Category «Education»

The Truth Is Paywalled But The Lies Are Free

Current Affairs: “Paywalls are justified, even though they are annoying. It costs money to produce good writing, to run a website, to license photographs. A lot of money, if you want quality. Asking people for a fee to access content is therefore very reasonable. You don’t expect to get a print subscription  to the newspaper gratis, why would …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Social Media

UN – “The future of education is here”

Education During COVID-19 and Beyond: “Education is the key to personal development and the future of societies. It unlocks opportunities and narrows inequalities. It is the bedrock of informed, tolerant societies, and a primary driver of sustainable development. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the largest disruption of education ever. In mid-July, schools were closed …

Subjects: Education, Health Care

Coronavirus Brings American Decline Out in the Open

Bloomberg Opinion – Noah Smith: Without fixes for infrastructure, education, health care and government, the U.S. will resemble a developing nation in a few decades. “The U.S.’s decline started with little things that people got used to. Americans drove past empty construction sites and didn’t even think about why the workers weren’t working, then wondered …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Education, Environmental Law, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Housing, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Medicine, Transportation

Ransomware: Your biggest security headache refuses to go away

ZDNet – “Ransomware has been around for more than three decades, so it’s hardly an unexpected threat. And yet, organisations large and small are still being taken completely by surprise by the file-encrypting malware, leaving them to decide between rebuilding many of their computer systems from scratch to rid themselves of the ransomware or paying …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Mail, E-Records, Economy, Education, Financial System, Knowledge Management

How the Pandemic Defeated America

The Atlantic – A virus has brought the world’s most powerful country to its knees. “…Despite ample warning, the U.S. squandered every possible opportunity to control the coronavirus. And despite its considerable advantages—immense resources, biomedical might, scientific expertise—it floundered. While countries as different as South Korea, Thailand, Iceland, Slovakia, and Australia acted decisively to bend …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Education, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Housing, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media, Transportation

Americans who believe there is some truth to conspiracy theory that COVID-19 was planned

Pew Research Center: “Most Americans (71%) have heard of a conspiracy theory circulating widely online that alleges that powerful people intentionally planned the coronavirus outbreak. And a quarter of U.S. adults see at least some truth in it – including 5% who say it is definitely true and 20% who say it is probably true, …

Subjects: Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Social Media

Colleges Seek Waivers From Risk-Taking Students

Inside Higher Education: “As fall semester approaches, students are increasingly opposing liability waivers and “informed consent” agreements required by colleges as a condition of returning to campus…” Via a rising junior at Bates College in Maine, the text of the agreement is as follows – “I am voluntarily assuming any and all risks that notwithstanding …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Education, Health Care, Legal Research

How Internet Archive and controlled digital lending can help course reserves this fall

Chris Freeland – Director of Open Libraries at Internet Archive: “I host regular webinars about the Internet Archive’s Open Libraries program, helping librarians and others understand how controlled digital lending works, and how their library can make their print collections available to users online. The question of how to safely handle course reserves is clearly …

Subjects: Digital Rights, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management

What the 15 biggest US school districts are planning for reopening

CNN: “Of the 15 biggest school districts in the country, only one is offering schools the option of in-person instruction, and 10 of them have opted to begin the school year with online learning only. Three have opted for a hybrid: New York City, Chicago and Hawaii Public Schools. Hillsborough County, Florida, the eighth-biggest district …

Subjects: Education, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

Humans are notoriously bad at assessing their risk. In a pandemic, that’s a problem

San Francisco Chronicle: “In the first few weeks of the pandemic, the familiar options of everyday life narrowed to almost nothing. The Bay Area largely hunkered down and stayed home while the coronavirus numbers climbed. Decisions had been made for us: School and work were closed, travel and socializing designated unsafe by health officials. The …

Subjects: Education, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Medicine

University Research Should Be Free to All

Inside Higher Education: “Since the novel coronavirus struck, scientific research has been shared, and built upon, at an unprecedented pace. An open and deeply collaborative academic enterprise has emerged, with scientists from around the world sharing data and working together to map the SARS-CoV-2 genome and develop the first vaccines. During normal times — when …

Subjects: Education, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management