Monday, September 30, 2019

Analysis of Professional Development Plan Essay

The definition of professional development varies in school districts and educators agree that the term is ever changing and involves the use of technology. Some educators have said that the term has an operational definition. In the article, key design factors in durable instructional technology professional development, author John Wells offers the following definition for educators within the context of the technological age:Professional development†¦goes beyond the term training with its implications of learning skills, and encompasses a definition that includes formal and informal means of helping teachers not only learn new skills, but also develop new insights into pedagogy and their own practices, and explore new or advanced understandings of content and resources. [This] definition of professional development includes support for teachers as they encounter the challenges that come with putting into practice their evolving understanding about the use of technology to sup port inquiry-based learning (p.2). Professional development may encompass various characteristics such as goals and outcomes aligned to the districts, relevant topics in trainings, opportunities for staff collaboration, development maintained by an on-site coordinator, high quality and professional training and evaluations to determine effectiveness of program. James Polk, author of traits of effective teachers, states, â€Å"the need for a strong professional development program is well established in research† (p.2). Mr. Polk (2006) cites a recent study of factors contributing to three aspects of the teaching process that, â€Å"teachers ranked professional development in the top third of importance on each aspect† (p. 2). In analyzing the professional development plan of my school district, Richland County School District One, I noticed several issues that were identified by Mr. Polk. Mr. Polk outlined several problems associated with the traditional in-service programs that are deemed ineffective. Mr. Polk (2006) states that:assumptions, such as periodic in-service being sufficient to develop new teaching methods and improve practice, teachers being able to learn by listening to a speaker, and professional development being a luxury  rather than an integral part of district improvement, are all negating factors in the implementation of patronization of training programs (p. 2). Mr. Polk further identifies research-based, more effective assumptions such as professional development should be perpetual, and school change involves external and internal organizations and personal development. In professional development programs, the instructions to teacher should be demonstrated or modeled, practiced with feedback and professional development should be integrated into the daily life of teachers. Mr. Polk (2006) states that â€Å"if professional growth rests solely on bimonthly, two-hour in-service sessions after the students are dismissed early, then any training received will unlikely be reflected in student mastery† (p.2). Richland County School District One’s (RSDI) professional development program has several components such as the Plan Do Check Act (PDCA), Avatar, and classroom walkthrough. According to the Richland County School District One’s website, Plan Do Check Act is used in â€Å"designing curriculum and delivering classroom instruction, in providing student support services, staff goal setting and evaluation, developing any new program, product or process design, planning strategically and starting a new improvement project or implementing any change†. The Plan component is identifying the learning problem and gathering the needed data. The Do component is analyzing the causes and implementing the plan on a trial of pilot basis. The Check component of PDCA is gathering the data results of the solution and analyzing the data. The Act component is implementing the instruction for all students and modifying the improvement plan. Avatar is the district’s professional development management system that allows for teaches to sign up for trainings offered by the district. All the trainings are offered after school or in the summer; this contradicts the recommendation offered by Mr. Polk that professional development should be integrated into the daily life of the teacher during the school day. The classroom walkthrough team is a district employee, the principal, assistant principal, and the professional development on-site coordinator. The team conducts the classroom walkthrough by observing the instructional strategies of a teacher for a total of five to ten minutes. The teacher is not offered prior information or feedback on the classroom walkthrough to correct or enhance his instructional strategies. The Richland County School District One website offers the levels of engagement of the students who the team should identify during the walkthrough. The levels; Authentic Engagement, Ritual Engagement, Passive Compliance, Retreatism, and Rebellion and their definitions are cited on the web page but teachers would not know their level due to lack of communication from the classroom walkthrough team. The problem of the poor quality of professional development was identified in the South Carolina schools that I have researched. For example, in Richland County School District Two, the district’s professional development program mirrors Richland County School District One’s program by only focusing on providing monthly in-service trainings on half-days for students or summer in-service activities. Both districts also provide the occasional monthly state or national conference in the teacher’s subject area and online training, i.e. Educational Television. Richland County School District Two differs by offering their Richland School District Two’s Technology Education Collaboration Mentors Program. The program is for school-selected representatives from every school in the district. The program focuses on helping fellow staff members develop personal technology skills and integrate technology into their classroom. Besides this program, I was unable to find any difference from the two districts and the professional development training. Richland County School District One and District Two professional development programs consist of low quality training once a month, irrelevant topics, lack of feedback from teachers and administrators, and concepts but lack of implementation. The districts’ programs lack the scope, high quality, accessibility (besides the Avatar system in RSDI), relevancy, and feedback from students. The majority of the district’s professional development program is the poor quality program described by Mr. Polk; two-hour  in-service sessions after the students are dismissed early from school. Reference Polk, J. (2006). Traits of effective teachers. Arts Education Policy Review, 107, p. 23-30. Wells, J. (2007). Key design factors in durable instructional technology professional development. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 15, p. 101-123. www.richlandone.org/ipda/Training_Tools/pdca.htm and www.richland2.org

