The Monstrosity: a Common Trait in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Shelley’s Frankenstein

Through time, the theme of the monstrosity has been a prominent subject in many novels and plays. In the play â€Å"Macbeth,† Macbeth illustrates monstrous traits though his ambition as he strives to become the king of Scotland. Victor in Shelley’s Frankenstein also displays monstrous behaviors by using science along with his ambition to create his prodigious mammoth. Moreover, Both Lady Macbeth and the three witches imply their satanic traits by influencing Macbeth to become the monstrous king that he is while Victor become influence by both his place in time which is the Romantic Era and by the monster himself. In addition, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth died as a result of their diabolical actions. This is comparable to the sufferings of Victor and Elizabeth because of the monster’s revenge plans and Victor himself. Thus, in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Shelley’s Frankenstein, monstrosity is apparent throughout the ambitions, influences and outcomes of the main character’s actions. In the play, the main character Macbeth has the ambition to become and remain king. In order to become king, Macbeth needs to kill Duncan who has done absolutely nothing wrong. Duncan is a very noble king. However, Macbeth’s ambition leads him to be more abnormal and it hurts his reputation in the process. â€Å"I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on’t again, I dare not† (Shakespeare 2. 2. 53-55). Here, Macbeth intensifies his ambition and drive by trying to become the king of Scotland. Macbeth contemplates the idea that being king, he could do whatever he wants to. The truth is that to attain that position, Macbeth had to murder many innocent people like Duncan. He wants to be king so badly that he never looks back at what he did. By looking back at the situation, Macbeth thinks that it will bring guilt to him. Similarity, Lady Macbeth cold-bloodily expands her ambition to become queen of Scotland. Some of her ambition rubs off on Macbeth. It is she who has the idea to kill Duncan. She goes as far as to call out the spirits. â€Å"That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements, come you spirits that tend on moral thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe-top full† (Shakespeare 1. 5. 38-41). Here, Lady Macbeth wants to unsex herself. She wants to be more of a powerful, uncaring human by getting rid of her feminine side. It allows her to achieve her ambition. Furthermore, she talks about the crown going from head to toe. Just like her husband, she needs Macbeth to be king so she can be queen. Lady Macbeth is willing to pay any price. Ambition plays a big role in both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s lives as they try to rule Scotland. In Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor and the monster show their ambition during their quest for knowledge. On the night when Victor formulates his creature, he realizes that his ambition has been a failure just by looking at his creation. Moreover, his plans became ruined. He had expectations that kind of came to an unexpected stop. â€Å"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wrench whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God† (Shelley 43)! Victor’s ambition has now been a catastrophe. He compares the monster to a wrench because he sees the being as a letdown and a bad accomplishment. His words displays that his feelings are monstrous. By comparing his creature to a wrench, he is being very discriminatory, making him monstrous. He attempts to be recognized by society and from his perspective; it is impossible to achieve that. Like Lady Macbeth, Victor has also unsex himself because while Lady Macbeth gets rid of her feminine side, Victor gets rid of his world view and put aside all of the caring values at home. However, he did not intend to be evil, he did it for the purpose of science. Similar to Victor, the monster has his own ambition. The monster had the ambition to meet new people despite his ugliness. When he introduces himself to the De Laceys, they strike back. â€Å"Agatha fainted, and Safie, unable to attend to her friend, rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore me from his father, to whose knees I clung; in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick† (Shelley 123-124). Here, the monster tries to fulfill his ambition by meeting the De Laceys. He attempts to explain his ambition. However, things turn out wrong for him. Because of the way, Felix discriminates against him and considers him a monster based on his looks. His social drive leads him to being a satanic-appearing creature in the eyes of the De Laceys. That is why Felix hits him with a stick and Safie runs away. They do not believe in him. Likewise, Macduff sees evil in Macbeth, as he does not attend his coloration. He just like Felix thinks that he is a monster. Nonetheless, Macbeth is really evil and has evil ambitions. The monster on the other hand does not. Thus, monstrosity is portrayed in the ambitions of both Victor and the monster throughout their intentions to be accepted in society. Macbeth not only shows monstrosity through his own ambition, he also shows it as a result of other influences. One huge influence on Macbeth is none other than his wife. Although Macbeth had the ambition to become king, he does not have the drive to carry through. This is where Lady Macbeth comes in. She is the one who drives Macbeth into killing Duncan, becoming a temptress in the process. â€Å"We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we’ll not fail. When Duncan is asleep, Whereto the rather shall his day’s hard journey soundly invite him, his two chamberlains will I with wine and wassail so convince that memory, the warder of the brain, Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason a limbeck only† (Shakespeare 1. 7. 59-67). Here it shows that Lady Macbeth takes an enormous role in Macbeth’s ambition. Through her words, Lady Macbeth displays her gruesome traits. She is willing to take the initiative and kill Duncan for Macbeth. Sadly, Macbeth falls for it. The thought of murdering someone is indeed monstrous. The three witches additionally have influence Macbeth in a way that drives Macbeth to become king. When Macbeth first listens to the predictions of the three witches, he is in shock. He later realizes that it can be a reality. The witches are temptresses in Macbeth’s eyes. â€Å"All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis. All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor. All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter† (Shakespeare 1. 3. 46-48). Here, the three witches are predicting the future of Macbeth as they tell him that he will become king one day. This evil influence propels Macbeth to do whatever it takes to become king. They make Macbeth believe that he can be king. This influence kick starts Macbeth’s plans to kill Duncan. Thus, monstrosity is demonstrated as both Lady Macbeth and the witches act like temptresses to Macbeth while he strives to become king. Victor also had some influences that cause him to display some monstrosity. The Romantic Era could be a huge influence on Victor as he thrives to create his creation. His society is described as a revolutionary and rebellious one. As scientists in the Romantic Era make new and new discoveries, it thrusts Victor into creating his own. When the professor reveals that Victor wrong about his theory on why the tree lit up, it causes Victor to revolutionize the world of science. â€Å"As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from a old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stamp. When we visited it the next morning, we found the tree shattered in a single manner† (Shelley 26). Here, Victor sees a tree being shattered by lightning. A modern philosopher introduces Victor about his ideas on electricity and galvanism and why the tree completely shattered. He proves that all the scientist Victor follows like Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus were wrong. As the science professor proves Victor wrong, it causes Victor to create and do something bigger so that he can top him one day. He has the thirst for knowledge, knowing that in the Romantic Era, anything is possible. This era also poses some supernatural and mystical effects that might cause Victor to create his monster. It foreshadows that Victor would isolate himself from his family in order to modernize the science world. The isolation of Victor proves that his is monstrous. Victor gets hints from the Romantic Era similarly to Macbeth getting hints from Lady Macbeth and the witches. The monster has also influence Victor to becoming more atrocious throughout the back and forth affair with the two. The conflict between Victor and the monster starts to take its course. Victor promises the monster to make him a female companion so that the monster would not feel lonely. Conversely, Victor destroys the monster, thinking that it would take over and corrupt the world. This causes the monster to be angry. Additionally, he tells Victor that he will be there on his wedding night. Victor becomes paranoid to the point where he starts bringing out weapons. â€Å"In the meantime I took every precaution to defend my person in case the fiend should openly attack me. I carried pistols and a dagger constantly about me and was ever on the watch to prevent artifice, and by these means ained a greater degree of tranquility† (Shelley 182). Victor’s one mistake of abandoning the monster at birth has cause the monster to seek revenge by killing William and Justine. Victor sees this and accepts the monster’s request of creating a female companion, but later destroys it. This triggers the creature to strike back at Victor on his wedding night. At his wedding night, he carries around weapons in case the monster shows up. Victor becomes paranoid ever since the monster utters that he will be there on Victor’s wedding night. However at the same time, Victor is scaring Elizabeth with all his weapons. In Elizabeth’s eyes, Victor seems more evil. Victor is being more horrific to Elizabeth even though he is protecting her. Plus, she does not even know that the monster coming; Victor hides this information it from her. This shows that Victor is worried more about the monster (self-protection) than Elizabeth, which makes him monstrous. Thus, Victor displays monstrosity, as he becomes influence by the Romantic Era and the monster. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both illustrate their monstrous personality, which leads to some key outcomes during their ruling as king and queen. According to the witches, Macbeth gets paranoid that either Banquo or his son Fleance might become the next king. So he calls out three murderers to kill them. He does not have this drive before, but once he is king, he wants to remain king and is willing to do anything. Moreover, he calls murderers to kill the family of Macduff since he poses as a threat to him. â€Å"I have no words, my voice is in my sword, thou bloodier villain than terms can give out to thee† (Shakespeare 5. 8. 6-8). This shows that Macbeth’s immoral actions done on the family of Macduff have made him angry. Macbeth causes his angriness due to what transpired. Macduff calls Macbeth a villain because he is the one who kills Lady Macduff as well as his son. From the looks of it, Macduff really want to get his hands on Macbeth and kill him. Macduff has the quest for revenge and is eager to go the distance. In the end, the outcome is that Macbeth’s actions has cause him to die in the hands of Macduff because of his monstrous traits. Lady Macbeth also dies as a result from her own monstrous actions. Before she commits suicide, she realizes that it is her fault that Banquo died. She is the one who built Macbeth into more of a devilish being, thus making herself monstrous. Wash your hands, put on your night-gown, look not so pale. I tell you yet again, Banquo’s buried; he cannot come out on’s grave† (Shakespeare 5. 1. 54-56). This shows that Lady Macbeth has guilt for what she has done throughout the play. Lady Macbeth just like Victor creates her own monster in Macbeth and now, she suffers the consequences. She cannot even wash away her sins. She feels that it is her fault that Banquo dies. Furthermore, she commits suicide as a result because she can no longer handle he guilt. Lady Macbeth immoral actions have become a weight of guilt on her to the point where she commits suicide. Hence, the deaths of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were as an outcome of their monstrous actions done toward Scotland. Likewise, the conflict between Victor and the monster causes them to be horrific and as a result of their actions, both died which is similar to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Ever since Victor abandons the monster at his house, the monster always wants to seek revenge against Victor. He even kills all of Victor’s family members. He soon realizes that killing all those innocent people was not the right thing to do. â€Å"That is also my Victim! He exclaimed. In his murder my crimes are consummated; the miserable series of my being is wound to its close! Oh Frankenstein! Generous and self-devoted being† (Shelley 209). The monster now has guilt in him. He believes that his monstrous traits would be the main force towards the death of Victor. The monster put Victor through so much as he tries to reach the North Pole. He calls Victor his own victim even though he never really kills him. The monster realizes his corruptive mistakes, but it is too late. This also foreshadows the death of the monster. Like Lady Macbeth, the monster has a weight of guilt on his shoulders. He dies so that he could avoid that guilt. Also, because of Victor killing the female companion of the monster, it sparks the monster so much to the point where he uses monstrous traits to kill Victor’s female companion, the harmless Elizabeth. â€Å"Great God! Why did I not then expire! Why am I here to relate the destruction of the best hope and the purest creature on earth? She was there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed, her head hanging down and her pale and distorted features half covering by her hair† (Shelly 186). Here, this displays that the monster uses his scandalous individualities to kill Elizabeth. This is comparable to Macbeth as he kills the members of the Macduff family. This is probably because Victor himself demonstrates some monstrosity by killing the monster’s female companion. In a way, it was Victor’s own satanic actions that cause the monster to kill Elizabeth. Also, Victor shows his monstrous traits as he objectifies Elizabeth. Elizabeth is been treated as an object according to Victor. Elizabeth had been objectified her whole existence by Victor. Thus, the monster and Victor proves they have monstrosity and as a result, Victor, Elizabeth, the monster and others die. Therefore, ambition, influential actions, and outcomes are three aspects of the main characters that display monstrosity in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Shelley’s Frankenstein. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have the ambition to become king and queen, but they use monstrous actions like killing Duncan in order to get these positions. In comparison, both Victor and the monster uses monstrosity to achieve their goals on gaining knowledge. Furthermore, temptresses like Lady Macbeth and the three witches have influence Macbeth to be king by using scandalous characteristics of their own. Both the monster and the Romantic Era itself has cause Victor to further pursue his goal of gaining knowledge but in the process, he portrays monstrosity. Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s shameful characteristics has also resulted in the deaths of countless others including themselves. The lurid conflict between Victor and the monster has also cause their deaths, as well as the deaths of the other members in the Frankenstein family. Thus, the monstrosity is recognized in both Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Shelley’s Frankenstein throughout the main protagonists and antagonists.

