Collecting and Analyzing Data Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Collecting and Analyzing Data - Assignment Example Eradicate the cases of anxiety among teenage girls in the City of Everett Public School System. 4. Theory: The health promotion program is founded by the cognitive model of anxiety. The framework looks at anxiety from the perspective of vulnerability and describes the appraisal of threat (Clark & Beck, 2011). 5. Program activities: The health promotion program main activity is to assess the African American girls between 12-18 years in the City of Everett Public School system. The girls are then put in different groups to utilize one specific treatment that will give different results for comparison to determine the best option. 6. Resources and constraints: The resources available for the health promotion program include experiential support references got from different studies to help in determining the effective treatment. The community serves as an important resource to help identify acceptable cultural behaviors that are applicable to the health promotion program. The constraints in the health promotion program include insufficient resources that cannot see the program to the end. There is also a challenge from the perspective of the students who do not adhere to the established treatment sessions. The challenge encountered in creating the health promotion program plan included information strategies were not enough to influence the prime behavior because there is competition with the numerous information that the African American girls are exposed to. There is also the difficulty in making sure the information flows in two ways enabling mutual understanding of the African American girls and the professionals. To overcome these challenges I introduced the health promotion program to the African American girls in a debate setting. In this environment, the African American girls came into contact with the health professionals involved. The participants also expressed their

Assessments for Early Childhood Programs Essay Example for Free

Assessments for Early Childhood Programs Essay William J. Wilson once said, â€Å"The person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, or perseverance†. Why do we test students? What is the purpose of assessments? Do these tests and assessments benefit the students? These are questions educators have been asking for years. It is impossible for one to determine a child’s academic abilities based solely on a test. Yet there still needs to be some form of assessments performed in order to evaluate the academic level each student has reached. But how much assessing is too much? How heavily do educators rely on the results of these assessments? The main issues, when it comes to assessing early childhood students, are the consequences of the assessment results and how they affect the child. According to The National Academies of Sciences, there are two key principles that support the success of assessment. The first is that the purpose of an assessment should be a guide for assessment decisions. â€Å"The purpose for any assessment must be determined and clearly communicated to all stake- holders before the assessment is designed or implemented. Most important, assessment designed for programs should not be used to assess individual children. Because different purposes require different kinds of assessments, the purpose should drive assessment design and implementation decisions† (The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). The second principle is that any assessment performed should be completed in a â€Å"coherent system of health, educational, and family support services that promote optimal development for all children. Assessment should be an integral part of a coherent system of early childhood care and education that includes a range of services and resources† (The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). These two principles explain the main purpose of why assessing is important and how assessments should be conducted. After having an understanding of the purpose of assessments, why is it so important to begin evaluations at such a young age? What is the purpose of evaluating infants and toddlers? Author Sue Wortham explains evaluating toddlers and infants determine whether the child is developing normally or if they show any signs of delay and need assistance. All in all, the main purpose of assessment is to benefit the child (Wortham, p. 32). The NAEYC believes that during a child’s early years, evaluating and assessing their development should be the primary focus. They want to study how young children grown and learn. All the â€Å"results of assessment are used to inform the planning and implementation of experiences, to communicate with the child’s family, and to evaluate and improve teachers’ and program’s effectiveness† (Wortham, p.34). Teachers also use assessment results to in order to plan their curriculum accordingly. So exactly do assessments search for? Assessments look not only for what the child is already capable of doing independently but also what they can do with the help of a teacher or another student (Wortham, p. 35). So