Zemen Radar

The number of mobile phone users in the UK has been increasing tremendously day by day. The availability of cheap mobile phone deals is one of the major factors behind of this. Mobile phone users in the UK can avail attractive mobile phone contract deals and also can use the cheapest mobile phones. It has always been seen that the cheap mobile phone deals take on the form of contractual agreements. These agreements are signed for pre-specified periods of 12 months or 18 months between network service providers and mobile phone users. In this process mobile phone users will have to pay a monthly line rental and that is inexpensive and industry leading. The tariff structures have been made after a careful analysis of the calling habits of all the mobile phone users from different society.

Thus all the people from different community will enjoy a cheap mobile phone contract. So if any body is interested in getting cheapest mobile phone in the market, he or she can avail of a cheap mobile phone contract. Thus in the UK, mobile phone users can get to have a cheap mobile phone – thanks to all these cheap mobile phone deals. In order to get cheap mobile phone deals, all that you need to do is to browse through the online mobile phone shops those are having all these deals from different network operators such as Three mobile, T-mobile, and Orange mobile.

These mobile phone shops in the UK are having a wide range of mobile phones from leading mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson etc. Just you need to select your most preferred handset of your choice. I can assure that you would surely be able to get a cheap mobile phone deal for yourself.

Thus a cheap mobile phone deal is easily accessible. The leading mobile phone manufacturing companies such as Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson are offering cheap mobile phone deals on their latest handsets. The mobile phone users in the UK can save their precious money using these deals.

If you are looking for latest and cheap mobile phone deals, then I can assure that Smobilephone.co.uk is the best mobile phone shop in the UK where you can get all cheap mobile phone deals with latest mobile phones. Smobilephone.co.uk offers all kind of mobile phones such as Nokia N95, N96, Samsung E900, Nokia N73, Nokia N72, Sony Ericsson K610i, Samsung D900, etc.

The word gadgets don’t only correspond with the technology in computers. It may also assimilate towards the kitchen appliances which may ease your work and provide you with a level of comfort in preparing a meal. Gadgets simply tranquilize your work in any aspect. And if you are talking about the kitchen gadgets, they not only tranquilize the work but also help in doing it faster and providing a better quality. The demands of the kitchen gadgets are increasing rapidly in the market due to their different use. Some of them are used in making the appetizers and some for preparing mock tails and drinks. Kitchen is the most loved part of a house for a homemaker woman and she demands the best appliances and gadgets to be available in kitchen. They add fun and interest to her cooking and she surprises you with a new recipe every day.

An enormous amount of kitchen gadgets are available, some of them being the basic ones like a coffee maker, a mixer, food processor, chapatti maker and juicer. But the gadgets can’t be called gadgets without any technology being used in them. So the best of the kitchen gadgets include electric cookers, microwaves, blenders, and many more. They can be searched from the internet and are also available online on various reputable sites. You may also get to know about them from the TV serials like home shopping and the various gadget selling advertisements that are featured after midnight. The grilling machines as an instance are available from the home shop online. They are safe to operate and one can easily make grilled sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs at home with great ease. The best thing about them is that they operate from electricity but also proved shock resistant and ISI marked.

The best thing about kitchen gadgets are that you can use them for décor purpose of kitchen; they are easily portable, can be operated with ease, time saving and gives you a better taste than what you got earlier. So apart from updating your collection with the IPods, PSP’s, and such gadgets; also keep an eye over the kitchen gadgets. You can buy them sitting at home, and gift them too on any special occasion. Keep in mind that the kitchen is an essential part of your home and it should be treated in a good manner so that it provides maximum usefulness. Your money will not get wasted rather it will be spent in bringing a smile on your wife’s face. So look out for the latest gadget online and woo your partner by gifting her same.   

Running Head: Breaking the Technology Barrier

Breaking the Technology Barrier: Using Technology in Education

Patrick Wellert

ETC 558

Northern Arizona University

Abstract

It has long been difficult for teachers to effectively communicate the objectives and goals in a fun and exciting way that reaches the students.  In the changing times teachers need to find ways to include students into the lesson using the technology made available to them. It has long been believed that teachers need to get over their fear and use technology openly with students in order to meet their educational needs. By including students into the lessons teachers will experience a more positive classroom experience.

