Each window was inspired by children’s drawings of holiday dreams — of homes, beaches and games. “The style is sort of candy-coated imagination,” said Andrew Winton, the senior vice president of creative at Saks, who oversees the holiday displays.
Mrs. Obama was there to promote a partnership between Saks and the Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance. In addition to a $1 million donation, the store capsule collections with some of Ms. Obama’s favorite design labels, including Jason Wu, Philip Lim and Oscar de la Renta, with 100 percent of the net proceeds this year going to the foundation. The collections include clothing, housewares, beauty and accessories.
Will today’s children be better off financially than their parents?
What do you think is the most important factor in determining success?
Do you think the world is becoming better?
What is the best part of being a young person today?
These are just a few of the questions asked in a new global survey of 15- to 24-year-olds. How would you answer them? On the whole, how optimistic are you about the world and the future?
Will the next generation do better than the one that came before? To young people in wealthier nations,that dream of upward mobility seems more like a story about the past than modern-day reality, according to a large new survey taken in 21 countries.
In poorer countries, though, there is still hope that young people’s lives will be better than those of their parents, and that the world is becoming a better place.
“In a lot of the developing world, there is a bit more optimism that yes, with each generation our living standards are improving,” said Laurence Chandy, director of the office of global insight and policy at UNICEF, which conducted the survey with Gallup. “But there’s a recognition in the West that’s stopped happening.”
In the United States, 56 percent of young people and 64 percent of older people said that children today would be worse off, economically, than their parents — a view that comports with the economic realities for many in recent years.
The survey was of 21,000 people in two age groups — 15 to 24, and 40 and up — and included nationally representative samples from all regions of the world. The younger group said that children today were better off in basic ways, like education, health care and physical safety. In the median country, 57 percent of them said the world was becoming a better place with each generation, compared with 39 percent of older people.
The article features many quotes from follow-up interviews with young respondents from around the world. Here is a sampling:
The best part of being a teenager now is I don’t have to work as much, I have more freedom, and we’re online.
— Landen Otaka, 16, Hawaii
Luck and family wealth have a great influence on a person’s success, even greater than hard work and education. However, they go hand in hand.
— Victor Paganotto Carvalho Freitas, 24, Brazil
The worst part of being a young person is social media. People believe that their lifestyle is not fulfilling compared to the celebrities and influencers they follow.
— Lorraine Nduta, 21, Kenya
The state of the world right now is very upsetting. Humanity is certainly doing something wrong.
— Valeriia Drabych, 19, Ukraine
I am very optimistic about where the world is headed. The number of wars in the world has decreased, and science has advanced a lot.
Are you optimistic about the future? What gives you hope? What makes you fearful or worried?
How would you answer two central questions in the global survey: Do you think children in your country will be economically better or worse off than their parents when they are older? Do you think the world is becoming better? Why or why not? Tell us your views.
What is your reaction to the survey’s results? What did you find most illuminating, provocative or inspiring? Are you surprised that young people in poorer nations are more optimistic about their futures?
Valeriia Drabych, 19, from Ukraine said: “The state of the world right now is very upsetting. Humanity is certainly doing something wrong.” While Md. Rafaiat Ullah, 24, from Bangladeshsaid: “I am very optimistic about where the world is headed. The number of wars in the world has decreased, and science has advanced a lot.” Which quote from a young respondent in this article resonates most with your own experiences and views on the state of the world and the future?
Do you feel any more or less hopeful about the future after reading this article? Why or why not?
What question would you like to ask teenagers around the world? Why?
Three systems. One blog post. A repeat, in the sense, that a year ago, the debut battle between these vendors, occurred. It was and still is, one of the most popular posts, and since the systems have changed, it is only fitting to bring about a second battle to compare each vendor to one another.
Some Ground Rules
100% independent – No pay for play here
The data that will be presented, the features, the comparison analysis – is relatively fresh. As of the end of November 2021.
The screenshots are the latest.
I have seen demos, in-depth, from each vendor multiple times in 2021. The latest viewing? November 2021. Each vendor has provided me additional information as they added items – for 2022, or have on their roadmap.
One feature I would love to show you is Guidebooks, which I think is the breakout feature for 2021, which appears in Degreed Intelligence. Degreed requested that the Guidebooks not be shown, nor any screens from Degreed Intelligence, with the exception of Skills Coach. I have honored that request.
On the other hand, the second big breakout feature which I see as truly human-centric will be discussed, but it is hard to show, because it taps into the “search” angle, plus in 2022, they are taking it another step, which I will note – and I believe will be a game-changer in the learning system industry. This capability is in the Fuse Platform
This comparison is system to system to system, based on capabilities, functionalities, system pros/cons (when applicable) – learner and administrator side, metrics too. Client size wasn’t relevant for this analysis, nor who they focus on in terms of verticals/industries. Two of the systems are really TXPs, although one pitches itself as an upskilling platform, the other as either an LXP or TXP. Both have certain functionality that you see in an LMS, which is very common these days, due to the ubiquity of the space between LXP and LMS. They are Degreed and EdCast TXP.
