Financial Analysis of banking sector of India

Financial Analysis of banking sector of India Financial Analysis of banking sector of India: Special Reference to Private Sector Banks Financial statements are those statements which provide information about profitability and financial position of a business. It includes two statements, i.e., profit loss a/c or income statement and balance sheet or position statement. The income statement presents the summary of the income earned and the expenses incurred during a financial year. Position statement presents the financial position of the business at the end of the year. This paper is try to present all the components of balance sheet and profit and loss account in common size and analyze the individual item in Balance Sheet Profit Loss A/c as compare to total liabilities/Assets/Income/Expenditure. Objectives To compare the financial position with the help of Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account To compare the financial performance through a common-size financial statement. Introduction After preparation of the financial statements, one may be interested in knowing the position of an enterprise from different points of view. This can be done by analyzing the financial statement with the help of different tools of analysis such as Common size statement analysis, funds flow analysis, cash flow analysis, Common size/ comparative statement analysis, etc. Here I have done financial analysis by Common size financial statement analysis. Common size financial statement analysis, also called vertical analysis, is just one technique that financial managers use to analyze their financial statements. It is not another type of income statement. It is just a tool that is used to analyze the income statement and position statement. With the use of this method of common-size financial statements, the comparisons between the financial statements of different companies become easy. In this method, each of figures in the financial statements are reported in the form of percentage. Thi s percentage is the figure of one frequent base figure. This base figure determines the percentile of all the figures in the common-size financial statements. By using this method, it is easy to compare the financial statements of the same company from different periods or comparing the companies of different size. Due to this method, the bias between the company sizes is removed, and investor can effectively compare the financial statements. The selection of base figure depends on the financial statements head. In income statements, the revenue can be selected as the base figure and all the incomes and expenses can be measured against it. Moreover, in the balance sheet of the company, all the related items are divided by the total of their items. For example, if the investor wants to find out the percentage of the inventory in balance sheet, he or she will have to divide the figure of inventory with the total assets. Methodology For the purpose of this study individual item of balance sheet converted into common size i.e.in 100 for this purpose an individual item in balance sheet divided by total assets/total liabilities and converted into 100.This is also to profit and loss account i.e. individual item in profit and loss account divided by total income/total expenditure and converted into100.For this analysis three years Balance Sheet and Profit and loss account of top three private banks viz.ICICI bank,HDFC bank and Axis bank was analyzed. Balance Sheets as on 31st March 2011 Capital and Liabilities Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Capital 4,105,458 0.169 4,652,257 0.167 11521129 0.283 Reserves and Surplus 185,882,797 7.658 249140426 8.982 539,388,244 13.277 Deposits 1,892,378,010 77.967 2,085,864,054 75.206 2,256,021,077 55.535 Borrowings 262,678,824 10.822 143,940,610 5.189 1,095,542,771 26.968 Other Liabilities and Provisions 82,088,627 3.382 289,928,565 10.453 159,863,467 3.935 Total 2,427,133,716 100 2,773,525,912 100 4,062,336,688 100 Assets Cash and Balance with RBI 138,861,630 5.721 251,008,158 9.050 209,069,703 5.146 Balance with Banks and Money at call and Short Notice 