Sunday, September 29, 2019

“Floating” By Karen Brennan Essay

â€Å"But no one owns anyone or owes anyone anything† (Brennan 304). In the story â€Å"Floating,† Karen Brennan uses the themes of regret, rejection, guilt and death, to demonstrate how trauma in a relationship effects both sides differently. She illustrates the difference between herself and her husband, telling the story of what she feels and what her husband feels. In the beginning a sense of rejection is presented, this is shown when Karen quotes, â€Å"I woke up and heard a tiny sound coming from the back of the house. It was a baby†¦.she had been crying for two days straight and had survived,† (Brennan 302). Reading this quote the reader can make the assumption that there is a sense of rejection in the story and also that the narrator had been rejecting the baby for a while. She states, â€Å"she had been crying for two days straight.† This shows that not only did the narrator hear her but had ignored the baby for those two days. Rejection was not only seen with the baby but also the husband as well. The husband showed rejection towards the wife, and the wife reciprocated that rejection towards the baby. â€Å"My husband was in the living room, I said look what I can do I floated up†¦ my husband shook his head†¦ he wasn’t shocked.† (302). In the story the narrator portrayed the husband as an emotionless, uncaring person who once, cared for his wife but now feels the need to remain unresponsive. Brennan presents the wife’s thoughts of rejection and also the husband’s point of view of rejection. â€Å"Satan appeared on a cloud†¦fixed himself a snack†¦ then she snapped his picture,† (302). Through the end of the first paragraph, the reader can introduce the idea that the husband might be rejecting her because she might be having an affair. â€Å"Satan appeared,† represents the idea that there is another person who the wife might be seeing. In the story â€Å"Floating† regret was another big factor which played a role in the narrator and her husband’s marriage. â€Å"How do we get this way? I was a perfectly ordinary girl†¦ I married a nice responsible man who loved me. He gave me my first umbrella,† (303). Regret was used to introduce the deep dysfunction of their marriage, that it even made the narrator question her past and the marriage itself, â€Å"he gave me my first  umbrella.’’ The narrator reminisces or revisits the first time she ever felt safe, sheltered by someone else other than her immediate family. Karen relates shelter to an umbrella, because in a sense, an umbrella protects our body from the rain. The umbrella is also significant, because it leaves the audience questioning- is that all the husband was able to provide? In the quote, â€Å"My first umbrella† demonstrates that the narrator only felt protected by the husband not loved. â€Å"How do we get t his way? I was a perfectly ordinary girl† portrays a feeling of regret to the reader. The narrator uses this to show how she had changed and could not believe it herself almost as if she shocked herself with her change. She asks a rhetorical question â€Å"How do we get this way?† She cannot convey an answer to; however allows the reader to find a solution. This gives rise to a deeper meaning to the quote. â€Å"I was a perfectly ordinary girl† the word was in her sentence shows that she once was perfect and now she has change and she regrets it. In the husband’s point of view, this could mean that she questioned her affair or marriage and regrets the fact she ever cheated on him and or ever married him. â€Å"This is a secret baby: the baby of my afterhours†¦ no one especially my husband, would understand this,† (303). According to the reader, this could mean that she is having regrets about the baby. The narrator refers to her baby as, â€Å"This is a secret baby,† and hides it from the world, including her husband. Not only does she keep this baby in secrecy, she also chooses to say that her husband would not understand. This states that, through the disheartenment Karen Brennan still possesses a sense of hope that one day her husband will understand. But her husband only ignores her and reject the fact that she is â€Å"floating,† Furthermore, Karen Brennen presents the theme of death, including both perspectives of death as a way of demonstrating the differences and problems shared in and out of their marriage. â€Å"She had all the plumpness of a baby; dimpled knees and folds around the wrists; pale baby skin,† (302). The narrator indicates that the baby skin was pale. From the context clues, the reader could imply that the baby could be lifeless or suffering from the strain of death. However the narrator brings the attention to the reader that the baby had survived. She quotes, â€Å"she had survived.† This presents the reader with the evidence that the baby is no longer alive and it is in fact dead. The word had shows the reader that the baby was alive at a point  in time, but in that instant the baby is dead. Karen Brennan shows how death plays a role in the story. She manipulates the sentence debating a sense of hope for the life of the baby, but then she abruptly changes the tone of the story using descriptive passages of the baby taking away any previous hope that the child lived. The death of the baby was so traumatic that even the narrator could not shake the restraint of disparity, being forced to remember the baby as the time progresses. In addition, the death of the baby could stimulate on the husband’s negative attitude towards his wife, â€Å"I wish I had the nerve to go outside, I tell him. He grunts as if nothing was out of the ordinary,† (303). The narrator draws a picture of the husband’s attitude as very rude and angry. As a reader, this could indicate that the husband’s attitude (mad and angry) might be angry about the loss of the baby, or maybe reflects his beliefs that his deceased wife is tormenting him for neglecting her. â€Å"Then I turned on my back and dead man’s-floated parallel to the ceiling† (302). According to the words, â€Å"dead man,† she might be in fact dead and it is her ghost who floats around trapped in her room- trapped in the house unable to be free. Lastly, Karen Brennan uses guilt as a form to describe what should have been done during their marriage and what could have been changed. What they could have done differently and what they could still do? â€Å"I want us to be friends, to be affectionate with one another. But he just looks down† (304). Karen Brennan shows the guilt the wife is feeling in the relationship. She states, â€Å"I want us to be friends, to be affectionate.† Reading this quote, the reader can conclude that the narrator did not really feel love towards her husband, and now she is feeling guilty for not being able to create that sense of affection between them. This makes her feel obligated to end the relationship and become friends. In addition to the story, reading it from the husband’s point-of-view the reader can say that the husband feels guilty for not being able to provide the love the wife needs, which leads the narrator to state, â€Å"but he just looks down.† This quote could indicate the husband is wallowing in self-pity and unsure of what to say or what to do at this point of the marriage. Overall. Karen Brennan presents the reader with many different aspects of the story â€Å"Floating†. Portraying the themes guilt, regret, rejection or death. Karen  Brennan indicates all the flaws of which both the husband and wife have, and she also presents the possibilities of different ideas to incorporate the story with. In the end, the two perceptions of both the husband and the wife were the same. They both want to be affectionate or want out of the relationship.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Becoming a Medical Billing Specialist

