fbpx
Home Blog Page 573

11 Teacher-Approved Strategies to Engage Students With The New York Times

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
11 Teacher-Approved Strategies to Engage Students With The New York Times

This idea was submitted by Peggy Dimock, who teaches English at St. Peter High School in St. Peter, Minn. The three speaking activities were written by Aaron Dimock, Ms. Dimock’s brother-in-law, who teaches speech at the same school.

Do you teach with The Times? Tell us about it here or browse our full collection of reader ideas.

Reading and responding to The Learning Network is a regular part of the routines in our English and speech classes. But when we want to change it up, we use these 11 tried-and-true strategies to engage students in a fun, but still academically rigorous, way.

In my English classroom, I, Peggy, turn to The Learning Network’s daily writing prompts because they pose thought-provoking questions and surface student-friendly articles from across The New York Times. I value the range of topics (school life, politics, fun) they address. And I know whatever I find in The Times will be well written, thoroughly researched and balanced. For the writing exercises below, that means students will have models of excellent writing to follow. And for the discussion exercises, it means that, even in today’s polarized world, students can have evidence-based conversations that are timely and relevant without being contentious.

In his speech classes, Aaron uses the always engaging images and graphs from The Learning Network’s What’s Going On in This Picture? and What’s Going On in This Graph? series to help students practice verbal communication skills in a low-stakes way.

Below, we share how we employ these strategies in our own classrooms. We’ve included links to Times articles and provided teaching materials — including work sheets and student writing samples — when available.

Discussion Strategy

This activity, also known as Big Paper, involves students having a “silent conversation” about a text by writing out their responses to the article and one another. The purpose is to engage 100 percent of the students in the article discussion and allow for the quieter students to participate fully.

  • Choose an article. A longer piece that can be divided into topics, as opposed to being read chronologically, works best. My class has used this article about a video-gaming school from the Learning Network writing prompt How Can Schools Engage Students Who Are at Risk of Dropping Out?

  • Physically cut out sections of the article by topic or argument.

  • Tape the paragraphs on larger pieces of paper or a poster board (make sure there’s a lot of open space to write around the text) and set them up throughout the room, creating stations.

Step 1: Students split up, going to different stations. Everyone should have something to write with. While at their station, students should:

  • Silently read the material and write their responses in the open space, initialing their responses.

  • Read and respond to peers’ comments (again, adding their initials).

  • After seven to 10 minutes, rotate to the next station.

Step 2: Continue until all students have gone to each station.

Step 3: Students can do a gallery walk and read responses to their writings, giving themselves time to process the information and their understanding of the conversation.

A Socratic seminar is a structured, student-led classroom activity to discuss, not debate, the issues, the values and the ideas in an article. Students should be articulating their own points of view and be encouraged to explain how they understand and are affected by the issue. It shouldn’t be about who is right and wrong, but rather about articulating and expressing what they think and why.

Socratic seminars can take a couple of different forms:

  • A large circle of chairs wherein every student is involved in the discussion.

  • A “fishbowl” wherein a smaller circle of students discusses while a larger circle of students observes the process and takes notes. Then, they switch roles.

  • Select a prompt and a text for students to discuss. Look for an article or a question that is thought-provoking and has the potential for multiple interpretations or ideas (articles that have plans of action work well). For example, I have used the prompt Should Teachers Provide Trigger Warnings for ‘Traumatic Content’? about university administrators who rejected a student proposal requiring instructors to provide warnings for upsetting materials. You can find more argumentative prompts here.

  • Give students time to read and annotate the article, making notes, underlining and so on.

  • Give them this preparation sheet and have them fill out the left-hand column.

  • Set up the classroom in a circle (or two concentric circles for a fishbowl).

Step 1: Establish ground rules for respectful and productive discussion. Consider rules like “three before me” (three people speak before you can speak again) and “step forward/step back” (where students encourage one another to make space and engage) and practices such as using “I language” instead of “you language,” listening actively, referring to the text only and avoiding ad hominem attacks.

Step 2: As the teacher, start by asking for any questions about the article — fact-based information students need to know before discussing larger issues.

Step 3: Have one student start the discussion by asking one of the open-ended questions he or she came up with (see preparation sheet). Students share their thoughts, ideas and interpretations of the text. It’s important for participants to refer back to the text and provide specific examples to support their viewpoints.

Have students take notes during the discussion on the right-hand side of the preparation sheet.

Step 4: After discussion, have students reflect on the seminar as a whole and on their participation and thinking in particular. What did they learn from the discussion? How did their opinions evolve? What challenges did they face during the seminar? Have students evaluate and grade their contribution to the seminar.

Discussion Strategy

In this activity, students adopt a role — either a doubter or a believer — and read the text from that point of view. The purpose of this game, which comes from Peter Elbow’s book “Writing Without Teachers,” is to have students work on perspective. As believers, they learn to empathize with people with whom they may disagree. As doubters, they learn to read a text critically. In the end, they are able to deepen their understanding of an argument and better formulate their own positions.

Step 1: Students should read the text from the perspective of their assigned role:

  • Doubters: What doesn’t work in this text? Where does the writer’s logic or reasoning fail? What doesn’t make sense?

  • Believers: What is reasonable and good in this text? What makes sense? How would this idea improve lives?

Step 2: As a group of doubters or believers, students should develop their argument using at least three examples from the text.

