fbpx
Home Blog Page 1188

Lesson of the Day: ‘Where 2020’s Record Heat Was Felt the Most’

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Lesson of the Day: ‘Where 2020’s Record Heat Was Felt the Most’

6. What was most interesting, surprising or thought-provoking in the article? What line, quotation, map or statistic stands out to you? Does it change your understanding and perspective on climate change? Does it make you more concerned or worried about global warming?

Option 1: Examine President Biden’s Plans to Combat Climate Change.

In “9 Things the Biden Administration Could Do Quickly on the Environment,” Lisa Friedman writes:

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. campaigned on the most ambitious climate platform of any presidential candidate in history, promising to spend $2 trillion over four years to draw down planet-warming fossil fuel emissions and convert much of the nation to clean energy.

Read the entire article describing the possible actions for the first 100 days of the Biden administration on climate change. Then respond to the following questions:

What is your reaction to Mr. Biden’s plans for addressing climate change? Which do you think are most significant and why? In your opinion, what should be done about climate change? How big a priority should climate change be for Mr. Biden and other world leaders?

Interested in continuing the discussion? Read our recent Student Opinion prompt, “What Would You Do First if You Were the New President?,” and join a conversation with other teenagers by sharing your goals for the new president.

Option 2: Research Further and Create Something.

Global warming is daunting. It involves complex science and statistical data with profound impacts on every facet of our lives — economic, political and social. What questions do you still have about climate change?

Pose a question and then research it.

A good place to start to find explanations to your queries is The Times feature “Climate Change Is Complex. We’ve Got Answers to Your Questions,” which provides straightforward answers to 17 often-asked questions.

Or you might look at The Times’s Global Warming Topics page, which includes these recent articles:

The Year In Climate
Everywhere Has Its Own Climate Risk. What Is It Where You Live?
Climate Disruption Is Now Locked In. The Next Moves Will Be Crucial.
Think You’re Making Good Climate Choices? Take This Mini-Quiz
Businesses Aim to Pull Greenhouse Gases From the Air. It’s a Gamble.

After your research, consider how you might share what you learned: How can you best explain the information to others?

Open Source LMSs Facts and Insight

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Open Source LMSs Facts and Insight

One of the areas that always gain interest and usage are open source systems, that is to say, free open source code (some are not), to which any organization, company, educational setting, government and so forth can build their own system (often noted as home-grown) and do what they wish with it.

The usual arguments for building your own, includes you own 100% of it, scalability without the incurring cost (i.e. user seat costs), it’s free, and is configurable in such a way that connecting with any 3rd party tool or system is doable. 

Exploring those specific arguments will be presented shortly, but in order to gain an understanding of “open source”, there are a few key items that many folks are unaware of, or ignore. 

Sites that Point to Open Source Systems

I was surprised at the number of directories, sites noting open source “free” systems, blog posts and so on, that listed what they viewed as “free systems” tied around open source.  It can get a bit confusing, because many of them slide a “free system” that is commercial, with open source free systems and see them as one in the same. 

They are not. 

For example, Talent LMS listed on many of these sites, is noted as free.  Well, for five seats it is.  Anything else is fee-based.  Then there is Dokeos, which doesn’t offer anything free.  At one time it was open source free, but those days are long gone, as in more than two years. 

Docebo is on some of these sites noting “free” with open source mentioned. Docebo did at one time, offer free open source, but that was nearly a decade ago, and it hasn’t been such a way, in uh, like a decade ago.  It is all fee-based.  

Moodle Alternatives according to some sites 

Type in Moodle Alternatives on a search engine, and a slew of sites pop up. One that is likely to catch an eye is “Capterra”.

The problem with the listing is that for folks seeking an alternative to Moodle, they are likely to think that every system on the list is a)Open Source – as Moodle is,  b)100% Free

Here is a sampling of those vendors on the (“Alternative to Moodle)

  • iSpring Learn – Not open source, and started out as an authoring tool (still core business), which has an LMS.  It is also fee-based
  • Qooper – Fee based.  A clue is it notes “Pricing” on its web site – oh and not open source
  • Brightspace by D2L – 100% fee-based and not open source. 
  • Absorb LMS – 100% fee-based.  Not open source
  • Accord LMS – 100% fee-based, not open source
  • Inquisiq – 100% fee-based, not open source
  • Talent LMS – You get five seats for free, everything else is fee-based. Never was open source.  Now, eFront was once open source (owned by the same company as Talent LMS, and their first product), but is fee-based too.

