Category: Communication

Dividing household chores is one of the topics that all married couples discuss, which makes this issue relevant to most people. When individuals prefer not to express their negative feelings concerning their partners behavior, it often creates a critical situation. One person disregards their duties, stops thinking there is a need in their efforts, and takes the case for granted. Another person, in their turn, accumulates irritation and other negative feelings toward the partner, which makes the scandal or divorce inevitable. In all cases, there is a vital need to adequately react to the problem that bothers the person to reduce the stress level in family life and avoid possible serious conflicts.

Strategies

It is possible to propose four strategies that the spouse who has grieved by handling the burden of responsibilities could use to manage the conflict over chores and responsibilities more effectively. First, they might improve the dialogue between the husband and the wife and avoid conflict aggravation (Floyd, 2020). It is necessary to start by setting the correct orientations to help the person cope with household responsibilities. For example, creating a timetable is the first step in dividing household chores, allowing people to control their performance (Lamanna et al., 2020). In some cases, the individual does not intend to skip their own duties, but they forget about it. Their partner does not remind them of the household chores, thinking it is a conscious action that shows their attitude to family life. It is a mistake that family members can make because it aggravates the conflict that can be easily solved using the timetable and the open discussion of the issue.

The second strategy supposes understanding the things the person does not like doing. Some couples do not discuss these issues, and the person who hates dishwashing is assigned this responsibility (Lamanna et al., 2020). Therefore, listening to the partner is essential in understanding the individuals priorities in the household chores division. The third way to approach the spouse to manage the conflict more effectively is by listening to them with empathy (Lamanna et al., 2020). Sometimes, the person has reasons to avoid household chores, but they do not think they need to explain them. For example, being too stressed at the workplace can lead to apathy and a lack of desire to do anything around the house. The fourth strategy to manage the conflict in this situation is praising the partner for their efforts (Lamanna et al., 2020). Gratitude is a crucial issue in relationships that influences the emotional attitude of the person to the things they do. There is the possibility that the spouse thinks that all their efforts are wrong because they are constantly criticized for inability to complete the tasks on the appropriate level.

Response

The nonpracticing spouse should understand that the dissatisfaction of their partner with family life is a serious concern. Effective responses to the accusations of the unequal division of household chores are critical issues in supporting relationships. First, the partner should compromise when possible and understand that their spouse suffers from this situation. In this case, the second variant of behavior is to acknowledge the right of the partner to disagree with the current situation (Floyd, 2020). In the discussed topic, the spouses agreed to divide the household responsibilities equally, and the nonpracticing partner is wrong. Even though there can be objective reasons to avoid household chores, respecting the spouses opinion is vital (Floyd, 2020). In addition, the dialogue between the partners will help to understand the details surrounding the irritation of one partner and the nonperformance of another. Therefore, there is a need to start communication and express all concerns in a friendly manner.

The nonparticipating spouse should acknowledge the adverse consequences of their conduct. For instance, they should understand their partners needs, who can be unsatisfied with family life due to the aspects they do not articulate. The egoistic position is one of the most harmful variants of conduct in this situation because it leads to the alienation of spouses (Floyd, 2020). Another critical detail in the discussed case is the constant work on improving personal boundaries that allow the spouse to acknowledge their faults and avoid conflicts (Floyd, 2020). Individuals with a good understanding of personal boundaries will see that their spouse is dissatisfied with the situation and will try to restore equity in sharing the responsibilities. Therefore, the nonpracticing partner should think about their behavior and change it to preserve harmony in their family life.

Conclusion

Unsolved disputes and the inability of the married couple to manage the problem lead to a decreased level of marital satisfaction and mental health issues and increases divorce risks. The household burden is one of the most popular topics that lead to stress in married life, which makes it critical to apply the strategies for effective conflict resolution. It is vital to remember that empathy and respect for another persons desires and problems are essential issues of healthy relationships. When the problem is disregarded for a long time, the conflict becomes more serious, and it is more challenging to find a solution.

References

Floyd, K. (2020). Interpersonal communication (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Lamanna, M. A., Riedmann, A., & Stewart, S. D. (2020). Marriages, families, and relationships: Making choices in a diverse society. Cengage Learning.

Introduction

Effective communication is essential in all forms of human interactions, but it is particularly important in healthcare given that suboptimal doctor-nurse or practitioner-patient interaction leads to low patient outcomes. As a result, ineffective communication can cause poor quality of care. Failure in communication mostly occurs during shift change, when a patients care is handed over to an incoming care provider. When inaccurate, ambiguous, or incomplete information is exchanged during handovers, the probability of occurrence of medical errors increases. In some cases, poor communication has led to wrong diagnoses, treatment procedures, and medical prescriptions. Reviewing various categories of interactions within the healthcare system will enable an in-depth understanding of the effects of poor communication.

Impact on Healthcare

As the demand for multi-disciplinary delivery of care increases, there is a need to address the complexity of patient needs. There are numerous levels of communication in a healthcare facility, which can be broadly categorized into two groups: physician-nurse and nurse-patient interactions (Tan et al., 2017). Nurses and physicians constitute the most essential personnel providing direct care to patients; hence, effective communication between them is critical. However, gaps in information exchange are still prevalent, impacting quality, safety, and patient outcomes. With the existence of numerous contributing factors that hinder effective communication between physicians and nurses, the most prevalent ones relate to the innate nature of these professionals and the clinical environment in which they work (Tan et al., 2017). Additional contributing factors include their perceived understanding of each others roles, a practice environment that is considered disrupting, physician dominance over nurses, and their inherent ways of communicating.

Such complexities and challenges have been directly linked to unintentional patient outcomes, including prolonging patients stay in hospitals and subsequent harm resulting from treatment delays or errors in diagnosis. According to Kee et al. (2018), mistakes that arise from ineffective communication among different healthcare professionals constitute the second highest cause of sentinel events, accounting for between 210,000 and 440,000 deaths annually in the United States. Besides, the healthcare practitioners are also adversely affected by suboptimal interactions. Poor nurse-physician communication contributes to an increase in generating feelings of diminishing value, job dissatisfaction, and attrition in the nursing workforce (Tan et al., 2017). Ineffective interactions can be a result of faulty policies and procedures, poor documentation, and workload pressures. For instance, during a malpractice lawsuit conducted by CRICO, the defendant was accused of withholding information pertaining to abdominal pains experienced by a patient prior to a scheduled operation (Kee et al., 2018). The patient suffered from internal bleeding and later died due to hemorrhage.

Consequently, interactions between a patient and their primary caregiver are considered a fundamental component of care quality and safety. In the past decade, there has been a growing emphasis on providing patient-centered care, while maintaining autonomy, exemplifying the significance of effective provider-patient communication (Kee et al., 2018). Despite the efforts, poor communication skills among nurses and physicians are the main underlying reason for the increase in patient complaints. Creating an effective interpersonal relationship between doctors and patients provides a platform whereby the affected person can share vital information that is essential to have a correct diagnosis (Okpala, 2020). On the other hand, it enables physicians to have a better understanding of underlying problems, their causes, and patient needs.

Conversely, a breakdown in communication between the two parties is usually manifested in patient dissatisfaction with the services provided. In most malpractice claims, arbitrators attribute the effects of ineffective communication to the contrasting perspectives of doctors and patients. In this case, patients tend to prefer communication theories based on psychological models, as opposed to biomedical forms of interactions (Kee et al., 2018). On the other hand, doctors believe that they possess quality communication skills. Some of the issues arising from poor interpersonal communication between patients and clinicians include a reduction in the quality of care, high wastage( resulting in high cost of healthcare), and poor patient outcomes.

Communication Techniques Compared and Contrasted

Healthcare providers are aware of the numerous benefits that may result from effective communication. In order to realize these advantages, caregivers are encouraged to interchangeably utilize two forms of interaction: verbal and non-verbal methods. While there has been a continuous emphasis on improving verbal communication, researchers suggest that a majority of daily interactions are based on non-verbal cues (MedPro, 2018). The ability to use and understand unwritten or spoken communication is a powerful tool that can improve the relationship between patients and practitioners by reinforcing mutual understanding. However, non-verbal communication relies heavily on an individuals situational awareness that enables one to identify potential body language and other cues that have the potential of being problematic.