Step 3: Each group presents its argument to the class.

Step 4: After the presentations, discuss what the students realized as they read the text from each mind-set. For example, what evidence became more or less convincing? Which arguments held up, and which fell flat in the face of criticism?

Step 5: You might end with them formulating their own position on the subject, taking into account what they heard.

For this activity, students write a poem in response to an article. The objective is to encourage them to engage critically with a text and creatively express their thoughts and emotions through poetry.

Other versions of this activity include a found poem, a lifted line poem and a blackout poem.

Step 1: Read and analyze.

  • Instruct students to read the article carefully, highlighting or noting lines, phrases or quotations that resonate with them or evoke strong emotions.

  • Discuss the article briefly as a class, focusing on key themes, ideas and emotions.

Step 2: Brainstorm.

  • Encourage students to reflect on their emotional response to the article and the lines they highlighted.

  • Have students jot down the thoughts, the feelings and the ideas they want to incorporate into their poem.

Step 3: Craft the poem.

  • Explain the concept of using lines or phrases from the original article in their poems.

  • Instruct students to start writing their poems, integrating the lines or phrases they selected from the article. Most of the poem should be their original work (unlike in a found poem).

  • Remind students to focus on creativity, expression and the emotional impact of their poems.

Step 4: Share and reflect.

  • Give students the opportunity to share their poems with a partner, in small groups or with the whole class.

  • After each reading, encourage listeners to provide feedback and discuss how the lines from the article were used effectively in the poems.

Step 5: Finalize the poems.

Writing Strategy

The purpose of the 3-2-1 activity is to have students identify specific elements of a piece, which can change depending on what you’re working on in class.

In this example, I have students find the elements of an argument or position in an argumentative text, but you could also have them focus on grammar and diction in a literary text or write about their takeaways and questions for an informational text.

This activity works well as an “exit ticket” at the end of the class period.

  • Select a text: Choose a thought-provoking article or essay that has a clearly developed argument. This article on online learning, which comes from the Learning Network prompt Is Online Learning Effective?, works well because it is full of research and many of the claims are clear in the subheads.

Step 1: Have students read the article.

Step 2: Have students write three claims the author makes, two pieces of evidence that support the points and one main idea.

(Note: You can change up the 3-2-1 to whatever you like depending on what you’re working on in class. For example, in a lesson on grammar and diction, you could ask for three vivid verbs, two adjectives and one complex sentence.)

Writing Strategy

In this activity, students are challenged to creatively adapt an existing New York Times article into a different genre while preserving the essential information and elements of the original work. By exploring various genres, students will deepen their understanding of writing styles.

Step 1: Instruct students to read the article thoroughly and identify its main ideas, key details and important quotations.

Step 2: Introduce the list of diverse writing genres (e.g., letter, short story, diary entry, poem, dialogue, script, travel brochure and so on).

  • Discuss each genre briefly, explaining its conventions, style and purpose.

  • Instruct students to select a genre from the list that they would like to adapt the article into OR add to the article. Each student or group must choose a different genre.

Step 3: Explain that students need to retain the main ideas, as well as some key details and people from the original article, while reimagining it in the chosen genre.

Step 4: Have each student or group share their genre piece on a class Google Slides presentation. Students will present their new genre to the class, explaining its essential components (form, writing style, word choices and so on) and their new writing.

Writing Strategy

In this activity, students will change the existing tone of an article. The purpose is to explore how changes in language, word choice and sentence structure can alter the tone of a piece. By experimenting with different tones, they will gain a deeper understanding of the role of language in shaping the overall message of a text.

Step 1: Have students read the article individually, paying close attention to the author’s word choice, sentence structure and overall tone. What emotions or attitudes does the article convey? How would you describe its tone? Make notes of specific language elements that contribute to the tone.

Step 2: With their partners, students should identify and agree upon the tone of the article. Is it informative, formal, casual, critical, optimistic or skeptical? The list of tone words can help.

Step 3: Now comes the creative part. Tell students to change the tone of the article. Select a new tone that is different from the original one. For example, if the original tone is formal, try changing it to a more casual or conversational one. Use the same content and main ideas, but rewrite the article’s sentences, paragraphs and headings to reflect the new tone.

Step 4: Select a few pairs of students and have them share the identified tone and the adjusted versions with new tones. Ask them to explain the reasoning behind the changes they made.

Writing Strategy

The purpose of this activity is to analyze the use of ethos, pathos and logos in an article and to practice embedding a quotation from that article to support their analysis. This will help students develop their skills in critically assessing persuasive techniques and effectively incorporating evidence into their writing.

Step 1: Explain the concepts of ethos, pathos and logos:

  • Ethos: Shows the credibility and the authority of the author or the source.

  • Pathos: Appeals to emotions, evoking feelings in the audience.

  • Logos: Appeals to logic and reason using facts, evidence and reasoning.

Step 2: Instruct students to read the article and identify examples of each persuasive technique. Encourage students to jot down notes about their findings in the worksheet.

Step 3: Review guidelines for effective quotation embedding, including:

  • Introducing the quotation with context.

