In an upstairs gallery, a technician was carefully unwrapping an exhibit lent by the University of Copenhagen: A chunk of lunar meteorite, not much larger than a baseball, which detached from the moon’s orbit and fell to earth some time in the last few million years.
… Strikingly, too, the meteorite had an intensity that made the art works elsewhere in the room seem wan and pallid. An alien and unsettling object, literally otherworldly, it captured something that many human representations fail to. Even in an art gallery, the real moon somehow stole the show.
If you’re like the people that Tim Herrera, the author of a recent Smarter Living article, talked to, you’ll have “shockingly specific, intimate detail” about this grudge, whether it’s something that happened in school or at home, with a friend, classmate, teammate, teacher, boss or relative. As he writes, “Nothing is too small or petty when it comes to grudges.”
One of my favorite answers I’ve gotten to this question came from a friend whose grudge stretched back to second grade. A classmate — he still remembered her full name and could describe her in detail — was unkind about a new pair of Coke-bottle glasses he had started wearing. Her insult wasn’t particularly vicious, but he’d been quietly seething ever since. Childhood!
Even this very publication has taken a pro-grudge stance, calling them “petty Tamagotchis in our emotional pocket.” The HBO show “Big Little Lies” perhaps put it best, when Reese Witherspoon’s character, Madeline Mackenzie, matter-of-factly noted: “I love my grudges. I tend to them like little pets.”
But what does holding onto grudges really get us, aside from amusing anecdotes at parties (and pitch-perfect quips delivered by Ms. Witherspoon)? And what could we gain from giving them up?
I posed this question on Twitter last week, asking if people had ever given up on a grudge and, if so, how that made them feel. The responses were delightfully all over the place.
… But my favorite response was the most introspective one I got: “I felt very, very mature. I admitted that my feelings were valid for my situation at the time, but allowed myself to reshape my thinking/attitude based on my personal growth experiences since then. Physically, I felt lighter, but that sounds cliché haha.”
Yes, it does sound cliché, but it’s also a feeling that is backed by the science and research of forgiveness. Really.
A 2006 study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology as part of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, suggested that “skills-based forgiveness training may prove effective in reducing anger as a coping style, reducing perceived stress and physical health symptoms, and thereby may help reduce” the stress we put on our immune and cardiovascular systems. Further, a study published this year found that carrying anger into old age is associated with higher levels of inflammation and chronic illness. Another study from this year found that anger reduces our ability to see things from other people’s perspective.
“Holding onto a grudge really is an ineffective strategy for dealing with a life situation that you haven’t been able to master. That’s the reality of it,” said Dr. Frederic Luskin, founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project.
— What grudges do you hold? Is Mr. Herrera right that you remember them in very specific detail, and are still seething about them weeks, months or even years later?
— Do you enjoy holding these grudges in some way, perhaps tending to them “ like little pets”? Or, do they “own” you and affect your happiness and peace of mind?
— What do you think of the advice from Dr. Frederic Luskin, founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project? Does any of it resonate with you? Would you like to forgive and move on from your grudge?
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.
The first Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869, joined two railroads to connect the east and west coasts of the United States for the first time. It was a feat of engineering that meant that a dangerous journey that once took months could now be completed in a week.
As you will read in this article, one scholar calls the feat “every bit as consequential as the digital revolution that binds the world” today.
Why might that be true? Even if you don’t know much about the history of the Transcontinental Railroad, how can you imagine this railroad might have impacted the United States and the world at the time?
1. What happened on May 10, 1869, in Promontory, Utah?
2. Who were “invisible at the ceremony, and in its retelling for many years afterward,” and why? What famous quote from the 100th anniversary illustrates this? How?
3. How did the 150th anniversary celebrate “a more complete picture of the monumental feat”? What other groups were part of the diverse work force that was instrumental in building the railroad?
4. Who are the historians who have renewed the focus on the contributions of the Chinese workers, and what have they drawn on for their research?
5. The last four paragraphs of this article concern Stanford University and its founder. What complications do they reveal in terms of the legacy of the man and the institution?
6. What can you learn from the images included in this piece? Which ones are most interesting to you? Why?
Finally, tell us more about what you think:
What other events in the past do you think have been written about incompletely because official histories have often left out the contributions, or points of view, of key stakeholders?
