Experiences in a cross curricular manner education essay

Experiences in a cross curricular manner education essay The following essay will focus on the Skills Framework introduced by the Welsh Assembly Government into the national curriculum. The essay will discuss the shift into developing pupils skills across the curriculum rather than subject specific skills. The essay will also discuss how to develop pupils skills in the core subjects through a series of practical based activities through active learning. The term skill can be hard to define. Resnick argues that the term can not be defined exactly, but the term is easily recognisable, although it is very diverse (Resnick, L.B. 1987). Resnick also argues that in the world of education, we must try to teach study and problem solving skills. However can these types of skills be related to the different skills across the curriculum? The term skill requires a working definition as the different elements associated with skills are far too vast to be confined to one single, ridged definition. The Skills Framework being brought into the National Curriculum is linked to the Education Reform Act of 1988, which suggested that a curriculum should prepare pupils for challenges that they may face in adult life. However, past teaching practices prior to the Skills Framework being introduced were very much based around subject knowledge rather than skills. For example, in Science pupils would have learnt about the human heart. Now, under the new Skills Framework, pupils do still learn about the human heart, but the main focus of the lesson is to improve pupils scientific investigation skills rather develop their subject knowledge alone. Emphasis on teaching has now moved from less subject detail, to looking more at how and why and with a more thematic/topic method of teaching not only the core subjects, but subjects across the curriculum (James, B. et al). The need for a Skills Framework was outlined by the Future Skills Wales 2003 Generic Skills Survey which discovered that emplo yers could see gaps in employees skills, including communication and problem solving skills and in particular, Information Communications Technology (ICT) skills (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). As a result of this survey and a previous publication from Estyn in 2002 which also stated a need to improve learning skills within schools, Awdurdod Cymwysterau, Cwricwlwm ac Asesu Cymru (ACCAC) advised the Welsh Assembly Government to revise the National Curriculum to ensure it became more learner centered, skills based, up-to-date with the 21st Century and far more skills based than just focusing on subject knowledge alone. It was also suggested that the new curriculum had to be inclusive for all learners, something it could be argued that a subject knowledge based curriculum is not. The main points suggested by ACCAC were to implement a curriculum that focuses on and meets learners needs, is inclusive and provides equality of opportunity, equi ps learners with transferable skills, supports bilingualism, is relevant, challenging, interesting and enjoyable for all learners, transforms learning to produce resourceful, resilient and reflective lifelong learners, is achievable and adequately resourced. (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). With these skills based activities implemented into the National Curriculum, it is believed that a pupils education will be much more fulfilling, enjoyable and successful. The skills framework is organised into four different sections; developing thinking, communication, ICT and number. It is argued that these skills are needed to not only help learners in schools, but also when they reach adult life and require these skills. The Skills Framework has also been organised so that learners can acquire different skills and progress in these skills from the Foundation phase right through the different key stages and into post sixteen education. Although learners acquire and develop skills set out in the framework as they progress through the different key stages, certain skills are not necessarily associated with a particular stage in in education. This is because some skills that young adults in the upper key stages have acquired may also be demonstrated by learners in the Foundation Phase, all be it at a much simpler level. As learners progress from the Foundation Phase and into the different key stages, their skills develop. This can be viewed as learner s begin to work more independently with less support. Learners also choose to work with others to better their education, rather than just casually listening and work with those around them (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Although the Skills Framework has a major influence on the National Curriculum, it is by no means supposed to replace it, but merely act as a guide to help teachers with their planning. One of the main stages of the Skills Framework is developing thinking. Educators believe that it is important to develop thinking to enable learners to have a greater understanding of what they are studying. As part of the Skills Framework the process of thinking is organised into plan, develop and reflect. In relation to the classroom, this process allows learners to plan out tasks effectively, develop their own ideas, and then reflect back upon their work (Swansea Grid for Learning). The Skills Framework has been put in place to help teachers develop a learners thinking across the curriculum, although it is not possible to cover all subjects within the curriculum (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Developing thinking is seen as a continuous process. This allows learners to keep improving, as they are constantly planning, developing and reflecting upon their work (See Figure A). Figure A. (Swansea Grid for Learning) One of the most important features of this continuous process is metacognition, thinking about thinking. Metacognition is a process whereby learners reflect upon their own work, and then use this reflection time to improve their learning. Metacognition is also crucial in allowing learners to progress through the different skills stages. In mathematics, thinking can be developed through a variety of different problem solving activities. Whilst on school placement, I found that Abacus Maths Scheme had a range of practical activities that helped improve pupils thinking skills. The Abacus Activity