Happy New Year 2022!

 

I’m taking a little break from researching and writing blog posts to celebrate the December holidays and the New Year. Hope you have been doing the same (enjoying quality time with family and friends).

 

Here’s a few highlights from 2021 if you’re looking for something to read:

·      Top 100 E-Learning Blogs and Websites (Dec 2021)

·      The 50 Best Education Blogs (Oct 2021)

·      25+ Best Free Online Education Sites (Dec 2021)

·      The 10 Best Educational Websites for Taking Online Courses in 2022 (Dec 2021)

·      Best Online Courses and Online Class Sites of 2021 (Sept 2021)

 

I’d love to hear what online education topics you, our readers, are interested in learning more about.  Email me your suggestions here, and we’ll see what we can do.

 

Happy New Year!

An Example of Successful Transition to Online Learning Due to Covid

Today I’m going to share a personal story. I teach English as a Second Language (ESL) as a volunteer. In March 2020, the local in-person program I was working with shut down. I was fortunate to find a class at the local university that focused on American English pronunciation for non-native speaking graduate students serving as teaching assistants. The classes went online in spring 2020, and all went well. At the end of this spring semester, however, the university stopped offering the class.

 

For the summer and fall semesters, I couldn’t find a local ESL opportunity that was easy to volunteer for or where I would feel safe. In October, I was visiting a newly-retired friend in Boulder CO who was very excited about volunteering as an ESL teacher online. I followed up with the sponsoring organization and have now been assigned to my own student.

 

I am very impressed with how nimbly this ESL program transitioned to providing their services online at the beginning of Covid, and how this transition has enabled the program to greatly expand their services, probably permanently. Intercambio was started in 2001 to connect volunteer teachers with Latin American immigrants needing to learn English (the students pay a small monthly fee to have some “skin in the game”). Intercambio developed an ESL curriculum and offered in-person classes that taught English with an emphasis on cultural exchange. Both teachers and students were drawn exclusively from the Boulder Colorado.

 

Once Covid hit, they developed a Zoom-based online platform to host their existing curriculum and started offering classes online. Not having had any experience teaching online before, they limited class size to one teacher and one student. As a volunteer teacher, I can access all curriculum materials and PowerPoint slides for class presentation through the CC English web platform. Both teachers and students can message each other through the CC English web platform, and use that to access the zoom link for each class session. The various capabilities of PowerPoint and Zoom enable me as teacher to add to the slide materials in-the-moment, allowing prompt response to my student’s questions during class.

 

At the beginning of Covid, CC English teachers and students came from the Boulder area only. By now, they have recruited volunteer teachers from across the US and students come from outside the Boulder area as well. I live in Salt Lake City and am working with a student in Colorado. My friend lives in Boulder and is working with a student in Maryland. The geographic boundaries for this program are limitless, but I don’t think they’ve expanded internationally … yet. CC English also plans to start offering ESL instruction in the new year with larger-than-one class sizes. Who knows how big this program could get?!

 

 

What is a mental health gym? Can you attend online?

 

We’ve all heard that physical exercise is good for your mental health, right? And many people seek therapy to address more emotional and mental health issues. But what if there were a way to do “emotional push-ups” and “weight-lifting for your mind”? Virtually? There is.

 

Liberate Mental Fitness Studio, available online since May 2020, offers classes via zoom that “decrease stress and increase joy.” Taught by a certified instructor, the classes offer a combination of mindful movement (think yoga), journaling, conversation and meditation.

 

Coa, started around the same time, bills itself as a mental health gym. Coa sessions were designed by a clinical psychologist, are led by therapists, and are built around seven traits of emotional fitness: self-awareness, empathy, curiosity, mindfulness, playfulness, resilience and communication.

 

Your Life Gym, self-proclaimed as the first mental health gym of all, is focused equally on physical and mental health, positing that physically fit individuals are also mentally resilient. The gym’s mission is to “emulate positivity, unity, and transformation.” While most of their classes are only available in person at the gym in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, mental health classes are available virtually.

