【推荐1】Do students learn as much when they read digitally as they do in print? Investigators have been trying to determine whether students do as well when reading an assigned text on a digital screen as on paper.

A number of researchers have sought to measure learning by asking people to read a passage of text, either in print or on a digital device, and then testing for comprehension.

Most studies have found that participants scored about the same when reading in each medium, though a few have indicated that students performed better on tests when they read in print.

Since in standardized testing, reading passages and answering questions afterwards may tell us little about any deeper level of understanding, some researchers are beginning to pose more subtle questions.

When people were asked to read d story in print or on a digital device and then to reconstruct the plot development, the answer is: Print yielded better results. When people were asked to read by choosing how much time to spend on each platform, the researchers found that participants devoted less time to reading the passage on screen and performed less well on the following comprehension test.

So, how does the learning question relate to educational goals?

To become skilled in critical thinking, students need to be able to handle text. The text may be long, complex or both. To make sense of it, students cannot skim, rush ahead or continually get distracted. So, does reading in print versus on screen build critical thinking skills?

When asked in which medium they felt they concentrated better, 92 percent replied “print”. For long academic reading, 86 percent favored print Participants were also reported to be more likely to reread academic materials if they were in print

What’s more, a number of students indicated they believed print was a better medium for learning. By contrast, in talking about digital screens, students noted “danger of distraction” and “no concentration”.

Evidently, it’s not too hard to tell that a pattern did emerge: Print stood out as the medium for doing serious work.

【推荐2】Are you looking to load up your e-reader with some new books to promote your career? Well,look no further. Here are four best sellers for you!

The Boss of You by Lauren Bacon & Emira Mears

This book is a goldmine for women looking to start their own business. As a freelance writer (自由撰稿人), I read it several times when I decided to begin a career. I've folded so many pages in this book, and found some sections especially helpful, like the ones on figuring out start-up costs, drawing up a budget, and the ways to market yourself.

Suggested by Steph Auteri

The Path from Motherhood to Career by Diane Lang

I have used this book professionally myself after having my first child. Ms. Lang gives several choices that have worked for the women. At 62 pages long, every word counts. For moms that are still weighing choices, this book will help them decide if indeed it is time to go back to work.

Suggested by Anne Newton

Minding Her Own Business by Jan Zobel

Taxes are the same for women as are for men. Yet many women seem to have number anxiety that makes them feel they can’t deal well with their money. As a tax expert, I've seen this among my clients (客户) over the years. This book is designed for one-person businesses. Read it, and you’ll know what taxes to pay and what you needn’t.

Suggested by Jan Zobel

The Relationship Edge in Business by Jerry Acuff

For most women, the biggest challenges in our lives are the relationships we build and develop with our family and friends. Jerry explains how we can use those same relationship-building skills to build good relationships with our customers and co-workers that will help our business to grow soundly.

Suggested by Cyndy Kryder

【推荐3】That youngsters were glued to online games on their smart phones was a great concern for Ngurang Meena, a school teacher in Nirjuli.The 30­year­old social science teacher, who ran the Ngurang Learning Institute, an adult literacy centre, said that she felt disheartened when she read student papers.“The graph of student performance is falling every year.It breaks my heart whenever I see answer sheets — basic grammar skills are missing and there’s an absence of any cohesive (连贯的) expression.They lack guidance and their reading culture is almost zero,” Meena said.When her school and the centre she ran had to close due to infectious diseases, she planned to do something to address the   problem.

Inspired by a similar proposal in Mizoram, Meena set up a bookshelf with around 80 books as well as some benches on the side of the road in Nirjuli on 30 August 2020, where passers­by could spend time reading.The selections included motivational books, biographies and novels as well as comics for young children.“I have to please the minors with sweets to sit and read, but that is okay,” she laughed.

Meena’s bookshelf became a hit among youngsters who spent hours in the reading corner.Within two months, her effort became the talk of the town.

Now, generous contributions of books come in from the public and she is even receiving requests to set up such libraries in other parts of the state, including one in the capital, Itanagar.Since the tiny libraries are far from the main town, she also lends books out to those who want to read at home.

“I never thought that this would become such a big inspiration,” Meena said.“Since childhood, we have been told that books are our best friends.The next generation of kids is focused on games and other things.I don’t want them to head on the wrong track,” she added.

【推荐1】See a cellphone cover that you like on Taobao? Forget about placing an order, paying the bill online and waiting for days for it to be delivered to you. In the near future, you’ll be able to get it in minutes just by hitting “print” on your computer.

