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Lesson of the Day: ‘How Long Covid Exhausts the Body’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘How Long Covid Exhausts the Body’

Featured Article: “How Long Covid Exhausts the Body” by Josh Keller

Long Covid is a chronic condition that affects millions of people infected with the coronavirus. These people struggle with exhaustion, cognitive problems and other long-lasting symptoms for months and years after initial infection.

In this article, you will learn about the toll long Covid takes on the body, as well as new research that offers clues to the causes of the illness. Then, you will learn more about long Covid by exploring resources for people with the illness and by reading an additional New York Times article.

In your journal, or in a class discussion, reflect on these questions: Have you ever heard of long Covid? What are some of the symptoms of the illness? Do you know anyone who is experiencing long Covid?

Then, learn about one young person’s experience with long Covid by reading this excerpt from a New York Times article:

Will, an Eagle Scout, a talented tennis player and a highly motivated student who loves studying languages so much that he takes both French and Arabic, said he used to feel “taking naps is a waste of sunlight.”

But Covid made him so fatigued that he could barely leave his bed for 35 days, and he was so dizzy that he had to sit to keep from fainting in the shower. When he returned to his Dallas high school classes, brain fog caused him to see “numbers floating off the page” in math, to forget to turn in a history paper on Japanese Samurai he’d written days earlier and to insert fragments of French into an English assignment.

“I handed it to my teacher, and she was like ‘Will, is this your scratch notes?’” said Will, adding that he worried: “Am I going to be able to be a good student ever again? Because this is really scary.”

After reading the excerpt, reflect on these questions in writing or discussion:

  • What is your reaction to what you just read? Are you surprised? Concerned? Explain.

  • What questions do you have about Will’s experience? What more do you want to know about long Covid?

Read the article and then answer the following questions:

1. What are the four factors that seem to increase risk for developing long Covid?

2. What is one reason viral genetic material from the coronavirus might remain in the immune systems of some people? How might that contribute to other symptoms?

3. What connection might the Epstein-Barr virus have to how a person’s body responds to an initial Covid infection?

4. How can understanding the various Covid immune system responses, and a patient’s unique problems, help determine treatment for long Covid?

5. Why might patients with long Covid struggle to ride a bike, even if they appear to have normal hearts and lungs?

6. How are doctors like Dr. David M. Systrom, an exercise physiologist, using research to push back against doctors who dismiss patients with long Covid symptoms or “misdiagnose their symptoms as psychosomatic”?

7. How can the persistence of microscopic blood clots and cytokines contribute to low oxygen levels resulting in severe fatigue?

8. Dr. Avindra Nath, the clinical director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said that long-term neurological problems from Covid are “a major public health crisis.” Why do you think she used this language? Based on what you read in the article, do you agree? Why or why not?

Part I. Reflect

In your journal, respond to what you just read: What is your reaction to the article? What are three things that you think are important for people to know about long Covid? What are two questions you still have about the illness? What is one word or phrase that describes your emotional response to the article?

Part II. Learn

The featured article ends with a list of 13 resources for living with long Covid and four New York Times articles, including the one from the warm-up, that further explore the subject.

Choose one resource from the first section and spend at least 10 minutes exploring it by navigating a website, watching a video or reading an article. Then, respond to these questions:

  • What is the purpose of the resource? Who is the intended audience?

  • What are two things you learned from this source?

  • How might this benefit someone with long Covid, that person’s family or friends or a doctor trying to understand the illness?

  • Summarize what you learned in 140 characters or less, as these three leading researchers — Dr. Amy Proal, Dr. David Putrino and Dr. Akiko Iwasaki — did on Twitter.

If you want to go further, choose one of the four Times articles listed at the bottom of the article and read it in its entirety. As you read, make note of three quotes, facts or figures that you think are important to understanding its main idea.

Part III. Educate

Create a one-pager using the information you have learned from this lesson. Your one-pager should include:

  • Three facts about long Covid

  • Two quotes about the illness

  • An image that demonstrates how long Covid affects the body internally

  • A symbol that represents how long Covid can affect people’s lives

  • A border — using words or images — that represents key themes in all the articles and resources you explored

  • A question you have, or a question that you would like viewers of your one-pager to consider

You can share your final product with classmates, friends and family members. When you look at the other one-pagers in your classroom, are there any themes you notice in most of them? What images or quotes stand out in the other one-pagers?

Want more Lessons of the Day? You can find them all here.

What Is Your Relationship Like With Your Grandparents and Elders?