 

Inception, also self-proclaimed as the first mental health gym of all, uses a circuit model training approach focused on relaxation as the pathway to mental health. Relaxation is promoted through physical experiences (infrared sauna, lymphatic suits, salt therapy) and brain training. Because many of their activities require special equipment, it looks like the Inception experience is only available in person at their Farmington Hills, Michigan location. Or you can buy some of their relaxation-promoting products online.

 

None of this is free, of course. But then, neither is going to a physical exercise gym. Fees for mental health gyms are structured essentially the same way as your fitness emporium. For some, a monthly fee gives you access to a variety of pre-recorded sessions and resource materials and a maximum number of exercise sessions. Additional services are priced accordingly. Other mental health gyms simply charge by the class or activity.

 

Finally, mental health gyms are not a substitute for professional counseling or therapy. Think of it more as preventive medicine.

Free Computers/Devices Available, Mostly for Low Income Families

The big news this week is that US President Biden signed the long-awaited infrastructure legislation, which includes $65B for universal broadband.  Gina Raimondo, US Secretary of Commerce, said:  “We’re going to bring high-speed, affordable, and reliable broadband to 100% of Americans.”  While the money cannot be spent immediately, the imminent broadband infrastructure will bring affordable internet access to many rural and low income students.

 

In our last blog post, we explored ways to access the internet for free (or very low cost).  That information is, of course, not very helpful if you don’t have a device (computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone). 

 

There is one easy way for anyone to get access to a computer for free.  Public libraries often offer use of a computer for a set period of time.  As mentioned in the last blog post, the internet access at libraries is often not secured (not password-protected), so you probably don’t want to pay your bills or check your bank balance at the library.

 

There are additional options for getting a free computer or other device.  Most require that  you meet certain low income criteria, but anyone can look for used laptops available for free.  I’ve found several articles that identify various ways to do just that (find free computers or other devices).  Rather than repeating their excellent research, I’ll just send you there:

 

·      51 Best Ways to Get a Free Laptop (Even from Apple, Amazon & Dell) (updated May 2021)

·      7 Ways to Get Free Computers for Low Income Families (updated September 2021)

·      8 Ways to Get Free Laptops (updated November 2021)

·      6 Places That Will Send You a Free Computer (updated December 2020)

·      27 Best Ways to Get a Free Computer from the Government (updated March 2019)

 

Free internet access can be found

 

Universal broadband, aka easy access to the internet for all, includes a geographic component (any person should be able to access the internet regardless of where they live or work) and a financial component (access to the internet should be affordable).  In our last post, I outlined some options for low-cost monthly internet services, even before we have universal broadband in the US.  But that only piqued my curiosity about free internet access.  Come to find out, it does exist in predictable and non-predictable forms.

 

As any student or unhoused person can tell you, you can get on the internet for free at most public libraries.  Your access may be time-limited if you’re using the library’s computer (especially if there is a line of people waiting to check their email), but bring your own laptop and you can go down internet rabbit holes all day for free.  I know, I’ve done it! 

 

Most coffee shops and restaurants offer free wifi as well.  You will probably need to buy something to eat or drink, but a small cup of coffee can last the entire afternoon while you’re enjoying the free wifi.  Especially pre-Covid, many of my friends and I lovingly referred to the local coffee shop as our “other office” because we spent so much time working there (and taking advantage of the free wifi). 

 

Come to find out, many nationwide chain stores also offer free wifi.  Stores like Office Depot, Target, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, Apple, Marriott Hotels.  Unlike a coffee shop or a restaurant, it may be more complicated to set yourself up for a long work session in a store, but if you just need to quickly check your email, it might be the perfect spot.  WiFi Free Spot helps you find free wifi locations open to the general public, customers or guests by US state.  There are additional lists for free wifi locations in Europe; Canada; Carribean, Mexico, Central America and South America; Middle East and Africa; Asia; Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific. 

 

The internet access at libraries, stores and restaurants/coffee shops is often not secured (not password-protected), so you probably don’t want to pay your bills or check your bank balance at the library.