book 6, by Ruth Merrtens and David Kirkby features a range of different practical mathematical activities whereby learners work through the different activities and then answer questions at the end. One particular activity consisted of letters from A to K. An example of the worksheet used in this activity can be found in Appendix 1. Learners had to work in groups to identify what number each of the different letters represented. To find the correct answer, learners had to answer different questions such as I+C=D. To find the answer, pupils had to reflect upon what answers they already knew, for example they may already know that I= 4 and that C= 8, so they could therefore identify what number D must represent. Once learners ha d identified what numbers all of the letters represented they then had to answer questions such as What is the total of B, C and F? (Merrtens et al 2001). The plenary for this activity also presents an opportunity for learners to use the process of metacognition. Questions such as, what did you learn from this activity? How did you identify what numbers the different letters were? How did you answer the different questions? What parts did you find easy? What parts did you find hard? all allow learners to reflect upon their work and how they planned and developed their work throughout the activity to solve the different problems (Revill 2010). Another method to develop thinking is using a KWHL grid (what learners already Know, what they Want to find out, How they will find out and what they have Learnt). The grid allows learners to reflect upon prior learning to fill out what they already know on the grid. Learners then think about what they might want to find out from the work and how they are going to find this out. Once learners have completed the work, they then reflect up on what they have learnt. The use of KWHL grid very much incorporates the ideas of developing thinking and metacognition as learners must plan what they want to find out, develop this into how they are going to find out, and then reflect upon how they have found out certain information (The Centre for Research in Primary Science and Technology (CRIPSAT) 2007). I have found one of the best uses of a KWHL grid is to assess what learners learn during a science investigation. On school placement I used a KWHL grid during a science lesson looking at different food groups and their effects on the human body. Once the learners had identified what they knew and what they wanted to find out, they then set about writing down how they would find out information. Without prompt, learners reflected on previous lessons when they has been asked to research information from material provided from textbooks and wrote this in their KWHL grids. KWHL grids are not only good at developing thinking skills, but also at as a means of allowing learners an element of control by letting them decide what they want to find out, and how they are going to find out. In the science lesson on food groups, using the KWHL grid also led to pupils working in groups to research the different food groups, and then presenting them back to the class. An example of a KWHL grid prod uced by a pupil from the class can be fond in Appendix 2. The research and presentation skills needed were skills that pupils had previously learnt by doing a similar task. They had then reflected on this task to use the same skills to find out and share information about food groups in the form of presentations, which also promotes practical, active learning. In language lessons, one of the best examples that I found whilst on school placement for developing thinking skills and making the lesson more practical and active was through a method of story writing by Pie Corbett. The Canal by Pie Corbett is learnt not by simply reading text, but by looking at pictures that illustrate events in the story. The Canal and a sample of pictures used to tell the story ca be found in Appendix 3. This process uses a multi-sensory approach, combing actions with speech which enables learners to learn the story quickly and more effectively (Cambridge Literacy Catalogue 2003). Once learns know the story, they can then use the framework to design their own versions. This develops thinking skills as learners have to reflect upon what language and structure they have learnt from the Pie Corbett story, and use this in their own writing. Learners can also reflect upon the structure of the Pie Corbett text to generate speech within their own text. The next step f or learners was to sketch pictures illustrating the events in their stories and then acting them out. This again created an active and practical means of learning, whilst developing learners thinking skills. The main principle of the Skills Framework is to develop learners skills which they may transfer to different aspects of life (Revill 2010). By learning these different thinking skills through a range of practical activities, this section of the framework will definitely help fill the current gap in skills suggested by employers. Another stage of the Skills Framework is developing communication. Communication is a very important aspect of learning as it enables learners to communicate what they already know or want to find out. To be able to communicate correctly, Valette (1973) suggests that learners must engage in a variety of activities such as listening and reading comprehensions and be able to express themselves through speech and writing. Osborn et al (2003) argues that there is increasing evidence which proves that by improving communication skills, other aspects of learning in general will also improve. The Skills Framework organises communication into oracy, reading, writing and wider communication skills such as through ideas and emotions (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). In language lessons, a good way to enable learners to communicate is through guided reading activities. The book 20:20 Vision, part of The Navigator series by Harcourt Education et al, offers a range of activities whereby learners read, and then report back answers and ideas to the rest of the group. However, many of the activities in the books do not contain any text but pictures instead. One example is comparing pictures of a town in 1900, with the same town today. Learners must read the pictures, and then answer questions about what they have read in the picture. This helps develop not only a learners reading