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What Is Your Relationship Like With Your Grandparents and Elders?

Have you had close relationships with grandparents or other elders during your life? What memories come to mind when you think of them?

In “Constancy in Candy,” a reader-submitted story to the Tiny Love Stories column, Samantha Facciolo writes about her grandmother:

My grandmother kept a candy bowl on a table by her front door. Growing up, I would sneak butterscotches and strawberry sweets. During the pandemic, my grandmother moved into assisted living. On my first visit after lockdown, I saw how much of her 90-year life she had discarded to fit into her new residence. Yet, she’d saved the familiar bowl. Driving home, I discovered that she’d slipped its candy into my purse. Years before, when I had confessed my childhood thievery, she laughed. “Why do you think I kept it on that low table? It’s always been for you.”

Students, tell us:

  • Do you have, or have you had, a close connection with a grandparent or an elder? What is, or was, your relationship like?

  • What do you think makes relationships with people from a different generation unique?

  • What is one item, like the candy bowl belonging to Ms. Facciolo’s grandmother, that reminds you of this person?

  • What is one special memory you have with this person?

  • Bonus: Write a story of no more than 100 words about a grandparent or an elder who has been a part of your life. Post it in the comments, or submit it to Tiny Love Stories.

Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Why Everyone’s Obsessed With Custom Mechanical Keyboards

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Why Everyone’s Obsessed With Custom Mechanical Keyboards
Mechanical keyboards for programmers

The crisp click of a tactile switch. A rainbow backlit keyboard that changes colors when you type. Handcrafted keycaps with koi fish suspended in resin. Welcome to the world of mechanical keyboards.

If you’re not familiar with mechanical keyboards, there’s a good chance you’ve at least heard one before. Whereas a standard keyboard has a single rubber membrane underneath all of the keys (which quiets the sound), each key on a mechanical keyboard has its own key switch and spring. This anatomical difference adds resistance and sound to the keys, and gives users the freedom to tailor their entire keyboard to their needs.

And mechanical keyboard aficionados personalize everything, from the sound of the keys to the design on the keycap. The mechanical keyboard cottage industry has exploded in recent years among people who work in tech, with subreddits, Discord servers, YouTube channels, Etsy shops, and Instagram accounts dedicated to keyboards. (Fun fact: At Codecademy, we have a whole internal Slack channel for the mechanical keyboard fans on our team, aptly named #keycademy.)

But to lots of people, mechanical keyboards are more than just a fancy desk decoration — they’re actually very functional and allow them to work more efficiently.

Doug de Jesus., Staff Engineer at Codecademy, recalls a former mentor putting it this way: “As programmers, we spend all day working on a computer. Keyboards are the tools of our trade,” he says. “A carpenter would have the best saw. A painter would have the best brushes. Why wouldn’t we give ourselves the best tools too?”

Whether you’re a Full-Stack Developer hoping to spruce up your home office or you’re just learning how to code and want to learn more about the keyboard culture, here’s why people are so obsessed with mechanical keyboards.

Codecademy Engineering Manager Calla Feucht’s keyboard. Full disclosure: She doesn’t keep the lights on at this speed on a daily basis.

You can make your keyboard work for you

Programmers are typically enthusiastic problem-solvers, so it comes as no surprise that when faced with a keyboard pet peeve, they’re compelled to come up with a way to fix it. Keys that you never use, for example, become dead space on a keyboard — why not replace them with something actually useful?

Your keyboard and mouse are the objects that you touch the most all day long, explains Daniel Munter, Product Manager at Codecademy. “Minor annoyances become major annoyances when you have to deal with them incessantly,” he says.

Daniel’s impressive mechanical keyboard collection.

For example, Daniel prefers smaller keyboards, but can’t live without arrow keys. He also never uses the caps lock, so he swapped it for something that “triggers an app that lets me control the position of my windows on screen using the keyboard,” he says. “Something I use all the time!” And he types “really hard,” so he prefers wood keyboards over plastic, which can feel flimsy. Custom mechanical keyboards “are the way to create that unicorn” that fits his highly specific preferences, he says.

As a design professional, aesthetic is important to Stephen.

Stephen Song, Product Designer at Codecademy, says he appreciates being able to select keyboards that are suited for his needs. “Using things like shortcuts and settings can make my work more efficient,” he says. For example, he incorporated keycaps with Korean characters into his “small-ish keyboard I really like,” he says.

Doug 3D-printed his grey keycaps.