On the first page, not one system is open-source today, and unless five seats will suffice – which is free, then uh, the rest isn’t. 

Solutions Suggest is the first site that appears, when you search for Moodle Alternatives on “Duck Duck Go Search Engine”.

I should note that the site generates revenue when you click the links, which should be mentioned somewhere, good news it isn’t. 

It does note Moodle as free, but jumps quickly into Moodle Cloud- fee based.  And yes, saying Moodle alternatives and then listing Moodle itself first, is weird.  

Let’s take a look at the “Free” Systems  (there is no mention of Open Source)

  • Google Classroom – This is not an LMS.  I mean can you spin it as a learning system sure.  But to say it is a true alternative to Moodle is like saying, Blue Button is a true alternative to Zoom.  
  • Canvas (Instructure) – Yes a free account and free trial.  Then that ends and if you want it, you pay.  Oh they note “free” with a “free API” – which most learning systems have their own “Open Rest API” which is free for you to use.  
  • Docebo – Fee-based
  • Bridge – Fee-based
  • MindFlash – Fee-based, and frankly, yuck. 
  • SAP Litmos – Fee-based.  
  • Absorb LMS – Hello again!  Fee-based
  • Edmodo – Limited free, the “Enterprise” version is fee-based, and BTW, I’ve never seen EdTech use the words “Enterprise” before, which is a corporate term.  
  • Coassemble – Fee-based
  • Schoology – Fee-based

And so on.

Caroline, shows up on some “Free Open Source”, well it is all fee-based today. Totara Learn is another one. Today it is fee-based, but yes, you can find an older versions that are free, because those versions were built on Moodle.  New version of Totara Learn, Engage and the talent development whatever thing, fee-based. 

Bonus – One commercial vendor, Paradiso, presents “Open Source LMS, “Best Open Source LMS”, you can find this doozy on any search engine.  But, there is no listing of any open source systems, whatsoever, just the word “open source” with a link to it, to ensure that folks typing in “open source lms” will see the page, which then covers the Paradiso system, not free, not open source.  

Why the Confusion around Open Source? 

Some of these sites which note open source free, will take you to places such as SoundForge or git.hub. 

The issue there is that the code is usually outdated (unless there is an active community, presented below), and thus, sure you can download and use it, but in some cases, the ‘open source’ freebie is now fee-based, Dokeos and Caroline are two perfect examples. 

But that doesn’t stop folks from downloading the free code.  Caroline for example, on SoundForge had 37 downloads this week, even though the last update (On SoundForge) for the listing is 2015, but for the actual code is 2014 (for stable). 

Dokeos’s listing updated in 2018. The code? 2011. 

Searching for Open Source Systems – Pick the ones with an “Active Community”

If you go open source, then you must be sure to select one where there is an active community of developers and gurus of the system itself.  This is not the same as “Active users”, because an active end-user isn’t going to creating components built on code.  Active users are end-users, students, learners, not the ones designated as an “active community”. 

Moodle’s success is partly due to a very active community of developers and gurus who build new features for everyone who uses Moodle to select and share.  It also due to service providers who can customize Moodle, for a fee. 

If a system doesn’t have an active community, you can still take the code and use it, but good luck finding the latest components or modules to add to the the system, and any bugs you find in 2021, are yours to enjoy forever, because non-active means zero support.  

If you want some NexGen features with an inactive community, you build it yourself with some other code, because you won’t find it in a system, that isn’t active.   

Open Source Learning Systems with an active community

Every system presented below has three important pieces

  • Open Source, 100% free code
  • Active Community
  • Support – varies, some have tutorials, manuals, community form, knowledge base (I will list those that offer it)

Due to Moodle’s dominance the list of all of the above is ten.  That’s it.  Ten.  Moodle by far is the most widely used system worldwide, it was built for EdTech (k-12, higher education), and this is its biggest audience.  Today, there is Moodle Workplace, which is their corporate version – focused on that side of the market, and yes you could use it for EdTech, but why?

Moodle leverages service providers, these are vendors who will customize Moodle for you, for a fee, or offer their version of Moodle, already tweaked, upgraded, etc. for you, also for a fee. If you go this route, the best one in the market is OpenLMS. 

