Declaring one’s love for the internet these days is about as groundbreaking as proclaiming a fondness for breathing air. It’s not the sort of confession that’ll get you noticed at parties. And in an era where most of my peers were baptized by the digital gods of Myspace, Xanga, and AOL Instant Messenger, it’s nearly a universal mantra.
But here I am, laying it bare anyway: I love the internet.
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I took the plunge into this love affair. But if I were a betting man, I’d wager it was everything all at once that was the crucible of a lifelong journey of being “online.”
Let me explain.
A quick history: You, me, and the internet
Act 1
Rewind the tape back 22 years — I stumbled into a lifelong bond with two strangers I met around an obscure digital campfire, a low population message board dedicated to a very specific Christian ska band. I’d wake up, listen to the dial tone howl from the family computer, and check for new threads and messages.
Over time our conversations strayed from bad music to good friendship. And as kids did on the internet back then, we plotted on taking the leap from pixels to reality and meeting up at a music festival headlined by the band we’ve been bonding over. I’m not sure why my parents let me meet strangers from the internet. Maybe I didn’t tell them my plans, but I’m glad they did.
What ensued was not just a decade of festival pilgrimages but a life. In our post-festival era, our bonds weathered the seasons of life: weddings, the arrival of children, joyous peaks, and the inevitable valleys. Even just a month ago, I took a long drive to their state. We spent time drinking cheap beers, laughing, and smiling until my face hurt. Thank you, internet.
Act 2
In 2004, I ventured into the unknown and pieced together my first website — a digital monstrosity born out of the primordial ooze of Geocities. I didn’t know at the time but this wasn’t just a one-off; it was the opening act of lifelong web creation.
Side by side with one of my best friends, we embarked on a grand adventure in World Of Warcraft, leading a guild not merely as teenagers, but as digital Guild Masters, and we convinced ourselves we needed an online presence to make it real.
The website wasn’t good, but it also wasn’t just for kicks — it was our command center, our digital roundtable where the currency of choice was pixels shaped into gold, loot, and above all else, our guild rules.
We didn’t just run a guild; we orchestrated a group where attendance and DKP (if you know you know) were displayed with pride, all laid bare on the homepage in a poorly built HTML table for the world to see. I remember standing up in the glow of the basement, the hum of the CRT, our faithful companion, as I took a swig of Mountain Dew, and declared with certainty, “It’s perfect.”
A lot of dungeons and a lot of years later, we took a flight to San Francisco to attend the wedding of our guild Rogue. Up until then he was just a voice over my headphones yelling, “I want that [insert rare item here]!”
When I got to his wedding, it took just a moment for the voice to match the face, we hugged, and stepped back, taking in the unfamiliar elegance of formal wear instead of armor and cried. Thank you, internet.
Act 3
Last but not least — if you know me, it’s not a surprise that social media oscillates between being an all-consuming fire and a source of existential angst. I know that’s a familiar rhythm for many.
But, years ago, I was pulling inspiration for a project on Instagram, searching for artists and saving the work to reference later in a pitch as creative for a new brand. The project came and went, the client chose different references, and I let that account slip into hibernation.
Later, for some reason, I logged back in and saw a post from one of the artists I saved previously. The post was silly and seemed unimportant at the time, but I commented and somehow we got to chatting. We chatted about book recommendations, foods, and art.
That conversation continued for some time through the small black mirror of my phone and then eventually we decided to go from pixels to reality (something I was already familiar with).
We made plans to meet.
We ate Japanese food that night. We attended a gallery show of a now close friend the weekend after. And then over the coming years we fell in love and got married. Thank you so much, internet.
UX & life principles
Here we are, in 2024. I still love the internet and my place in the digital world has turned into a job — I’ve been sculpting UX experiences and helping shape the way people interact with the internet on their screen for the last 16 years.
The internet I love has transformed in ways I never would have imagined back in the day. Yet, through all its metamorphoses, the core ethos remains unaltered: forge pathways and let users connect with the things they want, in the ways they wish to do so.
The tools and languages have changed. Platforms have risen and fallen like empires of old (sorry, I’m still in the World Of Warcraft vibe after that last paragraph). Yet the heartbeat of the internet persists — connection.
I’m fortunate enough now to find myself at a company that lets me continue to build the internet I love, with people who love it as much as I do. So when the opportunity arose to write about it, I started thinking back fondly of what led me here.
If I could travel back in time, and appear to my younger self as Gandalf, The White figure, this is some of the advice I’d give myself for both my career and my life.
Begin with the end in mind
This is life advice that has taken me a lot of falling down and standing back up to put into practice, but design is life and to live life is to experience design. Knowing where you’re going, be curious of how you get there, and what it will take to end where you wish to be.
In a more literal design sense, keep your lens zoomed in on the entry point and the curtain calls of the experience. People are more likely to remember the failures than the successes. A negative experience sticks more vividly in memory than their positive counterparts.