how are they assessed exactly? There are many different assessments given to children across the U. S. everyday. These may be administered orally or as written works, such as questionnaires, surveys, or tests. These may include: standardized tests, observations, checklists, rating scales, rubrics, interviews, or portfolios. Each of these serve a different purpose in order to give different pieces of information needed to evaluate the child in question. Standardized tests, though many disagree with them, are meant to measure individual characteristics. Observations, on the other hand, are one of the most effective ways to measure students’ characteristics. When children are young, it can be hard at times to determine if there are any developmental delays (Wortham, p. 39). Developmental checklists, or scopes, are mainly used at all levels of education. These checklists are lists of the learning objectives that have been established by the teacher in order to keep track of their learning and development. Items on a checklist are rated with a negative or positive response from the teacher. Rating scales, unlike checklists, provide measurement on a continuum and are used when a collection of criteria is needed to attain specific information. Another form of assessment teachers commonly use is Rubrics. Rubrics were created to â€Å"evaluate authentic and performance assessments† (Wortham, p. 41). Rubrics, like rating scales, have a range of criteria that must be met. However, unlike rating scales, rubrics can be used to not only determine the quality of performance required, but are also used to assign grades. Rubrics make it easy for students to understand what is expected and is makes it easier for teachers to grade assignments. The final types of assessments that are most frequently used are performance and portfolio assessments. These evaluations might be administered through interviews given directly by the teacher in order to understand the child’s thinking and understanding (Wortham, p. 41). Teachers may present these evaluations through directed assignments, activities, or games. The performance results are typically kept in a student or teacher portfolio. These portfolios contain samples of student’s work and are used as a sort of progress report card. Keeping detailed reports of student’s work in the portfolios help teachers keep track of their student’s progress and help determine which areas of learning are lacking attention (Wortham, p. 41). Overall, according to Wortham, these tests, whether administered to an individual child or a group of students, are meant to determine a student’s â€Å"abilities, achievements, aptitudes, interests, attitudes, values, and personality characteristics† (Wortham, p.39). Now having an understanding of the different types of assessments used to evaluate students and the purpose, let us turn to the negative and positive effects of these evaluations. It is crucial for educators to administer tests and evaluations carefully, because it they are poorly articulated, it can lead to decisions that are unfair or unclear, and they may do harm to programs, teachers, and, most importantly, children (Snow, C. E. Van Hemel, S. B. , p. 341-342). Evaluations and assessments are not meant to punish a child, and therefore, should never be overseen lightly. It is important that the information gathered outweighs any negative effects. Editors of Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, and How, Catherine E. Snow and Susan B. Van Hemel, explain that â€Å"although the same measure may be used for more than one purpose, prior consideration of all potential purposes is essential, as is careful analysis of the actual content of the assessment instrument. Direct examination of the assessment items is important because the title of a measure does not always reflect the content† (Snow, C. E. Van Hemel, S. B. , p. 346). So what are some negative effects? Negative consequences of assessment findings may include program de-funding, closing a center, firing a teacher, mislabeling a child, or a reduction in program resources (The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). These effects, such as mislabeling a student, can follow students for the rest of their education career. Once a child is entered into a program, it can be difficult at time for teachers to look past that label. Children all develop at different his or her own pace. No one child will develop and learn the same way as another child. They all grow up and develop at different stages. Yet educational theorists have been able to observed and gather enough information to conclude that children, if divided in age groups, do tend to follow a certain development pattern. The problem is, it is hard to determine which children are the outliers in these results without carefully administering proper assessments. Assessments are not used to necessarily judge student or punish them. Their main purpose is to help students, teachers, and parents. So what are some positive effects of assessment and evaluations? Students that benefit from assessments and evaluations are those that are properly observed and tested. Teachers also benefit from the use of assessments because