John Locke vs Thomas Hobbes

Locke vs Hobbes John Locke’s belief in natural rights are correct in terms of natural rights because he believes in freedom, in every sense of the word, equality and is a firm supporter in Democracy. Locke and Hobbes conflicting views are at their most basic form, to believe man or not. Locke believes that men will, with given freedom be perpetually good. Hobbes believes otherwise, saying that men, in the state of nature will fight all of the time.Corny as it sounds, their conflicting viewpoints remind me of the age old struggle between good and evil. John Locke with his new enlightened sense of thinking in Democracy and Hobbes with his belief in more of an Autocracy, or an absolute monarchy, stuck in the thinking of the dark ages. That is why Locke's views on all men being equal, everyone being born into freedom, democracy at its most basic form and the general goodness in human beings are inherently, right.Reading excerpts from John Locke's book, you will find lots of his ar guments on equality and freedom of mans basic rights, are eerily similar to the foundation of which American government was formed, in the declaration of Independence. If some of the greatest men in our countries history believed so much in Locke's points on equality and liberty that they decided to copy these ideas into the document from which they would create one of the most successful countries in the history of the world, then shouldn't it bear in ones mind that these ideas are important?That they are too a certain degree right? These are just examples of the power Locke's book has on those who truly read it. He proves, again and again that with the belief in the genuine good in men, there will be little conflict as long as everyone is equal. I personally believe that is one hundred percent correct. As much as there are plenty of bad people on this earth, the petty crimes and small infractions of the law, with full equality and freedom to all rights, the good of men would overc ome these small difficulties, and be better for it.

12 Hour Shifts in Nursing

7 October 2011 Effects on Nurses Working Long Hours Patients in a hospital and/or healthcare facilities have to be cared for all day and all night, everyday of the week by nurses. The usual way to fulfill this need is to divide up the day into three 8-hour shifts. Different shifts have been put into place to help improve nurse satisfaction, decrease the nursing shortage and save the hospital money. The 24-hour day is made up of two 12-hour shifts; 12 hours in the day and 12 hours at night. There has been quite an ongoing debate over the years regarding this issue of nurses working over 8 hours in a single day. Many people, such as hospital nursing administrators, have reason to believe that working long hour shifts causes more errors in the workplace due to fatigue and irregular sleep schedules. Along with these reasons and other beliefs, 12-hour shifts in nursing should be revoked. The risks outweigh the benefits for extended hour shifts in hospitals and/or healthcare facilities, for both the patients and nurses. Nurses who work 12 or more hours in a single shift put at risk the health of themselves along with the health of the patients who they are treating. Working extended shifts causes fatigue, stress and lack of productivity. Errors are most common in nurses who are fatigued from working long and grueling hours. It is estimated 1. 3 million health care errors occur each year and of those errors 48,000 to 98,000 result in patient deaths. Many of these errors lead to malpractice suits and thousands of dollars lost (Keller, 497). This proves that working long hours in a health care environment will make nurses more prone to making error that may lead to patient death. Patient death is what the hospital and faculty members are trying to avoid, revoking long hour shifts seems like a proper way to start. As for the health of the nurse, nurses who work long hours are affecting their health in many ways. Some health problems that may occur in nurses are sleep problems, listlessness, and unable to think clearly. According to The American Heart Association, shift workers are inclined to drink more caffeinated beverages such as, coffee and energy drinks, smoke, and exercise less often. Along with these problems, working shifts and extended hours interfere with the body’s natural circadian rhythm, especially if working night shift. Human beings are designed to work during the daylight, not at night. â€Å"Symptoms of fatigue can include muscle weakness, lethargy, inability to think clearly or concentrate, listlessness, decreased cognitive function, anxiety, and exhaustion† (Keller, 499). This would not be acceptable for the high demands of nursing. Nurses need to be able to think clearly and stay sharp to make flash decisions incase the patients health rapidly decreases. If they are tired, they may lose this capability. Nurses also have to be able to work in high-pressure situations. If anxiety were a symptom of fatigue, this would jeopardize both the nurses and the patients. The nurse may lose her job for working while fatigued, and the patient may lose their life for not having proper care. Todays nurses would most likely oppose this argument. Most of todays nurses work long 12-hour shifts and favor them than five eight-hour shifts. They prefer working three 12-hour shifts, and then having four days off in a week. Nurses who work this shift can take a couple vacation days or sick days and be off for weeks at a time. They believe that working these long hour shifts do not affect their ability to care for patients, because they can drink coffee or soda and can take a nap on their lunch breaks. This argument may seem plausible, but reality is that these are only temporary fixes and may feel even more exhausted than before. In addition, during the four days they have off, they may feel weak and dazed so they will not be able to work a second part-time job if wanted or be with their loved-ones. After working that many hours in such a short period of time, they would need those four days off to compensate for the hard work they just endured. Health care administrators argue that having only two shifts a day (day and night) will help improve patient care because there would only be two nurses who would take care of a patient during a 24-hour shift. But still, it takes more hired nurses to fill a weeks schedule to accommodate each 12 hour shift is covered because a nurse can only work so many hours in a week. Annette Richardson claims that nurses who work extended hour shifts will be less productive during the last 2 to 3 hours of their shift. Signs of nurses being unproductive are; if he/she is taking a longer time to be with a patient than necessary, not completing patient charts and not being thorough on reports (Carson, 830). Nursing administration is there to help make patients and nurses happy and healthy. Health care administration wants the most work productivity as possible, and with having the last 3 hours of a nurses shift being unproductive will diminish that goal. Studies have shown that the most productive work schedule is working an eight-hour shift because it has the least number of errors due to workers fatigue and exhaustion. Nurses who also work long hour shifts may experience work ‘burnout’. A Burnout is a form of chronic stress related to ones job. Burnout occur most frequently in nurses who work long hours in high stress areas, such as critical care, oncology, or burn units. Symptoms of burnouts include fatigue, frequent colds, headaches, and insomnia. Mental symptoms may include decreased ability to solve problems and unwillingness to face problems and change. Nurses who suffer from burnout may quit their job or change jobs outside of the nursing profession. This causes shortages, which is currently a big issue in todays world. Not enough people are interested in the nursing career because of the high burnout rate. Linda Wilson was burning out because she worked the 3pm to 11pm shift in the critical care unit. The hospital was understaffed and had a lot of overtime. She barely got five hours a sleep a night (Ellis, 599). This proves that working too many extended hours a week with not enough sleep will cause burnout that leads to lost jobs. Lost jobs makes the shortage of nurses even higher and affecting patient care by not having enough nurses necessary to provide proper care and support to their patient during their stay. Overall, long hour shifts in nursing may have its pluses such as, a four-day weekend to be home with their loved-ones, but it also has its negative effects. Extended shifts may causes nurses to make errors while working from a lack of sleep and fatigue. This may end up in patient death or malpractice, which is the opposite of what nurses, and administrators are there to do. 12-hour days will eventually cause harm to him/herself because our bodies are not meant to work long and grueling hours because fatigue disrupts their ability to think clearly and quickly and may cause stress. With all of these going against them, they might get burned out and decide to quit or change jobs. An abundance of burnouts will create a larger nursing shortage than there already is, making the whole situation worse. I believe working 8-hours a day with three total shifts to make up a 24 hour day is the best way for both the nurses and the patients sake. It will reduce the amount of errors made do to fatigue and it will increase productivity in the workplace because nurses would not be affected by exhaustion. Works Cited

