Influence of Technology on decision making Assignment

Influence of Technology on decision making - Assignment Example First, it is the tangible category, which includes the models, blue prints, operating manuals and lastly the prototypes. Second category is the intangible. Here, technology is divided into sub categories involving the problem-solving, training method and lastly the consultancy section. Third category is high. It follows that the above represents the entire aspect of intelligent and automated technology that logically manipulate ever-powerful forces and finer matters. The fourth category is the intermediate part, which involve the following: partially and semi-automated technology that bears the mandate of manipulating medium level forces and refined matters. The fifth category is the low. Here, it is worth noting that the low category of technology in an organization involves a technology that manipulates the objects in a labor-intensive manner (Argenti, 2006.p. 5). It is pertinent top note that decision-making is a vital stage in the progress of manipulating data in a firm to acquir e the desired output. Therefore, it is pertinent for the organization to embrace technology when solving pertinent issues on decision making as stated in this essay. On other hand, decision-making is the section of the management that is integrated. In management criterion, the sound decision-making and rational is referred to as the primary function of management. It is worth noting that for any management to be successful, managers usually take in a lot of decision either consciously or subconsciously, and letter they make it core concepts in their management role (Dede, 2000.p. 2). First, according to (Argenti, 2006.p. 23) it is important to heed that manipulate of Technology on decision-making where the decisions arte made on ladders. The author goes ahead to illustrates that the above depends on the kind of technology to be employed. Therefore, the author argues that for effective analysis of decision-making, it is pertinent to correspond it with the right technology. For insta nce, if process cost and data storage has gone down, it is important to employ information in the database. Therefore, it will be easier for the managers to access the information thus making necessary decisions. The articles, written by Vannoy,& Palvia,, Argenti and also Vannoy, although they both bear different tiles the authors’ aim was to bring at home the point that the kind of technology used will affect the desired output. Some of the technology in list is the emails, wireless data transfer as well as mobile phone. The authors affirm that such technology has mad it easier for those employed to tackle the communication issue in the organization. At the same time, the article written by (Awasthi, & Varman, 2010.p. 65), involves data collection by the school of economics in London. The above school collected data about the structure of organization, which was compared to multinational firm (Dede, 2000.p. 23) as per the article written by (Christensen-Szalanski, 2010). It is evident that the above study aimed at examining the links between communication technology and the information flow in organizational structure. Thus the authors asserts that ERP a long with technology paves way for the workers to effectively solve both the production and design problems without their superior’s inputs. In addition, the researchers did conclude that it ids high time for the companies to be keen on the use of technologies. The above sentence is in regard to where decisions making should be incorporated.

Homosexuality and God Essay Example for Free

Homosexuality and God Essay LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. In use since the 1990s, the term LGBT is an adaptation of the initialism LGB, which itself started replacing the phrase gay community beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the community in question felt did not accurately represent all those to whom it referred. The initialism has become mainstream as a self-designation and has been adopted by the majority sexuality and gender identity-based community centers and media in the United States and some other English-speaking countries. The term LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures and is sometimes used to refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or cisgender instead of exclusively to people who are homosexual, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant adds the letter Q for those who identify as queer and/or are questioning their sexual identity as LGBTQ, recorded since 1996. In Malaysia, LGBT rights are partially recognized. LGBT individuals encompass all races and ethnicities, religions, and social classes. Sexual orientation and gender identity questions are not asked on most national or State surveys, making it difficult to estimate the number of LGBT individuals and their health needs. Research suggests that LGBT individuals face health disparities linked to societal stigma, discrimination, and denial of their civil and human rights. Discrimination against LGBT persons has been associated with high rates of psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and suicide. Experiences of violence and victimization are frequent for LGBT individuals, and have long-lasting effects on the individual and the community. Personal, family, and social acceptance of sexual orientation and gender identity affects the mental health and personal safety of LGBT individuals. It is important to recognize the difference between sexual orientation and sexual behavior as well as the differences among sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender role. Sexual orientation is the affectional or loving attraction to another person. It can be considered as ranging along a continuum from same-sex attraction only at one end of the continuum to pposite-sex attraction only at the other end. Heterosexuality is the attraction to persons of the opposite sex; homosexuality, to persons of the same sex; and bisexuality, to both sexes. Sexual orientation can be seen as part of a continuum ranging from same-sex attraction only (at one end of the continuum) to opposite-sex attraction only (at the other end of the continuum). Sexual behavior, or sexual activity, differs from sexual orientation and alone does not define someone as an LGBT individual. Any person may be capable of sexual behavior with a person of the same or opposite sex, but an individual knows his or her longings—erotic and affectional—and which sex is more likely to satisfy those needs. It is