And Doug, the Staff Engineer who we heard from earlier, made a few adjustments to his board that are clutch for gaming: He added rubber keycaps to his arrow and WASD keys, and used linear switches only on those keys so they don’t make noise. (Did you clock his Codecademy key?)

They make soothing sounds and have a satisfying feel

Some folks find the clicky noise that a mechanical keyboard makes soothing — like the sound of rain or gentle tapping that you’d hear on an ASMR video (BTW, mechanical keyboard ASMR is totally a thing).

There are lots of different ways to customize the sound and volume of your mechanical keyboard using different key switches. For example, a linear switch tends to be quiet, while a tactile switch has a more pronounced bump, and a clicky switch makes a relatively noisy clicking sound.

Here’s a video from YouTuber TaeKeyboards comparing linear and tactile switches — take a listen:

Most companies that sell mechanical keyboard parts have “switch samples” that you can order to try out the different sounds and feelings before you commit. And there’s a robust collection of keyboard sound samples that you can preview on the subreddit r/MechanicalKeyboards.

Hand-picking your keyboard sound might seem extra, but it can make writing code (or just responding to emails) more enjoyable. “The ‘click clack’ is kinda loud but I love it,” Stephen says. “I like to compare mechanical keyboards to film cameras that have some mechanical feedback when you take a picture, it just feels so satisfying (to me at least!)”

They’re basically ‘a personal art gallery’ on your keyboard

People go all out decorating their keyboards with funky keycaps, the piece of plastic that covers the key switch.

Matt collects artisan keycaps. Check out the koi pond on his modifier keys.

“I’m a huge fan of the artisan keycap community,” says Matt Schiller, Senior Software Engineer at Codecademy. “A mechanical keyboard allows me to mount them right to the board I’m using all day everyday like a personal art gallery.” For example, he has “a whole koi pond” painted on the main modifier keys, and a host of collectables molded from resin on the other keys, he says.

Calla Feucht, Engineering Manager at Codecademy, has solid colored keys but installed a backlit legend on her board that can be programmed to create a multi-colored light show. (Scroll up to see the video of Calla’s board in action.)

At the end of the day, you don’t necessarily need all of these bells and whistles to write code. But as a creative professional, Stephen says having an aesthetically pleasing workstation is important to him. “Having keyboards and keycaps that look good is a huge motivation for me,” he says. “The best keyboards IMO are ones that I’m happy with whether I’m actively typing on them or not.”

Inspired to put your mechanical keyboard to use? Check out our most popular courses or explore our Career Paths, which give you the foundational tools you need for jobs in tech, like Full-Stack Engineer.  

Catalog Home | Codecademy

If you’re not sure where to begin or what to learn next, this is a great place to start. Check out our top coding courses, Skill Paths, and Career Paths.

Audiobooks

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Audiobooks

Do you listen to audiobooks? Is it a better (or worse) experience than reading a physical book? Why do you prefer one option over the other? What are some of your favorite audiobooks?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to find some suggestions for audiobooks.

Want more Picture Prompts? Find them all in this column.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Word of the Day: tête-à-tête

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Word of the Day: tête-à-tête

The word tête-à-tête has appeared in six articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Sept. 23 in “Finding Redemption and Rebirth on the Road to Broadway” by Salamishah Tillet:

“Your play makes ‘Waiting for Godot’ seem light,” I said, hesitantly, to the playwright Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu, whose “Pass Over” was the first play to open on Broadway in over a year.

Without a second of doubt, Nwandu replied, “‘Godot’ is light.”

So began our tête-à-tête, a lively exchange about our first encounters with that existential work by Beckett, Nwandu’s influence for her “Godot”-inspired play and her decision to change the play’s ending as it headed to Broadway.

Can you correctly use the word tête-à-tête in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how tête-à-tête can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try one of our monthly vocabulary challenges.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

Vocabulary in Context: Video Game Meals

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Vocabulary in Context: Video Game Meals

In the last year, Kayla Sims began raising her own cows and chickens. She did a bit of traveling, trying dishes like bhel puri, tuna maki rolls, beef yakisoba and feijoada for the first time. She even did some cooking; one day, she made a crown roast and baked a birthday cake shaped like a hamburger.

But she didn’t need a farm or an airline ticket or a stove — just The Sims, the long-running video game that allows players to create characters, called Sims, and build a/an life around them, from the houses they live in to the clothes they wear to the jobs they work.

