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Getting to know no-code: An interview with Makerpad’s Ben Tossell

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Getting to know no-code: An interview with Makerpad’s Ben Tossell

Here at Codecademy, our goal is to empower people to transform their lives and build something meaningful with technology. The no-code movement has a similar goal.

While we’ve been teaching learners to code, no-code platforms have emerged, making it easy for people to start building websites and applications with no code required. We believe that deciding between code and no-code shouldn’t be a question of one or the other. In fact, the two can be combined to help people achieve their goals more quickly and more efficiently.

We spoke with Ben Tossell, the Founder of Makerpad, a no-code community recently acquired by Zapier, to find out more about the world of no-code. Ben shares the inspiration behind Makerpad, how no-code and code are intertwined, and the best place to get started for those interested in learning more about no-code.

Q: How did you discover the world of no-code?

There was actually no such thing as “no-code” when I first started.

I was running the community at Product Hunt, and I just wanted to build stuff. To be honest, I was a victim of my surroundings. Everyone was building their own thing and shipping their own projects: side projects, big projects, businesses… I just wanted to be able to do that. I could see other companies — Bubble, Webflow, Zapier, etc. — all having launches, and I thought: I reckon I could use one or many of these tools, put them together and make it look like a real product.

So that’s what I started doing. I began by putting together landing pages — sort of like lightweight directory sites. I think one of the first ones I did was a directory site for Alexa skills (which are like apps for the Amazon Alexa). Then I moved onto more heavyweight projects like an AirBnB clone.

And that’s how I started building stuff without code. I would post about my builds, talking about how I did this thing and how it did that thing, and the Twitter community seemed to really engage with what I was doing.

Q: What inspired you to start Makerpad?

Building my own projects and sharing with people online was really what led me to start Makerpad. What surprised me though, was that I thought people would be interested in the ideas I was building with no-code, but that wasn’t necessarily the case. People were more interested in how I was managing to put tools together to create finished products.

It was a classic case of “those who can’t do, teach.” I figured I could continue building random projects and ideas, I just had to remember to record my screen! I started charging people membership for access to what I was teaching. And that was how Makerpad was born.

Q: From a “no-code” perspective, how do you think about coding?

I think code, low-code and no-code are all on the same spectrum of “software development.” No-code is the first step — the lowest rung on the ladder. Traditional coding, as we all think about it today, is the very top rung of the ladder. And low-code sits in the middle.

The interesting thing is these different skill sets and how people find their way into them. So, say my parents wanted to build a website — they would go to Google and literally search “how to build a website”. They wouldn’t stipulate “with code” or “without code.” But I do think they should know all their options so they can choose whether they want to go down the HTML/CSS route, or use a simple website builder, or settle somewhere in between. I’m really hopeful that that’s what the future of no-code looks like: that it’s part of a spectrum of choice for software development as a whole.

I have this analogy I like to use to explain the above a little better. Say there’s a young child who’s just learning to write and they can write simple sentences like, “Hi, my name is Ben.” Now, at the other end of the scale you have an adult who’s written a novel. Both of these people can write. The child writes sentences, and the adult writes sentences — it’s just that they’re both working at very different skill levels. This is how I see no-code and coding.

To me, no-code is just the easiest place to get started. When learning how it works, there’s often this point you reach where everything slots into place. You really understand how the building blocks work — that there’s a front end, a back end, and APIs to connect the dots. Learning this gives you a real feel for how software is built. Many people at this point graduate on to learning how to code: just a little JavaScript knowledge or some lines of HTML can add extra functionality to what you’ve built, and open up the possibilities even further.

Something we’re finding really popular at the moment are membership sites. A lot of people want to build one and have differing levels of access for users, and a forum for them to talk to one another. Similar to Makerpad in many ways.

Community building has been a huge thing too, largely due to the pandemic. We also see a lot of marketplaces — someone building a platform where person X could sell something and person Y could buy it.

Q: Is no-code just for non-technical people?

In short: no, it’s not. I actually think developers should be one of the groups of people that embrace no-code the most. Using no-code means a developer doesn’t have to write a bunch of boilerplate code that is just a repeat of what they’ve written previously. Ideally, no-code tools could get them to a certain level in what they’re trying to build faster and more easily.

For example, I think I’m right in saying that dev teams at tech companies have likely all been in the position where someone on say, the marketing team or in sales is pinging them and saying, “Oh, can you help me just build this one thing?” or “This small feature would really help me a lot. Have you got time to do this?” With no-code tools, the person making the request can test out the features or updates themselves without using developer resources and taking up their valuable time. They could test a new landing page, for example, without dev help.

