Culture is one of the most important concepts within sociology because sociologists recognize that it plays a crucial role in our social lives. It is important for shaping social relationships, maintaining and challenging social order, determining how we make sense of the world and our place in it, and in shaping our everyday actions and experiences in society. It is composed of both non-material and material things.   In brief, sociologists define the non-material aspects of culture as the values and beliefs, language, communication, and practices that are shared in common by a group of people. Expanding on these categories, culture is made up of our knowledge, common sense, assumptions, and expectations. It is also the rules, norms, laws, and morals that govern society; the words we use as well as how we speak and write them  and the symbols we use to express meaning, ideas, and concepts (like traffic signs and emojis, for example). Culture is also what we do and how we behave and perform (for example, theater and dance). It informs and is encapsulated in how we walk, sit, carry our bodies, and interact with others; how we behave depending on the place, time, and "audience;" and how we express identities of race, class, gender, and sexuality, among others. Culture also includes the collective practices we participate in, such as religious ceremonies, the celebration of secular holidays, and attending sporting events. Read more

Human activity affects global surface temperatures by changing Earth's radiative balance—the “give and take” between what comes in during the day and what Earth emits at night. Increases in greenhouse gases—i.e., trace gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that absorb heat energy emitted from Earth's surface and reradiate it back—generated by industry and transportation cause the atmosphere to retain more heat, which increases temperatures and alters precipitation patterns.   Global warming, the phenomenon of increasing average air temperatures near the surface of Earth over the past one to two centuries. Climate scientists have since the mid-20th century gathered detailed observations of various weather phenomena (such as temperatures, precipitation, and storms) and of related influences on climate (such as ocean currents and the atmosphere’s chemical composition). Read more

The four-part framework (investigating the issue, recognizing perspectives, communicating ideas, taking action) incorporated into this micro-credential reflects the changing role of our students in the 21st century. Students must have a substantive understanding of the complex, diverse, and interdependent world in which they live. Educators will delve into the research that supports the students becoming globally competent through inquiry. The four-part framework is described below. Additional resources are available in the “Supporting Rationale and Research” section and should be examined prior to completing this micro-credential.   Read more

The educator uses current research and resources aligned with global education to create a yearly resource plan. The educator identifies strategies and activities that support the global competence framework, and incorporates them into lessons, assignments, activities, or assessments. Method Components Educating a new generation of globally and culturally competent students is imperative. A clear framework for global competence requires students to engage in robust and rigorous exploration that includes investigating the world, recognizing perspectives, communicating ideas, and taking action. Read more

The social-ecological model emerged from ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), which explicitly sought to examine transactions between persons and their environments. The model stresses cross-level influences, in which community or organizational environments can shape individual behavior (top-down effects), but also examines how individuals form groups or take actions that may affect higher level organizational or community spheres (bottom-up effects). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has incorporated social-ecological models into a number of its health promotion and disease prevention efforts. The simple onion or Russian doll rendering of social-ecological relations as concentric circles is not in itself very informative. However, flowchart models based on such relationships can be useful for specifying hypothesized cross-level influences. Read more

The home environment is critical for maintaining health and well-being among the medically ill and people living with disabilities. Access to appropriate supportive care technologies and home health care services depends in part on where homes are located, what sorts of spaces are available for care in the home, and whether basic services (such as utilities) are reliable. These aspects of home environments are difficult to measure, even when features of homes are narrowly defined and only a single attribute, such as safety, is considered (Gitlin, 2003). Measurement challenges become more complex when considering that each of these environmental features also has a cultural or social component. Homes are located in neighborhoods, where home health care providers may not feel welcome or safe because of crime in a low-income neighborhood and discrimination or suspicion in a higher-income one. Homes differ in their spaces available for care but also in the willingness of families to make these spaces available, adapt them as needed, and work with home health staff to provide care. Also, utilities, telephone service, and access to services differ by community, with some communities well serviced and others shortchanged. Read more

Types of accommodations Accommodations are typically divided into four categories: Presentation accommodations Response accommodations Setting accommodations Timing and scheduling accommodations How can educators identify and select accommodations to address the needs of individual students? Using a set of guiding questions, the teacher will identify one response accommodation for a student with a disability based on his or her individual strengths and needs and the barrier created by the disability. The educator will then implement the accommodation and evaluate its effectiveness. Finally, the teacher and student will reflect on the effectiveness of the accommodation. Read more

How can educators identify and select accommodations to address the needs of individual students? Using a set of guiding questions, the teacher will identify one response accommodation for a student with a disability based on his or her individual strengths and needs and the barrier created by the disability. The educator will then implement the accommodation and evaluate its effectiveness. Finally, the teacher and student will reflect on the effectiveness of the accommodation. Read more

Grants and scholarships are not the same things, and the two terms are often confused.   People often wonder about the difference between scholarships and grants. Both are student financial aid that helps to pay for the necessities associated with higher education such as tuition, room, board, and textbooks. Though people sometimes confuse the terms or use them interchangeably, each has their own eligibility requirements and guidelines. One similarity grants and scholarships have is that they don’t need to be repaid, unlike college loans. Let’s take a look at the various characteristics of scholarships and grants. Read more

Some of the Major Highlights of the National Education Policy 2020 are: Schooling to begin from the age of 3 years: The revised policy expands the age group of mandatory schooling from 6-14 years to 3-18 years. This new system will include 12 years of schooling with three years of Anganwadi/ pre-schooling. Read more

This project aims to develop a sentiment analysis system for product rating. It is an e-commerce web application. The main goal of this sentiment analysis system is to understand the hidden sentiments of customers in feedback and comments and analyze their product rating patterns.  Read more

In addition to the potential of increasing your business you can often find solutions to your own business problems or needs by networking. For example, if your business needs the services of a bookkeeper, accountant, or lawyer you may find the ideal candidate via networking, or if your business needs equity financing for startup you may be able to find an angel investor or venture capitalist through networking channels. Read more