I will add that what an LXP actually is, and how vendors even within the LXP market are pushing it as, are two different items, that will not be discussed here, but just an FYI.
The third system is a learning ecosystem. Some folks call them a learning knowledge platform or system. In the end, it is part LMS, part LXP, part Skills Platform, part engagement, and part human-centric. This is Fuse.
Each one is a learning system at the end of the day. Each will be in the top three learning systems for 2022.
Let the Battle Begin
Learner Side
The best way to present the various learner side is to show it off.
Fuse
Fuse first and foremost ties everything around communities, which is where a set of learners are placed, depending on what the client, wants. For example, by location, or job role or skills or a combination or by interest, and so forth. A learner can be in multiple communities.
The communities are essential. Content/Courses are tied into the communities, which you can even segment further down – so x learners in community Y see only these courses/content, while y learners in community Y see something else. The same applies to comments, knowledge sharing, etc.
This approach is not for everyone, and thus to try to compare them without fully understanding the approach and how it really works, to say Degreed or EdCast TXP, isn’t a fair representation.
Once you understand the methodology, the angle, and why it appears as it does, with higher engagement based on various factors, then it makes a tad more sense. Again, though, it isn’t a fit for everyone, because it doesn’t look like every system.
Fuse presents a number of views (the eyeball), which I really love. It is good to see how many people viewed it. Likes appear – that is common, but where are the dislikes? Comments -the number is shown, and then a click and on the same screen you see the comments. I’d like to see a rating score right there, next to the views, and likes.
You can view content, most recent, recommended, and other options, including the type of content – a nice plus.
Fuse uses a machine-learning algorithm (referred to as A.I.) throughout their system, which yes, EdCast TXP and Degreed do as well. But Fuse doesn’t make you complete the content/course to see what is recommended. Degreed does. This is a strength – i.e. Fuse, and EdCast TXP does the same. Think this way, recommended is only as good as what someone is doing, or seeing or viewing – which can be narrowed down. If I have to click “complete” – which is how Degreed’s system works, then honestly, how accurate will recommend really be?
Back to Fuse.
The UI is modern, with a lot of options, and can appear different for each client, as the client has a lot of choices for design and experience. That said, I believe it needs a refresh, which is on their roadmap for 2022.
The Fuse Catalog
The catalog follows a very familiar route using filters. I am a huge fan of filters. In the screen below, the new human-centric, human element to the Fuse platform is front and visible. I typed in “Popular videos on engagement by Steve Dineen” – and output appears. You can search by popularity and latest, just to name two.
The date is always visible, duration, number of views (the eye), likes, comments, and share. I’d love to see those ratings again (search by ratings is on their roadmap), and dislikes too.
I mention the human element aspect because Fuse is the only vendor in the space today, where you can type in phrases, similar to what you would do on a search engine and the content appears. As the screen below shows, a specific inquiry – something someone might type in a search engine generates the right information.
I wasn’t limited to a tag or keyword, which plenty of systems offers. In a test, I typed in bad smells from the kitchen – and content appeared showing, what would cause that. I was very impressed with that search capability, especially if I needed to solve a problem in my kitchen (oh, and taps into going beyond just business-focused or skill-focused only, another plus).
Coming in early 2022, they will launch the ability to search by a question, “What do I need to be a leader?” – for example, and any content that is free – whether by the end-user OR as the client, you purchased a 3rd party publisher or two, then that content/courses appear. This latter search capability, no one is doing yet, which is why I believe it will be a game-changer – we all want the human element to systems, which are lacking. Human-centric is a must, IMO, and systems as a whole, feel like I am walking into a museum – look here, look there, oh be personable and warm? Nope.
EdCast TXP
This is the home learner page for EdCast TXP. If you have purchased “Career Pathing aka Career Mapping”, then it will appear on the top of your home screen. If not, it will not appear. Ignore the word”Spark” it is their SMB solution, but the UI/UX for EdCast TXP is the same, hence the screen.
Personally, I am not a fan of “my assignments”, because of the system which pushes the whole courses/content tied around skills aspect (which does exist), why would assignments – which is means required to be an essential need there. It is true you can remove that section/area, but it is defaulted on. The UI/UX though is modern and fresh. Recommendations is based on what you are currently taking, or completed – that is nice because in the case of Degreed, completion is what recommendations are based on – not taking it, or looking at it – completion only.
That isn’t the case with EdCast TXP. The recommendations use the machine learning algorithm (which all vendors refer to as A.I.). I like that it shows whether the content is user-generated (another learner) or from a specific source. A cool option, which does not exist, but would be a nice win, is if the name of the person is mentioned, beyond user-generated. Perhaps I want to follow that person and tie skill coins to that. Then on the metrics side, an administrator could see how many people follow that end-user content, what topics, and so forth. Lots of segmentation there, which would help anyone in L&D or Training.
