Moving Innovation in Education Forward
Source: Medium
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan presents an initiative to foster innovation in the educational system.
Current Events
This year marks a new language shift in how English speakers use pronouns
Source: Quartz
The use of “they” as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun has been growing recently. But the 2015 Word of the Year has a surprisingly long history.
A Civil War journal, up close and personal
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
An American literature class at California University of Pennsylvania recently undertook the digital transcription of a journal written by a Civil War soldier. The task required them to decipher a text that was not only faded, but written in a style of English different from what we speak today.
Modern day Canterbury Tales refreshes Chaucer to tell the lost stories of refugees
Source: The Conversation
In June 2015, a group of academics set out to re-create The Canterbury Tales by walking 80 miles across the North Downs in England and telling the stories of refugees along the way. Their goal was to give a voice to those who are often unheard.
Order vs. Disorder
Source: The New York Times
The world may seem chaotic today, in part due to the failure of the Arab Spring to live up to its great promise. Pulitzer-winning writer Thomas Friedman notes that one cause of this disorder may be inequality of freedom: Many of those who have won freedom from oppression have yet to gain freedom to conduct their lives as they wish.
Why it’s time for South Africa to take down its walls
Source: Quartz
In recent decades, South Africans who can afford it have erected ever more daunting walls around their homes to keep out crime. One South African writer argues that only removing or lowering the walls will improve the situation.
Mountains and planning lessened punch by Hurricane Patricia
Source: USA Today
Hurricane Patricia, the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the western hemisphere, did remarkably little damage to the Mexican coast where it made landfall. Find out what natural forces caused it to form and to dissipate so rapidly.
Hurricane Katrina: Then and Now
Source: CNN
Ten years after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the recovery of New Orleans continues. See the progress from 2005 to 2015 in this photo essay.
Ten Years Without a Hurricane Hit, Is Florida’s Lucky Streak About to End?
Source: NBC News
Newcomers to Florida might not be prepared to face a hurricane. This news report provides information about important preparations that people should make to deal with this natural disaster.
“Brave Man’s” glass bridge offers vertigo-inducing views
Source: PBS News
Would you walk across this bridge if it were made of glass? See how some tourists in China are crossing a glass bridge and facing their fear of height in this video.