Back in December, we announced that Codecademy had entered into an agreement to be acquired by Skillsoft. Today, I’m thrilled to share that the acquisition is complete, and Codecademy is officially joining Skillsoft. This is a huge milestone for the Codecademy community and our team, and I’m especially excited about the opportunities ahead for our learners.
What’s next
Everything you know and love about the Codecademy brand, product, and learning experience is the same today as it was yesterday. We’re excited that over time we will deliver even more products, curriculum, and learning experiences to help our learners thrive throughout the course of their careers. This means we can expand our content across domains like cloud computing and DevOps, as well as explore new modes of learning like coaching and in-person training. The Skillsoft team will also help us grow Codecademy internationally.
Codecademy will continue to support individual learners and businesses, with the Skillsoft team helping us scale our work with Codecademy for Business. Working with over 75% of the Fortune 1000, Skillsoft will help us bring Codecademy to some of the world’s biggest companies and their workforces – so that we’re not only helping businesses succeed, but also empowering the people they employ.
Whether someone is learning on their own or inside of a company, our vision for Codecademy is to become a lifelong companion for every person working in tech. We recently helped a UK-based learner named Lloyd, who used Codecademy to land his first programming job as an assistant application developer. Within his first week, Lloyd’s new employer was encouraging his entire team to use Codecademy to study React while at work. This is the learner journey we want to support in the future, and we’ll continue evolving the Codecademy platform to address every stage in a person’s career.
Driving our mission forward
Over the past ten and a half years since founding Codecademy, our priority has been serving our learners and empowering them to lead inspiring careers in technology. That stays the same as we enter this new chapter, and working with Skillsoft allows us to take our mission to the next level. With more resources and a bigger platform through Skillsoft, we’ll be able to reach more learners and make an even bigger impact on their lives and careers. And when I think about the Codecademy of the future, that’s what excites me the most.
Thank you to every learner who’s been a part of our journey so far – you are the reason we’re here today and why we continue to move forward. I can’t wait for what’s still to come.
Writing an effective post title is one of the most important steps when creating a new post. You may have created a brilliant blog post, but if you slap a poorly written post title on it, your readers are going to skip right over it. Post titles are what sell your content, so it’s essential they are well thought out and effectively written. Effective post titles will entice your readers to want to read on and share your post with others. Your post title is what represents your content on social media, search engines and in email, so taking the time to create a memorable one is crucial in the overall success of your post.
Below are 6 tips for writing attention grabbing post titles that will help take your post titles to the next level.
1) Keep Titles Short & Focused
Blog post titles should be focused, yet descriptive. Your title should describe in one short, powerful phrase the overall message of your post. Adding strong, relevant keywords to your post title is essential for SEO. Google will cut off really long post titles, so it’s wise to keep your titles shorter than 70 characters.
Templates that Work:
The Do’s And Don’ts Of _____
The Impact Of _____
Why _____Is Harming You
The A-List Way To _____
The Precise Way To _____
What To Do If _____
The Best Kept Secrets Of _____
What To Do If _____
How I Doubled _____ With _____
The Ultimate Guide To _____
Tips That Show Anybody How To _____
Fast And Easy Ways To _____
Fast Solutions To _____
Little Known Methods to _____
2) Use “How To” Titles
The phrase “how to…” is one of the most popular search queries out there, so it’s a great phrase to use in your post titles. People love learning useful information fast, which make how to posts a favorite among blog readers.
Templates that Work:
How To _____ Boost Your _____
How To Drastically Change _____
How To Generate More _____
How To Tell If _____
How To Rapidly Increase _____
How To Produce _____ That Gets _____
How To Profit From _____
How To Create _____
How To Make _____By _____
How _____ Can Inspire _____
How I Gained _____ In _____
How To Make a Powerful _____
How To Unlock _____
How To Jump Start _____
3) Ask Questions
Asking a powerful, relevant question is a great way to get people to click through to your post. When people read a question, they naturally think of a response. The key to getting people to read your full post is by asking a question that resonates with your specific audience.
Templates that Work:
Want To Immediately _____?
Are You Too _____ For _____?
Do You Want To _____?
What On Earth Is _____?
Who Wants To _____ And Get _____?
Think You Know All There Is About _____?