Strategic management for engineers and technologists Case Study

Strategic management for engineers and technologists - Case Study Example The differentiating factor of Harley Davidson had been its heavy customization offering to customers and its distinctive design (b). INDUSTRY Harley Davidson has been among the leading players in the motorbike industry. Two-wheeler plays significant role in leisure industry in addition to meeting transportation-needs. For instance, sporting bikes and high way cruising bikes are used for leisure and sporting purpose etc (Mason, 2012). Worldwide motorcycle industry accounts for around $63.5 billion in 2010 according to the Report Linker, (2012). The growth status of the industry has been none over the last four years as reported by aforementioned research (Report Linker, 2012). However, the report forecasts growth of around six percent in for 2010-2015 (Report Linker, 2012). KEY SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS The close substitute of the motor bikes is car. Mintel research reports transportation expenses on the motor bikes, cars both used and new ones. The research reported significant rise old ca rs and two wheelers contribution in expenditure as compared to new cars as given below: 2001 2011 % change ?m ?m 2001-11 Consumer expenditure on new cars 32,200 26,895 -16.5 Consumer expenditure on used cars 25,400 38,165 50.3 Two-wheelers 1,774 2,226 25.5 Petrol, oil & antifreeze 19,391 34,582 78.3 Car & van hire 1,545 2,019 30.7 Other transport & motor vehicle running costs* 15,156 26,200 72.9 Total 95,466 130,087 36.3 (Mason, 2012) KEY COMPETENCIES Possession of key competencies is critical to remain among the dominant or even sustaining position in any industry. Key competencies that that motor bike firms require to develop include: Innovative expertise and research and development: Innovation capabilities have taken crucial role in the firm’s core competencies in every industry and same is the case with this industry. Innovation plays a significant role in motor bike industry as well. For instance, Japanese motor bikes invaded the US industry with innovative capability t o develop smaller, faster, fuel efficient models of the motor bikes (b). HD with its capabilities innovated improved mechanism when European Laws mandated noise control. HD managed to change its core gear production competency that was giving noise output (Modern Machine Shop, 1996). Over the period of time motor bike industry has witnessed significant innovations in form of Razr Scooters, BMW C1, Segway etc (Keller, 2012). Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) being recent innovation is to take significant market in years to come (Report Linker, 2012). Technology, speed, engine, environmental compatibility, weight and design are areas of continuous innovation in the motor bike industry. Supplier and distributor relationship Management: Supplier relationship management is critical for such mechanical products. Components outsourced are required to be strictly in line with specification in order to ensure fine fitting of final product. Similarly distributor relationship management is also extremely important. Consumer’s purchase decision receives strong impact from the distributors’ recommendation as motor bikes require significant investment. Hence, well established distributors relationship management plays dominant role in firm’s position in the market. Information Technology Systems: Technological advancement has significantly impact different industries. Research and development, managing huge manufacturing plants, financials, marketing hence all areas are dependent on effective

LOVE Chapter 17 Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

LOVE Chapter 17 Questions - Research Paper Example They are separated by space because translation of the RNA occurs in the cytoplasm but DNA is only located in the nucleus so that is the only area where transcription can occur (Ruse 112-150). Question5. Codon is a 3-nucleotide sequence that codes for amino acids. The linear codon sequence and the linear amino acid have a 3-nucleotide to 1 amino acid correspondence. Question 6. The genetic code is redundant in the sense that some amino acids can be specified by more than one codon but Ambiguous in the sense that each codon specifies a particular amino acid and only that amino acid. Question 7.It just means that life appeared only once on Earth and was the basis of DNA into RNA. Question8. Transcription is the process in which DNA is converted into a complementary RNA and Just Before transcription, the splicing of introns occurs. Elongation in transcription occurs when additional RNA nucleotides are added to the growing nucleotide chain by RNA polymerase. Question9. Ribosomal RNA is helpful in constituting the protein synthesis. Question10. mRNA stands for messenger RNA, tRNA stands for transfer RNA, rRNA stands for ribosomal RNA, it is the main component of ribosome that synthesis protein.Question 11. It has ribosome that brings tRNA molecule together with it which then bonds to this mRNA strand and releases the amino acid attached (Morowitz 179). Question12. This a clover shaped, single strand molecule. It has loops formed from the base pairing of complementary bases. Question13. Translation is performed by cytoplasmic ribosomes as well as those bounded to the ER. mRNA associates with the ribosomes and begins with bases that serve as a binding site. Question14. It refers to the sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide and the combination of multiple polypeptides to form a functional protein. Question15. Amino acids found at the start of a protein being coded by the ribosome alerts the ribosome to attach itself to the ER. If the sequence is missing it will

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic management - Essay Example Keywords: strategy, five forces, entrants, analysis, differentiation, Porter, Â   focus, competitors, substitutes, buyers, suppliers, cost leadership, competitive, method, framework, bargaining, rivalry The significance of strategy formulation by firms is coping with competition. Every firm competing in an industry has either an explicit or implicit competitive strategy. Strategies may have been developed specifically through a planning process or may have developed inherently through tasks carried out by various functional departments of a firm. Each functional department implements approaches directed by its professional direction and the motivation of those in charge. Developing a competitive strategy involves developing an extensive method for how a business is going to compete in an industry, what the objectives of that business will be and what approaches will be needed to achieve those objectives. According to porter, there are five competitive forces that form every industry and every market. The five forces model analyzes the environment in which a business operates to gain competitive advantage. The five forces include the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products and services and rivalry among industry competitors. These forces drive the magnitude of competition and hence the profitability and attractiveness of an industry. Corporate strategy aims to modify these forces in a way that promotes the position of a business. Competition within an industry is more intense when new companies have easy means of entering the industry. Several barriers of entry can be implemented to limit the threat of new entrants. These barriers include loyalty to major brands, high fixed costs, and scarcity of resources, incentives for using a specific buyer, government legislation, brand equity, switching costs, patents, economies of product differences, capital requirements, access to dist ribution, absolute cost advantages, learning curve advantages and anticipated retaliation from incumbents. Higher entry barriers lead to higher profits. Suppliers with large enough impact to affect a company’s margins and volumes hold substantial power. Suppliers can place pressure on a business for a range of reasons. They include existence of few suppliers for a particular product, lack of substitutes, products that buyers cannot do without, supplying industries with higher profitability than buying industries, Supplier switching costs being relative to a firms switching costs, presence of substitute inputs, degree of differentiation of inputs and cost of inputs relative to the selling price of the product. Firms can reduce the power of suppliers by diversifying their range of products, standardizing products and supplying some needs from within. Buyers compete with a firm for added value in the value chain, this drives down the prices obtained by a firm. Buyers have power when there are a small number of them, they purchase in large volumes, they cannot do without the product, switching to another competitive product is simple, they are price sensitive and when their switching costs are relative to a firms switching costs. Buyers can be lesser threats when there is a threat of forward integration from the firm. They are less powerful when a product or service is

Na Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Na - Essay Example 149). Therefore, the acknowledgement of moral consequences leave men with self-defence as the only reason to lie. Sullivan (1989) presents the theory of Kant, who is a philosopher, on lies. In Sullivan’s report, Kant distinguishes between untruth and a lie. â€Å"Every lie is an untruth, but not every untruth is a lie.† (Sullivan, 1989, pp. 173). One great difficulty with Kant’s moral philosophy is that it implies that our moral obligations leave us powerless right in the face of evil. According to Kant’s theory, we are to live up to the high ideal of conduct regardless of what others are doing. ‘Rigorism’ is a well-known example of Kant’s stand and is also termed as Kant’s concerns on our duty to tell the truth (Sullivan, 1989, pp. 174). Personally, I agree with Penzera (2012) that lying is morally justifiable when it involves self-defence. I also side with Sullivan (1989) on the idea that we should never do something because someone is perpetuating it. Furthermore, white lies just as half-truth are equally lies. This discussion has been able to convince me that we must not always stick to honesty especially when conditions become

The concept of fairness Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The concept of fairness - Movie Review Example Lavoie describes a situation when he asked a teacher whether she would have spent some time explaining information personally to the child with disabilities and she answered that she wouldn’t have done that, because it would have been unfair regarding other children. Hence, Lavoie says that she was wrong in her definition of fairness. Thus when a child with learning disabilities gets the same treatment as other children, the fact that teacher treats all the children the same way seems to be unfair and even offensive for the child. Hence, it would be fair if the child with disabilities got special treatment, even though it may take some time of learning from other children. He claims that this concept is very important because the main principle according to which children learn is that they learn not from what teachers tell them but they learn from what teachers (and parents) do. Hence, Lavoie says that a teacher may say that he is not supposed to treat the child with learning disabilities in some special way, because it is unfair regarding other children. However, children understand fair acts as those that satisfy the needs of each and every person, so they indeed would understand why the child with disabilities gets special treatment. Thus Lavoie advices parents to be fair in this very meaning. As far as children learn from what parents do, not say, they have to behave in accordance with what they tell their children to do. For example, if parents tell their child not to lie and the next moment they lie themselves.

Why did Barack Obama win the US presidential election in 2008 Essay

Why did Barack Obama win the US presidential election in 2008 - Essay Example Despite this, Barack Obama won the US presidential election in 2008 because he was able to capitalize on a sense of fatigue with the disastrous presidency of George W. Bush and instill a sense of hope to Americans throughout the country. George W. Bush’s foreign polices were his downfall and the following will demonstrate how Bush paved the way for President Obama. Without the disastrous presidency of George W. Bush, the election of Barack Obama probably would have never happened. George W. Bush was arguably the worst president in the history of the United States of America. In the aftermath of the attacks of September 11th, 2001, George W. Bush did more to ruin the international reputation than any other American president in living memory. Accordingly, American unilateralism has been both an explicit and implicit policy of the present Bush Administration since the aftermath of September 11th 2001. Although the United States has historically been committed to multilateralism, collective decision-making and international rules of law, in recent times the United States has rejected foreign policy precedent and has engaged in direct military action on a unilateral basis. Former US President Woodrow Wilson espoused multilateralism as a cure to the world’s ills and believed that concerted diplomacy, best channeled through international non- governmental organizations like the League of Nations (the precursor to today’s United Nations), was the best way to avoid international conflict and violence. Collective bargaining and international coordination in global affairs has a long and storied tradition in the United States. Arguing that the rules of the game had changed in the post-Cold War and post-9/11 world, George W. Bush’s famously remarked that â€Å"you are either with us or against us† and set the stage for American unilateralism on a global

Cis 331 discussion wwek 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cis 331 discussion wwek 2 - Essay Example This week I would like you to choose a problem (make it simple) and discuss how you would go through the problem solving process to solve this problem. Be sure to discuss whether you would use convergent or divergent thinking. In the IT world we come up against the outsourcing problem on a regular basis.   For me it happened when we had some network security hardware that was coming to the end of its life and we had to decide whether to replace the existing hardware or to outsource the function that the security hardware was performing.   For us, this was more of a convergent discussion than a divergent discussion.   We could have brainstormed different ways to accomplish the security function that the hardware was providing but we didnt have the resources to implement any of the ideas that would have been discussed.   With that out of the way, we decided to work towards finding a solution. After discussing the problem,  we thought it would really come down to a financial decision of whether or not outsourcing the function was more cost effective than purchasing new hardware.   The first step in the process was to gather the facts.   We got quotes for the new hardware and defined what the resource costs were to implement and maintain that hardware.   Then we obtained a list of vendors that provided outsourcing solutions.   We documented everything that we use the current solution for and identified a list of requirements that would be used to evaluate each vendor.   For those vendors that met the list of requirements, we obtained quotes for what it would cost to outsource the security function. Once we had the tangible costs identified  someone suggested that we then make a list of the intangible costs related to both keeping the security function in house vs. outsourcing.   That is one area that I think sometimes gets overlooked in these types of problem solving initiatives.   Because so much focus is put on hard and fast