Getting back to what is in the system. I’m not sold on the “Free” statement under each piece of content that is found. I say this, because if the client doesn’t purchase any 3rd party off-the-shelf courses/content (all are fee-based), then what is the value of saying “free”?
The only angle for “free” is if you are selling your courses/content and the learner has that appear in their learner home page, but again, that seems odd. It is more likely that they would see the content/course fees in the catalog, then buy it, and then it appears on the learner’s home page.
I do like that the type of content is presented, but would love to see some type of icon of what it represents. If it is a PDF, it says PDF, it doesn’t show the universal icon of a PDF. There is a reason why people in L&D and Training, when writing training guides, work instructions, and so forth, always include an icon, that is recognizable and means X. Like a light bulb -means tip or information. A red stop sign? Stop.
They are not the only vendor who doesn’t do this, but to me, it is a missed opportunity. The thumbs-up is nice, but what about the thumbs-down? Again, EdCast TXP is not the only vendor who shows only thumbs-up, and not the other option. Likes again – good. Unlikes? You can leave comments, but they appear on another screen, and the share function, is slick. There isn’t any way to see the number of people who looked at it though, or rate it – would be a better word.
Discover is well, a way to discover next-generation skills, a variety of academies – which you can follow, different types of courses/content, which usually is premium (i.e. it is not free) and states “follows”, even SMEs/Influencers which you can follow too. On a separate note, I never understand why some Influencers/SMEs do not follow others. Sort of defeats the purpose of shared learning.
Anyway, the two issues I have with the discover screen is seen below
To actually go to the course/content, you have to click the green box, or if it has an image or whatever. If you click “Follow”, congrats you are following it, and that’s it.
When you click the box though, you could see “pathways”, “Smart Cards”, and/or “Courses” or may see only “Courses”. You do have a variety of options here, again a plus. It is when you click the courses, you will see either “free” or “paid” – which means it costs money. Paid is past tense, so I think showing the cost would make more sense. I have the GO1 license, so any publisher in the GO1 library, which is massive is listed as “free”. The same will apply if you have purchased Udemy or LinkedIn.
Again, the purchasing of content/courses is common with 3rd party publishers, and most nowadays including GO1, smaller publishers, and bigger ones such as Open Sesame, have an “all you can consume model”, which the majority of people/clients purchase.
Back to EdCast TXP
I love the Smart Cards, which can be content from someone you follow, or something out of one of those libraries you purchased, or again “Free”. Oh, and yes, you can see smart cards you have to pay for. That said, the likes, share, comments are doable, and the type including “interactive” is listed. A nice plus. Many systems, like LinkedIn Learning, lists video and courses – which are videos and is a peeve of mine. That isn’t the case with EdCast TXP. A video is a video. A course is a course, which may have a video in it or not.
Skill coins are sort of virtual credits, which you can use to purchase 3rd party content yourself or purchase other items or use for whatever. It’s a nice feature, but a reward store is a must for “credits”, and EdCast TXP lacks that.
Degreed
Learner home page
Totally not a fan of assignments – sort of gets back on low usage, if all you are doing is having to do assigned work. Anyway, the resources area provides a quick way to get to the content/information. Monthly Activity is nice, but again, completions is driven hard here, yet the whole LXP angle has always been learner-centric, informal. Guess those days are gone, when learner-centric means required, and informal means, uh formal with a twist. Degreed isn’t the only vendor who went this route in the LXP space – they all did – i.e. all LXPs.
Stay in the Know – Didn’t see a plus here, I would like to see it removed, and allow the learner to select either another widget or remove it. The other minus here is no drag and drop capabilities on the learner side, so I can’t move up Mentor and drop-down recently viewed content. The admin can’t either. This is a total static page. In fact, you see many static pages in the system, which totally is disappointing, especially for a system of this caliber.
I like the “Connect with a Mentor”, but I wished I could actually see the person and talk in a video-to-video angle, which you can’t. Nevertheless, I found it interesting that they show the number of skills they have, although I wish I could hover over and see what those skills were, OR here are how they rate with “focus skills”. The analytics btw, do not have any mentor data around how good or awful these folks are – I think it would be a plus to know – allow your learners to rate them, and then have the rating below the skills. I mean, sure they may have the skills, but they have no personality and treat you like a sub-human. Five out of five!
The Catalog
You can search for pathways, courses, articles, podcasts, and other content
The catalog uses filters – the options include Type, Provider, Duration
If you have purchased the add-on called I believe, career mapping – it is shown as opportunities, then the opportunities will appear next to the key tag word you are searching for. In opportunities, you will see the number of skills you need, and how many you have for that opportunity. To learn more about the opportunity, you just click.
To see who the 3rd party publishers are, they are visible as icon badges – with their logo. This appears on the catalog page, along with pathways.
Here is a screenshot of content you have saved for future viewing/access. I like the type – but similar to many others in the industry it lacks an icon to match with it. Duration is always a misnomer, but every vendor does it. What takes you 15 minutes, may take me two hours. Plus, the whole purpose is to focus on what you want, when you want to know it. If the content is from a 3rd party publisher, you will see their name next to duration. The top of the screen shows “Assigned”, content that is assigned to you, shared, saved, pathways and plans.
