My Own Use: Decision Making Software

When thinking of Decision making software, I am inclined to visualize what the class uses in excel as my best example. The excel software is great for use in decision making once one understands what they are doing with it. When it comes to decision making I tend to just use whatever I feel is right, or just make the decision using past knowledge or someone else council.

In terms of technology and software, like most people I use the internet. Search engines online and informational sites aid in making decisions. In a search to find specific software I found a site that offers free decision making software.http://www.syncopation.com/?gclid=CJmcxOuehKwCFUGo4AodgnVsKg It is called Syncopation DPL 7. The abstract/mission for the software is as stated:

"Syncopation Software is a leading provider of decision support software tools including decision analysis software, risk analysis software and decision tree-based real option valuation software. Founded as a spin-off from a first-tier consulting organization, Syncopation develops products that go beyond the basics to give you exceptional insight into real-world decision problems."

Plagarism and Academic Honesty: Technology Involved

Plagiarism and cheating are a reality that students, administrators, and work places must deal with. It is wrong to copy someones work without giving the proper credit. Within academia   we are required to cite our sources properly, there are rules set forth that many students learn throughout higher level English classes to properly give credit. Students learn ways to cite sources using MLA as well as APA formats, and laws are enforced to trademark and copyright certain works and terms.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary website defines plagiarism as": to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source"
Technology can in some ways make plagiarism easier to perform. The internet is at everyone's fingertips nowadays and we can find information very easily. Communication makes ideas move quickly and one can easily use someone else's ideas without knowing it. According to plagiarism.org the idea that it is just copying, or borrowing ideas isn't necessarily what is so serious about the act. People can gain power and money illegitimately. This is serious considering someone could have put a lot of effort into something.

The technology we use today can make stealing someone elses work easier because of the quickness information can be transferred.  One could hear someone say something and pass it off as their own right away over a facebook comment on their phone or tweet. Also the internet gives out so much information it could be hard to find out the true source. On the flipside there are ways to prevent plagiarism using sites like turnitin.com and by tracing the origin of the document.

 

When Ethics are in Question.

Ethical and moral behavior are very important aspects in the college atmosphere and will carry through into the business world. In jobs and in many situations ethics can come into question and we may have to defend what we have done or explain our behavior. In my opinion i think that people and corporations can be unethical when a lot of money is involved.

I cannot recall an ethics situation in particular in work, but i do remember an incident in school. I was in a tech program in high school and was always on computers. During the beginning of classes i would draw pictures on paint as well as design items on my own in an engineering program. My ethics came into question because of the files were saved and reviewed by the administration. Many of the pictures i drew were comical to my classmates and were always an entertainment to the class. The administration decided that my actions were inappropriate and i had to discuss what i did to the guidance counselors. I think that they thought what i was doing was unethical but really it had nothing to do with the class and was not taking away from the school with any malicious intent.

What is wrong with America's Education System?

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=1500338

In my opinion it is hard to put one label on America;s Education System. Much of the problems in the U.S. right now have a lot to do with economy and overspending. According the the 20/20 report above, experts agree that spending more money on education doesn't result in a better system. Structure in a big part of education. I believe that unified structure and better discipline is a large part of better education, though not all children are the same, social skills and life skills are built at a young age. Education requires freedom and encouragement, but all students need structure.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704754804574491180197671224.html

Teachers are not being selected wisely, according to this article above, all in all we are selecting k-12 teachers from the lower percentage of college grads. This is different from other higher educated countries who select teachers from the top percent of graduates.

There are definately a lot of factors that add to our failing education system, it is a scary thing to think about and should be changed as soon as possible.