Becoming a Medical Billing Specialist Keisha Marselis SLS 1105-65 Strategies for Success March 20, 2010 Becoming a Medical Billing Specialist I love working with people and on computers. So I looked for a career where I can do both. Deciding to become a Medical Billing Specialist was the perfect choice for me. When I first entered into the medical field, I became a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant). I love doing my job because I was able to help others in need. As time passed I knew I wanted to do more but I just didn’t know what that was. Then one day I went to the doctor’s office with a patient for a routine checkup and I started talking to one of the medical assistants. She asked me if I liked my job. I told her that I love what I did but I wanted something more. I also mentioned that I had went to school for basic computer training before I went to school for CNA. Then she said that I should think about going to school for Medical Billing and Coding. When I started looking into the field, I was astonished. I would be able to do the two things I love, working with people and on computers. I discover that a person interested in medical billing and coding should have excellent knowledge of the field, is willing to help those in need and have flexibility to obtain additional training for job advancement. â€Å"Medical coding is a key step in the medical billing process. Every time a patient receives professional health care in a physician’s office, hospital outpatient facility or ambulatory surgical center(ASC), the provider must code and create a claim to be paid, whether by a commercial payer, the patient or CMS(The Centers for Medicare Medicare Services)† (American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), 2010). A medical coder’s main job is to look over patient’s records and other information to code and classify a patient’s diagnosis or procedure. Then they must assign and input the correct diagnostic code to establish the amount of money a provider receives from the insurer. Coders are also responsible for making sure codes meet all federal, legal and insurance regulations. Jeffress (2003-2010) specifies that â€Å"the healthcare industry depends on skilled medical billing and coding specialists to accurately record and register patient information, verify their insurance policies, and keep track of patient accounts†. When a patient comes in to the doctor’s office, you are the first and last person they come in contact with. So it is important that you get all of the patient’s information to properly start off their file. You also have to make sure the patient has their proper health insurance and understand what their responsibilities are for co-payment, if needed. They would have to fill out different documentation about them and their family medical history. It is also important to help them understand how to fill out these forms so that everything can be properly documented in their file. When the patient sees the doctor, he/she will have a somewhat understanding of why the patient is visiting. While the patient is seeing a doctor, the doctor may tell them a few things that they might not understand. So the patient might come and ask you questions pertaining to what the doctor just told them. By being trained in the field you learn about medical terminology. This is when you breakdown what was told to them. You would be able to explain to them the medical diagnosis or procedure the doctor has told them about. Help them understand what the doctor wants them to do.