There is a wide array of strategies that can be adopted by caregivers to consciously improve their non-verbal techniques. The most important one is smiling and maintaining appropriate eye contact that may not be interpreted as staring. Actively listening and showing interest while the patient is talking increases the likelihood of clients disclosing more information regarding their illness (MedPro, 2018). In this case, clinicians are advised to avoid distractive behaviors, such as yawning, fidgeting, constantly looking at the clock, or peeping out of the window. To display an engaging demeanor, physicians should sit down whenever it is possible and lean forward, and occasionally nod to indicate that they are attentive (Delgado, 2017). Lastly, maintain a relaxed posture by avoiding crossed arms or legs, as these gestures can be interpreted as disapproval, disinterest, or judgment.

Comparatively, verbal communication has received widespread emphasis as an important contributor to the formation of effective interpersonal relationships. While non-verbal models constitute only hand and body gestures, the verbal approach includes speech or written messages. In the medical field, this type of communication is extensively used to disseminate information regarding the facility or patient care. Verbal communication is particularly relied upon during the handover processes that usually take place during a shift change (Okpala, 2020). Professionals in the same specialization, such as nurses regularly consult with their colleagues on the different means of handling situations in a holistic manner. For example, a pediatric nurse might discuss the condition of a child under their care with a family practitioner or a general doctor.

Clinicians spend a considerable amount of time verbally communicating with their patients. It is important that the information is clearly conveyed and understood, especially regarding post-discharge instructions, such as prescribed medication and home-based hospitalization. Additionally, effective communication significantly improves a patients literacy on their health. In this case, doctors are expected to elaborate on difficult medical terms that might not be understood by their clients. Moreover, in the event that primary caregivers are unable to provide patients with the expected level of care depending on their diagnosis, doctors are required to refer them to specialists. Studies indicate that over 25% of primary caregivers who refer their patients to other professionals do not perform follow-ups to ensure that their clients are receiving the required medical attention (Delgado, 2017). This transference of care requires prior communication between the involved physicians, preferably over the phone or a physical meeting where the patients needs are clearly expressed while delineating their expectations on the continuity of health services.

Interdepartmental communication is important for all stakeholders involved in providing care. For example, hospital administrators rely on communication from doctors and nurses on issues pertaining to supplies, scheduling needs, turnover rates, and staffing needs (Okpala, 2020). While both communication models provide a wide variety of benefits, it is important to recognize how elements of either technique can interact and strengthen message delivery. However, a mismatch between verbal and non-verbal cues can result in inconsistent communication that leads to confusion. In healthcare, the inconsistencies can result in muddled messages that prevent patients from attaining the intended quality of care.

Effect of Systems of Power on Communication

Healthcare systems are inherently political, with structured hierarchical power dynamics. The sociological understanding of power is founded on the discovery and description of relative strength which might be equal or unequal and subject to change. According to Delgado (2017), based on the fact that power is not innate, authority can be acquired through the possession of influence or particular expertise. Hence, there is a need for social workers, especially healthcare providers, to properly understand their rankings within a power structure. Communication within a power imbalanced organizational structure is important, particularly when workers are expected to adhere to agency procedures whereby one person is accountable to several levels within the line of management. Since the employment of healthcare workers is dependent on their ability to satisfy their supervisors while maintaining quality care for clients, their power is usually diminished. This scenario is evident when student interns or graduate trainees are considered.

The powerlessness of social workers is restricted mainly based on statutory, budgetary, and procedural constraints instituted by high-ranking professionals. Feelings of helplessness can have adverse effects on how caregivers perform their tasks. Operating effectively under such circumstances relies on the ability to develop confidence, which is derived from commitment and a clear understanding of the different perspectives and significant value of their work (Delgado, 2017). The inescapable nature of power imbalances can interfere with effective communication by setting terms of interactions while restricting alternative avenues of discussion. Such practices can elicit strong emotions from those affected, causing further interference. However, these imbalances can be conveyed through proper communication channels, either verbally or non-verbally, and to relevant authorities.

Conclusion

Communication has been highlighted as the most important means of providing quality care. However, ineffective interaction can result in unfavorable outcomes, including patient death. An analysis of interdisciplinary levels of communications identified two broad categories: nurse-physician and caregiver-patient interactions. Poor communication between nurses and doctors might result in sentinel events, such as prolonged hospitalization and death. Alternatively, a breakdown of interpersonal relationships between clinicians and their patients contributes to low quality of care, poor diagnosis outcomes, and a general increase in the cost of healthcare attributed to wastage of resources. Two of the most prevalent communication techniques used to disseminate information between different healthcare stakeholders include verbal and non-verbal cues. An imbalance of power formed through hierarchical structures of management has a negative impact on communication.

References

Delgado, S. A. (2017) Increasing nurses palliative care communication skills. American Journal of Critical Care, 26(5), 372-372. Web.

Kee, J. W., Khoo, H. S., Lim, I., & Koh, M. Y. (2018). Communication skills in patient-doctor interactions: learning from patient complaints. Health Professions Education, 4(2), 97-106. Web.

MedPro Group. (2018). Nonverbal communication as an essential element of patient-centered care. Web.

Okpala, P. (2020). Addressing power dynamics in interprofessional health care teams. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 1, 1-12. Web.

Tan, T. C., Zhou, H., & Kelly, M. (2017). Nursephysician communication  An integrated review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(23-24), 3974-3989. Web.

Introduction

Communication is the process of information transfer from a sender to a receiver through a certain medium. In this case, effective communication is the process of sending the right information to the intended receiver, who correctly receives the information and comprehends it. Based on this, effective communication is a crucial factor in successful relationships and marriages. To communicate effectively, its of significance to have a good comprehension of how the person one is interacting with; would interpret the communicated information (Hybels & Weaver II, 2006).

Importance of effective communication in marriage

Based on this, communication in marriage encourages acceptance between the spouses since when one realizes that he is accepted by his spouse; he is freed from marital stress. In this case, it is only after acceptance that one begins to think about how he can change to be more of a competent being. Even though some people believe that marriage problems would only be solved through direct quarreling and change, acceptance results in communication which helps in problem resolutions within the marriage.

Additionally, when spouses communicate they understand each other better and as a result comprehend each others likes and dislikes; thus avoid hurting each other. Further, in a marriage where communication thrives spouses do their things in harmony through consulting each other; and as a result minimize incidences of blame (Hybels & Weaver II, 2006).

Effective Communication Techniques

It can be argued that to communicate effectively in marriage, special communication techniques should be applied. In this case, spouses should avoid statements of quarreling, complaining, blaming, condemning, or mocking the other partner. On the other hand, one should be more careful with the use of non-verbal language like gestures and facial expressions. An example here may be; suppose a husband comes from work and finds his wife looking unhappy, instead of enquiring what the problem could be, he just goes to sleep.

In a case like this, the two spouses will be hurt by their inner feelings since they do not discuss them as a move to solve their problems. On the other hand, when one touches the other spouse, this communicates acceptance. In this case, when your spouse holds your hand during times of difficulties, this shows that she is concerned about your problems. Still, on the same point, gestures like buying a flower for your spouse communicate acceptance and hence enhance the love, as well as respect (Hybels & Weaver II, 2006).

Importance of active listening ineffective communication

To have a successful marriage, one needs to comprehend what the other partner is saying and examine the fundamental information or desire. For example, if a woman complains about her weight; she does not expect her husband to comment on her need to get slimmer but a proposal for a change of the diet plan. Additionally, marriages become successful when the partners communicate to each other their needs and problems. In this case, it would be advisable for a partner to say, help me to make dinner please since I am unwell rather than saying why cant you make the dinner and you know that I am unwell. Based on this, relying on instincts will only destroy marriage life; as spouses are supposed to ask questions or express their problems rather than expecting the other person to know (Hybels & Weaver II, 2006).

On the other hand, effective communication in marriage calls for active listening among the spouses. In this case, before confronting your spouse, you need to listen and comprehend what made her do whatever she did. It can be seen that a reflective listener more frequently than not; can solve his marriage problems. For instance, one may say, what I can hear from you is&. showing correct information has been received.

Further when one is listened to; he feels accepted and as a result is free to share his problems with their partner. On the other hand, active listening helps in problem-solving since partners express their problems and concerns to be discussed and a solution is found. Moreover, active listening shows that communication in marriage is a two-way process. This does not mean that one spouse should dominate the conversation during communication in marriage (Hybels & Weaver II, 2006).

It can further be argued that effective communication in marriage searches for more insight where the listener enquires more on the areas deemed unclear. In this case, questions should be asked with a lot of respect and courtesy. For example, if a spouse accuses her partner of infidelity and she doesnt understand her husbands defensive statements, she may say that; please would you explain further on what you have just said (Hybels & Weaver II, 2006).