it helps them create an appropriate curriculum for their students. Evaluating children at a young age can have a positive effect if a delay or disability is in fact found, and because it was caught early, the student has a better chance of exceeding their potential in school. Catching developmental delays or disabilities at a young age is the same as finding cancer at an early stage in the sense that the earlier the cancer is found; the chances of survival are greater. Assessment results are used to plan for instruction, evaluate instructional programs, and report student progress. These are all positive results of assessments. Without the results of assessments and test, how can educators determine what to teach their students? Evaluations, if planned and administered properly, can be more beneficial than harmful. Unfortunately, not all teachers evaluate children fairly or appropriately. So it is important for parents to stay involved in their children’s education in the event that the results of an evaluation do not match the potential of their child. Parents should know the norms and abnormalities of their child’s behavior. Therefore, it is always beneficial to the child for parents and teachers to communicate. This way if a child is acting up in class, and the teacher notifies the parent, the parent may confirm any fears right away by simply saying, â€Å"that isn’t like him† or â€Å"he’s just nervous†. Avoiding drastic measures and not jumping to conclusions is the proper way to evaluate a child fairly. What are the predicted long-term benefits to Early Childhood Assessments? Are assessments and student evaluations accurate? Should teachers be required to assess and evaluate students as much as they already do? These are just a few of the questions that plagued educators for years. Too much assessing has placed so much pressure on students and teachers, inevitably taking away a child’s desire to learn for the sake of learning. The purpose of assessments and evaluations is a great concept, but placing too much pressure and emphasis on the test results is tainting the original purpose of learning. References Bers, T. H. Mittler, M. L. (1994). New Directions for Community Colleges. Assessment Testing Myths and Realities: A Critical Review of Student Assessment Options, 69-83. Brink, M. (2002). Involving Parents in Early Childhood Assessment: Perspectives from an Early Intervention Instructor. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(4), 251-7. Retrieved from Education Full Text database Early, D. M. , McKenna, M. , Slentz, K. L. (2008). A Guide to Assessment in Early Childhood; Infancy to Age Eight. Washington State: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The National Academies of Sciences (2008). Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, And How. Retrieved October 19, 2011 from http://www. bocyf. org/head_start_brief. pdf. Early Learning Standards Task Force and Kindergarten Assessment Work Group. (2005). Early Childhood Assessment For Children From Birth To Age 8 (Grade 3). Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania’s Departments of Education and Public Welfare. Snow, C. E. Van Hemel, S. B. (2008). Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, And How. Washington, D. C. : The National Research Council Of The National Academies Wortham, S. (2012). Assessment in Early Childhood Education, (6th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Stakeholder Management And Its Contribution To Project Success Construction Essay

Stakeholder Management And Its Contribution To Project Success Construction Essay Project management is an evolving discipline which is relatively new in both practice and academics hence knowledge is drawn from other disciplines to further advance both theory and practice in managing projects. Consequently this research will draw from different academic disciplines for its theory and the construction industry for its practice. To this end a project could be described as a strategy used by organisations to achieve its strategic goal, the strategy could be suggested to have a start and an end date (Turner 2009 p.20; Holton 2002 p.10-2). It could also be suggested that the word organisation in the above definition by Turner 2009 could be called the project stakeholder. Olanda and Landin (2005 p.321) defined project stakeholders as a: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦group of people who have a vested interest in the success of a project and the environment within which the project operatesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This research is focused on investigating the impact of stakeholder management and its contribution to project success in the construction industry. It could be suggested that the use of PMIs life cycle phases be adopted for the entire project plan as seen in figure 1 below. Figure -Project Lifecycle The project initiation phase of this report will include proposing a project research topic, assigning a project supervisor or project sponsor and proposing a research plan. While the project planning phase will include reviewing of the available project materials and the execution phase will involve writing up the literature review and project methodology. Handover and closeout will involve submitting the final report to supervisor and award of Msc degree in Project Management. Lessons learnt could be suggested to be the feedback and experience gained in during the research. 