We live in a world where people look to technology to enhance and improve their lives and in fact, laptops have now become a standard item to have and this technology is seen to be utilized everywhere at home, stores, work, and schools (Noel, 2008). Over the last decade, many schools have investigated the educational possibilities of mobile computing while more recently, many K-12 schools are implementing the use of laptop computers and in fact, improvements in portable computing technology as well as examples of successful pilot programs using laptops have inspired many schools to take into great consideration laptops for their students (Belanger, 2001).
As Peyman and Mann (n.d) noted, in the last few years, the use of wireless local area networks (WLAN) has increased significantly and this is something that has made technology popular amongst the various fields of society, including education. Schools are striving to help students become technologically literate at a young age but while there are advantages to laptop computing in K-12 education, there are also many concerns that should be taken into consideration (Miles, n.d).
“A laptop is a general term referring to a computer that has a built-in display and keyboard and is intended to be a portable personal computer. A laptop computer runs the same operating system and software applications as a larger desktop PC, but it is considerably smaller in size and lighter in weight” (National Centre for Technology in Education, 2007, p.1). Laptops or notebook computers are the most prevalent one-to-one computing devices and for more than a decade schools have used laptops and in fact, in 2003 more than 24 million laptops were sold in the United States (Jackson, 2004). As Greenfield (1990) supported, laptops have started making inroads in the educational sector in ways that are practical and innovative.
According to the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 50% of primary schools and 82% of secondary schools reported making at least some use of wireless network technology while also, in 23% of primary schools and 22% of secondary schools, either all or a significant portion of their network was wireless (Peyman & Mann, n.d). The use of laptops in the classroom can provide teachers and students with many benefits and can change significantly the teaching and learning processes in unique ways. As outlined by the National Centre for Technology in Education (2007), laptops are a window into the world and a tool with which to enhance learning while also, they can be used to teach and learn as well as to create and share.
Two important advantages that laptops provide are portability and convenience. Laptops can be taken out of the school by teachers and students and in fact, it is possible to transport them to various environments and this is something very convenient for teachers and students (Greenfield, 1990). These advantages lead also to another advantage of laptops and that is flexibility. As Fay (2006) supported, laptops enable students to engage in their work when and where they want and with few constraints while also, the results of a study conducted by Fay, revealed that students spent more time on task when they had laptops and in fact, they worked more frequently and for longer. Laptops provide flexibility not only to the students but also to the teachers. Teachers have the opportunity to take laptops home from school and can work and up skill themselves according to their personal schedules (National Centre for Technology in Education, 2007). As reported by the National Centre for Technology in Education, teachers can take laptops home in order to prepare lessons, carry out administrative tasks as well as to evaluate educational software programs in more independent way. Furthermore, laptops increase access. As supported by the Keystone Tech Team (2005), laptops provide teachers the opportunity to access the technology where and when they need it while also, laptops can be even compared to calculators and hence, students can use them at their desk or collaboratively in a group setting.
Laptops are also characterized for their functionality. In specific, laptops have almost all the functionality of desktop computers and hence, they allow students to perform all the tasks they were used to perform traditionally on a PC such as creating presentations, e-mailing, surfing the Internet as well as collaborating with other students (Jackson, 2004). It can also be denoted that laptops offer an alternative to traditional computer room scenarios and in fact, they can perform like any desktop computer but in addition, they have the advantage of being more readily integrated into the classroom situations and learning activities (National Centre for Technology in Education, 2007).
Apart from these, the use of laptops helps students get engaged in their own learning. As Negroponte (2009) outlined, when students have access to laptops they get engaged in their own education and they have the chance to learn, create, share, and collaborate while also, they become connected to each other and to the world. In addition to these as Capraro (n.d) reported, laptops offer a new, improved realm of learning for students; they make lessons interactive and this is something that keeps students engaged in the learning process; while they also provide instant feedback and assistance and they can serve as a source for limitless new knowledge.
Furthermore, the use of laptops in the classroom enhances and promotes independent learning. In a laptop classroom, there is lecturing and more individual and group project work and hence, teachers no longer have to provide all the information since, students can gather much of what is needed from the Internet while they can also work more on their own and at their own pace or work in small groups to prepare projects (WikiBooks org., 2006). In addition, as supported by the WikiBooks org., teachers can act as consultants to the students who can offer individualized suggestions and corrections as well as more frequent assessments of individual and group progress.
In a laptop classroom, students “as independent learners, they also have to take on more responsibility for their learning, by working independently they have to monitor their own progress, identify the tools and resources they need to use, and know when to seek help. Developing the ability to learn independently, collaborate with peers to accomplish work, and communicate the conclusions of your work are the core of 21st-century skills, and a highly valued set of competencies in the world outside of school” (WikiBooks org., 2006, ¶4).
A great advantage of laptops is that they promote cooperation among the students. As Cromwell (1999) outlined, cooperation and a sense of community can de developed among the students when they work collaboratively on projects and share information about their laptops. This was also outlined by the results of a study made by Rockman that specifically revealed that the majority of the teachers that participated in the research and made use of laptops in the classroom, reported an increase in cooperative learning and project-based instruction (Belanger, 2001).
An also important advantage of laptops is that they contribute to an improvement of students’ achievement and to an increase in test scores. This was also revealed by the results of the second of a three-year study at Henricho County high school that showed in specific, a noticeable improvement in students’ test scores in the subjects of biology, history, and chemistry (Noel, 2008). Moreover, the results of another study made by Stevenson revealed also that students with laptops demonstrated a sustained level of academic achievement compared to the students who did not make use of laptops while also, the academic benefits were most significant in at-risk student populations (Belanger, 2001). In accordance with these, are the results of a study made by Gulek and Demirtas (2005) that revealed that students who participated in a laptop immersion program tended to earn significantly higher test scores and grades for mathematics, English-language arts, writing and overall Grade Point Averages (GPAs).
The use of laptops in the classroom creates greater interest in and excitement about learning in general. As Cromwell (1999) stated, “Laptops have created … a sense of excitement about learning in general…They’ve created greater interest in research, writing, and projects students work on…The laptops lead to a sense of discovery every day, keeping students more focused and on task” (¶3).