Like _____? Then You’ll Love _____
Want To Drastically _____?
4) Use Numbers & Lists
Readers love a good list because they are easy to scan through. Starting your post title with a number helps it stand out. A list also gives your readers a clear idea of what to expect in your post.
Templates that Work:
# Ways To Avoid _____
# Reasons You Should _____
# Reasons Why _____ Is ______
# Rules For _____
# Questions You Should Ask Before _____
# Proven Ways To _____
# Secrets To _____
# Types Of _____
# Best Ways To _____
# Essential Tips For _____
# Ways To Make Your _____ More _____
# Must Haves For _____
5) Use Solid Action Verbs
Action verbs are words that describe what your readers will be able to do by reading your post. Your readers are thirsting for applicable knowledge and using strong action verbs will entice them to want to learn more.
Examples:
Beautify
Build
Create
Discover
Drive
Eliminate
Engage
Enhance
Establish
Gain
Generate
Get
Grow
Increase
Keep
Maintain
Make
Maximize
Move
Optimize
Organize
Overcome
Prove
Spice Up
Stop
Unlock
6) Use Powerful Adjectives
Adjectives are describing words that will enhance your post titles. Using powerful adjectives will make your post sound more appealing to your audience and will increase the likelihood that people will read the full post.
Examples:
Attention-grabbing
Best
Breathtaking
Clever
Controversial
Crazy
Epic
Eye-opening
Fantastic
Fearless
Guaranteed
Insane
Irresistible
Jaw-dropping
Mind-blowing
Proven
Recommended
Secure
Snazzy
Spectacular
Stunning
Successful
Surprising
Tasty
Tested
Trendy
Unbelievable
Useful
Blog post titles make or break the success of your post and will either attract or disinterest your readers, so really put some thought into your titles and you’ll be amazed at the difference they make in the success of your blog.
If you have any other tips for crafting effective post titles, we’d love to hear them in the comments below.
As a child, Michele Roberts occasionally found herself at Holcombe Rucker Park when her older brothers, who were supposed to be babysitting her at home in the South Bronx, would take her to Harlem instead.
… Roberts visited Rucker Park after moving back to New York when she became the executive director of the players’ union in 2014.
She wondered if her memories had deceived her into a sunny nostalgia. Rucker Park, in her estimation, looked decrepit, with the blacktop cracked and uneven and the bleachers in disarray.
“The notion that the park would be in any state of disrepair is a heartbreaker to me,” she said.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word decrepit 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 decrepit can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.
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.
At the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Olivia Rodrigo, Silk Sonic and Jon Batiste took home some of the top prizes during what New York Times critic Jon Caramanica called “an utterly inconsistent night.”
If you were the one who got to hand out Grammys, who would you give them to, and what qualities would you seek to recognize? Musicianship? Lyricism? Popularity?
The 64th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night featured major wins by Silk Sonic, Jon Batiste and Olivia Rodrigo, elaborate performances from a music industry struggling to emerge from the pandemic and an impassioned plea for help from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
The show, broadcast from Las Vegas, opened with Silk Sonic, the retro soul-funk project of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, playing “777,” about the high-rolling, Sin City side of Las Vegas. Moments later, the group won song of the year for “Leave the Door Open,” a throwback to smooth early ’70s soul.
“Leave the Door Open” also won record of the year, which recognizes a single recording, as well as best R&B song, and Silk Sonic shared best R&B performance on that track with Jazmine Sullivan.
“We are really trying to remain humble at this point,” said Anderson .Paak, born Brandon Paak Anderson, while accepting record of the year. “But in the industry we call that a clean sweep.” (The record of the year prize is for a single recording, while song of the year recognizes songwriters.)
Silk Sonic and Batiste’s wins kept Rodrigo — a 19-year-old Disney television star who burst on the music scene with smashing success and critical respect — from making her own sweep of the four top categories. But she did take best new artist.
“This is my biggest dream come true,” Rodrigo said as she accepted that prize. She also took home best pop vocal album for “Sour” and pop solo performance for “Drivers License,” which she performed on a set like a suburban street, her voice swelling to emotional peaks and then breaking as it fell.
In recent months, the Asian American community in New York City and nationwide has faced a surge in violence. Asian American groups and elected officials from across the political spectrum have come together to support victims and their families but are not in agreement about the best way to solve such a challenging problem.