Every step is important of course, but when crafting the journey, always keep the goal in mind. Thoughtfulness in life and in design can turn pitfalls into stepping stones, ensuring the path leads not just to satisfaction, but to confirmation and connection with why they took the journey in the first place.
Creating something beautiful is worthwhile
It’s a straightforward path to create something functional, to dust off our hands, and declare victory. And maybe, by some standards, that’s enough. But the craft of breathing life into something truly beautiful holds value beyond personal satisfaction — it enriches the experiences of those who interact with it.
Life can make me feel rushed often. But it is worthwhile to fight for that last moment to add the 5% that makes 95% of the difference. That momentary pause to make the final adjustment to an experience is a force multiplier of its value.
By the numbers, a design that catches the eye does more than just please the senses — it conjures a belief in the brain that the creation before them isn’t just pretty, but more functional, more intuitive. There’s a magic in aesthetics; it confirms, convincing people of the design’s superior functionality.
Meet people where they’re at
I look back a lot of times in both work and life and think, “I wish I had listened more.”
This mantra, this commitment to listen, to truly understand and then act in a way that aligns with the needs and realities of those before me is a journey without end. If we’re not living and creating for someone, then what’s the point of making anything at all?
In my life, this means empathy, and at work crafting experiences it’s no different. Listen, become informed, do your research, and provide what is needed without assumption.
At Liquid Web, we’re putting this into practice with improvements to how our customers connect with our products, and it’ll be a constant action to improve how we execute and what is important to the people we are listening to, both as our customers and on our team.
Bottom line
I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be one of many people who gets to build the internet they love with great people at my job.
Perhaps my words have danced a bit too wildly, swept up in a whirlwind of hyperbole, but it’s a tribute I hammer down on the keyboard willingly. My life is woven into the vast web of the internet — rich with memories, connections, and creations.
I consider myself lucky.
Augmented reality, or AR, is a game changer in the rapidly changing fields of education and technology.
In fact, it is transforming the traditional classroom experience. Imagine a world in which you can see sophisticated scientific processes take place, historical people come to life, and dinosaurs walk the halls. Believe it or not, this is the real-world potential of augmented reality in education, not science fiction.
We’ll go into the fascinating world of augmented reality technology in this article, examining its potential and how it could completely transform education in the future.
Overview of AR technology
Fundamentally, augmented reality offers users an immersive and participatory experience by smoothly superimposing digital information onto the physical world. By integrating digital content into their real-world surroundings, augmented reality enhances the user’s perspective. This revolutionary technology is delivered through devices like tablets, smartphones, and AR glasses.
Integrating sensors, cameras, and display devices enables augmented reality, which lets users interact with digital elements in their real-world surroundings, unlike virtual reality, which is fully digital. With the help of this dynamic integration, instructors may generate a plethora of interactive and engaging learning opportunities.
Transforming teaching methods
AR has the potential to completely transform conventional teaching strategies and provide an abundance of advantages for both teachers and students. Let’s examine a few crucial benefits in more detail.
Bringing abstract concepts to life
With augmented reality, abstract and complex ideas can be brought to life through interactive simulations and visualizations. For example, astronomy students can view and interact with virtual planets to explore the solar system and get a deeper grasp of celestial phenomena.
Enhancing student engagement
AR’s interactive nature promotes a more immersive and hands-on learning environment. Students take an active role in their education, which increases their interest in and memory of the material. AR applications with gamification features encourage further student participation, making learning more engaging and entertaining.
Promoting personalized learning
AR meets accessibility requirements and a range of learning styles. Teachers can tailor courses for each student using customizable content, creating a customized learning environment that meets their needs and preferences. Based on the student’s progress, adaptive AR systems can modify the curriculum and offer targeted support where it is required.
Exploring applications across subjects and educational levels
AR has the potential to be used in a wide range of disciplines and academic levels, improving the learning process in numerous ways.
Subject-specific applications
Augmented reality has applications in science, history, and geography, where simulations and visuals significantly improve comprehension. For instance, students studying biology can investigate three-dimensional representations of cells; students studying history can observe significant historical events firsthand; and students studying geography can virtually travel to various parts of the world.
Medical education
AR apps, which include everything from virtual dissections to interactive anatomy classes, have much to offer medical students. With the practical approach the technology provides, aspiring healthcare professionals can be better prepared and gain a more realistic understanding of intricate anatomical components.
Language learning
AR can offer immersive experiences in language learning that speed up language acquisition. By interacting with virtual environments, students can improve their comprehension of cultural idiosyncrasies and pragmatic language use. Language learners can practice in a dynamic and contextually rich environment by creating conversational simulations.
STEM education
Augmented reality has been particularly impactful in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. AR can make abstract ideas more concrete and approachable, from virtual chemical experiments to physics simulations. Mathematical equations can be visualized with the help of interactive 3D models, which can help students grasp abstract ideas more deeply.
