An Analysis Of Education History Education Essay

An Analysis Of Education History Education Essay Introduction The analysis of education history in any system involves many concepts such as renaissance, reformation and Counter Reformation. Such concepts significantly affect educational with regard to systems, content, teachers and curriculum amongst many other aspects. In Kenya, the British colonialists introduced the first system of education. The formation of Ominde commission after independence saw the introduction of many changes in the educational system (Bogonko, 1992). At that time, issues of unity and identity were very critical and the authority largely focused on them. Following this, subject content changes were made in fields of geography and history to reflect aspects of national cohesion. A common curriculum for all schools was adopted between 1964 and 1985 involving a 7-4-2-3 system. This system involved seven years for primary education, four years for lower secondary, two years for upper secondary and three years for university education. In 1981, there were eff orts to reform the entire educations system through the Presidential working party commission. The committee tabled recommendations on changing the educational system from the 7-4-2-3 to the structure of 8-4-4 (Sifuna & Otiende, 2006). In 1985, the new system was launched that put more emphasis on subjects considered as vocational. The new structure would theoretically enable school leavers at varied levels to be self-employed or acquire informal sector employment. According to Sifuna & Otiende (2006), a detailed development of educational theory through the ages is presented. With vested interest in African education context, this book highlights the plight of education in Kenya through the ages to the 8-4-4 system. The credibility of this text is guaranteed by its diversity in approach with reference to African Islamic education. It is inevitable that African education has its roots in the western world hence Sifuna & Otiende included the history of western education in this book. Educational significance of concepts Renaissance concept. This concept involves the activity of educational and cultural reform spearheaded by writers, scholars and civic leaders. Such pioneers in the history of education are as of today referred to as humanists. The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries saw the development of this concept because of the challenges brought forth by the mediaeval scholastic education. This activity emphasized on scientific, practical and pre-professional studies as a response to the inherent challenges. Under the scholasticism, men were prepared to become lawyers, doctors and professional theologians through approved textbooks (Court & Kinyanjui, 1980). On the other hand, to change from training professionals in strict practice and jargon, the humanists emphasized on a citizenry creation hence enabling people to write and speak with clarity and eloquence. In addition, these professionals were capable of better engaging their communities’ civic l ife and hence persuading people to prudent and virtuous actions. The renaissance concept in education which is also known as the learning re-birth started in the 14th century in Europe and reached its peak in the 15th century. Humanist educators designed and formulated teaching methods for the education system that would prepare liberal and well-rounded persons. The educational renaissance in England saw the improvement of women’s educational opportunities especially for those women from upper classes. The renaissance concept in Kenya’s educational system can be explained through the analysis of the history of education. Prior to the gaining of independence in Kenya, there were three divisions in the education system with schools for Asians, whites and Africans. In such a system, there was segregation in that, whites attended the best schools, the middle class schools were reserved for Asians especially Indians and Africans attended the lower class schools (Sifuna & Ot iende, 2006).

Organization of IT and information systems (Amazon company) Essay

Organization of IT and information systems (Amazon company) - Essay Example Computers, servers, and data management systems are some of the key components of an IT department. These components perform various complex functions related to management of information. IT department of a company plays a critical role in the success of the company in the 21st century. Today, there is hardly any company or organization, which does not make use of information technology for managing data and information in an organized way. Amazon is one of the leading global internet companies of the world. It is a platform for the sale of different kinds of products such as books, toys, furniture, and music CDs. Amazon holds the pride of being the largest retailer of America. Amazon Company was launched online by Jeff Bezos in 1995. Amazon S3 and Amazon EC2 are those products, which have contributed significantly to the success of the company. Farmer (2008) asserts, â€Å"Their core competency is their ability to develop and leverage their technology stack, including SimpleDB, EC2, and S3, towards making retail ultra-efficient†. Amazon Company has many competitors who are trying to snatch the market domination from Amazon but none of the competing companies has been successful in the purpose yet. Some of the major competitors of Amazon include Elastra, eMusic, and Alice.com. It is due to the implementation of an effective and efficient management information system that the company has achieved market dominati on in a very short span of time leaving behind all of its competitors. At present, Amazon is recognized as one of the largest online shopping companies of the world. In the later part of this report, we will discuss those factors that are driving use of the information system in the company. We will also analyze the impact of information system on the company in terms of benefits and limitations. Let us first get to know what management information system actually is in order to get a

20th century art and culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

20th century art and culture - Essay Example History of art, along with history of science and philosophy, endeavors to record and interpret the ways in which human consciousness perceives and makes sense of itself and the world around it. Ethical principles and cultural values that informed the development of Western civilization are deeply rooted in its classical origins and, therefore, in its heavy reliance on the rationalist school of thought. Classicism, rationalism and humanism - the concept that can be regarded as a derivative of the first two - not only defined the path of Western culture, but also ensured this culture's extreme openness and perceptivity towards other cultures and non-Western schools and systems.This heritage of rationalist philosophy and humanist ethics ensured that in a complex historical situation the 20th century art drew its strength and inspiration from the same humanistic principles and managed to sustain an essentially positive and optimistic view of the oncoming cultural changes, brought on by industrial and social revolutions. On the examples of high modernism in poetry, Cubism in painting and International Style in architecture this essay will attempt to demonstrate the continuity within rationalist and humanist tradition that modern and postmodern Western art displayed. This continuity manifests itself, firstly, in acknowledging the historical sense within modernism, in claiming the indebtedness of the new art to classicism and tradition. Secondly, it expresses itself in questioning the nature of representation and emergence of non-realist schools and movements as a consequence of applying rationalist tools of scientific knowledge to specifically artistic ways of cognition. Thirdly, this continuity is reflected in challenging aestheticist ideas, in growing popularity of instrumentalist theories of art and in the idea of artistic 'engagement' which has undeniable affinity with the concept of humanism. And lastly, the evidence of such continuity can be found in relativel y recent phenomena of internationalization and globalization that affected all postmodern art and invited its interpretation as ultimately, universally humanist. The first half of the 20th century is often perceived as a time of breaking away from tradition, a time of explosive growth of avant-garde schools and movements, a time when new means of representation were being adopted to reflect revolutionary changes in science, technology and societal structures. These movements, despite their belonging to different spheres of art, literature and music, came to be known under a common name of modernism. It is not easily realised and admitted that modernism, for all its innovative spirit and love of experimentation, was fully consequential, if not predictable. It did not come out of nothing; it grew out of a certain tradition and emerged within the paradigm of rationalist and humanist values. An adequate first example to support our argument is T.S. Eliot, a poet who was also one of the first theorists of high modernism. Eliot's poetry is highly innovative in form and style; it bears all characteristics of high modernism (fragmentation, intertextual allusions, rejection of traditional forms and rhyme); at the same time it explicitly states its regard for classicism and tradition. Eliot expressed this regard in his seminal essay "Tradition and the Individual Talent", written in 1919: The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence; the historical sense compels a man to write not merely with his own generation in his bones, but with a feeling that the whole of the literature of Europe and within it the whole of the literature of his own country has a simultaneous existence and composes a simultaneous order. (Eliot, 38) In the poem "Mr Appolinax", part of his most renowned collection, Prufrock and Other Observations, Eliot makes frequent use of classical allusions and conveys the sense of modernity being enclosed within the timelessness