necessary to draw a distinction between sexual orientation and sexual behavior. Not every person with a homosexual or bisexual orientation is sexually active. A person’s sexual orientation does not tell us if she/he is sexually active or does it define her /his specific sexual behaviors. Similarly, sexual behavior alone does not define orientation. A personal awareness of having a sexual orientation that is not exclusively heterosexual is one way a person identifies herself or himself as an LGBT person. Or a person may have a sexual identity that differs from his or her biological sex—that is, a person may have been born a male but identifies and feels more comfortable as a female. Sexual orientation and gender identity are two independent variables in an individual’s definition of himself or herself. Sexual identity is the personal and unique way that a person perceives his or her own sexual desires and sexual expressions. Biological sex is the biological distinction between men and women. Gender is the concept of maleness and masculinity or femaleness and femininity. One’s gender identity is the sense of one’s self as male or female and does not refer to one’s sexual orientation or gender role. Sex refers to the biological characteristics of a person at birth, while gender relates to his or her perception of being male or female and is known as the gender role. Gender role refers to the behaviors and desires to act in certain ways that are viewed as masculine or feminine by a particular culture. A culture usually labels behaviors as masculine or feminine, but these behaviors are not necessarily a direct component of gender or gender identity. It is common in our culture to call the behaviors, styles, or interests shown by males that are usually associated with women â€Å"effeminate† and to call the boys who behave this way â€Å"sissies. Women or girls who have interests usually associated with men are labeled â€Å"masculine† or â€Å"butch,† and the girls are often called â€Å"tomboys. † Transsexuals are people with the biological characteristics of one sex who identify themselves as the opposite gender and have had some type of surgical alteration and/or hormone treatments that changes their bodies’ appearance in alignment with their identity. While understanding the various concepts used in sexual orientation in general, it is very imperative to define in specific details definition of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) accordingly. Lesbian which is originally a Greek word, is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an adjective, to describe characteristics of an object or activity related to female same-sex desire. Lesbian as a concept, used to differentiate women with a shared sexual orientation, is a 20th-century construct. Gay is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward/between males. Gay is a word (a noun or an adjective) that primarily refers to a homosexual person. The word gay arrived in English during the 12th century from Old French gai, most likely deriving ultimately from a Germanic source. The term was originally used to refer to feelings of being carefree, happy, or bright and showy; it had also come to acquire some connotations of immorality as early as 1637. The terms use as a reference to homosexuality may date as early as the late 19th century, but its use gradually increased in the 20th century. In modern English, gay has come to be used as an adjective, and as a noun, referring to the people, especially to men, and the practices and cultures associated with homosexuality. By the end of the 20th century, the word gay was recommended by major LGBT groups and style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex. Bisexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward males and females. The term is especially used in the context of human sexual attraction to denote romantic or sexual feelings toward men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the heterosexual–homosexual continuum. People who have a distinct but not exclusive sexual preference for one sex over the other may identify themselves as bisexual. Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles. Transgender is the state of ones gender identity (self-identification as woman, man, neither or both) not matching ones assigned sex (identification by others as male, female or intersex based on physical/genetic sex). †Transgender does not imply any specific form of sexual orientation; transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, or asexual; some may consider conventional sexual orientation labels inadequate or inapplicable to them. The precise definition for transgender remains in flux, but includes: Of, relating to, or designating a person whose identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender roles, but combines or moves between these. People who were assigned a sex, usually at birth and based on their genitals, but who feel that this is a false or incomplete description of themselves. Non-identification with, or non-presentation as, the sex (and assumed gender) one was assigned at birth. A transgender individual may have characteristics that are normally associated with a particular gender, identify elsewhere on the traditional gender continuum, or exist outside of it as other, agender, Genderqueer, or third gender. Sexuality and gender have different impacts in each culture’s laws, attitudes, and organizations. More secular and â€Å"modernized† societies often have more favorable treatment of LGBT individuals than societies which value tradition and r eligious piety. However, accurate generalizations are difficult to make; even within Malaysia, attitudes towards LGBT individuals vary from person to person. Cultural differences in LGBT issues have wide-ranging effects. Other cultures may have different ways of expressing affection—for example, in India, it is common for same-sex friends to hold hands without any assumption of a romantic connection—or of categorizing gender and sexuality—for example, in parts of Latin America, a man is not considered gay if he engages in same-sex intercourse as the insertive artner. Thus, American English terms and conceptualizations of LGBT issues may not directly translate. The visibility of LGBT individuals and organizations varies by culture. Some cultures have an underground LGBT scene where LGBT individuals are tolerated as long as they remain mainly closeted, whereas other cultures may have a more open and organized community of LGBT individuals. In addition, some cultures may provide legal protection for LGBT individuals and recognize