I think there are huge opportunities for developers to embrace no-code and encourage teams to use it where it might benefit everyone in the organization.

Q: If someone is new to no-code, where would you recommend they get started?

I do think it can be quite overwhelming to get started. This is actually something we’re actively addressing in our education at Makerpad — we’re working on resources that should help us ease people into the whole entry experience of building without code.

Many people tend to think of or come across no-code when they have a big, exciting idea that they need to build quickly and cheaply. They think no-code will be like the answer to their prayers, and yes, it can help you build something fast and with little cost, but I don’t know if that’s the best place to start.

What I really recommend is to do a small few projects, learn about a variety of tools and what they do, test out some tech stacks, and generally get a feel for what everything is, what the limitations of some of these tools are and how you find working with them. No one tool is always going to be the right choice. It’s a case of exploring your options and playing around.

Using someone else’s project as inspiration for your own is also a great place to start. Of course, the tutorials we have at Makerpad are a great place to jump off from too.

Q: Makerpad was recently acquired by Zapier. What’s next for Makerpad with the acquisition in mind?

The acquisition is the perfect opportunity for us as a team to better strive for the goals we originally set out to achieve. That is, to teach as many people as possible about the possibilities of building without code.

Joining Zapier also means we haven’t had to compromise by doing something that didn’t quite feel right, like taking VC funding for instance.

It allows us to explore lots of different options, reach many more multiples of people, and just really help push this whole movement forward in general.

Needless to say, we’re really excited to see what’s next. We’ve got plenty of new content, formats and ideas in the pipeline and it’s all going to provide awesome opportunities for people to dive into no-code.

How to get a job as a developer

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How to get a job as a developer

Developers have one of the most rewarding jobs out there. From synergistic, collaborative work environments to the satisfaction born out of contributing to something greater, there’s a little something for everyone. Plus, the constant evolution of technology means you’ll always have room to learn.

If you’re motivated by growth and new opportunities, a career in development could be right for you — and we’ll help you get there. In the video below, front-end engineer Pat DePuydt explains how to get a job as a developer.

Before getting started, we want to recognize that everyone’s situation is different. But whether you’re self-taught, have a computer science degree, or completed a coding boot camp, these tips will help you find the best job for you. Read on — or watch the video below — to learn more.

Figuring out where you want to work

When you’re looking for a position as a developer, start with the end in mind. What kind of work do you want to do? It’s important to know this early on because your role as a developer will vary widely depending on the company you work for.

One factor that will influence the responsibilities of your new position is the size of your new employer. Because of their limited capacity, startups typically have their developers take on a variety of tasks. Developers at mid-sized companies have more defined roles that they usually don’t stray too far from. At large companies, developers often have a narrow specialty that they focus on.

If you’re unsure which role is right for you, try reaching out to a developer you know and ask about their day-to-day. The Codecademy Forums are another great resource. You’ll find dozens of posts by learners and Codecademy team members about their experiences in various roles.

Building your skills

Knowing what kind of work you want to do is the first step towards ensuring that you’re happy in your new position. It’s also important to note that, along with your duties, the technology you’ll use will also vary between companies.

In the video above, Pat tells us that every company he’s worked for as a front-end developer has used different tech stacks. Still, he provides a list of universal skills and concepts that every developer should know:

  • Command Line
  • Git
  • APIs
  • Programming patterns
  • Code editor/IDE (integrated development environment)
  • DRY coding and why it’s important
  • Linting, formatting, conventions, and project structures

Because different companies use different technologies, we recommend making a list of those you want to work for and reviewing their job boards and postings. Codecademy Community Team member Fede echoes this sentiment in the Codecademy Forums and explains how job postings usually list all the skills you’ll be expected to know.

For example, as a front-end developer, you’ll probably use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (including libraries like React, Angular, or Vue.js). On the back-end, you might use server-side scripting languages like Node.js, Python, or Ruby, along with databases like MongoDB or MySQL.

As you add languages, frameworks, and other technologies to your tech stack, make a list of their advantages and limitations. You’ll need to explain why and how you’ve used them once you start interviewing.

The hiring process

After you’ve made a list of the companies you want to work for and built your skillset, it’s time to start applying and interviewing. Interviews can be intimidating, but they’re exciting opportunities to learn more about your prospective employers. Here, we’ll walk you through the three steps of the hiring process: phone screening, in-person interviews, and technical interviews.

Phone screening

The hiring process for developers is similar to that of any other position, with a few key distinctions. It usually starts with a phone screen, where you’ll speak to the hiring manager or leader of the team you’ll be working on to see if you’ll be a good fit.

