The word jeremiad has appeared in five articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Aug. 30 in the Opinion column “Why We Don’t Build Beautifully” by Ross Douthat:
Standing in the Roman Pantheon last spring, one of my daughters asked the kind of question that newspaper columnists are tempted to place in the mouths of our children when we’re hard up for a column hook: “Dad, why don’t people build things this beautiful anymore?
One of my fitfully followed parental rules is that when a kid asks about something that touches on the deep issues of our time, I don’t immediately launch into a jeremiad. Instead, my children are served a combination of here’s what your dad thinks and here’s what other people think, with a thumb on the scale for the paternal point of view but also a pedantic attempt to make sure they understand the whole debate. (Often they wander off before I’m done, for some reason.)
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word jeremiad 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 jeremiad 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.
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.
I really like Australia’s new law. I don’t have social media and even though it makes me feel like I’m left out of a lot of things, I’m grateful that my parents don’t allow me to have it. I see my other friends addicted to the phone and social media and throughout the years, I have realized that they are missing out on a lot that’s going on in the outside world …
I think that Australia’s new law is going to be very effective and I think that once the kids get the opportunity to have social media, they will be hesitant or realize that they are missing out on a lot more important events. A lot of my friends who have graduated from high school have started to delete some social media and they’ve told me that people aren’t using it as much. Maybe social media is just a thing that is mostly popular within the age group of 13-16, so Australia is trying to stop the social media addiction and make it so that people are more present and won’t end up having social media at all, even when they get to the age of legally being able to have it.
But others, even if they thought the law was a good idea, doubted it would be effective.
I believe Australia’s law, on paper, is a good idea. But I don’t believe it will be effective. Technology has given young minds infinite access to the world, there will always be a way for a teen to simply lie about their age and over time new social media will continue to surface. In most cases this will leave the law irrelevant and useless. Social media has had an overwhelming negative effect on many people, but many teenage minds have become reliant on social media and can simply work around the law in order to find social media.
I don’t think banning all kids under sixteen from social media is the answer. Take some families in China, for example — parents can be so strict they confiscate phones. But here’s the kicker: the stricter the parents, the more these kids turn into tech ninjas, plotting like secret agents to sneak a peek. Some even go full drama mode — stealing money just to buy a phone or hitting up internet cafes like they’re on an intelligence mission. Instead of an outright ban, maybe we should let teens use their phones in moderation — with some guidance.
And some argued it was the wrong way to handle the real problems that social media poses.
I think Australia’s new law has the right idea, but is too strict and simply the wrong way to handle the ever growing social media issues. By passing this law, Australia is restricting children from valuable media outlets that keep them up-to-date on news, what their friends are up to, and collaborative conversations with those around the world, like a friend or tutor. While I believe that media is harming the way young people think and perceive the world, I think this could have been handled differently. For instance, a governmental system that filters the media that enters the country could be implemented in order to protect the young minds of children, while still giving them access to all the knowledge they want to pursue.
4. After you have posted, read what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting a comment. Use the “Reply” button to address that student directly.
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, teachers from our collaborator, the American Statistical Association, will facilitate this discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time.
5. By Friday morning, Jan. 31, we will reveal more information about the graph, including a free link to the article that includes this graph, at the bottom of this post. We encourage you to post additional comments based on the article, possibly using statistical terms defined in the Stat Nuggets.
Reveal
We’ll post more information here by the morning of Friday, Jan. 31. Stay tuned!
• Learn more about the notice and wonder teaching strategy from this 5-minute video and how and why other teachers are using this strategy from our on-demand webinar.
• Sign up for our free weekly Learning Network newsletter so you never miss a graph. Graphs are always released by the Friday before the Wednesday live moderation to give teachers time to plan ahead.
• Go to the American Statistical Association K-12 website, which includes teacher statistics resources, Census in the Schools student-generated data, professional development opportunities, and more.
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.
Note: We will live-moderate a discussion about this photo on Monday, Jan. 27, and then post the photo’s Reveal by the morning of Friday, Jan. 31.
1. After looking closely at the image above (or at the full-size image), think about these three questions:
2. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)
3. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.
Each Monday, our collaborator, Visual Thinking Strategies, will facilitate a discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time by paraphrasing comments and linking to responses to help students’ understanding go deeper. You might use their responses as models for your own.