their partnerships, while other cultures may criminalize same-sex intercourse. Globally in some country; For example in Malaysia, Cross-dressing(Gender identity/expression) is not technically a crime. However, transgender individuals have often been arrested by police officers under the civil laws governing public indecency, and if they are Muslim, can be further charged by religious officers under Sharia Laws for impersonating women. For example, in 1998, Forty-five Muslim transvestites were charged and convicted in court for dressing as women, and twenty-three more transgender persons faced similar fines and imprisonment in 1999. Finally, there may be major differences within the LGBT community in a specific culture; for example, in parts of southeastern Asia it is considered culturally acceptable for a man to have sex with a feminine transgendered man, while there are no such provisions for women having sex with transgendered women. Homosexuality: The Christian Perspective (LESBIAN, GAY Bisexuality) In a world of moral confusion and ethical compromise, the principles for which the Holy Bible stands, is directing the Christians in the right path to God and the way of life. The Christian point of view is based solely upon the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God. A truly Christian standard of ethics is the conduct of divine revelation, not of statistical research or of public opinion. For the Christian, the Bible is the final authority for both belief and behaviour. The Explicitly the Bible teach about homosexuality can be considered as basic because, if we accept Gods Word on the subject of homosexuality, we benefit from His adequate answer to this problem as seen in Christianity. This project is concerned only with the Christian or biblical view of homosexuality. The Bible has much to say about sex sins in general for a view in Homosexuality in Christian perspective. First, there is adultery. Adultery in the natural sense is sexual intercourse of a married person with someone other than his or her own spouse. It is condemned in both the Old and New Testaments (Exodus 20:14; I Cor. 6:9, 10). Christ forbids dwelling upon the thoughts, the free play of ones imagination that leads to adultery (Matthew 5:28). Second, there is fornication, the illicit sex acts of unmarried persons which is likewise forbidden (I Corinthians 5:1; 6:13, 18; Ephesians 5:3). Then there is homosexuality which likewise is condemned in Scripture. The Apostle Paul, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declares that homosexuality shall not inherit the kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9; 10). Now Paul does not single out the homosexual as a special offender. He includes fornicators, idolators, adulterers, thieves, covetous persons, drunkards, revilers and extortioners. And then he adds the comment that some of the Christians at Corinth had been delivered from these very practices: And such were some of you: But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God (I Corinthians 6:11). All of the sins mentioned in this passage are condemned by God, but just as there was hope in Christ for the Corinthians, so is there hope for all of us. Homosexuality is an illicit lust forbidden by God. He said to His people Israel, Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination (Leviticus 18:22). If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them (Leviticus 20:13). In these passages homosexuality is condemned as a prime example of sin, a sexual perversion. The Christian can neither alter Gods viewpoint nor depart from it. In the Bible sodomy is a synonym for homosexuality. God spoke plainly on the matter when He said, There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:17). The whore and the sodomite are in the same category. A sodomite was not an inhabitant of Sodom nor a descendant of an inhabitant of Sodom, but a man who had given himself to homosexuality, and the unnatural vice for which Sodom was known. Let us look at the passages in question: â€Å"But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house around, old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men hich came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. (Genesis 19:4-8)† The Hebrew word for know in verse 5 is yada `, a sexual term. It is used frequently to denote sexual intercourse (Genesis 4:1, 17, 25; Matthew 1:24, 25). The message in the context of Genesis 19 is clear. Lot pled with the men to do not so wickedly. Homosexuality is wickedness and must be recognized as such else there is no hope for the homosexual who is asking for help to be extricated from his sinful way of life. Romans 1:24-27; I Timothy 1:10 and Jude 7. If one takes these Scriptures seriously, homosexuality will be recognized as an evil. The Romans passage is unmistakably clear. Paul attributes the moral depravity of men and women to their rejection of the truth of God (1:25). They refused to retain God in their knowledge (1:28), thereby dethroning God and deifying themselves. The Old Testament had clearly condemned homosexuality but in Pauls day there were those persons who rejected its teaching. Because of their rejection of Gods commands He punished their sin by delivering them over to it. The philosophy of substituting Gods Word with ones own reasoning commenced with Satan. He introduced it at the outset of the human race by suggesting to Eve that she ignore Gods orders, assuring her that in so doing she would become like God with the power to discern good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5). That was Satans big lie. Paul said that when any person rejects Gods truth, his mind becomes reprobate, meaning void of sound judgment. The reprobate mind, having rejected Gods truth, is not capable of discerning good and evil. In Romans 1:26-31 twenty-three punishable sins are listed with homosexuality leading the list. Paul wrote, For this cause God gave them up into vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. † (Romans 1:26, 27). These verses are telling us that homosexuals suffer in their body and personality the inevitable consequences of their wrong doing. Notice that the behaviour of the homosexual is described as a vile affection (1:26). The Greek word translated vile (atimia) means filthy, dirty, evil, and dishonourable. The word affection in Greek is pathos, used by the Greeks of either a good or bad desire. Here in the context of Romans it is used in a bad sense. The vile affection is a degrading passion, a shameful lust. Both the desire (lusting after) and the act of homosexuality are condemned in the Bible as sin.