1.2 Project Context Project Context could be suggested to be the setting in which a project is carried out (ApmBok 2009). In relation to the above description, the aim of this research is in agreement with the above suggestion (Achterkamp and Vis 2008 pg 749). 1.3 Project Rationale 1.3.1 Academic Rationale The academic research into project stakeholders has been attractive and extensive to researchers and professionals. Evidence shows that the construction industry accounts directly for 10% GDP growth in the UK (Cridland and Wates 2009 p.5),this goes to justify the need to investigate the impact of stakeholder management and its contribution to project success in the construction industry and also fulfil the academic requirement of the award of Masters Degree. 1.3.2 Business Rationale The economic implications for any organisation if projects fail will be devastating considering the above report by Wates and Cridland (2009 p5), this report shows that the construction industry account for 10% GDP growth. Project failure of any kind in the current economic climate will cost the organization its finance and jobs e.g. BP deep horizon in the US Gulf Coast where the collapse of a well led to fatalities which in-turn increased BPs financial burden. 1.3.3 Personal Rationale It could be suggested that as a project management professional, embarking on this research will help one better understand the principles of stakeholder management. The knowledge gained from this research will clarify any unanswered questions at the end of this research. 1.4 Aim and Objectives This research is aimed at: Investigating the impact of stakeholder management and its contribution to project success in the construction industry Objectives To explore the principles of stakeholder management and project success. To assess the benefits and challenges of stakeholder management. To correlate a relationship between stakeholder management and project success. To propose a strategy for measuring the impact of stakeholder management thereby assessing its impact on project success. To make recommendations for improved stakeholder management practices. 1.4.2 Project Scope According to Burke (2003 p. 104) project scope identifies when a project has been successfully completed within specified requirement. The scope for this project will involve activities such as writing the literature review, research methodology and drawing on the findings of the above mentioned activities to come up with a conclusion and recommendation. The scope of this research excludes the execution of the primary research. 1.4.3 Project Deliverables Project deliverables for this research is suggested to be the outcome of the report at every stage of the lifecycle (ApmBok 2009 p.135). The deliverables as shown in Table 1 are generalised and subject to being revised at the end of this report. Table Project deliverables Deliverables Description Project Research Plan Introduction/ Background Project Context and Project Rationale Project Definition Project Approach Research Project Schedule Resource Requirements Ethical Considerations Literature Review Research of theory and practice within the construction industry Project Approach or Methodology It involves the description of the process in the collection and evaluation of data that will be used to achieve the overall aim and objectives of this report. Project Proposal This involves outlining a research proposal from the finding and the analysis done in the project approach section. Conclusion and Recommendation This section involves the final summation of all the data used and presenting recommendation(s) where necessary. 1.4.4 Assumption, Constraints and Considerations Assumptions The project will be delivered on time, quality and within budget. The literature / materials needed to complete the project will be readily available. That the project aim and objectives will be met at the end of the project. Constraints The time required by the sponsor to complete the report. Combining three live projects at the same period. i.e. CPD, Group placement and dissertation. Considerations That the report will inspire its readers to proceed towards a primary research. That there will be more research into the impact of project stakeholders and its contribution to project success within the construction industry. 