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Lesson of the Day: ‘Two States. Eight Textbooks. Two American Stories.’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘Two States. Eight Textbooks. Two American Stories.’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “Two States. Eight Textbooks. Two American Stories.” by Dana Goldstein

The New York Times analyzed some of the most popular social studies textbooks used in California and Texas. They found hundreds of differences — including some that reflect the nation’s deepest partisan divides on issues like race, gender and immigration.

In this lesson, you’ll consider how those differences can shape students’ understanding of American history and influence their political views. Then you’ll explore what this means for your own learning.

Consider the following statement: “History is never neutral.”

What do you think that means? Do you agree with its premise? Why or why not? Can you think of any examples that support or contradict this statement?

Where, if anywhere, might you find “neutral” history? For example, are history textbooks impartial?

(Note to teachers: If you’re in a classroom setting, you might set this up as a Graffiti Board or Big Paper activity so students can read and build upon each other’s ideas.)

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. Ms. Goldstein writes that textbooks are “shaded by politics.” What does she mean by this? Give one example from the article and explain how it helps illustrate this point.

2. What ideas about American history have conservatives pushed schools to teach? What ideas has the left pushed? How might these ideas help to “shape a generation of future voters”?

3. In your own words, summarize how textbooks are produced. How does knowing about this process influence your view of textbooks?

4. How do California and Texas textbooks cover white resistance to black progress differently? How do each of these teachings affect students’ understanding of the roles of race and racism in American history?

5. California textbooks include history on gender and sexuality that Texas editions do not. In what ways might the inclusion or omission of women and L.G.B.T.Q. people and issues shape students’ beliefs about gender and sexuality?

6. In what ways do California and Texas textbooks portray immigration differently? What message does each curriculum send about immigrants in the United States? How might these messages be influenced by politics?

7. Textbooks in California and Texas both emphasize the role of big business in American history, but they view it very differently. What information do the books from each state include or exclude to support their views? How might this information shape students’ ideas about the American economy?

8. Did anything you read in this article surprise you? If so, what? What is one key insight about textbooks that you will take away?

Choose one or both of the following activities to complete.

Option 1: Discuss the idea of “neutral history.”

Return to the statement from the warm-up: “History is never neutral.”

How, if at all, do you view this statement differently based on what you learned in the article? Is it possible for history to be neutral? Why or why not?

In a related piece, The Times collected reader responses to the article. Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote on Twitter:

Nicole Hannah-Jones, a writer at The New York Times Magazine and the creator of The 1619 Project, responded to Mr. Haass’s comments:

Who are you more likely to agree with? Should there be a single, national narrative of American history that all students learn, as Mr. Haass suggests? Or, as Ms. Hannah-Jones argues, is that impossible? Why do you think the way you do?

Are there any unifying themes or ideas about American history that are worth teaching? If so, what are they and why? If not, why not?

Option 2: Analyze your own history curriculum.

How have you learned about the history of the United States? With a textbook? Primary sources? Online resources? Or some from all three?

Compare your American history curriculum — whether it’s a textbook or a syllabus created by your teacher — to that of California and Texas. You might focus on one of the areas discussed in the article — race, gender and sexuality, immigration, the economy — or choose a topic of your own.

As you analyze your curriculum, you might consider the following questions:

  • What information, texts and points of view have been included or excluded in your class?

  • What ideals, values and beliefs — whether implicit or explicit — does your history curriculum communicate about the United States? What story is this curriculum telling about our country?

  • How might it be influenced by the politics of your state? In what ways might it work to shape your own political views?

Then consider how this information can empower you as a student: Going forward, how might you think about what you learn in school differently?

Word + Quiz: gustatory

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Word + Quiz: gustatory

: of or relating to eating or tasting

_________

The word gustatory has appeared in 10 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Nov. 12 in “At Museums Around the World, a Focus on Food” by Vivian Song:

The executive director, Peter Kim, began pitching the idea in 2012, and said he was met primarily with skepticism and “bewilderment.” But since then, he’s noticed a sea change in the museum’s reception, and the way people think about food, thanks to a confluence of factors: food-related public policies, immigration, media attention, climate change and growing interest inside academia.

“All these things feed into each other and reinforce an understanding of food as being much more than just gustatory experience. Instead, there’s an understanding that when you take a bite of something, you plug into the world every time,” he said.

_________

How Much Do You Know About Poland?

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How Much Do You Know About Poland?

Can you find Poland on a map? What else do you know about this European nation with about 38 million people?

How Would You Rate Your Listening Skills and Those of the People Around You?

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How Would You Rate Your Listening Skills and Those of the People Around You?

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

Take a moment to answer the following questions:

  • When was the last time you listened to someone? Really listened, without thinking about what you wanted to say next, glancing down at your phone or jumping in to offer your opinion?

  • And when was the last time someone really listened to you? Was so attentive to what you were saying and whose response was so thoughtful that you felt truly understood?