skills in a way other than reading text, but also their wider communication skills, as they are having to communicate ideas in regards to the picture. Learners also develop oracy skills by answering questions and reporting them to the group. The book also contains written questions to complete at the end of the activity, which will then improve learners writing skills. This e xample of a guided reading activity incorporates all of the skills listed in the Skills Framework under developing communication. It is also an active and practical activity which encourages learners to communicate with each other. There are many opportunities for learners to develop their communication skills in science. When studying science, learners must often write clearly and concisely and be confident with oral presentations (Osborn et al 2003). When writing a science investigation learners are expected to communicate clearly using specific language and structure. Learners use the future tense to communicate what they think may happen in an investigation, the present tense to explain how to do carry out the investigation, and then the past tense to reflect upon it. Learners must also explain the results from the investigation in a way which will enable the reader to understand. Oral presentation is also very important to developing communication skills. Whilst on school placement, part of a science lesson required members of the class to prepare a presentation to the rest of the class which would inform them about the different organs in the body. The children worked in groups to research a particular bo dy organ, produce a fact file and then prepare questions ready to present to the class. This activity developed the childrens communication skills by allowing group members to feedback information that they had researched to the rest of the group. The children then communicated through writing by recording the information they had found out into fact files. The template given to pupils to produce the fact files can be found in Appendix 4. The groups then had to prepare a presentation about their chosen organ to the rest of the class. This allowed for communication within the groups, as the children sorted out what would be said and who was saying it. The groups then presented their information to the class, again drawing on their oral communication skills. After the presentations the rest of the class had to answer questions from the group. An example of the questions asked by the pupils can be found in Appendix 5. This again improved communication skills as pupils were able to answ er questions with confidence, in front of the whole class. This science based activity therefore helped to improve and develop the children written and oral communication skills. In mathematics, learners use mathematical vocabulary when working with others. Learners also use a variety of written methods for communicating data such as diagrams, graphs, tables and symbols (Mathematics in the National Curriculum for Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). At Key Stage 2 level, learners are given opportunities to their reading skills in mathematics by interpreting graphs and diagrams, and then explain the data either orally or in written format. Another feature of developing communication skills in mathematics at Key Stage 2 is to visualise and describe shapes, movements and transformations (Mathematics in the National Curriculum for Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Whilst on school placement, I carried out a mathematics lesson based on 2d shapes. Over the course of the lesson, the children learnt the names of different 2d shapes, what they looked like and if they were a regular polygon, irregular polygon, or not a polygon. As a plenary activity I arranged for the c hildren to sit back to back in pairs, one facing the whiteboard. The member of the pair not facing the whiteboard was given an individual white board, on which they could write. I then wrote the name of a 2d shape on the main whiteboard. The child facing the board had to communicate with their partner what the shape was by saying if it was a regular polygon, irregular polygon, or not a polygon and how many sides the shape had, but could not say the name of the shape. The other member of the pair then had to interpret this information and draw what shape they thought it may be on their own individual whiteboards. This activity helped to develop communications skills as one member of the pair had to interpret what they were reading on the board, reflect upon what they had learnt about polygons from the lesson, and then orally describe to their partner the information, so that it could be easily interpreted by their partner, who would then be able to draw the correct shape. This activi ty was done more than once so that both members of the pair had an opportunity to describe the 2d shape. The importance of developing communication skills is critical for all learners. Some researchers even suggest that there is a clear relationship between communication skills and having a positive relationship with other peers as well as achieving academically (Brigman et al 1999). It is therefore essential that subjects across the curriculum incorporate the development of communication skills to enable leaners to develop both academically and socially. Another part of the Skills Framework is developing number. Following research over the last twenty years it is apparent that numeracy involves more than calculation work, it also encompasses a learners ability to use number accurately including working with shape, measurement, creating graphs, and then using them to explain data (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Although using number is mainly a mathematical skill, number can also be used in a variety of contexts across the curriculum. In Science, number is often used in scientific investigations. A good activity to involve number in science is to investigate how the heart rate changes with exercise. Whilst on school experiences, the children recorded their resting heart rate over a period of 30 seconds, using a heart monitor linked to a computer. They then interpreted the results from the graph to give their resting heart rate. The children then ran around for five minutes and then once again recorded theyre heart rates. Once they had interpreted the results of the graph following the exercise, they could then compare the two graphs