In this lesson, you will learn about how different community leaders and politicians believe policing, mental-health support and other tools should be used to address the racism and violence. Then, you will choose one way to take action against anti-Asian discrimination in your school or community.
Note to Teachers: This article includes descriptions of racial violence; please preview the lesson and read the article in its entirety before assigning it to students. Additionally, to prepare yourself and your students, you might first read “Addressing Anti-Asian Racism With Students” from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.
Warm-Up
Part 1: Reflect.
In your journal, respond to the following questions. You will not have to share your answers with anyone.
In the past few years, have you heard of national cases of anti-Asian hate or violence? Do you know of instances of anti-Asian racism in your town or city?
How comfortable do you feel talking about these issues? Why?
What questions do you have?
Part 2: Read or watch.
Before reading the featured article, choose one or both of the options below that feature teenagers reflecting on anti-Asian hate and stereotypes:
After reading the essay or watching the video, discuss the following questions with your classmates:
What is your reaction to the essay or video? How did you feel watching or reading?
What is one new belief or perspective you heard in the essay or video?
What do the essay or video make you wonder and infer about the article you are going to read: “Asian Americans Grapple With Tide of Attacks: ‘We Need Our Safety Back’”?
1. In what ways are traditional organizations and businesses at odds with liberal elected officials and younger people when it comes to addressing the violence directed at Asian Americans?
2. How does Julie Won, a first-term councilwoman from Queens, view the role of policing? How does that differ from the way in which Justin Chin-Shan Yu, the president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, views the role of the police?
3. What were some of the ideas and solutions explored in meetings between the leaders of New York City’s Asian American community and the mayor, Eric Adams? Based on what you read, which of the solutions do you think could be most effective?
4. What are some of the causes of the trend of increased violence discussed in the article?
5. What is your reaction to the article? Choose two quotes from the article that highlight different perspectives. Explain why these quotes stand out to you and to what extent you agree with each of them.
Going Further
There are many ways you can take action to address anti-Asian racism in your community. Choose one of the options below, depending on how you identify:
If you are Asian or Asian American, you might first think about your own well-being. Create a tool kit that you can turn to if you experience harassment, discrimination or incidents of hate. Here are some ideas for resources you might include:
This 2021 article in Psychology Today suggests doing body-scan exercises, honoring your feelings, resting and using your power and voice. How are you caring for your mental health during these difficult times? Read the article and add the self-care strategies you find most helpful, plus some of your own, to your tool kit.
Make a list of trusted teachers, administrators, coaches or family members to whom you feel comfortable reporting stereotyping, racially charged language, threats, violence or any other type of discrimination.
Include links to organizations that are tracking hate incidents. Reporting helps these groups call for policies and resources that can address anti-Asian discrimination. Stop AAPI Hate and Asian Americans Advancing Justice are just two websites where you can share your story.
Then, you might consider the ways you can help your community. Depending on what you would be comfortable with and moved to do, you could hand out pamphlets on how to report a hate crime, create protest art, spread awareness on social media, fund-raise and organize volunteer initiatives. Which, if any, of these efforts might benefit your community? What other ideas can you come up with?
If you are not Asian or Asian American, learn how to be an effective ally. Here are several sources that provide strategies for standing up for the Asian community:
Choose at least one of the strategies mentioned in any of these resources that you can commit to, such as educating yourself on the history of anti-Asian racism and xenophobia, intervening if you witness harassment, amplifying Asian and Asian American voices on social media or supporting Asian American businesses. Then, in a short paragraph, make a specific plan for how you will take action and explain why you think this strategy is effective and important.
Additional Teaching and Learning Opportunities
Read a guest essay. In the Opinion piece “I’m Done Being Your Model Minority,” Patricia Park writes: “I’m tired of how Asians in this country are treated — pushed around literally and figuratively. This is why I’ve decided I’m done being your model minority.”
Read the essay in its entirety. According to Ms. Park, why is she tired of being “your model minority”? How does the myth of the “model minority” place unfair expectations and burdens on Asians and Asian Americans? In your experience, what role does stereotyping play in racism in your school or wider community?