  • Using appropriate signal phrases and “says” verbs: argues, asserts, claims, concludes, contends, discusses, emphasizes, examines, explores, focuses on, has determined that, highlights the fact that, maintains, mentions, notes, points out that, recommends, reports, states, suggests. …

  • Integrating the quotation smoothly into the sentence and citing the source. Choose passages where the author’s exact wording is uniquely powerful or necessary for accuracy or context. Quote “scintillating phrases,” not entire sentences.

  • Explaining why this quotation is important to your argument.

    Example: In the article “The Threat of Terrorism Is Being Reduced,” John Ashcroft, the U.S. attorney general, claims that “terrorism is relatively inexpensive to conduct and devilishly difficult to counter” (Viewpoint 27). This point is troublesome. America is spending billions of dollars on the war on terror and using its military might to fight an elusive enemy.

Step 4: Have students select a compelling quotation from the article that demonstrates one of the persuasive techniques (ethos, pathos or logos). Instruct them to practice embedding the chosen quotation.

Step 5: Ask several students to share their embedded quotation with the class.

Step 6: Conclude by asking students to reflect on what they’ve learned about analyzing and incorporating persuasive elements into their own writing.

Speaking Strategy

In this activity, students will make up a story inspired by an image from The Learning Network’s What’s Going On in This Picture? series and then share it in an oral presentation.

The purpose of this activity is to get students to tell a coherent story verbally. To do this, students should have a basic understanding of story elements (e.g. plot, characters, conflict and scene).

  • Select at least three engaging and varied images from the What’s Going On in This Picture? column. Prepare a slide show with the images, putting each photo on its own slide.

  • Break students into pairs or small groups.

  • Give the students index cards to write on and use during their speech.

Step 1: Determine your speaker order; I like to draw names from a hat.

Step 2: When it is their turn, students should choose one of the three images from the slides.

Step 3: Give students three to five minutes to construct a brief short story that explains or captures what is going on in their chosen picture.

  • Their story can be silly but needs to make sense: Characters should be doing something for some reason by some means while in some place.

  • Stories should incorporate specific details from their selected image.

  • Students should take notes on their index cards.

Step 4: Give each group one to two minutes to present their stories to the class.

  • Each member of the group should contribute.

  • Students should be encouraged to explain the information in the images that support their stories.

  • Optional: Audience members may ask questions about the image that encourage the presenters to add additional details to their stories.

Step 5: To wrap up, have groups complete a quick self-reflection about what worked well in their story and those of other groups. For instance, a 3-2-1 reflection might include:

  • Three things their group did well.

  • Two ways they can use these skills in their next presentation.

  • One group (other than their own) that did an excellent job and why.

Speaking Strategy

This is another activity that invites students to make up a story using images from The Learning Network’s What’s Going On in This Picture? series, but with a twist that tests their on-the-spot speaking skills. Students will choose an image and present a fictional news story related to it. Then, they will draw another random image and have to integrate it into their newscast in some way.

  • Print a large collection of images (approximately three per student) from the What’s Going On in This Picture? column.

  • Break students into pairs or small teams; one person or group should be “in the studio” while the other is “on location.”

Step 1: Have students randomly select two images from the collection. They can choose one to use as the visual for their newscast and discard the rejected image back into the pile.

Step 2: Give students three to five minutes to prepare brief (one to two minute) stories to present as newscasts explaining the events related to their image.

Step 3: At the end of their presentation, give the students a second image — breaking news! — that they will need to integrate into their newscast.

Step 4: To wrap up, discuss with students what they learned about the skills they need to present effectively when they have little time to prepare. For example:

  • Identify situations where these skills are important, such as interviews, business and committee meetings and class discussions.

  • Consider skills to use to stay organized, such as breaking down information into small chunks, asking and answering comprehension questions or telling a narrative (with a beginning, middle and end).

  • Consider skills for processing new information quickly, such as relating it to past information on a topic, identifying main ideas rather than focusing on details and asking themselves audience-centered questions (what will listeners wonder, need to know or be confused about?).

Speaking Strategy

In this activity, students are challenged to communicate the information in a graph, a chart or a table to an audience who cannot see it. The purpose of this assignment is to develop students’ ability to verbally explain information and data in a succinct and clear manner.

Step 1: Put students in groups of four or five. Assign each student a different graph to analyze.

Step 2: Give students time to develop their own understanding of the data in their graph or chart. Once they are confident they understand the information, they should have a few minutes to prepare and make notes.

Step 3: Each student will have one to two minutes to present the information in their graph to their group members. Students should work to use effective presentation skills (focusing on the audience, directing attention to specific information on the graph and explaining concepts in a clear and organized manner).

Step 4: At the conclusion of each speech, audience members should have a chance to ask questions and assess how well the information was communicated by the speaker.

From the Military to the Ivy League: Two Veterans Pursue Dartmouth’s Online Master of Engineering

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
From the Military to the Ivy League: Two Veterans Pursue Dartmouth’s Online Master of Engineering

John Murphy and Felix Hong have traversed unique yet parallel journeys, from serving their country to pursuing advanced degrees through Dartmouth’s online Master of Engineering in Computer Engineering (MEng). Both veterans are applying the discipline and skills they honed in the military to tackle intellectually enriching challenges in hardware and software engineering. Here’s a glimpse into their stories and what drives them as they navigate the online program.