Freud and Jung Essay -- Psychology

Freud and Jung The psychological genre as it relates to sociological and medicinal matters has gained an increasing amount of scientific approval. Impartiality and the scientific method are both integral components to a psychologist’s mode of practice. However, even the most esteemed of psychologists can only speculate at what makes human beings act the way they do. Absolutes play no function in psychology. Everything is relative and open to conjecture. Theologians give us their visions or thoughts about life. In the field of psychology, there have been many different regions of interest and speculation. Psychoanalysis has been the pinnacle of arenas to examine within the vast field of psychology. Psychoanalysis has been an area that Carl Jung has explored, critiqued and perfected in his lifetime. Jung was not alone in his exploration of the psyche; there were many other psychoanalytic perspectives as well. Carl Jung was said to have been a magnetic individual who drew many others into his circle. Sigmund Freud was Carl Jung’s greatest influence. Although he came to part company with Freud in later years, Freud had a distinct and profound influence on Carl Jung’s psychoanalytic perspectives, as well as many others. Within the scope of analytic psychology, there exist two essential tenets. The first is the system in which sensations and feelings are analyzed and listed by type. The second has to do with a way to analyze the psyche that follows Jung’s concepts. It stresses a group unconscious and a mystical factor in the growth of the personal unconscious. It is unlike the system described by Sigmund Freud. Analytic psychology does not stress the importance of sexual factors on early mental growth. The best understanding of Carl Jung and his views regarding the collective unconscious are best understood in understanding the man and his influences. In keeping with the scope and related concepts of Carl Jung, unconscious is the sum total of those psychic activities that elude an individual’s direct knowledge of himself or herself. This term should not be confused either with a state of awareness, that is, a lack of self knowledge arising from an individual’s unwillingness to look into himself or herself (introspection), nor with the subconscious, which consists of marginal representations that can be rather easily brought to consciousness. Properly,... ...s. Freud's assumption that sex is the driving force behind everything could also be a product of his times. Sexual feelings were often repressed. The problem with paradigmatic assumptions is that each person grows up in a different culture and some theories don't apply to everyone. The problem with psychology remains that it is not an exact science. Though Jung’s ideals may have been molded by Freud and further critiqued and perfected, it may further be perfected in the future. And such is the arena of science, an ever-changing, dynamic field that undergoes much scrutiny and much refinement. Works Cited Carl Gustav Jung: BK. Rev. The Economist, Vol. 340 September 14, 1996 Coon, Dennis. Introduction to Psychology: Exploration and Application, 7th Edition. Minnesota: West Publishing Company, 1995. Ellenberger, Henri F. The Discovery of the Unconscious. The History and Evolution of Dynamic Psychiatry. New York: Basic Books, 1970. Freud, Sigmund. The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud. Brill, A. A.: Dodd, Mead and Company, Inc., July 1979. Piaget, Jean, et al. The Psychology of The Child. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, Ltd., 1972.

Is Your Sore Throat Strep?