An important advantage of laptops is that they enhance learning for students with disabilities. In particular, laptops provide students with disabilities the opportunity to succeed that may not be otherwise provided while also, laptops provide special education students an additional visual representation of learning material that directly addresses the needs of these students (Gulek & Demirtas, 2005).
Laptops provide also more opportunities for students to develop and acquire important computer skills that will be necessary to them in their future workplace. As Cromwell (1999) reported, many proponents of a laptop for every student think young people need to begin developing and acquiring computer skills in order to be employable when they graduate from high school or college.
According to Jackson (2004), laptops provide also the following general four advantages: (a) speed of implementation and in fact laptops are easy to learn, if you already know how to use a desktop computer; (b) support availability, where technical support, software, and peripherals are readily available with laptops; (c) integration help and in fact educational materials such as lesson plans, mail lists, etc. are easy to locate using laptops; (d) cross-platform capability, where various laptop models are made for PCs and Macs, that ensure a smooth transition from existing technology.
Laptops also contribute to an improvement of students’ writing skills. In particular, the ease of using a word processor along with the ability to go back and modify things that would otherwise not be possible when writing to a paper, helps students learn how to write more coherent and persuasive text (Timmer, 2009). Furthermore, the use of laptops offers students the opportunity to transfer knowledge across disciplines. As Gulek and Demirtas (2005) stated, “This is believed to occur because laptop students are involved in: (1) highly engaged and focused activities spending more time on their work and completing larger projects; (2) frequently apply active learning strategies; (3) interact with each other about their work; (4) problem solve through project-based activities, which usually involve more critical thinking; and (5) regularly find information, make sense of it, and communicate it” (p.6).
Undoubtedly, the use of laptops in the classroom has many advantages and can provide students and teachers with many benefits that can enhance and improve the teaching and learning processes. Laptops can be used in various ways in the classroom in order to enhance and improve learning and some of those ways are next mentioned and discussed. Students can use laptops in class as part of an integrated lesson that can be teacher-directed or student-directed or they can use them at home where their use is totally student-centred (National Centre for Technology in Education, 2007). As stated by the National Centre for Technology in Education “Allocating laptops for student use on a full-time basis can be advantageous for the following reasons: students can explore their preferred learning styles independently; students can collaborate on assignments with peers via email; students can prepare and present homework or project work using multimedia; students can access learning support if educational software programs are made available for home use” (p.2).
Furthermore, teachers can use laptops in all content areas by incorporating blogging, podcasts, quizzes and online textbooks into their instruction and this is something that can improve the teaching and learning methods as well as create a more fun and interactive environment for both teachers and students (Noel, 2008). In addition, as Noel reported, with the use of laptops in the classroom, the amount of paper being used can be greatly diminished.
The 1999 Laptop Learning Challenge sponsored by Toshiba and National Science Teacher’s Association recognized innovative uses of laptops in K-12 science and mathematics education such as: some award-winning ideas that showed students using laptops to facilitate group work, to analyze data immediately during a lab exercise, conduct scientific investigations in the field rather than in the classroom; in writing activities, student projects and presentations; in creating spreadsheets to solve mathematical problems; and creating book reports using presentation software such as PowerPoint or HyperStudio (Belanger, 2001).
On the other hand, the use of laptops in the classroom does not lack of some disadvantages, some of which are next mentioned and discussed. Laptops are too expensive. Many laptops cost $1000 and up and this price is too high for many schools (Jackson, 2004). In addition, “according to a study done by the UCLA Department of Education, software, internet connection, maintenance and training costs must also be considered when budgeting for a laptop program” (Miles, n.d, ¶2). This was also supported by Belanger (2001), who reported specifically that added costs such as hardware and network costs, technical support and faculty training are the greatest obstacles. Moreover, laptops are too expensive to be distributed equitably among children and therefore, their use in just a few classrooms is simply unfair (Cromwell, 1999).
The fact that laptops are too expensive leads to another disadvantage and that is inequities between the students. Students with laptops at home have an unfair advantage over students who do not have laptops at home and this is something that raises concerns about school-system-funded laptops for every student (Cromwell, 1999). In addition to these, the fact that not all students have an Internet connection at home and hence, allowing laptops to be checked out for homework purposes will not be possible if assignments require Internet usage (Miles, n.d). As Belanger (2001) noted, “Laptop programs may worsen technology inequities among students for families who are unable to assume these costs” (¶11).
Furthermore, the use of laptops in the classroom can make students not use their time in class productively or efficiently. For instance, their work can be interspersed with other activities such as checking and writing email, reading news, instant messaging, etc. and consequently, this constant availability of the laptops leads to constraining students’ thinking (Fay, 2006). In addition to these, reliability constitutes another disadvantage of laptops. In particular, during the teaching and learning processes, technical problems may occur and if replacement computers are not available, then valuable time can be wasted (Miles, n.d).
As Jackson (2004) supported, laptops have also the following two disadvantages: (a) mobility, and in fact, laptops are not actually mobile since people cannot walk and work on them; and (b) physical barrier, where the laptop screen can make it difficult for teachers to monitor work and communicate with students. Furthermore, other disadvantages of laptops include the following two as reported by Miles (n.d): (a) security, and in specific, due to the fact that laptops are small and lightweight enough to be hidden in backpacks, there may be thefts if the school does not monitor the laptops strictly or attach a security device to them; and (b) health concerns, since there is growing concern about the safety of the electromagnetic fields emitted from wireless devices used by laptop computers.
Apart from these, another important disadvantage related to the use of laptops in the classroom refers to the teachers’ role as the students’ guardians. In specific, when laptops are used in the classroom, teachers have to become more active guardians over the activities of their students and maybe such tools as remote desktop viewing of students’ laptops as well as old-fashioned walking around the classroom, may keep students in line with using the laptop only for classroom and educational purposes (Manal, n.d).
Relating to the use of laptops in classroom is the use of Wi-Fi. “Wi-Fi is short for Wireless Fidelity and is a particular type of Wireless local area network (WLAN)-i.e., you don’t need to plug your computer into a phone network via a cable. There are many types of WLAN but all of them allow two or more computers to form a network using radio frequency (RF) signals. They allow users to access and share data, applications, internet access or other network resources in the same way as wired (cable) systems” (Snowdon, 2009, p.1).