John Murphy: Bridging the Gap Between Software and Hardware

After spending five years in the Navy, including a deployment to Iraq, John Murphy transitioned to civilian life with a drive to excel in both entrepreneurship and technology. His career evolved from leading construction projects in aerospace and defense to launching two small businesses focused on industrial IoT (Internet of Things) solutions. Despite this series of accomplishments and creating a balancing act between his career and being a father to three young children, John sought out more opportunities for personal growth.

“I needed more formal education,” John said. “I wanted something between software and hardware—where the industrial IoT space lives for me.”

When John received an email from Coursera about Dartmouth’s program, the timing couldn’t have been better. With his Post-9/11 GI Bill expiring in 2029, he knew this was his opportunity to explore getting his master’s degree. Dartmouth’s program was a perfect fit—offering flexibility, rigorous coursework, and a balance between software and hardware engineering.

For John, the online format was non-negotiable. “I’m a working dad with three young kids,” he said. “The flexibility was critical. Dartmouth’s program is everything I could have hoped for—small, well-thought-out, and curated.”

Despite the online format, the hands-on nature of the program stood out to John, particularly the Embedded Systems course, where students received hardware kits at home to debug real systems. “It was so practical and directly relevant to what I do every day,” he shared. 

Balancing work, family, and school is no small feat, but John credits his military background for preparing him to handle intense pressure. “The curriculum is challenging—10 weeks packed with an entire semester’s worth of material,” he said. “But I don’t want to just get by. I want to do well.”

Collaboration has also been key to his success. The program’s Slack community fosters a sense of camaraderie allowing learners to stay in touch and help each other throughout the program. John notes, “The students are incredibly supportive. My team from the first course still keeps in touch, even though we’re scattered across the globe.”

Felix Hong: From IT in the Army to Engineering the Future

Born and raised in Hawaii, Felix Hong discovered his passion for computers early in life, which led him to pursue a degree in computer engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. After graduating in 2020, Felix sought a way to align his career with his academic background.

His military experience, which included IT support, computer networking, and satellite communications, reinforced his fascination with how computers communicate across the world. “In the military, I had to figure out how to solve problems in remote locations, often with limited resources,” Felix explained. “That taught me how to adapt and work with people from different cultures and backgrounds.”

When Felix’s wife came across Dartmouth’s program on LinkedIn, she encouraged him to apply. The asynchronous format and flexibility were perfect for his schedule as a contractor working in classified environments. “Dartmouth’s reputation as an Ivy League school and the birthplace of AI sealed the deal for me,” he said.

Like John, Felix has found the Embedded Systems course to be a highlight. Challenges arose during courses like Natural Language Processing (NLP), which pushed him to break down abstract concepts into tangible results. “It’s like chemistry—you don’t understand table salt until you see the elements come together,” he explained.

Felix sees a bright future in engineering fields like quantum computing and AI-driven cybersecurity, where he hopes to address critical challenges like quantum-resistant encryption. “The current algorithms aren’t prepared for the age of quantum computing,” he said. “I’d love to work on devices that push the boundaries of security and communication.”

The program’s interactive elements have impressed Felix, particularly the professors’ active presence on Slack. “It’s great to get immediate updates or ask questions about coursework,” he said.

Deployed in Guam, Felix credits the military with instilling the structure and discipline needed to succeed. “In the service, life is organized chaos,” he said. “You know each day starts with the bugle and ends with the flag coming back down the flagpole.” With civilian life being a bit more abstract and open-ended, Felix is grateful for the structure that higher education provided him, and the opportunities he knows a Dartmouth degree will bring. 

Shared Values, Unique Paths

For both John and Felix, Dartmouth’s online MEng program offers more than just technical expertise—it provides a community of like-minded peers and an opportunity to grow beyond their military experiences.

Whether it’s John applying industrial IoT solutions or Felix tackling quantum computing challenges, both veterans embody the resilience, adaptability, and curiosity needed to excel in engineering and beyond. As they continue their journeys, we thank them for their service and wish them well on their road to graduation. 

Weekly Student News Quiz: President Trump, TikTok, College Football Champion

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Weekly Student News Quiz: President Trump, TikTok, College Football Champion

Above is an image related to one of the news stories we followed over the past two weeks. Do you know what it shows? At the bottom of this quiz, you’ll find the answer.

Have you been paying attention to current events recently? See how many of these 10 questions you can get right.

What Rites of Passage Do You Celebrate?

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
What Rites of Passage Do You Celebrate?

Senior prom. Bar and bat mitzvahs. Confirmation. Sweet 16. Quinceañeras.

What rites of passage do you celebrate? How does your family or community observe and honor the important milestones in your life? Why are these rites and rituals so important to growing up?

Until recently, quinceañeras were reserved for girls. In “Meet the Latino Boys Decked Out for Their Version of the Quinceañera,” Christina Morales, with photographs and video by Christopher Lee, writes about the young men looking to celebrate their entry into adulthood with their own, often lavish, quinceañero parties:

On a Saturday last fall, a Mexican American teenager in Corpus Christi, Texas, had everything planned out for a coming-of-age party. It would have custom-made jewelry, a string quartet to play renditions of pop songs and a group of high school freshmen in black tailcoat tuxedos to perform a dance.

This may sound like a classic quinceañera for a 15-year-old girl marking her transition to womanhood. But on that day, the spotlight was on Javier Calderon, a 15-year-old boy celebrating becoming a man.