Potential limitations, challenges, and ethical concerns
Even though augmented reality has enormous potential for education, its appropriate and successful deployment depends on addressing obstacles, ethical issues, and possible limits.
Cost and accessibility
For some institutions, the upfront costs of integrating augmented reality technology may be a hurdle. It is imperative to guarantee fair access to these resources to prevent the escalation of educational disparities. However, as technology develops, expenses should decrease, and as such AR should become more widely available.
Teacher training
To successfully incorporate AR into their teaching strategies, educators must receive sufficient training. It is imperative to provide professional development programs that equip educators with the necessary abilities to utilize this technology effectively. Working together, digital businesses and educational institutions may support training programs that prepare teachers to use augmented reality in the classroom to the fullest.
Ethical considerations
To guarantee a responsible and ethical use of augmented reality in the classroom, concerns, including data privacy, screen time, and the potential for distraction must be appropriately studied and addressed. It is imperative to set unambiguous standards and procedures that protect the privacy and welfare of pupils. Teachers should mentor pupils in responsible digital citizenship and be well-versed in the ethical issues surrounding the use of augmented reality.
Equity in education
AR integration shouldn’t worsen pre-existing educational inequities. To guarantee that students from all socioeconomic backgrounds have equitable access to AR-enhanced learning experiences, efforts must be made to close the digital gap. Establishing collaborations with governmental bodies and charitable institutions can be crucial in guaranteeing that AR technology is accessible to all.
Adoption and future outlook
Even though the use of AR in education is growing, obstacles to deployment and cost remain. Due to its obvious advantages, some fields, like medical education, have embraced AR more quickly than others. It has yet to be widely adopted at all educational levels, however.
Current state of adoption
With examples of their successful implementations, a few progressive educational institutions and schools have already included augmented reality in their academic programs. Regional variations exist in the acceptance rate, too, since many schools encounter budgetary obstacles that impede the integration of augmented reality technology.
Technological advances
Continuous technical development will probably lead to a rise in adoption. Schools may find it simpler to incorporate augmented reality technology into their classes as these devices become more accessible and user-friendly. For AR solutions to be in line with educational goals, tech developers and educators must work together.
Collaboration in the EdTech sector
Collaborations between educational technology (EdTech) companies and academic institutions can greatly aid the adoption of augmented reality. Challenges, including content development, teacher preparation, and the establishment of uniform standards for moral AR use in education can all be addressed through collaborative efforts.
Research and development
To realize AR’s full potential in education, research and development expenditures must be sustained. This entails enhancing currently available applications, creating fresh content, and investigating creative approaches to smoothly incorporate augmented reality into a range of disciplines and academic levels.
Global perspectives
While AR is being adopted in education in different ways around the world, certain nations are ahead of the curve in incorporating this technology into their educational frameworks. International cooperation can make it easier to exchange best practices and guarantee a more standardized approach to the use of augmented reality in education.
Challenges and opportunities in AR implementation
Cost-effectiveness
While some institutions may find the initial investment in augmented reality technology prohibitive, costs are gradually decreasing due to breakthroughs in both hardware and software development. Educational establishments might investigate affordable options, like utilizing current gadgets such as tablets and smartphones for augmented reality activities.
Teacher training programs
Comprehensive programs should be developed to provide teachers with the skills they need to incorporate augmented reality into their teaching methods in order to address the problem of teacher training. Teachers looking to improve their AR expertise can receive ongoing help through workshops, online courses, and collaborative learning groups.
Content development
A coordinated effort involving educators, content developers, and technologists is necessary to provide high-quality AR content. Encouragement of the development of open source augmented reality educational resources can support a community-driven strategy and guarantee a wide variety of content that fits into different curricula.
Standardization and guidelines
It’s critical to establish uniform standards for the moral application of augmented reality in education. To develop a framework that tackles privacy concerns, screen time problems, and other ethical issues associated with AR adoption, regulatory agencies, academic institutions, and industry players need to work together.
Inclusive education
All students must be able to participate in inclusive and accessible AR-enhanced learning experiences. This involves taking into account the needs of pupils from different socioeconomic backgrounds, learning styles, and disabilities. The development of inclusive augmented reality technologies can benefit from partnerships between academic institutions and accessibility specialists.
Collaboration with industry
Collaboration between the education industry and developers of AR technology is crucial to accelerating the adoption of AR in education. Industry collaborations can help create educational materials that are in line with market demands, give access to cutting-edge augmented reality solutions, and offer insightful information about new technology.
Government support
Governments play a key role in encouraging the broad use of augmented reality in education. Initiatives that develop cooperation between the public and private sectors, policy incentives, and financial support can all help to build an environment in which augmented reality becomes a crucial component of the educational landscape.