The Problem of Cooperative Society in Marketing Agricultural Product Essay Example for Free

The Problem of Cooperative Society in Marketing Agricultural Product Essay Although co-operation as a form of individual and societal behavior is intrinsic to human organization, the history of modern co-operative forms of organizing dates back to the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. The status of which was the first co-operative is under some dispute, but various milestones in the history may be identified. In 1761, the Fenwick Weavers Society was formed in Fenwick, East Ayrshire, Scotland to sell discounted oatmeal to local workers. Its services expanded to include assistance with savings and loans, emigration and education. In 1810, Welsh social reformer Robert Owen, from Newtown in mid-Wales, and his partners purchased New Lanark mill from Owens father-in-law and proceeded to introduce better labor standards including discounted retail shops where profits were passed on to his employees. Owen left New Lanark to pursue other forms of co-operative organization and develop co-op ideas through writing and lecture. Co-operative communities were set up in Glasgow, Indiana and Hampshire, although ultimately unsuccessful. In 1828, William King set up a newspaper, The Cooperator, to promote Owens thinking, having already set up a co-operative store in Brighton. The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, founded in 1844, is usually considered the first successful co-operative enterprise, used as a model for modern co-ops, following the Rochdale Principles. A group of 28 weavers and other artisans in Rochdale, England set up the society to open their own store selling food items they could not otherwise afford. Within ten years there were over 1,000 co-operative societies in the United Kingdom. Other events such as the founding of a friendly society by the Tolpuddle Martyrs in 1832 were key occasions in the creation of organized labor and consumer movements. From the report of the workshop held on 10th – 11th November 2008 during the 8 the ICA Africa regional assembly at the international conference centre, Abuja. Mr Tom Tar The Executive Secretary of Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, In his introduction of the movement in Nigeria, said the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria (CFN) was formed in 1945 and got registered in 1967. He traced the background of cooperatives in Nigeria to the traditional savings and loans system. He added that following agitation by the Agege Cocoa planters Union in 1907, the study for establishment of formal cooperation was commissioned in 1934. This was followed by the enactment of cooperative legislation in 1935. The early move was in agriculture and latter shifted to marketing following the shift in the Nigerian economy from agriculture to crude oil. He gave the scope of cooperative activities in Nigeria as covering: On population, he said there are about 5million family members covering 20 million house holds. This study is significant because it will produce data on cooperative movement in Nigeria that will be useful to: 1. federal ministry of labour and productivity 2. national union of local government employees 3. state civil service commission 4. federal civil service commission . 5. managers and top executives in organized private sector 6. united nation commission on employment 7. federal ministry of finance 8. Central bank of Nigeria 9. tudents carrying out a research work in this same issue. Cooperative society is the organization of people for an improved agricultural production (Strickland, 1934). Historically in Nigeria, the orientation and growth of cooperatives in Nigeria was related to the development of agricultural export sector by the Colonial Masters who invited an expert in 1934 known as C. F. Strickland who served in India to advice â€Å"on the prospects and desirability of forming cooperatives in Nigeria† (Nkom, 1984). Among the recommendations made by Strickland was the formation of Agricultural Marketing Cooperatives with the aim of pursuing the major export crops, like cocoa, cotton, palm produce farms in the country (Ekpere, 1980). From 1935-37, however, these east while production cooperatives were either transformed or designated cooperative produce marketing societies and unions. From 1960-1972, the role of farmer cooperative in the primary production process has been re-vitalized (Ekpere, 1980). Presently, the cooperative movement is on the increase for the search of sustainability in an agricultural system. Sustainability is possible when we encourage the agricultural activities of cooperatives. The organizational structure of cooperative societies is based on their operation, organization, structure, membership, functions and services (Scope) with the main aim of â€Å"Collecting, processing and marketing specific commodities and providing with inputs, credit and technical services for benefits of members. Therefore, these cooperative organizations are usually arranged into â€Å"tiers†. They are: The primary societies, secondary and Apex organization. Although the term may be used loosely to describe a way of working, a cooperative properly so-called is a legal entity owned and democratically controlled equally by its members. A defining point of a cooperative is that the members have a close association with the enterprise as producers or consumers of its products or services, or as its employees. In some countries, e. g. Finland and Sweden, there are specific forms of incorporation for co-operatives. Cooperatives may take the form of companies limited by shares or by guarantee, partnerships or unincorporated associations. In the USA, cooperatives are often organized as non-capital stock corporations under state-specific cooperative laws. However, they may also be unincorporated associations or business corporations such as limited liability companies or partnerships; such forms are useful when the members want to allow: some members to have a greater share of the control, or some investors to have a return on their capital that exceeds fixed interest, neither of which may be allowed under local laws for cooperatives. Cooperatives often share their earnings with the membership as dividends, which are divided among the members according to their participation in the enterprise, such as patronage, instead of according to the value of their capital shareholdings (as is done by a joint stock company).

Creating and applyign prototypes Essay Example for Free

Creating and applyign prototypes Essay Knowledge prototypes are like the framework of a house, there is enough detail to identify a certain object or event but there is also room to integrate new information or knowledge (Bargh, Chen Burrows, 1996). For example a mental prototype of a priest is someone who is male, wears a habit or vestment and works in the church. When we are confronted with say an image of a priest that is different from our prototype, then we accommodate that information into the prototype to enable us to identify a different kind of priest. Thus, when we see a pastor, we say that he is like a priest but is allowed to marry and serves Protestants or Baptists. Confronted with a female pastor, we again add another component to our prototype to accommodate the knowledge that for Christian groups, females can be pastors or head the church. However, when the mind is not exposed to other forms or kinds of a particular object or event, the prototype’s strength increases and therefore we only think and know that birds have wings and they can fly since all the birds we have encountered have these characteristics. Stereotypes results from a reinforced prototype and sometimes we think of others stereotypically and we tend to generalize a particular trait or characteristic to all other individuals or objects as sharing that characteristic. Stereotypes arise from unchallenged prototypes and we often tend to automatically rely on our stereotype of an individual or object to give judgment or opinions (Blair Banaji, 1996). I had a black American friend in college, she was pretty, smart and wiser than most of us back then. She was dark skinned and she came from New York, we always sat mesmerized by her tales of the city and how alive it was during the night. Since we lived in the same floor, she and I got to be best friends as the semester went by. I have never seen any pictures of her family and she said that she was an only child, and she did not like having pictures of her parents around her because she would only miss them more. When I looked at her, I just saw a black American girl, she had the same skin, the same wavy hair and curly at the roots, she was tall and had a certain bounce to her walk. I she talked about her parents love story and I was enthralled by the romance and adventure that her parents had because she said theirs was a love against all odds. I just thought then that it was because her mother came from a rich family and her father had a small second hand bookshop. As the term was about to end, she told me that her parents were picking her up and would I want to meet them, to which I readily agreed to. So on our end of term Saturday night, I was introduced to her parents and I got the surprise of my young age, her mother was white! It then all came rushing to me to realize that my friend was actually lighter than most other black Americans, and that her hair was only wavy, not really curly like others and she had brown eyes. This situation demonstrated misidentification, since I thought of my friend as a black American; I presumed that her parents were black and that they shared the same physical attributes. My mental prototype of black American children was that they had black American parents, and my prototype of genetics said that children inherent the characteristics of the parents. Thus I was thinking that since my friend was black, then her parents are also black (Fiske Taylor, 1991). There are some instances when it is easy to build prototypes, this include rich information objects or events, we know that an orange’s color is orange since it is named after the color, or we might think of the color orange and visualize the color of the fruit. There are also difficult situations wherein creating a prototype is a challenge. For example we are confronted with the image of a French bread, we now that it is long, crusty and hard to chew, thus if we are given a French bread that does not have this characteristics, then we say that what is served is not French bread but a croissant or a biscuit depending on its other characteristics. Prototypes are useful when we use it to accommodate new information, it can also be used or when we are asked to act in a situation that is strange and unpredictable and we retrieve from our prototypes to help us figure the new information (Macrae, Milne Bodenhausen, 1994). Like all other thought processes, prototypes is inexact, errors will be brought by the inability to match new information and the prototypes. Errors can be avoided when we adapt an open mind, and when we try to explore and learn more about an object or event and not jump into conclusions. References Blair, I. Banaji, M. (1996). Automatic and controlled processes in stereotype priming. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 1142-1163. Bargh, J. , Chen, M. Burrows, L. (1996). Automaticity of social behavior: Direct effects of trait construct and stereotype activation on action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 230-244. Fiske, S. Taylor, S. (1991). Social Cognition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Macrae, C. , Milne, A. Bodenhausen, G. (1994). Stereotypes as energy-saving devices: A peek inside the cognitive toolbox. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 37-47.