Explore solutions for addressing rising crime. One of the key issues discussed in the featured article is how to address the increase in crime that targets Asian Americans. Some people believe more policing is the answer, while others believe that community services and mental health support are more effective. Read the first part of this newsletter to learn how different cities are handling policing and alternative approaches.
After reading, reflect on your own community: What do you think is the best way to reduce crime? Why?
Want more Lessons of the Day? You can find them all here.
Baseball is a numbers game: From batting averages to RBIs, even casual fans are well-versed in players’ stats. As the baseball systems developer for Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Angels, this is what Nick Usoff does for a living.
Nick, who spent most of his career as a software engineer, uses data analytics and visualizations to track players’ performance during games, then makes suggestions to the coaching staff to help teams win games. (Yes, it’s a lot like the 2011 movie Moneyball.)
The MLB’s recent 99-day lockout and labor negotiations means that Nick’s job has been “mostly theoretical” so far. (He started the position in December 2021, and opening day is scheduled for April 7.) But it’s still thrilling: “It’s a normal software engineering job 80% of the time,” Nick says. “And 20% of the time, it’s kind of like you’re a part of the baseball team.” When he’s not working remotely during the pandemic, his office is in Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
Here’s what it’s like to use code to help a baseball team win games, plus what you need to know to get a job like this.
What got me interested in the job
“I graduated from college with a computer science degree and knew that I wanted to be in the data visualization space; I took one course in college and fell in love with it. I started doing stuff on my own, like creating little visuals, posting them online, and getting feedback, just honing my craft. I found a job at Microsoft where that’s pretty much all I was doing. I was working on creating a JavaScript library that was centered around: data in, chart out. I learned a ton about it, and I was able to sharpen that skill set.
I feel like in everything else [I’ve done throughout my career], I’ve just been like, ‘Okay, I’m writing code for the sake of writing code.’ And now it’s like, I’m writing code for the sake of winning baseball games.”
How I got in the door
“What I always wanted to do is have creative license to create visuals that capture a concept or an idea. Since I am a huge baseball nerd and fan, I saw this opportunity to do something similar for a baseball team.
On a whim, I applied and was a little unsure what that would entail. Through the interview process, it was like, ‘Turn this data into something that we can see.’ I thought, ‘Okay, this is what I want to do.’ If I can do it for a baseball team, that’s great.
For baseball, in particular, up until 10 years ago, none of this stuff existed. Player evaluation was based on measurable outcomes, but no one was looking at what the outcomes should be. Technology got to the point where everything could be measured.
Now, in professional baseball fields, they have 18 high-speed cameras that shoot at like 1,000 frames per second, at super high resolution, watching all the players in the field at the same time. The implications of that are you can measure anything, like the rotation of the ball and reaction times of players. A huge thing is biomechanics, so looking at how fast someone’s arm rotates when they’re throwing the ball, trunk rotation, flexibility, stuff like that.
Every team has access to this data, and all of them are hiring software people and machine learning people like crazy. Since everyone’s thinking about the game differently than people have in the past, it creates this opportunity for all kinds of people to hop in.”
What I actually do every day
“We’re kind of like the interface between the data and the players and coaches, and also the front office, the people who are in charge of signing and trading players.
For example, we have this physics modeling of the way the ball rotates and should move, and then we take that and see: Well, the ball didn’t move exactly like what the physics model said, what’s the difference? What if two people throw the same pitch, with the same rotation, and the same angle? Turns out, how you grip the ball is what’s different. Now you can go to the player and say, ‘You’re throwing this kind of pitch, trying to get the ball to curve, but you’re not gripping it the same as this other player. Maybe you should try changing your grip on the ball?’
Or, the catcher has to be very knowledgeable about the hitters’ tendencies, so they can tell the pitchers what pitch to throw. It’s really hard to remember all of that information, so on the catcher’s wrists is a piece of paper with all the tendencies for the hitters on the other team. I’m working on creating that piece of paper.
This is where all that data comes in: Every single pitch is documented and stored. It’s amazing the data that Major League Baseball provides on teams. For every data point, you get a video of that pitch, so you get to see what happened in this play. We take all of that information and boil it down to basically one sentence for each opposing player, which goes on the catcher’s wrist. So, my job for a couple weeks was taking all of that data and turning it into that sentence and a little picture.”
