Virtual Teaching Best Practices

Virtual Teaching Best Practices Julie, Head of Content and Curriculum for TeacherVision, draws on her own virtual teaching experience to share the tips and strategies for success. by Julie Mason When you first begin teaching virtually, you may realize that it requires new and additional skills. You will learn as you teach, but it can be helpful to know some virtual teaching best practices prior to your first online teaching job. I was a virtual instructional coach for two years. I met with 70 teachers twice a month for 30 minutes, and all of our coaching work was done online through Zoom, a video conferencing platform. Many of the tips and strategies I share below come directly from my own virtual teaching experience. We partnered with VIPKid to bring you all the virtual teaching best practices that you need so that your online lessons run smoothly, and you begin your classes with a set of virtual teaching best practices in your toolbox. For more resources about online teaching, make sure you check out our online teaching hub. Test Your Equipment Technology doesn’t always work. A spotty internet connection or a frozen computer screen can derail the lesson when you are teaching online. When I was a virtual instructional coach, I started each day by testing all of my equipment before I met with teachers. This way, if my microphone wasn’t working or my computer battery was low, I could troubleshoot and fix any challenges before my teaching began. Bring Self-Awareness To Your Body Language and Expressions It can feel more challenging to connect with a student across a computer screen. Your body language conveys to your student that you are present and engaged in the lesson or you aren’t. If someone rings your doorbell while you are teaching, and you turn your head away from the screen or get up out of your seat, that will likely distract both you and your student. Make sure that your face is facing your student, and that you are nodding your head, using your hands, and making positive facial expressions to show your student that you are right there with him. Because of the importance of body language to convey meaning, especially when teaching language, VIPKid shares resources with their teachers about incorporating Total Physical Response (TPR). Say Your Student’s Name One of my favorite virtual teaching best practices is to say my student’s name throughout the lesson. This can be especially helpful in developing a connection with your student. When you say your student’s name at the end of a sentence, he knows that you are present and engaged in the lesson and that the experience is truly tailored to him. Turn Off Your Notifications It can be very distracting when you are listening to a student’s question and just when you are about to respond, a notification pops up on your computer screen or you computer makes a sound signalling that you have received an email. Before you begin your online classes, make sure that you snooze or turn off notifications, which can distract both you and your student. Eliminate Interruptions If you are teaching online at home, it is likely that someone else might be there too. Maybe you have children or roommates. Maybe you are expecting a package delivery or your neighbor mentioned she might drop by to return some books she borrowed from you. When you work at home, it can be more challenging to set boundaries that separate working from being at home. If an electrician is coming to your house or you know your children will be playing near your work space, don’t schedule online classes during that time or ask a friend, your partner or your mom to be at home to make sure you aren’t interrupted. Maybe your dishwasher is really loud or your roommates are planning to have friends over. In either case, communicate your schedule ahead of time to avoid unnecessary interruptions. It can help to have a dedicated space for your teaching, and because it’s online, you often don’t need much space. Always Have a Plan B A long silence can feel especially uncomfortable in a virtual setting. The screen freezes or the internet connection drops and you’ve lost your student. If your student doesn’t know what to do when this happens, it could derail your lesson. It can be helpful to have a plan B for when issues arise, and let your student know what to do when those issues come up. Be patient and know that sometimes with technology there will be challenges outside of your control. Do your best to have a backup plan and communicate it clearly. Take A Screen Break When you are teaching in a classroom you are up on your feet, and you are rarely looking at a computer screen. In order to maintain your health, make sure that you take a break from your computer in between online classes or when your teaching ends. Get up and move around as you will be seated while you are teaching (or some online teachers alternate with a standing desk too). Rest your eyes so you don’t strain them. It can be helpful to set reminders on your computer or phone to pause and take screen breaks. These virtual teaching best practices will set you up for success and make your online teaching run smoothly. For additional resources on online teaching best practices, visit our online teaching hub. What are your tips and tools for virtual teaching? Share with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Julie Mason is the Head of Curriculum and Content for TeacherVision. She taught middle and high school English for eight years, and then worked as an instructional coach, supporting K-12 teachers to blend and personalize their classrooms. She has a BA in English from Connecticut College, and an MA in English Education from New York University.