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Ethics of What We Eat Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Ethics of What We Eat - Assignment Example Obesity is caused by a died full of carbohydrates and salt laden junk food, high fat and processed meats like hot dogs and bacon and sweetened sodas full of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Obesity brings about other chronic diseases such as stroke, type II diabetes and heart diseases. These epidemics have been on the rise and all of them are as a result of what we eat. The industrial manufactured products have also contributed to a decline in nutrients in food. The modern crops are grown for high yield, fast growth and ease of transport. These crops are often lower in nutrients which are important components of our diets than the conventionally grown crops. The modern crops have shown decrease in protein, potassium, iron, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, calcium, selenium, zinc among other essential macro and micro nutrients. Macro nutrients are consumed in large quantities for the body to function. They include fiber, protein, water, carbohydrates and fats (Clay 2004, 39). Micro nutrient s include vitamins, organic acids and minerals that our bodies require to function properly. Animal nutrients have also risen with the increased industrial farming. Higher yields in milk correspond to lower concentrations of fats, protein and other milk components. The low nutrients values have resulted in increased disease associated with nutrients intake and it has also resulted in the large intakes of supplement nutrients. The supplements are also very expensive which disadvantage those that cannot afford them. This shows that we are what we eat. In industrial agricultural production, the antibiotics that are used to treat animals are the same antibiotics that treat humans. Large quantities of antibiotics are administered to animals in order to promote growth and compensate for the crowded unhygienic conditions in the farms .The high use of antibiotics leads to development of antibiotic resistant bacteria which is found in soil, water and air around the industrial farms and also in the food products of the farms. This has lead to antibiotic resistant diseases. Antibiotic resistance is the process whereby bacteria resist treatment using speficic antibiotics (Singer & Mason, 2007, 61). Resistant bacterial infections are common and can be extremely dangerous. This shows us that with the increase in industrial produced products, there is a huge risk in getting resistant bacterial infections hence we are what we eat. In industrial farming, pesticides are extensively used to control pests especially in the production of vegetables, fruits and grains (Clay 2004, 41). Although it is a health concern for the products, pesticides are known to cause health problems which include cancer, neurologic and psychological problems among others in adults. In children pesticides has been found to cause damage to organs, delayed development, disruptions to the reproductive systems and cancer. Children are prone to the effects of pesticides because of their lower body mass and a re also the great consumers of the affected products. Cancer has been in the rise in the recent years due to the increase in use of pesticides this shows that we are what we eat. Industrial agriculture is increasingly using genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs are created by introducing specific genes into different plant or animal, the genes can be created or from an existing organisms. The GMOs are important because they address problems that come along

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Case Study- Soft Drinks Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

- Soft Drinks - Case Study Example The model is statistically significant and thus useful in determining future demand. Note that, significant F = 1.6455* 10-11 (approximately equal to zero). The implication is that the model is relevant with the estimators statistically different from zero (i.e. ÃŽ ²1 ≠  ÃŽ ²2≠  ÃŽ ²3≠ 0) 5. Now omit the price and temperature from the regression equation. Should a marketing plan for soft drinks be designed that relocates most canned drink machines into low-income neighborhoods? Why or why not? (20%) The negative sign in the income coefficient implies that a change in income influences quantity of soft drink cans consumed in the reverse direction. Therefore, the region with the lowest per-capita income will have the highest consumption. However, given that the R2 is 0.11 ( very low), the independent variable only explains 11% of the changes in the dependent variable leaving a very high percentage ( 89%) to be explained by other factors, hence not a good