 

The ways of accessing the internet for free I described above are not that hard to figure out.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are also internet providers who offer limited free internet service.  FreedomPop offers a “Freemium plan” that includes unlimited wifi calling, 10 free text messages a month, and 25 MB data access per month (enough to access maps and check email not too frequently).  You pay $10 for a SIM card for your existing cellphone (which may be refundable if you return the card within one year), which then serves as your wifi hotspot whenever you want to access the internet.  If you need more internet access than offered for free, their more data-rich plans start at less than $10/month.  NetZero provides free dial-up internet access (via a CD uploaded to your computer), but your usage cannot exceed 10 hours per month.   NetZero also offers free email service through your cellphone with no apparent usage limitations.  Similar to NetZero, Juno also provides free email service through your cellphone.

 

Connect2Compete, run by Everyone On, helps low income families find free or extremely low cost interest access (and devices).  Click the “find low-cost offers” to see what’s available where you live.  The ISP-in-Area website lists internet service providers by state.  Some ISP providers have programs through which they offer free or low-cost internet service to low income customers.  It just takes a little research to find them.

Broadband company takes steps toward universal internet access

In previous posts, we’ve explored the problem of unequal access to the internet across the US, as well as some of the possible solutions.  We made the case for universal broadband, described proposals for universal broadband funding, described the US federal government’s emergency broadband benefit program, and linked to an interactive map documenting the digital divide on the US.

 

The United States’ largest internet provider is showing how the private sector can be part of the solution as well.  I’m most familiar with what Comcast (aka Xfinity) is doing in my back yard (Salt Lake City).  The company recently announced they will be giving $100,000 and 1,000 computers to local non-profit organizations that work with children living in poverty.  Comcast will also be providing free wifi hotspots (“Lift Zones”) in 35 community centers throughout our state, expanding the free internet access currently available mostly in libraries, which often have limited opening hours.

 

You can plug your zipcode in at this website to see what similar services Comcast is providing in your community.

 

The recent donation of cash and equipment builds on Comcast’s ten-year history of offering low-cost internet access to families living below the poverty line.  While that opportunity still exists, Comcast is now also facilitating access to free emergency broadband benefits temporarily provided by the federal government.

 

Comcast is not the only entity to provide free devices to access the internet.  In future blogs, we will explore a variety of options to find a free computer or tablet, as well as ways to access the internet for free.

Free Homework Help at Your Local Library

 

I recently got an email from my county library alerting me to resources available for homework help.  The best line of the email:  “It's all FREE with your County Library card.”  Now, I think you do have to be a county resident to get a library card, but I’m sure other libraries have similar access.  Many of these resources can probably be accessed another way as well.

 

The resources are broken into three categories: 

 

·      Pre-K and elementary includes live tutors, magazines, encyclopedia (Funk & Wagnalls), pre-K prep, math and English, science experiments, videos and stories.

 

·      Middle and high school includes biographies, live tutors, career prep (licensure), college admissions help (essays), magazines, US and world history, HS equivalency (GED), military and government documents, poetry and short stories, points of view (controversies), school center (practice questions), science experiments, encyclopedia (World Book).

 

·      College and adult includes academic search (peer review), biographies, live tutors, career prep (licensure), college admissions help (essays), college students (test prep), magazines, HS equivalency (GED), US and world history, military and government documents, poetry and short stories, points of view (controversies), religion study and history, science experiments, tuition funding (scholarships), universal class, encyclopedia (World Book).

 

 

 

Virtual Museum Tours for a Rainy Saturday

In my last post, I focused on virtual travel.  On this rainy Saturday, I decided it would be nice to visit a museum without having to get in the car or put my mask on.  And there are so many options …

 

The Museum Computer Network (MCN, advancing digital transformation in museums) has put together an extensive list of museums containing virtual content, which it claims to be continually updating.   The list includes portals, virtual tours and online exhibits, e-learning, content created for kids, online collections, science collections, history collections, and digital archives and libraries.  Almost all of the resources are available for free.  As an additional resource, MCN also links to the 75 Best Virtual Museum Tours Around the World, featuring art, history, science and technology exhibits.