1.5 Initial Literature Review 1.5.1 Stakeholder Management Project stakeholders have been widely discussed in various project management literatures. Fewings (2005 p.34) described project stakeholders as people that their interest could affect the outcome of the project while Olanda and Landin (2005 p.321) agues that although project stakeholders are group of people with different interest in a particular project, they are also interested in a successful outcome no matter the level of interest. Since this research will be focusing on stakeholder management, McElroy and Mills (2007 p.270) suggested that stakeholder management deals with the relationships between stakeholders within projects. This relationship must be developed and structured so as to achieve a successful outcome. McElroy and Mills (2007 p.270) description of stakeholder management is convincing because different bodies of knowledge are yet to agree on a particular description for stakeholder management. Fewings (2005) and Olanda Landin (2005) perspectives on project stakeholders in relation to stakeholder management is valid in that all agreed that stakeholders are made up of more than one individual, so managing this relationship as described by McElroy and Mills (2007 p.270) will determine if a project is a success or a failure . 1.5.2 Project Success Yu et al. (2005) suggested that a: Project  is a success if its created product adds value to the client, considering the cost to the client at the point of acceptance While there is no definite definition to what project success is or what will be the best way to define success, this report would look into critical success criteria used in the construction industry to determine when a project is successful. The ApmBok (2009) defined project success as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the satisfaction of stakeholder needs measured by the success criteria as identified and agreed at the start of the projectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 1.6 Project Research Approach In this section it could be suggested that a proposed research approach be developed, this approach would be aligned with the project aim and objectives. To achieve the above this report has identified two methods or type of research, this are the Primary and Secondary research. A primary research entails the collection of new data or expansion of existing theories in project management body of knowledge. This could be achieved by using the following methods: the use of questionnaires, sampling and survey. Data for this research would be collected though documentary research. This involves analysing various literatures relating to the research; given that this research is a secondary research, a qualitative method will be employed. 1.6.1 Ethical Consideration Sekaran (2000, p17) defined ethics as a code of conduct or expected societal norm of behaviour while conducting a research or project . Below in table 2 are the ethical considerations used to compile this research. Table -Ethical Consideration This research was carefully structured to avoid any misrepresentation or distortion of data collected. All information used for this research was adequately referenced to avoid plagiarism. This report was written with due respect for the subject and authors All information used for this report is in line with universities academic guidelines. Sekaran ( 2000, p.261) 1.7 Project Planning / Report Schedule Burke (2003, p.94) defined project schedule as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a process required to ensure that various elements of the project are properly managed and controlledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The project schedule will be used to assign expected start date and expected finish date. The schedule is in a Gantt chart, this could be suggested to be in agreement with (Burke 2003) definition. See Appendix 1 for more details. 1.8 Project Resource Requirements and Budget The resources required for a successful completion of this project is listed in Table 2 and the cost estimate that would apply to both primary and secondary research is in Table 3 Figure -Resources Requirement Human Resources Description Hours Researcher Researcher would carry out a secondary research and prepare a primary research plan to be used to further analyse the project aim 600 Academic supervisor The academic supervisor would give guidance, review and monitor project to ascertain if the project is within scope. 60 Project sponsor The project sponsor and management would be need during an actual primary research. 100 Table Project Budget Activity Budget Source Cost for Researcher and supervisor  £3000 RGU and Sponsor Printing of dissertation and buying of CD drives ( hard and soft copies)  £200 Researcher and Sponsor (in the case of a primary Research) Transport is Dependent on the location of the organisation and RGU library Not Determined at present Researcher and Sponsor 1.8.1 Risk Matrix Risk management is a key area in APM and PMI bodies of knowledge; projects are often associated with one form of risk or another (Raz Michael 2000), controlling this risk is an important task for any researcher. To this end, this report will take a proactive role in controlling risks associated to this project by developing a risk plan which can be seen in Table 4 Table Risk Matrix RISK Probability Impact Rating Mitigating Measure New Rating Difficulty in accessing data for literature review 3 5 15 An early start would be suggested, so as to either change research topic or source for resources 5 The aim of the research becomes to wide to handle 3 4 12 Ensure research topic is specific not too wide 4 Too many information 2 4 8 Start gathering and arranging information on time 2 Technological Difficulty 3 5 15 Back up all files and attend classes on software training 4 Respondents for the primary research are not co-operative 2 5 10 Ascertain at an early stage the willingness of respondent 5 Delays leading up to dead line 3 5 15 Early start ensures an early finish 5 The key describing the colour coding is in Appendix 2 1.9 Report Layout Figure Report Layout