The Opinion essay “Talk Less. Listen More. Here’s How.” by Kate Murphy begins with those very questions. Then Ms. Murphy writes about what makes a bad listener:

In writing a book about listening, I asked people from Brooklyn to Beijing what it meant to be a good listener. The typical response was a blank stare. People had no trouble, however, telling me what it meant to be a bad listener, rattling off actions such as interrupting, looking at a phone, and responding in a narcissistic or confused way. The sad truth is that people have more experience being cut off, ignored and misunderstood than heard to their satisfaction.

Of course, technology plays a role. Social media provides a virtual megaphone, along with the means to filter out opposing views. People find phone calls intrusive and ignore voice mail, preferring text or wordless emoji. If people are listening to anything, it’s likely through headphones or earbuds, where they feel safe inside their own curated sound bubbles. This is all fueling what public health officials describe as an epidemic of loneliness in the United States.

But tech is not the only culprit. High schools and colleges have debate teams and courses in rhetoric and persuasion, but rarely, if ever, offer classes or extracurricular activities that teach careful listening. You can get a doctorate in speech communication and join clubs such as Toastmasters to perfect your public speaking, but who strives for excellence in listening? The image of success and power today is someone miked up and prowling around a stage or orating from behind a lectern. Giving a TED talk or delivering a commencement speech is living the dream.

The cacophony of modern life also stops us from listening. The acoustics in restaurants can make it difficult, if not impossible, for diners to clearly hear one another. Offices with an open design ensure every keyboard click, telephone call and after-lunch belch make for constant racket. Traffic noise on city streets, music playing in shops and the bean grinder at your favorite coffeehouse exceed the volume of normal conversation by as much as 30 decibels, and can even cause hearing loss.

Ms. Murphy states that her research led to the conclusion that “listening goes beyond simply hearing what people say. It also involves paying attention to how they say it and what they do while they are saying it, in what context, and how what they say resonates within you.” She continues:

It’s not about merely holding your peace while someone else holds forth. Quite the opposite. A lot of listening has to do with how you respond — the degree to which you facilitate the clear expression of another person’s thoughts and, in the process, crystallize your own.

Good listeners ask good questions. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned as a journalist is that anyone can be interesting if you ask the right questions. That is, if you ask truly curious questions that don’t have the hidden agenda of fixing, saving, advising, convincing or correcting. Curious questions don’t begin with “Wouldn’t you agree…?” or “Don’t you think…?” and they definitely don’t end with “right?” The idea is to explore the other person’s point of view, not sway it.

… You also want to avoid asking people personal and appraising questions like “What do you do for a living?” or “What part of town do you live in?” or “What school did you go to?” or “Are you married?” This line of questioning is not an honest attempt to get to know who you’re talking to so much as rank them in the social hierarchy. It’s more like an interrogation and, as a former C.I.A. agent told me, interrogation will get you information, but it won’t be credible or reliable.

In social situations, peppering people with judgmental questions is likely to shift the conversation into a superficial, self-promoting elevator pitch. In other words, the kinds of conversations that make you want to leave the party early and rush home to your dog.

Instead, ask about people’s interests. Try to find out what excites or aggravates them — their daily pleasures or what keeps them up at night. Ask about the last movie they saw or for the story behind a piece of jewelry they’re wearing. Also good are expansive questions, such as, “If you could spend a month anywhere in the world, where would you go?”

Ms. Murphy also offers an argument for why listening skills are so important to cultivate:

Listening is a skill. And as with any skill, it degrades if you don’t do it enough. Some people may have stronger natural ability while others may have to work harder, but each of us can become a better listener with practice. The more people you listen to, the more aspects of humanity you will recognize, and the better your instincts will be. Listening well can help you understand other people’s attitudes and motivations, which is essential in building cooperative and productive relationships, as well as discerning which relationships you’d be better off avoiding.

We are, each of us, the sum of what we attend to in life. The soothing voice of a mother, the whisper of a lover, the guidance of a mentor, the admonishment of a supervisor, the rallying call of a leader and the taunts of a rival ultimately form and shape us. And to listen poorly, selectively or not at all limits your understanding of the world and prevents you from becoming the best you can be.

Students, read the entire essay, then tell us:

  • How do you respond to the idea that part of being a good listener is asking the right sort of questions? Can you think of an example from a conversation you had with someone new in which that person did a good job with, say, asking about your interests instead of “interrogating” you? How did you feel during and after that conversation?

  • Now think about a recent conversation you had with someone you know well. Did you both talk roughly the same amount of time? What kinds of questions were asked? Did you feel supported and that you had the other person’s attention? Do you think the other person felt the same way? What, if anything, could one or both of you have done differently to improve the experience?

  • The essay mentions a number of likely culprits for why so many people report being unsatisfied with others’ listening skills, such as the ways we use technology, the noise in places we try to talk to one another, and the value we place on people who deliver important speeches or give TED talks. What are your thoughts on these culprits in the erosion of listening skills? Was anything overlooked? If so, what?