OpenLMS is on my platform, FindAnLMS, so you can check them out, compare them to others, and even request a quote. (at the present time, there isn’t any free open source systems on there, but we are working on getting them on board). 

Moodle – The most active community in the open source community, has it all.  Biggest player in the open source space. Site has manuals, tutorials, documents, etc. – You can also find plenty of other Moodle fan sites with tutorials, etc.  Usually better than what Moodle’s site lists. 

Sakai – Code updates, ignore the marketing hype that is plastered all over its site. Legit competitor to Moodle, in other words, a very good alternative.  Totally for EdTech. 

ILIAS – Another legit competitor to Moodle.  EdTech all the way.  Support page – features manuals, user guides, online help.  

OpenOlat – Be forewarned the site is in German, but by using a translate extension, it can switch to your preferred language.  Scroll down the page (way down) to see some examples others have done.  EdTech focused, can do corporate.  OpenOlat Academy – this is their support page, with tutorials, manuals, etc.

Forma LMS – Corporate focused.  Support can be found on the main page and consists of articles, documentation, forum. 

Opigno – Built on Drupal.  If you use their LMS consulting, it is not free. The system itself is. Legit competitor to Moodle.  Add-ons come from the Drupal community, so yes, e-commerce exists.  EdTech and Corporate.  Support – Active forum, use the search function to find additional items. 

Open edX – Once the darling of “Moodle Alternatives”, now? Not so much. Anyway, has a hard-core fan base. The self-managed version is free, the full-managed one is not. This is for the self-managed one. Want answers to everything OpenedX?  Open edX community. 

Chamilo – It exists. Not really UI/UX friendly.   Support comes in the form of a forum – one for U.S., one for Global. 

ELMSLN – ELMS Learning Network. EdTech focused.  Has xAPI for those curious, and yes, some of the above do as well.  Support page consists of tutorials, documentation, guides, and community. Can be found on the main page. 

Where is Joomla and Drupal and WordPress?

I didn’t list any of them, but yes, you can use WordPress for your learning system, just as you can for Joomla, Dupal, Dot Net Nuke and others.  Each though is really a content management system, and most people use for them as such, especially in WordPress, blogs, biz web sites, and so on.  The group above are specifically for learning and only for learning.  Big difference. 

Two noted of “inactive communities” with Open Source systems

  • ATutor 2.2.4 release noted as “New Release” – in 2018.  Four requests for fixes in 2019. ATutor’s first release by the way, was in 2001. So for you “traditional” LMS folks, aha!
  • Manhali – Last update of code, 2013. 

Pros and Cons of Open Source Systems 

I’ve written in the past about the pluses and minuses of open source systems, which includes the idea that free is very misleading.  Here though is the latest. 

Cons

Yes, code is free, but if you are going to tweak that code, add enhancements, configuration, and so forth, unless you work for free, you are a resource which is fee-based.  If you want AI i.e. machine learning, that is not free.  You need to find a 3rd party provider who does it, and can integrate with your system.  Let’s say down the road, CMI-5 takes off, now, unless your community has it, you have to find a way to build it.  

Want to integrate with another LMS or learning system, such as Blackboard? Not a problem, but if there is any integration issues with that Open Rest API, there is a fee to solve that.  Other commercial systems nowadays can integrate with many open source systems, but always check first.  And be aware, that if you have other APIs you want with that integration, there is a fee for that. 

If you do not have servers in-house, and thus need to host your system in the cloud, that is fee-based, and depending on what you need, size wise – GBs, or capabilities, the fees can vary, so it isn’t one price fits all. Have servers on site? Unless they were built with cardboard that you found in a dumpster, they cost money to buy, install, and maintain.  I mean even cardboard isn’t free anymore. Have you seen those U-Haul prices? 

Want a custom domain? Fee-based.  Some commercial systems, give you one for free. 

End-users have issues or problems, and your admin can’t solve them?  You will need a help desk, and technical support that resolve those issues.  Those folks have to get paid. And they have to know the system inside and out, even those latest features that may not exist in your community and which you added to your system.  Plus any of those configurations, integrations and tie-ins to say a SIS for EdTech, or an Association platform for associations, or HRIS, ERP for Corporate. 