Here is the plans screen
And finally, the pathways screen – think sort of a learning path if you will, with content under the said pathway.
How do Fuse, EdCast TXP, and Degreed stack up from learning environment functionality?
Based on my Learning Systems Template of 24 features within the learning environment
Degreed 20/24, with the two big misses (i.e. they do not have it), plus a half miss.
A customizable home page that is a different look/appearance/theme based on the learner who logged into the system
Search by ratings
Repeatable creation of events based on a standard course template (e.g. number of days, min/max seats, title, description) – this is the half miss because Degreed does not have any event management features/functionality. Nor do they have classroom management or vILT functionality either.
EdCast TXP 21/24, however, the three missing items are all on their roadmap for 2022
Two stood out as missing:
Search by ratings
Learner progress bar or similar
Fuse 23/24, with the one item missing – on the roadmap for 2022
Who Scored High in other key areas and who didn’t?
Compliance
Fuse, 12/13 features, with digital signature on their mobile app coming in 2022 (this is the only one missing)
EdCast TXP, 9/13, with the remaining items on the roadmap. This includes a digital signature on their mobile app, coming in 2022, and workflow features.
Degreed 5/13, items that are missing include diagnostic tools to identify compliance and competence gaps and recommend or assign appropriate learning, workflow features, digital signature in the system, and yes on mobile.
I will add that the mobile digital signature is very new to the industry, so it isn’t a surprise that all of them are missing it.
Machine learning (aka AI in the industry), Playlists, and Content Curation – 31 features via my learning systems template
Let’s take a look at an apple to apple comparison for machine learning
Functionality
Fuse
Degreed
EdCast TXP
The system uses an algorithm
Yes
Yes
Yes
AI in the system can scan documents, courses, content, audio and video files and produce text results in a transcript or similar items
Yes
No
Yes
Learners are not penalized/nor weighted, for not completing a course, tied to the algorithm
Yes
Yes
Yes
Recommends courses/content based on job role, skill, and/or additional variables
Yes
Yes
Yes
Can create a learning path based upon recommendations using algorithm over a period of time
Yes
Yes
Yes
Recommends courses based on previous courses in progress/completed
Yes
Yes
Yes
Recommends content/documents/videos/etc. based on in progress/completed courses or content
Yes
Yes
Yes
Ability to include other items to enhance recommendation of courses/content
Yes
Yes
Yes
The administrator can change weights, points, and other items to assist in the deep learning process – more accurate info
Yes
No
Yes
For Playlists and Content Curation, the total score is 21
EdCast TXP 21/21 and Degreed 21/21
Fuse 20/21
Digital Coaching is getting hot, let’s take a look at how Fuse vs EdCast TXP vs Degreed compare
Total possible Score – 13
Fuse 10/13 and EdCast TXP 10/13
Degreed 4/13 – Definitely a weakness
Notifications
Are a must with any learning system, very few have SMS notifications, yet, in the group below, two offer it.
Functionality
Fuse
Degreed
EdCast TXP
Upon registration of courses, events (webinars/seminars, etc.)
Auto notification when CEU/CPD needs to be completed, before the expiration
Yes
No
Yes
E-mail notifications when a required course/content is about to expire
Yes
Yes
On Roadmap
Auto reminders via e-mail
Yes
Yes
On Roadmap
Future Tech – Ability to send (SMS) – text messaging
Yes
No
Yes
E-mail templates
Yes
Yes
Yes
Mobile First – You hear it all the time, wait, I do… Possible Score – 14
Fuse 13/14 – the only item missing is admin functionality in the mobile app (it is rare to have it, so no surprise here). They have a mobile app for iOS and Google Play, and have on/off synch – a definite must!
Degreed 11/14 – Admin and instructor capabilities are missing, no surprise on either – since admin is rare, and Degreed doesn’t offer any functionality around instructors to begin with, let alone vILT, classroom management. The other miss, is rare to begin with, so not a problem there.
EdCast TXP – 9/14 – All the missing items are on the roadmap, biggest surprise – lack of on/off synch. Bummer.
Skills Capabilities – This is based on my entire skills tab functionality
EdCast TXP – 77%
Degreed – 72%
Fuse – 66%
Generally speaking, all good scores, because skill capabilities/functionality as a whole in the entire learning system industry is still at the infant stage. Fuse is going full throttle with skills capabilities in 2022. If they hit their targets, they will bounce into the 80s. For Degreed the big area that is “on the roadmap” with capabilities is under the Skills Development area, with five items. EdCast TXP, it is digital coaching and skills validation that is on the roadmap.
The majority of the learning system space has skills ratings. How do these three stack up against one another? I should note that Degreed was the very first vendor to have skill ratings with the explanation and 1-5 angle.