Is Your Sore Throat Strep? By Kristin Hayes, About. com Guide Updated October 06, 2009 About. com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board Question: Is Your Sore Throat Strep? It can be difficult to tell if your sore throat is strep or simply a cold virus. However, in most cases of strep throat there are some key differences. Answer: The only way to know for sure if your sore throat is strep is to have a rapid strep test or a throat culture.These tests must be performed at a physician's office, but let's face it you can't go running in to the doctor every time your throat gets a little scratchy. Characteristics of strep throat include a severe sore throat that may cause pain or difficulty swallowing. The back of the throat is usually very red and there may be white patches in the back of the throat or on the tonsils. The tonsils and lymph nodes also may be swollen. Some people get a fever. It is not uncommon to be very tired and achy or to lose y our appetite.In some cases you may get a rash. The biggest difference between strep throat and a cold virus is that strep throat usually does not cause runny nose, congestion, sneezing or coughing. All cases of strep throat must be treated with an antibiotic to avoid serious complications including heart problems, kidney problems or Scarlett fever — especially in children. For these reasons, it is very important to see the doctor if you or your child have symptoms of strep throat.

This Is Water Reaction

Commentary and reaction to David Foster Wallace’s â€Å"This is Water† This speech was clear and direct to the point, especially both parables David told. He did not force his ideas; he merely explained his realizations and suggested actions. It is how he said it though, that made me want to listen to him more. I sthrongly agree with the suggestion of taking the spotlight away from ourselves and our misfortunes and pointing it towards other things and people we encounter. Some people are really egocentric to care about others and their problems (which are probably worse than theirs).This type of self-centred thinking affects our mood in a way where it may dampen our happiness. His speech raised my awareness on the arrogance of some people, and of mine too at times. He talked about learning to think, learning to control what you think. I feel that that is a step close to being a more positive and happy person. If you submit yourself to negativity, it will ruin you. We ha ve choices; it’s just a matter of making the right one not only for you but for everyone involved.What struck me the most was what he called the Capital T– Truth which is what matters — life before death. His message was to not stick to a routine just because you are afraid of change. Do not be dull, be alive. The major lesson I took from his speech was to enjoy every experience life offers us to make the most of our lives instead of living in the fast lane which will cause us to forget what and how things happened. Our lives are limited and so we shouldn’t make the least of it by worrying about mishaps and troubles. If we do, then that is truly a life wasted.

Discover 5 Essential Qualities of a Good Teacher

Discover 5 Essential Qualities of a Good Teacher Educational studies suggest that the essential qualities of good teachers include the ability to be self-aware of ones biases; to perceive, understand and accept differences in others; to analyze and diagnose student understanding and adapt as required; to negotiate and take risks in their teaching; and to have a strong conceptual understanding of their subject matter. Measurable and Measuring Most teachers are paid according to their experience and educational attainment, but as educator Thomas Luschei has demonstrated, there is little evidence that more than 3-5 years of experience boost teachers ability to increase student test scores or grades. Other measurable attributes such as how well the teachers did on their qualifying examinations, or what level of education a teacher has attained also do not significantly impact the students performance in classrooms. So although there is little consensus in the education profession about which measurable features make a good teacher, several studies have identified inherent traits and practices which assist teachers in reaching their students. To Be Self-Aware American teacher-educator Stephanie Kay Sachs believes that an effective teacher needs to have a basic sociocultural awareness of and acceptance of their own and others cultural identity. Teachers need to be able to facilitate the development of a positive self-ethnic identity and be aware their own personal biases and prejudices. They should use self-inquiry to examine the relationship between their fundamental values, attitudes, and beliefs, particularly with regard to their teaching. This inner bias affects all interactions with students but does not prohibit teachers from learning from their students or vice versa. Educator Catherine Carter adds that an effective way for teachers to understand their processes and motivation is to define an apt metaphor for the role they perform. For example, she says, some teachers think of themselves as gardeners, potters shaping clay, mechanics working on engines, business managers, or workshop artists, supervising other artists in their growth. To Perceive, Understand and Value Differences Teachers who understand their own biases says Sachs, are in a better position to view their students experiences as valuable and meaningful and integrate the realities of the students lives, experiences, and cultures into the classroom and subject matter. The effective teacher builds perceptions of her own personal