You need to make sure you do your updates and maintenance too. Sure, you can get updated code, but you will need to tweak it because you have already configured and tweaked your system to the way you want it.  

Adding 3rd party content from off-the shelf providers isn’t free, so for those who want the LXP angle, without paying for any content, then TED, YouTube and similar is pretty much the only route to go.  Actually, feel free to use MOOCs, which are about as interactive as a pencil. 

Thus if you want the LXP angle, you will need playlists and that 3rd party content. 

Need an authoring tool? Unless the system includes one, you need to find one, and while there are a few freebies out there, they are limited in what you can do.  So that is a fee.  And for folks who say, well I use PowerPoint, the last time I looked, uh, this morning, it isn’t free. You pay for it, via your Office 365 subscription or directly if that is all you have. 

Yes, Google docs and slides are free. So, there is a cost savings there.  But unless every one of your faculty knows how to use them, I surmise many at home, have Office365, have fun with that.  Good thing the computer lab (on-site) is staffed, and no one is coming in.  BTW, feel free to use them as your help desk, I’m sure the head of the lab, will thank you for it, every day. 

Pros

  • The code is 100% Free – Yours to own and do what you want with it
  • If active community – Add-ons, components, etc. available to download and use, and free (although some sites or developers ask for donations, and honestly, you should give them a few bucks, after all they are saving you from doing it yourself)
  • Scalability – No costs to you for number of end-users. Want 50,000? Costs you nothing, well, to have them and have them use the system to access content, etc.  On a commercial system it does. 
  • You host where you want to host.  Behind your own firewall, with servers on-site, or in the cloud your choice.  Some commercial vendors still support on-site, many are just going cloud.  If you go cloud, AWS is the best choice.  
  • OER – Open Educational Resources exist and there are plenty to choose from, which you can add to your system.  Granted, you can do this with a commercial system too, but most folks use OER with an open source learning systems. As with anything, quality is all over the board. 
  • Integrations to other free open source connections – yes, free.  
  • Skin it and Logo it – You can do this with commercial, and most vendors include this in the setup fee, but, you can do it yourself in Open Source Learning System for free.  
  • Total control – Some people feel helpless in a commercial system, saying I can’t personalize it (you can, depends on the system),  so with 100% total control, you do whatever you want. Although I admit, I haven’t seen Call of Duty in a system yet.  Nor Minecraft. 

Bottom Line

There you go. 

Open Source Learning Systems.

They are not everyone. 

But those who use them, love them. 

If you are are anti-Moodle and want a true alternative, pick any of the ten above.

Some will stand up against Moodle well.

Others, won’t. 

E-Learning 24/7 

Can You Avoid Burnout?

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Can You Avoid Burnout?

By Althea Need Kaminske

It’s January 2021! A new year and a fresh start. Given the general stress last year between the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and the switch online learning in order to avoid exposure to COVID-19, I think it’s safe to assume that most of us were feeling pretty burned out by the end of the year. I know I was. So I wanted to write a blog post about ways to avoid burn out this year. A quick list of things you can do to manage your stress to avoid feeling like a shell of a human being by the end of the school year. However, the more I read about the research on burnout the more I became convinced that I wouldn’t be able to make a list like that.

Burnout syndrome was first described in 1974 by American Psychologist Herbert Freudenberger to describe emotional exhaustion, reduced performance, and cynicism due to extreme pressure at work (1). Despite its increasing prominence in discussions around mental health, there is no standard definition for burnout and it is not classified as a distinct mental health disorder (2). Studies that look at the prevalence of burnout often find that it is occurs along with official diagnoses of depression, making it difficult to tell whether or not it is a separate disorder (2). Despite the controversy around whether burnout syndrome qualifies as a mental health diagnosis, research into the causes and prevalence of burnout has brought increased awareness to the problem of occupational stress. High rates of burnout have been found in teachers (3) and students alike (4).

The original conception and early research on burnout syndrome focused on the organizational causes of burnout (1, 2).Freudenberger first described burnout syndrome among staff at a free clinic in New York City. The factors he thought contributed to their burnout were (2):

  • being dedicated and committed to their work

  • work that requires a significant amount of emotional work and empathy, personal involvement, and intrinsic motivation

  • being underpaid

I can’t recommend that you be less dedicated or committed. Or that you should stop being empathetic to your students. I will recommend that you get paid more, but chances are you and I have relatively little control over that. In other words, to truly address burnout changes need to be made to policies and procedures in the workplace, rather than putting onus on individuals to treat their own burnout.