Toulmin Essay on how DOD buget cuts affect the basic member of the

Toulmin on how DOD buget cuts affect the basic member of the Military - Essay Example I did decide to write on the topic because as simple as it is, it can bring a justifiable case to concerned persons on the need to look at a wider perspective before deciding to do budget cuts. The military budget is part of a country’s discretionary total budget, which is mainly allocated to the department of defence. Broadly, such budgets go to any defence related budgets, which may include: paying military salaries, giving military personnel trainings, healthcare of personnel and in some cases buying equipment for the military. In measure, the DOD can cut its budget to its members, which can affect them positively or negatively. It is argued that when such budget cuts are implemented, it would result to lack of co-operation among its member states. The members of the military have become dependent on the budget. Due to this, they are able to co-operate with the DOD in any policy. But when there is a budget cut, the members will start becoming unco-operative, and at times may pull out completely from the DOD membership(Smith, page 13). Such budget cuts are useful when dealing with other priority areas that need to be funded. Budget cuts by DOD will help its members to use the money saved for other purposes like paying for healthcare insurances or providing for pensions. The money can be used to continue training and educating the military personnel. For its members, the budget cut monies can only have a positive impact if they are used directly to support the members of the military (Sullivan & Sheffrin, pages 245) . Another argument is that the military budget cuts are appropriate because in cancelling such high budget cuts on the military, there is no existing justification that they are funding a threat that may likely to occur. The argument is that it is appropriate to continue spending money for many years on what will not eventually happen, instead of using the money in diplomatic processes to

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Film Franchises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Film Franchises - Essay Example The Harry Potter (#5,7,11,14) film franchise, meanwhile, is a pentalogy while the Star Wars series (8,17,20) is an octology (IMDb. All-Time Worldwide Box Office). It is worthwhile to mention that the James Bond film franchise, which consists of a series of 23 films ranks first The hereinabove data is a potent proof of the reality that in the movies, moviegoers would rather prefer to patronize movies which they are familiar with in terms of the characters and the story lines and which they know beforehand that there is a high possibility of them enjoying the movies to the hilt. They would rather not risk their money and time with films which they are not so sure whether the quality, the acting and the direction and the story would be to their liking. Like in books, comic strips, TV serials, one good thing must lead to another. are a ready, hard-core audience, a marketing hook and a possibility of generating new fanatics by simply improving the visual quality of the succeeding serials through the taking advantage of advances in cinematic technology especially the special effects phase of film making. Sadly though, many movie producers fail to sustain the movie going public's interest in their purported movie franchises, inevitably run out of steam and end up only in the sequel stage. Others run short of ideas and need the most opportune time to stage another reboot or even a prequel to continue the movie franchise undertaking. An example of this is The Chronicles of Narnia which had already netted more than $1.168 billion but is at the moment stymied in its production of a third serial, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, due to a finalisation of a more convincing and appealing screenplay (Sammons 2004, p.48). The most crucial challenge to all though, would be how to vigorously maintain the franchise's commerc ial appeal and potential and yet make it firmly self-contained as a narrative so that it will not end up churning a "series that outstays its welcome" (Thompson 2008, p.7). History of Film Franchises The movie world took a while to discover the magic and the marketing power of film franchises. Since the birth of cinema on December 28, 1895 when French

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Questioner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Questioner - Essay Example 3. I am a relentless person, I do not believe in giving up. Interior decoration is my passion, albeit discovered late in life. If I don’t get into the program, I will look for ways to express and expand on my interest, probably start a dà ©cor blog, and share and discuss ideas with other people. 4. My calling for interior decoration came after I had already gotten a professional MIS degree. Although I have always had a very attuned aesthetic sense, it was not until I found work with a furniture and interiors company, assisting with chalking up layouts and designs that I really began to enjoy my work. I enjoyed dealing with different spaces and working with clients and their respective lifestyles. Details fascinate me. How a single streak of colour can change the way an entire space feels, is an amazing experience, and a very gratifying feeling. I admit, working professionally as an interior decorator will require a lot of hard work and persistence, however, I feel that I already live, eat & breathe design. As Confucius said, â€Å"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your