Mr. Calderon is part of a growing number of young Latin American boys embracing the centuries-old tradition that until recently has been reserved for girls — a trend that represents one way that Latinos are adapting the custom in the United States.

“I wanted to show everyone what I wanted to be,” Mr. Calderon said. “I’m turning into a teenager.”

Some boys are asking their parents for a party of their own. Mothers without daughters are begging their sons to have a quinceañero, the name of the celebration for boys. At times, the idea that a boy should have his own party has been contentious, especially for older Latinos who deeply value tradition.

Quinceañeras typically celebrate a girl’s entry into adulthood on her 15th birthday, with the term deriving from the Spanish word quince, which means 15. The parties tend to be elaborate and big, and can cost as much as a wedding.

Quinceañeros have been no exception — some parents are spending up to $70,000 to host them for their 15-year-old boys. And some see these parties as a way to push back against the socially conservative gender roles many Latinos grow up with.

The article continues:

At the beginning of his quinceañero, Mr. Calderon walked into the ballroom where the celebration was held in a purple tuxedo as the master of ceremonies introduced him as a prince. His guests were seated in tables with twinkling gold crowns as centerpieces. By the end of the night, Mr. Calderon sat on a throne in the center of the room and was ordained a king.

Despite the support from dozens of family members and friends, some decided not to attend Mr. Calderon’s party. His mother, Anna Garcia, said some had thought that this typically feminine celebration — often with poofy dresses and tiaras — was not appropriate for men.

“It comes with a stigma,” Ms. Garcia said. “They think he’s not manly. It reflects on his sexuality. In reality, it’s for both females and males. They’re both transitioning in life.”

Students, read the entire article and look at the videos and photos, and then tell us:

  • Describe a particular milestone in your life and what your family or community did to recognize or honor the occasion. What significance did the celebration or ritual have then and now? Did it change how you viewed yourself, or how others saw you?

  • Does your family or community mark the transition to adulthood in any special ways? Have you had a quinceañero or quinceañera or attended one? If so, what was that experience like?

  • “I wanted to show everyone what I wanted to be,” said Javier Calderon, whose quinceañero is featured in the article. “I’m turning into a teenager.” Does that resonate with your own feelings about becoming a teen? Which of the young men and their coming-of-age celebrations did you find most interesting, memorable or relatable? Does the article make you want to have a quinceañero or something like it? Why or why not?

  • In many cultures, boys and girls have different rites of passage. Is that true in your culture? Should there be distinct and different traditions based on gender? In your point of view, what is more important: to keep doing things in the traditional way, or to adapt customs to changing times?

  • Why are rites of passage so important to young people and to society as a whole? What do you think would be lost if we didn’t have any?

  • What would be your dream coming-of-age celebration? What activities, ceremonies, themes or traditions would you want to include? Whom would you want to attend?

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 and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

Year of the Snake

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Year of the Snake

This year, Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, falls on Jan. 29 and ushers in the Year of the Snake.

Do you celebrate? If so, how? If not, what do you know about this annual holiday and its meaning? Do you know that Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in many Asian countries, including China, Vietnam and South Korea? And, do you know that dumplings symbolize for many wealth and prosperity for the year ahead?

Whether you’ve observed the festivities in the past or not, what dishes would you most like to eat this year to mark the occasion?

Tell us in the comments, and then read the related article, “It’s Dumpling Week! We Have 5 Amazing Recipes You Can Make at Home,” to learn more about how to make, shape and eat the plump doughy staple of many Lunar New Year celebrations.

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 and may appear in print.

Find more Picture Prompts here.

Word of the Day: truncate

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Word of the Day: truncate

The word truncate has appeared in three articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Sept. 8 in “The Prince We Never Knew” by Sasha Weiss:

Dig, if you will, a small slice of Ezra Edelman’s nine-hour documentary about Prince — a cursed masterpiece that the public may never be allowed to see.

… In July, Matthew Belloni reported in his newsletter, “What I’m Hearing,” which is widely read in the industry, that the film was in danger of being shelved. Though Edelman and Netflix retained final cut, Belloni reported, the estate had managed to hold up the project because of a clause in its original contract with Netflix, which stipulates that the film be no more than six hours in length. According to Belloni, Edelman was not willing to truncate it.

Can you correctly use the word truncate 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.

If you want a better idea of how truncate can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try our vocabulary quizzes.

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.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

AI functionality in Learning Management Systems

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
AI functionality in Learning Management Systems

Artificial Intelligence can be used in a Learning Management System, an LXP, a talent development platform, a mentoring platform, skilling, and other learning systems.
AI and Questions – Consider

Let’s get right to the point.

Vendors are adding AI.

They are using it with similar functionality, and wait, not.

At some point, there will be more similarity, adding to the confusion about which is better for your learner versus just a neat feature that isn’t ideally suited for your use case or requirements.
Even for you, yes, you are the head of Learning and Development, HR, or Training.

What the learning system market is showing

Scenarios: I am not referring to what a system has in it today, although one mentoring platform coming this summer has it.

Instead, in the scenario situation, think around the following.

The use case.

The requirements.

Who is overseeing the system, regardless of type?

Overseeing the system is wide open because it can be misconstrued.

One instantly thinks, the administrator.

While this is an accurate statement unless the head of Training, L&D, HR, or whoever—let’s say the head of sales or marketing—is the administrator—and yes, it happens—then and only then is this part relevant for you.