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.

Lesson of the Day: ‘100 Years Ago, the Booziest January Suddenly Dried Up’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘100 Years Ago, the Booziest January Suddenly Dried Up’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “100 Years Ago, the Booziest January Suddenly Dried Up”

One hundred years ago, Prohibition began — outlawing the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol in the United States for more than a decade.

In this lesson, you will learn about how Americans prepared for and adjusted to life during Prohibition. In a Going Forward activity, you will connect the lessons of Prohibition to today’s war on drugs.

What do you know about Prohibition? What key words, names and phrases do you associate with the era?

Use this graphic organizer to create a K/W/L chart with everything you know about Prohibition and any questions you might have.

Next, watch the video below from the History Channel to learn more.

Afterward, add what you learned about Prohibition to the last column of your chart. What are three things you learned about the era that you didn’t know before? You might also add to the center column: Now that you have some more information, what other questions do you have about Prohibition?

(If you are in a classroom setting, you might share your chart with a partner or the class.)

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. What were the historical roots of the passage of the 18th Amendment in 1919? What role did women play in its ratification? What social ills did supporters of the amendment believe it would eliminate?

2. How did Americans prepare during the final months for the end of legal drinking? Give at least three examples. Which did you find most surprising or memorable?

3. Once Prohibition was in effect, how did Americans try to get around the alcohol ban? Why did access to alcohol during the Prohibition era often relate to a person’s economic status? How did businesses like saloons or breweries try to adapt to the dry age?

4. How did rural and urban Americans differ in their views of Prohibition?

5. What was the Volstead Act? Why does the article refer to government enforcement of the 18th Amendment as a “yearslong game of Whack-a-Mole”?

6. What does the author mean by her statement that while Prohibition officially ended with the ratification of the 21st Amendment in 1933, “the legal change was mostly a formality”? What evidence from the article supports this claim?

7. What else have you learned about Prohibition that you can add to your K/W/L chart? On the whole, do you believe that Prohibition was a success or a failure? Give evidence from article to support your argument.

Choose one of the following activities:

1) Analyze a photograph featured in the article.

Look through the photographs in the article: What can you learn about Prohibition from these images? What story do they tell about the period? Which photo do you find most interesting, surprising or memorable?

Choose one image and write about how it illustrates life during the Prohibition era.

2) Make an argument about Prohibition.

Was Prohibition a success or a failure? Did Prohibition do more harm than good? Was it a “noble experiment” or a failed idea from the start?

Review the ideas, information and facts you included in the K and L columns in your chart to help you formulate your viewpoint.

Feel free to use the additional sources below:

“Actually, Prohibition Was a Success” | New York Times Op-Ed

“Prohibition Worked Better Than You Think” | Vox

“What People Get Wrong About Prohibition” | Vox

“Why Prohibition Failed” | Newsweek

“Why Didn’t Prohibition Work? You Asked Google — Here’s The Answer” | The Guardian

“10 Things You Should Know About Prohibition” | History Channel

(Teachers note: You might consider doing this activity as a whole class debate rather than as an individual writing assignment. For a variety of great debate formats, see our lesson on great sports debates here.)

3) Connect the lessons of the Prohibition era to today.

Eleven states and Washington, D.C., have now legalized marijuana for recreational use for adults over 21. And 33 states have legalized medical marijuana.

However, the use, sale and possession of marijuana is still illegal under federal law (as are many drugs like heroin and cocaine), and in 2018 there were 663,367 arrests involving marijuana, up from 659,700 in 2017, nearly 92 percent of them for possession.

Should marijuana be legalized? Do you think the current federal prohibition on marijuana is good public policy? Why or why not? Use the lessons of the Prohibition era to make your argument.

Here are some specific questions to consider:

  • What similarities, if any, do you see between Prohibition and the federal ban on marijuana? What are some differences? What similarities do you see between the Volstead Act and its enforcement and the war on drugs?

  • What do you think might be the dangers of legalization? Do you think it will increase the number of people abusing drugs? Will it lead to more traffic accidents or unproductive workers? Will it lower educational achievement or deepen family problems?

  • What do you think might be the benefits of legalization? Do you think it will reduce drug violence or keep more nonviolent people out of prison? Will it expand individuals’ rights and allow the government to regulate marijuana, as it does alcohol and tobacco?

Need more information? Here are some more resources to help:

“What’s the Right Way to Legalize Weed?”

“Jay-Z: ‘The War on Drugs Is an Epic Fail’” | Video

“Repeal Prohibition, Again” | The New York Times’s editorial board’s call for marijuana legalization in 2014

“The Arguments For and Against Marijuana Legalization in The U.S.” (Infographic) | Forbes

You might consider writing your ideas in the form of an editorial, and then submitting your final draft to our Seventh Annual Student Editorial Contest. Or, writing about the connections between Prohibition and today’s war on drugs, and then submitting your essay to our Third Annual Connections Contest.