75,224,929 3.099 45,680,191 1.647 131,831,128 3.245 Investments 719,916,208 29.661 709,293,656 25.573 1,346,859,630 33.154 Advances 1,424,078,286 58.673 1,599,826,654 57.682 2,163,659,014 53.26 Fixed Assets 22,731,456 0.936 21,706,480 0.782 47,442,551 1.167 Other Assets 46,321,207 1.908 146,010,773 5.264 163,474,662 4.024 Total 2,427,133,716 100 2,773,525,912 100 4,062,336,688 100 Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Income Interest Earned 151,548,058 76.589 199,282,122 82.13 259,740,528 79.62 Other Income 46,321,338 23.410 43,351,527 17.87 66,478,925 20.38 Total 197,869,396 100 242,633,649 100 326,219,453 100 Expenditure Interest Expended 85,918,230 52.394 93,850,839 46.15 169,571,515 61.728 Operating Expenses 47,794,281 29.145 71,529,141 35.171 66,172,492 24.088 Provision and Contingencies 30,271,979 18.460 37,989,660 18.680 38,961,684 14.183 Total 163,984,490 100 203,369,640 100 274,705,691 100 Profit Loss Account for the year ended 31st March 2011 Balance Sheets as on 31st March 2012 Capital and Liabilities Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Capital 4,132,039 0.144 4,693,377 0.138 11551537 0.243 Reserves and Surplus 223,953,384 7.840 294,553378 8.716 592,500,885 12.509 Deposits 2,201,043,033 77.059 2,467,064,459 73.00 2,554,999,561 53.94 Borrowings 340,716,721 11.928 238,465,086 7.057 1,401,649,073 29.592 Other Liabilities and Provisions 86,432,757 3.026 374,318,690 11.077 175,769,846 3.710 Total 2,856,277,934 100 3,379,094,990 100 4,736,470,902 100 Assets Cash and Balance with RBI 107,029,214 3.747 149,910,945 4.436 204,612,935 4.319 Balance with Banks and Money at call and Short Notice 32,309,943 1.131 59,466,318 1.759 157,680,199 3.329 Investments 931,920,859 32.627 974,829,094 28.848 1,595,600,430 33.687 Advances 1,697,595,386 59.433 1,954,200,292 57.83 2,537,276,579 53.568 Fixed Assets 22,593,250 0.791 23,471,940 0.694 46,146,870 0.974 Other Assets 64,829,282 2.269 217,216,401 6.428 195,153,889 4.120 Total 2,856,277,934 100 3,379,094,990 100 4,736,470,902 100 Profit Loss Account for the year ended 31st March 2012 Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Income Interest Earned 219,946,474 80.228 272,863,517 83.880 335,426,522 81.720 Other Income 54,202,163 19.771 52,436,949 16.12 75,027,598 18.279 Total 274,148,637 100 325,300,466 100 410,454,120 100 Expenditure Interest Expended 139,769,024 60.316 149,895,780 54.78 228,084,964 65.958 Operating Expenses 60,070,995 25.923 85,900,571 31.393 78,504,433 22.702 Provision and Contingencies 31,886,564 13.760 37,833,208 13.826 39,212,151 11.339 Total 231,726,583 100 273,629,559 100 345,801,548 100 Balance Sheets as on 31st March 2013 Capital and Liabilities Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Capital 4,679,545 0.137 4,758,838 0.117 11581197 0.216 Reserves and Surplus 326,399,054 9.584 363881809 8.925 655,478,392 12.211 Deposits 2,526,135,881 74.176 2,960,917,699 72.621 2,926,136,257 54.511 Borrowings 439,510,984 12.906 394,966,127 9.687 1,453,414,944 27.076 Other Liabilities and Provisions 108,881,120 3.197 352,705,377 8.651 321,336,021 5.986 Total 3,405,606,584 100 4,077,229,850 100 5,367,946,811 100 Assets Cash and Balance with RBI 147,920,883 4.343 146,308,790 3.588 190,527,309 3.549 Balance with Banks and Money at call and Short Notice 56,428,716 1.656 129,002,845 3.164 223,647,879 4.166 Investments 1,137,375,370 33.397 1,109,604,124 27.214 1,713,935,993 31.929 Advances 1,969,659,574 57.835 2,472,451,151 60.640 2,902,494,351 54.07 Fixed Assets 23,556,420 0.691 27,733,162 0.680 46,470,587 0.865 Other Assets 70,665,621 2.074 192,129,778 4.712 290,870,692 5.418 Total 3,405,606,584 100 4,077,229,850 100 5,367,946,811 100 Profit Loss Account for the year ended 31st March 2013 Axis(Rs.000) HDFC(Rs.000) ICICI(Rs.000) Income Interest Earned 271,825,744 80.579 358,610,213 83.409 400,755,969 82.764 Other Income 65,511,063 19.420 71,329,645 16.590 83,457,012 17.235 Total 337,336,807 100 429,939,858 100 484,212,981 100 Expenditure Interest Expended 175,163,111 61.343 196,954,474 54.567 262,091,848 65.366 Operating Expenses 69,142,375 24.214 115,518,963 32.005 90,128,837 22.478 Provision and Contingencies 41,236,992 14.441 