Community engagement
Involving parents, kids, and the larger community is essential to successfully using AR in the classroom. Campaigns for information, workshops, and community gatherings can increase knowledge of the advantages of augmented reality and create an atmosphere that is conducive to its use.
Bottom line
To sum up, augmented reality has a lot of potential to transform the educational experience. It can completely change education, from enabling tailored learning to bringing intangible ideas to life. Even though there are still obstacles and moral dilemmas, continued development and improved accessibility could lead to widespread acceptance.
The path toward incorporating augmented reality into education is dynamic and promises a time when learning will not be restricted by conventional limitations. The potential is endless as we stand at the nexus of education and technology, and we’re only just beginning.
Career development is built upon the choices and paths you take to surround you with the profession you want to pursue. Career development is not based on a single decision of choosing field or major you are going to adhere, instead, it is based on the different interests, financial status, and the different choices that will shape your future, leading towards different career paths.
To make sure a student, or generally anyone, takes the best decision for their career, it is essential to consider counseling with a professional career counselor. Career counseling is a process in which you investigate and bring out your strengths and weaknesses, to better understand yourself, which helps in making the best decisions for your academic and personal future. Furthermore, it also educates you about the required skills that are needed for certain majors. Therefore, career counseling is considered as important as education is. Not being educated about how to monetize the knowledge that is gained during the period of almost two decades spent learning in different institutes is equally an immense amount of waste. Also, such institutes are mainly focusing on the essay writing service through which the students can be assessed with respect to their learning and understanding.
Career counsellors help you in figuring out the best-suited career path. Everyone, be it a student or alumni, should get themselves counseled. It is rather important to get counseling at the earliest stage to deliberately take the best decisions for the career.
Students in Pakistan tend to face a number of difficulties while choosing a career path. That is largely because of the lack of availability of career counselors in different institutes and colleges. Students in Pakistan tend to make decisions based on what their peers and elders recommend which makes them confuse and puts them in a dilemma where they cannot think for themselves anymore. This leads towards students picking the wrong career path and instead of feeling inspired and motivated towards their jobs or majors, rather they face difficulties and complications in comprehending the field that they have picked for themselves, which not only demotivates them but, also extinguishes the fire of progression in them.
Although there has been a significant change in variations of jobs of different natures in the past few years, still the youth is not having access of the proper knowledge and still being in the mist of a guessing game of decisions, which leads a student towards apprehending the wrong career path that further leads towards the road of demotivation. As a result, they are not able to perform their best and even their lack of interest allows them to concentrate and be passionate about their selective field.
These are the current rates of unsuccessful students of different fields of students of Pakistan. 60% of students were unsuccessful in the field of Arts with only 39.73% of regular students passing the exam and the successful percentage of students in the field of commerce is 43.69% in the year 2016. The examination controller of the Karachi educational board mentioned about the bland and misunderstood situation “It is sad to see that since the last six years, even 50% of the total students in the commerce section have failed to pass”.
Different studies and experts in career counseling reveal that the absence of career guidance is the main source of students dropping out and failing in their examinations and the larger portion of the rest of them are unsatisfied with their career choice.
Students of Pakistan are met with three stages of major choices that could lead towards different careers. It is important that students pick subjects that they are interested in because they need to be motivated, inspired and be passionate about the career they are aiming to pursue. Following are the stages at which students have to make a career development choice.
• Matriculation studies
After successfully clearing eighth grade, students are met with a choice that will define the nature of career paths that will be available for them, in the future. The choice that they make at this stage will define the future options available for them. Students have the choices of selecting from two group of subjects namely “Computer science” and “Humanities”. Each group having different core and compulsory subjects.
• Intermediate studies
After matriculation examinations, students now are faced with the requirement of admission into different colleges and institutions to further their studies, they usually have the time span of two months to decide the field that they would opt for. What they choose for their intermediate education, will most likely define the field of their profession. Therefore, it is highly advised and urged to seek career counseling at this stage. So that they can evaluate and choose from the options, carefully. The majors they have to choose from are, Pre-Medical, Pre-Engineering, Commerce, Fine Arts, General Science, and Computer Science.
• Bachelors Degree
It is again highly recommended to seek career counseling for bachelor’s degree even before the intermediate examinations. A career counselor at this stage examines your academic performance and your financial status and presents the most suitable fields and different universities to choose. These are some different majors you can graduate with a bachelors degree from, Medical, Engineering, Business Management, Mass Communication, Arts & Humanities, Media Science, etc.