4. On Thursday afternoons, we will reveal at the bottom of this post more information about the photo. How does reading the caption and learning its back story help you see the image differently?
The Reveal
We’ll post more information here by the morning of Friday, Jan. 31. Stay tuned!
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.
Planning to learn to code in 2025? We know it can feel overwhelming — especially if you’ve never coded before. But you’ve got this! And we’ve put together a list of five tips and resources to help you stay accountable to your learning goals this year.
Set bite-sized, achievable goals
Setting a big, lofty goal can be exciting in the moment, but can sometimes feel so overwhelming that it’s easy to just give up. That’s why we recommend starting small. If you’re not a runner, resolving to start running one morning a week for 20 minutes may feel less overwhelming than resolving to run a marathon. The same goes for learning to code.
Set bite-sized, achievable goals for yourself in 2025. This’ll ensure that you don’t get overwhelmed. Give yourself the opportunity to get your feet wet, make learning a part of your regular routine, and let the smaller goals be the catalyst for something even bigger.
Let the world know what you plan to do — and how you’re progressing towards your goals. When you tell others what you plan to accomplish it makes it harder to give up. Tell your friends, tell your family, or even share your goals on social media, like Afzaa Atcha, a teacher turned DevOps Engineer Apprentice. (Don’t forget to tag Codecademy in your posts about learning to code — we love to connect with our learners on social media.)
You may also decide to record your progress along the way in a blog. This can be a fun way to look back on your journey later to see how far you’ve come — plus, logging your own experiences may be useful to other people who are on learning journeys of their own!
Set weekly targets
You’ll find weekly targets when you log into your Codecademy account and click on “My Home.” Your progress will appear in the top right corner of the screen and you can click to update your weekly target. Decide how many days you want to learn each week and then track your progress.
We’ll keep track of how many days you’ve logged into Codecademy to learn in the current week. Plus, we’ll show you how many weeks in a row you’ve met your target.
Create a routine
Consistency is key. Dedicating at least an hour to code daily for 100 days can help you turn learning to code into a habit that’ll continue even after the 100 days are over.
Then, you can share your accomplishments (and read through others’) on our Codecademy forums, where you’ll also find other learners sharing their experiences.
Speaking of the Codecademy community, being a part of a community is a great way to stay accountable to your goals. Share your progress, ask questions when you’re stuck, get inspired by the stories of other learners, and make new friends that share your motivations and interests.
Looking for a community? Here are a few places to get started:
Codecademy Forums: Join the conversation right here in the Codecademy Forums. Chat with other learners, share projects and get feedback, get help, get inspired by success stories, and more!
Codecademy Chapters: Codecademy Chapters are community-led local groups designed to help you stay motivated, get support on your learning journey, and connect with other learners near you, in-person or virtually. Join a chapter in your local area — or start your own!
X, formerly known as Twitter: Join the conversation and meet other people that are learning to code on Twitter with hashtags like #100DaysOfCode and #CodeNewbie. (You can find us on Twitter at @Codecademy.)
Looking for more advice for sticking with your coding goals? We’ve compiled a list of 7 tips for staying motivated from our community members. Here’s to accomplishing all of your goals and more in 2025!
This blog was originally published in January 2021 and has been updated with relevant resources and new advice.
They say you can’t make a lime out of a bunch of lemons, or I said that.
Actually, it is lemonade, and it is quite good, too. Lemonade is all over the map in terms of taste.
Some people like sour, others like sweet.
Some like strawberry lemonade, and others like mint lemonade.
And yes, some people dislike lemonade – shame on you.
The point here is that there seems to be no universal discussion of what constitutes the top X when it comes to the Top Learning System.
Therein lies a quandary because there are all types of learning systems – as defined many times over, but when people ask me, “That’s great, but which one is the #1 LMS?”
There are way too many variables to consider which type because just saying this is the #1 LMS, for example, leverages the variables that I look at and consider.
Equally noted in the past.
But as folks will point out, ‘you didn’t select ABC, and we think they are the best one on the market.’
Which is excellent for you and them.
There are always factors and use cases, such as what use case goes with what system, what level of diligence you did, what your budget was/is, and how wide your net was – i.e., global reach or limited reach?
