critical

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY

An Electrical Engineer Explains What A Semiconductor Is And How These Critical Electronic Components Work And How They Are Made

Semiconductors are a critical part of almost every modern electronic device, and the vast majority of semiconductors are made in Tawain. Increasing concerns over the reliance on Taiwain for semiconductors – especially given the tenuous relationship between Taiwan and China – led the U.S. Congress to pass the CHIPS and Science act in late July 2022. The act provides more than US$50 billion in subsidies to boost U.S. semiconductor production and has been widely covered in the news. Trevor Thornton, an electrical engineer who studies semiconductors, explains what these devices are and how they are made. Thin, round slices of silicon crystals, called wafers, are the starting point for most semiconductor chips. Hebbe/Wikimedia Commons 1. What is a semiconductor? Generally speaking, the term sem...

On Critical Thinking Aaron Rodgers Dropped The Ball – You Can Do Better With A Little Practice

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY

On Critical Thinking Aaron Rodgers Dropped The Ball – You Can Do Better With A Little Practice

Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences It was hard to miss the news about Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers testing positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 3. Like the vast majority of people currently catching – and dying from – the coronavirus, he was unvaccinated. A few days after his diagnosis, Rodgers took to the airwaves to offer a smorgasbord of pandemic misinformation and conspiracy theories in defense of his decision to skip the COVID-19 vaccine. Having listened to many an interview with Rodgers, I found it totally predictable that he began his comments by asserting, “I’m not, you know, some sort of anti-vax, flat-earther.” But as someone who does research on how people think and decide, it’s what Rodgers said next that caused me to lean in: “I am someb...

Organizing And Math Literacy For Black Students – Bob Moses Played Critical Role In Civil Rights

29Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Organizing And Math Literacy For Black Students – Bob Moses Played Critical Role In Civil Rights

Hasan Kwame Jeffries, The Ohio State University As an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the 1960s, Bob Moses traveled to the most dangerous parts of Mississippi to help African Americans end segregation and secure the right to vote. But it would be tutoring students in math 20 years later at his daughter’s racially mixed middle school in Massachusetts that would lead to his life’s work – The Algebra Project. The Algebra Project is a nonprofit dedicated to helping students from historically marginalized communities develop math literacy, which is an individual’s ability to formulate, employ and interpret mathematics in a variety of contexts. Moses founded it in 1982. After researching Moses’ role in the civil rights movement for my book – “Bloody Lowndes:...

Here’s What Won’t Work, And What Might – Lawsuits Over Bans On Teaching Critical Race Theory Are Coming

2Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

EDUCATION, VIDEO REELS

Here’s What Won’t Work, And What Might – Lawsuits Over Bans On Teaching Critical Race Theory Are Coming

Frank LoMonte, University of Florida As states and school districts started threatening teachers with disciplinary action for teaching about systemic racism, the question naturally arose: Does this violate the teachers’ First Amendment rights? The First Amendment protects free speech against government punishment, outside of something as extreme as a threat of violence. A school district is a government agency. So anyone punished by a school district for nonthreatening speech seems to have the makings of a First Amendment case. But from years of teaching and researching First Amendment case law, I know that this is where things get complicated. Public school teachers are government employees. And thanks to a much-disputed Supreme Court decision from 15 years ago, government employees, ...

Activism In Students Sparked By Critical Race Theory

23Jun

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SOCIAL JUSTICE

Activism In Students Sparked By Critical Race Theory

Jerusha Osberg Conner, Villanova University Critical race theory – an academic framework that holds that racism is embedded in society – has become the subject of an intense debate about how issues of race should or shouldn’t be taught in schools. Largely missing in the debate is evidence of how exposure to critical race theory actually affects students. As a researcher who specializes in youth activism, I have conducted research on and with youth organizing groups in which critical race theory is a core component of the political education. Eighty-two percent of youth organizing groups regularly offer political education, which involves a critical examination of social issues, usually through workshops and group discussions. My research – along with that of other scholars – points to ...

Infrastructure That Has Long Been Devalued – Women-Dominated Child And Home Care Work Is Critical

10May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE

Infrastructure That Has Long Been Devalued – Women-Dominated Child And Home Care Work Is Critical

A fiery debate has erupted over the definition of “infrastructure.” Does it mean roads, broadband and other physical structures included in the traditional meaning of infrastructure? Or should it have a broader definition that includes other important parts of the economy, such as workers who care for children, older adults and people with disabilities? President Joe Biden prefers the latter meaning and wants to use nearly one-fifth of the US$2.25 trillion of spending in his jobs and infrastructure plan to expand and strengthen child care and home-based long-term care. As a sociologist who has studied the paid-care workforce for over 15 years, I know how critical it is to the U.S. economy – as the COVID-19 pandemic has made quite plain. The problem is, these workers have long been under...

24Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE

Youth: A Critical Stage In Life

I enjoy writing to young people like myself not because our old folks know better and do not need the information (which of course they do, and in fact should read it), but because a youthful psyche is one which is easily and readily flexible to both the positive influence (principles, knowledge, truths) about life or the negative appeals in our society. The youthful life is the period where characters are materialized, values are developed and choices are made. The choices and decisions that would transform our lives and even forthcoming generations, in spite of our present dilemma, will be taken during this phase of life. Steven Covey, who was an author and great teacher wrote, "I am not a product of my circumstance. I am a product of my decisions." Hence, the need for enlightenment and...

Preschool Parents Worry Their Kids Are Missing Out On Critical Social Skills During The Pandemic – Not Just ABCs

25Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

EDUCATION

Preschool Parents Worry Their Kids Are Missing Out On Critical Social Skills During The Pandemic – Not Just ABCs

As COVID-19 cases once again spike across the country, parents in school districts like New York City and Detroit face another weeks long stretch of remote learning. This often includes preschool parents, whose children range in age from 3 to 6 and are often too young to manage virtual learning on their own. Many of these parents worry their children are missing out on important parts of the preschool experience – particularly opportunities to develop social, emotional and behavioral skills through interactions with teachers and other children. As researchers who study children’s educational development, we know that preschool helps children develop important academic and social skills they will need for later school success. In April, we surveyed 166 parents of preschool children to exa...

Shaping Girls Future As Coders, Teachers Play A Critical Role

12Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

EDUCATION

Shaping Girls Future As Coders, Teachers Play A Critical Role

It doesn’t take long to help girls see a future for themselves in computer science, but it depends largely on how good their teachers are at recognizing the skills the girls have in coding, which is basically writing language for computers. We found that girls ages 10 to 12 can come to see themselves as coders in as little as a week. And there are diverse roles within the world of coding that allow girls with various personalities and skill sets to see themselves as coders. However, if educators recognize girls only for when they play a background role and help others, but not when they are more assertive and confident, then they may not develop their assertiveness and confidence in a way that enables them to succeed as coders. To reach this conclusion, my colleagues and I focused on thre...

Cyberspace is critical infrastructure – it will take effective government oversight to make it safe

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY

Cyberspace is critical infrastructure – it will take effective government oversight to make it safe

A famous 1990s New Yorker cartoon showed two dogs at a computer and a caption that read “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” The cartoon represents a digital past when people required few safeguards on the internet. People could explore a world of information without having every click tracked or their personal data treated as a commodity. The New Yorker cartoon doesn’t apply today. Not only do your browser, service provider and apps know you’re a dog, they know what breed you are, what kind of dog food you eat, who your owner is and where your doghouse is. Companies are parlaying that information into profit. Legal and regulatory protections in cyberspace have not kept up with the times. They are better suited to the internet of the past than the present. Today’s dependence on ...