 Breaking the Technology Barrier: Using Technology in Education

            Technology and education have always seemed to go together. In order to prepare students for the workplace or college they need to be able to be exposed to it. Teachers in the classroom use technology believing that the students are gaining valuable information and retaining the concepts taught but in reality the students need to be involved in the lesson and actively participating in activities that include technology. Student engagement is critical to student motivation during the learning process. The more students are motivated to learn, the more likely it is that they will be successful in their efforts. (Beeland, 2002).

Uses of Technology

            There are numerous uses of technologies that are available to teachers to include students into the classroom’s lesson. These include Interactive Whiteboards, Proximas, PowerPoint games, interactive DVDs, Ventrilo chat software, Myspace, Blackboard, and scavenger hunts. To put the uses of technology into an effective practice, teachers need to help students set achievable goals; encourage students to assess themselves and their peers; help them to work co-operatively in groups and ensure that they know how to exploit all the available resources for learning (Hall, 2006). The following are how some technology is used to help students learn.

Interactive Whiteboards

            There are two different types of whiteboards. The first is a virtual version of a dry erase board. It allows students to see what the instructor or other students write or draw using a special pen. The second functions similar to a normal whiteboard but also contains a projector screen, an electronic copy board or as a computer projector screen on which the computer image can be controlled by touching or writing on the surface of the panel instead of using a mouse or keyboard. They function by connecting a projector to the whiteboard panel with the use of a computer and software. It is important to know the different functions in order to determine which whiteboard is right for the educator. By knowing the difference you can also learn the terminology and understand the basic functions of each.

Proximas and PowerPoint

            PowerPoint is a software program that is being used in the classroom as a tool to incorporate learning activities into the curriculum. PowerPoint enables teachers and students to actively create presentations with graphics, charts, diagrams, and pictures in their slideshows to help make often complicated ideas and lessons more manageable and understandable. It is a way for students to engage in research, and present information to their peers. When students are actively learning, taking an active role in the learning process, they seem to understand the information better, and enjoy the lesson. The use of a game also allowed Jones and Mungai to directly address the learning style needs of the visual (58%) and tactile learner (22%), which represents eighty-percent of those involved in the content related courses. When constructed with different learning styles in mind, games can often accelerate the learning process (Jones & Mungai, 2003). By itself PowerPoint is not a cure-all remedy, but rather a tool that needs to be understood and used properly for it to be effective as an active learning tool. It also has shown that students that did use PowerPoint as a learning tool were more engaged in the discussions (Rowcliffe, 2003). This will encourage teachers to use PowerPoint as a way to involve students into a lesson by stimulating discussion. For PowerPoint to take place in a classroom an Interactive Whiteboard or a Proxima is needed. A Proxima displays a computer screen onto a screen much like a projector at a movie theater. The user is able to display items such as websites, PowerPoint, and interactive games. A way for students to interact using this technology is through games created by teachers and used in the PowerPoint lesson. Games such as Hollywood Squares, Jeopardy, and Who Wants to be a Millionaire are created using slides and links to answer the questions. Teachers may use a blank template and fill them with different answers for the students to use as a review. Teachers may even let the students create their own review using the blank templates. This activity can also be used in a small group or team setting.

 Advantages to the Students

Learning sciences research tells us that students learn much better “by doing” rather than “by listening.” This means that passive learning – the traditional lecture – is being replaced in our classrooms by more active learning activities that emphasize student problem solving, discussion, presentation and other “authentic” learning-by-doing-activities. (Day, 2004). By including students into the lesson it opens up a realm of possibilities because students can retain roughly only 10% of what they write down.

Teacher Apprehension

            So why are teachers not using technology that engages and interacts more frequently with students? There are many reasons why teachers feel apprehensive or uncomfortable using an interactive whiteboard, proxima and PowerPoint. The first of which could be the length of time from their college prep program until now. Teachers often get exposed to and learn new technologies in their teacher prep courses. Some might not have been prepared enough upon entering the workforce. Although the availability of technology in American schools has increased (US Department of Education, 2000), information released by The National Education Association (2004) indicates that less than 35% of public school teachers feel they are “well prepared” or “very well prepared” to use this technology effectively.