Whether the vendor is a marketing master—getting eyeballs is relevant in our industry—OR is someone so new that you haven’t heard of them.
Perhaps you looked at “newness” as a factor or key role based on others—similar to seeing a new car on a dealer’s lot versus one that is dirty.
Your eyes go right to the new – okay, clean one. Even if they are – or at least appear – the same.
Therein gets back for a short time on the question of “Okay, you identified the Top Learning Systems, but which one is #1 for a specific category—say, learning suite, or LMS, or learning platform?”
a. Everything is included in the suite – you can choose to use it all or not – but it is all included at one price point.
b. The vendor may offer add-ons, like a BI or performance management piece, which is understandable because they would focus on a specific audience rather than a wider net.
When I looked at the top learning systems, a few had a suite or components of a suite, and you could buy them all, or they could come with all, or you could pick and choose.
You get it all at one price point.
I always find it intriguing when folks believe they must use it because it is in their system, but that is not true.
Let’s say you win 1M dollars.
Are you sticking around at your company?
Nope.
Although I once worked with a guy who won several million dollars and wanted to stay working.
I digress.
Then someone else shows up and goes, “What? I wanted that. And it costs how much?”
Or
You think to yourself, “I want this. But I see it will cost extra, and I lack that in my budget.”
Have it in a suite you purchased, and Tada, it’s there.
I’m a massive fan of suites.
What vendor is the #1 for combining LMS and LXP capabilities?
Well, it is Learn Amp, the #1 learning system for 2024.
Yes, they are a learning platform, defined as an employee development platform (their words).
However, they have an extensive set of LMS functionality and LXP capabilities.
Ultimately, they just stood out above the rest when you combine the two.
What is a Learning Platform?
Well, it depends on how you define it—the vendor, the buyer/customer, or an analyst (yep, me included).
Could a learning platform be an LMS?
Sure.
Could it be a mentoring platform with LMS capabilities?
Sure.
I know of vendors who refuse to tag themselves as LMSs for whatever reason; they often see LMS as a big, scary word they do not want to be affiliated with.
However, some systems-learning platforms mix LMS functionality with other functionality that they see as different from an LMS.
They are not wrong.
And therein lies the rub, says the bard (still one of my favorite lines ever).
How do I say, “Well, this is the #1 learning platform,” knowing that the vendor in question or vendors in question have LMS functionality, perhaps LXP functionality, and maybe a dash of mentoring or more than a dash of skills?
This goes back to a key feature of an LXP—there are way too many that can be summed up in a dash and say, “Look, we are an LXP.”
I say, “Look, you are Ms. Dash (a U.S. product to each their own taste).”
Can you equally have two vendors who qualify as the #1 Learning Platform for 2024?
Yes.
Two would be ideal because both are deserving. Nevertheless, there is only one.
For me, I looked at the core pieces of an LXP—and whether or not the vendor has them—plus the core functionality of an LMS —and whether or not the vendor has it—and then where they are now, referred to as Tier 7.
Mentoring is part of Tier 7 for those keeping score.
What is tier 7? And where do I expect the next tier to hit – what other items?
There will be a wonderful post next week—it’s not on the short side, so enjoy this micro post!
They say you can’t make a lime out of a bunch of lemons, or I said that.
Actually, it is lemonade, and it is quite good, too. Lemonade is all over the map in terms of taste.
Some people like sour, others like sweet.
Some like strawberry lemonade, and others like mint lemonade.
And yes, some people dislike lemonade – shame on you.
The point here is that there seems to be no universal discussion of what constitutes the top X when it comes to the Top Learning System.
Therein lies a quandary because there are all types of learning systems – as defined many times over, but when people ask me, “That’s great, but which one is the #1 LMS?”
There are way too many variables to consider which type because just saying this is the #1 LMS, for example, leverages the variables that I look at and consider.
Equally noted in the past.
But as folks will point out, ‘you didn’t select ABC, and we think they are the best one on the market.’
Which is excellent for you and them.
There are always factors and use cases, such as what use case goes with what system, what level of diligence you did, what your budget was/is, and how wide your net was – i.e., global reach or limited reach?
Whether the vendor is a marketing master—getting eyeballs is relevant in our industry—OR is someone so new that you haven’t heard of them.
Perhaps you looked at “newness” as a factor or key role based on others—similar to seeing a new car on a dealer’s lot versus one that is dirty.