influence and power over factors that contribute to student learning. In addition, she must build conceptual interpersonal skills to respond to the complexities of the school environment. The experiences of both teachers and students with individuals of differing social, ethnic, cultural, and geographic backgrounds can serve as a lens through which future interactions can be viewed. To Analyze and Diagnose Student Learning Teacher Richard S. Prawat suggests that teachers must be able to pay close attention to students learning processes, to analyze how students are learning and diagnose issues that prevent understanding. Assessments must be undertaken not on tests per se, but rather as the teachers engage students in active learning, allowing debate, discussion, research, writing, evaluation, and experimentation. Compiling results from a report of the Committee on Teacher Education for the National Academy of Education, Linda Darling-Hammond and Joan Baratz-Snowden suggest teachers must make their expectations for high-quality work known, and provide constant feedback as they revise their work towards these standards. In the end, the goal is to create a well-functioning, respectful classroom that allows students to work productively. To Negotiate and Take Risks in Teaching Sachs suggests that building on the ability to perceive where students are failing to fully understand, an effective teacher must not be afraid to seek out tasks for herself and the students that are optimal for their skills and abilities, recognizing that those efforts may not be successful. These teachers are the pioneers and trailblazers, she says, individuals who are challenge-oriented. Negotiation involves moving students in a certain direction, towards a view of reality which is shared by those in the disciplinary community. At the same time, teachers must recognize when some obstacles to such learning are misconceptions or faulty reasoning which need to be highlighted, or when a child is simply using her own informal ways of knowing which should be encouraged. This, says Prawat, is the essential paradox of teaching: to challenge the child with new ways of thinking, but negotiate a way for that student to not dismiss alternate ideas. Overcoming these obstacles must be a collaborative enterprise between student and teacher, where uncertainty and conflict are important, growth-producing commodities. To Have a Depth of Subject Matter Knowledge Particularly in the maths and sciences, educator Prawat stresses that teachers need to have rich networks of knowledge in their subject matter, organized around key ideas that could provide a conceptual basis for understanding. Teachers obtain that by bringing focus and coherence to the subject matter and allowing themselves to be more conceptual in their approach to learning. In this manner, they transform it into something meaningful for students. Sources Carter, Catherine. Priest, Prostitute, Plumber? The Construction of Teachers as Saints. English Education 42.1 (2009): 61–90. Print.Darling-Hammond, Linda, and Joan Baratz-Snowden. A Good Teacher in Every Classroom: Preparing the Highly Qualified Teachers Our Children Deserve. Educational Horizons 85.2 (2007): 111–32. Print.Goldhaber, Dan. The Mystery of Good Teaching. Education Next Spring 2002 (2002): 1–5. Print.Luschei, Thomas F. In Search of Good Teachers: Patterns of Teacher Quality in Two Mexican States. Comparative Education Review 56.1 (2012): 69–97. Print.Prawat, Richard S. Teaching for Understanding: Three Key Attributes. Teaching and Teacher Education 5.4 (1989): 315–28. Print.Robinson, Richard, et al. The Effective Teacher Revisited. The Reading Teacher 45.6 (1992): 448–48. Print.Sachs, Stephanie Kay. Evaluation of Teacher Attributes as Predictors of Success in Urban Schools. Journal of Teacher Education 55.2 (2004): 177–87 . Print.

How to Self-Publish a Book on Amazon [With Tools and Resources]

How to Self-Publish a Book on Amazon [With Tools and Resources] How to Self-Publish a Book on Amazon [With Tools and Resources] How to Self-Publish a Book on Amazon [With Tools and Resources] By Ali Hale Fifteen or twenty years ago, self-publishing was looked on as a last resort option for books that a publisher wouldn’t want to take on. It was also an expensive and time-consuming way to get a book out there. Self-publishers had to pay for a whole print run – maybe 1,000 or 2,000 copies – and they had to market it. During the past decade, though, there’s been a huge rise in the popularity of self-publishing. Print-on-demand technology has made it possible to print just one copy of a paperback at a time, and e-readers like the Kindle have made ebooks far more popular than they once were. There are also many more options for marketing a self-published book – for instance, authors can pay to advertise on Facebook or Amazon, carefully targeting an audience who they think will be interested in their book. The low cost of self-publishing also means it’s suitable for authors who are working on a book as a hobby – for instance, perhaps they’re writing a family memoir that they want to print for their grandchildren. If you’re thinking about self-publishing a book, you might be wondering how to even begin! In this post, I’ll take you through the basics you need to know – and give you plenty of links to further information. Are You Publishing a Print Book, an Ebook or Both? Before we go further, you need to think about whether you want to self-publish a paperback (or even a hardback) book that you can physically hold in your hands, or an ebook that can be downloaded onto a device. You may well want to publish both a print and an ebook edition of your book. But for some