48,463,621 13.427 48,737,569 12.155 Total 285,542,478 100 360,937,058 100 400,958,254 100 Capital to Total Liabilities Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 0.16 0.16 0.28 2011-12 0.14 0.13 0.24 2012-13 0.13 0.11 0.21 Interpretation Capital Common size statement of ICICI Bank was more than Axis Bank HDFC Bank in these three years. It is also seen that in all these three years Capital Common size statement of these banks were decreased consistently. Reserve and surplus to Total Liabilities Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 7.68 8.98 13.27 2011-12 7.84 8.71 12.50 2012-13 9.58 8.92 12.21 Interpretation Common size statement of Accumulated Reserve and Surplus of ICICI Bank was more than Axis Bank HDFC Bank, but this Common size statement consistently decreases. This Common size statement of Axis bank consistently increases. Deposits to Total Liabilities Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 77.96 75.20 55.53 2011-12 77.05 73.00 53.94 2012-13 74.17 72.62 54.51 Interpretation Deposit Common size statement Axis bank was more than HDFC ICICI bank; however this Common size statement of Axis bank and HDFC bank consistently decreases. Borrowings to Total Liabilities Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 10.82 5.18 26.96 2011-12 11.92 7.05 29.59 2012-13 12.90 9.68 27.07 Interpretation As regards to borrowings, ICICI bank has more borrowings than Axis bank and HDFC bank, it is also depicts that borrowings of Axis bank and HDFC bank consistently increases. Other liabilities Provisions to Total Liabilities Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 3.38 10.45 3.93 2011-12 3.02 11.07 3.71 2012-13 3.19 8.65 5.98 Interpretation Other liabilities and provisions of HDFC bank was more than Axis bank and ICICI bank and it is upto10% on an average, however the axis bank ICICI bank maintains this Common size statement upto 3% on an average. Cash Balances with RBI to Total Assets Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 5.72 9.05 5.14 2011-12 3.74 4.43 4.31 2012-13 4.34 3.58 3.54 Interpretation Cash balance of HDFC bank in year 2010-11 was in highest Common size statement. Cash balance of HDFC bank and ICICI bank continuously decreases. Balance with Banks and Money at call and Short Notice to Total Assets Year Name of Bank Axis HDFC ICICI 2010-11 3.09 1.64 3.24 2011-12 1.13 1.79 3.32 2012-13 1.65 <

Free Narrative Essays - Surfing the Crowd :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Surfing the Crowd In my mind it was my biggest act of courage. It was far from a heroic deed, but I overcame all my anxieties for an adrenaline rush that can still be felt through my memories. Closing my eyes and thinking back to that hot, summer night I can still hear the sweet riffs of punk rock in its purest form. The drummer was on fire. The bassist was pure power. And the front-man had turned everyone in the crowd, including myself, into pure energy. My music had wrapped itself around and around inside of me. It took away my inhibitions and filled me with a new confidence. I had the power to do anything, if only for that one set. I wanted to be on top of the world! From the moment that thought had entered my head, I knew that I could make that aspiration come true. The answer was to crowd surf. It was something I had never done before; getting up over everyone's heads and letting them push you towards the stage. Though at that moment I felt almost immortal, pangs of nervousness balled up in my stomach. Would I make it all the way to the front? What if I fell? But the biggest question I asked myself was should I do something that I have never done before? Once I let my thoughts return to the music, I knew what lie ahead of me. I tapped the nearest "big guy" on the shoulder and pointed towards the ceiling; the universal signal on the concert floor. He nodded, grabbed my foot, and pushed me on top of the crowd. Once I was up there was no turning back. Soon strong hands were surfing me towards the stage. I had the best view in the house and reveled in the moment. I was fueled by an adrenaline rush that was only heightened by the fusion of the music and the energy of the crowd.