 

I explored a few of the options on the museum list and was blown away.

 

The Louvre Museum (Paris, France) website allows you to visit the museum from your desktop.  Pick a gallery, and you’re taken on a personal tour.  Some of the tours are a slide show mimicking your actual walk through the space, and some are 360^o videos.  The tours highlight the art on display, as well as some of the Louvre’s stunning architecture.  Clicking on the “i” button next to specific displays brings up detailed information about that part of the exhibit.  The only thing missing is the café and croissant.

 

The virtual tour of the NASA Langley Research Center includes a series of slides and a short narrated video of each major building on the campus.  Many of the buildings can also be visited via a 360^o photo.  This virtual tour could be a great way to “host” a field trip for K-12 students studying the history of space travel.  Followed by watching JFK Moonshot, a virtual recreation of the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first man on the moon.

 

The Städel Museum (Frankfurt, Germany) has created an interactive time machine, in which the virtual visitor is guided through 200 years of the museum’s history.  You can see a painting in the current collection as it was displayed 200 years ago, and learn about the history of the painting and how critics’ opinions and analysis of the art have changed over the years.  With additional software and use of a virtual reality headset, it’s as close to time travel as you can get.

 

Many of the museums, like the National Museum of Korea, have digitized their exhibits by taking a photograph of each item on display, and linked that with information about the item.  It is a little more cumbersome to navigate these websites and exhibits, and you don’t get the illusion of being there, but you can still learn a lot.

 

The MCN list of museums with virtual content is heavy on US museums, but as you can see above, international “travel” is also possible.  But, for now, the rain has stopped and I’m going to explore my own backyard.

Virtual Travel Opportunities Abound

 

I recently had emergency surgery, with a week-plus of enforced rest.  The surgery cut short a camping trip, so I was feeling mighty travel-deprived.  With all that time on my hands, I got to searching the web for virtual travel opportunities – films and websites that could help me be an armchair traveler without using a single core muscle.  I found so much …

 

First, I googled “best travel movies” and found lots of lists.  Based on recommendations from my favorite list, I binge-watched Under the Tuscan Sun and A Good Year in one evening.  Both movies help you imagine that you’re in the grand rural geographies in Italy and France where they take place.

 

Then I moved on to virtual travelogues and found that so much has been released to the public or created during the past 1.5 years of Covid.  I’ll just highlight a few for you that combine wanderlust with educational value.

 

Flyover Zone takes you on 360-degree 3D tours of some of the world’s great cultural heritage sites.  Commentary is provided by leading historical and archaeological experts.  Where sites remain in a damaged condition, the tour may include digital restoration, so you can imagine what it might have looked like at its best.  For now the tours include Baalbek Roman temples,  Hadrian’s villa, chariot racing, and Rome reborn.  Tours of Athens reborn, great monuments and Egypt reborn are under development.  You’ll have to look at their website to see which tours are free.

 

Just as you can find just about anything available for sale on Amazon’s virtual marketplace, you can use the beta version of Amazon Explore to virtually visit a dizzying number of tourist destinations.  Ranging in cost from $10 to under $100, the virtual travel experiences are organized by world region (North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia).  The focus of the virtual trips is also broad, ranging from a virtual cocktail class to learn how to make the Peruvian drink pisco to shopping (live) for customizable traditional Tuscan textiles to a virtual tour of Slovenia’s capitol (Lubljana) through romantic stories to an exploration of miniature orchids in Costa Rica.

 

Unify Cosmos promises that you’ll be listening to “the most relaxing sounds in the world.”  You begin the adventure by selecting a place in the world from their list of options.   I picked Alghero, Sardinia.  After clicking on the arrow, I listened to wonderful ocean waves as they lapped on the beautiful beach displayed on my screen.

 

Finally, Google Arts & Culture offers interactive opportunities to engage with art throughout the world.  By downloading experience-specific apps on your device, you can play with art through offerings such as “Which artwork looks like you?,” “Make music with the blobs in London,” or “Turn yourself into Van Gogh.”  You can also explore major museums like the Grand Palais in Paris, the Tate Britain in London, or the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo.