4) Create a slide show on the present-day war on drugs.

The article features many informative, fascinating and powerful photos from the Prohibition era. Imagine 100 years from now, The New York Times is putting together an article on the war on drugs period in America that roughly began in the early 1970s.

Find five to 10 photos that characterize our age of illegal drugs. Curate a slide show that informs future audiences: What did it look like? How was it enforced? What were the costs — social, political, economic? How did people get around the legal prohibition on drugs?

To find your images, you can search The New York Times’s archive page for the war on drugs here. Or, you might research images on these professional photo libraries here and here.

8 Best Valentine’s Day Fonts

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8 Best Valentine’s Day Fonts

8 Best Valentine's day fonts cover photo

If you are looking for a perfect valentine’s day fonts, search no longer! No matter if you plan to make a card for your loved ones or if you want to share the love for the whole world, here you will find something for you.

Perfect seasonal fonts for valentine’s day

I have picked for you eight different fonts, which will be perfect for all printables, social media graphics, and crafts. You will find here different script types, something with hearts and, most of all, lots of alternative letters and glyphs.

Not sure how to use glyphs? Learn how to use those Fancy Calligraphy Fonts.

If you would like to read more about a specific font or download it, make sure to check the links below the next image.

8 Best Valentine's Day Fonts

Annabella | Oh mistletoe | Lucita | Alehouse | Loveletter | Storyteller | Hello Sunshine | Sweethart

Please show us your works!

I would love to see what you will create using those valentine’s day fonts. Make sure to let us know in the comments, or share your creation on social media and tag Designer Blogs.

Don’t forget to let us know which font is your favorite. Do you prefer script fonts or would you rather see something more simple next time?

If you still didn’t find your perfect valentine’s day font, make sure to check our list of 13 completely FREE love fonts.

P.S This post includes affiliate links. By clicking them you are supporting us. Thanks!

Word + Quiz: atoll

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Word + Quiz: atoll

: an island consisting of a circular coral reef surrounding a lagoon

_________

The word atoll has appeared in 27 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Nov. 4 in “A Lake With Stingless Jellyfish and Hints of Hotter Seas” by Richard C. Paddock:

In a rare marine lake on a hatchet-shaped atoll in Indonesia, four species of jellyfish have evolved in isolation and lost their ability to sting humans. There are believed to be millions of these benign jellyfish in Kakaban Lake, which has become a popular spot for tourists intrepid enough to reach the remote archipelago known as the Derawan Islands.

_________

Lesson of the Day: ‘Dogs Can’t Help Falling in Love’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘Dogs Can’t Help Falling in Love’

Find all our Lessons of the Day here.

Featured Article: “Dogs Can’t Help Falling in Love” by James Gorman.

Clive Wynne, a psychologist specializing in dog behavior, contends that what makes your furry friend special is not its intellect but its ability to bond with you. In fact, dogs’ ability to bond across species — with animals including sheep, goats and even cats — makes them an evolutionary success story.

In this lesson, you will consider what makes dogs special and learn about how and why dogs form powerful emotional bonds with humans. In a Going Further activity, you will create a meme to capture the remarkable relationship we have with our canine friends.

Do you have a dog? Are you a dog lover?

Before reading the featured article, take a few minutes to make a list of the qualities that make dogs unique, lovable and special.

Afterward, share and discuss your list with a partner.

Reflect and discuss:

  • Which qualities do you like most? Which do you like the least?

  • Which qualities do you find unique among pets and other animals?

  • What do you think best explains the special capacity of dogs’ bond with humans? Do you think it has to do with their cognitive abilities, such as the ability to follow human commands? Their sociability? Is it a genetic predisposition? Or something else?

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. The article begins:

Xephos is not the author of “Dog Is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You,” one of the latest books to plumb the nature of dogs, but she helped inspire it. And as I scratched behind her ears, it was easy to see why.

What evidence does the Times science writer James Gorman observe to support this statement? What does he mean when he writes, “Xephos’ shameless and undiscriminating affection” captured Dr. Clive Wynne’s “heart and his thinking”?

2. How do Dr. Wynne’s theories about dogs and their relationship to humans differ from Dr. Brian Hare’s theories? Why does Dr. Wynne believe that dogs’ thinking ability is not central to their capacity to form deep bonds with people? How persuasive is his argument?

3. How did wolves become dogs? Why are dogs “an astonishing evolutionary success”?

4. What does it take for a dog to become socialized and comfortable with humans, according to the article? How does the article’s assessment compare to your own experiences with dogs?

5. What do studies of dogs’ brains and genes reveal about their capacity to connect with humans? Give at least two examples.

6. Mr. Gorman suggests that Dr. Wynne’s theories about the love between dogs and other animals might disappoint some dog owners. Do you agree? How does your understanding of dogs’ relationships with other species impact your understanding of the bond between man and dog?

