of their peers which implies how they are likely to fair at the job market. Chapter two(2) 2. Purpose of Assessment. Assessment is carried for various reasons some of which are discussed below. Selection Institutions base their selections and admission of students on national examinations done by the students at end of level examination. Usually assessment outcomes are used to rank students in terms of performance and ability regardless of the different conditions under which they took their examinations. The institutions proceed to choose those they feel qualify to meet their requirements for enrolment into specific courses. Thus a list of prerequisites is drawn to aid the selectors choose those who fall within the already set limits. Standards The standards of an assessment are determined by the educational system of a country and the stakeholder of the education system. The standards set in the country will determine allocations from the budgetary kit at national level. For instance, to improve and maintain a high level of performance in the education sector the teacher-student ratio should be small, resource made should be available to the students especially science oriented subjects. The standards are set at the national level, then at the school level and finally at the classroom level. The standards of performance will reflect the student ability to progress on with their academics to a higher level. Teachers’ feedback Teachers use assessment to get feedback from students to enable them in the planning for further instruction to the students. The feedback help the teachers to know whether the set objectives of learning are being met or not. This means that every teacher has to carry out assessment at one time or another in the course of instructing the students for learning. They will be able to know if they are making progress, and if not what could be the possible reasons for their failure to meet the set objectives. These may mean that their means of instruction be adjusted to suit the learner educational need within the class. Motivation Feedback from assessment can be used as a motivator to the students and the teacher especially when the results indicate that positive learning is being achieved. The teacher feels that his effort have not been wasted after all while the students will feel that their efforts have been rewarded by being able to measure to the standards of the teachers or examiners. As a result both groups will set out for their work and duty with a lot of enthusiasm hence positive assessment outcome are a motivation. The parents will on the same hand feels that their funds are being utilized by their sons and/or daughters and will be motivated to make more investment. Assess readiness for future learning. Assessment helps educational planners to determine the ability of students to progress in higher education or take more specialized courses such as accounting, engineering, medicine, teaching among others. The level of performance at a particular stage will display the learner ability, skills, level of performance and interests. The outcomes of an assessment will therefore form a basis for planning courses, selection and entry point into some designated courses. Most institutions admit students basing on their performance in the terminal examinations sat at end of the previous stage or level. Similarly, selection into the courses that students wish to pursue is usually based on the performance of the examination at the on national level. Preparation for life- life is like this Assessment can be used to find out the skills, knowledge and understanding the students are graduating with. This will prepare them to face life as people with ability to transform their environment so as to be able fit in the wider society. The learners are made aware of the skills they are carrying with them into the society to face life as it really is. Evaluate curriculum effectiveness When a new curriculum is designed, the aim of curriculum planners is to be able to meet the needs of the society and those of the individual learners. Thus the purpose of assessment in this context is to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum being implemented to the learners and to the larger society at large. The outcomes of learning are reflected in how students handle assessment tasks presented to them by the curriculum planners and the examiners. Where the curriculum has failed to meet the set objectives, adjustments be made to it so that the predetermined objectives are met or attained. Information to others Assessment is used to obtain information to be related to others interested in education. The ministry of education, for instance, needs to make educational decisions regarding curriculum, performance of teachers, attainment of educational goals both at national and international level, allocation of funds from the treasury, performance of graduates from the education system in relation to the needs at job market among others. The educationists need to take statistics of those who graduate from the systems e. g. basing on the gender, region etc. Statement of curriculum Attainment Assessment helps assessors to get a statement of current attainment as compared to performance in the previous