Moreover, spouses should avoid dishonesty in their communication as it leads to long-term consequences after the truth is revealed. Based on this, spouses should not avoid sharing the information needed by the other partner; by thinking that they are not supposed to know it, as they fear judgments from them (Hybels & Weaver II, 2006).

Initiation of communication in marriage

It is important to note that, communication in marriage does not come by itself, but one has to initiate it. In this case, communications occur where there is respect, honor, and faith between the spouses. Based on this one will avoid gossiping about her husband with her friends since she honors him, but initiates a dialogue with him on how to solve his problems. In this case, when one turns off the television when her spouse enters the house; it shows that she has something to discuss with her spouse. In this case, one should not keep silent about irritations and annoyance about a certain deed or a routine of the other person; but should speak it out so that the other partner may change (Hybels & Weaver II, 2006).

Explanation of the right time for having a dialogue within marriage

Another important thing under effective communication in marriage is choosing the right time to discuss any arising problems. In this case, both spouses should look for ample time to talk about the issue, rather than mentioning it when one spouse is rushing out to work. It should be noted that communication in marriage should not occur when one is tired since he will not be an active listener. On the other hand, couples should not discuss their issues and problems in front of others where there is no privacy (Hybels & Weaver II, 2006).

Conclusion

In conclusion, effective communication in marriage is crucial for any successful marriage. In this case, communication helps in problem-solving and expression of views as well as ideas; which results in acceptance in marriage. From this, it can be deduced that spouses who do not communicate in their marriage, live a life full of blames, accuses, mockery, and confrontations between them. It is important to note that, marriage makes a union and oneness; communication can be employed to harden or break that union. In this case, paying attention to advancing communication in marriage is the most effective way of attaining a factual conjugal bond.

Reference

Hybels, S. & Weaver II, R. (2006). Communicating effectively, Eighth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishers.

In any environment involving collaboration and communication between individuals, there is a likelihood of conflicts happening. Be it poor working conditions, a low level of someones responsibility, or personal misunderstandings, disputes occur rather frequently in all kinds of professions. In the healthcare environment, conflicts are not a rare occasion due to several factors. First of all, there is a variety of stakeholders, each having different interests and pursuing various goals.

Doctors and patients care about patients timely recovery, the administration pays attention to costs and days of stay, whereas patients are concerned with their personal interests to be considered. Secondly, the approaches used by these stakeholders may differ depending on the experience or divergences in worldviews. In any case, it is essential to locate the cause of conflict and search a resolution to it since by doing so timely, hospital employees will be able to avoid unnecessary complications or even charges. The paper presents an overview of a conflict situation that I observed at work, along with due attention to stages of conflict and strategies for conflict resolution.

Description of an Unresolved Conflict and Its Type

Recently, there was a conflict at my unit that made all of our team members reconsider the attitude to work and our clients. Such occasions are quite rare at our hospital, so I was quite surprised to find out that my colleague could allow such a situation in the first place. However, we all learned a valuable lesson, and the conflict served as an opportunity to work together on its resolution.

It all happened last Monday during the shift change time. The head nurse of the department asked one of the team members, G., to tend to a patient who had just arrived, though it was the time for G. to leave. What is more, the head nurse asked G. to fill out the form for the patient, although it was not G.s direct responsibility. G. started doing as said, although it was evident that she was dissatisfied. When the patient said he was a vegetarian and demanded special food, G. could not hold back her emotions and said it was just a whim.

The patient became angry as his feeling were hurt, and his expression of personal preferences was mocked by the nurse. The type of conflict was interpersonal and unresolved since it involved two people and led to the intrusion of the nurse leader later.

The Four Stages of Conflict

While conflicts are inevitable, the way of resolving them can mitigate the negative outcomes. As Finkelman and Kenner (2019) note, personal responses of individuals can be more harmful than the problems of resource allocation or poor performance. Typically, four stages of conflict are distinguished: latent, perceived, felt, and manifest (Champoux, 2017). Only three of them can be related to the example I described. Further definition of each stage will explain why the latter stage was not reached. The latent stage involves the circumstances preceding a conflict situation. In our case, it incorporated the level of G.s exhaust and her irritation at having to remain at work when her shift was almost over.

The perceived stage was when the conflict became obvious, that is, when the nurse announced her reaction to the patients personal beliefs. At the felt conflict stage, the patient requested another nurse and complained to the unit nurse about the situation. If G. had had an opportunity to apologize and alleviate the tension, the conflict would have reached the last, manifest, stage. However, since the patient refused to communicate with G., the conflict remained unresolved.

It is necessary to note that delegation was an issue in that specific conflict. One can only delegate responsibilities when one is sure that the delegated individual knows how to manage them (Finkelman & Kenner, 2019). However, G. was not accustomed to filling out the patient forms (she had only done it several times with someones supervision before). Another problem with delegation was that G. was not supposed to remain after her shift, so the nurse felt upset and, as a result, overreacted. Therefore, the head nurse did not delegate responsibility in the appropriate manner.

Strategies for Conflict Resolution and Collaboration with a Nurse Leader

If it is impossible to avoid a conflict, one should take care to resolve it as soon as possible. Sallee (2017) differentiates between the following conflict resolution strategies: avoidance, accommodation, force, compromise, and collaboration. As for me, the most suitable approaches in this case would be accommodation and collaboration. Accommodation presupposes that one individual should put aside his or her goals to satisfy the other persons desires (Sallee, 2017, p. 342). Since the patient could complain about the case to hospital administration and cause adverse outcomes for G., it would have been the wisest decision to do as the patient wanted. Furthermore, he did not demand anything directly from the nurse but merely asked her to make a note about his food preferences.

Collaboration would be the best option, although G. was deprived of it due to the patients irritation and refusal to cooperate. Collaboration involves a mutual search of solutions that would satisfy both sides of the conflict (Sallee, 2017). In the case under analysis, G. could have asked the patient more about his references and could have expressed more interest in his worldview. In his turn, the patient should not be so easily irritated and should have allowed the nurse to apologize instead of demanding another specialist immediately. Apart from that, collaboration with a nurse leader might help in situations like this. If I were involved in the conflict, I would have asked the nurse leader to listen to both sides before punishing the nurse. Also, I would have asked the nurse leader to pay attention to the head nurses delegation decisions.

Summary

Although the experience was unpleasant, it also gave me some valuable insights into my profession. First of all, I learned that delegation only worked if properly considered and controlled. Secondly, I realized that despite being tired, nurses should put patients interests in the first place since otherwise, they risk to be reprimanded. I also concluded for myself that I would rather refuse to stay after the shift than risk expressing my negative feelings to a patient.

Finally, I understood the significance of being culturally competent (Purnell & Fenkl, 2019). In our profession, the likelihood of meeting an individual with different tastes, beliefs, and opinions or of different race or gender is rather high. It is crucial for me as a professional to be prepared for such occasions. Nurses should strive to avoid professional conflicts or at least mitigate them at all costs if a conflict has already occurred.

References

Champoux, J. E. (2017). Organizational behavior: Integrating individuals, groups, and organizations (5^th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Finkelman, A., & Kenner, C. (2019). Professional nursing concepts: Competencies for quality leadership (4^th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

Purnell, L. D., & Fenkl, E. A. (2019). Handbook for culturally competent care. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Sallee, A. M. (2017). Effective communication and conflict resolution. In B. Cherry & S. R. Jacob (Eds.), Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management (7^th ed.) (pp. 328-350). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

Planning and Instructions

Learning process functions in a dynamic and systematic process that is greatly influenced by the main objective, sub-objective, and the environment in which learners are interact in the process of knowledge acquisition. In the case of the elementary grade 1 class at Sloane Public School in New York, the educator is attached to the lesson objectives and learns from the students especially on cultural differences and language in order to create a friendly and inclusive environment. Reflectively, the conceptual framework of this lesson is an in-depth analysis of picture communication from the book Little Red Riding Hood by Anderson Hans Christian. This picture analysis-drawing class is scheduled on Monday and Friday of every week in the class teaching timetable. The picture analysis-drawing class is integrated in the elementary observation and drawing curriculum.

Within an elementary learning environment, the main focus of the lesson was to help students conceptualize map of pictures in the book Little Red Riding Hood. Besides, the lesson intended to actualize the visual representational meaning of the map to convey relationship between the participants and depicted pictures of the little princess in a red dress and a wolf. The creation of a visual representational meaning proposed the space-based model for analysis centered on the placement of objects within the semiotic space of the learners in their classroom environment.