Brokered Convention - Definition

A brokered convention occurs when none of the presidential candidates enters their party’s national convention having won enough delegates during the primaries and caucuses to secure the nomination. As a result, none of the candidates are able to win the nomination on the first ballot, a rare event in modern political history that forces delegates and party elite to engage in convention-floor jockeying for votes and multiple rounds of balloting to reach a nomination. A brokered convention is different from an â€Å"open convention,† in which none of the delegates are pledged to a particular candidate. Pledged delegates are those that are assigned to a specific candidate based on the outcome of a states primary or caucus. In the 2016 Republican presidential contest, 1,237 delegates are needed to secure the nomination. Brokered Convention History Brokered conventions have become rare since the 1800s and early 1900s. In fact, no presidential nomination has gone beyond the first round of balloting since 1952. Since then presumed presidential nominees secure enough delegates for the nomination months before the party conventions. Nomination conventions of the past were lively and unscripted, where party bosses negotiated for votes on the floor. Those in the modern era have become humdrum and anticlimactic, as the nominee has already been chosen through the lengthy primary and caucus process. According to the late New York Times columnist William Safire, writing in Safire’s Political Dictionary, brokered conventions of the past were â€Å"dominated by factional party leaders and favorite sons, who dealt directly or through ‘neutral leaders’† or power brokers. â€Å"As the state primary or caucus system has taken over, the outcome has become rarely in doubt,† according to Safire. â€Å" †¦ The convention then becomes more of a coronation, much like what usually happens when an incumbent president is a candidate for renomination.† Why Brokered Conventions Are Rare One of the most significant developments of the 20th century helped to make brokered conventions a rarity: television. Delegates and party bosses did want to expose viewers to the ugly machinations and brutal horse-trading of the nomination process. â€Å"It is no coincidence that brokered conventions ended after networks began to televise them,† political scientists G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young wrote in 2007. The 1952 Republican National Convention, though settled on the first ballot when Dwight Eisenhower beat Robert Taft, â€Å"appalled thousands who watched it on TV. Since that time, both parties try mightily to orchestrate their convention as a political love feast - lest they antagonize viewers who will be voters in November,† according to Madonna and Young. Most Recent Republican Brokered Conventions For Republicans, the most recent brokered convention was in 1948, which also happened to be the first televised national convention. The top contenders were New York Gov.  Thomas Dewey, U.S. Sen. Robert A. Taft of Ohio, and former Minnesota Gov. Harold Stassen. Dewey failed to win enough votes to win the nomination in the first round of balloting, getting 434 votes to Tafts 224 and Stassens 157. Dewey inched closer in the second round with 515 votes, but his opponents tried to create a bloc of votes against him. They failed, and on the third ballot, both Taft and Stassen withdrew from the contest, giving Dewey all 1,094 delegate votes. He later lost to Harry S. Truman. Republicans came close to having another brokered convention in 1976, when President Gerald Ford only narrowly won the nomination over Ronald Reagan on the first ballot. Most Recent Democratic Brokered Conventions For Democrats, the most recent brokered convention was in 1952, when Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson won the nomination in three rounds of balloting. His closest rivals were U.S. Sen. Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee and U.S. Sen. Richard B. Russell of Georgia. Stevenson went on to lose the general election that year to Eisenhower. Democrats came close to having another brokered convention, though, in 1984, when Vice President Walter Mondale needed the votes of super delegates to beat Gary Hart at the convention. Longest Brokered Convention The most ballots cast in a brokered convention was in 1924, when it took 103 rounds of voting for Democrats to nominate John Davis, according to Madonna and Young. He later lost the presidential contest to Calvin Coolidge.

Comparison of Mr. Wickhams and Elizabeths Attitude...