Six Thinking Hats Model for Learning Tool

Six Thinking Hats Model for Learning Tool Abstract The aim of this project is to implement an effective discussion tool by using six thinking hats model as the mechanism. There is a need to implement an effective learning tool for education in Hong Kong. Discuss tool is a kind of them. Although there are many discussion tool available in the web space, most of them are not developed for specific need especially education. In this project, we used the six thinking hats model as a mechanism in order to develop an effective online discussion tool. The six thinking hats model will use as a mechanism to facilitate the synchronous online discussion. By using this model, a collaborative learning assistance platform will be developed. In this project, we will show you why six thinking hats model is situation for student to learn and the author will also evaluate the proposing environment. Introduction There is a need to implement an effective learning tool for education in Hong Kong. Discuss tool is a kind of them. Although there are many discussion tools available in the web space, most of them are not developed for education. In this project, we develop an effective discussion tool by using the six thinking hats model as a mechanism. And in this section, we will go through some background information for this project. They are: specific definitions related to this project, the need e-learning resource and we will also use the Groupware and 3C Collaboration model to analysis online discussion tool. Background The need of e-learning resources in Hong Kong In October 2009, the Education Bureau of Hong Kong (2009)[1] released a report related to e-learning entitled Working Group on Textbooks and e-Learning Resources Development. The report stated that it is a global trend to use e-learning in education and there is a paradigm shift in school education from a text-based and teacher-centered mode to a more interactive and learner-centered mode. E-learning resources are encouraged to develop in order to enhance the learning effectiveness and provide the student a best mode to learn. The Secretary for Education has announced to launch a three-year Promoting e-learning pilot scheme in 20- 30 primary and secondary schools in the 2010/2011 school year. From the above, we can see there is a potential need to develop an effective learning tool for education in Hong Kong based on the government policy. What is Project Based Learning? Project Based learning (PBL) is a conceptual model that fit learning into projects. According to the definitions in the PBL handbook[2] for teachers, projects are consist of different tasks, based on challenging problems, that required students to design, problem-solving, decision making, or investigative activities; Meanwhile PBL allows the student to work relatively autonomously over extended periods of time; and eventually come up with a realistic products or presentations. The definition above is too abstract that cannot distinguish the different between projects and the instance of PBL. According to Thomas (2000)[3], he proposed five criteria that an instant of PBL project should have. They are centrality, driving question, constructive investigations, autonomy, and realism. PBL projects are central, not peripheral to the curriculum. Projects are the curriculum. The central teaching strategy in PBL is the project itself. Students learn the central concepts through projects. The centrality here means students learn things that are outside the curriculum are not examples of PBL. For example, illustrations, examples, additional practice, or practical applications like discussion is only an application of the projects, it is not considered to be the instance of PBL. PBL projects are focused on questions or problems that drive students to encounter (and struggle with) the central concepts and principles of a discipline. The project has to be about a driving question or an ill-defined problem which can motivate the student to learn. The question that student pursue, as well as the applications mentioned in the last paragraph, must be well combined in the service of an important intellectual purpose. Projects involve students in a constructive investigation. In order to be consider as a PBL project. Based on the PBL project, the students are able to transformation and construction of knowledge, making new understanding and skill by the PBL activities. If the project represents no difficulty to the student or it is about the already-learnt knowledge, the project is an exercise and it is not a PBL project. Projects are student-driven to some significant degree There is no expected, predetermined outcome for the PBL projects. It is because the PBL projects not like traditional instruction and projects, it is highly dependent to the students choice, organization and responsibility. Projects are realistic, not school-like. The PBL project give the student a feeling of authenticity, it is because of the topic, the tasks, the roles that the students play incorporates real-life challenges where the focus is on authentic (not simulated) problems or questions and where solutions have the potential to be implemented. Why Project Based Learning is effective According to George Lucas Educational Foundation (2001), the project based learning is effective for student as it is student driven, based on this situation, the attendance of the student will increase and thus increase their self-confidence, motivate them to participate in the project Secondly, research show that the academic gains equal to or better than those generated by other models, with students involved in projects taking greater responsibility for their own learning than during more traditional classroom activities (Boaler, 1997; SRI, 2000 ) Opportunities to develop complex skills, such as higher-order thinking, problem-solving, collaborating, and communicating (SRI, 2000) Access to a broader range of learning opportunities in the classroom, providing a strategy for engaging culturally diverse learners (Railsback, 2002) The problems There are many discussion tools available in the web space but seldom of them are designed for learning. Especially, they have addition feature to facilitate learning and at least, the usability of the online tools. For the learning facilitation, we would like to point out an effective discussion tools should help the participant to learn systematically. It is because, our brain was train to think inside the box (habit). This may limited our thought and make the discussion low affectivity. For the user usability, chat confusion is one of other problems for online discussion tools. Thirunarayanan, M. O. (2000)[4] suggests that there may be chat or conversation overlap in chat rooms as the student and instructor submit their responses at their unique pace. The participants may talk simultaneously and interrupt the other participant to follow the conversation. As the text area of the chat history is usually scrolled automatically, participant will have problem when they want to follow the comment of their initiated idea. Introduction to WebQuest Discussion as a learning approach in PBL Difficulties in discussion Aims The aim of this project is to build an integrate discussion tool to serve the needs of discussion task in WebQuest. We are going to used six thinking hats model as the mechanism in the discussion tool. This project will be an application to Web Quest system (Yeung 2009), while this project provides the student a platform to perform the discussion online based on project based learning and Yeungs system provided a platform for teacher to examine and manage the student project. Objective Objective To study the need of a discussion tool in e-learning To study the problem of exiting discussion tool To study the advantage of using a collaborative mechanism in PBL To review and examine the six thinking hats model as collaborative mechanism To redesign the model in order to fit the PBLS To develop a collaborative system for PBL In this section, we have gone through why there is a need to develop the e-learning resources in Hong Kong, it is because the research suggested that e-learning is good for the student and there is a trend to shift the teaching paradigm from correspondent learning to the peers learning . Hong Kong Government is totally supported the development of the e-learning resources. The students are also preferred to communicate online rather than communicate face to face. Communicate Mediated Communication and Computer Supported Collaborative learning is two main ideas in this project. In which, we have gone through the meaning of collaboration learning and the benefit of discussion as the learning activity. Report Organization Discussion as a learning strategy Askell-Willams and Lawson (2005)[5] has carried out a sophisticated study in teaching-learning discussion, they investigated the topic in different aspect, and the overview below is concluded by views of expertise in perspectives of psychological, sociological-constructivism and socio-linguists. There is a convincing reason that why discussion can serve as teaching and learning purpose. Dillon (1994)[6] stated that discussion can benefit in understanding of subject matter and resolution of issues related to the subject matter and its educational function; personal growth; and understanding of the value of group reflection and deliberation. Discussion is also a primary mechanism in students social transactions. The discussion itself served as a knowledge construction process. Social transactions in classroom can encourage student to put the knowledge into public domain, their reasoning and understands can then be the augmented, examined, elaborated, critiqued and related to the understandings of other people. Tobin, Tippins, and Gallard (1994)[7] also stated that the role of discussion provided a perfect platform for students to interact. Group interaction can provide a background in which student can be negotiate differences of opinion and seek agreement. It is more important that student can generate question and clarify understanding of specific content. Peers interaction can develop their ability to speak out, unafraid in order to take a proper stand. Based on the social cognitive perspective, discourse is also a primary deliberation tool for cognitive development. Nuthall (1997)[8] proposed that the potential benefit of discourse is transactional relationship between socio-cultural experience and self-organizational activities of the mind. Such activities of the mind are facilitated through discussion, Askell-Willams and Lawson showed us an example. If a student only acquires knowledge from a teacher, the student will only incorporate the single dependent perspective of the student-teacher relationship. If, on the other hand, the student acquires the knowledge in discussion in which different perspectives are described, explained and debated, the students performance will incorporate with a larger network of intertwined social and logical relationships. Problem rose from discussion Of course using discussion as a learning strategy is not suitable in every situation. Baxter, Woodward and Olson (2001)[9] showed that learning through class discussion might not effective for those low-achieving students, it is too difficult for them to involved in the discussion frequently and they may not have chance to speak out according to their shyness. Hollander (2002)[10] also noted that the organization of effective discussion at the individual level is not straightforward. Some student talk much while other talks little, the content of discussions can be awkward, there is no guarantee that the discussion content will be threaded in a coherent manner and not all students might have developed effective skill for contribution. It should also be noted that, leaving student discuss by their own will not engaging an effective discussion. Many students need specific instruction in order to know how to ask proper questions and give proper respond. Although the expertise may agree that discussion is a potential learning strategy for education, the key stockholder is the learner. If students knowledge is not enough to allow them to make effective use of a discussion, just like how to act effectively, how to ask proper questions and how to give proper respond, in this situation, the benefit of discussion as a learning approach are unlikely to be study. The value of collaboration and discussion in learning strategy for Online learning Environment From the above, we can see that how discussion benefit in students learning, here we will discuss the value of collaboration and discussion in learning strategy for Online Learning Environments (OLEs). Clark(2001)[11] stated that although it is achievable that learning with student interaction(passive learning), active learning through interaction including faculty acting as peers, guides, and moderators is generally consider more effective and well suited to OLEs. Discussion is not like the traditional instructor lecture method of education. Discussion and collaboration increased students involvement in which engages students actively participated in the learning process compare with the traditional instructor lecture teaching method, discussion are able promote the belonging of students achievement and satisfaction. Clark stated that, although the student and instructor remained as a key player in the discussion as learning strategy, there are still some different between the traditional classroom and OLEs. The diagram stated below illustrated their different. The Shift of Face to Face discussion to Computer Mediated Discussion From the last session, we can see that there is advantage of using OLEs in discussion than traditional classroom. How about student? Do they also want to use the electronic resources to learn and interact with each other? An and Frick (2006)[12] found that student preferred to use computer mediated communication (CMC) than face to face (F2F) as communication media under certain condition. Here are the reasons: Flexibility The location and time become an independent variable in CMC such that student can perform discussion on web anywhere. Interactivity increased The flexibility of digital learning platform also contributed to the second point, it will increase the interactivity between the students and as well as the Instructor. The learning style of the students is thus transform from independent learning to peers learning by the use of computer aids. Sutton (2001)[13] (in An and Frick, 2006) suggested that CMC has caused the shift from correspondence learning to social learning. Berge (1995)[14] (in An and Frick, 2006) has also suggested the interaction among instructors, students, contents and interface have been maximized in the online discussion and thus facilitate the constructive thinking. Allow student to learn by their own pace When compare to F2F, CMC provide student more time to respond the