Students were expected to be able to accurately identify, describe, interpret, and apply the principles and concepts to classify the different pictures and demonstrate their ability to effectively classify the pictures in each scene. In addition, the students were given the opportunity to practice communicating their ideas clearly and concisely to an audience of their peers in the context of a formal class presentation.

Knowledge of students and their learning

Notably, inclusion of bright color in the learning process is apparent to have attracted attention of the young learners. The level of student engagement was interactive. Free interaction created a suitable learner-centered environment during the 60 minutes lesson. The first instructional variable was the introductory focus which entailed attracting the attention of students. The second variable was linking the topic to the students lives.

By acknowledging the fact that communication is not single phased, rather an amalgamation of different modes, multi-modality enabled in-depth understanding of communication between the learners and the educator. The aspects of positive attitude, social distance, and contact created a participatory classroom environment. Contact visualization was achieved by use of text that introduced the characters at the beginning of the concept map as more elements of learning came into play.

Learning Environment

The students in the class were seated in an orderly manner. The seating arramgement allowed them to take enough space while they are viewing the pictures. The arrangement greatly helps the class because it is a rule in the classroom that order should prevail at all times so that the students can be able to interact freely. The creation of a feeling of order in the classroom helped to create the feeling of carefulness amongst the learners. The teacher made use of visual aids in the delivery of the contents that he explained to the students. The décor of the classroom was appealing to the level of the learners, especially with it bright colors. The students were also taught to be responsible through the concept of rotation of roles among the learners.

The teachers delivery of the rules included use of personal freedom and control. For instance, the learners were told what they should be able to do and how it should be done. Although the students were not involved much in the rule making, they were made to feel that their safety and success is in their hands.

Content and Curriculum

The educator conducted a review of the spoken response with an aim of obtaining in-depth information on the learning progress. The spoken responses by the students were particularly useful for follow-ups and providing accurate information necessary when preparing a learning program. From the sources, it was evident that planned program is important in the training and monitoring procedures. Monitoring assists in ensuring that the correct standards are not merely understood, but also intrinsically conceptualized by teachers. The learners were generally audible and excised confidence in spoken response since each was given ample time to make a contribution without intimidation.

Reflectively, the main teaching strategy applied in this classroom lesson was participatory learning. This strategy is inclusive of the need for active participation by the learner who is encouraged and motivated to optimally function actively in class activities without fear of developing inferiority complex problem. In a relatively diverse class, such as the grade 1 class of Sloane, fear and low self esteem is a common occurrence especially when the minority or special needs learners have to cope with their normal counterparts. Subsequently, limited space for activating positive self esteem may result in lack of confidence and diminished courage to practice inquisitive learning.

Assessment

The educator was successful in applying inclusive participatory approach in imparting knowledge. As a matter of fact, the learners were given an opportunity to contribute through the special attention gauge for progress. Before proceeding to the next concept, the educator ensured that the learners were at par with lesson objective. Since participatory learning triggers creativity and inquisition, interaction with peers created a comfortable room for boosting self esteem irrespective of physical or cultural variations among the learners.

The teacher was able inspired free learning through acting as a guide to the grade 1 learners. In the process of learning from the students, the educator created room for free expression and flexibility to accept diversity as strength. Generally, use of interactive and inclusive strategies offer a comprehensive approach in understanding acculturation and the impact of the same on learning as a process and a system. In the process of internalizing competency, secondary aspects of inclusive learning, through direct participation, facilitates formal and informal establishment of a risk-free classroom environment as involvement functions on equitable treatment.

Professionalism

At the macro level, inclusive learning process reinforces positivity in self expression, interaction and presentation of set goals, evaluation criteria, and personal reflection without feeling neglected. These personal insights affirmed the level of maturity and proactive approach of the educator to the complex education environment. Since all the learning objectives were met, the lesson outcome reaffirmed experience and inclusivity of the instructional delivery methods adopted by the educator. The educator was effective in delivering the content of the topic to the students through the use of climate and instructional variables. This can be attributed to personal teaching efficiency.

Educational strategies are the instructional methods and the learning activities used in imparting knowledge and skills to the learners. Gaming theory is a strategy in which the teacher engages the students in games such as pointing figures to solve problems. It helps develop psychomotor and communication skills of the learners even though time consuming. Problem-solving is a strategy in which the teacher illustrates using well done examples to the learners to guide them in organizing their solutions. This aspect was more efficient in giving guidance to the learners in solving their problems during the lesson plan execution. Reflectively, the use of these strategies reaffirmed the level of professionalism displayed by the educator.

Learning resources are part and parcel of the strategies used in teaching. These tools assist learners to visualize and internalize the concept in mind maps such as those used in this lesson. As a teacher, effective delivery of content starts right at preparation. This places high significance in preparation commencing with mastery of the content accompanied by the teachers notes, reference materials, relevant teaching aids, and good classroom management during the presentation of the content.

The resources used during this lesson helped the educator to break down the content especially the abstract concepts into simpler bits which could be understood by the students. In order to make the lesson successfully, the educator was able tointernalize knowledge imparting strategies that operate within reliable and suitable time in order to create a free learning environment, instill confidence in the learner, and improve quality of output in line with the objectives of the lesson. The educator was successful in addressing the lesson objectives and positive learning outcome was recorded at the end of this 60 minutes lesson.

Overall, the development of information technologies can significantly facilitate the communication between people who no longer have to be separated from each other. For example, they can better overcome such an obstacle as long distances which created many problems several decades ago. To some degree, these information tools can transform the planet into a global village.

Nevertheless, new technologies can significantly impair the relations between individuals who often prefer to interact with one another only in front of computer screens. To some degree, this behavior gradually becomes normal. In turn, the main problem is that the number of face-to-face interactions decreases; as a result, people have to struggle with such difficulties as the lack of confidence and alienation. This is the main thesis that should be discussed in greater detail.

Overall, researchers note that people, who increasingly rely on technologies, often suffer from alienation. For instance, many individuals can attach importance to the number of friends that they have on Facebook or other social networks (Lambert 2). The problem is that these virtual relations often lack the essential components of friendship such as trust.

This is why such people have to cope with such psychological problems as insecurity and alienation. In many cases, these people have a distorted understanding of friendship and personal relations, in general. Moreover, they are reluctant to be engaged in face-to-face interactions. As a result, their psychological problems only aggravate. This is one of the aspects that can be singled out.

Additionally, in many cases, people, who are accustomed to communicating in front of computer screens often, lack confidence, especially when they need to communicate without the assistance of online technologies (Wright and Vebb 89). This issue is particularly important if one speaks about people struggling with anxiety and shyness (Wright and Vebb 89).

Additionally, they cannot overcome their dependence on online technologies. Very often, such people require the assistance of professional counselors in order to elaborate their social skills. This is one of the main details that can be distinguished because it is important for understanding the long-term effects of technologies on peoples communication and their emotional state.

Finally, researchers often focus on such a trend as the reduction of face-to-face communication. This tendency can manifest itself in various areas of human activities such as workplace relations (Watt 42). As a result, the interactions between managers and employees can be impaired because these people do not always understand the expectations of one another.

This is one of the reasons why managers have to design new methods of communication in order to ensure the efficiency of performance. This is another pitfall that cannot be disregarded because it shows that the decline of personal contacts can influence the professional activities of people. Thus, one should not suppose that this trend does not have any significant implications.

On the whole, this discussion suggests that despite the benefits that technologies can bring to individuals, one should not forget about the detrimental effects that they produce on the experiences of people. Much attention should be paid the feeling of alienation experienced by people and their lack of confidence during personal contacts. To some degree, this problem can be attributed to the decline of face-to-face interactions. In many cases, these issues can influence various areas, such as workplace relations. These are the main arguments that can be put forward.

Works Cited

Lambert, Alexander. Intimacy and Friendship on Facebook, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Print.

Watt, Alisa. The Impact of Managerial Virtuality on Employee Performance, New York: ProQuest, 2007. Print.

Wright, Kevin and Lynne Vebb. Computer-mediated Communication in Personal Relationships, New York: Peter Lang, 2011. Print.

Digital media

The use of digital media in political campaigns together with the national elections has been growing rapidly worldwide. ICT is being applied in national political campaigning. The use of ICT for participatory purposes in general is seen to be more likely to occur in contexts that are less affected by the issues of the digital divide. Studies on the digital divide highlight the fact that social groups with a lack of financial resources are less likely to have access to and to use ICT, particularly internet-enabled features. Such a constraint on the demand of ICT-enabled forms of interaction affects the diffusion of the use and adoption of ICT for participatory purposes (Hassan 5).