Comparison of Mr. Wickhams and Elizabeths Attitude Towards Marriage in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice The novel, Pride and Prejudice revolves around a mother of five daughters, Mrs. Bennet, whose sole purpose is to marry off her daughters to suitable men. Her eldest, Jane, is her most prized daughter. Mrs. Bennet is assured that Janes beauty and meticulous manners will win her a prized husband. In the end Mrs. Bennet succeeds in marrying her to a husband and in addition she gets Lydia and Elizabeth married too; Jane to Mr Bingley, Lydia to Mr. Wickham and Elizabeth to Mr. Darcy. Pride and Prejudice is an enduringly popular 19th century novel written by the English author Jane Austen. The†¦show more content†¦Also that he had no money of his own too. Finally Mr. Wickham decides to run away with Lydia, which eventually turns out to be a good thing for Mr. Wickham. The Bennetts thought that they would get bad name now and that they would never get Janeor any of their daughters for that matter, to marry a man of great fortune. No man would want to marry a woman who has a family with a bad reputation. This is when Darcy comes in and helps out by finding both Lydia and Mr. Wickham. He pays Mr. Wickham ten thousand pounds to marry Lydia. But Mr. Bennet thinks Mr. Wickham is a fool to take Lydia with a farthing less than ten thousand pounds. In the end this saves the Bennet family from a bad reputation and shame. Mr. Wickham ends up marrying Lydia. So all in all it seems that Mr. Wickham was generally looking for a woman with money enough to live with and have an ordinary life with the exception that he had taken a liking to Elizabeth when he arrived in to Meryton. Elizabeth a woman looking for romance and love takes a liking towards Mr. Wickham when she meets him at his arrival to Meryton, but she knows that they can not be together for it would be a hard life with Mr. Wickham as an officer in the regiments. Then Elizabeth is cautioned by Charlotte toShow MoreRelatedPride And Prejudice By Jane Austen1423 Words   |  6 PagesAusten uses Pride and Prejudice as a means to express her views on marriage, without being didactic. She frequently satirises views which oppose her own. Austen was a believer that men and women should be more equal. This view was also shared by feminist activist Mary Wollstonecraft, who had once said, â€Å"virtue can only flourish among equal†. However, Wollstonecraft disliked the social hierarchy, whereas Austen respected it and thought whoever was at the â€Å"top†, deserved to be there. Austen believedRead More The Importance of Jane Austens Letters in Pride and Prejudice3360 Words   |  14 PagesThe Importance of Jane Austens Letters in Pride and Prejudice In Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice letters are used to indicate a change in direction of the plot or to form narrative crisis points. Jane Austen successfully weaves her letters into the natural narrative of the dialogue and description. It is suggested that Jane Austen developed her epistolary mode of writing from many other 18th Century authors such as Samuel Richardson, whose novels are written completely Read MoreDecisions Made by Women in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen2538 Words   |  11 Pagesby Women in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife This opening paragraph of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin has become one of the most famous sentences in English literature. It states that the novel will explore the theme of marriage. Jane Austen lived in an opinionated world and this is reflected in her novel. In Pride and Prejudice no secret is

Marketing Analysis Mayo Clinic Free Essays

Marketing Analysis: Mayo Clinic December 14, 2012 Marketing Analysis: Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic: is in the business of providing patient care through their many different Clinics and hospitals. They are ranked number two as one of the top twenty hospitals for heart and heart surgery per the Forbes list of top hospitals, and they ranked seventy one out of one hundred in the top one hundred places to work (Forbes, 2012). The Mayo Clinics are a not-for-profit hospital and teaching center that is renown throughout the world. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Analysis: Mayo Clinic or any similar topic only for you Order Now They became known as the hospital that treats the diseases no other facility or physician want to treat. They have over thirty eight hundred physicians and scientist as well as over fifty thousand Allied health care workers on their payroll. They also have thirty six hundred medical residents, fellows and students through their medical schools. Their slogan is â€Å"We strive to turn the impossible into the possible† (Mayo Clinic Annual Report, 2011). â€Å"The Mayo Clinic cared for more than one million patients at its campuses in Minnesota, Florida, Arizona and Mayo Clinic Health System, a network of clinics, hospitals and health care facilities serving more than seventy communities in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin† (Mayo Clinic Annual Report, 2011, pg. 7, para4). From their beginning in 1863, William Worrall Mayo insisted on standards that would be considered