to work out the difference between theyre resting heart rate and heart rate after exercise. This activity helped to develop the childrens number skills because it allowed them to gather information from a graph, compare and interpret data and accurately measure their heart rates using suitable equipment (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). Normally, you would not associate developing number with work in language. However, there are a number of activities which incorporate developing number into language lessons. When doing instruction writing, learners develop number along with their language skills. For example, when writing a recipe, learners must use number not only to sequence their writing, but also to quantify the ingredients. Whilst on school experience, the children were firstly given a recipe cut up into different pieces and jumbled up. They then had to put the recipe back into the correct order. This developed the childrens number skills as they had to sequence the order of the recipe from the first instruction to the last. After the children had done this they then had to write their own recipes. An example of a pupils recipe can be found in Appendix 6. Before they began writing the instructions to the recipe, the children had to list the ingredients and what quantity of the ingredients should be used. This again helped develop number because the children had to choose and use everyday units of measurement (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). In mathematics it is obvious that the subject helps to develop number skills. However, it is still important to ensure that activities are practical and enjoyable to help learners develop their number skills. One enjoyable, practical activity to help learners develop their number skills is to play multiplication bingo. An example can be found in Appendices 7 and 8. In the activity, each child is given a bingo card with multiplications of six and seven on them. The teacher has cards with times tables on them, for example the six times table and seven times table, but with a blank answer. The teacher had to read out each calculation, and the children would have to mentally work out the answer, and then check if they had the number on their bingo board. Like in normal bingo, the winner was the one to cross off all of their numbers first. I found this activity to particularly enjoyable with the children while on work experience. The activity also helps develop number as it allows learner s to identify suitable calculations to get the result needed for the task (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). The use of a calculator to allow the children to check their answers could also be incorporated into the activity to help develop number skills. Developing number is very important to a learners development in all aspects of life. Being able to use numbers is a global activity which brings together people from all cultures. It is therefore essential that learners develop their number skills not only by calculations and formulas, but as a means of solving problems and learning about the world (Sharma 2010). The Skills Framework will help to develop number in a way which helps learners to develop their number knowledge and skills across the curriculum, and not limit the development to mathematics. The Skills Frame work also has a fourth stage, Developing ICT. It is essential that learners today have good ICT skills, as it was one of the main skills gaps pointed out by employers in the Future Skills Wales 2003 Generic Skills Survey. Developing skills in ICT has two strands; finding and developing information and ideas and creating and presenting information and ideas (Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government). It can be argued that all subjects across the curriculum, not only the core subjects incorporate these strands. For example in nearly all subjects, learners will have researcnhed information using software programmes and also the internet. Learners also use ICT to create and present information such as word processing their work, or creating graphs to show results from an investigation. Developing ICT skills is more than just teaching learners about ICT. Rather, it helps learners develop their knowledge of different technologies, add how these technologies maybe used to improve and benefit their learning. Also developing ICT skills will also greatly benefit learners from the very beginning of their journey through education and on into adult life, as ICT skills have become almost essential in modern ways of living. The Skills Framework introduced to into the national curriculum by the Welsh Assembly Government has been incorporated as a means of improving and developing skills that are currently needed not only in Wales, but the rest of the United Kingdom. By introducing skills into the curriculum such as developing thinking, communication, number and ICT will help learns to develop essential skills needed not only in education, but also later in adult life. It can also be argued that these skills will also help a learner improve both academically and socially. With the introduction of the Skills Framework into the national curriculum, we are now beginning to see a shift from a very much subject based way of teaching the curriculum, into a more skills based method. I firmly believe that in the future the shift into more skills based teaching will become even greater, with teachers focusing far more on the Skills Framework, and then planning the curriculum around it.

Back to the Future: Past, Present, and Future