Want a job like this? Here’s what you need to get started
A solid grasp of statistical analysis can get you far, Nick says. “Even just the basic understanding of how normal distribution and standard deviation works is such a good baseline,” he says.
In terms of specific programming languages to learn, Nick recommends starting with Python, because it’s easy to pick up and start using right away. With Python, there’s also “the power of having such a large user base,” he says. “So many people have put so much work into creating libraries that allow you to basically do anything with the language.”
Start with our beginner-friendly course Learn Python 3 to get a grasp on the basics.
If you want to dive deeper into the world of data, our skill path Visualize data with Python is the way to go. (With this skill path, you’ll even have a chance to work on a project visualizing World Cup data — another example of how the sports industry can utilize data science.)
Curious how Python is used for data analysis? Check out our Analyze data with Python skill path.
To learn the skills that you need (including a Python fundamentals course) in order to apply for jobs in data science, head to our Data Scientist career path.
If you have time on the side to create your own data visualizations about things you’re interested in — whether that’s sports or something completely different — that’s also a great way to showcase your skills, Nick says. Not sure which type of project is right for you? Head to our library of projects in Python for some more inspiration. And once you feel comfortable coding with your training wheels off, try a portfolio project, which you can eventually share to prospective employers when you’re applying for jobs.
Nick’s advice if you pursue this field: Don’t fret about learning everything there is to know about one language, and instead focus on being resourceful and developing problem-solving skills. “It was less important that I have an extremely high level of knowledge about programming, and more that I could demonstrate a minimum sort of understanding but know how to apply it,” he says.
Our job as anthropologists is to breathe life into the past, to retell the stories of our ancestors and extinct relatives. We do not work with lifeless old bones or inert molecules but with the precious, fragmentary remains of once living, breathing, thinking individuals who laughed, cried, lived and died.
As Raff explains, “We have promised to treat the small scraps of bone and teeth with respect and mindfulness that they are cherished ancestors, not ‘specimens.’” Sprinkled through “Origin” are lovely vignettes of life thousands of years ago. Raff playfully imagines how the Yana River boys lost their deciduous teeth in a Siberian river 31,000 years ago.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word deciduous 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 deciduous can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.
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.
Do you enjoy walking around your neighborhood? Have you ever discovered something interesting or surprising near where you live when walking around? During the pandemic, Mary Hosbrough and Jennifer Jacobsen-Wood tried something new: They met up daily to walk every street of their hometown, Peoria, Ill.
In “This Pair Walked Every Inch of Peoria,” the reporter Mitch Smith writes about why these two women walked throughout their city and what they learned along the way.
Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
How much of your hometown have you explored? What’s the most interesting or surprising thing you’ve discovered while walking around?
Would you want to take up a similar challenge in your community and try to walk “every road, avenue, terrace, boulevard and cul-de-sac”? Why or why not?
Did you walk more during the pandemic, when schools were closed?
Do you like walking alone or with friends? Why?
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.
Note: This April Fools’ Day, we’ve turned our vocabulary column over to the winner of our Invent a Word challenge, which invited students to fill a gap they saw in the English language.
oblivionaire ə-ˈbli-vē-ə-ner noun
A billionaire who chooses to be blind to the disparity and inequality that his or her wealth is creating
Derivation: a combination of “oblivious” and “billionaire”
Submitted by Rohana Khattak, age 16, Islamabad, Pakistan
Rohana’s example sentence:
Gen Z’s furor over the so-called oblivionaires who ignore global crises is blowing up on social media, in a campaign being noticed by many global and political figures.
Rohana’s explanation for why this word is needed:
According to Oxfam International, the “world’s 10 richest men more than doubled their fortunes” to $1.5 trillion “during the first two years of a pandemic that has seen the incomes of 99 percent of humanity fall and over 160 million more people forced into poverty.”
We live in an era that has multiple global catastrophes taking place at the same time and inequality to the point that, while millions of children are starving to death, others have more money than they can spend. This egregious imbalance is not drawing enough attention, and we need to have the vocabulary to name the people who, in the lap of luxury, detach themselves from responsibility to the millions of people suffering and in agony around the planet.
More Invented Words
Want more words invented by middle and high school students? We have published several runners-up and honorable mentions in a separate post. All winners were selected in a blind round of judging by The Learning Network team.
