As you answer this question, try to show us what’s so great about this season instead of just telling us about it. That is, describe the specific sensory details that make your favorite season special to you. (If you are participating in our Personal Narrative Essay Contest, you can consider this practice!)
Then, read the related Op-Ed to learn how one writer feels about the seasons.
Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
Scientists have known for some time that the microbiomes of obese and lean people differ in striking ways. Obesity, insulin resistance and fatty liver disease are associated with less microbial diversity and higher levels of a group of organisms called Firmicutes. It is not clear whether the obesity and diseases come first or vice versa. But there are indications that the microbiome plays an important role.
Scientists have found differences in the gut bacteria of children as young as 6 months old that can predict future weight gain. Studies of obese mice show that they harbor gut microbes that are better able to harvest energy from food, and when their microbiota are transplanted into the guts of lean mice, the svelte recipients gain weight.
It’s Banned Books Week in the United States, which, according to the American Library Association, is an annual event that celebrates “the freedom to read” and “spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools.”
Have your parents, teachers or school administrators ever forbidden you from reading a book because they thought its content or characters were inappropriate for someone your age? If so, did you listen to them? Or did you read that book anyway?
In an essay in The New York Times, the author, Margaret Renkl, writes about why “banning books is about as useless as trying to ban air.”
NASHVILLE — When the Rev. Dan Reehil, a Catholic priest, ordered the removal of all Harry Potter books from the parish school’s library, the St. Edward community demanded an explanation. Father Reehil responded by email, noting that he had “consulted several exorcists, both in the United States and in Rome,” and had been assured that the “curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.”
I read all seven Harry Potter books aloud to all three of my children, one at a time, as they became old enough to understand the books’ complicated plots, so I understand why Father Reehil’s explanation assuaged no parental concerns. Exorcists? Real spells? No wonder the story became international news almost as soon as The Tennessean broke it. Articles about the incident have appeared in outlets as diverse as The Washington Post, CBS News, Entertainment Weekly, The Independent in Britain, and Forbes, among many others.
Before I heard this story, I would not have thought it necessary to point out that Harry Potter is a fictional character and that these books are not spellbooks. They are novels, tales J.K. Rowling made up out of her prodigious imagination.
Harry Potter and his friends don’t exist in real life, but they wrestle with real-life challenges: bullies, rejection, loneliness, fear, grief — and, yes, with clueless adults whose behavior is patently ludicrous. Nashville’s St. Edward School might as well be Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, for the story of Father Rehill sounds very much like the story of Delores Umbridge, a Ministry of Magic bureaucrat-turned-school-inquisitor.
Ms. Rowling may well be a magician, but the magic she conjures is far more wonderful than even the spells in her books: She got kids to read again. And perhaps grown-ups, too — I often found myself reading deep into the night, long after the child beside me had fallen asleep, merely for the pleasure of Ms. Rowling’s translucent prose and extravagant world-building.
There was a time when the Harry Potter titles were routinely targets of a challenge, the American Library Association’s term for an attempt to remove books from a library or school curriculum. The first three volumes were among the most challenged books of the decade that began in 1990, even though they weren’t published in the United States until midway through 1999. By the following decade, the series was at the very top of the list.
According to “Don’t Tell the Grownups,” Alison Lurie’s groundbreaking 1990 exploration of the way classic children’s literature has always undercut convention, “Most of the great works of juvenile literature are subversive in one way or another: they express ideas and emotions not generally approved of or even recognized at the time; they make fun of honored figures and piously held beliefs; and they view social pretenses with cleareyed directness, remarking — as in Andersen’s famous fairy tale — that the emperor has no clothes.”
Little surprise, then, that two decades of efforts to protect children from imaginary spells have made no difference at all. Harry Potter titles have sold more the 500 million copies worldwide.
Students 13 and older 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.
Tell us about a memory from your own life that this picture makes you think of — or use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by what you see.
Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn more.
Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
1. a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement
2. a bad-tempered person
3. a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend
_________
The word churl has appeared in three articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 9 in the Opinion essay “You Should Meditate Every Day” by Farhad Manjoo:
A few years ago, I began to fear that the caustic mechanisms of the internet were eating away at my brain, turning me into an embittered, distracted, reflexively cynical churl. Since then, I’ve done everything I can to detox. I consulted app blockers and screen-time monitors to keep me offline. I even got my news from print newspapers in order to experience a slower, more deliberate presentation of media.