years. The posted outcomes can be used to find out areas that continually been showing poor performance from students e. g. science and mathematics. This statement can be used to draft proposals for future plan of improvement in the course of uplifting performance of areas showing weakness or needs. Record of progress- over time Assessment is carried out for various reasons which ever time have been state differently by different authors of various textbooks. It is important to note that the choice of the method of assessment should be made on the basis of judgment about â€Å"fitness for purpose†. Before making a decision on what to assess, how to assess and who is best fit to carry out the assessment, it is necessary to be clear why assess and achievement expected. The purposes of assessment can be grouped by: Balancing internal and external purposes There are purposes of assessment that are useful within school setting. For example, feedback to students and teachers, students grouping, curriculum improvement and individual target setting. Similarly, there are other purposes that are useful to stakeholders outside the school setting e. g. certification and accountability. This helps to evaluate the balance of assessment activities carried out within the school. In the recent past a lot of external pressure has been mounted on schools in increasing measures with regard to accountability through the publication of performance tables etc. The result has been emphasis on assessment data collection for monitoring, evaluation, marketing and accountability purposes. This may cause internal purpose to be underrated or treated as secondary to external purposes. The schools should thus be watchful of this because their aims for education of their students are unlikely to be well served if they only pay regard to external demands. Another way of viewing assessment purposes is to cluster them according to whether they have a development/learning functions or a public/accountability function. (To some extend, this clustering aligns to internal/external distinction because internal tend to have developmental whereas external tend to focus on accountability. ) TGAT’s formulation of assessment purposes After the Government announced, in 1987, its intention to introduce a National Curriculum, it first set up a Task Group on Assessment and Testing (TGAT) to advice on an associated assessment framework. TGAT’s remit was to propose a system for serving formative, diagnostic, summative purpose. The TGAT report distinguished these purpose in the following way: †¢ Formative So that the positive achievements of a student may be recognized and discussed and the appropriate next steps planned; †¢ Diagnostic through which learning difficulties maybe scrutinized and classified so that appropriate remedial help and guidance can be provided; †¢ Summative for the recording of the overall achievement of a student in a systematic way; †¢ Evaluative by the  means of the aspect of the work of a school, an LEA or other discrete part of the education service can be assessed and/or reported upon. This established two new terms- formative and summative- in the lexicon of assessment purpose. The formative/summative distinction was first used by Micheal Scrivenin 1967 in an American Educational Research Association monograph on The Methodology of Evaluation, which was primarily concerned with the evaluation of educational programmes. It proved to be a helpful distinction and it was increasingly used in a variety of contexts. TGAT used the distinction in the context of assessment of students’ learning. In the context, the formative purpose is served if evidence and judgments about students’ present learning are used to decide what teachers and learners need to do so that further progress in learning may be made. 3. Baseline and Benchmarking Purpose of baseline scheme The problem with taking output alone as indicators of schools effectiveness, even when more than one measure is considered, is that comparisons made on this basis rarely compare like-with-like. However, this has been the practice for a long time in most the education system. This is the familiar argument against the publication of league tables of ‘raw results’ that take no account of the different contexts and intakes of schools. Whilst the actual grade a student achieves will be of vital importance to him or her, aggregated results which take no account of background factors may be crude and fair measure of the relative effectiveness of the school as a whole. This is the argument for value-added measures. It is important, therefore, to collect information about input as well as output so that the two sets of information can be considered together in any judgement of school effectiveness. The intake characteristics usually considered are: Prior attainment as measured in earlier tests and examinations; Ability as measured on standardized tests; ? Prior attitudes to school; ? Gender; ? Ethnicity; ? English as an additional language; ? Special educational needs; ? Socio-economic status and aspects of home background such as single parent families. It is known that some schools achieve great things in disadvantaged circumstances but, since they start from a lower base, the socio-economic status