You may have multiple systems, and you—the head of the entire department, division, association, and so on—are the admin. Then, you have secondary admins.

Customer training, clients, and partners will have their administrators, on top of the primary administrator, you—and here it might be you or someone you hired or tossed over to run the whole thing.

Ask yourself the following and identify which is relevant to your use case and which is a nice feature. It exists in the system today, or your vendor says it is on the roadmap for 2025.

Not every system has it; the data I see is between 5 percent and 10 percent of the entire, say, 900 to 1,000 systems that are commercial and not open source, Edtech specific, or built by your friends to save you a lot of dollars.

I present this range because, as noted above, the functionality is here; it’s just that not everybody has it.

Even one piece, for example.
That said, the functionality below is actual—as in, systems offer it, but at the level you wish they had it all, it isn’t in existence.

I will include where I see the next level of functionality which makes the most sense.

Content Creator – aka Authoring tool

This is by far the low-hanging fruit.

In other words, vendors add it, pushing it like nobody else has it.

Although the vendor may say theirs is very different, it offers capabilities that will really help whoever is creating the content.

Who, though, is creating the content?
Do you have an instructional designer behind the scenes using this content creator?

Probably not, because someone with ID skills is going to use a third-party content creator tool such as Storyline from Articulate.
Folks who are creating courses, who may not be at the level of an instructional designer, maybe using Storyline.

They may use other 3rd party authoring tools, even PowerPoint from Microsoft.

For those using or going to use the built-in content creator, the goal here is to push out the content quickly.

Your vendor may not say that publicly to you, but I see more often than not that the speed angle is essential for the salesperson to note.

Type in a word or a statement, and bam – here is the often-mentioned content.

I’ve seen the learning journey, which is a big no for now.

The content creator may include here you can edit the content – a standard feature with the systems.

There may be a block within the content where you can add images, links to YouTube, or whatever you want to appear in the content.

Depending on the vendor—which is quite limited—you may be able to add synthetic materials; audio is the most common for those who offer it.

I have seen ones that go far beyond that. It has potential, but it can be equally confusing.

It all depends on who is creating the content and why someone would want to do that when the goal – again, a push by the vendors themselves is speed and the idea of efficiency and purpose.

Do you anticipate an SME here to aid in building the content that will be pushed out?

You do not want to use a built-in content creator if you do.

Think this way: Is your LMS or whatever type of learning system you have experts in content creation (aka as an authoring tool)?

They are not.

A 3rd party should be, and more are than not.

Thus, the built-in tool with the LMS is a feature set folks want to save time and cost.

Creating the course, aka content

How many administrators do you know have a background in effective course design?

Who knows and understands how ADDIE works? Gagne anyone?

Went to school or learned on their own to learn instructional design and e-learning development?

I am self-taught, but what I find today isn’t the case.

Yes, you will have admins with the experience and knowledge to create strong courses and understand why WBT was created and its benefits.

You may, too. or not. Especially the latter on WBT.

Speed with AI.

Verification that it is accurate – ha.

It is so rare that vendors mention this.

I add this because who knows it unless the vendor stipulates it?
The L&D is gutted. The head of it has been laid off due to reorganization.
The system is handed over to HRIS.

OR some other department.

Does someone in HRIS, for example, have the background or the time to create effective courses or other types of content?

Hence, the speed, ease of doing it, and reliance on AI- here is your course.
If you are in sales training, ditto.

How practical is that course or piece of content for learning?

How much of that information is accurate from the person who has to create it when they have other job duties to do it?

If you believe that your learners will think, “This is great,” you are fooling yourself.

Retention -no.

You may think this because you are using the AI assessment tool, which generates questions that may or may not be 100% accurate.

Sure, you can edit them, but if you have no real idea of what you are looking at and think AI never makes a mistake, will you ask someone whether this is valid?

AI assessment is another hot commodity in learning systems.

Guess why?

Low-hanging fruit.

A vendor would have to be stubborn and have been in the sun too long to have a content creator tool and not an assessment one simultaneously.
I love how vendors mention you can add a question within the course.

Or, let’s add an avatar who can then ask the questions because that makes so much more sense.

It’s AI, after all.

I equally love vendors who offer the option of not using AI or an assessment tool to create the content.

Who would do this, i.e., not use it, if they have no background knowledge or experience around the questions approach? What works and doesn’t to attain short and long-term retention, let alone comprehension?
And then there is the whole synthesis aspect, which is the goal, yes, the goal to create a course, comprehensively learn it, and relate it.

A vendor rarely mentions that whole synthesis part, even among folks with learning and development or training backgrounds.

HR? Marketing? Sales? – doubtful.

Forget about adaptive and vendors who are using AI for that because, without synthesis, it is a cute word to mention.

Adaptive goes so far—and yes, it’s the holy grail. AI will greatly help in the long run, but the human element is a must.

Put it all together, and synthesis is still the big elephant in the room.
bounce on over to skills and AI.

Skill and AI

Skill mapping with AI – what a great idea – did I tell you about those hallucinations?

No?

Don’t worry—this is very fast, it will save you so much time, and you are going to love it.

How it really works is that the system (using AI) will allow you to add the job role, or the system can figure it out from your HRIS platform if it is integrated.

Anyway, you have a job role.

You have content.