7. Compare your writing and reflection from the warm-up activity to what you learned about dogs from the article: What was most interesting, memorable or surprising in the article? Does it change how you understand dogs and their behavior?

Choose one or more of the following three activities:

1) Tell us about a meaningful relationship you have had with a dog — or another animal.

2) Put forth your own theory to explain the bond between humans and dogs — or other animals.

The article focuses on the special capacity of dogs to form bonds with humans. Now, flip the question around: Why do you think humans are able to bond so deeply with dogs and other animals?

Feel free to use your own lived and observed experiences to form your hypothesis or use some additional sources here, here or here for research.

If you were offered extended time to explore your theory further, how would you go about studying or proving your theory?

3) Create a meme that captures a special quality that allows dogs (or another animal of your choice) to bond with humans.

Where would the internet be without cats and dogs? It seems that nearly every day one of them is featured in the latest viral video or meme (see here and here as examples).

Here’s your chance to make your own — funny or philosophical — meme that captures or illustrates the special qualities of dogs.

What Do You Think About Prince Harry and Meghan ‘Stepping Back’?

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What Do You Think About Prince Harry and Meghan ‘Stepping Back’?

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

Do you typically follow what happens in the British royal family? What have you read, watched or heard about Prince Harry and Meghan, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex? What is your initial reaction to the news of their announcement that they will be “stepping back” from their official duties? What questions about it do you have?

In “Prince Harry and Meghan to ‘Step Back’ From Royal Duties in Extraordinary Retreat,” Mark Landler explains:

In a year of gut punches to Britain’s royal family, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, delivered a jarring blow of their own on Wednesday, announcing that they would “step back” from their official duties.

It was an extraordinary retreat by the popular prince and his American wife, who had grown increasingly isolated within the House of Windsor since their wedding in 2018.

In a statement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are also known, said they planned to divide their time between Britain and North America and would “work to become financially independent.”

… While the language in the statement was mild and upbeat, the change that Prince Harry and his wife are embarking on is momentous. Although he is only sixth in the line of succession to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry has exerted an outsized hold on the public imagination ever since his days as the mischievous, ginger-haired younger son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

For the duke and duchess to forsake Britain and relinquish their royal duties, even for part of the year, will be a jolt to one of the nation’s most immutable institutions. It continues the convention-defying ways of Prince Harry, who enthralled millions of Britons, and angered some others, when he and Meghan, an American actress with a biracial background, decided to marry.

Buckingham Palace issued a terse two-line statement Wednesday evening, suggesting the couple’s announcement had caught the royal family off guard, if not totally blindsided it.

The article closes with this quotation from Prince Harry:

In recent months, the prince, whose public image was forever fixed for millions as the somber boy walking with his father and brother behind his mother’s casket, lashed out in a way that left some royal watchers puzzled.

“I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person,” Prince Harry wrote. “I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”

To learn more, take a look at “What to Know About Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Stepping Back.” Here are a few of the questions and answers.

Why are they stepping back?

Specific reasons mentioned on their website include enabling themselves “to earn a professional income, which in the current structure they are prohibited from doing,” and handling their own media relations. On that second point, they particularly emphasized their decision to operate independent of the so-called Royal Rota — a key feature of royal family press relations that grants perpetual special access to journalists from seven British publications, including some tabloids.

Harry has long been critical of the British press. In October, he and Meghan initiated legal proceedings against the publishers of multiple British newspapers. He explained their decision in a statement posted on one of the Sussex websites, in which he excoriated the media and drew a connection between the royals’ treatment at the hands of the press and his mother Princess Diana’s death.

And let’s not forget the 2017 interview with Newsweek in which Prince Harry mused, “Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time.” Not a glowing endorsement of the enterprise.

What does the British public think?

More Britons currently appear to have a view on Megxit than they did on the royal wedding itself.

At first, there were clear and loud rumblings of support. Then a few questions arose about cash, given that quite a lot of it had been thrown about in the last few years. The wedding. The house. The bodyguards.

What really roused Brits was the statement from the palace, which implied that couple had not fully discussed their retreat from royal life with the queen, whom we love. How dare they?

The tabloids, however, had a field day. “They didn’t even tell the Queen!” fumed the Thursday front page of the Daily Mirror. “Queen’s fury as Harry and Meghan say: we quit!” read the lead headline of the Daily Mail. (Other institutions got in on the drama, too: Madame Tussauds in London separated its wax figures of Harry and Meghan from those of the rest of the royal family.)

The term “Megxit” got a lot of airtime. “Harryverderci” has yet to catch on.

What was public sentiment toward the Sussexes like before “Megxit”?

Mixed? Very positive around the birth of baby Archie. Less positive around all the private jet hopping last summer. But most Brits haven’t been paying much attention. Between the recent general election, Australia being on fire and Brexit, the prospect of Megxit had not crossed many people’s minds.