of their intake should be taken into account when measuring their effectiveness or setting targets. It is interesting therefore that in its proposal for target setting and benchmarking, the government has indicated that benchmarks for individual secondary schools will be constructed on the basis of data on free school meals. If output measures are analyzed in relation to input, we would still expect to find some variability in results. In other words, some schools will perform relatively better or relatively worse than others with similar intakes. In order to find out what makes the difference one has to open the black ‘black box’ between input and output to investigate school processes. These process variables are likely to provide some of the answers. Since carrying out this research on a national scale will not be practicable, schools have to take the initiative to find out for themselves data in order to explain their own results and to identify areas of improvement. This is intended to form a basis for further guidance to schools. Thus the responsibility of identifying the process variables that are likely to be most relevant, lies on the shoulders of the schools. Two kinds of processes need to be considered: ? Classroom processes; ? School management processes. Characteristics of a baseline scheme In order to set appropriate targets, government, through QCA, now publishes benchmarking information. This is intended to enable schools to evaluate their own standard of performance by measuring it against standards achieved by other schools with broadly similar characteristics. Benchmark data do not set targets but, by showing what the best schools with similar intake characteristic achieve, benchmarks are expected to set challenges for less successful schools. Although there are strong arguments for grouping schools according to a variety of background factors such as those used in multi-level modeling, which takes account of student-level, school-level and ward-level factors, the government has opted for benchmarking system based on existing national data sets such as the school census (Form 7). Although schools will be placed in a group for the purpose of drawing up the benchmarks, they will not be told which group they belong to. Thus, when they receive the benchmark information from QCA they have to decide themselves which group best represents their characteristics. 4. Target Setting Section 19 of the 1997 Education Act makes a Provision for legislation to require targets to be set and published by the governing bodies of maintained schools. Setting targets to raise standards: What works A five stage cycle for school improvement in target setting has been put to use. These involve: 1. How well are we doing? This requires the school to analyze student performance and audit its teaching and management. It also calls for the analysis of data about students outcomes. To achieve this objective, the school will need to relate outcomes to intake variables of a given student to give value-added measures. However, in order to explain the patterns in performance and identify areas for action, it is necessary to collect data about processes, such as teaching and management. The statistical analysis will then be supplemented by observational data to provide evidence in relation to input, output and process indicators (perhaps in the lines of the OFSTED Framework of Inspection). 2. How well should we be doing? This requires the school to compare its own results of similar schools n order to identify strengths and diagnose weaknesses as a basis for establishing priorities for improvement. The benchmarking information to be supplied by the DFEE and LEAs is intended to help with this task. 3. What more should we aim to achieve this year? This requires the school to set clear, specific and measurable targets which focus in particular on raising standards of attainment in national tests and examinations. 4. What must we do to make it happen? This requires the school to integrate improvement targets into the school development plan through focused action planning. 5. How successful have we been? This requires the school to take action to implement the action plan and to monitor and evaluate the impact of the action against the success criteria. TARGET SETTING REQUIREMENTS The initial proposals from government indicate that regulations are likely to require schools to set targets in the following terms; a) a single target to be set for each of the three are subjects at the end of each key stage; b) these targets should be measured by National curriculum tests in English, Mathematics and Science at age fourteen and GCSE examination results or equivalent at age sixteen; c) at the end of key stage 3, targets to be expressed, subject by subject, in terms of the proportions of students reaching Level 5 and above; d) At key Stage 4, targets to be expressed in terms of the proportion of students achieving a grade C or better in GCSE English, Mathematics and Science (either single or double award, or in an individual science subject). e) An additional indicator, at key Stage 4, is likely to be the proportion of students attaining a number of A*- C and A* – G grades in GCSE. The proposal also suggested that schools and LEAs should agree or targets covering three year period in which review of results of the previous autumn term and setting targets for the following academic year by January are carried out. PROCEDURES FOR SETTING TARGETS The governments 1997 White Paper Excellence in Schools made it clear that setting school targets was the responsibility of each school’s governing body, working with senior management team. The White Paper tests sets out how the government, LEAs and schools are expected to work together. Chapter 3 paragraph 13 of the paper provides that; 1. The government sets national targets and publishes national performance and benchmark data. 2. Each LEA provides benchmarking data and guidance to all its schools to help them set targets. 