innovative for the time. And as the demand for their services increased, they formed a team of doctors and researchers and became â€Å"the first private integrated group practice. † Initially this practice of teamwork among doctors was viewed as unconventional, but soon patients realized the advantages of the pooled resources, having doctors and scientist under the same roof with knowledge and skills, patients and student came from around the world to learn and be treated (Dickson, 2012). Mayo Clinic over one hundred years ago made it clear through its mission and vision that the patients’ interests would not be served well if doctors were competing with each other. William Mayo emphasized that making a commitment to the patient; doctors must make a commitment to each other: â€Å"Continuing interest by every member of the staff in the professional progress of every other member,† would be vital to nourishing the organization’s future. Patients are the Mayo Clinic’s first priority and they do not base care on a patient’s ability to pay. Most of the staff is not even aware of a patient’s status, which allows them to give the patients the best care possible without having to worry about being paid (Mayo Clinic, nd). The Mayo Clinic has some fierce competition, such as Johns Hopkins Hospital. Johns Hopkins is an institution with a mission to† improve the health of our community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in patient care. † They also advertise with commercials on television, radio, and in the newspaper. They have internet Social media marketing in place and through their multi-media relations staff, they are able to pierce the market of patients within the United States and abroad. (Johns Hopkins Hospital, nd). The services they offer are comparable to The Mayo Clinic and both are rated in the top 25 best hospitals to work for by HealthExecNews. com. However, Johns Hopkins did not make the top 100 list for Forbes. The four â€Å"P’s† (Product, Place, Price, Promotion) Product Brand – Mayo Clinic; the name alone is known as a leader in the medical field for their dedicated physicians, scientists and allied health staff that work together as a team to put the needs of the patient first, known as â€Å"The Mayo Effect. † There are three main hospitals and several clinics that offer medical treatments and services as well as training, residencies and fellows for medical professions (Mayo Annual Report, 2011). Product features – Patient satisfaction and quality care given to patients are some of the main reasons that patients choose the Mayo Clinic. Known as the place to go for specializing in treating complex illnesses, patients can receive uninhibited care, regardless of ability to pay (Mayo Clinic, nd). Packaging – The Mayo Clinic is well known throughout the world for their research as well as their teaching facilities for medical professions. In addition, they partner with many facilities to serve communities in five states, while maintaining three main Hospital facilities in Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida (Mayo Clinic, nd). Product lines – They have several, mainly books and CD’s on health and wellness. They also have a customer base of over 900,000 people for their Mayo Clinic Health Letter and Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource subscriptions, which are mailed monthly with a quarterly special report as part of the subscription. Having tested the market for potential internet subscriptions in 2007, they found many were not interested, but in 2008 the test showed there was more interest in that option (Fletcher, 2010). Place Channels of distribution – Most referrals are from word of mouth; people recommending the organization because of a good experience they had. Media: Mayo utilized the local media by offering their physicians the opportunity to share their expertise with the community through bi-monthly consumer health segments (Weiss, 2009) Internet: Mayo can be found on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Linkedin, and their new patient blog; Sharing MayoClinic (Weiss, 2009). Advertising: Mayo utilizes media through stories and partnerships with the local news as well as sponsoring health events. They do not use mass media advertising and they rely on their reputation (Weiss, 2009). Physician referrals: come from around the world, because Mayo has a reputation of caring for patients others may not want the challenge of caring for or they do not know how to (Weiss, 2009). Physical distribution – Services are administered through care givers and physicians during visits to either the hospital or office visits. The â€Å"Mayo Effect† uses strategies to achieve their goals and mission â€Å"with collaboration, expertise and compassionate commitment to the health and happiness of their patients† (Mayo Annual Report, 2011). Retailing choices – Patients have several choices to receive services, through the hospital, a clinic visit, and now the minute clinic. Mayo has two Minute clinics’ that are a walk-in center and are used to assess and treat minor conditions, and monitor chronic conditions of patients and no appointment is required. The wait time is usually less than 15 minutes. (Keckley, Ph. D. , P. H. , 2008). Inventory