References:
(1) Noetel, M., Griffith, S., Delaney, O., Sanders, T., Parker, P., del Pozo Cruz, B., & Lonsdale, C. (2021). Video improves learning in higher education: A systematic review. Review of Educational Research, 91(2), 204-236.
(2) Mayer, R. E. (2008). Applying the science of learning: Evidence-based principles for the design of multimedia instruction. American psychologist, 63(8), 760.
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.
In the seven-minute virtual reality video “Sensations of Sound: On Deafness and Music,” Rachel Kolb describes what music felt like for her before and after she received cochlear implants that gave her partial hearing. She discovers that, “Music is not just about sound. Music is also about the body. About what happens when what we call sound escapes its vacuum and creates ripples in the world.”
After being asked, “Can you hear the music?” throughout her life, she says, “I now think a better question might be, ‘What does music feel like to you?’”
How would you answer Ms. Kolb’s question?
Students
1. Watch the short film above. While you watch, you might take notes using our Film Club Double-Entry Journal (PDF) to help you remember specific moments.
2. After watching, think about these questions:
What questions do you still have?
What connections can you make between this film and your own life or experience? Why? Does this film remind you of anything else you’ve read or seen? If so, how and why?
3. An additional challenge | Respond to the essential question at the top of this post: “What does music feel like to you?”
4. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)
5. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.
6. To learn more, read “Sensations of Sound: On Deafness and Music.” Rachel Kolb writes:
When I got a cochlear implant seven years ago, after being profoundly deaf for my entire life, hearing friends and acquaintances started asking me the same few questions: Had I heard music yet? Did I like it? What did it sound like?
I was 20 years old then. Aside from the amplified noises I’d heard through my hearing aids, which sounded more like murmurs distorted by thick insulation swaddling, I had never heard music, not really. But that did not mean I wasn’t in some way musical. I played piano and guitar as a child, and I remember enjoying the feel of my hands picking out the piano keys in rhythm, as well as the rich vibrations of the guitar soundboard against my chest. I would tap out a beat to many other daily tasks, too.
For several years, I became privately obsessed with marching in rhythm when walking around the block, counting out my steps like a metronome: One, two. One, two. Watching visual rhythms, from the flow of water to clapping hands and the rich expression of sign language, fascinated me. But in the hearing world, those experiences often didn’t count as music. And I gathered that my inability to hear music, at least in the view the people I knew, seemed unthinkable.
This essay, by Natalia Araña, 16, from Philippine Science High School in Quezon City, Philippines, is one of the top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s second annual STEM Writing Contest, for which we received 3,741 entries. You can find the work of all of our student winners here.
Mycowood Violins: A Different Kind of Time Machine
The towering walls of the concert hall are filled with anticipation as the audience holds its breath. Suddenly, a warm, colorful melody begins to play, filling the whole building with its majestic sound.
This is the magic of the world’s most famous violin — the Stradivarius, made over 250 years ago by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari. Today, only a few hundred of these million-dollar violins are still in existence; even fewer are being used for performance. But what if we could travel back in time and find a way to remake its unique sound?
For years, many have tried to identify and recreate what makes the instrument so special. Yet for violinists, the Stradivarius remained superior. Recently, however, scientists were able to discover one of the culprits behind the mystery of why the Stradivarius was so hard to replicate — global warming.
“Nowadays, trees grow more rapidly and unevenly than during a very particular cold spell in the 17th century, when the wood for Stradivari’s instruments was felled,” explained scientist Francis W.M.R. Schwarze from the Empa Applied Wood Materials Lab.
During that cold climate, wood from European spruces was homogeneous: perfect for creating an instrument with a uniform structure. Today, as the global temperature increases, spruce trees grow wood with greater density. This negatively affects the properties of an instrument’s vibrations, which are also known as sound waves.
Sound waves, like tiny ocean waves, have crests and troughs with varying amplitudes. When the amplitude of sound waves traveling through a violin’s plate is large compared to the force on its strings, the instrument’s sound emission increases. To achieve this high plate amplitude, the wood used for the instrument must have a high radiation ratio: the ratio between sound velocity and density.
In order to let modern-day wood acquire this characteristic, Dr. Schwarze designed a different kind of time machine — an invention that could take us back to an era when wood growth and density were still untouched by global warming. How? By recreating the effects of the cold temperature on wood using a not-so-secret living weapon: white rot fungi.