In-person interviews

After your phone screening, you’ll move on to the in-person interview. The duration of these interviews varies with the seniority of the position you’re applying to — they can range from a few hours to several days. In the video above, Pat tells us that he’s interviewed with up to 30 people for a single position.

Pat goes on to remind us that interviews are a two-way street and also help you decide if that company is worth working for. Ask questions about the position’s responsibilities and their expectations. Ask your interviewer about the company’s mission and values as well as their personal experience with the company.

Technical interviews

The key distinction in the hiring process for developers is the technical interview, which can come before or after the in-person interview, or even the phone screen. Also known as coding challenges, these assignments help you showcase your abilities by solving a technical problem.

Pat tells us that technical interviews are typically designed to be more complex than the projects you’ll undertake in the position you’re applying for. While it’s great if you get the answer right, what they’re really testing is your process, so be sure to explain your approach. Things rarely go according to plan when you’re building a website or developing an application, and companies need people who can think their way through problems.

To help you launch your career in web development, two of our Curriculum Developers compiled a list of tips to prepare you for your next technical interview.

Getting started

If you’re interested in building the skills you’ll need as a developer, check out the Career Paths below. Our Career Paths teach you all the skills you’ll need to succeed as a web developer — complete with projects, portfolio building, and interview prep:

Word of the Day: quell

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Word of the Day: quell

1. suppress or crush completely

2. overcome or allay

_________

The word quell has appeared in 391 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on March 25 in “N.C.A.A. Orders Review of Gender Inequity of Tournaments” by Alan Blinder:

Facing sustained furor over disparities in the treatment of teams competing in its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, the N.C.A.A. said Thursday that it has hired a leading civil rights lawyer to conduct a gender-equity review of its championship events.

The decision to retain Roberta A. Kaplan, who rose to prominence during a successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, is an effort to quell at least some of the anger and frustration directed toward the N.C.A.A. in recent days. But the inquiry could confirm years of accusations — and evidence — that the N.C.A.A. and its entrenched practices have dampened opportunities for women competing at the collegiate level.

Can you correctly use the word quell 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 quell 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.

Would You Want to Be a Teacher Someday?

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Would You Want to Be a Teacher Someday?

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

When you think about your future career, do you ever consider teaching? If so, what grade level or subject area appeals to you the most? Why?

What qualities do you think good teachers share? When do you think teachers find their work the most rewarding? What about the most challenging?

Over the past year or so, how have your teachers had to change or adjust the way they run their classrooms? What did they have to do to adapt to things like remote or hybrid learning? Did you gain any new insights into what it might be like to be a teacher? If so, did it make you more inclined or less inclined to consider a career in education, if you have interest in this field?

In “As Pandemic Upends Teaching, Fewer Students Want to Pursue It,” Emma Goldberg writes about how the past year’s school disruptions have made many potential future educators consider other careers. The article begins:

Kianna Ameni-Melvin’s parents used to tell her that there wasn’t much money to be made in education. But it was easy enough for her to tune them out as she enrolled in an education studies program, with her mind set on teaching high school special education.

Then the coronavirus shut down her campus at Towson University in Maryland, and she sat home watching her twin brother, who has autism, as he struggled through online classes. She began to question how the profession’s low pay could impact the challenges of pandemic teaching.

She asked her classmates whether they, too, were considering other fields. Some of them were. Then she began researching roles with transferable skills, like human resources. “I didn’t want to start despising a career I had a passion for because of the salary,” Ms. Ameni-Melvin, 21, said.

Few professions have been more upended by the pandemic than teaching, as school districts have vacillated between in-person, remote and hybrid models of learning, leaving teachers concerned for their health and scrambling to do their jobs effectively.

For students considering a profession in turmoil, the disruptions have seeded doubts, which can be seen in declining enrollment numbers.

A survey by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education found that 19 percent of undergraduate-level and 11 percent of graduate-level teaching programs saw a significant drop in enrollment this year. And Teach for America, which recruits recent college graduates to teach in low-income schools across the country, said it had received fewer applications for its fall 2021 corps compared with this period last year.

Many program leaders believe enrollment fell because of the perceived hazards posed by in-person teaching and the difficulties of remote learning, combined with longstanding frustrations over low pay compared with professions that require similar levels of education. (The national average for a public-school teacher’s salary is roughly $61,000.) Some are hopeful that enrollment will return to its prepandemic level as vaccines roll out and schools resume in-person learning.

The author states that in some places, interest in teacher preparation programs has not decreased. The article ends:

Not all teacher preparation programs are experiencing a decrease in interest. California State University in Long Beach saw enrollment climb 15 percent this year, according to the system’s preliminary data. Marquita Grenot-Scheyer, the assistant vice chancellor for the university system, attributes this partly to an executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom, which temporarily allowed candidates to enter preparation programs without meeting basic skill requirements because of the state’s teacher shortage.

Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City also saw an increase in applications this year, according to a spokesman, who noted that teaching has historically been a “recession-proof profession” that sometimes attracts more young people in times of crisis.

Even some of those with doubts have chosen to stick with their plans. Ms. Ameni-Melvin, the Towson student, said she would continue her education program for now because she felt invested after three years there.

Maria Ízunza Barba also decided to put aside her doubts and started an education studies program at the Wheelock College of Education at Boston University last fall. Earlier in the pandemic, as she watched her parents, both teachers, stumble through the difficulties of preparing for remote class, she wondered: Was it too late to choose law school instead?

Ms. Ízunza Barba, 19, had promised to help her mother with any technical difficulties that arose during her first class, so she crawled under the desk, out of the students’ sight, and showed her mother which buttons to press in order to share her screen.

Then she watched her mother, anxious about holding the students’ attention, perform a Spanish song about economics.

Ms. Ízunza Barba said she realized then that there was no other career path that could prove as meaningful. “Seeing her make her students laugh made me realize how much a teacher can impact someone’s day,” she said. “I was like, whoa, that’s something I want to do.”

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • Would you want to be a teacher someday? What would you find appealing about the career? What do you think you wouldn’t like about being a teacher?

  • What aspects of teaching during the pandemic do you think teachers have found most challenging?

  • In your opinion, how concerned should we be about the drop in enrollment at many graduate-level teaching programs this year? Do you think the numbers will rise again after the pandemic ends? Or, do you think other issues, such as low compensation and poor working conditions, will continue to make it difficult to recruit teachers?

  • Do you think your teachers are generally happy in their career choice? Explain.

  • In a related article that was published in November, Mircea Arsenie, an environmental science teacher at a Chicago public school, said of teaching online:

“I won’t lie,” he said. “It’s been a challenge.”

But his most strenuous endeavor, he said, is more emotional: summoning the energy every day to project a calming, can-do attitude during live video classes, even when he is worried about his students’ health, home lives and educational progress.

“I’m just exhausted today, trying to maintain a sense of optimism and a sense of normalcy,” Mr. Arsenie said, adding that two of his students had just tested positive for Covid-19. “In the greater context of the pandemic, who cares about photosynthesis?”

Describe your teachers’ efforts to “maintain a sense of optimism and a sense of normalcy.” Did they ever seem exhausted, as Mr. Arsenie described himself, or seem like they were working hard to stay on task when they were worried about the pandemic? Over the past year, did you gain any new insights about your teachers, their lives outside of school — or maybe even why they became teachers in the first place? If so, how did this insight affect you? Do you think that, for some students, the experience of remote learning could make them want to become teachers? Why or why not?

How Do You Talk With People Who Don’t Share Your Views?

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How Do You Talk With People Who Don’t Share Your Views?

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

How often do you struggle to connect with a loved one who holds a different set of beliefs, values or opinions from you? Has there been a time when you earnestly tried to change someone’s mind about an important issue? Do you think most people are open to the possibility of rethinking their firmly held beliefs? How open are you to changing your own views?

In “The Science of Reasoning With Unreasonable People,” Adam Grant, a psychologist, writes about the challenges of trying to change someone’s mind:

As an organizational psychologist, I’ve spent the past few years studying how to motivate people to think again. I’ve run experiments that led proponents of gun rights and gun safety to abandon some of their mutual animosity, and I even got Yankees fans to let go of their grudges against Red Sox supporters. But I don’t always practice what I teach.

When someone seems closed-minded, my instinct is to argue the polar opposite of their position. But when I go on the attack, my opponents either shut down or fight back harder. On more than one occasion, I’ve been called a “logic bully.”

When we try to change a person’s mind, our first impulse is to preach about why we’re right and prosecute them for being wrong. Yet experiments show that preaching and prosecuting typically backfire — and what doesn’t sway people may strengthen their beliefs. Much as a vaccine inoculates the physical immune system against a virus, the act of resistance fortifies the psychological immune system. Refuting a point of view produces antibodies against future attempts at influence, making people more certain of their own opinions and more ready to rebut alternatives.

Dr. Grant continues, explaining the concept of “motivational interviewing”:

Several decades ago, when treating substance abuse problems, psychologists developed a technique called motivational interviewing. The central premise: Instead of trying to force other people to change, you’re better off helping them find their own intrinsic motivation to change. You do that by interviewing them — asking open-ended questions and listening carefully — and holding up a mirror so they can see their own thoughts more clearly. If they express a desire to change, you guide them toward a plan.