A Wi-Fi enabled laptop program brings technology to the children and in fact, Wi-Fi can connect the students studying at home to the school’s intranet and its content and instructional software which does not include the internet with inappropriate content for students such as pornography, gambling, etc. (Adrignola, 2009). The option for Wi-Fi connectivity is available for most of the interactive Whiteboards that are increasingly used in schools with educational software in order to cover the curriculum (Peyman & Mann, n.d).
The use of Wi-Fi helps improve the teaching and learning processes and in general it has many advantages, some of which are next mentioned and discussed. Wi-Fi offers flexibility to teachers and students. In specific, teachers can make use of a wireless enabled laptop and can access the wireless network to show students work and educational material, share resources, obtain information from the internet from anywhere within a range of an AP, without being tied to a wired PC (Snowdon, 2009). In addition, as Snowdon supported, Wi-Fi enables for a flexible learning and the accommodation of different learning styles as well as the adaptation of any learning space to suit the type of learning taking place.
An important advantage of Wi-Fi is its low cost. Despite the fact that the initial cost that is necessary for Wireless LAN hardware can be similar to the cost of wired LAN hardware, the installation expenses can be significantly lower (Snowdon, 2009). Moreover, the fact that the cost per subscriber for a Wi-Fi is quite low enables a school district to build its own private access network independent of commercial operators (Adrignola, 2009). Additionally, as Adrignola stated, “Wi-Fi allows local area networks (LANs) to be deployed without cables and wires for client devices, typically reducing the costs of network deployment and expansion…Wireless network adapters are now built into most laptops. The price of chipsets for Wi-Fi continue to drop, making it an economical networking option included in even more devices” (¶16).
Wi-Fi is accessible and adaptable. It provides access to the network from anywhere in the school within range of an access point and this gives users the freedom to use ICT where and when it is needed while also, with Wi-Fi, it is easier and quicker to add or move devices on the network (Snowdon, 2009). In accordance with the advantages of accessibility and adaptability is the advantage of portability and convenience. As Snowdon supported, Wi-Fi allows computer devices to move around the school with the students and this is something that allows for outdoor field work and work in non-classroom spaces such as the library, playground, etc. As Adrignola (2009) outlined, “With Wi-Fi service, students, faculty and staff can conveniently use their Wi-Fi enabled devices anywhere in the school campus during school time” (¶17).
Wi-Fi contributes also to an enhancement and improvement of technology and academic skills. In particular, the longer the students use compute and internet/intranet, the more digital skills they will learn while also, students who spend more time on school’s intranet usually get more information of their subjects and it is most likely that they will find it easier to do their homework and hence, improving of the grade is automatic (Adrignola, 2009).
Moreover, the use of Wi-Fi provides opportunities for students to interact with the teacher, other students as well as with outsiders (Hodgson, 2004). Wi-Fi provides significant advantages for instruction in various content areas such as literacy, numeracy, and writing. For instance, a Wi-Fi enabled laptop loaded with interactive literacy instructional software can greatly enhance instruction and some examples may include English language students who can improve their English vocabulary by making use of sight-sound relationships that are made available via the laptop and software while also, software products offer practice tests that students can use when they are studying for their American Tests (ACT) in order to improve their reading and test taking skills (Adrignola, 2009).
Apart from these, Wi-Fi enabled laptops offer interactive software that can enhance students’ number sense while they also offer math games that enable practice and development of number sense while also, 3-D graphics can help high school students understand physics, biology, and trigonometry (Adrignola, 2009).
Although Wi-Fi has many advantages, it has some disadvantages as well. An important disadvantage of Wi-Fi refers to slower data transfer and specifically, the current data rates of wireless networks indicates that high bandwidth activities are better done on wired networks while also, when the number of devices that make use of the network increase, then the data transfer rate to each device will decrease accordingly (Snowdon, 2009). Another disadvantage of Wi-Fi as Snowdon reported, involves upgrading. As wireless standards change, it may be necessary to upgrade to higher specifications of wireless that could mean replacing wireless equipment while also, security with Wi-Fi is more difficult to guarantee.
According to Snowdon (2009), Wi-Fi has also the following two disadvantages: (a) signal reception, that means that devices will only operate at a limited distance from an access point while also, obstacles between the access point and the user such as walls, trees, glass, etc. can also affect and determine the distance of operation; and (b) configuration, that means that as more people use wireless devices then there is the risk that certain radio frequencies used for wireless will become congested and prone to interference.
As Adrignola (2009) outlined, “Today’s children are digital natives. Today’s adolescence love digital devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, smart phone, and laptop/netbook. With Wi-Fi service on school campus, students with Wi-Fi enabled devices could enjoy surfing on internet during school time. This will most likely to extend their time of practicing technology skills, as well as academic studying” (¶6). Laptops are definitely necessary in the classroom around the world today to help students gain any advantage they can in today’s cutthroat education system (Ryan, n.d). Closing up, with the use of laptops and handheld computers in the classroom, education is becoming more high tech while also, the involvement of Wi-Fi in the classroom helps students with real time streaming and in fact, it can free students from note taking and therefore, it can allow them to concentrate more on the discussion developed in the classroom (Hodgson, 2004).
References
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Monday, August 9, 2010
Media and Society
“In the last 50 years the media influence has grown exponentially with the advance of technology, first there was the telegraph, then the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television and now the Internet” (Rayuso, 2009, ¶1). As Rayuso supported, our society depends largely on information and communication technologies that help people move in the right direction in their work, entertainment, personal relationships, health care, and education. In modern society, media is everywhere, and it is almost impossible to avoid and in fact, Americans spend an average of twenty-eight hours per week watching television while they also spend an undetermined number of hours reading periodicals, listening to the radio, and going to the movies (Elton, 2008). The media effect on society is often debated, whether it is good or bad, overstated or understated, however, the fact is that there is an effect that is becoming more powerful as media becomes more pervasive, more mobile and more global (Mitchell, 2009).