However, research on the use of ICT in political campaigning has only just begun to investigate the impact on citizen participation in political campaigns that the most recent Web tools such as forums, wiki applications, and social networking services would have. The speedy expansion of the internet has stimulated claims that huge revolutions in the formation of political: the populist assert that the internet will grind down the control of prearranged groups and political leaders, and the community-building assert that the internet will result in the reformation of the nature of society and the basics of social order.

These assertions are important because they deal not only with the presently trendy subject of the internet but also primary questions concerning the fundamental role of communication in community life. Young people are relatively more in tune with new electronic communication systems such as email, Twitter, and Facebook, and for the reason that they are generally open to new things (Anon. Jay Rosen is wrong 3).

Online politics and the use of the internet is a facet of democracy and could potentially add pluralism. The transformation of politics or the interaction between politicians and citizens would not be likely to occur. When investigating the array of digital tools that internet users adopt to interact with their candidates, it is clear that there is poor integration between communication occurring within the social network and other digital tools available for the citizen-politician relationship (Anon. Clay shrike interview on media and politics 3).

In other words, the average internet user uses it to interact with the candidates, without seeking any other digital means. It has to be specified, however, that this applies only to social network users who do interact somehow with the candidates that they link with. The social network platform is mainly seen as a means to obtain information that is, establishing a one-way relation in which information is retrieved from policy-makers for use by citizens. The use of online media in election campaigns is leading to suppositions concerning the revolution of politics and cyber-democracy. Politicians vying for seats in parliament are more and more using online media (especially Facebook) to publicize information to possible voters and building vibrant, online communities (Scola, 2).

Todays political parties and candidates realize the benefits of using the internet to conduct online campaigns and raise funds. Voters also are increasingly using the web to access information about parties and candidates, promote political goals, and obtain political news. Generally, the use of the internet is an expensive way for candidates to contact, recruit, and mobilize supporters, as well as disseminate information about their positions on issues.

However, it is now a viable medium for communication political information, and interacting with voters was made clear in the campaigns preceding the 2004, 2006, and 2008 elections. According to a Pew Research Centre survey following the 2008 presidential elections, 29% of Americans said that they went online for election news, up from 4% who did so in the 2004 campaign. Nearly seven in ten students went online to watch information on the candidates positions from YouTube (The internet and digital culture 20).

Moreover, about 50% of this group claimed that the information they found online affected their voting decisions. A similar analysis in Egypt has forced the government to block the use of Twitter completely. It was found out that, Twitter was being used by political candidates to mobilize citizens in protesting against the rule of Hosni Mubarak. Following the June 2009 Iranian elections, authorities slowed connections to the internet, blocked social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, and tampered with SMS services.

In several countries, particularly Egypt, a combination of supervision and careful trial efficiently restricts bloggers and particular minority groups (Weisberg, 5). The message being sent by the state is that you cannot hide in cyberspace. It is a lucid caution to any person in search of the secrecy of cyberspace to voice political censure or articulate alternative lifestyles (Campbell, 664). While national governments are the primary drivers of filtering practices, corporate actors are becoming the main implementers of filtering and packet shaping practices, either as a consequence of the legal requirements of the states in which they are based or of their own accord and reflecting monetary or proprietary concerns.

Advertisements

In the earlier period, advertisers relied on newspapers and television sets to endorse their brands in the bazaar, which was transparent. Alongside these advertisements were direct marketers who traveled with their mailing lists, Coupons, and promotions to persuade potential buyers. Now customers have greater control of the process, they now desire to be treated as independent individuals and not part of the mass market.

Just like retailers and marketers, consumers have the technology; that is computers that have enabled the industry to gather and scrutinize data on consumer shopping patterns. Large retailers such as Wal-mart use advanced technology to customize their products to suit local audiences. Other retailers such as Tesco have come up with loyalty programs that offer a wide variety of benefits to customers in exchange for their personal information.

By doing this, they allow retailers to make their own decisions about the best customers. Retailers can now use special promotions or lower their prices to retain customers. This process is being hastened by the internet and the emergence of online wireless payment technology (Stein, 2). The web has helped retailers to learn about emotional and logical bonds about customers that would persuade them to buy the product and then intermingle with their customers for a long term relationship.

Retailers believe that behavioral targeting and price discrimination are vital tools to deal with the highly competitive online and offline situations in which they find themselves. Opponents of the inclination agonize that it may well put many end users at monetary and even societal disadvantage unless they comprehend what is happening. The shoppers recompense for presenting (personally special) information and signing in is the opportunity to obtain quick checkout, special offers and attention through email. The software companies that market personalization products that use data mining systems for knowledge detection, speak to their prospective clients in a language that makes the benefits of these systems obvious (Donna Anthony and Gandy Oscar, 4).

The marketing industry perceives this to be a good idea for consumers. It helps to differentiate what marketing strategies can use for different groups of people, for instance, coupons for baby products can only be sent to parents with children and not to single males. Consumers can find a variety of what they want from their local stores. The marketing industry claims that clients do not have any trouble in handing over their personal information.

However, the companies that receive that information are not honest about it. As an alternative to using the label privacy policy, they should swap it with using your information. They have been disheartenment of consumers trust by gratifying them in surreptitious ways. The aspiration to draw and keep hold of the best customers and marketplace customization will lead to niche desire with moral and social setbacks that have never been raised. For instance, when customers learn that their neighbors are being offered lower prices from what they get because of their buying behaviors, they may become upset. Complications may arise in society when different social groups get customized news (Anderson, 9).

Majority of consumers who use the internet become helpless if their personal information is used illegally. They are ignorant and lack enough knowledge that leaves them open to financial exploitation by retailers. The absence of knowledge puts the consumers at very high risks. The lacks of knowledge signals that the majority of the customers who use the internet are not prepared to deal with the trends that have become facts of life in stores.

Price discrimination is a good example of such trends. Retailers use consumers personal information to determine the price to charge for their products. This results in diverse price offer to consumers from different areas. Consumers have become nonopticon. This is a state where consumers are being watched devoid of their knowledge (Vaidhyanathan, 4).

Most consumers admit that they feel vulnerable when their personal information is used by retailers but they do not know what to do about it. However, about 20% do not have a problem with this and they say that what companies know about them wont hurt them. On the other hand, about 70% disagree with the statement that privacy policies are easy to understand (Zimmer, 10). They do not feel safe when websites have information about them. In the face of all these complications, it is startling that about 70% of internet-using customers say that they know what to do to protect themselves from being exploited by online retailers.

Works Cited

Anderson, Nate. Anonymized data isnt- and heres why not. Arstechnica, Web. 2011.

Anon. Clay shrike interview on media and politics. Salon, Web.

Anon. Jay Rosen is wrong: Twitter Revolution and Facebook revolution Cyber-utopians do think its that simple, 2011. Web.

Campbell, John Edward. Outing planetout: surveillance, gay marketing and internet affinity portals. London: University of Pennsylvania, 2005.

Donna Anthony and Gandy Oscar H. All that glitters is not Gold. Digging beneath the surface of data mining. Journal of Business Ethics 40:373-386, 2002.

Hassan Robert. Media politics and the network society. New York: Open University Press, 2004.

Scola Nancy. Despite negative press, Facebook is a powerful agent for social change. New York: AlterNet, 2008. Print.

Stein, Joel. Data mining: How companies now know everything about you, time, 2011. Web.

The internet and digital culture: Community and politics. CMNS 353. Print.

Vaidhyanathan Siva. Naked in the Nonopticon. Surveillance and marketing combine to strip away out privacy. The chronicle of higher education, 2008.

Weisberg, Jacob. Tech Revolutionaries: The Arab Revolt shows that Googles and Twitters corporate values are better than Facebooks, slate, 2011. Web.

Zimmer, Michael. Facebook data of 1.2 million users from 2005 released: limited exposure, but very problematic, michaelzimme, 2011. Web.

Economy

In todays world people are very interested in and curious about the things related to the World Wide Web. Some times they are over-hyped about WWW in their thought and talk. The reason for that is influence of information technology and World Wide Web is precious. It is a necessary factor in the modern world. Before fifteen or twenty years one could not imagine to get the interested book or a friend who lived abroad in front of him as a reality. But today those kind of things are not a dream. It is a reality. The emergence of World Wide Web is boosting the growth of the world. It affects the entire sectors like financial, social, cultural, and educational. Email, chatting, videoconferencing, digital library, online learning, online purchasing, etc. are very popular in the world. It helps people to speed up the day to day transactions. All these facilities are contributed by the World Wide Web. The growth of the information technology helps to improve the quality of the human life. Due to these reasons people love and thank this network society. They cant now imagine a world without these facilities. Sometimes someone may feel the disclosure of the information technology to be over-hyped and ideological. But it is a truth. It is not considered as over hyped. It is a reality. Information society is a popular concept in this modern age. Globalization, transformation of employment like outsourcing, virtual culture etc. are the important contributions of the concept information society. In this age of globalization, internet and information technology are very important terms. It has such an amount of influence in the whole world.