Students, read one of the articles above, then tell us:

  • Now that you have a bit of context, what do you think of Prince Harry and Meghan’s decision to “step back” as “senior members” of the royal family? What about their decision to spend time in both England and North America? What factors do you think may have propelled them to make this decision? Do you agree or disagree with their choice?

  • What do you think of the “terse two-line statement” from Buckingham Palace in response? Why does the couple’s decision raise so many questions and issues for the royal family?

  • Why do you think so many people — even those who never paid attention to the royal family — are so interested in this story? What seems significant to you about the announcement and the reactions?

  • The hashtag #megexit has been trending on Twitter, and the English broadcaster Piers Morgan tweeted, “People say I’m too critical of Meghan Markle — but she ditched her family, ditched her Dad, ditched most of her old friends, split Harry from William & has now split him from the Royal Family.” Why do you think so much of the focus is on Meghan instead of Prince Harry? What is your reaction to the hashtag #megexit and responses like Mr. Morgan’s?

  • Prince Harry and Meghan have been criticized for seeking privacy. For example, the British press was upset when the Sussexes did not pose for a photograph when leaving the maternity ward after their son Archie’s birth. Do you think that Prince Harry and Meghan have a right to this privacy or do you think that as members of the royal family they are obligated to share moments, like a birth or christening, with the British public?

  • In “Black Britons Know Why Meghan Markle Wants Out,” Afua Hirsch writes of Meghan, “Her treatment has proved what many of us have always known: No matter how beautiful you are, whom you marry, what palaces you occupy, charities you support, how faithful you are, how much money you accumulate or what good deeds you perform, in this society racism will still follow you.” Do you agree?

  • What other questions or reactions does this story raise for you? What do you predict will happen in the coming weeks and months as a result?

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.

Top 50 Learning Systems for 2020 (Rankings #50 to #40)

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Top 50 Learning Systems for 2020 (Rankings #50 to #40)

It’s that time of the year, to announce my Top 50 Learning Systems for 2020, starting off with the rankings of #50 to #40.

A couple of points, before diving in:

  • The analysis was based on an extensive criterion, that will be covered shortly.
  • There was no fee, no application to complete to be considered, anything like that. No money changed hands, no quid pro quo or pay for play.
  • The initial list of vendors for consideration was 1,000 around the world.  From there, the list was whittled down until the Top 50 were identified.
  • If your vendor isn’t on the list, it doesn’t mean they are a bad system or whatever. You may love your system, and I’m totally cool with that. This is my perspective, it is independent, honest and fair.
  • The number of clients a vendor had, was not a factor in the process.
  • How many years the vendor has been out, not a factor.
  • Financial consideration was a factor, but not a high weight, i.e. not a major impact, but a criteria component.
  • A vendor was not required to be in my learning system search engine, FindAnLMS to be considered.  Nor did it have any impact on the results.
  • The criteria cover the entire Top 50 Learning Systems, so as the rankings go on, I will just link back to this post, covering the criteria,

How the Posts will be published

A little different this year, so ‘out of the box’.  #50-#40 is covered in this post. If the vendor is on the FindAnLMS platform, starting next week, you can view my Take in the details of their listing.  Right to the point includes pros and cons.

This Wednesday the rankings on the blog continue with #39 to #30.  Later that week, #29-20.   Then it gets fun.  The week of the 19th, #10 to #1.   A twist!   Then later in the week, #19-11.

If the system is on FindAnLMS,  there will be their final ranking listed within their listing. But, you can search Top 50, Top 20, Top 10 (as a filter) and you will see those systems that slide under those groupings.

If you zip on over to Linkedin or are following me on Twitter, you will see the final rankings for #11 to #20.  No reason why I posted on the 10th of January, just decided to provide people with the rankings.  Think of it as a bonus box of treats, and not socks that you normally get from your relatives.

As always for any system, the criteria that I use may not be what you use. And that for any system, I strongly recommend that you book a demo first to check out the system, ask the right questions, and so forth.

Some folks will ask where is the link to the system (i.e. their web site).  I’m doing it a bit differently this year. So rather than just a web link on the rankings, and seeing some web sites that tell you nothing about their system or lack of details, which doesn’t help you in any way, the FindAnLMS, platform, will provide you with a wealth of info that will help you make an informed decision, including going to their site if you so choose.

Criteria and Methodology

As in the past, I weighted numerous components in a system, with some being higher in weight than others. I also placed vendors into various categories, based on their top three verticals, target audience size, type of system and customer-base – however, there was no impact in terms of data calculation Finally, support, training and technical were each individually computed, with support being weighted higher than the other two, but each still receiving data points based on a trend line that I calculated for the industry.

Verticals, Target audience, Type of System and Audience Base

On the vertical side, data was not weighted any differently depending on the vertical, rather what was done, was to put vendors into containers, as a part of the process.  Thus if you have a system that only targets association, then we deciding who is say the top system in the association market, you wouldn’t place a vendor who focuses only on manufacturing into the same container.   In the final rankings, I will list provide a top two for various verticals, for those folks who are interested.