Say you’re a student at Hogwarts, and you want to help your uncle reject Voldemort. You might start like this:

You: I’d love to better understand your feelings about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Uncle: Well, he’s the most powerful wizard alive. Also, his followers promised me a fancy title.

You: Interesting. Is there anything you dislike about him?

Uncle: Hmm. I’m not crazy about all the murdering.

You: Well, nobody’s perfect. What’s stopped you from abandoning him?

Uncle: I’m afraid he might direct the murdering toward me.

You: That’s a reasonable fear — I’ve felt it, too. Are there any principles that matter so deeply to you that you’d be willing to take that risk?

In controlled trials, motivational interviewing has helped people to stop smoking, abusing drugs and alcohol, and gambling; to improve their diets and exercise; to overcome eating disorders; and to lose weight. The approach has also motivated students to get a good night’s sleep; voters to reconsider their prejudices; and divorcing parents to reach settlements.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • How often do you interact with people who hold different opinions or values from you? Can you get along well with those who don’t share your views? Are those relationships valuable because of those differences — or in spite of them? How important is it to engage in conversations with people whose ideas clash with our own?

  • Dr. Grant writes that when we engage in confrontation, “our first impulse is to preach about why we’re right.” He also uses the term “logic bully” to describe people who vehemently express their opinions. Have you ever been in an argument with a “logic bully” — or been the bully yourself? How did that conversation go? Do you think doggedness — or refusing to back down — is necessary when it comes to confrontation? Or does it end up doing more harm than good in your experience?

  • According to the article, rebutting someone’s point of view can make that person more certain of his or her own opinions. How worried are you about falling prey to the same fallacy? Has your sense of pride ever made you hesitant to about accepting new information that could change your mind? How might someone combat that instinct?

  • What do you think of the concept of “motivational interviewing”? How important is it to listen to opposing views — even those that clash with our own values — instead of pushing back on them? Is it challenging to have a discussion with someone who might know more than you? How might you apply motivational interviewing in your own life, if at all?

  • Can you recall a specific time when you were able to change someone’s mind? Did that person’s open-mindedness surprise you? Alternatively, have you ever had your mind changed after a thoughtful discussion? What was that experience like?

About Student Opinion

• Find all of our Student Opinion questions in this column.
• Have an idea for a Student Opinion question? Tell us about it.
• Learn more about how to use our free daily writing prompts for remote learning.

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.

Lesson of the Day: ‘Decolonizing the Hunt for Dinosaurs and Other Fossils’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘Decolonizing the Hunt for Dinosaurs and Other Fossils’

6. What are some solutions discussed in the article to make paleontology more widely accessible? Do you have other ideas?

7. What are some of the difficulties that more inclusive paleontological networks are facing in establishing and advancing their work?

Option 1: React to the Article.

Where do you stand in the debate on decolonizing paleontology? What do you think are the most ethical ways to approach paleontology and other forms of research that require excavating or interacting with natural resources or historical artifacts?

Here are two perspectives from the article:

From David Martill, a paleobiologist at the University of Portsmouth in England:

“I do not think governments should dictate who works on fossils, I think scientists should be able to choose who they work with.”

And from Mohamad Bazzi, a doctoral student at Uppsala University in Sweden:

“There’s a consistent pattern with these specimens of high scientific or aesthetic value, where they’re taken out of the developing world and shipped abroad to be displayed and shown to a wider audience elsewhere. There should be some balance so that local parties have a say in what happens to them.”

  • Do you agree with either of these perspectives? Explain.

  • Choose one perspective that you do not agree with and write a response explaining why you disagree, citing evidence from the article.

  • Are there any perspectives that are missing in this debate? Do you think that something should be considered differently?

Option 2: Should Museums Return Looted Artifacts to Their Countries of Origin?

The featured article focuses on the ethics of conducting research that requires excavation and collaboration with locals. However, many fossils and other artifacts have already been taken and are on display in museums and universities.

In a Student Opinion question, we asked teenagers to consider what should happen to those artifacts that were stolen or taken by force during colonial rule. Do museums have a right to keep and display these objects? Or should they give them back?

Read these four student comments in response to the question: Should museums return looted artifacts to their countries of origin?