In other words, to truly address burnout changes need to be made to policies and procedures in the workplace, rather than putting onus on individuals to treat their own burnout.

Film Club: ‘My Father, Martin Luther King Jr., Had Another Dream’

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Film Club: ‘My Father, Martin Luther King Jr., Had Another Dream’

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 about the extraordinary life and legacy of Dr. King, and the continued meaning of his words and message today, read “The Words of Martin Luther King Jr. Reverberate in a Tumultuous Time.” Audra D.S. Burch, John Eligon and Michael Wines write:

He lived and died in a time of tumult and a racial awakening, so perhaps it is no surprise that the 35th national celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday has particular resonance amid one of the most traumatic seasons in memory: A raging pandemic. Protest and civil unrest after the killing of Black people by the police. A momentous election. And an insurrection.

Even the title of his final book — “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” — seems ripped from today’s headlines.

“I think it’s still an unanswered question,” said Clayborne Carson, a history professor at Stanford University, referring to the title of Dr. King’s book.

“I think the most important word in that question is ‘we’ — who are we, and until you figure that out, it’s very hard to tell where we are going,” said Dr. Carson, who is also the founder and director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, which is publishing a collection of Dr. King’s papers.

Amid the change and upheaval, the words of Dr. King, both those celebrated and the less familiar, feel more urgent than perhaps ever before, both as a guide and a warning. From oft-quoted speeches to the words he never had a chance to deliver before his assassination, Dr. King talked about his vision of a just world, about the power of peaceful protests, and about disruption as the language of the unseen and the unheard.

What Students Are Saying About ‘Impostor Syndrome,’ Beloved Places and Finding Balance in 2021

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
What Students Are Saying About ‘Impostor Syndrome,’ Beloved Places and Finding Balance in 2021

In 2021, I want become more stable as a person. With all the constant stress of juggling my mental health, my physical health, my academics, and my social life, I’ve never been able to catch a break. I want more stability and serenity in my life, not more chaos and things to worry about. For the coming year, I also want to become a better student overall. I want less excuses and doubts. I want more encouragement, motivation, and optimism in my life. I also want to be able to make time for more personal reading. Normally, I only really read for school, but there are a lot of good and important books out there, so I really need to make time for those. I need to manage my time better and stop procrastinating. In the end, I want to become happy with myself by the end of the year, and feel like I have the freedom to do whatever I want with my life. I want to become calm, mentally stable, and content with myself.

— Diego Urias, Riverside, CA

I want more adventure, joy, fun, and to be able to be with my friends. What I want more of in 2021 is the chance to be free and to let loose. I want this because we don’t know how many chances we get to make these memories with the people we love. I want this because I feel like if I don’t get a break from it all I’ll crack. I want less pressure, anxiety, stress, sadness all of it. I want the overwhelming depression that feels like it’s corning me to be broken. I want this to be gone or lessened so I can breathe again. 2020 was the year of rock bottom and I want 2021 to be the year where I can feel like I’m on top of the world.

— Lorelain H., Julia R. Masterman, Philadelphia PA

In 2021, I want to appreciate everything more. The pandemic showed me to never take anything for granted — even something as small as a hug from your best friend. It taught me to appreciate the little things because you never know when they could be taken away from you. Last year, I truly learned the meaning of you never understand the value of something until it’s taken away from you.

— Prachi, Oak Brook

Walking into 2021 I’m learning not to plan for this upcoming year. Instead, I decided that I’m going to take this year by each day that’s given to me. I’m going to appreciate what I’m given and what I currently have. As far as what I want more of for this year I want to work on myself. I want to learn who I am and what I stand for. I want to learn how to take in what’s put in front of me. Lastly, I want to learn to never take advantage of who/what I have because I don’t know if it’ll be there the next day. Now for what I want less of this year, I plan on not overthinking or stressing as much as I do. I want to live without worrying about what’s planned next and just live by the moment. I also want to work on not being on my phone as much and asking myself why my life isn’t like everyones on Instagram.