To eradicate these problems, education expos and different counseling events are held more than a few times every year. They are essential for our youth’s academic development. This is how we can summarize the crucial aspects of their services;
1. They help us assess the different jobs that are in high demand.
2. Help us examine our strengths and weaknesses and unveil the best fields accordingly.
3. They help us with the essential set of skills required for a particular major.
4. Also, they evaluate our financial status and provide the best academic institution, accordingly.
Pakistan is a name that has been synonyms to various words when studied in a historical context. Considering the development of Pakistan in the recent years, it has progressed significantly. However, still, when the Pakistanis are asked about their study and work goals, they usually preferred flying out of Pakistan to a certain developed country. In addition, when a certain individual does abandon the opportunity to study or work abroad, he is bombarded with questions as to why, why Pakistan? In order to answer this question and to provide you with a different perspective of Pakistan, we have highlighted certain aspects which have been discussed below:
Immense Opportunities
Pakistan provides an abundance of opportunity to individuals, not only in terms of academics but also for professional development. The unprecedented growth of the multinational companies in Pakistan has expanded the employment opportunities in Pakistan. The industry is now inclusive of every discipline whether tech related or medicine, whether essay writers, managers, or more, you name it and Pakistan has got it all. The Pakistani event named as 2016 APICTA has won various awards, which has increased the startup enterprises number. The number of startup incubators in Pakistan is also increasing because of the financial funding by both private and multinational individuals such as Google, which has shaped an extremely vivacious and ground-breaking ecosystem.
Over the years, the advent of international students has also increased who are preferring Pakistani institutes because of their growing reputation and academic standards. The high standard education provided here has increased the international student’s enrollment in the colleges. In addition, the variety of discipline and strict educational policies further have further increased its prospects for being ranked as one of the top places for learning.
Affordability
No matter which country you choose to fly, the affordability provided in Pakistan cannot be matched. From the supplies of every day to the luxuries meal along with the standard of living, all are provided here at extremely affordable rates as compared to any developed country. In addition, the education provided in Pakistan is much more affordable as compare to another institute with the relatively same level of education that is provisioned by Pakistani institutes. An attractive and important factor as to why students should choose to study in Pakistan as every student desires high-quality education in the best package.
Strong Ethical Values
One of the prime reason for choosing Pakistan for your living, working and studying destination is the high level of values and morals its people hold on to. In the sub-continent, Pakistan is recognized for possessing high-level of ethics in work. According to the survey conducted on the belief of the individuals that hard work pays off in Pakistan, 80% of the responses were positive. In addition, the labor force in the country is further not saturated in contrast to the other countries which make the employee attrition lower.
Wrapping it up
Pakistan prospect of growth is positive, with the increasing ability and multinational assistance provided to the company, the probability of a country being counted in the list of the successful country is high. However, the decision of the individuals to study, live or work here is completely dependent on their own perception. Though the privileges Pakistan providers cannot be enjoyed in any other country and there is no stereotyping here which is faced by the individuals who travel abroad regardless of their reason for travel. Life in Pakistan is great and the reasoning for traveling that reflects the earning of high income is of vain because factually it is dependent utterly on our own capabilities and the way we put all the skill we possess to use.
Problems are to be found everywhere, no matter which country you choose to travel. Every individual is different so are their priorities and the perception of the things, therefore, we cannot categorize everyone in the same category, a happiness of the person is integral which may or may not lie in Pakistan.
Completing assignments on time without much trouble is a dream of every college student. As the end of the year approaches, the college work keeps on mounting and pressure to complete all the work builds up. This procrastination of the work pushes students towards the highest level of stress where there seems to be no way out. The management of the time should have been done more wisely but as the charm of the college life hits, the academics usually become secondary. However, to assist you in writing your college essay in just 24 hours follows these steps accurately and you are good to go.
• Step # 1 Critically analyze the question
The first step towards completion of your college essay is to critically analyze the topic stated. Build an understanding of what is being asked and then form a rough sketch of how are you going to cater to this question. Select the certain viewpoint with which you are going to answer the question and remain adamant about it throughout the paper.
• Step # 2 Collect the material
Once the decision pertaining to the question is made, fathom out the material which you are going to support the idea. Things which could be utilized for backing up the statement can be extracted from the scholarly resources available3 online, a renowned individual statement, general facts, arguments, as well as quotations. However, remember that when you in integrate these in your essay make sure to alter the sentence structure or it would be termed as plagiarism.
• Step # 3 Say goodbye to your cell phone and distractions
Your college essay cannot get completed within the certain timeframe unless and until you switch off your cell phone and get free from all the distracting things including the pillow which you are using for supporting your back. The more you limit the distraction, the more efficient and effectively your essay will get completed. It also includes declining all the offers made by friends for hanging out together.
• Step # 4 Organize the paper
Once the data has been collected, form an outline of the paper that the essay is said to follow. You can work on the standard pattern which is followed across the globe or if the institutes with which you are associated with have a predefined framework of an essay then follow that. Forming an outline will make it easy for you to incorporate the relevant information in the subset of the essay, and will cease your mind from wandering away from the subject concerned.