Why is it fair that we get to keep parts of history that don’t belong to us? [Why] is it seemingly just to steal one’s culture and outright refuse to give it back? Much of my generation preaches for a society of equality, one for the betterment of all the people in this world. If we want that, we must start by trying to correct the wrongs done by our ancestors. — Mia

Although a historical relic that is in a museum may belong to an indigenous group from another continent, it should remain in the museum to help educate the people who view the relic to better understand the particular indigenous group. By obtaining different culture artifacts — like clothing or religious objects that are a common item during that time period but may seem strange to us — we can appreciate their culture and connect with them. Museums with these antiques contain historical significance and have kept protected and secure while telling their stories to the public. Furthermore, more advanced countries have superior resources which are used to protect and preserve these artifacts for future generations. — Elise

Why are our museums filled to the brim with cherished artifacts stolen by their ancestors? It is clear that many cultures are mourning the loss of these artifacts yet Americans hoard them as a showcase item, a trophy if you will. The fact that anyone has “to pay [their] money to see what [was] … taken by force” from their country is a reprehensible act because these items are the embodiment of one’s heritage and the act of claiming false ownership is equal to setting fire to a country’s culture. Under the guise of paying homage to a dying culture, we hoard these artifacts from their rightful owners. These items have always belonged to their people and that’s where they should remain, not locked behind glass cases in a foreign land. — Kayla

I believe that museums should keep these artifacts and not have to return them to their countries of origin. Museums are a very important and educational part of the place that they are located because of what they are there to do. The point of a museum is to educate and inform people and citizens of what has happened in the past years of a countries history and how other countries have affected the history of them. — Anthony

Then respond to two of the student comments:

  • Choose one comment you agree with and explain why.

  • Choose one student comment you disagree with and write a counterargument supported by evidence from the featured article or your own research.

Finally, tell us your opinion:

  • Do you think museums should return objects that were stolen, looted or taken with the threat of violence to their places of origin? Why or why not?

  • If you do not think museums should return these objects, what do you think they should do with them? Should they label them as “stolen” as part of the museum exhibit? Or should they not mention anything about how they were obtained?

About Lesson of the Day

• Find all our Lessons of the Day in this column.
• Teachers, watch our on-demand webinar to learn how to use this feature in your classroom.

America’s Real Healthcare Crisis

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America’s Real Healthcare Crisis

Correctional Healthcare is a multi billion dollar industry and vastly becoming an economic staple in the United States. With the incarceration rate reaching an all time high in this country, the demand for comprehensive healthcare for individuals behind bars is quickly becoming the “new normal.” This demand creates an enormous financial advantage for healthcare providers who specialize in correctional medicine. The problem with this scheme is that because most of the healthcare providers are profit based, the consumers (jails and prison administrators) can find themselves caught in a web of litigation and wrongful death actions alike. In my career span over the past 25 years, I have seen excellent care and not so excellent care given to inmates. Most people believe (myself included), that the lack of compassion for incarcerated patients is directly attached to the profit based company’s desire to earn more revenue. In essence, the money only motivates the providers to garner more contracts which leaves less room to care about the patients being treated, thereby leaving a trail of inmates whose healthcare needs go un-noticed and underserved. I have not always been a fan of the profit based scheme for correctional healthcare and feel that it should be mirrored to have the same effect as a medicaid and medicare for those who are not incarcerated. Demographically inmates may not have changed in terms of their race and socioeconomic status, but their healthcare needs have. The residual effects of the opioid epidemic has dramatically increased the prison population in this Nation, and those who are abusing opioid substances are commonly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, not to mention the often complicated and costly task of providing detox therapy to this population. There is no doubt that there indeed exists a dire and desperate need for correctional healthcare reform and how individuals who are incarcerated receive their care, the problem is most people do not want to “rock the proverbial boat” discussing a healthcare plan which focuses on evidence based care at the Government’s expense, especially for those who are incarcerated. I could see how this could present itself as a touchy subject for the profit based companies who make their millions off of the backs of the indigent and incarcerated. Somehow I have a feeling that when things take a drastic turn for the worse, we will all wish that we came up with a better and stronger plan that works for everyone, and while correctional healthcare costs have become increasingly inflated, it is at least this authors belief that when the time truly presents it self for correctional healthcare reform, the cost will be even more astronomical.

In the same class, with the same teacher, males and females can be given a different education

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In the same class, with the same teacher, males and females can be given a different education

In the same class, with the same teacher, males and females can be given a different education

                     Education assumes an indispensable part in forming tomorrows’ pioneers. Not exclusively would we be able to improve as a country by securing the aptitudes important to be profitable individuals from a humanized society. Increment information to effectively accomplish and address difficulties that can deliver changes in which are gainful for achieving business advancements, political and financial goals. Our reality is continually changing and it requires a general public that is knowledgeable in understanding the issues getting from culture contrasts and resilience of each other’s convictions and observations. We are managing foundational issues in training, financial, government, religion and culture contrasts. Instruction gets positive changes human life. It improves the learning, ability, and insight of a man and empowers him to have a fruitful existence. Despite the fact that there are numerous special cases, young men and young ladies do vary all things considered in ways that parallel customary sexual orientation generalizations and that influence how the genders act at school and in class. The distinctions need to do with physical practices, styles of social collaboration, scholarly inspirations, practices, and decisions. They have an assortment of sources: fundamentally guardians, peers, and the media. Teachers are surely not the essential driver of gender inequality’s part contrasts, but rather some of the time in which teachers impact them by their reactions to and decisions made in the interest of understudies. Sitting in a similar classroom, perusing a similar course reading, tuning in to a similar teacher, young men and young ladies get altogether different trainings.