Jeff Harber Professor Barnaby Palmer GLA 618 OL1: Film Music History 6 December 2012 Back to the Future: Past, Present, and Future Whether you are a movie buff or just a dude from the 80's, there is a good chance you have seen the classic movie â€Å"Back to the Future. † Accompanied by an iconic cast and crew, the movie garnered so much popularity, Universal Studios pumped out three installments of the Trilogy –†Back to the Future 1, 2, and 3. With Steven Spielberg's and Robert Zemeckis' stamp, Back to the Future not only launched Michael J. Fox's career, but undoubtedly changed movies forever.There is much to discuss and analyze about all three installments. These would include actor choices, spotting, direction, acting, and most importantly the soundtrack and musical choices for all 3. Considering all 3 movie plots jump from decade to decade, it can be analyzed literally from past, present, and future. Inevitably, Back to the Future's success also led to severa l video game launches, a ride at Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando, an animated series, and even a comic book. Let's go back to the year 1985, you and your bodacious friends want to hang ten with the dudes, so you guys catch a flick at the local cineplex.Your choices are Mask, Teen Wolf, or Back to the Future. You mean the guy from Family Ties? So you take your chances on Back to the Future. Good choice! Of all things, Eric Stolz, the main actor in Mask, was originally cast for the role of Marty Mcfly when production of Back to the Future began on November 26,1984. Stoltz was filmed for four weeks, but after seeing a rough cut, Steven Spielberg and the writer/directors decided that Stoltz had played the role â€Å"too seriously† for a comedy, and he was replaced by Michael J. Fox (Futurepedia). Back To The Future was written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, and mainly starred Michael J.Fox and Christopher Lloyd. The movie opened on July 3, 1985 and grossed $210 milli on at the US box office, making it the highest grossing film of 1985 (IMDb). The basic synopsis of Back to the Future 1, is about a young man named Marty Mcfly who accidentally travels into the past and jeopardizes his own future existence. With the help of an eccentric local scientist named Dr. Emmett L. Brown, he manages to travel back in time via a time machine made from a DeLorean. This was done by breaking the time barrier in what was called temporal displacement allowing it to travel along the space-time continuum.When the first script was made, a refrigerator was the planned prop for the time machine. Later Steven Spielberg decided he didn't want kids trapped inside their refrigerators trying to play time traveling games (Funtrivia). Done carefully, Bones Howe (music supervisor) and Alan Silvestri (composer) gathered an array of perfectly fit songs to cater both the 1950's as well as the 1980's. The movie jumps from decade to decade throughout the movie, and makes it apparent when it does. The movie starts out when Marty is late for school, he gets on his skateboard and we hear a fantastic song by Huey Lewis and the News, the â€Å"Power of Love. Later in the movie, we hear another solid track by Huey Lewis entitled â€Å"Back in Time. † By the way, Huey Lewis makes a cameo as a judge. When Marty tries out for the school competition, Huey says, â€Å"hold it. hold it†¦ I'm afraid you are just too darn loud. † This is also considered diagetic music in the film. Marty's first time travel sent him to the year 1955. Marty, immediately, arrives at the Twin Pines Ranch, which was owned by Otis Peabody. Marty crashes into the barn on Mr. Peabody's property which causes the entire Peabody family to wake up and come outside.Marty encounters many differences between 1985 and 1955, including a cleaner, less run-down ambiance in the Courthouse Square. While searching for a younger Doc Brown, he meets his father and accidentally interferes with t he first meeting of his parents–being hit by his grandfather's Chevrolet in his father's place. While in the 1950's, some of the songs we hear are such great classics â€Å"Night Train† by Marvin Berry, â€Å"Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)† by Marvin Berry, â€Å"Wallflower† by Etta James, and â€Å"Johnny B. Goode† by Chuck Berry aka Marty Mcfly.Some people complained that Back to the Future was a racist movie because Chuck Berry was inspired by a white guy. Sometimes a joke is just a joke; but Chuck Berry liked it. (Davis). Finally we have the sensational score by Alan Silvestri. At times the score is adventurous, and at times it's sad. The spotting is done just right to balance the dynamics of the movie. Also, there is a leitmotif that accompanies the movie, in fact, it accompanies all 3 movies of the trilogy, and never goes unnoticed. Upon the success of the first film, Robert Zemeckis (director) and Bob Gale (writer) agreed to do a 2nd movie.I n fact, they also intended on a 3rd movie, and both the 2nd and 3rd Back to the Future were filmed simultaneously and released six months apart. Back to the Future 2, with a budget of $40 million, grossed nearly $331 million at the box office (IMDb). The characters of George Mcfly and Jennifer Parker were played by different actors from those in the first film, requiring scenes that overlap to be re-shot. Jennifer Parker which was originally played by Claudia Wells, and replaced by Elisabeth Shue in the second film. Claudia claims she turned the roll down when she found out her mother was diagnosed with cancer (Futurepedia).George Mcfly, who was originally played by the quirky Crispin Glover, was later replaced by Jeffrey Weissman. Crispin Glover refused to return to the trilogy due to salary disputes. Back to the Future 2 pans back and forth from 1955, to 1985, and all the way to 2015; the past, present and future. Needless to say, Bob Gale and Zemeckis attempted to predict what 20 15 would like and sound like. Some songs used in the 2015 scenes, were â€Å"Beat it† by Michael Jackson, â€Å"I Can't Drive 55† by Sammy Hagar, â€Å"Mr. Sandman† by The Four Aces, and â€Å"Papa Loves Mambo† by the Perry Como.The filmmakers did do some research into what scientists thought may occur in the year 2015. Bob Gale also commented; â€Å"We knew we weren't going have flying cars by the year 2015, but God we had to have those in our movie. â€Å"(Q & A) The film was also considered one of the most ground-breaking projects for Industrial Light & Magic. It was one of the effects house's first forays into digital compositing, as well as the VistaGlide motion control camera system, which enabled them to shoot one of the film's most complex sequences, in which Michael J.Fox played three separate characters, all of whom interacted with each other. Although such scenes were not new, the VistaGlide allowed, for the first time, a completely dynamic s cene in which camera movement could finally be incorporated. The technique was also used in scenes where Thomas F. Wilson's character (Biff Tannen) had to interact with a younger version of himself. (Zemeckis) Six months after Back to the Future 2 was released in the theaters, the Back to the Future team released Back to the Future 3 on May 25, 1990.Again on a budget of $40 million, this one cashed in at $244 Million. The film takes place immediately after