Functionality
Degreed
EdCast TXP
Fuse
The learner can self-validate themselves on a skill or skills
Yes
Yes
Yes
Manager can provide a skill-rating validation of an employee (who has completed their own skill validation rating)
Yes
Yes
Yes
The system identifies what each skill rating represents (1 to 5 scale)
Yes
Yes
On Roadmap
The administrator can edit/delete what each skill rating represents
No
Yes
On Roadmap
The system provides proficiency details for each skill rating identified 1-5, thus someone who is 1 means they are proficient at only this and so forth
Yes
Yes
On Roadmap
Administrator can edit/delete/modify proficiencies descriptions
No
Yes
Yes
An analytics section specifically around skill ratings validations. Includes a comparison total score by each learner, manager comparison for each learner, skills proficiencies, skill strengths, and areas to improve with score rating.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Overall, very impressive.
Administration Side
A learning system, regardless of the type, is only as good as the administration side, yet so many folks, focus on learning first. Understandable, but uh, who is in the system the most?
Total Possible Score – 32, includes functionality side and skills capabilities on the administration side. You will see a split – first half – based on the functionality tab on my Learning Systems Template; 2nd half is based on the skills tab on my LST.
Fuse 31/32 – 97% (the feature they are missing is on their roadmap for 2022 – and is rare in the industry to have it, in 2021 anyway).
EdCast TXP 27/32 – 84%
Degreed – 27/32 – 84%
If I remove the drag/drop on the admin side for UX – which I believe systems should offer, and some do – it is not universal though, Degreed would move up to 28/31, EdCast the same, 28/31. Fuse has drag and drop.
LXP/TXP will often note that they are not an LMS, which is okay, that’s fine, but when you start offering manager features, and instructor and go above 90% on the functionality admin side, then…
EdCast TXP is working on manager-specific functionality (again view my template), Degreed doesn’t have it, Fuse, of course, do – then again, they are not only LXP here.
In the early days of the LXP space, nearly every LXP was missing one feature, the one below:
Allow administrators to set multiple levels of approval (e.g., no approval needed, supervisor approval, instructor approval, etc.)
And, guess what? Degreed is missing it, and EdCast TXP has it on their “roadmap” – so, uh right now, they are missing it too.
For those playing along, and wondering – Fuse, yes, they have it.
Metrics
Again, Degreed asked me to withhold their metrics, but I have written about Degreed Intelligence (add-on cost), and how the articles/books/viewing metrics still are bar graphs/pie charts (they appear in some of the Degreed Intelligence screens too), but then the other side, with top content (by provider) viewed, and top 10 topics – is a winner, and I wish every system has it. Plus the other side has a better data visualization. Degreed Intelligence includes Skills Coach, which makes no sense because it isn’t really metrics in the way the other two modules are geared for and are – that said, here are a couple of screens showing it off – what it presents is nice, but does it really need to be part of an add-on?
And the Analytics is presents – Which I like – big fan of spider webs unless they are on my chair, then, no..just no..
Fuse
Best metrics in the industry, period. Oh, and it is included at no additional charge, Let’s check out some screens:
Wait, there’s more
There is even more, but I only wanted two screens. Trust me, it is the best in the industry. I cannot stress that enough. Better yet – as if it could be – they are going extra level with even more advanced analytics tapped into the skills and content intertwined in 2022.
EdCast TXP
Ever since they included EdGraph as part of their system, at no additional charge, it has made a huge difference. There is a lot of data you can extra, slice and dice.
Another new feature on the data side of the house is Skills Studio, pretty cool once you learn how to use it – a small learning curve is in order here. This is where an admin can do this themselves, without having to get someone from IT involved (yuck). What’s the old joke – wanna have your system ruined? Call IT. Snark. Snark.
The Bottom Line
The Battle has been fought, the results are in.
Depending on your take, you well may have your own take on which one won it all.
What’s the difference between a leader and a manager?
It’s simple. Managers manage, and leaders inspire — and when you want to get the most from your team, you’ll need to do both. But how?
Keeping people motivated and inspired is tricky. Different teams require different approaches, and you’ll need to connect with each of your team members to figure out what really gets them going.
Still, there are a few general best practices that you can apply to get the ball rolling.
Technical training and growth opportunities
Research shows that training and development opportunities really pay off with technical teams — providing them boosts in motivation, engagement, and even retention. It makes sense. New tools and updates come out every day, and developers need continuing education to keep their skills sharp and progress in their careers.
Not sure how to make this a reality? Consider investing in resources like Codecademy Teamsthat’ll let your team dive deep into their preferred programming languages and libraries and their various functions. There’s also Teams+, which enables easy training management by allowing you to customize your team’s curriculum and assign content to individuals and groups to ensure they’re learning the right skills.
But there’s more to professional development than technical training. Soft skills like leadership, presentation, and effective communication are just as essential.
Try encouraging your team to find opportunities to practice their soft skills. Internally, this could look like lightning talks or brown bags. Externally, the programming community is always rife with opportunities to share new knowledge.
Professional events and conferences are a great way to hone soft skills, and contributing to one will also help the people on your team develop their personal brands. Plus, if your company offers stipends for professional development, they can be used to cover the cost of attendance.