Lesson of the Day: ‘How the “Encanto” Soundtrack Became a Smash’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘How the “Encanto” Soundtrack Became a Smash’

4. Mike Elizondo, one of the album’s producers, recalls Miranda urging, “Let’s not try and water anything down” while making the music to the soundtrack. Do you think they succeeded? Have you ever felt that movies “watered down” a culture, tradition or style? Why does that matter?

5. The article ends with a tasty metaphor for the soundtrack’s success:

“They’re like potato chips: you can’t eat just one,” said Gary Trust, Billboard’s senior director of charts. “With ‘Encanto’ songs, you can’t just listen to one. You want to relive the whole story.”

Do you agree? If you haven’t already watched the film or listened to the album, does reading the article persuade you to give them a try? Where would you place the album in your own Top Ten list of movie soundtracks?

Option 1: Yes, let’s talk about Bruno!

Want to find out more about the story behind the smash hit — even if the song exhorts you not to delve into the mysteries of Bruno?

Read “We’re Going to Talk About ‘Bruno,’ Yes, Yes, Yes,” to learn how the mysterious, outcast uncle was originally named Oscar, until Miranda pushed for Bruno, allowing for the catchy “Bruno, no, no, no” refrain. Or, to find out how Jamal Sims, the film’s choreographer, and his team created the “Bruno” dance moves for the animators to render digitally, incorporating elements of cumbia, the Colombian national dance that features African, Indigenous and European influences, along with salsa and rumba.

What did you learn about composing a hit song? Does it make you understand and appreciate the song more fully? What questions do you still have? If you could ask or tell the composer Miranda anything, what would it be?

Option 2: Write a music or movie review

Write a review of the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the “Encanto” soundtrack or for the animated Disney movie itself.

Make sure to move beyond “2 thumbs up” or “Five Stars.” Assert an opinion about the work — whether positive or negative — and back it up with relevant and descriptive details from the work itself. The more specific you can be, the better. But also have fun writing your review. Bring readers into the experience with you by using sensory images.

Weekly Accessible Learning Activities: Peat, Coin Collecting, Civil Rights

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Weekly Accessible Learning Activities: Peat, Coin Collecting, Civil Rights

Each Wednesday we shine a spotlight on five student activities that support a broad range of learners. In this week’s roundup of accessible activities, we invite students to learn about the environmental benefits of peat, share the things they love to collect, watch a film about the 10th anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death, talk about their experiences doing D.I.Y. projects, and make observations about a photograph.

Note: To learn more about this new weekly feature, read our introductory post. Please share your thoughts in the comments section or by emailing us at LNFeedback@nytimes.com.

1. Learn about how peatlands can help slow climate change.

In this Lesson of the Day, students read an illustrated article to learn about how peat — the unsung hero of carbon capture — can help fight climate change. Then, they can ask Times reporters about peatlands and share the most precious physical environment in their community.

2. Share what you love to collect.

In this Student Opinion, teens will read an article about four millennial and Gen Z coin collectors. Then, they will write about the things they like to collect, like coins, sneakers, dolls, comic books or stamps. They can share their responses with their classmates or in the comments section.

3. Watch a film reflecting on the legacy of Trayvon Martin’s death.

In this Film Club, students watch a film commemorating the 10th anniversary of the killing of Trayvon Martin. In the film, they will hear the reflections of former President Barack Obama, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Harvard historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. Then, they will reflect on how that moment set off a civil rights movement and what it means today.

4. Respond to an image about D.I.Y. creations.

In this Picture Prompt, students will share about an experience they have had doing a D.I.Y., or do-it-yourself, project. They can also reflect on influencers they’ve seen who give D.I.Y. tips and read about other students’ projects in the comments section.

5. Make observations about a photograph.

In this What’s Going On in This Picture, students will look closely at a photograph with no caption from The Times. They can share their observations in the comments section and read what other students, and moderators, have said about the image.

See How Christin Is Combining Campus and Online Learning To Achieve Her Dream of Becoming a Neurosurgeon

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See How Christin Is Combining Campus and Online Learning To Achieve Her Dream of Becoming a Neurosurgeon

We recently spent time talking with Christin, a Coursera learner based in Lebanon. Medicine is her lifelong dream and passion, and she’s currently a fourth-year medical student at Beirut Arab University. Her long-term goal is to be a neurosurgeon and researcher within the field of neuroscience. Coursera has become an important part of her learning and career journey—particularly in the context of the pandemic—and we’re grateful that she’s sharing her insights with our community about the skills she’s learning and the role online learning is playing in her professional growth. She also has some great advice to share. Let’s meet Christin!