question. It allows student to analysis and reflect the question with enough time so that they can compose thoughtful responds. Student can thus learn by their own peak in CMC, they can also take control to their learning and interact with the peer in order to build knowledge. Overview of the Discussion Tool Synchronized and Asynchronous Discussion tool Discussion is definitely a common implementation for Computer Mediate Communication. Generally, online discussion tool can divided in to two types, they are synchronized and asynchronous discussion tool. And as educational platforms, the two distinct format of interaction impact differently. In this session, we are going to investigate the pros and cons of these discussion tools in learning. What is asynchronous discussion tool? According to Johnson(2006)[15], asynchronous instruction occurs in delayed time and does not require the simultaneous participation of student and teacher. The asynchronous instruction was used in distance education in the early year due to postal delays. The asynchronous voice conferencing are already proven useful in some instructional contexts, text-based asynchronous instruction are also widely used in the post-secondary education, it can also be considered as asynchronous online discussion. Johnson stated that educators has been investigate the efficiency of asynchronous online discussion, they reported that it can encouraging in-depth, more thoughtful discussion; communicating with temporally diverse students; holding ongoing discussions where archiving is required; and allowing all students to respond to a topic There are also potential limitations of the asynchronous discussion room. Student may not check the forum frequently, lack of spontaneous feedback may lead students feel isolated, it is necessary to spend more time in the discussion in order to make it mature. Dede and Kremer (1999)[16](in Johnson, 2006) conducted a survey to check the students preferences of asynchronous discussion tool. They found that the asynchronous discussion provided a more comprehensive interchange for them, but it required more time and provided less social interaction than synchronous chat. What is synchronous discussion tool? According to Johnson (2006), Synchronous instruction occurs in real time and requires the simultaneous participation of students and teacher. The synchronous instruction was used in the closed circuit television on university campus in the early year. Until 1980s, video-conferencing and interactive television connected remote classroom, in which, the synchronous discussion allow student to ask question and perform interaction in spontaneously, the educators start conduct study how synchronous discussion tool help student in learning. As you can see, synchronous communication tools allow multiple users communicate with each other at the same time using text messages, According to a report investigated by Branon Essex (2001)[17] (in Johnson, 2006) showed that synchronous chat tools are useful for holding virtual office hours, team decision-making, and brainstorming, community building, and dealing with technical issues. Spontaneous feedback can make student feel connected; student will not feel isolated in this situation, meanwhile, student are all actively participate in the discussion tool synchronously, not like asynchronous discussion tool, required student to login frequently to check for update. But there are still limitations for the synchronous discussion tool. It is difficult to implement synchronous discussion tool compare with asynchronous discussion tool. It is hard to get students online at the same time, and it is difficult in manage large-scale conversation. Lack of reflection time for student and it is demanding for the poor typist. Synchronous Versus asynchronous online discussion Educators are commonly agreed the learning outcome of asynchronous online discussion room is better the face-to-face discussion. But the limitations stated above (isolation and frequently participation) discourage them to use this mechanism alone. There lead to the trend of implementing synchronous chat tool, it is because synchronous chat can override those limitation, as it attempts to emulates face-to-face discussion. Using synchronous chat not only enhanced social transaction but also improve student learning outcome. Johnson(2006) suggested the best methodology is combining the synchronous and asynchronous chat tool in Online Learning Environment in order to get higher levels of student satisfaction and mastery of course requirements than implementation of either mode in isolation. Johnson stated that there is a survey supported student whos used both discussion tools are most likely to achieved the course requirement because using the both tools can maximized personal engagement in learning. Review on different discussion model Structured Academic Controversy The method was firstly introduced by David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson, they are the leading expert in cooperative learning. As titled, academic controversy is a structured discussion strategy by using controversy, in which, controversy means an individual has a different idea and that idea is incompatible with others idea, so two of them need to compromise in order to reach a common agreement. According to the Cooperate Learning Center, academic controversyuses the intellectual conflict to encourage student to reach higher achievement. It will also enhanced the quality of problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, reasoning, interpersonal relationships, and psychological health and well-being There are three goals which SAC are designed to help the to achieve. They are to gain a deeper understanding of an issue, to find common ground, and to make a decision based on evidence and logic The five procedures in SAC Step 1- Organizing Information and conclude Students are separate into two groups, one of them will receive materials which written in supportive side and the other receive material of the opposite side. The groups will discuss together to conclude main ideas for present. Step 2: Presenting And Advocating Positions Student will present their argument, each side have a limited time to contribute the groups ideas. After the presentation, the other side can have a minute to rebut. Step 3: Uncertainty Created By Being Challenged By Opposing Views After the rebuttal of each group, the two sides will be switched. Each of the group will receive material from their opposite side. The students are required to use their material and points they have learnt from the other side earlier to formulate points of the opposite view. Step 4: Epistemic Curiosity and Perspective Taking Students will put down their position and discuss the issue together; they are required to find points which they are agree with and disagree with based on their evidence from the argument in order to reach concurrence. If the group cannot find a consensus of the topic, they are advice to find a compromised procedure which they could use to resolve the disagreements. Step5: Re-conceptualizing, Synthesizing, and Integrating It is a sharing session, the whole class grouped together and discusses how the group worked as a team and how can SAC help them in understanding the issue. Limitation of SAC: Student may be prejudiced by first impressions, they may not able to change their mind even the evident are support the opposite idea. And thus, it is hard to reach consensus at the end of the process. As SAC involved rebuttal, student may thought they are personal attacked by the criticism if the others student are not handle the rebuttal properly. It is demanding for the low-achieving student to speak out in the group they may not have chance to speak out according to their shyness. Civil Conversation Model The model was firstly used by the Constitutional Rights Foundation for encourages student to analyst a text material. With the guidance of the team leader, groups member are encouraged to study a selected text material, they will get to know their own points of view in the discussion procedure and eventually build a shared knowledge within the group. The challenged text material is an essential step for discussion in Civil Conversation. The text should be in a proper length and the conversation will takes place with the students in a circle. The teacher usually acts as a facilitator. The aims of the facilitator are: identify the topic and main points in the text, list what they agree and disagree with in the text, and pose questions about the text they believe are worthy of discussion. The challenged text will organized as a worksheet and contains question which required student to answer. The questions are usually in the below format: What is the selection is about: What is the main points are: What do you agree with What do you disagree with A selected question for group discussion, the question should have no simple answer which can only use the materials as evidence. Debrief Questions What did you learn from the conversation? What did you find you had in common with other members of the group? For anyone not active in the conversation (those good listeners), what did you learn; what did you agree with; who said something that you would have said? The four procedures in CC Step 1- Selected a challenged text Divided students into group and set the time limit of the discussion Step 2- Ask for agreement and Disagreement Ask every member to contribute idea on agreement and disagreement (question 3 and 4). Members should carefully listens to others and contribute new ideas based on that. Step3- Discussion Then ask the entire group to respond to question 5 the predefined discussion question. They are required to jot down the issues raise and they can raise a new problem anytime.The conversation can then continue by discussing the questions raised. Step4: Sharing session It is a sharing session, the whole class grouped together and discusses how the group worked as a team and how can Civil Conversation model help them in understanding the issue. And ask students to return to the Reading Guide and answer questions 6 and 7. Step 5: Make enhancement Conclude the ideas by asking the student to advise ways to improve the model. If appropriate, add these suggestions to the conversation rules. Limitation Facilitator is essential in this model. Student needed guideline on how to make a good discussion. As the student usually asks for factual question of the article, it is only good for additional research. A good question should make student to think about an issue, take position and back it up with evidence. As you can see the quality of the discussion is mainly depended on the facilitator There is no specific guideline for student to follow while they are taking place to discuss the raised question in step 3. The free-style discussion may lead the discussion out-of -track. Civil Conversation Model are designed to analyst a selected material. It may not fitted the nature of Project Based Learning, in which, student are required to research on the topics and collected additional material by their selves. By doing their own research, they can have new ideas by reconstructing the material. Six Thinking Hats Model The Six Thinking Hats Model is a thinking/discussion strategy devised by Edward de Bono in 1994. The model suggested that human thinking was divided in 6 session and the model uses 6 different colors to represent each of them, It requires students to extend their way of thinking about a topic by wearing a range of different thinking hats: The Hats White hat thinking focuses on the information available and needed. Black hat thinking examines the difficulties and problems associated with a topic. Yellow hat thinking focuses on benefits and values. Red hat thinking looks at a topic from the point of view of emotions and feelings Green hat thinking requires imaginative, creative and lateral thinking about a topic. Blue hat thinking focuses on reflection, control and the need to manage the thinking process. The colors help students to visualize six separate modes of thinking and to convey something of the meaning of that thinking. It can be used by student in different ages, here are the 6 thinking hat model teaching materials for the primary school student and secondary school student. Procedure of using Six Thinking Hat Model: There is no parliamentary procedure for the six thinking hats model, the model can be fitted in individual thinking and it can also fit in group discussion. While using six thinking hat model in group discussion, usually, it required the group member to pick a color of hat and let them contribute their idea one by one. In this model, the blue hat is acted like a facilitator in the group. It aims to manage the thinking process and summarize the points contributed by their team member. Advantages: It allow student to think out of the box, not like SAC and CC, the six thinking hats model was a straight forward model to lead student to think the issue based on 6 different aspect. Not like SAC and CC, emotion is brought into the model other than focused in evident, it opens up an opportunity for creativity within Decision Making. Instructor is not necessary in 6 thinking hats model compare than Civil Conversation model, it is because student will take their own part as the blue hat controller, and instructor can just sit around and let the student drive the discussion by themselves. Not like SAC, by using six thinking hats model the student will not prejudiced by first impressions. It is because the six thinking hat model is not aimed for controversywhich required student to rebut for each other, it allows student to express their ideas altogether by role playing. By using this model, there is a directed way the leads the low-achieving student contribute in the discussion. Review on existing system Instructor Controlled Chat System(ICCS) ICCS (Thirunarayanan, 2000) [23] was proposed to let the instructor involve into the student discussion, it can fix the problem with chat confusion and overlap. He proposed two software enhancements in order to achieve the aim: Instructor mediated chat Instructors will have two windows on their monitor, one is the student discussion window and the other is the instructor control window. Each message raised from the student will send to the instructor window first before published to the other students, the instructor will choose the relevant question / response to publish. Students are only type and respond to the question until the instructor sends the message to the student window Instructor hints before the chat section The second point is to save short comments; questions and statement in the database before the chat session begin. Once the student is lack of idea, the instructor can make use of the pre-saved statements to ask question and remind students to stay focused on relevant topic. Potential problem of ICCS As the discussion flow is highly depended