The Old Man And The Sea :: essays research papers

This book takes place in the past and is about an old man that loves fishing in the Gulf Stream. The old man was a thin with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck and had scars on his hands from handling the fishing rope. He taught this young boy how to fish and the boy loved him. He even brought him fishing many times. But the past 84 days the old man had not caught one fish. After 40 days of not catching anything the boy left and fished on another boat. The boy still loved him and brought him food and fresh bait to fish. The old man and the boy always talked about baseball because they both enjoyed it. One day, the old man was out on the water fishing. The weather was beautiful, the currents were perfect, and he saw all birds flying over the water. He knew he had to catch a nice fish today. He saw one of his poles have a jerk so he pulled it in and it was a bonita fish, which he was goin to use for a nice piece of bait later in the day. The day progressed and he saw a real big jerk on the pole. He jumped up and held it, but the fish was not hooked yet. A couple more jerks he felt, but the fish was not taking it. Finally the fish did and he could feel that it had to be a fish of enormous size. He could not pull it up because it was so strong. He had to hold onto it until the fish was tired and decided to come up. Then when it would come up, he would take his harpoon and stab it in the heart so it would die. This fish was taking all the strength out of him and it was pulling his skiff farther and farther out. Now he wished that the boy was here with him to help him pull it up. It was 3 days later until he finally got the fish to jump out of the water. When it did he saw that it was the biggest marlin he ever saw. To regain strength and pull the fish in, he had to eat the bonita that he caught. He ate all of it and it helped his hand that was cut from the

The Life of Ansel Adams :: Photography Photographers Essays

The Life of Ansel Adams President Jimmy Carter, in presenting Ansel Adams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, best describes the life and work of Ansel Adams. "At one with the power of the American landscape, and renowned for the patient skill and timeless beauty of his work, photographer Ansel Adams has been visionary in his efforts to preserve this country's wild and scenic areas, both on film and on earth. Drawn to the beauty of nature's monuments, he is regarded by environmentalists as a monument himself, and by photographers as a national institution. It is through his foresight and fortitude that so much of America has been saved for future Americans." Ansel Adams has long been hailed as a master of photography. Environmentalist and photographer, he was born February 20th, 1902 in San Francisco California to Charles Hitchcock Adams. He was the grandson of a wealthy timer baron and he grew up in the sand dunes of the Golden Gate Bridge. His family's fortune diminished during the financial panic of 1907 and his father Charles spent the rest of his life trying to rebuild it. In 1906 at the age of 4, Ansel was thrown to the ground during an aftershock of the great San Francisco earthquake and broke his nose, scarring him for life in the process. This physical characteristic along with a natural shyness also led to the young Ansel having problems in fitting in at school. After trying several schools with little success, his parents took him out of main stream schooling in 1915 and Ansel received home tutoring from an aunt and his father. As a result of not attending school, the young Adams had a lot more time to himself and he used much of this time on long walks around the Golden Gate area. It was here that his life-long love of nature grew and it was perhaps this that put him on his path to becoming a landscape photographer. In 1916 there was another event that was to be pivotal in shaping Adams future. On a family vacation to Yosemite National Park, California his parents gave him a Kodak Box Brownie camera. He was to return to Yosemite again every ye ar for the rest of his life. This summer I had the opportunity to live where many of these Yosemite and other pictures were taken. One of his most famous photographs was of the many curves of the Snake River, with the picturesque Grand Teton Mountains in the background.

Information Technology Essay

1. What are some of the arguments for and against the use of digital media? For Others think it make us â€Å" smarter â€Å" because it offers so many opportunities’ to discovers. Resources like Wikipedia and Google have helped to organized knowledge and make it accessible to the world; this would not been possible without the internet. Against Some people say that internet and other digital technologies are changing the way we think not for the better. They also say that it make us become â€Å" dumber â€Å" Internet is an unprecedented source of acquiring and sharing all type of information. 2. How might the brain affected by constant digital media usage? According to Michael Merzenich (Neuroscientist) our brains are being â€Å" massively remodeled â€Å" by our constant and ever growing usage of the web. But not only the web that contributes with this trend, our ability to focus on something is also undermined by constant distractions being provided by the use of smart phones, video games, television and other digital technology. Other study shows presented by two identical TV shows, the one with a news crawl and the other without. The viewer retained much more information with the latter part, the impact of these technologies on children are even greater than the adults, because their brains are still developing compare to adults and they are still on the stage of struggling how to set their priorities. 3. Do you think these arguments outweigh the positives of digital media usage? Why or why not? I don’t think that it outweighs on the positive side of the arguments on digital media. Base on the article the people who are against the digital media justified and explain why they are against the use of it. They clearly stated some of the reason and the effect of too much use of it. 4. What additional concerns are there for children using digital media? Should children under 8 use computer and cell phones? Why or why not? No, I don’t think children under 8 years old allow to use cell phones and computers because at this stage they are focus more on playing and social inter action with other kids rather than spending their time on gadgets.

