Homophobia - Educating Against Heterosexism :: Teaching Education Essays

Homophobia. It is defined as an irrational fear of sexual minorities including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and transexual individuals. It exists in our society, although at times it seems that our safe haven within the "university bubble" contains people that are both rational and educated preventing homophobia from becoming a reality. Denying that homophobia and discrimination based on sexual orientation are problems and identifying them as issues for "other" people can be extremely problematic. It is this type of thinking that perpetuates the status quo of heterosexual privilege. There have been several incidents in the past few weeks that have brought the existence of homophobia on our college campus and others as well to the forefront of many people’s minds. The incidents subsequently mentioned demonstrate the necessity of better education and understanding of sexual minorities not only for their own advancement towards equality, but for the growth of heterosexual individuals as well and progression away from the status quo. To provide a truly complete and fulfilling educational experience at Colby and other similar schools it is necessary to provide educational materials on all lifestyles and examples of diversity that exists not only in our own culture, but others as well. I believe that facilitating this complete learning experience leads to developing the individual mind morally as well as academically. I would argue that it is becoming more and more essential for our schools to provide the means for the moral development of our youth and young adults. We are living in a society where we are constantly bombarded by messages from the media, church, and even family that normalize only one way of living. It is necessary for there to be at least one facilitator of expanded thinking in people’s lives and for many college students and youth this can be found in the world of academia. Although I believe inclusiveness of sexual minorities is essential to a successful education, I demand that an institution such as Colby needs to do even more than this. The inclusion of sexual minorities is only a part of the larger picture of what needs to be accomplished to build a diverse and accepting community here at Colby. The college needs to become an institutional ally. Colby needs to do more than passively support gay, lesbian, intersexed, transexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBITTQ) issues on campus, it needs to take a stand on these issues and demand that there is progress to begin to disrupt the institutionalized heterosexism that currently exists.

Video Game Industry Market Research Reports, Statistics and Analysis

Global Video Games Industry [pic] The world video gaming industry is predicted to record 9% yearly growth through 2013, to exceed $76 billion, according to Business Insights. Mobile and online gaming formats will fuel the market, with customers taking advantage of wider, faster and more mobile internet access. Console gaming, the market’s current segment leader, will see its rate of sales decelerate. Since the first video game was launched on the market around 45 years ago, the video game industry has taken a central place in entertainment culture for children and adults alike. Far from the solitary habit it may have been traditionally, online gaming involves communities and is based on interaction. Key Market Segments †¢ Climbing world demand for Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) is expected to push the market to over $14 billion by 2015, according to  Global Industry Analysts. Technological developments along with faster, wider-reaching broadband connectivity are driving the market. †¢ The world social gaming market almost hit the $1. 5 billion mark in 2010, reports  Business Insights. The market is expected to reach close to $4 billion by 2015, with the US a leading region generating sales of $1. 2 billion, followed by Japan at $570 million. There are currently 600 million social gamers worldwide, with China representing close to 110 million, followed by the US at 95 million gamers. By 2015, it is predicted there will be close to 275 million gamers in China and 150 million in the US. Leading game companies include Playdom, CrowdStar, Synga, Digital Chocolate and EA. †¢ With consumers connecting to the internet with smartphones, gaming has become increasingly mobile. More than 27% of smartphone subscribers have installed one game or more, with close to 35% having installed at least five on their phones, according to  Visiongain. Mobile game makers, and phone and electronic device makers have been collaborating to capitalize on the trend towards mobile gaming. †¢ The world game console market is expected to reach almost $25 billion by 2014, according to  MarketLine, representing almost 13% growth in five years. The Americas represent almost 45% of the overall market. The three leading companies in the market are Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. Regional Market Share †¢ India’s gaming market is predicted to grow by 30% by 2014, reports  Netscribes. The market is lead by mobile gaming, which represents close to 60% of the overall market. Gaming competitions, the creation of gaming zones and increasingly popular MMOGs will fuel the market. Service providers are likely to generate higher revenue, and 3D games will become increasingly popular. †¢ China’s games and accessories market is expected to continue recording strong growth. Peripherals and accessories represent a leading market segment, with increasing demand for auxiliary devices to keep up with gaming product innovation. †¢ The online game market in Korea reached a value of over $2 billion in 2011, reports  Pearl Research. Game companies in Korea continue to concentrate on international business, expanding in the US, the EU, China and Japan. Of the $585 million generated by leading game operator Nexon, the largest share came from business outside of Korea. Market Outlook The global gaming industry has seen consumer demand soar thanks to social networking, technological innovation favoring mobile gaming, and the popularity of cyber communities promoting collective online gaming. Marketing and distribution is being facilitated by social networking sites, which do much of the work of attracting an increasing numbers of gamers. As ever, IP protection and piracy remain major issues for the industry, which continues to lose revenues do to illegal downloading. Moving forward, the global gaming industry is likely to represent an ever-present contender for other media, including music and TV. As the cultural trend towards social networking and gaming continues, consumers are as likely to log in to play a leading game (like World of Warcraft) as they are to switch on the TV to watch a film. Leading Industry Associations †¢ American Gaming Association  www. americangaming. org †¢ Entertainment Software Association  www. theesa. com †¢ National Video Game Association  http://nvgaonline. com †¢ Interactive Software Federation of Europe  www. isfe. eu †¢ European Games Developer Federation  www. egdf. eu

Setting Up An Effective Classroom Environment - 1742 Words

Setting up an effective classroom environment is essential in order to be a successful teacher. Good classroom management requires careful planning of the classroom organization, rules, procedures, and instruction. Without these, classrooms would not run smoothly and efficiently. It is not enough to assume that students will behave appropriately throughout the year just because the teacher has taught the students what is expected of them. Good teachers encourage good behavior by constantly implementing classroom rules, procedures, and consequences. My management plan for my classroom would incorporate an interactive chart where students who are on track and exhibiting appropriate behavior will be assigned a specific color. This plan involves four different color squares and depending on the students’ behavior, they would be asked to flip the card to a certain color. This plan includes the color purple, green, yellow, and red; purple being the best then green. 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