The Benefits of Home Schooling Essay -- Education School Teaching Essa

Advantages of Home Schooling Home schooling was developed out of the desire to give students an opportunity to have a more personal, one-on-one relationship with their teachers and have a chance to learn at their own pace without being left behind by their fellow students. It was also designed to give the parents more of an opportunity to be involved in their child’s education by supervising the classes, getting to know the teachers on a personal basis, and having the flexibility to change class times and not worry about their child missing important information if they cannot be in class on a certain day. Although home schooling is considered by some to do more harm than good, especially with respect to the student’s socialization skills with other children, many parents opt to take advantage of this opportunity to further their child’s education and create a more comfortable, informal environment in which to learn. Depending on the particular Home School and the preferences of the family, home schooling can often serve to enhance the religious education and understanding in the students. Many people from many different religions choose to home school their children because religiously affiliated home schools find ways to integrate religion into everyday lessons. For examples, a handwriting lesson might include copying passages and scriptures from the bible, or a science lesson might discuss the idea of Creation as opposed to Evolution. A math lesson involving multiplication by two could incorporate the idea of Noah’s Arc. Another appeal of religious home schooling is the strong emphasis on morals and character development in the students rather than a strong focus solely on factual knowledge. The Christian Home Edu... ...d on November 23, 2003, from http://www.hslda.org/courtreport/V19N5/V19N501.asp. Neill, Monty (2003 November 21). Leaving Children Behind: How No Child Left Behind Will Fail Our Children [Electronic version]. Phi Delta Kappan, 85, 225-229. â€Å"Resolution on Improving Teacher Quality.† July 1998. American Federation of Teachers. Retrieved on November 23, 2003, from http://www. aft.org/about/resolutions/1998/quality.html. Scheuerman, William E. â€Å"Public Higher Ed: Battle Ground in the Tenure Wars.† The NEA Higher Education Journal. Thought and Action Fall 1997. Pages 63-77. Smith, Pete (2002). Mentor academy. Retrieved November 23, 2003, from http://www.mentoracademy.org/administration.cfm. Withrow, Gail S. (1998-2002). Religious approach to homeschooling. Retrieved November 23, 2002, from http://www.hometaught.com/app_religious.htm

Retail Calculator

package retail. calculator; import java. awt. *; import java. awt. event. *; import java. text. DecimalFormat; import javax. swing. *; public class RetailCalculator extends JFrame { //create ojects JLabel department; JLabel number; JLabel name; JLabel price; JLabel discount; JLabel sale; JComboBox dept; JTextField itemNum; JTextField itemName; JTextField itemPrice; JTextField itemDisc; JTextField salePrice; JButton calculate; JButton clear; public RetailCalculator() { //set object variables super(â€Å"Retail Sales Calculator†); //window title setSize(250, 250); //set window size etDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame. EXIT_ON_CLOSE); //window close GridLayout grid = new GridLayout(7, 2); setLayout(grid); department = new JLabel(â€Å"Department†); dept = new JComboBox(); dept. addItem(â€Å"Select†); dept. addItem(â€Å"Apperal†); dept. addItem(â€Å"Automotive†); dept. addItem(â€Å"Cosmetics†); dept. addItem(â€Å"Jewlry†); dept. addItem(â €Å"Pets†); dept. addItem(â€Å"Pharmacy†); //add ItemListener†¦ combobox and jtextfield dept. addItemListener(new ItemListener() { public void itemStateChanged(ItemEvent ie) { String str = (String)dept. getSelectedItem(); itemNum. setText(str); //end public void }); //end item listener number = new JLabel(â€Å"Item Number†); itemNum = new JTextField(10); name = new JLabel(â€Å"Item Name†); itemName = new JTextField(10); price = new JLabel(â€Å"Original Price†); itemPrice = new JTextField(10); discount = new JLabel(â€Å"Discount†); itemDisc = new JTextField(10); sale = new JLabel(â€Å"Sale Price†); salePrice = new JTextField(10); salePrice. setEditable(false); calculate = new JButton(â€Å"Calculate†); clear = new JButton(â€Å"Clear†); //add objects to JFrame add(department); add(dept); add(number); add(itemNum); add(name); add(itemName); dd(price); add(itemPrice); add(discount); add(itemDisc); add(sale); add( salePrice); add(calculate); add(clear); //add event listener to calculate sale price calculate. addActionListener(new ActionListener() { public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent retail) { String input1; String input2; double origPrice; double percOff; double clearance; input1 = itemPrice. getText(); input2 = itemDisc. getText(); origPrice = Double. parseDouble(input1); percOff = Double. parseDouble(input2)/100; clearance = origPrice – (origPrice * percOff); DecimalFormat df = new DecimalFormat(â€Å"$#,###. #†); salePrice. setText(df. clearance); //output to jtextfield } }); //clear feilds clear. addActionListener (new ActionListener() { public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event) { //JButton event dept. setSelectedIndex(0); //clear itemNum. setText(null); //clear item number itemName. setText(null); //clear item name itemPrice. setText(null); //clear item name itemDisc. setText(null); //clear item name salePrice. setText(null); //clear item name } }); setVisible(tru e); } public static void main(String[] args) { RetailCalculator rc = new RetailCalculator(); } }