“The media, especially television, socializes and shapes people’s attitudes, values, and beliefs about the world around them. Program content and commercials both strongly influence the way we think about ourselves and others, as well as sex, food, tobacco, and other life concerns. The Internet also strongly influences our behaviour, especially socially. Further, some individuals are addicted to watching television and using the Internet, and as a consequence, they forget about the world and fail to meet responsibilities” (Medoff & Kaye, 2005, p.313). Many people cannot realize the significant impact that the mass media has on all aspects of society whether that is economic, ideological or political due to the fact that the mass media has become such an ordinary and everyday part of society (Elton, 2008). As Elton noted, the mass media influence the way we vote, the things we buy, the way we act as well as the values we hold.
“Mass media are methods of communicating to a vast amount of people around the world. Mass media means things such as Television, Radio, Newspapers, Internet, Magazines etc; they are a means of communication to people. The mass media have a few main functions, which include informing, educating and entertaining us” (Vish, 2008, ¶2). According to Medoff and Kaye (2005), the effects of media on people individually, socially and culturally can be explained through four perspectives which include the strong-effects model, the limited-effects model; the moderate-effects model; and the powerful-effects model. It is the author’s belief and point of view that media has not a limited or moderated effect on society but a powerful effect. “What we need to be aware is that most of our decisions, beliefs and values are based on what we know for a fact, our assumptions and our own experience. In our work we usually know what we have to do based on our experience and studies; however, on our daily lives we rely on the media to get the current news and facts about what is important and what we should be aware of” (Rayuso, 2009, ¶4).
Television and other media can have positive and negative effects as well but it seems that most of the attention is focused on the negative effects and there is much debate about the degree to which the media influence our attitudes, behaviours, and values (Medoff & Kaye, 2005). As Mitchell (2009) noted, “as the technology powers and empowers the delivery of the media effect in ways not possible before, there are both good and bad outcomes” (¶16). People have trusted the media as an authority to give them news, entertainment and education but however, the influence of mass media on society is so big that people should be aware of how it really works (Rayuso, 2009). The media has a significant impact on society and in public opinion as well and in fact, the media can shape the public opinion in various ways depending of what is the objective (Rayuso, 2009). As Rayuso noted, “Of all the media distribution channels the most influential has been the television, we are constantly exposed to thousands of images of violence, advertising, sex, celebrities and much more, in fact it is known that a child is exposed to about 40,000 ads a year” (¶6). Additionally, the rise of new media such as video games and the Internet has introduced new ways children can be exposed to violence (Anderson, Berkowitz, Donnerstein, Huesmann, Johnson, Linz, Malamuth & Wartella, 2003).
It is the author’s belief and point of view that media has a powerful effect on society. Despite the fact that various kinds of media such as television, radio, advertising and the Internet provide many benefits, they can also have a powerful negative effect on society and people’s lives, especially on children’s lives. For instance, the Internet is blamed for exposing children to unsavoury material and in fact, when children tend to make an extensive use of the Internet, they can be led to social isolation (Medoff & Kaye, 2005). Music videos and music lyrics can also have a powerful effect on society and mostly on children’s lives. “Music videos are also of concern because these videos are sometimes replete with violence. Even those that do not have explicit aggressive content often have antisocial overtones” (Anderson et al., 2003, p.9). In addition, as Anderson et al. supported, watching violent music videos creates attitudes and beliefs that are relatively accepting of violence in young viewers. Furthermore, radio stations get heat for playing songs with racy, violent, and antisocial lyrics and this is an issue of concern because children will do whatever these songs suggest (Medoff & Kaye, 2005).
Advertising constitutes also an important means of media that has a powerful effect on society and that can significantly impact and influence people’s attitudes and beliefs. As Rayuso (2009) stated, “The media makes billions of dollars with the advertising they sell and that we are exposed to. We buy what we are told to be good, after seeing thousands of advertisings we make our buying decisions based on what we saw on TV, newspapers or magazines to be a product we can trust and also based on what everyone else that we know is buying and their decision are also based on the media”(¶11). Apart from these, teenagers are influenced and consequently buy what their favourite celebrity advertise and what is acceptable by society based on fashion that the media has imposed them (Rayuso, 2009). In addition, “According to the Journal of Advertising, studies show that America’s obsession with physical beauty is strongly created and reinforced by advertising” (Fihn, n.d, ¶3).
Comparing the various kinds of media it can be denoted that television constitutes the one that has the most powerful effect on society and can greatly influence people’s opinions, attitudes, behaviour, and beliefs. When we watch TV we usually see many images of violence and people hurting others and this is something that can become traumatic especially in children who are starting to grow and are shaping their personality values and beliefs and hence, this can result in making them become aggressive or losing the sense of reality and fiction (Rayuso, 2009). As Medoff and Kaye (2005) noted, “Television content is blamed for many social ills, such as violent behaviour, increased crime rated, a lower literacy level, and the breakdown of the family” (p.291).
Psychologists have proven that the minds of children develop cognitively and when they are young, they are not in a position to understand things such as violence on television and therefore, violence on television give children the sense that violence is a part of ordinary life, thus reducing their ability not to be violent (Fihn, n.d). Additionally, it is worth mentioning the results of a research conducted in 1969 by the U.S. Surgeon General’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behaviour regarding the influence of television on children’s behaviour, that revealed that there was a strong link between viewing violence on television and performing antisocial behaviour and in fact, the link was not limited only to children who were predisposed to aggressive behaviour (Medoff & Kaye, 2005).
Also, the results of another study revealed that the majority of programs on television include violence and this is something that can greatly influence people’s behaviour and attitudes. In specific, “according to the national Television Violence study (NTVS), which, during the period of three years, investigated ten thousand hours of violent programs, discovered that about 60% of all TV programs have violent content. And only fifteen percent of these programs revealed the long-term effects of the violence they depicted. Forty percent of them even ended with the criminals going completely free without being punished” (Fihn, n.d, ¶2).
Additionally, in the 1980, many violence studies indicated that viewing violence is strongly related to aggressive behaviour and in fact, viewing media violence may affect people behaviourally, cognitively, and emotionally since viewers and mostly children, may imitate aggressive behaviours, identify with unsavoury characters and may become desensitized to violence in real life (Medoff & Kaye, 2005). Moreover, as Medoff and Kaye noted, “Repeated exposure to mediated violence breaks down social barriers and may influence antisocial behaviours” (p.313).