• Step # 5 Form a flow in the ideas
After collection of the material, and organizing of the work, another thing that must be done by the student is to correlate the pieces of information integrated. This integration should take place in such a way that a flow is formed, so that information does not seem to appear disoriented. The cohesiveness of the essay determines the strength which is reciprocated in the numbers which the course facilitator provides you with.
• Step # 6 Munch on some food
One work is greater than food, no matter how much marks it holds. The point here is not to eat thousands of dishes but to keep on munching certain healthy alternatives much keep the thought process and your hands running. An empty stomach takes the thought of an individual’s somewhere else which diminishes the college essay writing speed of the individual. Taking a break in between also refreshes the mind and makes space for some new ideas to set in.
• Step # 7 Edit and Proofread
The last step calls upon the reader to read the essay and find out the mistakes which may have occurred in a hurry. Upon recognition of the mistakes, take the corrective measures and make the necessary adjustments. The mistakes which may have resulted become the time constraint include the typo errors such as work or word, the preposition error, punctuation errors and more. Identify these and make the correction promptly in order to mitigate all the chances which provide the facilitator the opportunity to deduct the marks.
Wrapping it up
The following steps listed above are aligned together to help students get their task completed on time in order to attain high grades in the relevant discipline. However, it is still suggested that the students must avoid the practice of procrastination and should get their work completed on time which saves them from the trouble pertaining to submission of their essay. In case, due to the immense pressure faced you can connect the professional essay writers online to take you out of this situation with just a click.
Just a click and access to million things is just a glimpse of how technology has eased our life particularly the learning process. The intervention of technology has simplified the teaching and learning procedure, which sometime back were considered complicated and complex. The phrase “learning by doing”, has been coined because of the application of technology in the education sector. However, still, some individuals possess distinctive perspective relating to the technological emergence in academics. It is considered as a revolutionizing step which continues to impact the educational sector positively, some of which are mentioned below:
• Instant access
In this instantaneous world, technology has provided the education institutes with the fast-paced world through instant connection and access to match with the increasing demands. This access provides them information that goes beyond their school textbook. Within seconds, they get access to digital encyclopedias and the sources where every section and information is updated in seconds. The students also don’t have to carry the baggage of their course book as smart technology has paved its way in institutes. The teachers are also integrating the online learning activities within the classroom to provide essay help for student in their paper. Students under the guidance of the facilitator learn to conduct quality research.
• Motivates learners
Technological tool use in the classroom is flourishing. Students are more eager and enthusiastic to make use of technology in their learning. Various simulation and gaming practices are made available to students where they experience stressors which are to be faced in a real situation. The schools which cannot bear the cost or resources for sending students to actual students can now make them experience it within the school. It has also been concluded through various studies that student’s retention of the information has increased with the use of technology. The tech generation is made future ready by these experiences.
• Collaborative learning
Social media is termed as the showstopper in the technological world. It has opened doors to various opportunities to students for forming collaborations. Various groups are created, on which the information or message is circulated, projects are discussed, questions are asked and a lot more. The students can also submit their assignments online to their students, where various technological provisioned software are used for determining the originality of context to test the student understanding. Teachers and students across borders can connect to discuss the new techniques and way which are making the learning procedure effective and efficient.
• Personalized lectures
Use of smart technology in the classroom has benefited teachers and students alike. Teacher thorough it devises topics and interactive lessons to disseminate the information in an effective way. With technology, they aid in their student learning by using tools such as website, apps, videos and more, so that no disparity remains in their understanding. Personalization of the lectures has made students more willing to reach out to their facilitators for their academic endeavors.
• Facilitates special-needs students
The teaching of special-needs students which was previously considered a great challenge has now become easy. The development of the learning devices has aided them in overcoming their learning disabilities. The tools that are used by the facilitator include the speech recognition devices, tools for screen reading, sound amplifiers, and video conferencing for sign language and physically impaired students. The introduction of e-book and eye-gaze tools has also assisted the physically handicapped students as they don’t have to rely on anyone else for turning the textbook page, nor they have to carry a huge burden of the textbook which added more challenged to their already challenged educational expedition.
• Makes the future ready
Adaptation of technology in the classroom develops their technological understanding. This understanding serves as the basis for their employment as employers hire individuals who have technological competence. It also makes them critically question the facilitator of the various aspects of technology along with independent work assignments as well as making them proficient in cross-technological use. Through this technology, the student can also reach out to their desired company or employe, where they seek a job opportunity.
Sum up:
The long and tedious learning process has now made more effective and efficient. Thanks to technology, students can access their desired information 24/7. It forms a collaboration with the associated parties, motivates them, encourages them, and paves their path towards success.
Corruption is a familiar phenomenon for people in developing countries, ruled by corrupt politicians motivated only by greed and self-interest. Pakistan is one of those countries. However, the Education sector seems to be the worst affected from corrupt practices. In Pakistan, one fails to find a single department or institution that is free from the plague of corruption.