Purpose and recognition
Another way to get your team excited about what they’re doing is to make sure they understand the purpose.
The first step? Be transparent. How well does your team understand your decision-making process? When communicating objectives, are you explaining the logic behind them or just disseminating information from the top down?
Then, try connecting each of your team members’ work to real, positive outcomes. Show them that they’re making a difference and that their work has value beyond profits and revenue.
On that note, you’ll also want to make sure they feel appropriately challenged with their day-to-day work. As your team progresses through their technical training, give them new and exciting projects that put their skills to good use. Repetitive tasks can be tedious, and people might explore other options if they feel undervalued or underutilized.
Even so, that doesn’t mean you should drop all of your most challenging projects in one person’s lap. Balance people’s workloads so they’re easy enough to grasp but challenging enough to put their skills to the test. Bonus points if you include enough time for passion projects — more on that below.
Public recognition also goes a long way toward keeping teams motivated. If you haven’t already, consider adding an extra 10 minutes to your weekly meetings to shout out individual and team accomplishments. Not only will this help them feel appreciated, but it might also inspire their teammates. Who doesn’t want a pat on the back for a job well done?
Autonomy and creativity
Studies show that autonomy can be quite the motivating factor. Giving your team a little ownership over their work can lead to improvements in everything from performance to job satisfaction. But what does autonomy actually look like?
In truth, it takes many forms. Remote and hybrid work have skyrocketed over the past two years, and giving your team the option to work from home can help boost engagement and productivity.
You can also try giving your team a little freedom. Showcase your trust in their capabilities and judgment.
On a small level, this might involve allowing them to take on any interesting tasks in the backlog between bigger projects. On a larger scale, you could give them more flexibility in their work. Instead of delegating each step of every project, try explaining its objectives and criteria and see what they come up with. Not only will this help give them more ownership over their work, but it’ll also give them the chance to innovate and be creative.
Creativity is another key to keeping your team motivated. People aren’t machines. Give them a little room to play.
This could include ensuring everyone has enough time for passion projects — projects that, while less essential for organizational objectives, are fun and exciting for your team. Or, you could even host a hackathon.
These tips will come in handy the next time you’re trying to find a way to inspire your team, but as we said earlier, different approaches work for different people. If you really want to light a fire under your team, connect with each member and identify their motivations, goals, and interests. You’ll have enough information to develop a more cohesive approach afterward, but just having the conversation is a great first step.
Use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by this illustration — or, tell us about a memory from your own life that this image makes you think of.
Post it in the comments, then read the related article to learn more.
Want more Picture Prompts? Find them all in this column.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
The pandemic has disrupted almost every aspect of sports culture, including fan attendance at games. Even where there are reduced-capacity crowds, buffers between spectators and players have largely prevented interactions, including one of professional athletes’ traditional responsibilities: giving autographs.
… In many stadiums and arenas worldwide, massive tarps now cover areas above the tunnels where athletes pass in and out of playing areas and where zealous fans with pens and sports memorabilia typically jostle for position around the railings.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word jostle 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 jostle 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.
Late last month, a snowstorm stranded guests, employees and an Oasis tribute band at a pub in Yorkshire, England. They were stuck in the pub, which is also an inn, for three days until the roads were cleared and it was safe for them to leave.
Though they were in a warm place with plenty of food, they couldn’t even go outside, as the exterior doors had up to three feet of snow piled against them. What do you think it was like to spend days in a building, unable to leave?
Has anything like that ever happened to you? In unusual circumstances, have you tried to make the best of things? How hard was that to do?
Up on a hill in Yorkshire, England, a crowd filled a pub on Friday to listen to an Oasis tribute band. Inside the pub, the Tan Hill Inn, the beers were cold, the fires were warming and the musicians were electric.
But outside, the winds were howling and the snow was swirling. The pub patrons knew the forecast was dire, but not so much that piles of snow as high as three feet would block the pub’s exits, said Nicola Townsend, the inn’s general manager.
After the tribute band, Noasis, finished its set, the local authorities said it was not safe to drive home, Ms. Townsend said on Sunday night.
So the patrons, the band members and seven inn employees stayed the night.
And then another.
And on Sunday night, they stayed another.
The article goes on to give more details about the experience:
Guests were emotional as they said their goodbyes on Monday, she said, “because we’ve had such a good time meeting new friends, getting to know new people.”
To pass the time, they took pub quizzes, watched movies like “Grease” and “Mamma Mia!” and sang karaoke, she said on Sunday.
“Lots of Oasis at the moment,” she said, adding that the pub-goers have started calling the tribute band “Snowasis.”
Band members had to cancel a performance on Saturday night because they were snowed in. “We have no way of making it to our gig,” the band said on Facebook.
Those at the pub enjoyed a few beers, but no one was “getting loud and drunk,” Ms. Townsend said, because they wanted to be “respectful of each other.”