As research has revealed, a significant proportion of aggressive children are likely to grow up to be aggressive adults and in fact, the best single predictor of violent behaviour in older adolescents and young adults is aggressive behaviour when they were younger (Anderson et al., 2003). As Anderson et al., “Thus influences that promote aggressive behaviour in young children can contribute to increasingly aggressive and ultimately violent behaviour many years later” (p.3).
Undoubtedly, media has a powerful effect on society and this is a fact that the author strongly supports. If we take a look at every aspect in every field of society, we will see and realize various examples that indicate the powerful effect that media have on society. For instance, ways that media influence people are with polls and trends, especially in political campaigns, where candidates that can pay for more TV and media exposure have more influence on public opinion and hence, they can receive more votes (Rayuso, 2009). Also the media effect was one of the biggest factors in the recent US presidential elections and in fact, rampant sexism in old media hurt Hillary’s campaign and a newly engaged media constituency helped put Obama in the White House (Mitchell, 2009).
The 2008 Presidential election is a representative example of the powerful effect that media has on society. Particularly, “The mass media decided to give the most coverage to candidates who stand for preserving the status quo, while writing off candidates who challenge the status quo (such as Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, and Mike Gravel) as long-shots –even if polls, straw polls, primaries, and the breaking of world records say otherwise” (Elton, 2008, p.2).
According to Martin N. Marger, “the media are closely interwoven with government, particularly at the national level. Put simply, the relationship between government and media is symbiotic, neither can function effectively without the other […] Moreover, much of the news transmitted by the mass media is prepared by government agencies” (Elton, 2008, p.2).
The media has also a powerful effect in public opinion. For instance, after the attacks of 911 the media gave a huge coverage of the event and exposed Osama guilty for the attack as they were told by the authorities and this was something that shaped the public opinion to support the war on terrorism as it happened with the war on Iraq (Rayuso, 2009). Another example of the powerful effect of the media on society is the use of cigars by celebrity movies stars, the constant exposure of sex images, the exposure to thousands of junk food ads as well as the excessive images of violence (Rayuso, 2009).
“Media also affects the way Americans view their own appearance, what with super thin models and other beautiful people on TV, on magazines, and in advertisements, giving Americans something new to be insecure about” (Fihn, n.d, ¶3). Many women want to look like the super models and thin celebrities so they become obsessive with losing weight even they are not obese and hence, they engage in eating disorders such as anorexia that may lead to severe health problems and even death (Rayuso, 2009). But not only kinds of eating disorders such as anorexia are influenced by the media but also obesity. As Rayuso noted, “There are millions of adolescents fighting obesity, but at the same time they are exposed to thousands of advertisements of junk food, while the ideas image of a successful person is to be thin and wealthy” (¶17).
As Elton (2008) outlined, “The influence of mass media on society extends far beyond politics. The media doesn’t just influence who we vote for, but also what we entertain ourselves with, what we buy, and what we believe. Most people have been affected by the mass media since childhood. It starts with children’s movies which serve a primary purpose of corporate marketing, and a secondary purpose of entertainment” (p.2).
Closing up, “Some worry that our fascination with television and the Internet is turning us into media junkies, who live in darkened rooms, transfixed to our screens. These concerns will not likely be settled in the near future and, in fact, are more likely to grow as television screens get larger and more involving and our dependence on computers and the Internet deepens” (Medoff & Kaye, 2005, p.313).
Undoubtedly, as Medoff and Kaye (2005) supported, the media has a powerful effect on society but it can be denoted that not all people respond to the same message in the same way and in fact, the circumstances must be right in order for certain effects to occur and for instance, some viewers may be influenced and may become more aggressive than others under some circumstances
References
Anderson, C.A., Berkowitz, L., Donnerstein, E., Huesmann, L.R., Johnson, J.D., Linz, D., Malamuth, N.M.,Wartella, E. (2003) The Influence of Media Violence on Youth. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/pspi/pspi43.pdf
Elton, M. (2008) The Effects of Mass Media on Society. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/22036108/The-Effects-of-Mass-Media-on-Society
Fihn, J. (n.d) The Effects of Media on American Society. Retrieved December 8, 2009,
from http://www.helium.com/items/464058-the-effects-of-media-on-american-society
Medoff, N. & Kaye, B. (2005) Electronic media: Then, now, and later. Pearson
Education, Inc.
Mitchell, P. (2009) The Media Effect: Pat Mitchell’s Remarks at TED. Retrieved December 8, 2009, from http://www.paleycenter.org/the-media-effect-pat-mitchell-remarks-at-ted
Rayuso (2009) Mass Media Influence on Society. Retrieved December 9, 2009,
from http://hubpages.com/hub/Mass-Media-Influence-on-Society
Vish, F. (2008) Mass Media. Retrieved December 9, 2009, from http://www.allfreeessays.com/essays/Mass-Media/2939.html
“The media, especially television, socializes and shapes people’s attitudes, values, and beliefs about the world around them. Program content and commercials both strongly influence the way we think about ourselves and others, as well as sex, food, tobacco, and other life concerns. The Internet also strongly influences our behaviour, especially socially. Further, some individuals are addicted to watching television and using the Internet, and as a consequence, they forget about the world and fail to meet responsibilities” (Medoff & Kaye, 2005, p.313). Many people cannot realize the significant impact that the mass media has on all aspects of society whether that is economic, ideological or political due to the fact that the mass media has become such an ordinary and everyday part of society (Elton, 2008). As Elton noted, the mass media influence the way we vote, the things we buy, the way we act as well as the values we hold.