the events of Back to the Future Part II. While stranded in 1955, Marty McFly discovers that his friend Dr. Emmett â€Å"Doc† Brown was killed by Biff Tannen's great-grandfather Buford. Marty decides to travel to 1885 to rescue Doc and return to his own timeline. This time, Alan Silvestri had to create his soundtrack based in the year 1885. However, he still maintained the leitmotif throughout the picture.The years 1985 and 1955 are still relevant in the 3rd movie, and it jumps around. The popular group ZZ Top make an appea rance, as they perform â€Å"Doubleback† during a festival in 1885. This was also considered diagetic —-performed for the actors and the audience to hear. Huey Lewis' â€Å"Power of Love† is also heard again. In 1989, a video game, based on the original Back to the Future movie was produced for the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) by video game publisher LJN a subsidiary of Acclaim games. This has some similarity to the 1983 Atari video game E. T. where producers felt it would sell solely on brand association to the hit movie and the game designers were only given five weeks in order to produce a product to get it on the shelves for the 1982 Christmas shopping rush. Reviewers also cited that game as virtually unlike the film and was a major contributor to an economic downturn known as the Great Video Game Crash of 1983. There are only two songs found in the entire game. One is â€Å"Johnny B. Goode† which will play during the school dance that Ma rty is playing on stage and sounds close to the version heard in the film.The other song is a repetitive looping song that will play throughout the game in non-mini game moments. There are suggestions that the song is supposed to be â€Å"The Power Of Love† by Huey Lewis ; The News sped up and cycled differently. But it winds up sounding nothing like the actual song made famous in the movie. Nes also later released Back to the Future 2 and 3 as a single game in 1990. Back to the Future II ; III received largely negative reviews from critics. Stan Stepanic of Gamefreaks365. om gave the game positive remarks in regards to similarities with The Goonies II, but gave it a largely negative review due to the lack of a password or save feature coupled with its notorious length, although there was a code to skip to the second half of the game. Back to the Future II ; III's length has often been cited as the game's major weakness, Stan stating that it took him roughly six hours just to map it, and he spent so much time trying to finish it he actually turned it off out of boredom. (Gamefreaks). Sega Genesis also released their own version of Back to the Future 3 in 1991.It was a lot different than the Nintendo version. However, it was just as unpopular, the opening level was nearly impossible to complete. Finally in 2010, Telltale Games released Back to the Future on PC and Mac; and later was also released on the Ipad and Playstation 3. This was given way better reviews than the predecessors, and remains the best game of yet. Ben PerLee from GameZone summarized his praise of the game by saying it is a â€Å"feel good cinematic experience that any fan of Back to the Future will want to check out, and everyone else would do well to check it out. GameZone) Back to the Future: The Animated Series was an animated series based on the Back to the Future trilogy as well. The series lasted two seasons, each lasting 13 episodes, and ran on CBS from September 7, 1991 to Nov ember 28, 1992, the date of the last original episode. Harvey Comics also published a series of Back to the Future comic books starting in November 1991. With the cover header reading â€Å"The Adventure Has Only Begun! ,† the first issue featured Doc & Marty in 1927 Chicago. On May 2,1991 the Universal Studios Theme park in Florida released Back To The Future: The Ride.It was a simulator ride based on the popular movie trilogy of the same name. It was a mini-sequel to Back to the Future Part III. Later at Universal Studios Hollywood, they opened the same ride on June 12, 1993 ; and then at Universal Studios Japan on March 31, 2001. The Orlando and Hollywood versions closed in 2007 (Futurepedia). Although Back to the Future creators Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale had no involvement with the ride, they were consulted as to whether they â€Å"got Doc right†. The two responded with a â€Å"yes†. They have also commented that â€Å"it's a great ride. In addition, ref erences are made to a â€Å"Zemeckis-Gale diagram† and â€Å"Gale-Zemeckis Coordinates (Giveneyestosee) With the huge success of the Back to the Future Trilogy, you can see where a simple idea can turn into a big one. When you take risks on a new actor, and stamp something with a touch of great directing, production, and a great score —- you never know what could happen. Back to the Future will always remain a classic no matter what generation it leads to; whether it be 1955,1985, or even 2015. Works Cited â€Å"Back to the Future II & III Review. Review. Gamefreaks365, n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Back to the Future Part II. † IMDb. IMDb. com, n. d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Back to the Future: The Ride. † FuturePedia. Wikia, n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Back to the Future: The Ride. † Giveneyestosee. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. â€Å"BTTF Trilogy. † The â€Å"Back To The Future† Trilogy. Funtrivia, n. d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. à ¢â‚¬Å"Claudia Wells. † Futurepedia. Wikia, n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. Davis, Cindy. â€Å"Pajiba. † Mindhole Blowers: 20 Facts About Back to the Future That Might Make Your Flux Capacitor Hit 1. 21 Gigawatts.N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Futurepedia. † Futurepedia. Wikia, n. d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. IMDb. IMDb. com, n. d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. PerLee, Ben. â€Å"Back to the Future: The Game Review. † Back to the Future – The Game Review. GameZone, 28 Dec. 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Q&A Commentary with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, Back to the Future Part II Blu-Ray, 2010. † Interview. DVD Blu Ray. N. d. Television. Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale (2005). Back to the Future Feature: Making the Trilogy Part 2. Los Angeles: Universal Pictures. N. d. Television.