… And so, to survive the brain-dissolving internet, I turned to meditation.
By Alex Sanchez, Product Management, Mobile Experiences and Emerging Technology at Coursera
Today, we’re excited to announce a skill for Amazon Alexa that will help learners keep up in courses and achieve their personal and professional goals. Starting next month, learners can access course assignment and quiz scores, due dates, and progress updates by simply asking Alexa. This is one of the first skills for Amazon Alexa from an online learning platform.
Voice assistants, like Alexa, are being adopted faster than almost any other technology to date. Over a third of American smart speaker owners use their devices to help keep them on track and organized, which includes setting alarms, timers, and scheduling. Recognizing these trends, we designed a skill for Alexa to help learners stay organized with easy-to-access deadlines, grades, and course progress updates. The new tool builds on our current cross-platform compatibilities on desktop, mobile, and tablet.
In the coming weeks, learners will be able to search for the free Coursera skill in the Amazon Alexa Skills store. Once enabled and linked to Coursera, you’ll be able to simply ask, “Alexa, when is my next assignment due?” or, “Alexa, ask Coursera, am I making progress?” And by the end of the year, “Alexa, what did I get on my computer science quiz?” Responses will provide updates based on the latest information in the learner’s Coursera account.
Our new Coursera skill for Alexa will be available to all learners with a Coursera account and Amazon Alexa-enabled device in October. By introducing a new tool that helps learners fit education into their daily lives, we’ve taken another exciting step toward our mission of providing transformational learning experiences to anyone, anywhere.
Not yet a Coursera learner? Sign up and enroll in a course for free today.
We all know that running a successful blog takes careful planning and ample promoting. Throw in sponsors, affiliates, mailing lists, guest posts, tracking stats, giveaways, and taking pictures and blogging quickly becomes a full-time job! With so many balls in the air, it can often be hard to keep track of everything and stay organized. That is why we have painstakingly worked to design the most comprehensive blog planner kit out there.
Our blog planner has been downloaded by over 115,000 bloggers and is the most popular, well-utilized blog planner out there. It has been designed for driven, full-time bloggers who are determined to increase blog income and traffic.
The pages included in the full planner will help you brainstorm post ideas, plan your weekly posts, set yearly & monthly goals, track yearly & monthly stats, keep track of affiliates, Facebook advertising, social media posts, newsletter campaigns, finances, usernames & passwords, giveaways, etc. You name it, and our blog planner kit has you covered.
There’s no better way to grow your blog than by strategic goal setting and regularly tracking your progress towards reaching your blogging goals. Using The Ultimate Blog Planner is key to blog organization and blogging success!
WHAT’S INCLUDED
The following 9 pages can be downloaded in US Letter size (8.5 x 11) ABSOLUTELY FREE by joining our mailing list through the button below:
Need more pages and/or sizes? Check out the extension package below!
“This is my third year using this planner and it covers absolutely everything I need. It’s a beautiful planner and the extension package is well worth the price.” – Tammy R.
GET THE EXTENSION PACKAGE
The extension package includes 52 additional meticulously designed pages of organizational goodness! The extension is available in four sizes (US Letter, A4, A5 & Personal) so it will fit the planner of your choosing. Here’s a look at what the extension package includes:
The extension pack is available in the following 4 page sizes: US Letter (8.5 x 11 inch – North America), A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inch / 210 x 297 mm – Europe/International), A5 (5.8 x 8.3 inch / 148 x 210 mm) & Personal (3.7 x 6.7 / 95mm x 171mm). You can choose one or more sizes at checkout.
Free Pages Included
The 9 free pages (above) are also included in the extension package, so you’ll receive the full 61-page planner in the size you choose with your purchase.
Ample Margins
The planner has been carefully designed with ample margin space to allow for holes to be punched without punching through any text.
Downloadable PDF Files
This planner is a digital item so you will not receive any physical products. The file(s) will arrive to you via email immediately upon purchase (if you don’t get them check spam). When you download the files, they will arrive in zipped folders. You will need to unzip/extract the files from the folder in order to access them. All files are in PDF format. You will need Adobe Reader to view and print them. Adobe Reader can be downloaded for free here.