                     The socialization of different genders inside our schools guarantees that young ladies are made mindful that they are unequal to young men. Each time understudies are situated or arranged by gender, teachers are avowing that young ladies and young men ought to be dealt with in an unexpected way. At the point when a chairman overlooks a demonstration of lewd behavior, he or she is permitting the debasement of young ladies. At the point when distinctive practices are endured for young men than for young ladies on the grounds that ‘young men will be young men’, schools are sustaining the abuse of females. There is some proof that young ladies are winding up more scholastically fruitful than young men, anyway examination of the classroom demonstrates that young ladies and young men keep on being associated in ways that conflict with gender value. Plainly the socialization of gender is strengthened at school, since classrooms are microcosms of society, reflecting its qualities and ills alike, it takes after that the typical socialization examples of youthful children that regularly prompt contorted view of sex parts are reflected in the classrooms. However gender predisposition in training comes to past socialization designs, inclination is installed in reading material, exercises, and teacher’s cooperation with understudies. This sort of predisposition is a piece of the concealed educational modules of exercises instructed certainly to understudies through the regular working of their classroom.

                           As indicated by an article entitled: Conflict in the Classroom: Gender Differences in the Teacher– Child Relationship 2008, the quantity of children experiencing troubles in school settings has expanded. Early teacher–student connections and the direction of children’s school results with young men stuck in an unfortunate situation. An intelligent teacher takes part in mindful perception and investigation of their activities previously, amid and in the wake of educating; however as indicated by their social class, the teachers have diverse desires and treat the understudies as needs be. Based on such qualities as race, financial status, ethnic foundation, dress, discourse example, and test scores, teachers shape hopes about how different understudies will perform in class and what instructing they should get. They quietly convey those hopes to the understudies in an assortment of ways, and along these lines, understudies come to carry on in a way that is predictable with what the teacher anticipates. (Snowman et. al., 2009, 15).

                          There are things in which do to reduce gender inequality inside the classroom. Two of them are 1.Use gender impartial language when alluding to students, e.g. rather than saying, Choose a child to run with you, say, Choose a companion to run with you. Likewise, abstain from sorting out children as indicated by sexual orientation, e.g. ‘Young men line up here and young ladies here. This lone fortifies gender isolation. 2. Abstain from stereotyping students, e.g. young men are uproarious and boisterous, young ladies are quiet and sweet; young men indicate less feeling and young ladies cry all the more promptly. Note that these regularly subliminal suppositions will influence your conduct and desires towards the students.

 

References

The Importance of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.123helpme.com/the-importance-of-education–view.asp?id=242359

Tips to Promote Gender Equality in Your Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://e2epublishing.info/blog/2016/9/11/tips-to-promote-gender-equality-in-your-classroom

(Snowman et. al., 2009, 15).

 

Q1 2021 Coursera for Business Quarterly Product Release

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Q1 2021 Coursera for Business Quarterly Product Release

By Shwetabh Mittal, Senior Director, Product Management

Automation and the COVID-19 recession have created a “double-disruption” scenario for workers that will drastically transform tasks, jobs, and skills for the foreseeable future. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, eighty-five million jobs will be displaced by 2025, and forty-seven percent of core skills will change for workers during this time. To remain competitive and drive innovation, business leaders are realizing the need to close the skills gap and reskill and upskill their teams. 

We are in a new world of work where new skills are valuable currency. To help organizations better equip their teams amid this rapid change, we have pioneered a skills-first product experience that empowers organizations to deploy targeted skill development with tools that simplify content matching, drive engagement, and clarify learning ROI. We have launched Academies and SkillSets that identify target skill proficiencies required for specific job roles and provide personalized learning paths to develop those skill proficiencies. We have also updated our Skill Development Dashboards in order to deliver tailored learning programs to specific learner groups, measure and track progress in skill development, and benchmark learner skill proficiency. 

Last week, our Product Management team hosted a webinar to talk through these new features, as well as our 2021 roadmap, complete with even more exciting updates set to release later this year. You can tune in on the webinar on-demand here. Without further ado, let’s dive right in.