Project Management Tools/Methods Essay

Over the years, Information Technology (I. T) projects has been known to fail, that is, they are either completed with over budget or not completed within time and budget. Information Technology projects are often complex and detailed in nature and require cognitive knowledge and skills for its accomplishment. I. T projects are often difficult to estimate and manage as some projects are either cancelled or reduced in scope because of over budgeting and time overruns or failure to produce anticipated benefits (Kumar, 2001). Failure of I. T projects is often characterised by the inability to meet the customer’s requirement or change in requirements during the project. To achieve a successful project, monitoring and control process performance is important, that is, control of Information Technology projects involves the use of appropriate management frameworks/methodologies and planning tools. In this report, we are going to look at the various ways of we can monitor and manage I. T projects, evaluating some management frameworks/methodologies and planning tools used with critical analysis on their functions, benefits as well as their weaknesses. Project monitoring and control are steps taking to keep track of a project process to ensure its success. Project monitoring is the gathering of information to determine the current state and progress of a Project in relation to its expected state and success (McBride, 2008; Aljibouri, 2003). Despite efforts put into project planning, things do change or occur that cause our project to derail. At this point, an effective monitoring and control process is useful and required to get the project back on course. It is in the control and monitoring process that we keep track of the project process, identify deviations, and determine and implement corrective actions. Many Organisations tend to manage I. T projects in an unstructured or ad hoc manner throughout its life cycle with limited understanding of the relationship between I. T project implementation and traditional business performance metrics (Stewart, 2008). The attention to schedule and cost are of utmost relevance in project monitoring and control as well as the scope of the project, risk and change control plus the overall performance measurement and reporting. The essential purpose of project monitoring and control is to alert the project manager to any project inter-dependencies that are becoming critical in terms of delivery date, resource allocation, cost or benefits (Lycett et. al, 2002). The basic challenge of project management in achieving its goals it based on managing effectively its typical constraints which include time, scope, budget. The following activities are involved in monitoring and control of I. T Projects; * The adoption of appropriate management framework/methodology – reporting structure, assessing progress, communication. Use of Planning and scheduling tools/techniques e. g. Gantt chart, PERT, CPA, WBS e. t. c * Data control – reporting progress of risk or staff activities MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKS/METHODOLOGIES Project management methodologies can be said to be a set of principles or guidelines that can be defined and applied in monitoring and control of projects. Project management framework defines and determines how to initiate and run a project. These various methodologies ensure; * Clearly visible and defined management process for project execution * Defined line of reporting and decision making Risk management * Staff are appropriately trained and suitable to handle and run projects * Commitment to the proposed project. There so many various methodologies available as it all depends which suits the organisation practice. Here are a few of some well known ones below: PRINCE 2 – It is an acronym for Project IN Controlled Environment. PRINCE 2 is a structured project management methodology and a widely used standard for managing I. T projects. It significantly provides assistance with the optimal usage of resources with risk management initiatives to manage projects. Elkington and smallman (2000), argues that though the PRINCE 2 method has greatly increased the success rate of projects, but it has little in the way of directing project managers in handling project risk. It offers no advice to project managers on risk estimation. PRINCE 2 promotes consistency of project work and also facilitates staff mobility, reduction of personnel change impact. The method also provides for the absolute recognition of project responsibilities in order for participants to understand each other’s role. The Prince 2 method helps you work out who should be involved and their responsibility. Due to the numerous changes attached to I. T projects, PRINCE 2 has a technique of controlling the impact of change in a project so as to prevent the project from derailing from the right direction. SSADM – Structured System Analysis and Design Method is a method widely used in information system development in the U. K. it is based on data flow diagram. SSADM divides a system development project into stages, steps and tasks and provides a framework for analysing projects in a defined way to manage project. It aims at improving project management and control, develop quality systems, and establish a framework for good communication among personnel in a project team. It also ensures project continuity if there is a loss of staff without any effect on the project success (Middleton and McCollum, 2001). However, some limitations occur in the use of SSADM as it puts much emphasis on the analysis of the system and its documentation. This causes the impact of over-analysing, and can be cost and time consuming. Also, due to various types of description method, consistency checks cannot be carried out. The outline diagram can become very unclear, especially with large systems because all relevant data flow have to be included. Agile Methodology – Agile Development is a term that covers several iterative and incremental software development methodologies. This agile methodologies includes Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), Dynamic systems development method (DSDM), Crystal, Feature-Driven development (FDD) e. t. c â€Å"Agile Software development represents a major departure from traditional plan –based approaches to software engineering â€Å"(Dyba and Dingsoyr, 2008). Each of these Agile methods is unique in its specific approach, but they all share a common core values and vision. Agile method is a new system development methodology which is used by software development teams to improve the software development process in terms of increased productivity of I. T personnel and higher quality of the final I. T solutions (Chan and Thong, 2008). According to Chan and Thong, (2008); Reifer, (2002), agile methodologies, such as Extreme programming (XP) and Scrum have received praise from practitioners because of their abilities to deal with volatile requirements. Although the deployment of these agile methodologies by I. T personnel is still resistance, industry surveys have indicated that its acceptance in I. T organisations is still at an early phase with many respondents indicating a limited knowledge (Chan and Tong, 2008). Also, in as much as the agile method have generated quite a bit of controversy, but since its entrance into the software community, most projects have continued to deliver high quality software systems within time than the traditional processes. BASIC I. T PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND SCHEDULING TOOLS Different types of planning and scheduling tools exists, but we are going to discuss some of the basic one used in managing Information technology projects like Gantt Charts, CPM, PERT, WBS Gantt chart and Critical path Analysis flow diagrams are two commonly used tools for detailed project management planning, scheduling, costing