 

These virtual travel opportunities are not likely to disappear when Covid does (when will that be?!).  Meaning that we all – adults and children alike – will be able to appreciate some of the wonders of traveling to exotic places from our armchairs for years to come.  If you combine that with ethnic take-out or adventurous cooking, and virtual shopping, maybe it’s almost as good as being there?

 

Covid may have been the tipping point for online K-12 education

 

Before Covid, there were plenty of families who “home-schooled” their K-12 children via online courses.  One of my son’s friends did all four years of high school on a boat sailing around the world with his parents.  Many religious families chose to exert greater control over curriculum content by teaching their children themselves, often using online curricula to do so.  Families living in remote areas (think ranches in the western US or in the outback of Australia) had few other choices than what was called “correspondence courses” pre-internet.

 

With the significant reliance on virtual schooling during Covid, a far greater part of the general population has been exposed to the opportunities online learning can offer.  As a result, many more families want to have permanent online opportunities available, and some school districts are accommodating that interest. 

A recent CNN article gives a good analysis of why this trend is occurring, along with some examples of options for online K-12 education available in Colorado.  For some families, the interest in online options is rooted in continued concern about Covid exposure risk.  Others have found that online education meets their child’s emotional needs and learning style better than in-class formats.  The appeal of virtual school, or hybrid online school with in-person extracurricular activities, will only grow as educators refine their curricula and teaching methods to enhance the learning via online methods.

 

Some jurisdictions are creating new online schools to meet the need.  The CNN article describes the Spark Online Academy, a K-8 virtual school currently available in school district 11, but shortly opening up to any student living in Colorado.  Other jurisdictions are deciding to continue offering an online option as an alternative for children who don’t want to restart in-person classes.  My home town is offering Salt Lake Virtual Elementary for K-6 students.  While this appears to be a temporary offering while Covid remains a threat, it may become permanent if demand continues, since the infrastructure will already be in place.

 

The CNN article emphasizes that online learning is not ideal for every K-12 student.  But, thanks to our experiences over the past 18 months with Covid restrictions, many students will now have a real choice between in-person and virtual learning … depending on which option suits their situation best.

Written by Michele Straube 

Good Reasons to Support Universal Free Online Education

 

If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you know that the Straube Foundation advocates for universal free online education.  That means education at all levels, particularly at the higher levels, available online, at no cost, for anyone who wants it.

 

The past year-and-a-half of Covid restrictions, and education-related data released recently, highlight the relevance of this mission.

 

The costs of college are going up, and families’ ability to pay the full cost is going down.  Recent estimates suggest that, including supplies, room and board, the cost of college can exceed $70,000 per year.  And that’s not for an expensive Ivy League school.  Many families do not have to pay that full cost, relying on scholarships, grants and student loans, to make up the difference.  But even with financial assistance, the annual “How America Pays For College” report suggests that families on average pay $26,373 per year for college.  Given the level of job disruption caused by Covid shutdowns, these college costs are no longer manageable for many families.  Does that mean their kids should not receive a college education?  Of course not.

 

There are also non-financial costs associated with attending school in person.  Being in a crowded, poorly ventilated, classroom for many hours increases exposure to Covid and other illnesses (which are enjoying a resurgence due to reduced immunity from extensive mask wearing).  There is an ever-increasing risk of physical violence at schools (79 school shootings have been reported this year so far, with ~115 school shootings for each of the three years before (2018, 2019, 2020)).

 

If we add in the diversity of learning styles across the population, and the ability of well-designed online classes to accommodate each learning style, it becomes clear that universal online education, available at no cost for all educational levels, would be a great benefit and equalizer in our society.

 

The Argument for Continued Online Learning in non-White Communities

 

A recent OpEd in the New York Times entitled “Don’t Kill Remote Learning.  Black and Brown Families Need It.” really spoke to me.  I’ll let you read the full article yourself, but highlight some of the main points.