3. Each school sets draft targets, taking account of the comparative data and their own previous best performance, for discussion with its LEA. 4. Schools and LEAs agree targets, covering a three-year period and subject to annual review. 5. Where, exceptionally, an LEA cannot reach agreement with a school on its targets, the LEA may invoke the early warning system. 6. The individual school targets are included within each LEA’s Education Development Plan. 7. The DFEE and OFSTED monitor and contribute to the process to ensure targets are high and ambitious enough. Strategies Directly Involving Students and Classroom Process 1. Introducing new commendation and certificate systems to reward achievement and increase motivation and self-esteem; 2. Introducing academic mentoring for borderline C/D GCSE candidates; 3. Reducing the number of GCSE subjects taken per student to encourage quality instead of quantity in performance; 4. Introducing paired reading or literacy tutoring schemes (older with younger students) to improve reading and writing skills; 5. Adopting a ‘Pacific Rim’ approach by assuming that all can succeed if they are prepared to make great efforts; 6. Instituting a ‘cardinal rule’ that students should not interfere with the learning of others 7. Giving special attention to the least motivated groups (of boys especially) by introducing a ten-hour weekly homework contract in Year II; 8. Introducing one-to-one review on a regular basis; 9. Providing a two-day residential, run by teachers and employers, for potential Year II under-achievers with the aim of improving motivation through a series of challenges; 10. Providing students with templates to help them structure their written work; 11. Providing an enrichment programme of generic skills, especially study skills, group work and exam technique. 12. Target setting for effort and attainment with individual students followed up with one-to-one review with allocated tutors. School need to realize, however, that this does not preclude them from setting other goals and targets as well. This will be important if they regard education as having wider functions, such as promoting human flourishing and participatory citizenship. Internal review through data analysis: Progress indicators. Using indicators to monitor performance and set target in primary schools Using indicators to monitor performance Involving parents. The role of the national targets CHAPTER 5 5. a. Types of Assessment Assessment is one of the most potent forces influencing what teacher should concentrate on in their teaching and what students should concentrate in their learning. Assessment sends a message to students about what is important to learn. It is with this in mind that this section seeks to discuss the various types of assessments. In an effort to classify assessment therefore, the following are some of the types of assessment. i) Formative Formative assessment is taken to refer to the process of identifying what students have, or have not, achieved in order to plan the next steps in teaching. It will usually involve the diagnosis of learning difficulties, although this is not synonymous with the kind of standardized, psychometric, diagnostic assessments, within formative assessment, the term ‘diagnosis’ usually possess a more colloquial and less technical meaning. Formative assessment is also distinguished from other forms of assessments in that it is, by definition, carried out by teachers. This is important if it is to inform the decisions teachers make in the classroom. The aspiration is that assessment should become fully integrated with teaching and learning and therefore part of the educational process rather than a ‘bolt-on’ activity. It is important to note that in formative assessment feedback is a key element with two main audiences the student and the teacher. Feedback to the student, mediated by the teacher, is particularly important because no learning can take place without the active involvement of the student. ii) Summative Summative assessment refers to the examinations that are taken by the learners at the end-of-unit or end-of-term and their purpose is to fulfill the public expectation of the schools and form of accountability to parents who have a right to know what progress their children are making. However, this poses a danger in that they assume such importance that it undermines the formative assessments that have been made on a regular basis throughout the period. Just like the giving of grades on ordinary class work