decisions – The minute clinics are a new way to see patients that may have less urgent needs such as; sore throat, pink eye, minor cuts and burns, or chronic diseases that may need monitoring. The clinics offer walk-in services to anyone, and they have the ability to look up patient records through Electronic medical records (EMR) leaving no paper record needing to be stored. Centers are being staffed by nurse practitioner and physician assistants with assistance of proprietary technology designed to help diagnose and treat non-serious medical conditions. These centers are now being seen in many pharmacy chain stores and even places like Wal-Mart and Target. Jumping on the band wagon so to speak, Mayo clinic sees the Minute Clinics as a source of patient referrals for their physicians as some patients that come for treatment will be referred to a Mayo Clinic doctor if there is a need for follow up or if their presenting condition needs more treatment then the Minute Clinic can provide (Keckley, Ph. D. , P. H. , 2008). Price Cost-based pricing – Most health care is based on a health insurance system making payments based on a third party payer system, so the price for care is usually set by entities outside of the doctor-patient relationship. Because of this system, providers do not need to compete for patients based on money prices. Medicare sets prices and national policies for health care services, while health insurance companies negotiate with providers for services and they offer incentives to reduce costs and reduce performing unnecessary procedures (Nelson, 2009). Value-based pricing – In comparison, Mayo is a high cost provider when compared to other Minnesota providers, and many insurance providers list Mayo in the bottom of their tiered health plans, based on cost not quality. Mayo may need to charge more to private pay patients to cover the shortfalls from uncompensated care and public payers (Medicare and Medicaid). â€Å"Because public payments rarely cover the cost of care, providers must charge private payers higher rates if they expect to stay in business† (Nelson, 2009,para 15). As we enter into new reforms being designed to cut costs and improve quality care the current system is about to change and we can only hope for the better. Competition-based pricing – The Mayo Clinic is able to keep costs down, because they pay their physicians a salary and not on a fee for services like many other health care organizations do. Being a center for excellence, they rank higher in quality of care than other organizations which gives them an advantage when negotiating with insurance companies on the price for services. Because they have an integrated approach, they perform less unnecessary procedures than other organizations, which will keep a patients overall cost down (Nelson, 2009). Promotion Communication plans – Mayo Clinic is on the cutting edge by initiating an electronic database which allows interaction with other physicians and shared information through an affiliation agreement and e-consultants. With changes coming in the health care delivery system, and payers, Mayo is aggressively expanding their affiliation with other providers. Being known as a center for excellence, they are often called to give a consultation on difficult cases. Becoming an affiliate of the Mayo Clinic gives the provider the ability to use their name in advertising as well as consult with the Mayo Physicians. The goal of Mayo Clinic is â€Å"to be the leader in efforts to get hospitals and physician groups to work together more effectively to improve quality and lower costs† (Graham, 2012). Public relations – Being a pioneer and leading the way is not new for the Mayo Clinic, being one of the first to initiate a Facebook web page that people can write on its wall and share all types of content, is a way of communicating and gaining customers. People are using the site to share stories about their own or a family members experience with the Mayo Clinic. These stories are than shared and â€Å"liked† making this a form of word of mouth. Many will visit the site which also offers information and short videos on different subjects, as well as health support issues. They also have Podcasts that are offered at the iTunes store, and it once reached 29th in the Top 100 (Rollyson, 2008). Advertising – Mayo has not spent a lot of money on advertising and relies on reputation to bring in the patients. However, when they opened the Florida clinic in 2008, patients were not banging down the doors so to speak and they realized they needed to do something to attract the patients (Weiss, 2009). They rely on word of mouth and have taken initiatives that bring awareness to the organization. Having a Facebook page, Twitter, YouTube, Podcasts, local television health segments that allow people to call with concerns or ask questions, monthly new magazine and by sponsoring community health events. Employees are also a source of advertising, many are happy to share the Mayo philosophy (â€Å"the needs of the patient come first†) with others. Sales and selling activity – Being a not for profit organization, they are more concerned with quality as this will bring quantity. The Mayo clinic offers advertising ads and sponsorships in