For three months, Dr. Schwarze let these decomposers feast on the wood until its cells shrunk, letting the timber reach its optimal density without largely affecting the speed of sound travel through the material. The result? A higher radiation ratio that made the newly created “mycowood” one step closer to the resonance wood used by Stradivari — close enough, in fact, that most listeners in a blind test mistook a fungi-treated violin for the original Stradivarius!
With these positive results, this technology could provide musicians with accessible instruments made from high quality wood, even when the original material is lost to the past.
We have tried to replicate many things taken away by climate change, from the exquisite wood of the Stradivarius to the beautiful landscapes of nature. Although we can’t recover everything, researchers like Dr. Schwarze are continuing to find ways to restore the past as we carry on our battle for a more sustainable future.
Works Cited
Belluck, Pam. “A Strad? Violinists Can’t Tell.” The New York Times, 21 Feb. 2021.
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology. “Biotech Violins.” Newswise, 16 Feb. 2018.
Garisto, Dan. “Sound Ways — Literally — to Move and Filter Things.” Science News for Students, 6 Dec. 2019.
Schwarze, Francis W.M.R. and Hugh Morris. “Banishing the Myths and Dogmas Surrounding the Biotech Stradivarius.” 16 April 2020.
“Stradivarius Violins.” Smithsonian.
So with our antibiotics neutralized, what do we turn to? Luckily, a team from the Melbourne School of Engineering may have developed a new weapon. Named “structurally nanoengineered antimicrobial peptide polymers” (SNAPPs, for short), these star-shaped polymers target antibiotic-resistant bacteria and tear them apart.
As Shu Lam, one of the lead scientists, explained, “Bacteria need to divide and grow, but when our star is attached to the membrane, it interferes with these processes. This puts a lot of stress on the bacteria and it initiates a process to kill itself from stress.” The team found that the star polymers were effective against all Gram-negative bacteria they tested, including several antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The star polymers were also nontoxic to human cells and relatively cheap to produce, making them a good candidate for an antimicrobial drug.
But what if bacteria become resistant to these star polymers too? Scientists have found that this is unlikely to happen. Even after 600 generations, bacteria showed almost no resistance to the star polymers. The team believes that this is because the polymers kill bacteria through multiple pathways, while most antibiotics only kill with a single pathway. SNAPPs can “rip apart” the bacteria cell wall, cause uncontrolled movement of ions in and out of the bacteria cell membrane, and initiate a biochemical pathway that makes the bacteria kill itself. This multipronged approach makes it extremely difficult for bacteria to develop resistance to this new weapon.
There is still much work to be done — these star polymers have yet to be tested on humans and will require years of research and development before they can be widely available. But when the waning sun finally sets on the era of effective antibiotics, these polymers may be the star that lights our way.
Works Cited
Dwyer, Vincent. “Australian Scientists May Have Just Saved Us From Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs.” Vice, 12 Sept. 2016.
Jacobs, Andrew. “U.N. Issues Urgent Warning On The Growing Peril Of Drug-Resistant Infections.” The New York Times, 29 April 2019.
Jacobs, Andrew. “W.H.O. Warns That Pipeline For New Antibiotics Is Running Dry.” The New York Times, 17 Jan. 2020.
Lam, Shu J., Neil M. O’Brien-Simpson, Namfon Pantarat, Adrian Sulistio, et al. “Combating Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria With Structurally Nanoengineered Antimicrobial Peptide Polymers.” Nature Microbiology, 12 Sept. 2016.
Science News Staff. “Killing Superbugs With Star-Shaped Polymers, Not Antibiotics.” Science News, 13 Sept. 2016.
Seppa, Nathan. “Drug Resistance Has Gone Global, W.H.O. Says.” Science News, 30 April 2014.
In classes like math, social studies, or science, I feel like I’m learning just as much as I would in person, just in a different format, with google forms instead of test papers. In other classes, such as music and art, I feel like I’m missing out. Music used to be one of my favorite classes, where we would get to sing as a class or sketch while our music teacher talked. Now, we spend the whole period taking notes. In art, we used to chat with each other while we worked on our paintings/sketches, but we can no longer do that.