Only Print the Pages you Need
This planner allows you to pick and choose only the pages you want to use so you aren’t lugging around unused pages. The Print Guide (included) will help you know how many of each page to print out. The Printing Instructions (included) will give instructions on how to print each of the different page sizes.
Update Subscription
Your extension pack purchase includes an optional subscription to yearly updates. To be notified of yearly updates, you MUST opt into our newsletter at checkout. New and/or updated pages will be available separately at a discounted price to subscribers only.
“I just love Designer Blogs. I have downloaded and used the Blog Planner and now the Life Planner. I enjoy very very much the emails I receive and the wallpapers. I will continue to look to Designer Blogs to fulfill various needs. A very professional yet personable company.” – Kat Y.
PAGE USE EXAMPLES
Are you ready to increase your blog income & traffic? Are you ready to absolutely slaughter your blogging goals? Are you ready for unbelievable blogging success?
With the rapid pace of change that technology has brought upon us, millions of people are reskilling and upskilling to future-proof their careers.
Sure, some are learning code to create the AI. And others are developing advances in automation. But the wisest are honing their human-centric skills. After all, these are the qualities that futurists have revealed will be in-demand during the next industrial era.
What are human-centric skills?
Sometimes known as soft-skills, human-centric skills include empathy, communication, storytelling, emotional intelligence, creativity, having a growth mindset — the list goes on.
So, why will we need these skills in the future?
1. Bots will take care of the mundane
We’ve all experienced elements of our lives becoming automated — think self-serve check-outs and face-recognition at passport control. What these automations have in common is that they take care of life’s more mundane tasks.
As tech progresses, this will continue – which is great news in many ways. But it does mean that the human workers who once completed these tasks will need to find new jobs. Or moreover, find new skills that the robots can’t perform – making them employable once again.
According to The Definitive Guide to Future-Proofing Your Career, developed by Open Universities Australia, skilled human workers are set to be in shortage of around 1.5 million by 2022. Those who are well prepared will hone their human-centric skills to fill these positions.
2. Emotional intelligence never goes out of date
Ever conquered a digital platform just as the software has gone out of date? It’s a frustrating feeling.
As technology continues to double in capacity every 18 months, the rate of software upgrades is only going to get faster. While technical skills for using software will continue to be important, the soft skills that enable you to move seamlessly between new tech platforms will become paramount.
Being open to change, flexible in your approach, and willing to communicate challenges will empower you to learn and conquer the latest tech time and time again.
3. Soft skills will boost business growth
A recent report by global management consultancy, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) revealed that human-centric skill development can boost GDP growth by up to 2 per cent.
Skill gaps in employees due to changing technology creates a loss in revenue for many businesses. But by empowering employees to build soft skills – the very skills that allow you to move seamlessly across roles and industries – businesses can experience growth instead.
With the world abuzz with the power of human-centric skills, those less acquainted with the right side of their brains may feel concerned. But there’s no need to be. You don’t need to be born with high emotional intelligence to master soft skills.
In fact, online learning is an ideal avenue to hone these skills at any stage of life.
The Expert Network is a free resource for reporters and event organizers to quickly and easily access a diverse set of experts from top universities. Media can find thought leaders quickly, hear their take on trending topics in short audio/video clips, and request an interview or speaking opportunity—all in one place.
Is there a cost to use the service?
Nope! There’s no subscription, no fee, and no sign in—the resource is completely free to use.
Content
Can I directly embed the content in my story?
You sure can. Just click the “Share” button on the audio or video clip and copy the embed code. If you have any trouble whatsoever, reach out to us for help.
Can you provide images for stories as well?
We do our best to help you get everything you need for your story.
Can I be alerted when new content is posted? Is there a newsletter?
These experts can speak to a range of topics, from timely political issues, technology trends, social debates, financial news, and current health issues to evergreen topics, like happiness and personal development.
What if I can’t find an individual who has the expertise I’m looking for?
“I just love Designer Blogs. I have downloaded and used the Blog Planner and now the Life Planner. I enjoy very very much the emails I receive and the wallpapers. I will continue to look to Designer Blogs to fulfill various needs. A very professional yet personable company.”