The target audience was a bit different. If the system targets mid-market, then they were compared to other systems that are mid-market.  Same if a vendor targets small businesses (500 or fewer employees), then they should be compared to others in that same market.  Enterprise is a bit of a misnomer because nowadays a vendor can place Enterprise to any number of employees.  You might find one vendor that says 300 or more employees, another is 1,000, or 5,000, rarely do I find someone who says 10,000 plus (which is the number defined in commerce sites and even during legacy days).

Most systems in the industry target mid-market.

If a system focused on only association, customer-training, B2B or B2C as their primary or only, then certain feature sets were weighted differently, then a system that is employee-only or employee primary.   Thus if a system doesn’t have e-commerce because they are employee-only, they should not be weighted the same for that feature, compared to a vendor who does because they are customer training focused.

Thus some functionality or sets of functionality were weighted higher than other sets.

Type of system

Because so many learning systems are ubiquitous from a feature set, they were placed into an entire grouping for the rankings. That said, in one area was a different weight calculated in terms of functionality versus another type of system – which was common feature standards.

Overall weighting

Higher weighting

  • NexGen feature sets – played an important role. Tier 1, Tier 2 and of course Tier 3.
  • Support – it is the number one reason, why people leave one system for another, yet is usually overlooked with folks looking to buy a system.  If asked it is minimal. For this analysis, it was extensive including customer ticket ratios, which again, nearly no asks a vendor for, but I believe is an invaluable metric to know.
  • UI/UX – Always plays a role here, but with brain-based systems (coined not by me, but by the vendor themselves, so if you want how studies validating it, or metrics, contact the vendor, please), the UI has fluctuated more than in the past.  Thus, UX was weighted more than UI but still, UI was relevant.  Equally, I separated out learning side versus administration side and did data weights on each area.
  • Functionality across the board.
  • Common Standards in the industry, for various types of systems.  You have to have the basics here, so if you are missing some feature that is a standard from like eight years ago, you will lose some points compared to others.  This is the only area, where the type of systems weighed differently, due to that component.
  • Metrics and Data Visualization – I separated this out from NexGen because I truly believe it deserves a weight variance compared to most of the other NexGen feature sets.  It will play a huge role in systems in 2020.
  • Content and Content marketplace – Another biggie for 20-21 and thus any system who says they are not in the content business is fooling themselves.  Thus if you are a vendor who provides the content to their customers for free, or has a marketplace where clients can purchase content for their end-users, then you are in luck, because it had a weight higher than others.

Other items for the analysis

  • Technical and Security
  • Training – if the system had its own training department, they scored higher in this category compared to a system that did not.
  • Financial Track Record  – Nobody wants to buy a system that is sitting on slippery ground.
  • Target Audience aka target market size.
  • Whether they had a potluck or not.  Just kidding! I was seeing if you are paying attention.  So, please do not rant about your vendor having one and thus that should play a role.  Now if you got sick, I want to know!

Vendor Video

Each of the finalists provided a vendor video.  These will be added to my site in February, so you can check them out.

Rankings #50 to #40 (unless otherwise noted, can be found on FindAnLMS, so to take a deeper dive on feature sets, pricing, user, etc., please head over there)

50.  Udutu – I know a lot of folks are going to be wondering, how did they get in, when so and so did not.  I think they are ideal for less than 500 employees but can easily go to 1,000.  Strengths include assessment, administration (scored a perfect 25/25), manager capabilities in the system and certificate management. I’m not a fan of them charging extra for their mobile app, and they offer multi-tenant.  This is a very streamlined system and affordable.

49. Percipio LXP – An LXP with a kick too it.  The system comes with IBM Talent Watson, which really is a very strong component. They now have 3rd party content providers in their system, which when you buy the system, you receive a certain number of them as part of your base package.  

48. UpsideLMS – Ranked in the #50 in 2019 too.  Solid system with some cool feature sets. Big wins include a very robust content curation component, solid skills management including the ability for the system to generate a playlist based on a skill rating, skill level or any other skills-related component. Video management is solid, but in 2020 watch for the video transcript capability including scanning the video to extract text that you can click on and go right to that spot. It offers a native mobile app for iTunes and Google Play. Multi-Tenant available too.  Best for employees.  SMB ideal plays well in mid-market too.  Enterprise is doable.

47. SmarterU –  There is a lot of buzz around SmarterU, and overall I can see why.  Multi-tenant, strong UI/UX, assessment tool and e-commerce. If you are someone seeking social, this is not the system for you.  Native mobile app a nice win, but at this time, it lacks on/off synch.  Certificate management strong. Very good customer support and training.  I like where they are going on the roadmap for 2020.  Plays well in customer training/B2B, and some B2C.  Mid-market for employees. Enterprise.