Your eyes go right to the new – okay, clean one. Even if they are – or at least appear – the same.
Therein gets back for a short time on the question of “Okay, you identified the Top Learning Systems, but which one is #1 for a specific category—say, learning suite, or LMS, or learning platform?”
a. Everything is included in the suite – you can choose to use it all or not – but it is all included at one price point.
b. The vendor may offer add-ons, like a BI or performance management piece, which is understandable because they would focus on a specific audience rather than a wider net.
When I looked at the top learning systems, a few had a suite or components of a suite, and you could buy them all, or they could come with all, or you could pick and choose.
You get it all at one price point.
I always find it intriguing when folks believe they must use it because it is in their system, but that is not true.
Let’s say you win 1M dollars.
Are you sticking around at your company?
Nope.
Although I once worked with a guy who won several million dollars and wanted to stay working.
I digress.
Then someone else shows up and goes, “What? I wanted that. And it costs how much?”
Or
You think to yourself, “I want this. But I see it will cost extra, and I lack that in my budget.”
Have it in a suite you purchased, and Tada, it’s there.
I’m a massive fan of suites.
What is a Learning Platform?
Well, it depends on how you define it—the vendor, the buyer/customer, or an analyst (yep, me included).
Could a learning platform be an LMS?
Sure.
Could it be a mentoring platform with LMS capabilities?
Sure.
I know of vendors who refuse to tag themselves as LMSs for whatever reason; they often see LMS as a big, scary word they do not want to be affiliated with.
However, some systems-learning platforms mix LMS functionality with other functionality that they see as different from an LMS.
They are not wrong.
And therein lies the rub, says the bard (still one of my favorite lines ever).
How do I say, “Well, this is the #1 learning platform,” knowing that the vendor in question or vendors in question have LMS functionality, perhaps LXP functionality, and maybe a dash of mentoring or more than a dash of skills?
This goes back to a key feature of an LXP—there are way too many that can be summed up in a dash and say, “Look, we are an LXP.”
I say, “Look, you are Ms. Dash (a U.S. product to each their own taste).”
Can you equally have two vendors who qualify as the #1 Learning Platform for 2024?
Yes.
Two would be ideal because both are deserving. Nevertheless, there is only one.
For me, I looked at the core pieces of an LXP—and whether or not the vendor has them—plus the core functionality of an LMS —and whether or not the vendor has it—and then where they are now, referred to as Tier 7.
Mentoring is part of Tier 7 for those keeping score.
What is tier 7? And where do I expect the next tier to hit – what other items?
There will be a wonderful post next week—it’s not on the short side, so enjoy this micro post!
4. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)
5. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.
In a 2017 Senate hearing, the Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam famously argued, “Rich kids and poor kids now grow up in separate Americas.” Rob Henderson knows this firsthand. His mother was addicted to drugs; he never knew his father. He grew up shuttling among foster homes, where he started drinking beer around age 5 and smoking marijuana at age 9. At age 17 he watched a drunk friend kick a dog off a cliff and knew he had to escape. He enlisted in the Air Force.
When Henderson got to Yale on the G.I. Bill, he was shocked by the differences between him and his classmates. As he explains in the video above, he learned it was popular for his classmates to hold strong, seemingly progressive views about many of the concerns that shaped his life — drugs, marriage, crime. But they were largely insulated from the consequences of their views. Henderson found that these ideas came to serve as status symbols for the privileged while they, ironically, kept the working class down. He came to call these ideas luxury beliefs.
Henderson went on to get his Ph.D. at Cambridge and wrote a book about his experiences, “Troubled: A Memoir of Family, Foster Care, and Social Class.” In the video, Henderson argues that these out-of-touch views are all around us, widening our class divide and fueling our fractious politics. And he envisions another way.
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.
What do you think this illustration is saying? How does it relate to or comment on society or current events? Can you relate to it personally? What is your opinion of its message?
Tell us in the comments, and then read the related guest essay to learn more.
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.
I was initially surprised by how simple it was to shift my iPhone data to an Android smartphone made by Google. Just by installing an app on my iPhone that Google made to help people switch, I was able to copy my contacts list, photo album and calendar into my Google account. Then, presto — all that data appeared on the Android.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word presto 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 presto 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.
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.