A Commentary on “The Last Verse” Essay

The article titled â€Å"The Last Verse â€Å"by Burkhard Bilger that appeared in the New Yorker on April 28, 2008 basically talks about the hardships and sacrifices that one encounters if he seeks to pursue folk music, the kind of music that passes from generation to generation.   Interestingly, the author tells the story based on the experiences of   Ã‚  two individuals who were driven to seek folk music by differing motives: one for inspiration and the other for preservation. Both Lance Ledbetter and Art Rosenbaum are avid fans of folk music but Ledbetter was more attracted to it due to its obscurity. Rosenbaum believed that folk music is part of the traditional American culture and wanted to preserve it while Ledbetter appreciated the inspiration that folk music can trigger in music artists. But no matter how different their motives had been, both had personally witnessed and experienced the hardships and sacrifices that each had to go through just to obtain and produce it. This is mainly because folk music ,in its purest, unadulterated , traditional form are sung only by old folks ( using crude , ordinary or unlikely instruments in some cases)   who live in the most isolated places one can imagine , a place where technological advancement had not yet   made a deep impression.    And when they get to find the desired old folk singer, they   have to deal with their eccentricities (perhaps due to old age) and worse of all, when they do record an album they have to be prepared for low sales but may   be consoled by rave reviews with University archives as avid fan( Bilger, 2008, pp. 52- 61). Nevertheless, the story rightly told in print what most people knew or felt   all along, that folk music is a thing of the past   or that in the face of technological advancement and modern taste, it just had to remain in the background if not disappear altogether. Like all other works or art, music had to evolved, and along with its evolution is the incorporation of technologies that can easily adjust sound recordings with the tip of the finger.   In other words, when one listens to the music one cannot truly appreciate its originality or the context it was made because it had been improved, edited and transferred with the help of technology, removing most of its human touch in the process. Bilger relates that in original recorded folk music one can either hear â€Å"the hollow thump of the artist’s palm against the guitar†¦ the intake of his breath†¦the murmur of voices in the background or the clacking of pool balls† (Bilger, 2008, pp. 61-62). The difficulties of obtaining recorded music unsullied by modern technology are just proof of the reality that folk music, in its unadulterated form, is closely tied to the past.   Folk music somehow symbolizes life in the past when it was more relaxed, pure, no nonsense and perhaps carefree. Folk music, like other antique artifacts, are man’s last attempt to hold on to the kind of life what our forefathers had known for thousands of years , generations after generations, before life changed so   quickly   the moment man invented modern technology. Since folk music is â€Å"the sound and spirit of the forgotten world† it is no wonder then that the new generation did not appreciate it as much as those who had gone before us (Bilger, 2008, p 57).   Modern music had many genres and folk music can still be part of it but at this time it is very much improvised, revised, edited and often than not just as source of inspiration presented with all the embellishments that modern technology can muster for commercialization. Folk music alone in its purity just cannot thrive in our world, like what Ledbetter had done, it had to be repackaged beautifully to make it to hopefully sing again.   The title of Bilger’s article had a subtitle â€Å"Is there any folk music still out there?†.   Ledbetter and Rosenbaum found out that there still was through the old folks they painstakingly sought but as these old folk music carriers die, the next generation will just have to settle themselves to hearing folk music that are   compiled   and preserved in University Archives for it is there that the oral tradition of transferring music finally ends. Question : Why is it difficult for folk music to thrive in modern times? Work Cited Bilger, Burkhard. â€Å"The Last Verse: Is there any folk music still out there?† The New Yorker 28 April 2008: 52-63.