their e-newsletters and magazines as well as community events that promote health awareness. However, their financial goals take a backseat to their mission, which is to focus on the patients and meeting the needs of the patient first. Making themselves present on social media sites as well as sponsoring community events that promote health awareness, they are able to draw attention to their name. Having a strong reputation for quality care and their desire to put the patients’ needs before the need for payment, sets a standard that many organizations could learn from. Overall the Mayo Clinic system and philosophy sets a standard that is in a class of its own. Gaining a reputation that has lasted over a hundred years as one of the best organizations to be a patient of or to work for says a lot for the way they are doing business. Offering other facilities and organizations the opportunity to be affiliated with the Mayo system will continue to bring awareness to the brand and promote their way of helping people, while bring the medical profession together working as a team. Reference: Dickson, F. (2012, May 5). The Mayo Mystique. Marketing Health Services. Retrieved From: http://www. marketingpower. com/ResourceLibrary/MarketingHealthServices/Pages/2012/Spring%202012/The-Mayo-Mystique. aspx Fletcher, H. ( 2010, August). Truth in Advertising. North American Publishing Company. Retrieved from: http://www. targetmarketingmag. com/article/mayo-clinic-puts-straightforward-direct-mail-creative-test/1 Forbes. (2012, July 17). Still the One: Cleveland Clinic Retains Top Spot On US News World Report Heart Hospital Rankings. Forbes. comLLC. Retrieved from: http://www. forbes. com/sites/larryhusten/2012/07/17/still-the-one-cleveland-clinic-retains-top-spot-on-us-news-world-report-heart-hospital-rankings/ Graham, J. , (2012, Aug. 24). Mayo Clinic Seeks to Extend it Reach with Series of Affiliations Around the Country. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved from: http://www. kaiserhealthnews. org/Stories/2012/August/24/Mayo-Clinic-Extends-Reach. aspx Hathaway M. , Seltman, K. (2001, Winter). International Market Research at the Mayo Clinic. Marketing Health Services. How to cite Marketing Analysis: Mayo Clinic, Papers

Uses of Recycled Water in Horticulture free essay sample

There are numerous reasons of recycling, including cost saving, extended landfill span, resource conservation, energy conservation, economic development, pollution prevention and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years environmental benefits of recycling have become a major component of waste management programme. What is recycled water? Water recycling is a generic term for water reclamation and reuse, where the resulting water is referred to as recycled water. This term will be used throughout this document, but you might also   find a number of other terms used in the water industry. These include: †¢ Water reclamation †¢ Water recycling †¢ Water reuse †¢ Wastewater †¢ Sewage effluent †¢ Reclaimed water †¢ Grey water Water recycling can include: †¢ Recycling of wastewater from previous uses. This generally means the reclamation of water from domestic sewage effluent or municipal wastewater. These waters may be recycled from bathroom and laundry effluents (grey water), from the entire domestic sewage stream (black   water) or from municipal wastewater Recycling of water from agricultural and industry wastewater. We will write a custom essay sample on Uses of Recycled Water in Horticulture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Recycled water can be either or both of the above waters. Stormwater, greywater, rainwater and treated effluent are all alternative water supplies that, when treated as required, are suitable for a range of purposes. This can include irrigating grazing land and crops, in horticulture, industrial processing, in residential dual pipe schemes, and to keep our public and recreational spaces green. On this website, recycled water generally refers to fully treated effluent from sewage treatment plants. Recycled water is a valuable resource. It contributes to conservation of drinking quality water, improves the reliability of our water supplies, frees up water for the environment or growth, and reduces the amount of treated effluent discharged into our bays and oceans. What can recycled water be used for? Recycled water can be used for just about anything, as long as it is treated to a level to make it fit for the intended purpose, from a health and environmental perspective (Figure 3) . However, the cost of treatment may make reclamation uneconomical for some uses. Australia now has more than 580 different recycled water schemes operating, which use approximately 167 GL/year. The bulk of these schemes involve: †¢ Urban and municipal environments †¢ Households, golf courses and recreational parks. †¢ Industry †¢ Washing and cooling in power stations and mills. †¢ Agriculture †¢ Horticulture, forestry, pasture, flowers, viticulture and sugar cane. Other possible uses include: †¢ Fire fighting †¢ Groundwater recharge †¢ Municipal landscapes †¢ ‘Dual pipe’ urban uses †¢ Environmental flows and wetlands It is now also possible for advanced treatment technology to produce safe drinking (potable) water. In several countries wastewater is recycled for potable reuse via groundwater injection (e. g. Factory 21, Orange County, California, USA) or where it is added directly to surface   reservoirs (e. g. NeWater, Singapore). Such planned indirect or direct potable reuse is not currently practiced in Australia, although it is being considered by some councils with severe water shortages. Recycled water is already being used in a wide range of applications, including the irrigation of agriculture, parklands and golf courses. What is horticulture? Horticulture is the art, industry and science of plant cultivation. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic engineering, plant biochemistry, and plant physiology. The work particularly involves fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs, and turf. Horticulturists work to improve crop yield, quality, nutritional value, and resistance to insects, diseases, and environmental stresses. Etymology The word horticulture is a 17th century English adaptation of the Latin: hortus (garden) + cultura (culture)), it is the culture or growing of garden plants. Horticulture as classically defined is the subdivision of agriculture dealing in gardening: in contrast to agronomy which deals with field crops and the production of grains and forage, and forestry which deals with forest trees and products related to them. How is recycled water defined? Recycled water is defined as water that has been treated to a fit for purpose standard for a specific application.

Evaluation Of The Play Blood Brothers By Willy Russel essays

Evaluation Of The Play Blood Brothers By Willy Russel essays Evaluation Of The production Blood Brothers The production I went to see was Blood Brothers. The version I saw was performed at the Regent Theatre and written by Willy Russell it was a scripted piece and was written for young adults as some concepts would be unsuitable for children. We watched this production because we recently performed this ourselves The production is set in Liverpool and was written in the 1980s.The production effectively shows the barrier between the different classes of people basically it is about two twins seperated when young one going to a rich family one going to a poor family, the poor mother mrs johnstone would like the twins to be friends whilst the rich mrs lyons is just as opposed the twins mickey (poor) I feel one of the main reasons why this production has been so successful is the audience enjoy watching how the characters relate to each other, as their very contrasting characters fuse. At the age of seven Eddie has been completely smothered by his parents and is exactly how his parents would want him to be. He enters in his grey school uniform, with shorts and long socks, this immediately gives the audience some information about this character, and makes it obvious who he is, as this is the first time the audience see Eddie since he was a baby. Eddie is extremely well spoken, and first introduces himself to Micky as 'Edward Lyons'. Eddie's body language is very much more controlled than Micky's, it seems as though Eddie is very much more conscious of his actions. He may act like this to show that he has not been brought up around people of his own age, and he doesn't really know how to relate to anybod...

Five ways your web writing is annoying your readers - Emphasis

Five ways your web writing is annoying your readers Five ways your web writing is annoying your readers Having a website is a wonderful thing: it allows you to confuse and  frustrate people thousands of miles away without ever having to hear their complaints. This makes it very hard to see what the problems are – and very tempting to pretend that they don’t exist. Your web pages don’t have to be like that. It all comes down to avoiding the five most common web-writing traps. Here’s how. Skip the happy talk Imagine stepping into a lift or elevator and hearing this announcement:  Ã¢â‚¬ËœThank you for entering this building’s lift. We’re pleased you’ve chosen the number one lift provider in this building. To select your desired floor, please use the illuminated buttons.’ Clearly ridiculous – yet a similar thing happens on many web pages:  Ã¢â‚¬ËœThank you for browsing our widgets. We are the market leaders in widgets and are dedicated to producing the best widgets for you. We’ve been making widgets since 1990. To browse our widgets, click on the links below.’ Web usability expert Steve Krug calls this kind of space-filling, meaningless text ‘happy talk’, and recommends a simple test to root it out: read it out loud. If you hear a quiet voice saying in your head ‘blah blah blah’, then it’s happy talk. In this example, the only potentially useful information is ‘To browse our widgets, click on the links below’. But if simple tasks such as browsing your site require instructions, there’s a very good chance that it’s not better phrasing you need, but more intuitive web design. Don’t be afraid of keeping text content to a minimum, if it makes things clearer. An excellent example of this is the Gov.uk site, which won the Design of the Year award in 2013. See the section for drivers as an example. There’s no happy talk or clutter, and all the links are