Some of those who were stranded already had rooms at the inn, while others had parked their motor homes outside. The rest crammed into the lounge, where they slept on sofas or on the floor. Employees supplied them with mattresses, blankets and pillows, and kept the fireplaces roaring.
What surprises you most about the story of the people stranded at the pub? Why?
Have you ever faced something unexpected, inconvenient or perhaps even unpleasant (after all, most people stranded at the inn didn’t have their own rooms or even a change of clothes) and tried to make the best of the situation? How did you handle the experience? Did you learn anything about yourself, other people or even life itself?
How important do you think attitude is in an experience like this? How would you describe the attitude of the people who were stranded? How might things have ended differently if they had shown a different attitude?
The article notes that the people who were stranded came together, with the guests helping wash dishes and collecting money for the employees. Have you ever been in a difficult situation that brought people together? Conversely, have you been in one where people did not take care of, or even turned on, one another? What was that experience like? How did it affect the outcome of the situation?
Just for fun, make a list of places you wouldn’t mind being stranded. If you had to choose one, which would it be? What do you think it would be like to be stuck there? If you could choose a few people to be stranded with, who would they be? Why did you choose them?
Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
Each Wednesday we shine a spotlight on five student activities that support a broad range of learners. In this week’s roundup of accessible activities, we invite students to learn about how a shower bus helps those without access, share about a chance encounter, reflect on when it’s good to quit, look closely at an intriguing photograph and write a story based on an illustration of a park bench.
Note: To learn more about this new weekly feature, read our introductory post. Please share your thoughts in the comments section or by emailing us at LNFeedback@nytimes.com.
1. Learn about a community-supported shower bus.
In this Lesson of the Day, students learn about a shuttle bus that has been converted into a shower bus to serve people who do not have consistent access to showering. Then, they use a photograph to reflect on how people in their community support each other.
2. Reflect on a chance encounter.
Our Student Opinion prompt asks students respond to the question: Have you ever had a memorable encounter in your city or community? Inspired by a Metropolitan Diary about an exchange with a stranger, students will share a story of a surprising, inspiring or delightful meeting with a stranger in their community. They can share their stories with their classmates, or in the comments section of the prompt.
3. Watch a film about quitting.
Can quitting ever be a good thing? Should perseverance be a choice versus a default? These are some of the questions explored in the film featured in our Film Club. After watching the five-minute Opinion video, students will respond to the questions: Is quitting a sign of weakness or strength? When, if ever, is it good to quit?
4. Try to figure out what is happening in a photograph.
In this week’s What’s Going On In This Picture, students will look closely at a black and white photograph and make observations. As they study the image, they can read what other students have noticed in the comments section, and share what they think is happening in the photograph.
5. Tell a story based on an image.
In this Picture Prompt, students will look at the image and then tell a story, real or made up, about what they think is happening. After using their imagination to come up with a story, they can share their writing — and read the writing of other students — in the comments section.
For young people in New York City who participate in competitive double Dutch — a rope-jumping sport — the annual Double Dutch Holiday Classic at the Apollo Theater is an important event. Double Dutch is played with a pair of jump ropes that are turned by two people as at least one jumper seamlessly slips in between the ropes to bounce in perfect time.
In this lesson, you will learn about two teams preparing for the Double Dutch Holiday Classic. Then, you will think about a game that you love to play and share about it in a creative project.
Warm-Up
Have you ever done double Dutch before? Or have you ever watched people playing double Dutch, either for fun or in a competition?
To learn more about the sport, watch this three-minute video from TED about the history of the jumping rope and its evolution to present-day double Dutch.
Then answer the following questions:
Vocabulary
Here are seven words that might be new or unfamiliar to you. Take a look at this list: What words do you know the meanings of? What words are new?
1. whirling 2. irresistible 3. percussion 4. drills 5. average 6. shift 7. represents 8. eke out
Read the article, or print out the PDF. Then answer the following questions:
1. Why do you think the Stan’s Pepper Steppers team was practicing one-leg drills? How might this help them in a competition?
2. On average, how many jumps do jumpers do in two minutes? What is your reaction to this fact? Do you think you could keep up?
3. According to Lauren Walker, president of the National Double Dutch League, what is significant about the competition taking place at the Apollo Theater?
4. Stanley Brown, head coach of the Pepper Steppers, said that there is competition, but that everyone is still family. Do you have this kind of relationship with other teams in a sport you play?
5. Why did Kimberly Prince-Sylla help start the Jump4Jerry team?
6. What did you notice about the sport when watching the videos in the article?
Going Further
What is a sport or game that you love playing with friends or family members? It could be something competitive or just for fun. For example, it might be a school team sport like soccer, basketball or football, or a playground game like hand-clapping, kickball or four square.
Once you’ve selected a game, respond to the following questions:
Why is the game important to you?
When did you first learn how to play it?
Whom do you normally play with?
How do you play?
Then, choose a creative project to share the answer to one ore more of those questions. Here are a few ideas:
Write a poem in honor of the game.
Create a short video, like those featured in the article, that shows what the game or sport looks like and whom you play with.