can affect self-esteem in such a way as to ‘blind’ students to the substantive advice given in comments, so also can the giving of grades and marks in end-of-unit tests have similar effects. The public usually places allot of emphasis on the assessment as they seem to project what the learners have gained in the course of their studies and skills they possess and are able top demonstrate. Thus entry into higher learning institutions and specifically into particular courses is pegged on the results of summative assessments. iii) Informal Informal assessment is an assessment in which the teacher neither follows a specified timetable drawn by the administration for purpose of assessment nor predetermined questions directed to the learner. It is some kind of impromptu. The teacher in the course of performing his duty may reach a concept that requires prior knowledge of particular concepts on the part of the learner; therefore he may decide to carry out an informal assessment to determine what the learners know. Similarly, a new teacher who wants to understand the ability and level of performance of learners may decide to carryout an informal assessment. There is no general standard set for performance or attainment i. e. the administrator determines the standard as deem fit for his purpose of assessment. Thus an informal assessment is at the discretion of the person administering it. iv) Formal Formal assessment refers to the mode of assessment that follows a specified timeframe and format. Usually most of the learning activities are suspended to allow teachers time to administer the assessment to the learners. Formal assessment therefore has a set standard, to which all assessment items must adhere to. Generally, there is time set aside for which both students and the teachers know well in advance that assessment is going to be carried out. The teachers will this case prepare assessment items inline with the set standards of the particular institution in question or adapt on that has already been set by an assessment agency. The students on their part will concentrate on preparing for the assessment tasks that they are going to encounter. In most institutions this time if known as examination time. The environment is controlled so as to allow students an ample time when tackling the assessment items. For example, in most schools during this time silence is observed at all costs, students are spaced so as to allow for individual work unlike during the normal learning days when corporate work can be tolerated, teachers police the students to check on cheating by cheeky students. v) Continuous Continuous assessments are assessments that are carried out by the teacher in progressive way. The test items are drawn from what has been done in the recent past by the learner which means their strength and complexity increases with the increasing complexity in the content being taught. The teacher designs a test to suit particular content that the learners have learned at a particular level. Generally it focuses on a given concept and they are more narrow and intense in their approach. Once a learner has passed the assessment at a given level they are given chance to progress to the next level of learning. vi) Terminal As the name suggests these are tests that administered at the end of a given course, they act as a point of end into the next level or the job market. They are designed in such a way as to include a cross-section of what the learners have attained by the time they are stepping out of the education programme they have been undertaking. They are in most cases designed by an independent body external to the institution of learning in which they are going to be administered. Similarly, their marking is centralized and carried by few selected people. Grading and ranking is the done from an external point, statistics are drawn to show attainment of schools and individual student in comparison to other schools and students from other places. They are usually standardized tests and the awarding of grades is done an already established scale by the administering body. vii) Coursework While going through the curriculum every teacher would want to ascertain that the course objectives are being met every now and then. Thus where possible assignments are given to students at the end of the lesson, marked and feed back given to the students to assist in the process of learning. Cour

Stranger Monsters Professor Ramos Blog

Stranger Monsters Stranger Things is a rare breed of a series. It not only manages to capture it’s audiences attention with its incredibly unique story, but the actors are quick and easy to fall completely in love with. This series manages to have a fantastic character arc for the heroes as well as constantly having the threat of the unknown ‘upside down’ constantly growing. While the first season focused on the demi-gorgon and the second on the demodogs, the third season brings a fresh villain which was teased at the end of the second season. The Mind Flayer has a unique approach on a monster which overall makes for a great and disturbing story. The show is set in the early eighties, which was a time where American citizens were afraid of the Soviet Union because of the Cold war. It was believed that there were secret Labs underground created by Soviet spies who would do human experimenting. This ended up being a major influence for this season. With the idea that they would eventually unearth themselves and start mind controlling people to fight against America. Mind Control was no laughing matter in the eighties. In fact, it was commonly feared by the majority of the american population. The term ‘brainwashing’ was actually born from the Cold war. It is said that, â€Å"The notion of ‘brainwashing’ emerged out of the conjuncture in the outbreak of the Cold War and the sense of panic it created in American society. Efforts to master this panic found new intelligence infrastructure and in new frameworks of discourse, knowledge, and terminology.