I feel I have experienced learning loss. Some activities are much more difficult to do online as well as after-school clubs. For example, debates were much easier in person than online. Online debates have more interruptions and you can’t always tell who is speaking. Personally, it was easier for me to learn in a school environment because online school really pushes self-motivation which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I just feel the workload can be a lot since it is online and it is draining as well and can be much worse when all motivation is gone.
Luckily, I do not feel a learning loss academically during the pandemic. Especially, for the school year which started last fall, my courses are very rigorous and I do not feel the homework assignment lessened than a normal school year. I’m online studying for all my sophomore year, but to be honest, the classes are still challenging and I’m learning a lot. My school is doing hybrid learning: one week on campus and one week virtual. The course load is pretty heavy with tests and quizzes almost every week for different subjects. My teachers are always there to set up a zoom with me for office hours and talk with me despite my different time zone. All my classmates open their cameras during the virtual week, and there’s hot history debate and seminar taking place online, discussion, and sharing writing pieces during English class. Many of us may take this for granted.
I definitely struggled during the spring of 2020- which I’m sure goes for a lot of other kids. I think I was so overwhelmed by the surrealism of the entire situation that it didn’t even feel like my schoolwork was important; everything felt like a dream. Since then I have definitely better adjusted to online schooling- and I do think that if the pandemic had not happened I would be short of a lot of significant knowledge I gained this year. I have certainly become more active and interested in current events, but I have also grown as a person, and although living through COVID has been really hard at times, I am so incredibly lucky to say that I probably gained more than I lost during these times.
— Abigail
Many people have many different opinions when it comes to this but I think that I have personally learned the same amount that I would have if I was in school. Even though doing school remotely makes things much more difficult and is very untraditional I have found it much easier. In school, I always find the atmosphere much more stressful than when you are at home. So when I’m at home I’m able to pay more attention than I would have at home. I also think you can go a bit more at your pace when it comes to learning even though you have set due dates. Another thing that I love about online learning that has made it easy for me to continue to learn is being able to gather information very easily. Whenever my teachers post slideshows or notes I can always go back to them and regather that information. Over this past year, I have learned so many new things and grown so much academically.
In typical fashion, nature doesn’t like to reveal all its secrets, but scientists around the world have managed to attribute this mystery to one factor: its structure. While most man-made materials have their atoms layered on top of each other in an orderly fashion, this shrimp’s club takes a page out of nature’s cookbook by layering its fibers in small varying degrees, forming a spiral-like helicoid structure, capable of withstanding over 2,000 Newtons of force!
Split into three main layers, its club is purpose-built to pack a powerful punch every time. The first layer is composed of a mineral known as hydroxyapatite, the same one found in your hair and teeth; however, in this case, it’s in a more crystalline form, owing to a much harder surface. The second layer is composed of a much softer form of the same mineral albeit with each layer being rotated slightly, forming the helicoid structure that scientists have now come to recognize. The third consists of layers of chitin that prevent the club from expanding upon impact.
But what if we were to implement this into the mainstream market? While scientists and engineers have known about this phenomena for more than half a decade, the research originally conducted by the University of California, Riverside, in 2014 is just starting to trickle down into various corporations. The most complex architecture used in the aerospace industry today revolves around layering sheets of carbon-fiber at zero degrees, 45 right, 45 left and then 90 degrees. However, if we were to layer the same material using a helicoid configuration, the results would be borderline revolutionary!
This would delay internal failure by over 74 percent, increase impact resistance by over 50 percent and improve load-bearing by over 92 percent. Now, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand that those figures can reform entire industries.
However, while figures are one thing, real-life performance is a whole different situation, and it doesn’t fall short. This extraordinary structure allows for much lighter, stronger and cheaper composites, which, when implemented into vehicles, allows them to emit less carbon dioxide and carry a smaller carbon footprint. And while our world is hanging onto life support, this could be the very turning point at which we can make a significant change.
This past week on LinkedIn I wrote about four trailblazers in the early days of the industry, learning systems – and what made them special (one has since hit speed bump), and four who trailblazed and then hit a major speed bump into, well, lost their way. The latter included an authoring tool, too.
Numerous followers of mine on LinkedIn, and readers as well, reached out asking me who are the next “trailblazers” to watch for in the learning system space.
It was a great request, and one that I really had to ponder, because how I define a trailblazer in the “watch out” angle isn’t the same as early trailblazers in one way or another.