The quality of education in Pakistan has been declining for some time now, and it appears that all of the factors responsible for its loathsome condition stem from corruption! Our literacy rate has gone down from 60% to 58%, while the number of children out of school in Pakistan is second only to Nigeria.
If we intend at solving this problem, we need to identify the black sheep in our education system who are to be blamed for it.
Here are some of the chief causes of corruption in Education in Pakistan:
1- Political Appointments:
Even though, teachers are being increasingly hired through the National testing service, the political appointments are rampant. Many a times, the chancellors of higher education institutes are still given top positions in lieu of their affiliation or ties with the ruling party.
2- Ghost schools/teachers:
Ghost schools refer to such schools that exist but only on paper. Such schools have no actual presence, no teachers and no students and yet keep receiving the funding. This funding goes in the pockets of the higher officials of the education department who run such scams in collaboration with political accomplices. This phenomenon is quite prevalent in Pakistan. The same goes with the ghost teachers. According to reports, in Baluchistan alone there are 10,000 ghost teachers who receive their salaries on monthly basis, but do not go to the schools to teach. On the other hand, at least 52 ghost schools have been uncovered in Sindh.
3- Low Budget Allocation:
The budget allocation in Pakistan has always been incredibly low as compared to the allocation of other sectors such as defense or health. Pakistan spends way less on education than the other countries of the world. As a percent of GDP, Pakistan’s allocation for education was just over 2.5% for the year 2018-19.
Due to this low budget, the government has to rely on foreign aid or grants to support educational programs, which creates much room for embezzlements. For instance, USAID and UN programs have pumped billions of dollars in Pakistan to support education initiatives but Pakistan has little to show for it, since most of the money received gets wasted through corruption.
4- Lack of Government interest:
Government hardly ever shows commitment towards fighting corruption in education. There seems to be a lack of political will on the government’s part.
5- Obsolete examination system:
The system by which examinations are conducted at the primary and secondary level is such that, it paves way for corruption. Many a times, papers get leaked online, while other times invigilators are caught receiving bribes from students in exchange for letting them cheat. A robust, efficient and modernized examination system is needed to solve this problem.
6- Lack of technological advancement:
The governmental education boards still seem to be stuck in the 80s and haven’t yet been computerized. Students have to wait for hours outside the board offices to get their metric/inter certificates or other important documents. This highly inept system, creates room for bribery instead of eliminating it.
7- Low salaries of teachers:
Despite gradual increase in education budget over the years, the government has kept the salaries of teachers very low. On top of that, many a times they are not paid on time, months in a row forcing them to come out on streets protesting to get their salaries. As a result, many government teachers resort to illicit activities such as revealing the paper to students ahead of the examinations, which accounts for corruption.
8- Mega schemes:
Many of the government initiatives for education have been introduced merely as a means to gain popularity and increase vote bank rather than the improvement education itself. Therefore, many schemes like laptop and Danish schools turned out to be scams where corruption of billions was carried out. Unless government starts introducing robust and realistic measures to increase literacy rate, the situation wouldn’t improve and such gimmicks could only be the cause of more corruption in education.
Unless, the government becomes serious in tackling the root causes of corruption and coming at them with full force, the problem will persist and with time corruption will only increase, resulting in a further decline in the quality of education as well as literacy rate in Pakistan.
Pakistan continues to go through an energy crises which has only become more severe from time to time. It is not just slowing down the economy but making life hell for the majority of the citizens. The energy needs of Pakistan are around 15,000 to 20000 MW per day, however currently it is creating only around 11,500 MW, rendering a shortage of 4000 to 9000 MW per day.
With time, situation may have improved with the inauguration of many new projects and power plants, however the overall problem remains the same.
Here are some of the causes, effects, and solution to the energy crises faced by Pakistan:
Causes:
• Inefficient Power Plants:
Part of the reason, shortfall exists is inefficient and outdated power plants that are unable to generate electricity that meets the national demand. Moreover, due to cash crunch the plants are unable to operate at the optimum capacity, since they don’t have enough funds to buy the necessary amount of furnace oil.
• Electricity Theft:
Electricity theft can be termed as the mother of all evils causing the energy crises. The inefficiencies of the transmission and distribution system, cause this theft to take place, increasing the cost of supplying electricity. Instead of curbing this, the supply companies simply shift the burden of cost to the paying customers. A staggering Rs12.35bn worth of losses were reported owing to electricity theft in the Punjab area, whereas Rs16.5bn in Sindh contributing to a total of Rs59.174b throughout Pakistan.
• Lack of Dams:
Currently, the bulk of electricity being supplied comes from the hydroelectric plants and IPPs, both of whom heavily depend upon the availability of water in the dams. Therefore, whenever the water levels drop low, so does the electricity’s supply. Pakistan’s failure to construct a major dam after Tarbellawhich was in the seventies, has greatly exacerbated the problem. Just a few months ago, the water management authority – WAPDA announced that water capacity had fallen to 30%.