“Mass media are methods of communicating to a vast amount of people around the world. Mass media means things such as Television, Radio, Newspapers, Internet, Magazines etc; they are a means of communication to people. The mass media have a few main functions, which include informing, educating and entertaining us” (Vish, 2008, ¶2). According to Medoff and Kaye (2005), the effects of media on people individually, socially and culturally can be explained through four perspectives which include the strong-effects model, the limited-effects model; the moderate-effects model; and the powerful-effects model. It is the author’s belief and point of view that media has not a limited or moderated effect on society but a powerful effect. “What we need to be aware is that most of our decisions, beliefs and values are based on what we know for a fact, our assumptions and our own experience. In our work we usually know what we have to do based on our experience and studies; however, on our daily lives we rely on the media to get the current news and facts about what is important and what we should be aware of” (Rayuso, 2009, ¶4).
Television and other media can have positive and negative effects as well but it seems that most of the attention is focused on the negative effects and there is much debate about the degree to which the media influence our attitudes, behaviours, and values (Medoff & Kaye, 2005). As Mitchell (2009) noted, “as the technology powers and empowers the delivery of the media effect in ways not possible before, there are both good and bad outcomes” (¶16). People have trusted the media as an authority to give them news, entertainment and education but however, the influence of mass media on society is so big that people should be aware of how it really works (Rayuso, 2009). The media has a significant impact on society and in public opinion as well and in fact, the media can shape the public opinion in various ways depending of what is the objective (Rayuso, 2009). As Rayuso noted, “Of all the media distribution channels the most influential has been the television, we are constantly exposed to thousands of images of violence, advertising, sex, celebrities and much more, in fact it is known that a child is exposed to about 40,000 ads a year” (¶6). Additionally, the rise of new media such as video games and the Internet has introduced new ways children can be exposed to violence (Anderson, Berkowitz, Donnerstein, Huesmann, Johnson, Linz, Malamuth & Wartella, 2003).
It is the author’s belief and point of view that media has a powerful effect on society. Despite the fact that various kinds of media such as television, radio, advertising and the Internet provide many benefits, they can also have a powerful negative effect on society and people’s lives, especially on children’s lives. For instance, the Internet is blamed for exposing children to unsavoury material and in fact, when children tend to make an extensive use of the Internet, they can be led to social isolation (Medoff & Kaye, 2005). Music videos and music lyrics can also have a powerful effect on society and mostly on children’s lives. “Music videos are also of concern because these videos are sometimes replete with violence. Even those that do not have explicit aggressive content often have antisocial overtones” (Anderson et al., 2003, p.9). In addition, as Anderson et al. supported, watching violent music videos creates attitudes and beliefs that are relatively accepting of violence in young viewers. Furthermore, radio stations get heat for playing songs with racy, violent, and antisocial lyrics and this is an issue of concern because children will do whatever these songs suggest (Medoff & Kaye, 2005).
Advertising constitutes also an important means of media that has a powerful effect on society and that can significantly impact and influence people’s attitudes and beliefs. As Rayuso (2009) stated, “The media makes billions of dollars with the advertising they sell and that we are exposed to. We buy what we are told to be good, after seeing thousands of advertisings we make our buying decisions based on what we saw on TV, newspapers or magazines to be a product we can trust and also based on what everyone else that we know is buying and their decision are also based on the media”(¶11). Apart from these, teenagers are influenced and consequently buy what their favourite celebrity advertise and what is acceptable by society based on fashion that the media has imposed them (Rayuso, 2009). In addition, “According to the Journal of Advertising, studies show that America’s obsession with physical beauty is strongly created and reinforced by advertising” (Fihn, n.d, ¶3).
Comparing the various kinds of media it can be denoted that television constitutes the one that has the most powerful effect on society and can greatly influence people’s opinions, attitudes, behaviour, and beliefs. When we watch TV we usually see many images of violence and people hurting others and this is something that can become traumatic especially in children who are starting to grow and are shaping their personality values and beliefs and hence, this can result in making them become aggressive or losing the sense of reality and fiction (Rayuso, 2009). As Medoff and Kaye (2005) noted, “Television content is blamed for many social ills, such as violent behaviour, increased crime rated, a lower literacy level, and the breakdown of the family” (p.291).
Psychologists have proven that the minds of children develop cognitively and when they are young, they are not in a position to understand things such as violence on television and therefore, violence on television give children the sense that violence is a part of ordinary life, thus reducing their ability not to be violent (Fihn, n.d). Additionally, it is worth mentioning the results of a research conducted in 1969 by the U.S. Surgeon General’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behaviour regarding the influence of television on children’s behaviour, that revealed that there was a strong link between viewing violence on television and performing antisocial behaviour and in fact, the link was not limited only to children who were predisposed to aggressive behaviour (Medoff & Kaye, 2005).
Also, the results of another study revealed that the majority of programs on television include violence and this is something that can greatly influence people’s behaviour and attitudes. In specific, “according to the national Television Violence study (NTVS), which, during the period of three years, investigated ten thousand hours of violent programs, discovered that about 60% of all TV programs have violent content. And only fifteen percent of these programs revealed the long-term effects of the violence they depicted. Forty percent of them even ended with the criminals going completely free without being punished” (Fihn, n.d, ¶2).
Additionally, in the 1980, many violence studies indicated that viewing violence is strongly related to aggressive behaviour and in fact, viewing media violence may affect people behaviourally, cognitively, and emotionally since viewers and mostly children, may imitate aggressive behaviours, identify with unsavoury characters and may become desensitized to violence in real life (Medoff & Kaye, 2005). Moreover, as Medoff and Kaye noted, “Repeated exposure to mediated violence breaks down social barriers and may influence antisocial behaviours” (p.313).
As research has revealed, a significant proportion of aggressive children are likely to grow up to be aggressive adults and in fact, the best single predictor of violent behaviour in older adolescents and young adults is aggressive behaviour when they were younger (Anderson et al., 2003). As Anderson et al., “Thus influences that promote aggressive behaviour in young children can contribute to increasingly aggressive and ultimately violent behaviour many years later” (p.3).
Undoubtedly, media has a powerful effect on society and this is a fact that the author strongly supports. If we take a look at every aspect in every field of society, we will see and realize various examples that indicate the powerful effect that media have on society. For instance, ways that media influence people are with polls and trends, especially in political campaigns, where candidates that can pay for more TV and media exposure have more influence on public opinion and hence, they can receive more votes (Rayuso, 2009). Also the media effect was one of the biggest factors in the recent US presidential elections and in fact, rampant sexism in old media hurt Hillary’s campaign and a newly engaged media constituency helped put Obama in the White House (Mitchell, 2009).