            The second reason is blockage from the school’s control or security system. Teachers claim that the firewalls and filtering systems create blockage in their attempts to educate and communicate with others with technology (Murray, 2004). The teachers and other users can become frustrated when they do not understand why a certain item like a website used for a scavenger hunt or a hyperlink in a PowerPoint are not available.

            The inconsistency from school to school is another reason. At one site there may be access to all different types of technology while at another the absence is very evident. The general public perception is that our schools are using technology and managing our resources in that area well. In several surveys done some schools do show nearly 100 percent use of technology while in others the use of technology is nonexistent (Starr, 2003).

Summary

The research has shown that there are proven benefits to using technology in the classroom. The ability to integrate technology into the classroom can add valuable information and ideas to our students.

By facilitating Proximas, PowerPoint, and interactive whiteboards our teachers will be able to reach a broader audience of learners.    

References

Beeland, W.D. (2002). Student engagement, visual learning and technology: can interactive

whiteboards help? Retrieved May 31, 2008, from www.apexavsi.com

Day, J. (2004). Enhancing the classroom learning experience with web lectures. Retrieved May 31, 2008 from http://smartech.gatech.edu/dspace/handle/1853/65

Hall, B. (2008, March 4). Explorations in learning. Message posted to Student Centered Learning, archived at http://secondlanguagewriting.com/explorations/Archives/2006/Jul/Studentcent

eredLearning.html

Jones, D. C. & Mungai, D. (2003). Technology-enabled teaching for maximum learning.

International Journal of Learning, (10), 3491-3501.     

Murray, C. (2004). Teachers: Limited time, access cut school tech use [Electronic version] e School news, 1-5

National Education Association. (2004): Technology in Schools. Retrieved May 31, 2008 from

http://www.nea.org/cet/

Rowcliffe, S. (2003) Using PowerPoint effectively in science education: lessons

from research and guidance for the classroom. School Science Review 84 (309).

Starr, L. (2003). Encouraging teacher technology use [Electronic Version] Education World, pg 1

US Department of Education. (2000). Internet access in public schools. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistic.

Changes to Victorian Road Rules that specifically target the use of mobile phones and visual displays (like GPS devices); will take effect from 9 November 2009.

The new mobile phone rules have been revised, allowing both the navigational (GPS) and audio/music functions of a mobile phone to be used, provided the mobile phone is secured in a commercially designed holder fixed to the vehicle.

Mobile phones - Using a mobile phone while driving is prohibited, except to make or receive a phone call or to use its audio/music functions provided the phone:

Is secured in a commercially designed holder fixed to the vehicle, or Can be operated by the driver without touching any part of the phone. Using a phone as a GPS while driving is prohibited unless it is secured in a commercially designed holder fixed to the vehicle.

Further changes include the prohibition of Learner and P1 drivers from using a mobile phone at all while driving and holding the phone (whether or not engaged in a phone call), which includes resting the mobile on the driver’s lap.

Visual display units - A driver must not drive a vehicle that has a television receiver or a visual display unit operating if any part of the screen is visible to the driver or is likely to distract another driver. A driver can use a driver’s aid such as a navigation device but it must be an integrated part of the vehicle design, or secured in a commercially designed holder, which is fixed to the vehicle.

Exemptions - The rule relating to securing visual display units does not apply to motorcycles.

Road safety reasons - Using a mobile phone or a visual display unit as you drive is distracting and creates dangerous situations that could be fatal. The risk of being involved in a crash increases by as much as four times, when using a mobile phone as you drive, and if you are texting the risk of crashing increases to 23 times.

Demerit points and fines - Over the next few months, Victorian Road Traffic Police will be actively enforcing the changes to mobile phone and GPS use whilst driving. Penalties for infringing these rules can be costly, not only financially but also from a “demerit points” perspective as well!
A standard demerit point deduction of 3 points now applies to an infringement of these rules, along with a 4 “on the spot” fine. A complete list of Road Traffic offences and applicable demerit points can be accessed by clicking here.

In Summary - Have your mobile phone (or GPS device) mounted in a cradle and “fix” the cradle to a point in your vehicle that doesn’t obscure your vision.

Consider purchasing a “Bluetooth” device that will allow you to receive and make calls without touching your mobile phone. The investment required for a Bluetooth device maybe the best investment you’ll make this year. To learn more about compatible Bluetooth devices and cradles for your mobile phone please contact us on 1300557520, or click here to send us an email.