Effects:
• Public Unrest:
Prolonged outages of electricity as well as gas result in public unrest on a mass level creating chaos. This chaos then manifests itself into citizens coming out on streets and disturbing the law and order situation. Many such incidents have occurred, where outraged citizens caused loss of property as well as halting the economic activity. Moreover, many times students are unable to study for their exams.
• Economic Loss:
The capacity utilization which pertains to how much energy is utilized for production in factories, falls down to alarmingly low levels due to lack of energy, interruptions in supply. This renders Pakistan unable to export the surplus materials, forcing the country to import instead, resulting in the depletion of the foreign exchange reserves.
Moreover, the Independent Power Plants, that require exorbitant sums to create energy for the purpose of attenuating the shortfall, are also draining the resources of the country since they are operated by foreign companies. In the long run, this hampering of economic growth results in a low GDP.
• Poverty:
The closure of industry caused by energy failures results in the subsequent unemployment leading to high levels of poverty.In a country where already 30% of the population is living below the poverty line, this leads to further worsening of situation.
Solutions:
• Building more Dams:
It is high time that Pakistan invests in the construction of more dams, since the electricity demand is increasing every year and the current capacity of the dams is not enough in fulfilling that demand.
• Investing in Renewable Energy:
Only renewable energy can provide sustained, clean, pollution free and environment friendly electricity, which includes hydro power, wind energy, solar energy and tidal energy. Due to the advantages offered by renewable energy which includes low cost, the world has made great strides in shifting from conventional to renewable energy. However, Pakistan continues to heavily rely on furnace oil to produce electricity.
• Curbing Electricity Theft:
Electricity theft is the biggest impediment in the uninterrupted supply of electricity. Unless the government introduces large scale measures to curb this problem, by introducing strict penalties for the culprits, and getting them implemented, it will continue to be one of the major reasons contributing towards the energy crises. Such measures on the government’s part are the need of the day.
A personal statement is an important part of university applications. It is an opportunity for the applicants to show what makes them stand out. In 4000 words you need to tell your university of choice, what you have to offer. Hence, it needs to be infused with the utmost impressive writing skills you can muster. Here we have a number of personal statement tips that are sure to help out any student in this situation.
Create a draft minus the character counter
The first time you sit down to write your personal statement, do not pay heed to the word count. Let the words flow and write down everything you want to say. Once its all out, you can later crop and compress it to fit under the word limit.
Allow yourself some time
It is wiser not to rush the process. It is impossible to write a personal statement in a few hours. In some cases, it might take more than a day to finish. Relax your mind and let yourself think. You can even take a break, and then come back to the task with a fresh perspective.
Find words that express perfectly
It sounds more elegant and professional to use words that are not so common placed. Especially when you are writing to impress an academic institution. Be careful though, to not overdo it by inserting so many fancy words that it seems unauthentic.
Focus upon your strengths
Keep it in mind that through the personal statement you are proving yourself as the best candidate for the university. Write about your experiences, skills and your future goals. It is best not mention things that you didn’t end up accomplishing. Elaborate any achievements and discuss how they developed you as a learned individual.
Find an effective opening statement
Give real thought to how you are going to start. Beginning with something interesting, humorous, surprising or extraordinary certainly gives a good impression. But if you have to force yourself to write something like that then it will not get the expected results. Wait till you are truly inspired by a thought and then start working on it.
Write it in your own style
A personal statement should be all about expressing your own unique ideas and voice. To avoid unconsciously copying another person’s tone, do not read any personal statements prior to writing. It should not be following any set patterns or rules. Hence, you need to genuinely write from your own viewpoint.
Honesty is key
Do not add any false information about yourself in the statement. Unless you are fully adept in a skill it is better not to mention it. Accept yourself the way you are and express only that part on the page. Creating a false image would be the wrong way to go, and will form a bad impression in the long run.
Proofreading is important
It is essential to proofread the finished document yourself and then to ask others to do it. You can have more person than one to proofread it for you. Different people will give you different feedback which will only tend to make the final draft even better. However, also be careful in sorting out the discouraging advice from constructive one.
Read aloud
Read the finished draft aloud to friends and family. This will help you see any flaws that might not be evident through the writing process. Grammar mistakes or errors in sequence are easier to find this way.
Stop reading the statement after submission
Once you have sent in the application, its best not to read through it at least for a few months. Every time you read it you might start getting doubts about how its not good enough. Simply write in an honest way and express the real you. You will be sure to get in the university which is most suitable for your skills and abilities.
Students in need of more assistance can always hire academic writer services. Whether it is personal statements or any form of academic content we provide you with the best material. Our writers are reliable experts who collaborate with you to create content according to your requirements.