Transnational trade is very popular in this period. In transnational trade people can purchase products from anywhere in the world. In transnational trade their in no control over the trade by any nation. Here the trade is controlled by transnational corporations. Transnational trade plays an important role in the economic growth. The reason for that is size of the market influence the economic growth. When market size is increasing production of items is increases and cost of the items is decreasing. In this situation there is no boundary for sailing. (Cobb).

World Wide Web is the most powerful method for the transnational trading. Through WWW people can select their needed product from any market in the world and they can buy it easily. For this reason itself www make the transnational trade is a popular trading method. Customer can purchase tangible and intangible products through World Wide Web. For purchasing intangible products like software, songs, etc. is very easy through www. For that customer can easily download the product from the Internet.

There many sites to support transnational trade. Example is e-bay, Amazon, Microsoft etc& E-bay is an online People and business use this website for purchasing and sailing of their products through online. Customer can purchase items from the categories like mobile, computers, electronics, cameras, vehicles, jewelers, clothing, dolls and Bears, health and beauty products, music, sporting goods, video games etc&

Market growth is one major reason for the economic growth. Transnational trade promotes the unlimited growth of the market in the whole world. World Wide Web gives a major contribution in the transactions through transnational trade.

Media

World Wide Web is a mass medium in the world. Major reason for that is the various facilities offered by it. Internet is an entertainment medium, it is a communication medium between people and companies. World Wide Web create a virtual culture in the world. After emergence of www societies become virtual. Face book and website like Orkut create a virtual community. Now internet communication gives us a fling like the real communication. Chatting, videoconference etc are promotes the virtual culture in this world. For example, Sandia at USA and BT working together bring more reality in cyberspace with regard to virtual culture. (Woods, 2007).

Today people spend more time in front of the internet for retrieving information like news and for entertainment. Today one can read even newspaper also from the Internet. Today different communication media like radio, TV, newspapers, mobile phone and Internet are interconnected. It also helps to create a virtual culture in the world. (Haan & Adolfsen, 2008).

WWW is a media and a tool for keeping connection with our friends and relatives and fine new friends. A social network sites is very useful for that. Mailing and chatting helps to contact with the relatives and friends easily. In todays world one can participate the online classes, or a business meeting etc, through videoconferencing, chatting etc. Through these methods people can save money and time. For these reasons almost all people in the world support the virtual culture.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is very popular today. It is a part of virtual culture. It offers unrestricted chat with many users. Real-time CMC is a good model for the IRC. It works like America Online and Prodigy. When a user uses the IRC for chatting he feels it like a playwrights script. In IRC writing is started with the name of the senders computer. Writings are followed by it. User can continuously write on the computer screen. When the e writing progress the previously written messages are scroll on the top of the screen. CMC occurs through channels. These channels are developed based on the chosen topic and interest of the users. There will be a minimum of 10 to 15 thousand of people at a given point of time through approximately 50000 chat channels in the world. It helps to create a virtual community in the world. (IRC and Social Bond). (Jones, 1997, p. 134).

Companies use it to introduce their products by advertising about their products. People use internet for purchasing products. In olden times, only radio was used for broadcasting information. After that television was invented. At that time companies and organizations used radio and television for their advertising purpose. There was no choice for the people. All television viewers and radio listeners were forced to hear or see these advertisements. After the invention of internet the conditions entirely changed. Advertising through internet is unobtrusive and informative. People have the option for activate or deactivate any advertisement to their computer. Another reason for www becoming a mass media is that people can search their desired products and services. They can buy those products from the available locations. Search engines help this kind of searching. Examples are yahoo, MSN, Google etc. (Rowland, 2002).

Function of the search engines has dramatically changed within a short period. Search engines provide a lot of information to the user. So, today people depend on web to obtain almost all information needed by them. One of the important facilities provided by the search engine when one enters a keyword related to a product or service is that the search engine gives a lot of information related to that keyword. For example, from 2003 to 2007 when one typed key word miserable failure in Google search box the resulted site link we got was Bushs official biography. In 2007 Google developed an algorithm called Google bombs which redirect the above mentioned keyword to non-political pages. Obama also faced the same problem. But now Google found a solution for this problem. Sometimes it might have affected the US election report. (Pasquale, 2009).

Due to the above mentioned reasons World Wide Web is a mass medium.

Education

Like all other areas World Wide Web can have a bright future in education sector. Online education and distance learning is popular. For this type of learning, computer and internet are essential. According to Center for Best Practices technology is an important equalizing tool for children with disabilities. It is equally important tool for all children. (Johanson, (n.d)).

In future technology will come as an precious tool for the achievement of a constructive classroom. Today itself students use computer monitor and mouse for reading and writing instead of book and pen. At present students use multimedia and audio and video facilities for improving their education quality and for easy learning.

Internet helps students to create complex knowledge bases. It causes a knowledge exploration in the student. By using Internet students can find new information from different book and web sites, they can create new information by designing web sites and share their acquired knowledge with others through Internet. Student can empower his learning by these kinds of methods. Internet is essential for it. (Brimah). At USA DeVry University, Madison University, NACE (National Association for Continuing Education), Engineering Outreach (EO), Northampton Community College, TechMelt etc. provide online education opportunity. (Online education USA  Distance learning college courses, 2009).

They conduct various degree, master degree, PHD, and various professional courses through online.

In future Information technology has a key role in education and its role will change day by day. Now our education sector is already developed and its further growth depends on the growth of the information technology. Every one needs the most recent technological education. The only available method to provide such kind of education is internet and information technology. Through Internet facilities like videoconferencing, students can conduct discussion and seminar sitting in their schools or homes without going anywhere. Through Internet students can read plenty of books and journals. It helps them to have effective study. Technology like multimedia and graphics helps students to learn in an interesting way. Distance and online learning system changes the entire education system. It can play a key role in the exponential growth of the education sector in future. In some countries online learning is very popular. But in future it will come in the whole world. Through the online learning one can attend the class of any university in the world from his home. Every student in the world can share his knowledge with each other through Internet.

From the above mentioned discussions it is clear that invention of the computer and internet is a milestone in the history of the world. Now it is the most popular, easy and effective way for communication. It has an important role in the economy. World Wide Web is a mass media in the world. Today education and technology are correlated. In future one cannot imagine an education system without computer and internet. The reason for that is technology has such an influence in the field of education.

Reference

Brimah, Tunde. Review of learning with technology: A constructivist perspective. Novations. 2009. Web.

Cobb, John B Jr. International and transnational trade. 2009. Web.

Haan, Jos de., & Adolfsen, Anna. (2008). The virtual culture buff: Increasing internet use. SCP. Web.

Johanson, Joyce. (n.d). The future of technology in education, 2009. Web.

Jones, Steve. (1997). Virtual culture. SAGE, p. 134. 2009. Web.

Online education USA  Distance learning college courses. (2009). Learn4Good. Web.

Pasquale, Frank. (2009). Search engine secrecy and the public sphere. Balkinization, Web.

Rowland, Wade. (2002). Internet at a crossroads. Blue Cat Design. 2009. Web.

The five generation of computer. (2009). Webopedia. Web.

Woods, Lawrence. (2007). Virtual culture, virtual community, virtual humans: ergo, virtual God? Revtc. 2009. Web.

Dynamics of Orality, Literacy, and Electronic Society

Orality is very common in Canada when it comes to communication as it is used as the primary method of communication between parties where the spoken words are decoded by the audience. Literate communication is also another form of common communication taking place using published material. On the other hand electronic communication is also significantly gaining importance as more and more people in the society have access to computers and have learnt to use the internet.

Types of Bias

The media bias is the bias attitude taken by the professionals in the field like journalists and media managers when it comes to reporting and the coverage of events and news. An example of media bias is the stereotyped reporting used when reporting on the Middle East. The time bias in terms of communication is the bias attitude taken when reporting on a subject matter. Covering a report in the news extensively while not giving another equally important news item less air time is a form of time bias. Space bias occurs when agenda setting initiatives are taken by monopolizing media giants to control the message being communicated. The monopoly of the US television media can be seen as a form of space bias.