Christin, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us. Let’s start at the beginning—how did you learn about Coursera?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I saw a list of online platforms offering online courses. I asked one of my university doctors about this, and she highly encouraged me to start my learning journey with Coursera.

How did the pandemic affect your approach to learning? 

I just couldn’t tolerate the idea of staying at home without being productive. Coursera was the perfect fit to satisfy my learning and knowledge needs. 

You sound like a very driven learner! 

I always strive to improve myself and increase my knowledge. I have an ideology that, each day, I must become a better version of myself. 

Your commitment and dedication are so inspiring, and we’re so happy you’re finding the right learning opportunities on Coursera. What are some of the courses you’ve taken so far?

I’ve taken tons of Coursera courses, including ones on Psychological First Aid, Patient Safety, Palliative Care, Personal Branding, Resume Writing, Neuroscience, Anatomy, The Science of Well-Being, and many more.

That’s a pretty remarkable range. Alongside the personal development content, it’s clear you’re also taking courses that align with your career trajectory. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

Coursera has helped me expand my knowledge through several important courses that are extremely impactful and helpful for my career—especially for topics that aren’t usually taught within the university curriculum. 

So you’re using Coursera as an opportunity to supplement your university education, in ways that are specifically tailored towards your career goals, is that right? 

Yes. For example, as a medical student, we don’t get introduced to information related to palliative care. So I was extremely happy to see that Coursera offered a Specialization on this topic!

Given all that you’ve accomplished already, how are you feeling about your journey so far, and about your opportunities ahead?

I’ve faced a lot of challenges and barriers since I was a child. But I’ve never surrendered to these challenges, and I’ve worked hard to become the woman I am now. My dream is to be a neurosurgeon and a neuroscience researcher, and I can’t wait to achieve that.

We have no doubt you’ll achieve your goals! As someone who has encountered challenges along the way, and who has been so proactive about building new skills and knowledge, do you have any advice for other learners who are working to achieve their goals?

I think it is extremely important for you to keep on seeking knowledge. Keep on striving to grow and learn new things daily, and don’t limit yourself to learning courses that are only related to your field. I encourage you to go on and learn a variety of topics. 

Spoken like a true lifelong learner!

~

Thank you, Christin, for sharing your journey, and congratulations on all your accomplishments. We look forward to more updates about what you achieve next!

Expanding access and inclusion: IIT Roorkee reaches a global audience with its new online data science program

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Expanding access and inclusion: IIT Roorkee reaches a global audience with its new online data science program

By Professor Ajit Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee and Betty Vandenbosch, Chief Content Officer, Coursera

More than three-quarters of university leaders are expanding access to online learning after the pandemic by offering more online learning options, including stackable credentials and degree programs for nontraditional students. In India, this global trend is propelled by the National Education Policy (NEP), which encourages Indian universities to build online programs and expand access.

As a leading education institution in India, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee partnered with Coursera in August 2020 — two months after the NEP was approved. Through the partnership, IIT Roorkee aspired to fulfill the goal of inclusive education and reach a global audience of students and professionals.

IIT Roorkee became the first Indian public technical university to offer postgraduate certificate programs on Coursera, and the institute is already reaching students around the world. More than half (55%) of the students in IIT Roorkee’s Post Graduate Certificate in Data Science and Machine Learning are from outside India. Students span 14 countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia. Over a quarter of the program’s students are from the United States. Within India, the program also has a wide reach, drawing learners from 11 states.

Our partnership demonstrates how we can increase equitable access to high-quality, job-relevant education for all learners, regardless of location. As students embrace online learning as the new normal, Coursera data shows that students interested in degrees are most concerned with affordability and accredited programs – university location is the least important factor. Students are eager to learn the skills needed to succeed in the digital economy from world-leading institutions.

University partnerships such as this can also help address local skill shortages, creating a path to make many more citizens job-ready. IIT Roorkee’s program addresses a critical skill gap, as demand for data science professionals surges in India. When students learn leading digital skills asynchronously, they also learn the soft skills needed to succeed in a remote workforce — by mastering independent work while simultaneously collaborating with global peers.

Online learning from leading universities such as IIT Roorkee can be a powerful enabler to democratizing opportunity in a post-pandemic era — by meeting the needs of employers and making citizens career ready. We are at a pivotal point in this journey. Together, we look forward to scaling life-transforming access and opportunities for learners everywhere.

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