Ocean carrier Essay

The purpose of this report is to evaluate whether Ocean Carriers Inc. should immediately commission a new capesize carrier that would cost $39 million, and would be completed two years hence, in order to finalize a lease of the ship for a three-year period with a potential charterer in very good faith. The contrasting tax regulations between the two countries where the company locates its office, and the different cost-benefit circumstances under different length of time in service are considered in the analysis. Taking all available information into consideration, we highly recommend that the company should purchase the new capesize carrier, have it registered under the Hong Kong office, and put it on a scheme for a 25-year service. Industry Prospects Capesize carriers are mainly used to carry iron ore and coal worldwide. The daily hire rates are therefore determined by the total exports of iron ore and coal, the distance between the exporting countries and the destinations, and the fleet size of capesizes in service. According to the market trends, in the next few years, Australian production in iron ore is expected to be strong and Indian iron ore exports are expected to take off. However, imports of iron ore and coal are expected to be stagnant in next two years. Therefore, total exports of iron ore and coal will be flat in the coming two years, and will rise remarkably in the following few years. Besides, as East Asia countries absorb the largest portion of the iron ore imports, the joining of India to the iron ore exporting won’t significantly increase travel distance because Australia is almost the same distance away by water. Moreover, in 2001 and 2002, 63 and 33 new capesize vessels would be delivered adding up to about 17% of total capesizes currently in service. Consequently, in the first two years, the supply of capesizes would be greater than the demand, the daily hire rates are expected to decrease. But in the mid-to-long run, the daily hire rates are expected to increase continuously. Revenues and Costs – Intuitions Before going into the numbers, we want to discuss some intuitions of this project that support the decision of purchasing the capesize. First, the increasing mid-to-long run daily hire rates will provide basis for promising future cash flows. Secondly, although the daily hire rate for the first two years are expected to be low, the charterer had already offered a rate higher than expected to compensate the company. Thirdly, a great portion of the expenditures come from the preparation for special surveys which should be renewed every five years if the ship needs to stay in the business. The high escalation of costs between the second and third surveys, and the fourth and fifth surveys, indicates that maximum net present value of the project would be achieved when the carrier serves for either 15 years or 25 years. Free Cash Flows In this part, we will discuss the detailed numbers. Some assumptions are made based on the economic outlook and company characteristics when calculating free cash flows. We assume that inflation rate is 3% per annual, and that operation cost would increase 1% above inflation rate per annual. We assume that discount rate is 9%, and will discuss the impact of a rate change later. Provided that the scrape value is estimated to be $5 million at the end of the fifteenth year, we estimate that the value would decrease to $4 million due to more wear in the steel. Please refer to Exhibits 1 to 4 for the calculations of estimated free cash flows and NPVs. We can see that if the company chooses to purchase the capesize, have it registered in Hong Kong instead of USA, and runs it for 25 years, the NPV will be the highest compared to other alternatives. Besides, the Hong Kong option (have the vessel registered in Hong Kong) dominates the USA option (have the vessel registered in USA) because no tax is required in Hong Kong in these operations. Also, the 25-year option dominates the 15-year option because, even if the scrap value is reduced to zero after 25 years, the NPVs for options that keep the capesize for 25 years are still higher than for 15 years. Sensitivity Analysis In the above calculations for the NPVs, we assume discount rate to be 9%. If the discount rate is higher, the NPVs for the projects will be reduced because the benefits from recording depreciation and tax deferring will increase. For example, we found that the USA-25-year option will produce a positive NPV if the discount rate is lowered to 6.67%. However, even if the discount rate is as low as 0.1%, the HK option still dominates the US option, and the 25-year option still dominates the 15-year option. Conclusion To sum up, if Ocean Carriers Inc. purchase a $39 million capesize carrier immediately, register it in Hong Kong, sign the three-year contract with the charterer, and keep the vessel in business for 25 years, based on estimations, it would acquire the largest possible NPV of $3.89 million on the project.