Make a “How to Play __” poster with instructions and visuals to teach someone how to play the game.
Want more Lessons of the Day? You can find them all here.
Hackers use many methods to infiltrate systems, steal data, and create general havoc with devices and networks connected to the Internet. Below, we’ll look at one of the most common disruptive weapons in a cyber attacker’s arsenal — the DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attack.
Attackers don’t even have to get access to a system in order to disrupt services or even take the whole thing down when they use a DDoS attack. So, what’s a DDoS attack, and how does it work?
How does a DDoS attack work?
A DDoS attack is the big brother of a DoS (Denial-of-Service) attack. In a standard DoS attack, the attacker attempts to make a machine or network unavailable to its regular users by disrupting services connected to the internet. This is done by overwhelming these services with fake packets, connection requests, and incoming messages.
This is done from only one machine, and in today’s digital landscape, where cloud services can scale dynamically to handle changes in load, standard DoS attacks aren’t as effective as they once were. Also, a cyberattack coming from one IP address can be blocked easily.
So, hackers have evolved to start using botnets. Essentially, this involves gaining control of remote computers by using phishing schemes and other tactics to get users to download and install malicious software on their computers.
These computers then become “zombie computers,” which hackers can control from anywhere in the world. Sometimes they don’t even have to use phishing — they can just exploit known vulnerabilities in a system to gain access.
This brings us to DDoS attacks. In DDoS attacks, hackers use networks of machines from locations around the globe to launch the same type of attack. The resulting disruption is even worse because there are hundreds (or even thousands) of machines doing the same DoS attack at once.
Eventually, services will be disrupted, and the systems will become overloaded, making it impossible for the standard users of the service to access them. And because the attack is coming from multiple machines, system overload can happen quickly, and stopping the attack isn’t as simple as just blocking one IP address.
Common types of DDoS attacks
There are different types of DDoS attacks, defined by which components in the network are being targeted and what tactics the attacker uses. An attacker could also use more than one of these attacks at the same time.
Application layer attacks
In this type of DDoS attack, the hacker targets the layer of the application that generates the web pages on the server.
A client can send a request for a web page without using many resources. But, on the server-side, one request may require loading multiple files, running server-side code, and connecting to one or more databases.
In an application layer attack, sometimes called a Layer 7 attack, the attacker will use a botnet to send traffic to a specific web application simultaneously from each of the bots. They’ll also use random IP addresses, spoofed referrer data, and target random URLs to hide their tracks and keep from getting blocked.
Protocol attacks
Protocol attacks target the network and transport layer of web applications. They’re also known as state-exhaustion attacks. These attacks attempt to disrupt service by using up the network’s resources, like load balancers and firewalls.
An example of this type of attack is a syn flood. Using a syn flood, the attacker sends a massive amount of TCP initial connection requests to the targeted system with spoofed IP addresses. The system targeted will then wait on the final step of the TCP handshake for all of these requests, but this step will never happen, and eventually, all resources will be used up waiting on connections.
Volumetric attacks
This type of DDoS attack attempts to use up all the available bandwidth of a system or network. But, instead of taking down or using up the resources on the target system, this type of attack prevents any legitimate traffic from getting through.
An example of this type of attack is DNS reflection. In a DNS reflection attack, the attacker sends small requests to a DNS server masquerading as the targeted computer and using its IP address. These small requests are quick and easy to send but result in very large responses that are then sent to the targeted computer and eventually overwhelm it.
What is a DDoS defense strategy?
Protecting a network or system from a DDoS attack can take some work since it’s not something that can just be blocked with anti-virus software. The attack comes from the outside, so you must take different measures.
Here are some of the cybersecurity measures taken to protect networks and systems from DDoS attacks:
Rate limiting. Limiting the rate at which a specific client can access a system can prevent some DDoS attacks, though this alone may not be enough for a large or complex attack.
Blackhole routing. A blackhole route is a route that goes nowhere. If they’re experiencing a DDoS attack, Network Admins can funnel traffic to a blackhole route where it can do no harm. This method will prevent damage to a system but also has the same result of making the network inaccessible.
Web application firewalls. A web application firewall can prevent application layer attacks with rules to identify and block DDoS attacks.
Anycast network diffusion. This approach scatters the traffic from the attack across a large network of servers, so it gets absorbed.
Note that cybersecurity practices also include anti-malware and anti-virus software. While they won’t protect a network from a DDoS attack, they will protect devices from becoming a bot in the botnet.
Learn more about cybersecurity
The internet isn’t the safest place for data and networks. Hackers are always on the lookout for new systems and networks to target. DDoS attacks are just one of the many kinds of attacks they use, but you can protect yourself from them with the right type of preparation.
The best way to protect yourself from hackers and cyberattacks is through education. If you know what types of cyber threats are out there, how they occur, and how to prevent them, then there isn’t much an attacker can do to your system.
Check out our Introduction to Cybersecurity course to get started. You’ll learn more about common cyberattacks and how to prevent them, along with the basics of network security, securing personal devices, cryptography, and authentication and authorization.