— Alyssa Moreno, Lubbock Cooper High School

I want to enter 2021, with a positive mindset. I want to find new hobbies and ways to relax. I want to make more time for myself, both mentally and physically. I want to be a better person and make some big changes in my life. I also want to spend more time with people I love and less time on electronics. For the past 10 or so months, I have been stuck in my house every day with electronics, and I think I want a break. The past year has also made me realize that it’s important to cherish every single moment we have with our loved ones. It’s made me realize that everything can change in the blink of an eye.

— Angelina, Masterman School, Philadelphia, P.A

This year, 2021, I am hoping for more of a lot of things but also for less of some stuff. For example, an increase in the time spent with family and friends will help me to grow as a person and build new bonds with others. I would also hope for less social media because it is just a distraction from the real world and keeps me from building new friendships. Being around people more often would be way more effective when trying to build bonds rather than communicating through a cellphone.

— Hayden Bowman, Lubbock-Cooper HS

This year I want less separation between people. This year has created so much hate between different social and political groups that it is affecting things we do in our everyday lives. I want less of that hatred people are feeling towards each other and more love and acceptance. As a personal goal I want less negative thoughts running through my mind. Quarantine was a hard time for all but for me I went to a dark place. I was not myself through the months of lost connections. It made me think in a very negative way and now being back with people I am still battling with those emotions. On a positive note I want to have more connection with others. During the months when we were all separated from others I lost some connections with good friends. I want to work to reconnect with those who I have been disconnected with as well as connect with new people in hopes to start a new friendship. I would also like more opportunities for all who have been out of work or just cut off from society. I would like to see those people who were laid off due to funding and other circumstances to have an opportunity to find a job as well as things opening up like normal again.

— Katie Young, Lubbock-Cooper High School

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Jan. 27, 2021

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
What’s Going On in This Graph? | Jan. 27, 2021

4. After you have posted, read what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting a comment. Use the “Reply” button to address that student directly.

On Wednesday, Jan. 27, teachers from our collaborator, the American Statistical Association, will facilitate this discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time.

5. By Friday morning, Jan. 29, we will reveal more information about the graph, including a free link to the article that included this graph, at the bottom of this post. We encourage you to post additional comments based on the article, possibly using statistical terms defined in the Stat Nuggets.

We’ll post more information here on Thursday afternoon. Stay tuned!

More?

• See all graphs in this series or a slide show of 60 of our favorite graphs.

• View our archives that link to all past releases, organized by topic, graph type and Stat Nugget.

• Learn more about the “Notice and Wonder” teaching strategy and how and why other teachers are using this feature from our on-demand webinar.

• Sign up for our free weekly Learning Network newsletter so you never miss a graph. Graphs are always released by the Friday before the Wednesday live-moderation to give teachers time to plan ahead.

• Go to the American Statistical Association K-12 website, which includes teacher statistics resources, professional development opportunities, and more.

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.

Fashion Fantasies

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Fashion Fantasies

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

A special-edition pair of Crocs released in collaboration with the Latin pop star Bad Bunny went on sale last September. Within 16 minutes, they were sold out.

If money were no object and you could obtain whatever fashion accessory or item of clothing you wanted, from the past or present, what would you choose? For example, it could be something current, like these Crocs, or it might be a dress, pair of sneakers or jeans, bag, hat, or watch from a previous century. Why would it be so valuable to you?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn why these shoes were so popular.

About Picture Prompts

• Find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
• Have an idea for a Picture Prompt? Tell us about it.
• Teachers, discover more ways to teach with our Picture Prompts and learn 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.

Word + Quiz: captious

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Word + Quiz: captious

: tending to find and call attention to faults

_________

The word captious has appeared in one article on NYTimes.com in the past three years, on June 28, 2017, in “Board Books to Get Babies Talking” by Maria Russo, which includes a short review of the book “Brick by Brick” by Giuliano Ferri:

This lovely, slightly oversize board book is wordless, but its simple story unfolds in a way that a baby or toddler can follow with keen interest. We first see a white wall, which a mouse begins taking apart brick by brick. On each page, he’s joined by another animal as more bricks are taken out, until we can see the view into the countryside on the other side of the wall. Eventually, the wall is gone, and the animals stare across a river at another set of animals. Then they start building a bridge, using the bricks that were once a wall. The metaphor is so wonderfully clear — and so vitally important, especially in these captious times — you can practically feel the shards of hope lodging in your heart as you read it with a child.