Kim’s TimeLine Essay

There was a time when textbooks, a chalkboard, a set of encyclopedias, and a map of the world were considered teaching aids; boy how times have changed.   Today all we have to do is flip on a computer, and the world comes to us in a matter of seconds.   In today’s modern world teachers have access to an almost infinite amount of information.   There are so many websites out there that cater strictly to educators, and their students. For example, one website that seems to be getting a lot of attention from teachers and their students, is one that a teacher created herself; her name is Kim.   I will explore her website, along with other teaching aid websites, and see how they rate against hers.   First of all let’s start with a basic outline of my research paper, and in what manner we are going to address the following questions: Explain the method of Kim’s TimeLine? Give a critique of Kim’s ideas, and how they relate to the TimeLine? List the advantages of Kim’s Time Line, from a student’s point of view? List the disadvantages of Kim’s TimeLine, from a student’s point of view. Introduce other teaching aid websites, along with journal articles, and how they measure up to Kim’s TimeLine? Give an objective conclusion of the researched material?   The purpose of this research paper is to focus on these six questions. Explain the method of Kim’s TimeLine?   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you click onto Kim’s TimeLine, a picture of a chalkboard, and an idiom: Kim’s Korner for Teacher Talk, along with a yellow sun, pops onto your computer screen.   Then in large black letters the following slogan grabs your attention: IDEAS FOR TEACHING THE WRITING PROCESS.   Kim then introduces five steps of her writing process: Prewriting, Writing, Revising, Editing, Proofreading, and Publishing.   The webpage also includes General Ideas For Teaching the Writing Process, such as: Writing Process Timeline, The Writing Process, Implementing the Writing Process, Sample Listing of Specific Writing Strategies (for each step), Ten Ways to Emphasize the Writing Process.   (Writing Process 2006) Give a Critique of Kim’s Ideas and How They Relate to the TimeLine?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To be honest with you, I really enjoyed browsing over Kim’s TimeLine website, and     found it to be non-threatening.   The information was laid out in an extremely simplistic manner, and I could actually picture students, along with their instructors, using and benefiting from the information that this teaching aid provides. List the Advantages of Kim’s TimeLine, From a Students Point of View?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I already mentioned, the TimeLine is incredibly easy to operate.   If you view the TimeLine through a student’s eyes, you will appreciate how the website makes you feel totally comfortable, and non-intimidated, in regards to the information that the TimeLine is trying to convey to you as a student. Before I began this research paper, I have to admit that I was filled with a certain amount of anxiety, and stress; I wondered if I’d do a satisfactory job.   But then to my delight, I noticed that Kim’s TimeLine had a section that dealt with apprehension, and worry.   Her coping strategies with writing anxiety goes as follows: Focus your energy by rehearsing the task in your head. Consciously stop the non-productive comments running through your head by replacing them with productive ones. If you have some â€Å"rituals† for writing success, use them. (Kim’s TimeLine 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   So stepping into a student’s shoes, I put her coping tactics to the test; and guess what?   They actually worked.   I honestly thought that the TimeLine, like the majority of website based teachers’ aids was going to be extremely hard to understand.   Either that, or it was going to be some archaic method of teaching.   Without sounding like some cheesy infomercial, I’m glad that I was wrong, and would strongly recommend the TimeLine to both students, and their teachers. List the Disadvantages of Kim’s TimeLine, From a Students Point of View?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once again I put my feet into a student’s shoes, and tried especially hard to find the tiniest amount of a blemish with Kim’s web-sight, but was unsuccessful in my efforts.   The only flaw I could find, didn’t involve the content of her TimeLine, but instead, how long her website address is: address: http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/writing/general/timeline.html Introduce Other Teaching Aid Websites, Along With Journal Articles, And How They Measure Up To Kim’s TimeLine?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As this assignment mentions in its instructions, the internet provides you with so much information that you must develop a discriminating taste when it comes to the value of a website.   I totally concur with this assertion, and acknowledge that there is an endless amount of   facts and figures over the internet.   But how does this relate to Kim’s TimeLine?   Well in accordance to the assignment’s instructions I have chosen five teachers’ aids websites, and will evaluate them.   I will also distinguish how these websites measure up to Kim’s TimeLine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first website is called â€Å"Free TeachingAids.com.†Ã‚   I found this website to be formless and vague, kind of like a big budget movie with a plot that goes nowhere.   (freeteachingaids.com 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second website was simply titled, â€Å"Teachers’ Aids†.   This website was similar to Kim’s TimeLine.   It was non-intimidating, and from a student’s perspective, they will appreciate the fact that it is straightforward, and to the point.   But nevertheless, as far as a writing tool goes, I would still have to put Kim’s TimeLine above this one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The third website I chose was Java Applets for Teaching of AstroPhysics.   