46.  Platcore –  Okay, this is going to be a bit confusing so bear with me. In order to have the learning platform of Platcore, you need to purchase first, the ServiceNow platform.  Then you can buy ServiceNow LMS.  Personally, I’d change the name of the system, and while I’d love it to be standalone without you having to buy ServiceNow, I totally understand why that isn’t the case.  That said, the analytics/metrics are extremely strong, multi-tenant, 500+ certified ServiceNow connectors plus with a Zapier integration of more than 1,500 total.  I’m a huge fan of any system that includes a sandbox after you go-live, which Platcore offers.  In skills management,  the ability to match skill or a series of skills to a piece of content/playlist is a very nice win.   Market size is a bit different, because of the whole you need the ServiceNow platform.  This is a system for employees though. Enterprise.

45.  Ethos CE (Currently not in FindAnLMS) –  Are you in the medical field? Would you love to find the best system for the medical industry? Well, come on down, if you need CEs, CEUs or CMEs tied to medical because at EthosCE it is here for you (ending of the auto commercial narrator).  The system’s e-commerce is amazingly good, albeit it does not come with VAT functionality built-in (I wish it would).  For CMEs compliance reporting is sent to ACCME board thru an inbuilt reporting capability to ACCME via web services.  Drag and drop widgets on the learner side BTW is in the system, A nice win.  Regulatory capabilities exist quite well.  The biggest minus is the lack of multi-lingual.  Only available in English.

44. Administrate –  If you are seeking a typical LMS, then this is not the system for you. This is a system that I believe could easily slide into a Sales Enablement Platform if they so choose to go that route.  The reason I say this is that the system comes with a CRM, not a common feature in an LMS, let alone learning platform.  E-commerce is quite strong, certificate management is outstanding, tasks lists (for those who are fans) is good as well.  System to me plays better on the B2B/customer training side of the house, but I can see how folks with employees might want to give it a go.  Solid with analytics, including KPIs. Another system to bypass if you are into social.   Customer Training/B2B is ideal. Mid-market. 

43.  eThink Education – I always hear from folks who ask me why isn’t Moodle ever considered, well to these folks, I say – eThink.  eThink is a partner for Totara too, but I am focusing solely on Moodle Workspace, which upon a deep view, just surprised me in a good way. What eThink has done is take something that I think will surprise others – it’s Moodle’s true entrant into the corporate side of the house, IMO, and customized the platform to a whole new level.   I’d dump the “Education” part of the name, only because it implies something else, and get folks thinking, well, eThink.  Features that folks enjoy such as multi-tenant, solid administration and learning environment functionality exist.  Skills management is acceptable, I’d like to see it pushed a bit.  Support and Training are quite good. Mid-market, although you can easily push eThink into the 10,000+ employee size.  Enterprise.

42. BizLibrary – I can hear it now, okay read it now. Someone will let me know that BizLibrary is a content provider so why are they ranked in learning systems?  Well, the answer is simple, they have an LMS too.  Yes, you can buy content from them (on my Grid of content provider leaders in 2020 – coming next month), and you can get the LMS if you buy the content, but you can also buy the LMS as a standalone without their content if you so choose.  I’ve always liked BizLibrary’s system.  It is streamlined but provides enough functionality for someone to like.  The UX is always good, and it continues to do so.  This is an affordable system that I feel plays best in SMB, up to 1,000 employees.  Administration functionality will deliver what you need.  Certificate management, assessment tool are all there.  Better suited for employees.

41. Juno Journey –  An LXP to watch in 2020.  There is a lot to like here with this system. Content curation is tight, UI and UX on the learner and administration side is quite good. Skills management is a big win and the platform itself has a lot going for it.  The administration is quite good, and the playlists’ capabilities are solid.  While the LXP space as a whole isn’t strong in the analytics/metrics, Juno fits mid-range in the group.  This is a system on the upward trend, and their roadmap is telling me, to pay attention.  If I was a vendor in the LXP market, then you should as well.  Mid-market is ideal, plays well in SMB/SME too.  Enterprise. 

40. Axonify (Currently, not in FindAnLMS).  Pitches themselves as a micro-learning platform, but micro-learning is a)any system can do that, b)duration is misleading since it is based on your learning style and time is arbitrary – what takes you three minutes, could take me 10.  But, this isn’t rankings based on spin.  What the system does offer is a wonderful set of functionality, from outstanding content curation to gamification and game-based learning.  Analytical data and metrics are very good.  The administration and the learning environment is equally good.  This is a system for employees and only employees.  Mid-market.  Enterprise

Bottom Line

There they are the first group of systems in The Top 50 Learning Systems for 2020. Ready to see who slides into the second group of ranked systems (39-30)?  Well, in just a few days, they are coming your way.

In the meantime, I’ll be here.

Or maybe

There.

E-Learning 24/7

 

 

 

 

 

 

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