Did I mention that you can add your skills and job role and tie it to content in our system?

Oh no? Well, in that case, we do.

Another vendor doesn’t have it.

Don’t worry; we can identify the skills the learner needs to acquire based on their skill rating, the content they have or plan to take, or some other fashion and add them.

Then, the system maps their current skills to the skills they need to achieve success in their current job role.

Success, though, is defined by you since how can you really, more importantly accurately, say it is true?

Those skill ratings will tell you.

They set their rating—as they see themselves. You, as the manager, set what you think is the actual rating for that skill, and then the system will identify what they need to do to attain that skill level.

Perhaps the administrator, who has no idea about contacting that manager, just leaves it blank.

No worries, who really needs skills development and mapping anyway?
What?

The manager or whoever has identified the skill rating they need to be tied to their current job role to be efficient?

The system aids in that with AI?

Tracks it even with each skill and how it compares to others in the company, or that specific job role within the company, or your department?

Wait, there is more.

The vendor uses a crowdsourcing mechanism, so your learner—okay, you too—can see how others using that vendor’s system are tied around that job role compared to the person.

I mean, what organization doesn’t want that?

Skills matching is a possibility. However, it only works if the learner is truthful about their skill level—which I should have mentioned earlier about the whole skills mapping tied to rating tied to job role tied to wanting to attain and deliver success in that current role.

Plus, that department’s manager or head must know that individual’s skill level.

If I have 100 people in my department, I will know all their skill levels and ratings on each item regarding how that learner identifies their skills.

Wait, I forgot, AI can do that for me.

Aid to such a degree that the output isn’t what you might expect.

What is a one, two, three, four, or five?

The learner won’t know.

Nor the manager.

Each will have a different perspective.

People generally rate themselves higher than they are, especially when they believe their job is at stake or they expect a raise.

Or heck, just in general.

Unless expectations are presented, such as what one is, those folks will not know.

Who doesn’t want a smiley face?

Copilots

Talk about hype that is underwhelming.

That sounds wonderful. Who doesn’t want assistance with some tasks?

That prompt you see that your learner must enter their question or statement when using a copilot or even a personal agent (an autonomus agent) works far better. While not a 100% consistently accurate output, it does help.

But you must know the correct prompts – words and phrases to use.
Personal Agents – A benefit or not?

The jury to me it out.

How are they beneficial to the learner?

From the workplace—the employee side—I can see that depending on the task or tasks and personality, i.e., A, B.

However, Learning?

A few vendors use a prompt window to generate output beyond the usual generative output from a learner asking questions or statements.

Deep thinking.

AI is horrible at it – at least for now.

This is how HR folks—if they are aware—can ask a question on a virtual application, which will require the person applying to actually think.

This will eliminate the cut-and-paste job using ChatGPT or some other Generative AI LLM.

Why aren’t LMS, LXP, TDP, and others excluding, say, a mentoring or coaching platform?

I prefer mentoring using that approach.

I see huge benefits beyond someone taking a course and the course itself.

To me, this is a way to truly ascertain how this—the skill, the job role tied to the skill, the ability to upskill or reskill, and even the content itself—can be impactful.

And get this –

It can lead to synthesis, depending on how it is leveraged in a system.

Bottom Line

I could go on with much more functionality at play today.

Here, though, is one to think about: the logical next step.

As mentioned earlier, some systems are starting to allow users to select a variety of synthetic voices for their content.

They offer recording and even a level of voice cloning.

It is far from perfect because to achieve elite, you need professional equipment, which an F500 or Global 2000 or even your company may have.

Then, you need at least 30 minutes to record, tapping into labels for the type of voice, when to use it, narration, conversational, etc. – a description that someone looking at the voice could figure out what it is, the target audience, and so on.

Modifications of the voice are likely, as is knowing what the provider is using for a model.

Is it old or new?

Systems that offer voice cloning do not base it on the above but rather on a few seconds with whatever you have.

Then, make sure you can upload the recording before using the voice cloning.

Here is why

You need professional equipment and good, if not strong, software for optimal results.

It will do the job for most folks, whether solid or strong professional equipment with audacity (a freebie).

You wouldn’t need professional equipment, just a good microphone and some basic skills—which means reading the help guide to leverage the software and record.

The Test

I decided to test something out.

I recorded my voice – and here are some particulars you may not be aware of but should consider – I used to work in radio and create promotional audio recordings for various companies, including a few radio programs.

I used professional equipment—top-of-the-line radio station equipment — to manipulate my voice in these promotional items.

Depending on the situation, I have professional equipment at home to manipulate my voice, or I choose not to.

In this case, I went with manipulation with added effects.

Separately, I tapped into an AI voice clone.
Which is it?

My voice

OR a clone of another voice using AI?

I might be tricking you.

After all, it is AI.

Because this post is all about it.

And he notes about systems cloning.

However, he may be fooling me because cloning exists; in this case, it is his voice using his equipment to manipulate and confuse.

E-Learning 24/7

When Have You Helped Others in a Time of Need?

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
When Have You Helped Others in a Time of Need?

Wildfires burning in and around Los Angeles over the past several weeks have killed at least 28 people, forced thousands to evacuate, and destroyed homes, businesses, schools and community centers. Many residents have lost nearly everything they owned to the blazes.