Characteristics of Mass Communication, Mass media and the Differential Dynamics

Mass communication has centralized production and dissemination of the message with a decentralized access provided to the masses. On the other hand, mass communication is also an exchange of intelligence on a large scale between the members that exist in a society.

The two forms of mass media have a distinct set of activities, involve specific technical specifications, are associated with institutions, have existing laws and regulations serving as guidelines, dictated by people holding roles in the society and tend to convey information, entertainment and message amongst and to the people in the society.

The differential dynamics between the above depict that mass communication is actually woven in the society through legal and regulatory framework as well as ownership and association with professions. On the other hand the mass media and new media are more of an extension of the society giving a reflection of human activity.

Forms of Mass Media, Decentralized Media, Interactive Media

The different types of mass media include the print media, the electronic media and the new age media. The forms of decentralized new media pertain to blogs, websites and talk radio. The interactive media forms include chat rooms, social networking sites and digital forums.

Communication in the Renaissance Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution

Communication played the role of facilitating a social movement pertaining to the ending of feudalism and the commencement of the age of reason where the right of the rulers was replaced by the choices and the needs of the governed. The change was initiated as a result of the Gutenberg printing method in 1440. Similarly contemporary media was one of the highlights in the Industrial Revolution which received immense support from the development.

Communication and Democracy

The principle of freedom of press is a well known ideology which is adopted by the developed nations throughout the world, and it is the main principle which binds together democracy and communication.

Structuralism and Post-structuralism

Structuralism proposes that an entity is made up of different parts or components which make it complete. Structuralism is the basis on which semiotics analysis is conducted and states that the independent signifier is superior to the signified in the context.. Post-structuralism on the other hand is a response to the French philosopher who proposed structuralism and states that label is not of importance while the signifier and the signified are essentially not united but cannot be separated as well.

Meaning-generating Systems

Meaning-generating systems are systems which analyze to comprehend the contents to arrive at the underlying message or idea. Humans and societies are complex systems which can also be termed as meaning-generating systems. The meaning-generating systems are sought by the meaning seeking entities and are the basis of interaction between the media, the audiences and the role played by culture. The theories in the chapter revealed the different elements of their interaction. The effects research depicted that media has a direct impact the behavior of the audience. The uses and gratification research states what the audience depicts with the content of the media while the cultural studies depict how the audience selects part of the media to use in their lives.

Audience Transforming

Audiences are transforming in terms of the role that they play in communication and media. Traditionally the audiences were the receivers of the message from the media, however with the changes taking place in the telecommunications technology, the audience have not been transformed to be more active content generators for media as well as the society. Similarly the audiences are also disappearing due the large scale of content being thrown at them through the communication media. The constant communication at all times is making them uninterested and annoyed especially with advertisements, resulting in the loss of audience. The changes in the communication technology have also greatly contributed to the loss of audience.

Communications Policy in Canada

Communications policy is required in Canada to regulate content, and provide structure and guidelines for different media of communications making way for a structured activity. The role of the communications policy is that it lays down the rules and policies which mediate communication and seeks to serve the media owners, the content creators as well as the society at large.

Section 3 of the Broadcasting Act

The main thrust of the Section 3 of the Broadcasting Act is to display the Canadian talent, maximize the use of creativity while using the independent production sector available in Canada to contribute actively to the change of expression.

Support Policies for Book Publishing, Magazine Publishing, Cinema, and Music recording

The support policies for Cinema in Canada include government investment in the production of such features and provision of incentives to the media for televising Canadian production. For book publishing the Canadian government has structured the publishing sector by providing it with industrial and cultural support while proving publishing grants to encourage publishing. In the magazine publishing sector, the government has been conducting ownership control through the Income Tax Act while provisions are made to not include the split run editions.

Media Ownership

Mass media in the region is under either private or public ownership that all operate in a mixed economy with no presence of free market economics. Media ownership in Canada primarily takes the form of oligopoly or monopoly in the market as major production houses and media companies head multiple segments of media in the market. This is mostly due to presence of expansive US media pertaining to films, television, Cinema and even the publishing and magazine sector. The newspaper publishing sector is the only sector where the Canadian ownership dominates over the US ownerships of media.

Horizontal and Vertical Integration

Horizontal integration involves selling similar products in different types of markets. In terms of the communications sector in Canada, the media giants tend to offer the same product and services to the consumers through different channels of dissemination. Vertical integration on the other hand involves creating a hierarchy or product and services whereby different products and which are market specific are provided to the customer. Vertical integration also exists in the Canadian communications sector whereby they are providing services for television, cinema as well as publishing materials all under the name of one company.

Journalists report facts independent of owners and independent of the marketing of news organizations to the public. Discuss.

While essentially the job of the reporter is to report the truth and the facts as they exits, in reality it is not how journalism actually goes down. While freedom of press does exist, the journalists are not allowed to report what they want. Journalism in the real work is managed by the companies and the media giants that employ journalists for their news channels. They manage what is to be reported, how it is to be reported, what elements are to be kept hidden from the public and the how the news is to be reported to their audience. As a result journalism takes the form of storytelling where almost everything is orchestrated and predetermined.

Shortcomings Gatekeeping Model

The Gatekeeping model in communications enables the media generators and disseminators to filter out information that is not suitable for public viewing or their opinion should not be revealed to the public. The shortcomings of this model pertain to the fact that it omits half parts of the truth associated with the content and is hypocritical to the concept of free journalism. Moreover it also can empower the gate keepers to abuse the power they have on the media.

Technological determinism is a limited framework for understanding social change. Yet Chapter 10 reviews an abundant number of cases in which societies are being changed by technological innovation. Discuss.

Technological change is in fact a limited framework for understanding social change as the society is highly volatile and can use technology by controlling it for its own purposes. While the presence of technology does pave way for social change, the social change actually comes about due to the application that society puts the technology to further achieve their objectives and goals. This can be represented through the case of the internet which was launched as a communication tool, and with the increased use and development of the communication technology based on the internet and the increased acceptance and knowledge of the technology as depicted by the society, internet has become an alternate media for communication instead of simply a communication tool

The cultural sphere is witnessing the expansion and intensification of a trend toward increased trade and increased dominance of exports by certain producing countries. While this increased trade causes some resentment from time to time, it has the potential to bring greater social harmony in the long run. Discuss.

The advancement of technology and the integration of cultures through media in the recent years have resulted in globalization taking place which has reduced the political boundaries between countries and created a trend towards increased trade. However due to the same reason trade dominance has also occurred whereby certain producing countries like the United States have managed to capture and capitalize on the Canadian market, taking the market share away from the Canadian media industry, While in the shirt run it may seem as a cause for resentment, in the long run competitive efficiencies will form whereby each country and culture would stele into a niche position in the globalized market which best benefits them and provides them with a comparative advantage., This would bring greater social harmony as the political and cultural boundaries would be blurred in favor of a cohesive society which can coexist.

Relationship between Economic, Political, and Social Dependence

Economic, political and social dependence are all part of the external environments that effect the communication sector in a globalized context. The economic dependence of the sector is based on the contribution it makes to the economy of the company and the funding it receives from the economic growth generated to further expand and establish itself in the market. The political dependence is associated with the monopolistic and the oligopolistic nature of the companies operating in the industry and how communication can be changed and altered for political agenda and interests as well. The social dependence on the other hand is associated with the dependence of the media on the consumers, and how they change their programming styles and content to satisfy the needs of the society.

Implications of the development of the internet and the considerable migration of people away from television programs to internet activities

Internet is a fast developing digital technology for communications that has gained the attention of the masses. The ease if availability of the technology and the advantages it provides in terms of access to media and communication has made people migrate to the internet instead of using books, newspapers, magazines or even television. Media based companies are seeking to provide their customers with equally good services on the internet through e-newspapers, online magazines, streaming television channels on the internet as well as continuous news feeds. The interactive nature of the internet and the ease of use and access it provides to the audience along with the convenience have made it the new channel of digital products and services for the media.

Why would it be said that Maher Arar was caught up in a rigid communication system?

The case of Maher Arar was an unfortunate incident where his international human rights were violated on a baseless suspicious n of him being associated with the Al-Qaeda. As a result of his arrest Arar was interrogated and tortured in the US and then deported to Syria where he was extensively tortured and kept for about a year before being sent to Canada which was his home country. In the following years it has been revealed that the main cause for the unfortunate events that followed Arars arrest were based on improper communication strategy employed by the US government. The US and Canadian governments are allies in mutually beneficial terms, however despite their friendly collaboration, in the case of Arar, the US handling of the communication with the Canadian government was very much mishandled that eventually led him to be deported to Syria instead of being cleared of charged and being sent to Canada. The bureaucratic set up of the government in both the countries prevented efficient communications on the case and therefore it is justified to say that Arar was caught up in a rigid communication system.