The 2008 Presidential election is a representative example of the powerful effect that media has on society. Particularly, “The mass media decided to give the most coverage to candidates who stand for preserving the status quo, while writing off candidates who challenge the status quo (such as Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, and Mike Gravel) as long-shots –even if polls, straw polls, primaries, and the breaking of world records say otherwise” (Elton, 2008, p.2).
According to Martin N. Marger, “the media are closely interwoven with government, particularly at the national level. Put simply, the relationship between government and media is symbiotic, neither can function effectively without the other […] Moreover, much of the news transmitted by the mass media is prepared by government agencies” (Elton, 2008, p.2).
The media has also a powerful effect in public opinion. For instance, after the attacks of 911 the media gave a huge coverage of the event and exposed Osama guilty for the attack as they were told by the authorities and this was something that shaped the public opinion to support the war on terrorism as it happened with the war on Iraq (Rayuso, 2009). Another example of the powerful effect of the media on society is the use of cigars by celebrity movies stars, the constant exposure of sex images, the exposure to thousands of junk food ads as well as the excessive images of violence (Rayuso, 2009).
“Media also affects the way Americans view their own appearance, what with super thin models and other beautiful people on TV, on magazines, and in advertisements, giving Americans something new to be insecure about” (Fihn, n.d, ¶3). Many women want to look like the super models and thin celebrities so they become obsessive with losing weight even they are not obese and hence, they engage in eating disorders such as anorexia that may lead to severe health problems and even death (Rayuso, 2009). But not only kinds of eating disorders such as anorexia are influenced by the media but also obesity. As Rayuso noted, “There are millions of adolescents fighting obesity, but at the same time they are exposed to thousands of advertisements of junk food, while the ideas image of a successful person is to be thin and wealthy” (¶17).
As Elton (2008) outlined, “The influence of mass media on society extends far beyond politics. The media doesn’t just influence who we vote for, but also what we entertain ourselves with, what we buy, and what we believe. Most people have been affected by the mass media since childhood. It starts with children’s movies which serve a primary purpose of corporate marketing, and a secondary purpose of entertainment” (p.2).
Closing up, “Some worry that our fascination with television and the Internet is turning us into media junkies, who live in darkened rooms, transfixed to our screens. These concerns will not likely be settled in the near future and, in fact, are more likely to grow as television screens get larger and more involving and our dependence on computers and the Internet deepens” (Medoff & Kaye, 2005, p.313).
Undoubtedly, as Medoff and Kaye (2005) supported, the media has a powerful effect on society but it can be denoted that not all people respond to the same message in the same way and in fact, the circumstances must be right in order for certain effects to occur and for instance, some viewers may be influenced and may become more aggressive than others under some circumstances
References
Anderson, C.A., Berkowitz, L., Donnerstein, E., Huesmann, L.R., Johnson, J.D., Linz, D., Malamuth, N.M.,Wartella, E. (2003) The Influence of Media Violence on Youth. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/pspi/pspi43.pdf
Elton, M. (2008) The Effects of Mass Media on Society. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/22036108/The-Effects-of-Mass-Media-on-Society
Fihn, J. (n.d) The Effects of Media on American Society. Retrieved December 8, 2009,
from http://www.helium.com/items/464058-the-effects-of-media-on-american-society
Medoff, N. & Kaye, B. (2005) Electronic media: Then, now, and later. Pearson
Education, Inc.
Mitchell, P. (2009) The Media Effect: Pat Mitchell’s Remarks at TED. Retrieved December 8, 2009, from http://www.paleycenter.org/the-media-effect-pat-mitchell-remarks-at-ted
Rayuso (2009) Mass Media Influence on Society. Retrieved December 9, 2009,
from http://hubpages.com/hub/Mass-Media-Influence-on-Society
Vish, F. (2008) Mass Media. Retrieved December 9, 2009, from http://www.allfreeessays.com/essays/Mass-Media/2939.html
The Supply Chain
As Turban, Leidner, Mclean and Wetherbe (2008) noted, problems along the supply chain may occur because of uncertainties or from the need to coordinate various activities, internal units, and business partners. A solution that an organization can apply in order to deal with and solve various problems and improve its supply chain constitutes Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). “An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is a generic term for an integrated computing system. It is a customized packaged software-based system that handles the majority of an enterprise’s information systems requirements. It is a software architecture that facilitates the flow of information among all functions within an enterprise. It sits on a common database and is supported by a single development environment. ERP systems are customized to support an organization’s business processes” (Watson & Schneider, 1999, p.3). For universities and educational organizations, ERP constitutes an information technology solution that integrates and automates admissions, recruitment, student records, financial aid and most academic services such as admissions, registration, recruitment as well as administrative services such as human resources, accounting, payroll, etc. (Rico, 2004). The implementation of an ERP can provide great benefits to an educational organization and can help improve its supply chain. An important benefit of ERP is that it provides greater levels of flow. In specific, ERP provides greater levels of information flow along with a higher quality of information and hence, it allows the educational organization to rapidly transfer information from one place to another and in fact, when information is transferred quickly and efficiently, the organization will be able to act on the data within a short period of time (Exforsys Inc, 2000). An ERP also increases cost effectiveness. Although an ERP installation requires a huge initial investment and adequate training, it reduces significantly the cost of operations in an organization (Srivastava, 2009).