A recent article headlined “Girls Enter the Boys’ World of Flipping” features teen girls who are claiming their place inside an emerging online community of extreme athletes who flip, freerun and defy expectations in a sport dominated by boys.
Do you ever find gender expectations or norms confining? How? In what ways, if any, have you ever challenged those expectations? What has that been like for you?
Tell us in the comments, then read a related article to find more information and see more images like the one above.
Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan.
: pathologically excessive (and often incoherent) talking
_________
The word logorrhea has appeared in one article on NYTimes.com in the past year, on Jan. 13 in the Opinion essay “Run, Joe, Run” by David Leonhardt:
Let me repeat: My argument is not that Biden will be the best candidate. I don’t agree with his reported view that he alone among the Democrats can beat Trump. And he has real weaknesses, like the logorrhea that afflicts many longtime senators. I once attended a White House session during which I wasn’t sure if he would ever stop talking. If he runs, I hope he is smart and humble enough to insist on honest criticism from his advisers.
Note: This is our last Weekly News Quiz for Students for the 2018-19 school year. See you next year!
Above is an image related to one of the news stories we followed this past week. Do you know what it shows? At the bottom of this quiz, you’ll find the answer.
Have you been paying attention to the news recently? See how many of these 10 questions you can get right.
3. How does Mr. Wunder train photographers in his franchise? Which of the tips and advice — from dealing with lice to getting the proper head tilt — do you think is most fascinating, creative or effective?
4. What does the author mean when he writes that Mr. Wunder is a “salesman first, and a photographer second?” What are the opportunities and challenges for the photographer in the $1.6 billion school photo industry? Include three examples of market forces cited in the article.
5. How do photo companies like Stomping Ground Photo offer a new approach to school photos? How are they distancing themselves from Mr. Wunder’s approach?
6. The article concludes:
“The real reward comes when you got up on that real crisp autumn morning, and you drove across town, and you set up the equipment and you get greeted by the lunch ladies and sometimes they bring you a biscuit out of the oven,” Mr. Wunder said. “And then you see this entourage of little bodies with big smiles and little bow ties and they’re looking up to you like, ‘The picture man is here.’”
He was still in a reflective mood a few minutes later at the hotel bar, whiskey in hand. When floods and fires strike family homes, his photos are the treasures first spirited out, he said. And then, at least once a year, a car crash means the portrait he took of a schoolchild is her last. Mr. Wunder always rush-orders and frames a 16-by-20-inch photo for the funeral.
The fiercely competitive mask had slipped. Mr. Wunder sat up straighter and took a sip of his drink.
What are the emotional rewards for Mr. Wunder? Why do you think he has continued in the school photo industry despite the challenges and hardships of four decades of work?
Finally, tell us more about what you think:
— What is most interesting, surprising or eye-opening in this “behind-the-scenes” look at the school photo industry? Had you ever thought much about the men, women and companies behind your annual school photos? How does this change your view of picture day?
— Mr. Wunder likens Lifetouch to the “dark side,” and the writer of the article calls him a leader of the “resistance.” Do you think he will succeed in his battle against Lifetouch? Would you ever want to be a school portrait photographer? Would you want to be part of Mr. Wunder’s resistance?
— The article illustrates many of the challenges small businesses face in competing with big companies and corporations. What life lessons for running your own small business can you draw from the article? Do you think Mr. Wunder’s story is an inspiring or a cautionary tale? Use at least three examples from the article as evidence to support your view.
— What are your experiences of picture day? Do you and your peers look forward to class photo day? Do you and your family usually purchase copies of the photos? Do you have a favorite or most embarrassing school photo?
— To get a subject’s Mona Lisa look, Mr. Wunder recommends saying “cheeseburger” for young children, “money” for teenagers and “weekend” for adults. What word do you think works best, based on your own experience?
— Are class pictures even needed in the age of selfies? Make a case for why schools should keep or eliminate picture day. Include at least one recommendation for how your school can improve the class photos for you and your peers.
Tax accountants are increasingly relied upon for organizational strategy as technology helps them step away from data entry
The accounting field is changing quickly. As you can read in our article about the future of accounting, accounting “grunt work” and data entry are on the decline. Accountants today need to be ready with a new set of skills compared to accountants of the past.
The role of a tax accountant, for example, is undergoing a fundamental shift in focus due to the rise of cloud computing and the ability to process massive amounts of data with less effort. These technological advancements are helping distinguish the role of the tax accountant as a lead business strategist within an organization.