References

Lorimer, R., Gasher, M., Skinner, D., Mass Communication in Canada, Ed. 6^th, Oxford University Press, 2007

Introduction

Public relations professionals play a critical role in influencing debate in the public sphere. According to Gower (2018), these professionals have a critical role of influencing public opinion and protecting the image of organizations they represent in the public domain. They can also help in championing for or against a given issue that is of national and international interest. A recent report by Balasubramanian (2020) shows that cases of domestic violence have been on the rise since the COVID-19 outbreak became a pandemic in Australia. Most of the victims of the violence are women. The primary source of information about domestic violence during this period has been not-for-profit organizations and various government organizations receiving reports about assaults, such as the law enforcement agencies. These sources tend to represent these organizations as they struggle to fight domestic violence during these trying times. Public relations activities which have contributed to these stories include deliberate advertisings in the social media and debates on mass media platforms to bring to the attention of the public dangers of domestic violence. In this paper, the focus of the researcher is to discuss how these public communication professionals influence the debate on domestic violence in the public sphere.

Public Relations and Advertising

In most of the major debates in the public sphere, the opinion that the majority tend to develop depends on the information that they get from both mass and social media platforms. As such, government entities and not-for-profit organizations are often keen on defining public opinion by using representatives who can champion for a given idea. McNair (2018) defines public relations as a practice that deliberately focuses on the management of spread of information that is favorable to the image of an organization. On the other hand, advertising refers to the practice of developing and spreading commercials meant to promote a brand or a given message to the masses Public communication professionals often use various forms of media to influence what people think, how important an issue is, and how publics think about an issue. They achieve these goals through public relations, as discussed below.

How Public Relations and Advertising Influence What People Think

One of the principal goals of public relations is to influence what people think about a given issue. Currently, domestic violence has emerged as a major concern during this COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of public relations experts is to redefine the perception of society towards domestic violence (Balasubramanian, 2020). There is a deliberate attempt to remind these people that violence cannot be the best approach to solving domestic problems. They have to understand that it is normal for people to disagree, but using violence only worsens the situation. By influencing how people think about the issue, there is the hope that cases of domestic violence will reduce during this period.

How Public Relations and Advertising Influence How Important an Issue Is

Public relations and advertising often influence how members of the public believe an issue is important, as Johnston (2016) observes. When there is a regular advertisement and communication from various government authorities, it creates the impression that the issue is of great importance. The government of Australia has been spending a significant amount of resources to sponsor advertisements on various platforms to champion domestic violence. Non-profit organizations such as Mission Australia and Australian Women against Violence Alliance have also been keen on using public relations to educate the masses on the dangers of domestic violence. These debates have helped in emphasizing the importance of this issue and the need for members of the public to take it seriously.

How Public Relations and Advertising Influence How Publics Think About an Issue

Public relations and advertising can also help in defining how members of the public think about an issue. According to Presot (2019), some of the perpetrators of domestic violence often believe that assaulting a spouse physically is a demonstration of their superiority in their houses. Public relations can redefine how these people think about the use of violence. Constant messaging can be a reminder to these people that they do not have to use violence to assert their positions in the family. Instead, they can use dialogue to achieve their goals. Whenever conflicts arise, they can use different non-violent measures to ensure that there is a consensus over various family-related issues.

Parameters, Limitations, and Opportunities Specific to Different Sectors

Defining the parameters, limitations, and opportunities specific to different sectors mentioned above is crucial when using public communication professionals to fight domestic violence in the country. Both non-profit entities and public organizations have to define parameters that have to be observed in their public relations in terms of financial investment and time (Chilcutt and Brooks, 2019). In both cases, the investment made may be limited because of the budget set aside for such activities. Non-profit organizations often rely on donations to fund their activities. They have to ensure that they spend what they can afford. The emergence of social media platforms helps both government entities and non-profit organizations to communicate with the public without making heavy investments.

Their Effect on How Public Communication Professionals Do Their Work

The parameters, limitations, and opportunities in the two sectors have a major effect on how public communication professionals do their work. According to Dezelan and Vobic (2016), these professionals often need time and financial resources to develop effective messages and use appropriate platforms to reach out to various audiences. When time and resources are limited, they may not have the capacity to effectively influence the debate in the public sphere. A desirable impact can only be achieved if the right platform is used and the message is released at regular intervals over a considerable period.

How Entities Use Public Communication Professionals to Fight Domestic Violence

Government entities and non-profit organizations in Australia have been keen on fighting domestic violence in the country, especially during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mission Australia and Australian Women against Violence Alliance are some of the not-for-profit institutions at the forefront of the fight against the vice in the country. Law enforcement agencies have also used various platforms to discourage men and women from using violence to solve their problems (Presot, 2019). Public communications professionals have played a major role in passing appropriate messages to the masses. Advertising and public relations in not-for-profit entities and public organizations have been crucial in influencing the debate over domestic violence in the public sphere. These entities rely on the expertise of public communication professionals to develop effective messages and select effective communication platforms to reach out to the masses with the right information.

Media Effects Theories and Research

Understanding media effects is important when discussing how communication professionals influence the debate on the public sphere in important issues such as domestic violence in Australia during this pandemic period. Domestic violence is an issue that has attracted the attention of researchers over a long period of time. Issues such as causes, prevalence, and effects of the problem are adequately published (Powell and Bromley, 2020). The current trend is worrying, especially because of the progress that had been made in the fight against this problem.

Media Agenda-Setting Theory

It is necessary to review some of the theories relevant to this discussion. The agenda-setting theory is particularly relevant to this topic. Kenski and Jamieson (2017) explain that this theory focuses on the ability the importance that is placed on specific topics, which are of public interest. Currently, one of the main issues of public interest in Australia is the increasing cases of domestic violence during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The defining principle of this theory is the importance of focusing on a specific issue and eliciting debate about it. In this case, public communications professionals should focus on domestic violence and encourage debates about the issue. The goal is to promote alternative means of solving disputes instead of using violence. Using this theory, public communications professionals can promote dialogue and reliance on counselors to solve domestic disputes among partners in a family instead of the use of violence.

Information on the Different Sectors and Public Communication Practice

Public organizations and not-for-profit entities have taken the issue of domestic violence in the country seriously and are taking various measures to address the problem. According to Schlosberg (2017), each of these sectors has taken almost a similar approach of disseminating information to the public about the issue. They are using both mass and social media in their public communication practices. Facebook has become a major platform for communicating to younger couples in a platform where they can share their views on the issue. The interactive platforms help these organizations to understand some of the common causes of domestic violence during this unprecedented period and strategies that can be used to solve the problem. Other popular social media platforms that these entities use to communicate to the public include YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Mass media has also remained relevant in such campaigns. Television and radio commercials are still important in passing important information to the targeted audience in the country.

Conclusion

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the global community has had an unprecedented impact on many families. In Australia, studies have shown that the stress and frustrations have led to increased cases of domestic violence, often against women. Cases of physical abuse among partners are at an all-time high, which is a worrying trend given the milestone that the country had achieved in the fight against this vice. Government entities such as law enforcement agencies and non-profit organizations such as Mission Australia and Australian Women against Violence Alliance have taken a leading role in the fight against this vice during this period. They have used public communication professionals to promote national debate in the public sphere against domestic violence. People are given opportunities in both mass and social media platforms to share factors that have led to the rise in domestic violence. The same platforms are then used to promote alternative conflict resolution strategies.

Reference List

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Chilcutt, A. and Brooks, J. (2019) Engineered to speak: helping you create and deliver engaging technical presentations. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Dezelan, T. and Vobic, I. (eds.) (2016) Revolutionizing political communication through social media. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.

Gower, K. (2018) Legal and ethical considerations for public relations. 3rd edn. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.

Johnston, J. (2016) Public relations and the public interest. New York, NY: Routledge.

Kenski, K. and Jamieson, H. (eds.) (2017) The political handbook of political communication. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

McNair, B. (2018) An introduction to political communication. 6th edn. New York, NY: Routledge.

Powell, W. and Bromley, P. (eds.) (2020) The nonprofit sector: a research handbook. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Presot, D. (2019) The corona crisis: the terrifying true story of the origins of the coronavirus (COVID-19). New York, NY: Random Press.

Schlosberg, J. (2017) Media ownership and agenda control: the hidden limits of the information age. New York, NY: Routledge.