self-explanatory. Answer the golden question Everyone visiting your web pages will have a need. This can range from the highly specific, such as a need to buy a particular product, to a vague need for distraction. You need to work out which of these needs also benefits your organisation, then tailor your website to meet them. This is hard because people can arrive in a bewildering variety of ways. Imagine a large shopping centre with an underground car park, an internal metro station, a bus-stop, a helipad, several pedestrian entrances – and, just for added complication, a few ladders leaning up against windows. Where do you greet the visitors, and how do you establish what they need? Website visitors can come from search engines, social media, reference by a friend, a link from a site, by directly typing the address into their browser after seeing an advert, or just from memory. You have no way of telling where the next one will come from, and no control over which page they see first. This means each page, by itself, needs to answer the golden question of web writing: ‘Am I in the right place?’ Within about five seconds. This is a hard test to pass. Try it for yourself: Get someone who isn’t familiar with your website to look at an important page. Ask them what they think that page is about after a few seconds. There’s a good chance you’ll be surprised by their answer. Go to FiveSecondTest.com (the free version is fine for this) and ask some anonymous people from the internet to do the same thing. If this all sounds too painful, try it on the sites of your competitors or similar organisations. You’ll be surprised at how many of them fail. This can be quite satisfying, but bear in mind that your site probably suffers from some of the same problems. People will tend to stay on your site if they think they’re in the right place – just as you’ll keep searching for what you need in a department store if you think you’re likely to find it. However, you’ll need to make sure they can find it reasonably swiftly, as anyone who’s ever stormed off in an empty-handed huff will attest. Be credible If Google is to be believed, the world is crammed full of ‘world leaders’, hundreds of thousands of them, all leading the world in something or other. A Google search for ‘world leader in the field of’ returns more than five million results. Phrases like this give no information and are not by themselves credible. They only take a few key strokes to type and anyone can claim them – and your readers know it. They will filter it out. This applies most obviously to marketing copy, where a handful of testimonials from satisfied people are worth more than anything, however wondrous, the company claims about itself. But it also applies in a more subtle way to non-marketing claims. For example, if you claim you are ‘always there to help’, then back it up by making your contact details easy to find. Make your headlines work The pressure on headlines is staggering, which makes writing them hard. But it doesn’t have to be, if you follow three rules: They must be informative. They’re the first thing the reader scans, and often the only thing they’ll bother to read, so they need to communicate essentially what the page is about. They need to be concise, to the point and short. And they have to be easy to understand for everyone in your target audience. So think twice before using industry-insider terms that a new customer may not understand. When writing a headline, keep in mind the golden question: ‘Am I in the right place?’ Your headline needs to answer that in as plain a way as possible. Gov.uk does well again here – its section covering areas as diverse as apprenticeships, school applications and university loans is summarised as ‘Education and learning’. It’s short, informative and easy to understand. The body copy (also very short) lets people know the detail. KISS with confidence Keeping it Short and Simple is a fundamental part of all professional writing, and it’s particularly important when you’re writing for the web. On the web, you’re always fighting to hold your audience’s attention (and to keep them away from the back button), so the shorter the sweeter. Also, your visitors will have different levels of English comprehension – some may have lower levels of literacy, including those for whom English is not a first language. Keeping it short and simple will help all the visitors to your site by making it easier to use and understand. This in turn increases trust, and helps your visitors achieve their goals quickly and simply. Bob’s your uncle Apply these five rules to your website, and you’ll soon see your communications becoming leaner, cleaner and more efficient. And while you may not be able to see your website visitors’ blood pressure lowering, you’ll soon start to witness the effects. When they realise they’re able to find what they’re looking for on your website quickly and easily, they’ll trust your organisation to be able to meet their needs with the same efficiency. To find out how to optimise your web writing for search engines, see  A beginner’s guide to keyword research.  For tips on how to keep it short and simple, see Three ways to tame your sentences and the  Power up with the active voice  video.