In the days and weeks after the destruction, though, people and businesses near and far rallied together to support those affected. Restaurants helped feed emergency workers and evacuees. Aid groups worked to collect and distribute donations. A gas station became a relief site where weary residents could find food, clothing and connection.

Have you been following the news about the wildfires in Southern California? Have you or anyone you know been affected? What stories about people coming together to help those in need have inspired you? Have you or your family contributed to the relief effort in any way?

In “A Fire Relief Effort by and for Teenage Girls,” Callie Holtermann writes about an eighth grader who started a donation drive for teenagers whose homes burned in Los Angeles:

A few miles from the rubble left behind by the Eaton fire, a Los Angeles art studio grew densely packed over the weekend with the supplies a teenage girl might need to start over.

Sports bras and graphic T-shirts dangled from hangers. Converse sneakers were arrayed by size on the concrete floor. Clear plastic bins overflowed with deodorant, hair products and pastel pimple patches.

All of the items collected in the airy warehouse in the Boyle Heights neighborhood were free to teenagers whose homes had been incinerated in the city’s devastating wildfires.

While many relief efforts for victims of the fires have focused on more acute needs like shelter and food, Avery Colvert, an eighth grader in Pasadena, started a donation drive called Altadena Girls last week with a slightly less obvious remit. She wanted to offer young women essentials they had lost, plus some of the everyday luxuries that might help restore a touch of normalcy to their lives.

The article continues:

Ms. Colvert, 14, created the Altadena Girls Instagram account on Friday with the help of her stepfather. Her house was spared, but many of her friends’ were not, she said in an interview with Time magazine. Her middle school, Eliot Arts Magnet, burned down.

She posted a call on social media for new clothing, hygiene and beauty products, specifying the kinds of items that she thought would be deeply appreciated by teenage girls once they had secured food and shelter.

“I started hearing from my friends about the stuff that they desperately needed, but were either afraid or ashamed to ask for,” Ms. Colvert wrote in an email. “Girl stuff. Teen girl stuff. Everything from bras and underwear to makeup and stuff to just make them feel like themselves.”

Students, read the entire article and then tell us:

  • What is your reaction to Ms. Colvert’s efforts to help teenage girls affected by the wildfires in Southern California? What do you take away from her story?

  • Tell us about a time when you helped others in a big or small way. Maybe you volunteered your time or donated money to an organization. Perhaps you showed up for a friend who was struggling or did something kind for a stranger. Or maybe, like Ms. Colvert, you started a club or organized a fund-raiser to support those in need. Why did you decide to step in at that moment? What unique skills and talents did you contribute? How did helping out make you feel?

  • Have you been on the receiving end of such an act of generosity? What did it mean to you?

  • Fred Rogers, known to generations simply as Mr. Rogers, said he was always comforted by something his mother would tell him during times of disaster: “Look for the helpers. You can always find people who are helping.” What helpers have you been impressed with, whether in your own community or the world at large? Why do you think Mr. Rogers found it comforting to pay attention to them? Do you?

  • Do Ms. Colvert’s efforts inspire you to lend a hand to the fire victims or to people in your own community who might need help in some way? In what ways can you contribute?

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 and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

Word of the Day: inauspicious

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Word of the Day: inauspicious

The word inauspicious has appeared in 41 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Dec. 21 in “He’s the Only 3-Michelin-Starred Chef in Seoul. Don’t Cross Him” by Daisuke Wakabayashi:

In 2016, Mr. Anh opened his first restaurant in San Francisco called Mosu, a play on the Korean pronunciation of cosmos, a flower that grew in a field near his childhood home in South Korea. Mosu offered a tasting menu for $195, a record high for a new restaurant in the city.

In a column for The San Francisco Chronicle, the restaurant critic Michael Bauer said he was shocked at the “audacity of the pricing out of the gate” considering that “chef-owner Sung Anh doesn’t have much name recognition.”

Despite the inauspicious start, Mosu was awarded one Michelin star, an impressive achievement for a new restaurant, and the reservation book at the 18-seat hideaway was consistently full. But Amy In, Mr. Anh’s wife, said this was a challenging time.

Can you correctly use the word inauspicious 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.

If you want a better idea of how inauspicious can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try our vocabulary quizzes.

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.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

Word of the Day: zhuzh

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Word of the Day: zhuzh

The word zhuzh has appeared in 14 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Dec. 31 in “How Will We Eat in 2025? 9 Predictions to Chew On” by Kim Severson:

Japanese convenience stores, popularly known as konbini, are open 24 hours and revered for well-prepared foods like onigiri, ramen and the egg salad sandwiches on milk bread that Anthony Bourdain loved. Soon, the Japanese parent company of 7-Eleven will start to export its konbini-style food to some American stores.

That’s not the only zhuzh coming in convenience-store fare. Gas stations are preparing made-to-order meals, selling their own brand of frozen foods, stocking salads with local produce and creating coffee bars with as many opportunities for customization as Starbucks. The East Coast chain Wawa is bringing its much-loved sandwiches to the South, and the Texas-born Buc-ee’s is taking its brisket to more states. We’re still a long way from road food as good as you’d get at an Italian Autogrill, but we’re getting closer.

Can you correctly use the word zhuzh 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.

If you want a better idea of how zhuzh can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try our vocabulary quizzes.

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.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

1...572573574...1,529Page 573 of 1,529

Recent Posts