Monday, September 23, 2019

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 23

Case Study - Essay Example Chinese people have a habit of accepting that has been handed down to them, without questioning its basis. The Western culture believes in independence and individuality but Chinese have been trained to copy the best ideas of others and implement them in their own productions. They believe initiating something on their own could mean taking a risk or asking for a disgrace. They lacked communication, either the Germans would not understand what Chinese were trying to communicate or the Chinese would not bother making a second call if there hasn’t been a response in a long time. The Chinese people didn’t believe in long-term planning and they would only consider small things. Due to long chain of hierarchy, lack of coordination was seen which affected standardization of reporting. The Chinese automotive sector emphasizes on local production rather than imports as this substantially reduces the cost. Transfer of technology requires that timely trainings are provided to the Chinese engineers at the same time encouraging them to do research and development at their end too. The EE should be given more autonomy, where they are responsible to take decisions on their own without consulting everyone in the chain of authority. Professionalism – people should be made to realize that a comment on the professional work doesn’t indicate an attack on their personality. There is always room for improvement; if someone has identified some faults with their professional work it can always be corrected. Encourage questions and taking initiative – encouraging employees to ask relevant questions is going to reduce misunderstandings that can develop at some point. By taking initiatives and risk, employees will build up confidence and gain experience. Independence and authority – Project Managers of EE should be given the authority to control time

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Sprayer and Probability Questions Essay Example for Free

Sprayer and Probability Questions Essay 1. A real estate office has been averaging 1.8 sales per day for the past several months. What is the probability that the office will make 4 sales today? .0723 2. A washing machine in a Laundromat breaks down an average of two times per month. What is the probability that the machine will break down more than 28 times in the next year? .1775 3. Flaws occur randomly in a particular fabric with a mean rate of occurance of 1.5 every 5 sqare yards. If you purchase 20 square yards of fabric, what is the probability that there will be at least 5 flaws in your fabric? . 5543 4. A coil of wire has 500 metres of wire. Suppose there are 20 nicks (the most common problem with wire) are randomly distributed on a coil. a) What is the probability that in a 50 metre length of wire there will be at least 7 nicks? .0011 b) What is the probability that in a 31 metre length of wire there will be exactly 3 nick(s)? .0920 5. Two students have started a business to seal driveways during the summer months. They rent a pickup truck and a power sprayer. With this they will use a tar based spray to seal asphalt driveways. Past experience has shown that the best time to sign up customers is to ring their doorbells between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. on any weekday evening. Any jobs that they obtain will be completed the next day. In the months of June. July and August they find that they get an average of 2.9 customers per hour ringing doorbells. a) What is the probability that they will get from 5 to 7 jobs in an evening of soliciting? Â  b) They charge $25 per driveway. If the truck costs $45 per day, and the spraying equipment costs $20 per day and the material to seal one driveway costs $6, what is the probability that they will make a profit on any given day.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Human Impact on Oceans