† (Killen Andriopoulos 8) Basically, writers and filmmakers took advantage of the American knowledge, or lack thereof, and took advantage of it to produce novels and film. Killen Andriopoulos gave great modern examples of the Jason Bourne series and Shutter Island. (9) This ties in very well with Jeffery Cohens first monster theory, â€Å"The Monster’s Body Is a Cultural Body.† (4) Although the eighties did not consist of a huge human consuming monster, the fear of Russian testing and the unknown was definitely real. Cohen states that, â€Å"The monster is born only at this metaphoric crossroads, as an embodiment of a certain cultural moment.† (Cohen 4) This monster acts as a representation of what Americans were afraid could happen or be created in the Cold war era. Having Allies turn against each other. The Mind Flayer throughout this season acts as a puppeteer, pulling the strings while having others it has assimilated do its bidding. What is interesting about this monster is that it also uses its ‘hosts’ to grow itself, turning them into a slime like paste to which they crawl together to make the main monster bigger and stronger. Which works well in making a very uncomfortable scene watching a character go from a human to a semi-slime monster. But what exactly makes this monster scary? The Mind Flayer uses humans that it assimilates to do its bidding, which makes the human the villain. This is a very interesting metaphor in that the Mind Flayer, while it might not have necessarily been created by humans, is still in our dimension because of human curiosity and testing. The Mind Flayer, while it is its own monster, still came from the upside down. The fact of the matter is not that the monster has never left. The gate to the upside down was closed in one place but opened in another, never truly leaving the small city of Hawkins. Cohens second theory, ‘Monsters Always Escapes’ can be tied into the idea that while the group might have defeated the demi-gorgon and the demodogs in the previous seasons, the one thing that never left the city was the portal to the upside down. Acting as almost the main villain to the heroes, constantly throwing new monsters at them. The film Get out has a fantastic interpretation on mind control. Director Jordan Peele takes a unique twist on what is a simple horror movie and creates a monster that can control another human beings body, rendering them essentially a backseat driver in their own body. The idea of being conscious in what you are doing but not being able to do anything about it is truly a terrifying feeling. The characters are similar to the Mind Flayer in that when the highest bidder wins the body, the surgical procedure allows conscious to override and take control of the victims body. While the Mind Flayer does not have to have a surgical procedure to control its victims, it still overtakes the victim and has complete control over their actions and decisions. The Mind Flayer works so well as a monster because it is unique. While it has been done before the way it was presented and executed distracts the viewer and enthralls them into wanting more. This disgusting slimy beast works in the shadows which allows the actors to really shine. Also, some of the monsters actions create a real tear jerker for the viewer, giving major character development and allowing a fantastic story to play out through its ravenous destruction. There Is however one interesting fact about the monster that does leave some unanswered questions. In an interview with the directors and cast members for the third season, Matt Duffer stated, â€Å"Eleven closed the Gate, but the Mind Flayer is still alive in the Upside Down† (Stack 2). Watching the season it is not really explained at all how the Mind Flayer managed to escape the upside down when the previous monsters did not. It is true that later in the season it is revealed that there is another gate being kept open by the Russian government. But this does not elaborate on how the Mind Flayer was the only thing able to escape after the gate was shut. Although there is a significant plot gap it does not take away from the overall story. The monster still provides a wonderful fresh experience and frightening demeanor for the viewers when on screen. But why does this creature work so well for this series? The Mind Flayer provides such a fresh, and creative idea of a monster that really strays away from the standard traditional horror films. And is a big reason why the series works so well. You are not