For example, Growth Engineering was a trailblazer as it relates to gamification and utilizing it within their entire platform. They weren’t the first ones to do it, but how they adapted and pushed it to a whole new level is why they were selected. Then, they hit some speed bumps, made what I felt were two strategic errors, and went from NexGen to well, just so-so. Could they turn it around, and become what they once were – sure, but they are an example of so many systems who out of the gate, you go “whoa”, and then strategic mistakes or slowing down or whatever, takes them in either the opposite direction or flatlining.
For those of you, who are not reading my daily postings on LinkedIn (in my thread) and no, you are not hurting my feelings, here were the initial four of Trailblazers and my comments on why, followed by the four who went downwards later on. I should add, that there are plenty out there, these four just stood out for me (feel free to list those you feel deserve it – but sorry, Instructure was not a trailblazer – good system initially, ideal for EdTech, but the Bridge LMS – go corporate system) decision was a strategic blunder.
The Original Four Trailblazers
Four Trailblazers that bounced into Dud (and not the Milk Dud way, either)
I will add there was some confusion around Litmos and the whole Plateau thing. SuccessFactors acquired the Plateau LMS (way before SF was acquired by SAP). SAP Litmos was originally Litmos, and Callidus Cloud acquired LMS out of New Zealand, and then a few years back, acquired by SAP.
Onto the Show
The Four Next Trailblazers in the Learning System Space
First and foremost, I focused on a couple of key factors, which I hope will reduce the number of “wait, we are, and they aren’t OR you have lost your marbles – which I admit is true, I lost a few in my backyard when I was a kid – whoever owns my childhood home, can you dig up your yard and find them for me?)
Here is how I define a “Trailblazer”
There are systems that need UI/UX updates, but I’d argue that most of the market within the next three years, will need a refresh. Systems that are brand new are never wowow out of the gate. Too many systems, I see, rest on their laurels OR nice system, internally the culture is lacking – I mean, I know of systems that could be listed as a trailblazer who has horrific support. Or there is just so much spin, you debate between jumping into a washer (do not do this), to get the experience over with.
In a typical year, I see around 300 learning systems. On top of that, I monitor over 1,000 more – globally. I’ve seen some really cool feature sets and systems with lots of customers but are missing items. A trailblazer, to me, is not someone who raises capital (there are a lot of factors for this), nor a vendor whose valuation is high (especially when you look at the financials).
Here then are my four
I love nearly everything with Schoox. Though not perfect, they need a video skills validation solution, some tweaks around the UI for the front-end, a few additional feature sets, and the continuance of segmentation of metrics (they have some now).
That said, the system is a screamer. Skills building/development/ongoing feature sets are awesome. They have an excellent 3rd party content marketplace, which is huge. They do the entire Talent Development Platform features and reqs to a T. It is a system I’d be a fan of using as a learner. The back-end is strong with administration usefulness (overall). Support is top-notch, multi-tenant, across the board, nice.
I’ve been watching them for years, and for a while, they were going sideways. Those days are gone. This is a legit force, not just in the TDP space (which they are definitely), but learning system space as a whole.
A Tie
They are a direct competitor to EdCast, which makes it all so more interesting of two trailblazers. EdCast has two offerings, Spark, which they target for SMB, which is more of an LXP than EdCast XP, borderline TDP (if you add career mapping or whatever they call it). EdCast’s bookmarklet capability is a tad better than Degreed’s, the metrics depending on whether you buy Domo or not, are somewhat similar (there are differences), but EdCast plays in the customer education space too, and offers extensive configuration (which the majority of systems have gotten away from – oh it is fee-based).
EdCast just adds a whole new vibe to the scene of the learning system space. The support is top-tier, the system itself is top-tier, and the continued push towards forward-thinking is totally there. Again, not a perfect system, and I wish that they offered a higher and more robust metrics for clients, who do not want to buy Domo.
EdCast’s deep integration with MS Teams, the first to do in the space BTW, is outstanding.
TI hits everything – functionality is very strong (the Panoramas approach, the way it appears, and how it works was first, not that you couldn’t add your own logo, colors and so forth in the past – you could, it was just the entire package and design of it. Especially since you can do far more – this is for the multi-tenant. The support and culture of the company is fantastic. There is a drive there, a way to push the boundaries. The challenge is that for systems who play over 80% in the customer education market, is that certain features you would think they all have – like a 3rd party marketplace or very strong curation tools would exist, but the market doesn’t demand it.