“Tax accounting will continue to shift more toward an advisory role in a business, says Michael Donohoe, an associate professor of accounting in the online MS in accounting program (iMSA) and PwC Faculty Fellow at the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business, “Data entry work will likely become more of a thing of the past with clients entering data themselves through a cloud-based service. We’ll also see tax accounting and data analytics merge in a way that allow accountants to focus more on planning, efficiency, and organizational structure.”
Donohoe is a leading expert on tax accounting strategy, including how competition affects firms’ decision to become an S-corp vs. a C-corp (for example). With their time freeing up thanks to from more automated processes, tax accountants can spend their time considering strategies associated with answers to questions like these.
Donohoe and fellow colleagues have pioneered research on how competition from tax-advantaged firms influences the behavior of tax-disadvantaged firms, specifically when it comes to organizational form choice. This research is important to the fundamentals of a firm’s strategy. With their time freeing up thanks to automated processes, tax accountants can spend their time considering the strategies associated with these types of issues.
Donohoe posits that tax accountants can and should be more focused on advising organizational-level strategy, like helping advise on organizational form choice. If you plan on becoming an accountant, CPA, or leading a business — or you already are doing one of these things — Michael’s research on organizational form is well worth your time.
It’s part of the reason that continued learning is important in the field of accounting. Degrees like the online masters in accounting (iMSA) are important for professionals to consider. Below, we’ve included the answers to some basic questions you might have, particularly if you haven’t heard Professor Donohoe discuss the topic:
Should your firm be an Scorporation or a C-corporation?
Before making a decision like this, it is important to understand the basics. What’s the difference between an S-corp and a C-corp?
What is an S-Corporation?
S-corps are pass-through tax entities. They file an informational federal return (Form 1120S), but no income tax is paid at the entity level. The profits and losses of the business instead “pass-through” the business and are reported on the owners’ personal tax returns. Any tax due is paid at the individual level by the owners.
What is a C-Corporation?
C-corps are separately taxable entities. They file a corporate tax return (Form 1120) and pay taxes at the corporate level. They also face the possibility of double taxation if corporate income is distributed to business owners as dividends (which are considered personal income). Tax on corporate income is paid first at the corporate level and again at the individual level on dividends.
What should you consider as an accountant deciding organizational form?
Donohoe has plenty of thoughts on this, but he is informed by his research on how competition affects the entity’s choices within an industry. As a tax accountant or business leader, this is another way of getting into the mind of your competitors to understand their current or future behavior.
Donohoe has clear, simple advice for anyone deciding on whether their firm should be an S Corp or a C Corp.
“Tax is not the only thing that matters in organizational form. When I talk to my students in the online masters in accounting program, we talk about tax factors — sure — but we also spend a lot of time discussing non-tax factors related to this decision. Things like a future IPO can dramatically change the approach a business should take regarding organizational form choice.”
These are the sorts of topics that are important for today’s tax accounting classes. Tax accountants, and accountancy in general, will continue to become important strategic advisors within business organizations. Organizational form is just one example of this foray into strategic decision making for accountants. So long, data entry!
by Adam Hodges, Ph.D., Sr. Teaching & Learning Specialist
Video lectures are a central component of the online learning experience. But creating effective videos can be time-consuming and challenging. Online video production typically involves writing scripts and learning how to speak comfortably in front of a camera, tasks that differ considerably from delivering lectures to a live classroom.
How can course teams help busy instructors develop online video lectures in a way that minimizes the time requirements and plays upon the strengths and preferences of instructors accustomed to teaching in live classrooms?
This month’s Educator Community Webinar explored different video production techniques beyond the traditional model of writing a video script from scratch.
Tara Kramling and Heather Hans from the Learning Experience Design team at Duke University shared several methods they have used to help faculty transform existing course materials into effective online videos.
John C. Hart, Director of Online and Professional Programs for the Computer Science Department at the University of Illinois, shared his team’s use of a “late night talk show model” where course instructors directly address online learners while filming in front of a live studio audience.
Here are some of the ideas they discussed during the session.
Instructors often have an existing slide deck for material they want to teach online. Using that slide deck as a starting point, review the slides for consistency and flow–chunking them up into the short video segments you will be recording.