 

·      Families of color are hesitant to send their children back into the classroom, due to fear of having the children contract Covid or become asymptomatic Covid carriers.  Many adult persons of color have jobs where they are in constant close contact with other individuals.  Vaccinations of adults in communities of color are moving slowly, and children under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated at all (yet).  All to say that the cumulative risk of being exposed to Covid remains very high in non-white families.  Sending their children back to in-person school simply increases the risk.

 

·      Children in families of color suffer from debilitating medical conditions like asthma and diabetes at far higher rates than white families.  This can prove a challenge for regular in-person school attendance, and also increases the risk of poor results if an affected child contracts Covid.  The option of online schooling provides these families an option for effective education for their children with chronic illnesses.

 

The OpEd concludes as follows:  “School districts shouldn’t add to the burdens of the families already suffering from educational and health disparities. Remote learning should remain available even after Covid is no longer an epidemic.” 

 

Interactive Map Released that Documents US Digital Divide

 

On June 17, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a first-ever interactive map which “displays key indicators of broadband needs across the country [the United States]. This is the first interactive, public map that allows users to explore different datasets about where people do not have quality Internet access.”

 

Data from public and private sources include:

·      Usage:  75% or more devices in area connect with download speeds below 25 Mbps (county level)

·      Speed tests:  Median download speeds in area below 25/3 Mpbs (county and census tract level)

·      American community survey:  25% or more households in area report no internet access (census tract level)

·      American community survey:  25% or more households in area report no computer, smartphone or table (census tract level)

·      FCC Form 477:  No provider reports broadband services at 25/3 Mbps (census block level)

 

The data on the map can be viewed according to several different spatial boundaries:

·      County

·      Census tract

·      Census block

·      Minority serving institutions (NTIA MSIs)

·      American community survey high poverty communities (20% or more households below poverty level)

·      Tribal lands

 

The NTIA Administrator said this information will be used by federal and state governments to “make more informed decisions on expanding broadband access.”  The interactive map can also be used by non-profits and individual donors to target donations.

 

Where do most Americans without internet access live? You may be surprised.

 

In recent blog posts, we’ve explored the lack of broadband access in the United States, and described actions the federal government is taking to fix the problem.  The focus on expanded broadband access is often on the rural areas of the country, assuming that it’s mostly an infrastructure problem. 

 

A recent New York Times article looks more closely at the urban households who cannot afford access to the internet, even though the infrastructure is present in their neighborhood.  The article suggests that “some critics worry that the capital-heavy rural-first strategy could leave behind urban America, which is more populous, diverse and productive.”  It goes on to state that the total number of urban households without internet (13.6 million) is almost three times as high as the number of rural households who have no access to internet (whether they can afford it or not).  And notice that the numbers are for households, not the total number of individuals in those households.

 

Not surprisingly, the major impediment for urban households without internet access is financial.  They simply can’t afford it.  They are also overwhelmingly low income communities of color.  Which raises the politically sensitive issue of providing subsidies or otherwise regulating the pricing of internet service.

 

One urban community has taken matters into their own hands.  Three underserved neighborhoods in Detroit have benefited from the Equitable Internet Initiative, a coalition of media and tech companies and community groups that is financing and building wireless broadband networks for 50 households in each neighborhood.  Called “community technology”, this approach seeks to implement the United Nations’ declaration a few years ago that internet access is a basic human right.

 

The project uses local labor, training the residents who will benefit from the internet access in the skills needed to install and maintain the broadband network.  In 2018, its pilot year, the Equitable Internet Initiative installed broadband access into 150 homes.  In succeeding years, it has expanded into additional underserved Detroit neighborhoods.  The group is currently looking to hire a coordinator to keep the program going.

 

Another approach to making the internet accessible to all urban households is to essentially treat broadband providers as utilities, mandating that they provide a minimum level of service to everyone.  The State of New York has recently required internet providers to offer broadband service for $15/month.  The audience for this subsidized internet service is customers whose low income qualifies them for other government services like food stamps or Medicaid.

 

Universal broadband access is clearly a complicated aspiration, which will require a multi-facted set of solutions to become reality.