expecting as a viewer to see some recurring characters just evaporate into a disgusting pile of goo and literally attach themselves together. But what has to be the most chilling trait of this monster is its ability to take over someones body and mind. The idea that your neighbor or family member could be actively trying to kill you adds a chilling on screen tension that definitely deserves more credit than what is given. This is a monster that is unique and different as opposed to your standard zombie. It has a mysterious background but a fantastic tool kit of skills it uses to terrorize the protagonists. This monster easily deserves a 4/5. While it does contain some miniscule flaws, the overall idea and execution of this monster were flawless. Its creativeness and uniqueness manages to leave the viewer constantly wondering what is next, or even who is next. Stranger things continues to display such unique and intriguing monsters that in the end, help create fantastic plot lines and seasons. And the third iteration of Stranger Things continues to live up to the expectations it has set in the first season. Annotated Bibliography Levy, Shawn, Et all. â€Å"Stranger Things .† Netflix, season 3, episode 1-8, 4 July 2019. The popular Netflix series stranger things has a monster that has a hive mind. I found this to be an interesting take and interpretation of what a zombie could be or is. Im planning on using the series to show a different style of zombie and how it differs from the standard brain eating mindless monster that is more commonly known. Cohen, Jeffery jerome. â€Å"Monster Culture (Seven Theses).† Englishwithtuttle, www.englishwithtuttle.com/uploads/3/0/2/6/30266519/cohen_monster_culture__seven_theses__3-20.pdf. This article is Jeffery Cohen’s seven Theses on monsters was discussed in class. This Article will be one of the main sources from comparisons, and stereotyping monsters to correctly classifying the individual as a monster. This source is credible because it is peer reviewed. J effery is also a college professor at the George Washington University. Peele, Jordan, director. Get Out. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, 2017. The Widely popular movie Get Out has a fantastic twist on mind control. This is a great comparison to the Mind Flayer and gives some perspective as well as contrast to some of the characters in the movie. These comparisons and contrasts are what I plan on using in this analysis. Killen, Andreas, and Stefan Andriopoulos. â€Å"Editors Introduction.† Grey Room, Oct. 2011, web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=12sid=ff43cd13-cf61-4fb3-9767-5b595eacef4b@sessionmgr4008. This peer reviewed article goes into detail about mind control and brainwashing. It also goes into detail about how it originated, from the Cold War. This was a huge inspiration for the third season of stranger things. This will make a fantastic supporting article for the inspiration and the birth of the monster. Stack, Tim. â€Å"Stranger Things 3.† Entertainment Weekly, web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3sid=b4b742f9-03e2-4875-bac8-afda0fb643ab@pdc-v-sessmgr05. Tim Stacks is a reporter who did an interview with the cast and directors of the series. He answers a lot of questions and brings in an interesting point of view on certain topics. One question shows an error with the origin and plotline of the monster. I plan on using this to describe what is wrong with the monster.

How to Implement a Guest Blogging Process with Jess Ostroff [PODCAST]

How to Implement a Guest Blogging Process with Jess Ostroff [PODCAST] You probably already know all of the benefits of writing guest posts on other people’s blogs, but have you considered having guests post on your blog? Some of the benefits you might enjoy include increased publishing frequency, more efficiency and consistency, higher ranking for your keywords, and a better sense of credibility and trust among your readers. Best of all, this move can help you convert more customers. Today, our guest is Jess Ostroff, the CEO of Don’t Panic Management, which she describes as a â€Å"virtual assistant agency on steroids.† She is also the managing editor at Convince Convert, which publishes a lot of content from guest writers. She is talking to us about how to become a content management mastermind when it comes to hosting guest bloggers on your website. Powered by PodcastMotor Actionable Content Marketing powered by By 00:00/00:00 1x 100 > Download file Subscribe on iTunes Leave Review Share Some of the topics we’ll talk about today include: What Jess does at Don’t Panic Management in her role as Director of Calm and as editor of Convince Convert. How a marketer can attract the best guest bloggers in their industry and how to prove to potential bloggers that your site is worth writing for. The writing requirements that are most helpful to be sure you get the quality you want out of your guest blog posts. The best way to manage the pitch-acceptance process. Suggested tools and strategies to make the guest-blogging process as efficient and successful as possible, from pitch to final editing and eventual promotion. The one major thing you should keep in mind if you are hoping to build a guest-blogging relationship with someone.