Human Impact on Oceans ‘How do I impact the ocean, how does the ocean impact me?’ Oceans, vast expanse of waters, holding immeasurable wealth and diverse species of marine fauna are prone to human activities-good and bad. Some of us have turned a blind eye to the existing threats that our oceans face. But why and how should we protect our oceans?   WHY ARE OCEANS SO IMPORTANT? Fish, octopus, shrimps- important sources of protein- are all derived from our seas-seas that are home to close to thousands of other aquatic species equally important for nature to maintain its usual course . The ocean can eradicate certain pollutants by natural processes like bacterial decay (explaining why factories use it as discharge systems). Today leisure, recreation and tourism define our country’s fame throughout the world, all thanks to the beautiful beaches and seas that we pride ourselves in. Coral reefs guard our coasts by shielding us from storms. Tidal and wind energy are our Oceana’s mightiest forces which if channeled effectively could present huge benefits to power stations. HOW ARE WE DEGRADING OUR OCEAN? However humans have in the long run abused these marine resources in greed of expanding trade. Domestic sewage, effluents from nearby factories and used water discharged can sometimes find its way to lagoons and ultimately introduce diseases and harmful chemicals into coastal waters. Human factors such as men dumping wastes or lethal chemicals in seas and natural factors such as storms or seismic waves can harm our natural fauna. Our natural barriers are impaired by malpractice of fishermen through wrong fishing techniques. WHAT ARE THE REPERCUSSIONS FROM DEGRADING OUR OCEAN? Resources in our seas may deplete to such an extent that widespread damage to aquatic bio-diversity may irrevocably warp the natural food chain so we have more sharks roaming in our bays than fish. It is anticipated that in the near future shortage of sea food caused by massive exploitation may dim the future of next generations. In the next two decades or so, we risk importing fish to support the needs of our growing population. Sea pollution blemishes our good reputation and progress occasioning in a decadent tourist industry along with detrimental environmental effects. Chemicals accumulate within bodies of marine organisms that are later consumed by men while polyps-the minute biotic elements that synthesize corals- die. Not to mention the damage extended by fishermen would make certain that corals can neither be created nor preserved. HOW TO SAVE OUR OCEAN? Setting up of breeding grounds for highly exploited marine fish-a practice known as aquaculture-would reduce the strain on conventional ocean-derived foods and leave ocean-fish time to procreate and mature before getting caught in nets of fishermen. Marine-Protected Areas in certain over-fished regions may be established to safeguard some aquatic species. Agencies must more regularly monitor factories effluents. Raising awareness about the devastating outcomes of pollution amongst people to deter any misdemeanour and also stressing the crucial importance of sustaining clean marine environment. If the tidal and wind energies emanated from seas were harnessed to manufacture electricity concerns will wane on CO2emissions that also adversely disturb oceans. CONCLUSION If our current manner of abusing seas maintains its trend, aquatic life may not recover and chain of events triggered by men himself may unfold teething troubles that will cripple our children’s children and the other children to come. Hence before it’s too late humanity MUST resort to all viable measures at hand to save our oceans before nature turn on us for our misdeeds. ‘How do I impact the ocean, how does the ocean impact me?’ Oceans, vast expanse of waters, holding immeasurable wealth and diverse species of marine fauna are prone to human activities-good and bad. Some of us have turned a blind eye to the existing threats that our oceans face. But why and how should we protect our oceans? WHY ARE OCEANS SO IMPORTANT? Fish, octopus, shrimps- important sources of protein- are all derived from our seas-seas that are home to close to thousands of other aquatic species equally important for nature to maintain its usual course . The ocean can eradicate certain pollutants by natural processes like bacterial decay (explaining why factories use it as discharge systems). Today leisure, recreation and tourism define our country’s fame throughout the world, all thanks to the beautiful beaches and seas that we pride ourselves in. Coral reefs guard our coasts by shielding us from storms. Tidal and wind energy are our Oceana’s mightiest forces which if channeled effectively could present huge benefits to power stations. HOW ARE WE DEGRADING OUR OCEAN? However humans have in the long run abused these marine resources in greed of expanding trade. Domestic sewage, effluents from nearby factories and used water discharged can sometimes find its way to lagoons and ultimately introduce diseases and harmful chemicals into coastal waters. Human factors such as men dumping wastes or lethal chemicals in seas and natural factors such as storms or seismic waves can harm our natural fauna. Our natural barriers are impaired by malpractice of fishermen through wrong fishing techniques. WHAT ARE THE REPERCUSSIONS FROM DEGRADING OUR OCEAN? Resources in our seas may deplete to such an extent that widespread damage to aquatic bio-diversity may irrevocably warp the natural food chain so we have more sharks roaming in our bays than fish. It is anticipated that in the near future shortage of sea food caused by massive exploitation may dim the future of next generations. In the next two decades or so, we risk importing fish to support the needs of our growing population. Sea pollution blemishes our good reputation and progress occasioning in a decadent tourist industry along with detrimental environmental effects. Chemicals accumulate within bodies of marine organisms that are later consumed by men while polyps-the minute biotic elements that synthesize corals- die. Not to mention the damage extended by fishermen would make certain that corals can neither be created nor preserved. HOW TO SAVE OUR OCEAN? Setting up of breeding grounds for highly exploited marine fish-a practice known as aquaculture-would reduce the strain on conventional ocean-derived foods and leave ocean-fish time to procreate and mature before getting caught in nets of fishermen. Marine-Protected Areas in certain over-fished regions may be established to safeguard some aquatic species. Agencies must more regularly monitor factories effluents. Raising awareness about the devastating outcomes of pollution amongst people to deter any misdemeanour and also stressing the crucial importance of sustaining clean marine environment. If the tidal and wind energies emanated from seas were harnessed to manufacture electricity concerns will wane on CO2emissions that also adversely disturb oceans. CONCLUSION If our current manner of abusing seas maintains its trend, aquatic life may not recover and chain of events triggered by men himself may unfold teething troubles that will cripple our children’s children and the other children to come. Hence before it’s too late humanity MUST resort to all viable measures at hand to save our oceans before nature turn on us for our misdeeds.