Moreover, ERP systems enhance the work efficiency. Specifically, ERP systems enhance the efficiency of the whole organization by smoothly integrating its various divisions while they also help reduce paper documents and provide an online format for quick storage and retrieval of information (Srivastava, 2009). ERP can improve workflow and efficiency and for instance, following completion of online requisitions, workflow processes can forward the form along the approval path more rapidly than with traditional paper methods and this is something that can reduce the likelihood of missing documents and return quick feedback on the status of a request (Swartz & Orgill, 2001). Furthermore, ERP is powerful because it allows an organization to become highly flexible and hence, be able to quickly adapt to changes that occur and in fact, flexibility is very important today and if organizations are not flexible, it will be difficult for them to stay competitive (Exforsys Inc, 2000). The multiple software modules of the ERP aid the coordination of various functions in an organization and this integration provides an opportunity for the various divisions to share a unified database while it also ensures proper communication within the organization (Srivastava, 2009). As Srivastava outlined, “This centralization of data in one place eliminates the problem of synchronizing the changes made by different departments and people. It also reduces the risk of loss of confidential data, by applying difficult-to-crack network security models. ERP systems also provide an efficient method for data recovery, in case of a system crash” (¶4) Additionally, as Rico (2004) noted, with ERP, the new systems offer improved services for staff, faculty, and students and involve less cost and risk than legacy systems while also, academic, administrative, and student data are standardized and the educational organization’s data is globally accessible over the Internet. ERP systems can also provide controls and program alerts and for instance, alerts can use automated email to warn budget managers about budgets that are in danger of running out of funds while also, similarly, controls can be implemented in order to prevent individuals for overspending budgets (Swartz & Orgill, 2001). As King, Kvavik and Voloudakis (2002) noted, institutions of all types and sizes found benefits of their ERP implementations such as improved service levels, and enhanced accountability because of better and more easily accessible information. Moreover, additional benefits of ERP systems may include reduced staff requirements, improved admissions, increased student enrolments, shorten cycle time of school processes, enhanced school security, cutting down costs and employing less labour, increased cost-efficiency and making school operations cost effective, and improved counsellor productivity (Softforall.com, 2009).
References
Exforsys Inc. (2000) The Advantages and Disadvantages of ERP. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from http://www.exforsys.com/tutorials/erp/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-erp.html
King, P., Kvavik, R.B. & Voloudakis, J. (2002) Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in Higher Education. Retrieved March 3, 2010, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0222.pdf
Rico, D.F. (2004) ERP in Higher Education. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from http://davidfrico.com/rico04f.pdf
Softforall.com (2009) School Management ERP System Description. Retrieved March 1, 2010, from http://www.softforall.com/SoftwareDev/SourceCode/School_Management_ERP_System08100068.htm
Srivastava, S. (2009) Benefits of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Retrieved February 28, 2010, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-enterprise-resource-planning-erp.html
Swartz, D. & Orgill, K. (2001) Higher Education ERP: Lessons Learned. Using this framework for ERP could save your University millions of dollars. Retrieved March 1, 2010, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0121.pdf
Turban, E., Leidner, D., Mclean, E., & Wetherbe, J. (2008) Information technology for management: Transforming organizations in the digital economy (6th ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Watson, E.E. & Schneider, H. (1999) Using ERP Systems in Education. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 1(9). Retrieved February 25, 2010, from http://www.student.seas.gwu.edu/~sachinkp/OrgScience/a3-watson.pdf
Moreover, ERP systems enhance the work efficiency. Specifically, ERP systems enhance the efficiency of the whole organization by smoothly integrating its various divisions while they also help reduce paper documents and provide an online format for quick storage and retrieval of information (Srivastava, 2009). ERP can improve workflow and efficiency and for instance, following completion of online requisitions, workflow processes can forward the form along the approval path more rapidly than with traditional paper methods and this is something that can reduce the likelihood of missing documents and return quick feedback on the status of a request (Swartz & Orgill, 2001). Furthermore, ERP is powerful because it allows an organization to become highly flexible and hence, be able to quickly adapt to changes that occur and in fact, flexibility is very important today and if organizations are not flexible, it will be difficult for them to stay competitive (Exforsys Inc, 2000). The multiple software modules of the ERP aid the coordination of various functions in an organization and this integration provides an opportunity for the various divisions to share a unified database while it also ensures proper communication within the organization (Srivastava, 2009). As Srivastava outlined, “This centralization of data in one place eliminates the problem of synchronizing the changes made by different departments and people. It also reduces the risk of loss of confidential data, by applying difficult-to-crack network security models. ERP systems also provide an efficient method for data recovery, in case of a system crash” (¶4) Additionally, as Rico (2004) noted, with ERP, the new systems offer improved services for staff, faculty, and students and involve less cost and risk than legacy systems while also, academic, administrative, and student data are standardized and the educational organization’s data is globally accessible over the Internet. ERP systems can also provide controls and program alerts and for instance, alerts can use automated email to warn budget managers about budgets that are in danger of running out of funds while also, similarly, controls can be implemented in order to prevent individuals for overspending budgets (Swartz & Orgill, 2001). As King, Kvavik and Voloudakis (2002) noted, institutions of all types and sizes found benefits of their ERP implementations such as improved service levels, and enhanced accountability because of better and more easily accessible information. Moreover, additional benefits of ERP systems may include reduced staff requirements, improved admissions, increased student enrolments, shorten cycle time of school processes, enhanced school security, cutting down costs and employing less labour, increased cost-efficiency and making school operations cost effective, and improved counsellor productivity (Softforall.com, 2009).
References
Exforsys Inc. (2000) The Advantages and Disadvantages of ERP. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from http://www.exforsys.com/tutorials/erp/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-erp.html
King, P., Kvavik, R.B. & Voloudakis, J. (2002) Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in Higher Education. Retrieved March 3, 2010, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0222.pdf
Rico, D.F. (2004) ERP in Higher Education. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from http://davidfrico.com/rico04f.pdf
Softforall.com (2009) School Management ERP System Description. Retrieved March 1, 2010, from http://www.softforall.com/SoftwareDev/SourceCode/School_Management_ERP_System08100068.htm
Srivastava, S. (2009) Benefits of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Retrieved February 28, 2010, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-enterprise-resource-planning-erp.html
Swartz, D. & Orgill, K. (2001) Higher Education ERP: Lessons Learned. Using this framework for ERP could save your University millions of dollars. Retrieved March 1, 2010, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0121.pdf
Turban, E., Leidner, D., Mclean, E., & Wetherbe, J. (2008) Information technology for management: Transforming organizations in the digital economy (6th ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Watson, E.E. & Schneider, H. (1999) Using ERP Systems in Education. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 1(9). Retrieved February 25, 2010, from http://www.student.seas.gwu.edu/~sachinkp/OrgScience/a3-watson.pdf
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