_________

Meet Sarah Corbett – Founder of the Craftivist Collective and Alison’s Newest Publisher

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Meet Sarah Corbett – Founder of the Craftivist Collective and Alison’s Newest Publisher
Sarah Corbett is the creative force behind the Craftivist Collective, a social enterprise seeking to enact positive change in the world through Sarah’s unique strategy of “Gentle Protest”. Sarah has been practising and teaching Craftivism – the use of crafts as activism – for over a decade and has now published a Craftivist course with Alison to share her expertise for free with learners all around the world. Sarah spoke to the Alison Blog about how she became a Craftivist, her experience of publishing with Alison and the hopes she has for her first Alison course.

 

Hi Sarah, tell us a little bit about yourself!

My name is Sarah Corbett and I run the social enterprise Craftivist Collective. My background is in activism. I grew up in a low income area of the UK and campaigned as a young person with my family and community on local, national and global issues. I ended up working for big charities as a campaigner and activism manager, most recently with Oxfam GB. Now I do craftivism using my unique “Gentle Protest” methods full time through workshops, events, consultancy, teaching and free resources as well as books, kits and tools people can buy. 

How did you become an expert in your field?

As a young person and at university, I was always involved in activism on local and national levels, as well as campaigning on global issues like apartheid in South Africa. When I became a professional campaigner, I noticed that a lot of traditional activism was very reactive and quite black and white in it’s delivery (i.e. ‘You are wrong, we are right’). I felt like we needed a variety of different tools in the activism toolkit and a gentler approach to interacting with power-holders so they could really hear what solutions were needed to tackle injustice. We need to know when to ask questions, rather than demand answers, when to be quiet as well as when to speak up, and to figure out how to really channel the anger and sadness we have about injustice into strategic, thoughtful and loving activism that is effective. At this time of doubting the effectiveness of activism, I started doing handicrafts, mostly sewing, cross-stitch and hand embroidery. I noticed that it calmed me down and helped me think more clearly about how to be an effective campaigner and I thought that this could be a really useful tool to add to the activism toolkit. Quite organically, I noticed that craft for activism could be really effective in lots of different ways to help campaign for social change.

Had you come across Alison before becoming a Publisher?

I came across Alison through the Ashoka Fellowship that I’m a Fellow of alongside the founder of Alison, who I just think is a brilliant human being. I heard his story at an event that we were both giving talks at and so I looked into what Alison was about. I just found it so inspiring the way Alison works in such an ethical, accessible and empowering way around the world. I felt really inspired by Alison and I thought that it really fitted my work and the audience I want to reach.

Why did you choose to publish with Alison?

I published a book called How to Be a Craftivist – The Art of Gentle Protest, which has sold thousands of copies around the world and received great feedback from readers, but I noticed that a lot of people wanted more support. After finding out about Alison, I thought an online course could really compliment the book. It felt like another tool in my craftivism toolbox that would really help build the movement and provide existing and new craftivists with the support that they needed to do effective “Gentle Protest” through craft.

Tell us a bit about the course you’re publishing.

My course is called an Introduction to Gentle Craftivism and it’s a consolidation of twelve years experience of how to effectively change hearts, minds, policies and laws around the world. It features lots of examples of how craftivism has helped people personally, as makers, and also how it’s helped engage power-holders like politicians and other people of influence to create real positive change. It teaches how to use craftivism in the public sphere as a catalyst for both conversation and action. It’s a really good introduction of how to use craft as a tool for “Gentle Protest”.

How did you find the experience of publishing with Alison?

I’m a perfectionist so I was a bit concerned that the Alison staff might be a bit annoyed with all of my questions. But the whole process was a really joyful one for me. I’ve got twelve years of craftivist experience so it was lovely to be able to gather all of that theory and practice and formulate it into a course that’s accessible to people all over the world. I wanted to make sure the course was as universal and timeless as possible, so it can be used in different contexts and different times for years to come. It was so helpful to have the Alison staff to really challenge me, to say ‘that doesn’t quite make sense’ or ‘can we make that a bit clearer?’ Lots of the time I wanted to squeeze in too much information, so it was really good to be able to get their regular feedback on simplifying the course so that it didn’t overwhelm people. By challenging each other we were able to make the best course possible. I really enjoyed the process and hope the staff did too.

What is the benefit of working with Alison?