and budgeting. Gantt chart is a typical scheduling method for most types of projects. A Gantt chart provides a graphical illustration of a schedule which helps in planning, co-ordinating and tracking specific tasks in a project. A key feature of Gantt charts is its focus on systemic rather than algorithmic solutions to utilisation problems† (Wilson, 2003). It specifies complex task sequence, that is, a task or more can be required to be completed before other tasks can start. According to Maylor, (2001), he emphasizes that the use of Gantt chart in controlling information systems projects is beneficial as it shows clearly the overlap of scheduled task s, which commonly occurs in system development. Gantt chart supports modification of task dependencies, creation of new task connector as well as re-scheduling individual tasks. It also helps to evaluate the progress of a project. Although, Gantt chart is a widely used and beneficial tool which gives clear illustration of project status, it also has some limitations. Gantt chart do not show task dependencies of one task to another, that is, it is difficult for you to see or tell the effect of a task falling behind schedule of which PERT chart does. Also, Gantt chart does not show the necessity of completing one task before the start of another as Critical Path Analysis will do. Gantt chart is also often used as a reporting tool. PERT and CPM Type Program Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM) are useful tools that help to manage and schedule complex projects. Activities of a complex projects can be performed parallel and some sequentially. The collection of these activities can be modelled as a network. PERT type network looks for the schedule to minimize the objective function of the total elapsed project time, that is, it determines the start and the finish times of each activity or task. CPM type is based on the critical path method. It looks for the schedule with the minimum cost in a definite period of time (a case where the cost is associated with each task). CPM provides a graphical view of a project, helps predict the time required for project completion and shows which activities are critical to maintaining the schedule and which are not. â€Å"CPM execution can enable monitoring and control over various topics uniquely related to software projects† (Gelbard et al, 2002). The CPM considers a set of precedence relations between the tasks of a project, that is, some tasks must be finished before other tasks can be started (Conde, 2009). CPM helps to plan all tasks that must be completed as part of a project. When managing I. T projects, CPM helps to get a project back on course by showing you where remedial actions need to be taken as in the case of Gantt Charts. CPM type is deterministic as it uses a fixed time estimate for each activity. According to Chanas and Zielinski, (2001); Yakhchali et al (2009), they emphasizes that the importance of CPM is that the activities duration time are deterministic and known, but the assumption cannot always be fulfilled with satisfying accuracy. Therefore, in order to deal with imprecise durations, they suggested that PERT method be used, which has conception of random variable with beta distribution to model the activity times. However, CPM is simple and easy to understand, but it does not consider the time variations that can have a huge impact on complex project completion time. For less routine projects, there is more uncertainty in the completion times of which PERT network is an alternative as it allows a range of durations to be indicated for each activity. The reduction of time and cost required for project completion is one of the capabilities of a PERT network. PERT assumes that the time estimate for an activity lies within the range of earliest time and latest time. It uses a three time estimates (optimistic, most likely, pessimistic) to compute the expected average time. However, PERT technique provides less benefit if the uncertainty of time estimates is relatively small and irrelevant. Chanas et al, (2001) and Conde, (2008) agrees that the PERT assumes beta distributions for the individual task completion times but also that the assumption and some other conditions are not exempt for criticism. â€Å" Apart from that, PERT provides a scheduling mechanism that is based on resource reallocation and ordering the project activities for cognitively driven task like software projects and research/development projects. â€Å"The main drawback of PERT technique is the difficulty of obtaining the time estimates† Changes do occur in I. T development projects, of which most often result to failure of the overall project. Controlling changes provides stability to projects. Changes to project agreement must be evaluated and recorded accordingly. According to Wang et al, (2008), change control facilitates software flexibility by controlling risks due to unstable scope and run-away requirements. Change control is necessary in project monitoring as it ensures; * Prevention of unauthorized use of resources * Proper update of project plan, its scope, budget expectations, schedule and quality * That the recommended change is consistent with external agreements. Monitoring and control process is no doubt necessary in project development by use and application of methodologies, tools and techniques. However, evaluating the various ways, their functions and characteristics, it can be said that there is no better of f methods as they have their benefits and weaknesses in various areas which other encompasses and vice versa, in other words, there is no-one –fits-all methodology. In practice, project managers have found out that it is difficult to simply use a methodology or tool exactly as it stands. But, it can be said that a good and successful project which delivers quality result, within time and budget are generally dependant on the quality and effort of participants from the project board down to the individual team members.

Application Letter For Mba Degree Program - 1243 Words

My purpose of writing this letter is to request you to grant me a study permit to pursue my further studies in MBA degree program with three months MBA foundation course in University Canada West, Vancouver, British Columbia. As far as my profile is concerned, I accomplished my first milestone of school (school leaving certificate) from New Horizon Higher Secondary School achieving 75.75% and joined Science stream in New Horizon College Butwal, Nepal and secured 52% aggregate in 10+2. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from PSNA college of engineering and technology which is affiliated to Anna University Chennai, India in 2015 with CGPA of 7.1 out of 10. I, then joined Global Inspection†¦show more content†¦I got a glimpse of how the management consulting teams work and what kind of services they provide. This is when I became fascinated and motivated to pursue a career in management consulting. After consultation with the experts working in th is field I came to know that an MBA was essential to achieve my goal. Now after a year of relevant experience, power of knowledge seems to call me out persuading me to seek more, the dream I nurtured during my graduation has grown with me and I hope the day of realization is not far off. Now that I have a technical knowledge I would like to fulfil my ambition to become a technical manager of manufacturing company and thus decided to study MBA for as minimum eligibility to get engaged in high post like technical manager in manufacturing firm. Engineering with MBA degree in my country in the current market scenario is demanding. But due to the weak and theoretical based education system in Nepal most of the manufacturing companies with high reputation globally are not able to scout most skilled and well trained personnel with both sound technical and managerial skills. 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