Duke’s Heather Hans and Tara Kramling note that you will need to make sure the slides are focused on the online learner. This may require adding clear, learner-focused learning objectives to the beginning of each video segment you will be recording.
Once the slides are organized for the online learning flow, have the instructor deliver the lectures from the slides–just as they would do in a live classroom. Make sure the slides are positioned next to the camera so the instructor can see them while still looking into the camera to address the online audience.
After filming, the slides can be stylized and interspersed with the talking head in post-production editing.
Since online videos need to be focused, succinct, and short, writing out a script can ensure these criteria are met. But some instructors prefer to work from an outline rather than a full script.
When creating an outline, Hans and Kramling suggest including at least the main topics–and possibly also the sub-topics. It’s also a good idea for instructors to do a practice run as they finalize the outline before filming.
Simply recording a lecture in front of a live classroom and using that video in an online course has many drawbacks. Live classroom lectures are much longer than the short videos designed for online learning experiences; and, when delivering a live classroom lecture, the primary audience are the learners in the live classroom, which can make online learners feel like mere bystanders. Effective video lectures need to engage directly with the online learner.
To overcome these pitfalls, John Hart’s team at the University of Illinois has adopted a “late night talk show” model for recording video lectures during regular on-campus lectures. The lecturer speaks directly into a camera with a green screen behind them and lecture slides superimposed. Learners in the live audience watch the lecture on a big video screen, similar to the experience of an audience at a live taping of a late night talk show.
Hart notes that this method is “instructor-centric” in that instructors can go about teaching to a live audience in the way they normally do. This saves time for busy faculty who often have little extra time to create online videos on top of their campus teaching duties.
Since a green screen is used during filming, slides can be edited or updated during post-production editing.
Even without adopting the full “late night talk show” model, there are other ways to turn a lecture delivered in a live classroom into short online videos.
Hans and Kramling note that live classroom lectures recorded using Panopto can be chunked into short online videos with some extra work. The key is to have the instructor take a first pass at chunking the full classroom lecture into segments appropriate for the online learning sequence.
The instructional design team can then work with a media producer to fill in gaps, add transitions, and stylize the original slide deck for video presentation. Kramling notes that a good video documentation system is important to help keep track of the content as you cut it down and rearrange it for the online videos.
Online lecture videos often make use of clearly written scripts to ensure the right content is delivered to online learners in the most efficient and effective way possible. But this doesn’t necessarily mean you always need to start writing from scratch.
The Duke team sometimes starts with the transcript of a live classroom lecture. They then work from the transcript to storyboard or write scripts for the online videos.This approach works well for instructors who prefer speaking their lectures rather than writing them out.
Kramling notes that her team uses Rev, a human transcription service, which provides transcripts of recorded lectures with a one-day turnaround. You might also consider transcription software to help with this process. The transcriptions do not need to be perfect since they merely represent a rough draft that will need to be further organized and revised into online-specific video scripts.
Although online lecture videos need to be short, engaging, and tailored specifically to the online audience (e.g., Guo et al. 2014; Brame & Perez 2017), there are many ways to achieve this without letting, as Hart says, “the perfect become the enemy of the good.” Don’t be afraid to explore different approaches as you experiment with finding the techniques that work best for your instructors and course teams.
By Richard Wong, Vice President of Engineering at Coursera
Today, we’re excited to announce that the Coursera footprint has further expanded internationally to Toronto, Ontario with our first engineering office outside of the U.S. The new office will be staffed with engineers to accelerate innovation for the company’s enterprise and partner products. The team will support other business initiatives over time.
Canada is an emerging global technology leader and Toronto’s tech industry, in particular, has seen rapid expansion. It was recently ranked as the city with the highest growth in tech-related jobs in Canada and the U.S. As a global platform with more than 80% of our learners coming from outside of the U.S., it is also important for us to diversify our talent sourcing and build a presence in new tech hubs to enrich our own product thinking and engineering best practices.
The vast job opportunities combined with world-class research institutions and universities have made Toronto an epicenter for tech talent, and this new office presents an opportunity for Coursera to welcome some of the best and brightest talents to our growing team of engineers.
This new office is yet another milestone in our efforts to create new possibilities for our 40 million learners, 1,800 businesses, and 190 university and industry partners.
Want to join our team and help transform lives through education? We’re growing fast, so check out our open roles and become one of the founding engineers of our new Toronto office.