t Six Thinking Hats Model for Learning Tool Six Thinking Hats Model for Learning Tool Abstract The aim of this project is to implement an effective discussion tool by using six thinking hats model as the mechanism. There is a need to implement an effective learning tool for education in Hong Kong. Discuss tool is a kind of them. Although there are many discussion tool available in the web space, most of them are not developed for specific need especially education. In this project, we used the six thinking hats model as a mechanism in order to develop an effective online discussion tool. The six thinking hats model will use as a mechanism to facilitate the synchronous online discussion. By using this model, a collaborative learning assistance platform will be developed. In this project, we will show you why six thinking hats model is situation for student to learn and the author will also evaluate the proposing environment. Introduction There is a need to implement an effective learning tool for education in Hong Kong. Discuss tool is a kind of them. Although there are many discussion tools available in the web space, most of them are not developed for education. In this project, we develop an effective discussion tool by using the six thinking hats model as a mechanism. And in this section, we will go through some background information for this project. They are: specific definitions related to this project, the need e-learning resource and we will also use the Groupware and 3C Collaboration model to analysis online discussion tool. Background The need of e-learning resources in Hong Kong In October 2009, the Education Bureau of Hong Kong (2009)[1] released a report related to e-learning entitled Working Group on Textbooks and e-Learning Resources Development. The report stated that it is a global trend to use e-learning in education and there is a paradigm shift in school education from a text-based and teacher-centered mode to a more interactive and learner-centered mode. E-learning resources are encouraged to develop in order to enhance the learning effectiveness and provide the student a best mode to learn. The Secretary for Education has announced to launch a three-year Promoting e-learning pilot scheme in 20- 30 primary and secondary schools in the 2010/2011 school year. From the above, we can see there is a potential need to develop an effective learning tool for education in Hong Kong based on the government policy. What is Project Based Learning? Project Based learning (PBL) is a conceptual model that fit learning into projects. According to the definitions in the PBL handbook[2] for teachers, projects are consist of different tasks, based on challenging problems, that required students to design, problem-solving, decision making, or investigative activities; Meanwhile PBL allows the student to work relatively autonomously over extended periods of time; and eventually come up with a realistic products or presentations. The definition above is too abstract that cannot distinguish the different between projects and the instance of PBL. According to Thomas (2000)[3], he proposed five criteria that an instant of PBL project should have. They are centrality, driving question, constructive investigations, autonomy, and realism. PBL projects are central, not peripheral to the curriculum. Projects are the curriculum. The central teaching strategy in PBL is the project itself. Students learn the central concepts through projects. The centrality here means students learn things that are outside the curriculum are not examples of PBL. For example, illustrations, examples, additional practice, or practical applications like discussion is only an application of the projects, it is not considered to be the instance of PBL. PBL projects are focused on questions or problems that drive students to encounter (and struggle with) the central concepts and principles of a discipline. The project has to be about a driving question or an ill-defined problem which can motivate the student to learn. The question that student pursue, as well as the applications mentioned in the last paragraph, must be well combined in the service of an important intellectual purpose. Projects involve students in a constructive investigation. In order to be consider as a PBL project. Based on the PBL project, the students are able to transformation and construction of knowledge, making new understanding and skill by the PBL activities. If the project represents no difficulty to the student or it is about the already-learnt knowledge, the project is an exercise and it is not a PBL project. Projects are student-driven to some significant degree There is no expected, predetermined outcome for the PBL projects. It is because the PBL projects not like traditional instruction and projects, it is highly dependent to the students choice, organization and responsibility. Projects are realistic, not school-like. The PBL project give the student a feeling of authenticity, it is because of the topic, the tasks, the roles that the students play incorporates real-life challenges where the focus is on authentic (not simulated) problems or questions and where solutions have the potential to be implemented. Why Project Based Learning is effective According to George Lucas Educational Foundation (2001), the project based learning is effective for student as it is student driven, based on this situation, the attendance of the student will increase and thus increase their self-confidence, motivate them to participate in the project Secondly, research show that the academic gains equal to or better than those generated by other models, with students involved in projects taking greater responsibility for their own learning than during more traditional classroom activities (Boaler, 1997; SRI, 2000 ) Opportunities to develop complex skills, such as higher-order thinking, problem-solving, collaborating, and communicating (SRI, 2000) Access to a broader range of learning opportunities in the classroom, providing a strategy for engaging culturally diverse learners (Railsback, 2002) The problems There are many discussion tools available in the web space but seldom of them are designed for learning. Especially, they have addition feature to facilitate learning and at least, the usability of the online tools. For the learning facilitation, we would like to point out an effective discussion tools should help the participant to learn systematically. It is because, our brain was train to think inside the box (habit). This may limited our thought and make the discussion low affectivity. For the user usability, chat confusion is one of other problems for online discussion tools. Thirunarayanan, M. O. (2000)[4] suggests that there may be chat or conversation overlap in chat rooms as the student and instructor submit their responses at their unique pace. The participants may talk simultaneously and interrupt the other participant to follow the conversation. As the text area of the chat history is usually scrolled automatically, participant will have problem when they want to follow the comment of their initiated idea. Introduction to WebQuest Discussion as a learning approach in PBL Difficulties in discussion Aims The aim of this project is to build an integrate discussion tool to serve the needs of discussion task in WebQuest. We are going to used six thinking hats model as the mechanism in the discussion tool. This project will be an application to Web Quest system (Yeung 2009), while this project provides the student a platform to perform the discussion online based on project based learning and Yeungs system provided a platform for teacher to examine and manage the student project. Objective Objective To study the need of a discussion tool in e-learning To study the problem of exiting discussion tool To study the advantage of using a collaborative mechanism in PBL To review and examine the six thinking hats model as collaborative mechanism To redesign the model in order to fit the PBLS To develop a collaborative system for PBL In this section, we have gone through why there is a need to develop the e-learning resources in Hong Kong, it is because the research suggested that e-learning is good for the student and there is a trend to shift the teaching paradigm from correspondent learning to the peers learning . Hong Kong Government is totally supported the development of the e-learning resources. The students are also preferred to communicate online rather than communicate face to face. Communicate Mediated Communication and Computer Supported Collaborative learning is two main ideas in this project. In which, we have gone through the meaning of collaboration learning and the benefit of discussion as the learning activity. Report Organization Discussion as a learning strategy Askell-Willams and Lawson (2005)[5] has carried out a sophisticated study in teaching-learning discussion, they investigated the topic in different aspect, and the overview below is concluded by views of expertise in perspectives of psychological, sociological-constructivism and socio-linguists. There is a convincing reason that why discussion can serve as teaching and learning purpose. Dillon (1994)[6] stated that discussion can benefit in understanding of subject matter and resolution of issues related to the subject matter and its educational function; personal growth; and understanding of the value of group reflection and deliberation. Discussion is also a primary mechanism in students social transactions. The discussion itself served as a knowledge construction process. Social transactions in classroom can encourage student to put the knowledge into public domain, their reasoning and understands can then be the augmented, examined, elaborated, critiqued and related to the understandings of other people. Tobin, Tippins, and Gallard (1994)[7] also stated that the role of discussion provided a perfect platform for students to interact. Group interaction can provide a background in which student can be negotiate differences of opinion and seek agreement. It is more important that student can generate question and clarify understanding of specific content. Peers interaction can develop their ability to speak out, unafraid in order to take a proper stand. Based on the social cognitive perspective, discourse is also a primary deliberation tool for cognitive development. Nuthall (1997)[8] proposed that the potential benefit of discourse is transactional relationship between socio-cultural experience and self-organizational activities of the mind. Such activities of the mind are facilitated through discussion, Askell-Willams and Lawson showed us an example. If a student only acquires knowledge from a teacher, the student will only incorporate the single dependent perspective of the student-teacher relationship. If, on the other hand, the student acquires the knowledge in discussion in which different perspectives are described, explained and debated, the students performance will incorporate with a larger network of intertwined social and logical relationships. Problem rose from discussion Of course using discussion as a learning strategy is not suitable in every situation. Baxter, Woodward and Olson (2001)[9] showed that learning through class discussion might not effective for those low-achieving students, it is too difficult for them to involved in the discussion frequently and they may not have chance to speak out according to their shyness. Hollander (2002)[10] also noted that the organization of effective discussion at the individual level is not straightforward. Some student talk much while other talks little, the content of discussions can be awkward, there is no guarantee that the discussion content will be threaded in a coherent manner and not all students might have developed effective skill for contribution. It should also be noted that, leaving student discuss by their own will not engaging an effective discussion. Many students need specific instruction in order to know how to ask proper questions and give proper respond. Although the expertise may agree that discussion is a potential learning strategy for education, the key stockholder is the learner. If students knowledge is not enough to allow them to make effective use of a discussion, just like how to act effectively, how to ask proper questions and how to give proper respond, in this situation, the benefit of discussion as a learning approach are unlikely to be study. The value of collaboration and discussion in learning strategy for Online learning Environment From the above, we can see that how discussion benefit in students learning, here we will discuss the value of collaboration and discussion in learning strategy for Online Learning Environments (OLEs). Clark(2001)[11] stated that although it is achievable that learning with student interaction(passive learning), active learning through interaction including faculty acting as peers, guides, and moderators is generally consider more effective and well suited to OLEs. Discussion is not like the traditional instructor lecture method of education. Discussion and collaboration increased students involvement in which engages students actively participated in the learning process compare with the traditional instructor lecture teaching method, discussion are able promote the belonging of students achievement and satisfaction. Clark stated that, although the student and instructor remained as a key player in the discussion as learning strategy, there are still some different between the traditional classroom and OLEs. The diagram stated below illustrated their different. The Shift of Face to Face discussion to Computer Mediated Discussion From the last session, we can see that there is advantage of using OLEs in discussion than traditional classroom. How about student? Do they also want to use the electronic resources to learn and interact with each other? An and Frick (2006)[12] found that student preferred to use computer mediated communication (CMC) than face to face (F2F) as communication media under certain condition. Here are the reasons: Flexibility The location and time become an independent variable in CMC such that student can perform discussion on web anywhere. Interactivity increased The flexibility of digital learning platform also contributed to the second point, it will increase the interactivity between the students and as well as the Instructor. The learning style of the students is thus transform from independent learning to peers learning by the use of computer aids. Sutton (2001)[13] (in An and Frick, 2006) suggested that CMC has caused the shift from correspondence learning to social learning. Berge (1995)[14] (in An and Frick, 2006) has also suggested the interaction among instructors, students, contents and interface have been maximized in the online discussion and thus facilitate the constructive thinking. Allow student to learn by their own pace When compare to F2F, CMC provide student more time to respond the