It might be hard to appreciate the reality of human-made global warming if you are spending today in Texas without power, but global warming may just be an unfortunate choice of words for climate change. This 2010 NASA Climate Kids post explains why.
You might get the impression from news coverage that K12 online classes have been a great failure and are continuing only to provide a remedy until COVID can be contained. Reports of stressed and depressed students, learning problems, missing students, and overworked teachers are components of the common message. However, as is so often the case, the online approach appears to really work for some who would like to continue in this mode. Larger Minnesota schools have recognized this preference as an important individual difference and are scrambling to respond with a long-term commitment to an online option. This recent story from the Minneapolis Star Tribune offers some insight into how intend to respond.
There are 38 state-approved online programs operating now, and the Minnesota Department of Education typically gets three or four applications for new online learning programs each year. All approved programs are open to students statewide.
While most states offer some limited alternatives to traditional face to face attendance, the difference here seems to be the increased commitment of individual school districts to respond and not just pass interested students on to existing online programs. What is unclear now is whether the COVID experience has created a short or long-term interest in a different learning experience.
Basic stats concerning online K12 education
I wonder how many teacher preparation programs are preparing educators for this instructional option.
I lived and worked in North Dakota for 37 years. When I see North Dakota in the national news it tends to be for either cold weather or some really weird bill that has been proposed in the legislature. While the present circumstances lean toward the second of these experiences, today North Dakota is debating a bill challenging the practices of Apple and Google when it comes to their practice of limiting user opportunities to the company stores for mobile devices.
This quoted paragraph from yesterday’s New York Times article gives you a sense of the situation.
At the Capitol in Bismarck, a 21-story Art Deco tower that’s the state’s tallest building, a hearing on the bill last week drew Washington lawyers, North Dakota newspapers and Silicon Valley executives. Siding with Apple and Google was Americans for Prosperity, the conservative group funded by the Koch family. On the other side was the Fargo Chamber of Commerce.
North Dakota’s 47 senators are set to vote on the measure this week after debate starts on Monday. The timeline is accelerated because the legislature meets for just 80 days every two years. If a majority votes aye, the bill will move on to the House.
Video covering introduction of the bill – Apple strongly argues the privacy advantage of a closed system. As I understand the proposed remedy (e.g., Spotify), pay your fee on your computer and use the free app on your phone. Is this a universal opportunity?
One fact about the Capitol – it has an observation deck, but the deck was closed because kids were throwing snowballs at passing cars.
I will let you figure out the educational benefits of this recommendation. I just find it really cool.
Radio.garden provides access to thousands of radio stations from your computer or device. According to Wikipedia it was originally a collaborative project of several Dutch universities intended to reduce the boundaries of radio listening. The interface is a globe with green dots indicating the presence of a radio station or stations you can bring to your device. Spin the globe and find music, news, and whatever from where ever. You can also search by entering the name of a city.
I found it interesting to explore locations I am curious about (Greenland or northern Alaska in winter) or to revisit places I have been (the music of South Africa from Cape Town). Of course, you can find many native language sources if you would like to practice a language you learned in the classroom.
QuikPub is based an idea that is so obvious. You connect to the QuikPub site and enter content you want to make available into a traditional web-based writing screen (links, images, and typical text features), click a button, and QuikPub creates a web page with this content. You are provided an address to post or send those who you want to see your content and an address you can use to modify or delete you page. That is it. No requirement to sign in. No charge.
I have no idea how these folks intent to monetize this effort and this always makes me wonder about longevity, but for those with something to say and not necessarily wanting to align with a service for regular blogging or social media interaction this seems useful.
Yes, I do think there will be abuses. However, as a user you are only providing access to the one page you generated.
I lived in North Dakota for 37 years. Normally, when the North Dakota legislature makes the national news it is because they have done something particularly ignorant. This has happened several times this session. However, North Dakota is now considering challenging Apple over the lack of flexibility in options provided customers of iOS devices. This issue resurfaces the issue raised by companies who are objecting to Apple wanting to take their 30% of fees for optional services users of apps can purchase.
Apple allows, but discourages the purchase or free download of software of its computer OS. There are legitimate concerns for purchasing software through an official outlet. I have a couple of times not been careful in installing downloaded software and found that I also had installed some unwanted service from the company providing the download. This is a legitimate issue and one needs to be careful that any software downloaded comes from the company selling or providing that software and not from a site hosting various downloads. This safety issue could apply to Google and Apple apps from other sources, but it does not explain Apple’s objection to the tax Apple wants to apply to optional services.
Apple rightfully touts its privacy commitment. However, it has its own issues when it comes to respecting the rights of customers. All of the large tech companies conveniently ignore practices that would harm their core business model. Google supports ad revenue. Apple supports locking users into purchasing software through their store. Privacy ends up as a convenient explanation for the monopolistic regulations Apple applies to the non-Apple software users decide to purchase.
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