authors it makes sense to only do one or the other (or at least to start with just one). For instance: If you want to print a book to give to family and friends, or to sell in person at events, then you may only want to produce a print version. If your book is designed to be written in (e.g. a workbook or planner), again, it might make sense to only produce a print version. If your book is a mass-market novel that you want to sell cheaply and you don’t anticipate many people wanting to buy a printed version, then you may only want to bring it out as an ebook (which saves time/money on formatting and cover design). However, you might decide that you want to work on both the ebook and print version at the same time – which can help ensure that you prevent errors creeping in. It’s up to you how you go forward, but don’t feel that you have to do both ebook and print unless it makes sense for you. Where Will Your Book Be Sold? One way to publish an ebook would be to create the appropriate file formats and sell them directly from your own website. Most authors don’t do that, because it makes more sense to sell their ebook through a major online store – like Amazon, or the iBooks store. This is easy and familiar for readers, and it also means that the retailer will deal with any issues like returns and refunds. Amazon has the largest market share, and some authors choose to only publish their ebook with Amazon. Remaining exclusive to Amazon in this way has some benefits (chiefly, that your book is eligible to be enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited (KU) program, meaning readers signed up for KU can borrow it for free; you’ll receive a small fee each time it’s borrowed). If you want your book to appear in other ebook stores as well, you can distribute it to multiple retailers, such as the iBooks store and the Barnes Noble store, through third-party sites like Smashwords and Draft2Digital. With print books, again, you could sell them directly through your own site, but most authors don’t do that – you’d have to keep a stock of books at home, then package and send them out yourself whenever orders came in. Amazon is, again, the most popular retailer – but other online book stores also stock self-published books. Of course, you can also try to get your book into physical bookstores and libraries: if you’re keen to go down that route, it’s best to use Ingram Spark to print your book, as they can offer trade discounts. Further Reading: Selling Out: Going Wide or Going Exclusive to Amazon, David Kudler, The Book Designer Smashwords vs Draft2Digital Review, Dave Chesson, Kindlepreneur How to Self-Publish a Print Book, Joanna Penn, The Creative Penn How to Sell Your Self-Published book to Bookstores, Ingram Spark How to Publish an Ebook: A Simple Ebook Publishing Guide to SELL, Bella Rose Pope How to Prepare Your Completed Manuscript At this stage, I’m going to assume you have a finished, edited, proofread manuscript. Many self-publishing authors advocate hiring an editor to ensure that your book is as good as it can be: if that’s not affordable for you, then see if a few friends would be willing to â€Å"beta read† the book and offer feedback. At the very least, you’ll want to get someone else to read through and look out for typos – it’s tough to proofread your own work, as you know what you think you wrote! For your manuscript to look like a â€Å"real† finished book, whether ebook or paperback, it’s important to format it in the right way. Here are some general pointers for both ebooks and paperbacks: Include a title page. This is a page at the start of your book, with the title in a large font and centred, and your author name below this (probably in a smaller font). Look at the first page or two any paperback you own, or look at the start of an ebook, to see what a title page looks like. Include a copyright page. You can see examples of these in any book or ebook, and you may want to base yours on those examples (they’re generally very similar to one another in wording). Consider including a table of contents. If your manuscript has been created in Word or a similar program, use the in-built â€Å"Table of Contents† feature to automatically create a table – this will then be linked to the different chapters within your book, if you’ve set those up using heading styles. Which leads me on to Use heading styles for your chapters titles. If you normally write â€Å"Chapter 1† then highlight the text and manually set the font size, that’s not a good way to set things up. Instead, use the â€Å"Heading 1† style in Word for each chapter title. You can use â€Å"Heading 2† for subsections within the chapter. This saves you time, as it means you can reformat all the chapter headings with a few clicks, by changing the Heading 1 style. The next two tips apply particularly to ebooks that you’ll be publishing on Amazon, but they’re also good ones to follow when you’re formatting your manuscript for a print book: Don’t use the â€Å"tab† button or multiple spaces to indent paragraphs. These won’t work well when your book is converted into an ebook format, and it’s easy for them to end up looking inconsistent. Instead, edit the â€Å"Normal† style in Word to set a first line paragraph indent. This should change all your text automatically. (You’ll need to remove any tabs or extra spaces that you’ve included, though: the quickest way to do this is using Find and Replace.) Don’t use the â€Å"enter† or â€Å"return† key to bump text down onto a new page (e.g. at the end of a chapter). Remember that in the ebook version, the length of each â€Å"page† will be determined by the reader’s device settings – so those big gaps could end up appearing in