For me, there are loads of benefits. The first one is that I want to reach a global audience, perhaps people who might not naturally come across my work and Alison is an amazing platform for that. It also provides great feedback for me to learn what people find helpful and what other support I may need to offer. Also, I run the Craftivist Collective as a social enterprise and, as activism is often unpaid, it’s hugely helpful to have this passive income stream to help me to keep my “Gentle Protest” craftivism sustainable. Also, the fact that it’s a free course, and that people can choose to pay for the certificate, is really important for me because I want my work to be accessible to people, regardless of their income limitations. So there were lots of benefits. It just felt like a really good alignment between two organisations that are trying to help make the world a better place and also work in a financially sustainable way.

 

What advice do you have for prospective publishers on Alison?

My advice is to make lots of time to do the course really well. I wanted to make sure that my course was as perfect and as helpful as possible. I want it to still be useful in ten years. So I really did make time to do it well and didn’t just try to squeeze it in at the end of a Friday each week. The other advice I’d give is just be really honest with the Alison staff. I said from the beginning that I wanted them to be brutally honest with me and to tell me if something wasn’t good enough or could written better. Have that mutual respect so you can really challenge each other to create a great course everyone is proud of creating. 

What advice do you have for Alison’s learners?

For students of my own course, my hope is that they benefit from it personally and politically. Whether they end up joining some of my craftivism campaigns or whether they use elements of the course in their own “Gentle Protests”, I just hope it’s something they enjoy doing and that it’s useful to them. For students using Alison generally, my advice is, whether you’re doing my course or another course, you’ll probably end up with more questions than answers. There are so many more amazing courses on Alison so do see what other courses are out there to help you on your journey. Use the site as much as possible.

Why is free education so important?

Because education is power. The more knowledge we have, the more effective we can be as global citizens, as well as become better friends, family members and colleagues. To be able to access these resources online is vital if we want our world to be healthy, happy and harmonious for all.

How does free learning tie into your own project?

I try to make as much of my work as free as possible to people all over the world, while doing it in a sustainable way. Having resources available online for people to use for free, regardless of where you live or your income, is an incredible way to galvanise people to create a global “Gentle Protest” community and to help people on their journey as effective positive changemakers. So much of my work is about trying to contribute to society so it should be free were possible.

If you could learn anything at all from an Alison course, what would it be?

I’m fascinated by Neuroscience and Behavioural Psychology. I’m always reading lots of books on those topics because they influence my work and I’m just fascinated by human beings! So any excuse to do some courses in those fields would be a joy!

Start your own Craftivist journey by clicking here.

Six Soft Skills that are Hard to Beat!

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Six Soft Skills that are Hard to Beat!
Soft Skills allow us to work effectively with other people, whether that means coworkers, managers or clients. These skills are fundamental to all workplaces and are an asset in any industry. However, sometimes we can overlook this valuable skillset.
It’s crucial to include your Soft Skills on your CV because these skills are often what separate good employees from great employees. Alison has a wide range of courses available to help you refine your Soft Skills and learn new ones, with certificates available on completion to prove to potential employers how Soft-Skilled you are! Here are six of the best:

Efficient communication is essential in any workplace. If we can’t communicate clearly then we can’t work together as a coherent workforce. Though our means of communicating are always evolving, the importance of clear communication has remained constant.

Leadership is not just about taking charge of a situation, it’s about reassuring those around you that things are under control. Leadership is as much about being responsible for others as is it about directing them, and is a vital Soft Skill to include on your CV.

Unless you’re a lighthouse keeper, the chances are your work will require you to work as part of a team. Being able to cooperate and work constructively with your colleagues is a must in any profession.

Sympathy and compassion are as important in the world of work as they are in any every other sphere of life. Workplaces can be stressful environments and so it’s vital that potential employers know that you have the emotional intelligence to navigate whatever situations might arise.

 

This is a Soft Skill that can really set you apart from other employees. While expertise and experience are important in any job, the ability to think on your feet and outside the box is also a huge advantage, and can often be what gives you the edge in a job interview.

Poor time management is something that no employer wants to see in an employee, as it can have an affect on the entire business. The flipside is that if you can manage your schedule efficiently, you not only improve your own work life, but you can improve the productivity of your workplace in general.

1...1,1871,1881,189...1,525Page 1,188 of 1,525

Recent Posts