Skill Development Dashboards

In October 2019, Coursera team launched the Skill Development Dashboards (SDDs), which provided an unprecedented view of skills tracking—the ability to measure actual skills developed to specific proficiency levels. Since then the Coursera team has been improving the way skills are tagged, measured, and represented.

The latest version update to the Skill Development Dashboards involves the introduction of new skills in communication, marketing, finance, HR, technology principles, technology tools, math, and statistics. You will be able to do the following: 

  • Measure skill development across business, technology, and data domains with 66 new skills areas for a total of 101 trackable skills
  • Continue to understand the impact of technical upskilling programs through the introduction of specific skills and tool tracking in technology and data science areas, from Computer Science, Security Engineering, and DevOps to Python, AWS, SQL, and HTML/CSS
  • Capture organization-wide learning trends with a skill summary page that includes views of skill proficiency distribution and time to mastery 
  • Analyze specific skill metrics, including what content develops what skills, through our new Skill Breakdown dashboard
  • Report on the ROI of soft skill programs with tracking enabled for Leadership, Strategy and Operations, Business Psychology, Communication, and more.

The introduction of these trackable skills pave the way for additional skill-first products, including SkillSets & Academies as well as diagnostics and more granular reporting for program management.

SkillSets and Academies 

SkillSets are turnkey, job-based learning programs that develop target skill proficiencies with world-class courses and hands-on Guided Projects. SkillSets make it easier to understand the skill development results of your technical upskilling programs and quantify the impact of data and digital literacy programs. With SkillSets, skills come first. Your employees will see content recommendations that help them get to the next level—and they won’t be weighed down by content they don’t need to learn. Choose from over 100 SkillSets that encompass high-impact jobs like cloud architects, data scientists, machine learning engineers, and in-demand skills like being data-driven, Python-proficient, and Tensorflow-specialized, and more—or deploy SkillSets across your entire organization with Academies, our complete skill development solution for in-demand capabilities. 

Get the future skills you need, by job role with SkillSets

Worry less about what the constantly evolving business landscape means for your organization’s skill needs. SkillSets surface the most relevant Coursera courses and Guided Projects to develop target skill proficiencies for specific jobs.

  • Select from over 100 SkillSets that develop critical and evergreen skills for key jobs in your organization
  • Deliver skill-first learning for over 40 jobs, including business analysts, data scientists, designers, financial analysts, HR professionals, IT specialists, machine learning engineers, marketers, operations specialists, product managers, and more 
  • Develop over 50 types of skill proficiencies, from being data-driven and AI-aware to being TensorFlow-proficient and Spark-specialized

Deploy targeted learning programs with ease

Each SkillSet features world-class content delivered via AI-powered curations that are already reviewed by experts, so you can spend less time worrying about mapping content to learners and more time on your overall learning strategy and launch plans.

  • Configure the SkillSets to match the job titles in your organization 
  • SkillSets that you create or configure will be branded with your organization’s logo

Track and measure skills developed 

SkillSets make it easier to understand the skill development results of your technical upskilling programs—and even quantify the impact of data and digital literacy programs. 

  • See how many learners are progressing in a SkillSet
  • Track collective learner progress toward that SkillSet 
  • See which learners have attained their skill goals 

Accelerate skill acquisition with personalized recommendations

With SkillSets, skills come first. With personalized recommendations tailored for their current skill level, your employees will see content recommendations that help them get to the next level—and they won’t be weighed down by content they don’t need to learn. 

  • Dynamic content recommendations help learners get from their current skill level to the target skill proficiency.
  • Learners only take what they need to achieve those skill targets; course completions are optional to finish a SkillSet
  • Learners can track progress toward their skill goals

Open the talent floodgates  

Feel confident hiring faster and more efficiently from diverse talent pools knowing that with SkillSets, you can develop and retain critical talent in-house. 

  • “Hiring data scientists and data engineers can be very difficult. We believed we would [be more successful] if we developed existing top performers into data professionals.” —Pedro Uria-Recio, Head of Axiata Analytics
  • Research firm IDC found that Coursera customers realize +38% retention and +20% employee mobility 
  • Research firm IDC found that Coursera customers can train +94% more learners

With these new features, we hope to give you the capabilities you need to enhance your learning programs and deliver stronger learning outcomes. Be sure to watch our webinar replay for additional information (and demos) on all these new features. Happy learning!

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How Much Do You Know About Uzbekistan?

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onlinefreecourse
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How Much Do You Know About Uzbekistan?

Can you find Uzbekistan on a map? What else do you know about this Central Asian nation with a population of 33 million people?

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