question. It allows student to analysis and reflect the question with enough time so that they can compose thoughtful responds. Student can thus learn by their own peak in CMC, they can also take control to their learning and interact with the peer in order to build knowledge. Overview of the Discussion Tool Synchronized and Asynchronous Discussion tool Discussion is definitely a common implementation for Computer Mediate Communication. Generally, online discussion tool can divided in to two types, they are synchronized and asynchronous discussion tool. And as educational platforms, the two distinct format of interaction impact differently. In this session, we are going to investigate the pros and cons of these discussion tools in learning. What is asynchronous discussion tool? According to Johnson(2006)[15], asynchronous instruction occurs in delayed time and does not require the simultaneous participation of student and teacher. The asynchronous instruction was used in distance education in the early year due to postal delays. The asynchronous voice conferencing are already proven useful in some instructional contexts, text-based asynchronous instruction are also widely used in the post-secondary education, it can also be considered as asynchronous online discussion. Johnson stated that educators has been investigate the efficiency of asynchronous online discussion, they reported that it can encouraging in-depth, more thoughtful discussion; communicating with temporally diverse students; holding ongoing discussions where archiving is required; and allowing all students to respond to a topic There are also potential limitations of the asynchronous discussion room. Student may not check the forum frequently, lack of spontaneous feedback may lead students feel isolated, it is necessary to spend more time in the discussion in order to make it mature. Dede and Kremer (1999)[16](in Johnson, 2006) conducted a survey to check the students preferences of asynchronous discussion tool. They found that the asynchronous discussion provided a more comprehensive interchange for them, but it required more time and provided less social interaction than synchronous chat. What is synchronous discussion tool? According to Johnson (2006), Synchronous instruction occurs in real time and requires the simultaneous participation of students and teacher. The synchronous instruction was used in the closed circuit television on university campus in the early year. Until 1980s, video-conferencing and interactive television connected remote classroom, in which, the synchronous discussion allow student to ask question and perform interaction in spontaneously, the educators start conduct study how synchronous discussion tool help student in learning. As you can see, synchronous communication tools allow multiple users communicate with each other at the same time using text messages, According to a report investigated by Branon Essex (2001)[17] (in Johnson, 2006) showed that synchronous chat tools are useful for holding virtual office hours, team decision-making, and brainstorming, community building, and dealing with technical issues. Spontaneous feedback can make student feel connected; student will not feel isolated in this situation, meanwhile, student are all actively participate in the discussion tool synchronously, not like asynchronous discussion tool, required student to login frequently to check for update. But there are still limitations for the synchronous discussion tool. It is difficult to implement synchronous discussion tool compare with asynchronous discussion tool. It is hard to get students online at the same time, and it is difficult in manage large-scale conversation. Lack of reflection time for student and it is demanding for the poor typist. Synchronous Versus asynchronous online discussion Educators are commonly agreed the learning outcome of asynchronous online discussion room is better the face-to-face discussion. But the limitations stated above (isolation and frequently participation) discourage them to use this mechanism alone. There lead to the trend of implementing synchronous chat tool, it is because synchronous chat can override those limitation, as it attempts to emulates face-to-face discussion. Using synchronous chat not only enhanced social transaction but also improve student learning outcome. Johnson(2006) suggested the best methodology is combining the synchronous and asynchronous chat tool in Online Learning Environment in order to get higher levels of student satisfaction and mastery of course requirements than implementation of either mode in isolation. Johnson stated that there is a survey supported student whos used both discussion tools are most likely to achieved the course requirement because using the both tools can maximized personal engagement in learning. Review on different discussion model Structured Academic Controversy The method was firstly introduced by David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson, they are the leading expert in cooperative learning. As titled, academic controversy is a structured discussion strategy by using controversy, in which, controversy means an individual has a different idea and that idea is incompatible with others idea, so two of them need to compromise in order to reach a common agreement. According to the Cooperate Learning Center, academic controversyuses the intellectual conflict to encourage student to reach higher achievement. It will also enhanced the quality of problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, reasoning, interpersonal relationships, and psychological health and well-being There are three goals which SAC are designed to help the to achieve. They are to gain a deeper understanding of an issue, to find common ground, and to make a decision based on evidence and logic The five procedures in SAC Step 1- Organizing Information and conclude Students are separate into two groups, one of them will receive materials which written in supportive side and the other receive material of the opposite side. The groups will discuss together to conclude main ideas for present. Step 2: Presenting And Advocating Positions Student will present their argument, each side have a limited time to contribute the groups ideas. After the presentation, the other side can have a minute to rebut. Step 3: Uncertainty Created By Being Challenged By Opposing Views After the rebuttal of each group, the two sides will be switched. Each of the group will receive material from their opposite side. The students are required to use their material and points they have learnt from the other side earlier to formulate points of the opposite view. Step 4: Epistemic Curiosity and Perspective Taking Students will put down their position and discuss the issue together; they are required to find points which they are agree with and disagree with based on their evidence from the argument in order to reach concurrence. If the group cannot find a consensus of the topic, they are advice to find a compromised procedure which they could use to resolve the disagreements. Step5: Re-conceptualizing, Synthesizing, and Integrating It is a sharing session, the whole class grouped together and discusses how the group worked as a team and how can SAC help them in understanding the issue. Limitation of SAC: Student may be prejudiced by first impressions, they may not able to change their mind even the evident are support the opposite idea. And thus, it is hard to reach consensus at the end of the process. As SAC involved rebuttal, student may thought they are personal attacked by the criticism if the others student are not handle the rebuttal properly. It is demanding for the low-achieving student to speak out in the group they may not have chance to speak out according to their shyness. Civil Conversation Model The model was firstly used by the Constitutional Rights Foundation for encourages student to analyst a text material. With the guidance of the team leader, groups member are encouraged to study a selected text material, they will get to know their own points of view in the discussion procedure and eventually build a shared knowledge within the group. The challenged text material is an essential step for discussion in Civil Conversation. The text should be in a proper length and the conversation will takes place with the students in a circle. The teacher usually acts as a facilitator. The aims of the facilitator are: identify the topic and main points in the text, list what they agree and disagree with in the text, and pose questions about the text they believe are worthy of discussion. The challenged text will organized as a worksheet and contains question which required student to answer. The questions are usually in the below format: What is the selection is about: What is the main points are: What do you agree with What do you disagree with A selected question for group discussion, the question should have no simple answer which can only use the materials as evidence. Debrief Questions What did you learn from the conversation? What did you find you had in common with other members of the group? For anyone not active in the conversation (those good listeners), what did you learn; what did you agree with; who said something that you would have said? The four procedures in CC Step 1- Selected a challenged text Divided students into group and set the time limit of the discussion Step 2- Ask for agreement and Disagreement Ask every member to contribute idea on agreement and disagreement (question 3 and 4). Members should carefully listens to others and contribute new ideas based on that. Step3- Discussion Then ask the entire group to respond to question 5 the predefined discussion question. They are required to jot down the issues raise and they can raise a new problem anytime.The conversation can then continue by discussing the questions raised. Step4: Sharing session It is a sharing session, the whole class grouped together and discusses how the group worked as a team and how can Civil Conversation model help them in understanding the issue. And ask students to return to the Reading Guide and answer questions 6 and 7. Step 5: Make enhancement Conclude the ideas by asking the student to advise ways to improve the model. If appropriate, add these suggestions to the conversation rules. Limitation Facilitator is essential in this model. Student needed guideline on how to make a good discussion. As the student usually asks for factual question of the article, it is only good for additional research. A good question should make student to think about an issue, take position and back it up with evidence. As you can see the quality of the discussion is mainly depended on the facilitator There is no specific guideline for student to follow while they are taking place to discuss the raised question in step 3. The free-style discussion may lead the discussion out-of -track. Civil Conversation Model are designed to analyst a selected material. It may not fitted the nature of Project Based Learning, in which, student are required to research on the topics and collected additional material by their selves. By doing their own research, they can have new ideas by reconstructing the material. Six Thinking Hats Model The Six Thinking Hats Model is a thinking/discussion strategy devised by Edward de Bono in 1994. The model suggested that human thinking was divided in 6 session and the model uses 6 different colors to represent each of them, It requires students to extend their way of thinking about a topic by wearing a range of different thinking hats: The Hats White hat thinking focuses on the information available and needed. Black hat thinking examines the difficulties and problems associated with a topic. Yellow hat thinking focuses on benefits and values. Red hat thinking looks at a topic from the point of view of emotions and feelings Green hat thinking requires imaginative, creative and lateral thinking about a topic. Blue hat thinking focuses on reflection, control and the need to manage the thinking process. The colors help students to visualize six separate modes of thinking and to convey something of the meaning of that thinking. It can be used by student in different ages, here are the 6 thinking hat model teaching materials for the primary school student and secondary school student. Procedure of using Six Thinking Hat Model: There is no parliamentary procedure for the six thinking hats model, the model can be fitted in individual thinking and it can also fit in group discussion. While using six thinking hat model in group discussion, usually, it required the group member to pick a color of hat and let them contribute their idea one by one. In this model, the blue hat is acted like a facilitator in the group. It aims to manage the thinking process and summarize the points contributed by their team member. Advantages: It allow student to think out of the box, not like SAC and CC, the six thinking hats model was a straight forward model to lead student to think the issue based on 6 different aspect. Not like SAC and CC, emotion is brought into the model other than focused in evident, it opens up an opportunity for creativity within Decision Making. Instructor is not necessary in 6 thinking hats model compare than Civil Conversation model, it is because student will take their own part as the blue hat controller, and instructor can just sit around and let the student drive the discussion by themselves. Not like SAC, by using six thinking hats model the student will not prejudiced by first impressions. It is because the six thinking hat model is not aimed for controversywhich required student to rebut for each other, it allows student to express their ideas altogether by role playing. By using this model, there is a directed way the leads the low-achieving student contribute in the discussion. Review on existing system Instructor Controlled Chat System(ICCS) ICCS (Thirunarayanan, 2000) [23] was proposed to let the instructor involve into the student discussion, it can fix the problem with chat confusion and overlap. He proposed two software enhancements in order to achieve the aim: Instructor mediated chat Instructors will have two windows on their monitor, one is the student discussion window and the other is the instructor control window. Each message raised from the student will send to the instructor window first before published to the other students, the instructor will choose the relevant question / response to publish. Students are only type and respond to the question until the instructor sends the message to the student window Instructor hints before the chat section The second point is to save short comments; questions and statement in the database before the chat session begin. Once the student is lack of idea, the instructor can make use of the pre-saved statements to ask question and remind students to stay focused on relevant topic. Potential problem of ICCS As the discussion flow is highly depended t