You might find it hard to believe that you could actually “print” an object like you would a picture. But it is not that hard to understand how it would work. Just as a traditional printer sprays ink onto paper line by line, modern 3D printers spread material onto a surface layer by layer, from the bottom to the top, gradually building up a shape.

Instead of ink, the materials the 3D printer uses are mainly plastic, resin and certain metals. The thinner each layer is—from a millimetre to less than the width of a hair—the smoother and finer the object will be.

This may sound like a completely new technology, but the truth is that 3D printing has been around since the late 1980s. Back then, it was barely affordable for most people, so few knew about it.

Last year, though, saw a big change in the 3D printing industry—printers became much cheaper. For example, 10 years ago a desktop 3D printer might have cost ￡20,000, while now they cost only about ￡1,000, according to the BBC.

Taken out of the factory and introduced to more diverse and common uses, 3D printing can create just about anything you can think of—flutes , bikinis, jewelry, aircraft parts and even human organs. In fact, scientists from Cornell University in New York have just made an artificial ear using a 3D printer, according to Science Daily. The fake ear looks and acts exactly like a natural one.

However, as 3D printing becomes more common, it may bring about certain problems—such as piracy. “Once you can download a coffee maker, or print out a new set of kitchen utensils on your personal 3D printer, who will visit a retail store again？” an expert in 3D printing told Forbes News. Even more frightening, what if anyone in the world could use a 3D printer to print out a fully functioning gun?

【推荐3】Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been applied in a wide range of fields to perform specific tasks, including education, finance, heavy industry, transportation, and so on.

There are a number of companies that create robots to teach subjects to children ranging from biology to computer science, though such tools have not become widespread yet. Advancements in natural language processing, combined with machine learning, have also enabled automatic grading of assignments. AI has also led to an explosion in popularity of MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, which allows students from around the world to take classes online.

Use of AI in banking can be tracked back to 1987. Banks use artificial intelligence systems to organize operations, maintain book-keeping, invest in stocks, and manage properties. Also, systems are being developed, like Atria, to translate complex data into simple and personable language. There are also wallets, like Wallet AI, which monitor an individual’s spending habits and provides ways to improve them.

Robots have become common in many industries and are often given jobs that are considered dangerous to humans. Robots have proven effective in jobs that are very repetitive which may lead to mistakes or accidents due to failure in concentration and other jobs which humans may find degrading.

Today’S cars can have AI-based driver assist features such as self-parking and advanced cruise controls. AI in transportation is expected to provide safe, efficient, and reliable transportation while minimizing the impact on the environment and communities.

Companies like Mattel have been creating AI-enabled toys for kids as young as age three. Using proprietary AI engines and speech recognition tools, they are able to understand conversations, give intelligent responses and learn quickly. AI has also been applied to video games, for example video game bots, which are designed to stand in as opponents where humans aren’t available or desired.

【推荐3】Late in 1876, William Orton received advice from Alexander Graham Bell who offered to sell Orton his new invention, the telephone, for $100,000. Orton turned him down. “Why,” he laughed, “would any person want to use this ugly thing when he can have a clear written message sent to any large city in the United States?”

Hmmm. My point is: things that you don’t think will catch on sometimes do. Keep that in mind, for a moment, while I tell you that this season’s most popular party dressing trend is renting your dress, rather than buying it.

The idea for Girl Meets Dress was born when former fashion PR Anna Bance realized that the practice of lending designer dresses to stars to wear once for an event could be applied to ordinary people. Ten years on, Girl Meets Dress has more than 4,000 pieces to hire.“Sometimes you want to take an Uber; sometimes you want to drive your own car,” says Bance. In the same way, she predicts “half of women’s wardrobes are going to move into the cloud”. Girl Meets Dress is simple to use: no need to subscribe, you can try on up to three dresses and only pay for the one you wear, and two-night dress hire costs between £19 and £119 depending on the dress itself.

For her university ball, recent fashion graduate Lotti Martin-Fuller spent £20 on renting a dress worth £100. “I’ve always felt guilty about consuming fast fashion,” she says, “but also wanted to be up-to-date with fashion. As a student, I didn’t have £100 to spend on a dress I might never wear again.” Hirestreet’s founder Isabella West reports that youthful renters are proud to tell people their dress is hired.

Right now, demand is more than supply. Rent your dress. The planet will love you for it.