Demonstrating the contrast between Kim’s TimeLine, and this website, would be like comparing apples and oranges; they’re entirely diverse.   Astrophysics is not my cup of tea, however, if it was, I would urge those who plan a career in this field to definitely click onto this website.   It has an easy to follow table of contents, along with an uncomplicated simple to follow outline.   Key words are highlighted, and accompanied with a unproblematic definition.   (JK’s Applets for Teaching Astrophysics 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fourth website is called â€Å"Classic Teaching Resources†, and deals with mnemonics, and other little tricks of the trade to help you as a student, memorize course material.   It focuses on: grammar, music, dates and other numbers, and association and other subjects.   The site was started by David Parsons, he articulates: â€Å"As a former teacher of Latin, Greek and Classical Civilization for nearly 25 years I have accumulated much teaching material to share, and also know what I would have liked readily available.   This site is a small contribution to the teaching of classical subjects.†Ã‚   (Classic Latin Greek Teaching Aids 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fifth, and last website I will compare to Kim’s TimeLine is termed Parliament : Teachers’ centre.   Like the first website, â€Å"Free TeachingAids.com†, I found it to be unclear, and for lack of a better term, some what indistinct.   It offers an index of topics, so that you can select a subject that is to your liking; but that’s about it.   It was designed to educate would be British citizens in attaining their British citizenship credentials.   (Teaching Citizenship Resource Centre and British Citizenship Teaching Aids 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Teaching aids aren’t only getting noticed on the internet, they’re also getting acknowledgment in the mass media, such as magazine articles.   In an influential article, written by Greifner, she reports: â€Å"To help teachers discuss the most current events.   Weekly Reader is also launching electronic Classroom News Breaks this fall.   The e-mailed lesson plans will offer age-appropriate information, reproducible pages, and the web links about significant world news within 24 hours of the event’s occurrence.†Ã‚   (Education week 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another article gives teachers’ an internet â€Å"Book Study† guide: Gary Paulsen: webenglishteacher.com/paulsen.html This rich resource has lesson plans and activities for all ages.   Plans include an integrated unit and a PowerPoint guide for creating a survival kit. Teacher Cyber guide – Hatchet sdco-k12.ca.us/score/hatch/hatchettg.htm This lesson plan contains language arts content standards, student activities and web resources for a study of the book. Hatchet, mce.k12tn.net/survival/hatchet/hatchet.htm A well-organized resource divided by book chapter.   Each chapter category has online (and printable) questions for your book study, activities that tie into the chapter themes, writing lessons and vocabulary activities.   (Teaching Prek-8 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The web isn’t the only electronic medium that today’s teachers are using in the classroom.   Video games have made it into our scholarly institutions, as this article declares: Video games teach deductive reasoning, memory, strategies, and often, content area knowledge.   Teachers like Bill Mackenty, a computer specialist at the Edgartown School on Martha’s Vineyard, give praise to Playstation.   It states that with teacher involvement and guidance, video games can be a powerful classroom learning tool.   (Instructor 2006) Objective Conclusion of the Researched Material   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this thesis I have presented you with both facts, and opinions.   In order for me to remain free of any bias, I must end this research paper by equally supporting, and expressing the disadvantages of Kim’s Timeline, and teaching aids like it.   To sum things up I concur that Kim’s TimeLine, and websites like hers are needed in today’s schools; however, like the instructions of this assignment states, â€Å"There is so much information over the internet, that you must develop a discriminating taste, when it comes to the value of a website.† References Greifner.   L.   (2006.   September 27)   .   Weekly Reader Gets New Look.   Education Week  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  26 Mitchell.   K.   (2006.   September )   .   Getting to the Heart of a Story.   Teaching PreK-8   66-66. Instructor.   (2006).   Playing To Learn.   Instructor   116.   22-22 Classic Teaching Resources.   (October 25, 2006).   Classic Latin Greek Teaching Aids.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.parsonsd.co.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   uk/teaching-aids.php Free TeachingAids.com.   (October 25, 2006).   Educators Progress Service, Inc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web:http://www.freeteaching   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   aids. Com Java Applets for Teaching of AstroPhysics.   (October 25, 2006).   JK’s Applets for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Teaching Astrophysics.   Retrieved October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://astro.u-strasbg.fr~koppen/apindex.html Kim’s Korner for Teacher Talk.   (October 25, 2006).   Writing Process.   Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   /handouts/gl_anxiety.html Parliament : Teachers’ centre.   (October 25, 2006).   Teaching Citizenship Resource   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Centre and British Citizenship Teaching Aids.   Retrieved October 25, 2006 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the World Wide Web: http://www.explore.parliament.uk/parliament.aspx?id=17 Teacher’s Aids.   (October 25, 2006).   MFL 195: Teachers’ Aids.   Retrieved October 25,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2006 from the World Wide Web: http://facweb.furman.edu/~pecoy/mf195/aides.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   html