the middle of a page. Instead, use a â€Å"page break†. You can either enter these manually each time, or set up the Heading 1 style so that there’s always a page break before each bit of Heading 1 text. These final two tips apply to print books: Make sure that â€Å"page 1† of your book will appear on the right-hand side of a double-page spread and that your subsequent chapters also start on the odd numbered pages (if you look in any print book, you’ll see what I mean)! This may mean inserting a â€Å"blank page† into your manuscript at some points. Always use the template provided by the company who’ll be printing this book (and make sure you’ve downloaded it in the right size for your finished book). This means that things like the margin (the space around the edges of the page) and gutter (the bit in the middle of a double page spread) will be set correctly for you. Further Reading: The Self-Publisher’s Guide to the Copyright Page (with Template), Reedsy Smashwords Style Guide, Mark Coker A Quick Guide to Formatting Your Microsoft Word Manuscript for Amazon’s Kindle, Ali Luke, Aliventures Getting a Cover for Your Book If you’re publishing in ebook form only, you’ll need a front cover: this is the image that appears for your book on Amazon and in other e-retailer’s stores. It should be a flat, rectangular image (not a stylised 3D one that looks like a book). If you’re going to publish a paperback, you’ll need a front cover, spine and back cover. These are normally supplied as a single image that wraps around your book. Cover design makes an enormous difference to how people perceive your book. If you create the cover yourself, chances are, it’ll end up looking a bit amateur. Readers will inevitably assume that the quality of the cover says something about the quality of the book (even though your book might be brilliantly well-written). So, if possible, do budget for a cover designer. There are loads of companies and individuals out there who offer cover design – you might want to ask around to see who other authors are using. I use Design for Authors for my novel covers: their prices are very reasonable and they do great work. Further Reading: How to Design a Fiction Book Cover in Canva, Ihor Tureh, Kindlepreneur The e-Book Cover Design Awards series, Joel Friedlander, The Book Designer (scroll down for links to each month’s post) Mastering Book Cover Design, G2 Pricing Your Book What should you charge for your finished book? If it’s a print book, this will be determined in part by how much it costs to produce the book – if it costs you $6.50 per book, you’ll want to charge more than that so you make a profit. You won’t want to charge so much, though, that people don’t buy it! With ebooks, pricing can be a little tricky. Your costs per book sold are negligible so should you charge as little as possible and hope for lots of sales, or charge more to get more profit per book? This is further complicated by Amazon’s royalty system. Amazon pays: 35% royalties on books priced between $0.99 and $2.98 70% royalties on books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 35% royalties on books priced at $10 or more This means that you’ll probably not want to price your ebook over $9.99, even if it’s a complex piece of non-fiction or several novels all in one. Some authors find that pricing at $0.99 or $1.99 results in sufficient extra sales to make up for the lower royalty rate; others think it’s better to price at $2.99, $3.99 or $4.99. With non-fiction, you may well want to go higher than this $7.99 or $8.99 are not uncommon. Further Reading: Pricing Books And The Use Of Free, Joanna Penn, The Creative Penn The Price Is Right: 6 Secrets to Pricing Your Ebook, David Kudler, The Book Designer How to Publish Your Book Online Whether you use Amazon or another service to publish your book, you’ll need to have certain information to hand – both about your book and about you. You can create your account here on Amazon, or you can use your existing Amazon(.com) account. It’s then a step-by-step process to upload your manuscript and enter information about your book – like the title, author name, pricing, and so on. You’ll have the option to preview your manuscript. Do check that everything in the preview appears the way you want it. You can always adjust and re-upload your manuscript if you need to. Once you click the button to publish your book, it may take up to 48 hours to appear on Amazon’s online store. If you’re using Draft2Digital or Smashwords to publish your book, they’ll have a different process, and it may take longer for your books to appear in stores. With print books, the process can take a little longer as you’ll probably want to order a physical proof to examine and approve, before putting your book live for people to buy. However you’re selling your book, at some stage, you’ll need to enter your bank account details and your tax information. You don’t always need to enter these in order to publish a book, but you will need them before you can receive money. Further Reading: Getting Started: Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon How to Publish with Draft2Digital, Draft2Digital Theres a LOT to think about when self-publishing a book – and plenty of details that we haven’t had space to cover in this post but will do in subsequent ones. You may also want to join the Alliance of Independent Authors, a worldwide organisation that offers lots of help and services for self-publishing authors: I’ve been a member for several years now and, again, highly recommend it. Best of luck with your book! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. Had20 Pairs of One-Word and Two-Word Forms1,462 Basic Plot Types