The challenge the customer education market leaders face is that the combos overall do have it. And thus, you – as a vendor that strongly plays there, you have to add it too.
I will note that Thought Industries has a video skills validation component with digital coaching and scenario-based/role-play.
They are customer education leaders for a reason. And really the first one to truly get where the market is heading in this new business environment.
Little Lights of Brightness
Not full trailblazer, nevertheless some cool things taking place.
The system needs an update in the UI/UX, but considering they have only been out for like two months, not too shabby of a start.
If you aren’t worried about UI/UX and are going strictly skill metrics here (and this is what skill metric systems do – its all about measurement) – then either will work for you.
Speaking of skills, a new hidden trailblazer is – my skills template. YEA! This is the template that lists all the skill features and functionality – from ones you want to ones that are limited to even ones that are not out yet (but will by the end of 2022, with systems that play heavily in skills development, etc.). Plus, questions you will need to ask any vendor who provides skills/job role libraries – regarding their sources.
Bottom Line
There you have it. The Trailblazers. Those who made an impact earlier on, or later on, and those to keep an eye or two on. The list could go on – Fuse, Learn Amp, Absorb, Eurekos, Biz Library’s soon-to-be-launched skills platform, and perhaps, a few others soon-to-be-launched as well (i.e. from other vendors).
Yes, I admit, your system, your vendor may not be on there, but this isn’t about whether a system is good or great at what they do, nor about how many clients or sales they have nor my rankings, nor pros/cons.
Any system that offers learning or training leveraging a different perspective and setting itself apart is a beacon of light.
And one that can shine
for everyone.
E-Learning 24/7
: a feeling of alarm or dread
_________
The word trepidation has appeared in 114 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on March 31 in “Itchy to Perform Again, Musicians Eye Return to Touring” by Ben Sisario:
In New York, a smattering of clubs are also planning shows, like Bowery Electric and the Bitter End. But the majority are holding out for when they can reopen at full capacity, or close to it, many proprietors said. The industry has been placing its bets on summer or fall for that.
Still, many artists and promoters report watching every news blip about infection spikes and virus variants with trepidation.
The British electronic duo Jungle has announced a fall tour at large clubs like Avant Gardner in New York and the Anthem in Washington. Sam Denniston, the group’s manager, said that all signs have pointed toward that being feasible, as millions more people get vaccinated and more venues fully reopen. Yet uncertainty about the pandemic means that anything could happen.
Can you correctly use the word trepidation 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 trepidation 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.
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.
What is your current favorite playlist? Did you make it, or did someone else? Do you like making playlists for different occasions? What tips would you share for how to make a playlist that hits just right, with a perfect mix of songs?
Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to find advice from four experts, and see if yours matches up.
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Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, 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.
4. Read the introduction of chapter two, “Relationships,” that begins with, “During this journey….” Then, as you read the rest of the section, choose one image and one quote that you think best illustrates the main idea from the introduction. Explain why you chose the image: What about it was particularly moving or evocative to you?
5. This section explores the themes of love, loss, struggle, home and legacy. Choose one of those themes that you connected to personally: How would you capture it in a photograph or drawing? If you want, you can take a picture or sketch a drawing, or you can describe it using vivid language and details.
6. Now visit chapter three, “Space,” by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., which explores the restorative properties of physical space. In what ways is the Shady Grove Camp Ground an example of this kind of space, both presently and historically?
7. Acorn Center for Restoration and Freedom and the New Orleans for Lincoln Beach both appreciate the relationship between rest and work while also centering the histories and healing practices of Black people. What is one image or quote that stood out to you about the work that these two groups are engaging in?
8. In chapter four, “Care,” Mr. Brown begins by writing, “I often photograph negative space….” How do you understand “negative space” based on his description and the photographs from this section? Choose one image and describe how the use of negative space photography affected your experience and understanding of the image.
9. Mr. Brown integrates his personal family story, and photographs, into part of this section. After reading his work and seeing his other photographs, how did his vulnerability and self-reflection change or deepen your understanding of his writing and art?
The article started with this prompt: “After a year of disproportionate loss from the pandemic and the continuous threat of police violence, on top of centuries of discrimination and disenfranchisement, what does healing look like for Black Americans?”
