Phonics is key to early reading instruction, according to a new brief released by the International Literacy Association. In the brief, the ILA endorses "systemic and explicit" phonics instruction, meaning that students are taught sound-letter patterns when learning English.
⋅ CNET
An Australian study of potential new job titles and descriptions shows an evolving job market that may include de-extinction geneticist, ethical hacker or cricket farmer, among others. The goal of the project is to help parents, educators and professionals prepare young people for jobs that don't yet exist.
Learning through digital technology and video games can lead to more peaceful societies, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the educational arm of the UN. The UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development has created two games aimed at teaching students about global citizenship and sustainable development.
The Trump administration and US congressional leaders have reached a two-year budget and debt-ceiling deal. The agreement provides $1.3 trillion for defense and domestic programs and a debt-limit suspension until July 31, 2021.
Kroger has picked DDB New York to be its first advertising agency of record. The agency is expected to help Kroger create a stronger brand identity and support the retailer's omnichannel efforts, like Kroger Ship and grocery pickup.
⋅ Forbes
EHRs and similar technologies have not made it easier for patients to track their own health and health care utilization, but evolving FHIR standards and user interfaces are starting to improve data exchange, writes Luis Castillo, CEO of Ensocare. A centralized service like cloud-based banking, or even a card on a mobile device, could store each health care transaction that patients can control, though security and HIPAA compliance must be carefully considered, Castillo writes.
Hypergiant's Ben Lamm discusses how pending data regulations are spurring marketers to find a balance between privacy and personalization and the role of artificial intelligence in helping marketers to make the most of a plethora of information. "AI becomes very useful in helping us to look at data without biases, find and clean up the data and then be an ally of marketers in answering questions and looking at many different scenarios," he says.
Barnes & Noble has turned to an independent bookstore veteran to lead a turnaround strategy centered around the idea that acting like an indie bookshop will help differentiate the chain from Amazon. CEO James Daunt has spent the better part of his nearly 30-year career with independent booksellers, and saw success by incorporating a human touch into store locations, tailoring offerings to local communities and operating outside of some standard retail rules.
Apple reportedly is in talks for a $1 billion purchase of Intel's chip business -- a deal that could drive development of 5G iPhones. Apple is still likely to use Qualcomm technology, writes Harry Domanski, but an acquisition of Intel's chip unit could move iPhone production largely in-house.
Nine firms have received the FDA's approval for their biosimilar versions of Pfizer's Lyrica, or pregabalin, a drug used to treat pain linked to diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The approved biosimilars are produced by Alembic, Alkem, Amneal, Dr. Reddy's, InvaGen, MSN Laboratories, Rising Pharmaceuticals, Sciegen and Teva.
Recent deals with IBM and Microsoft allow AT&T to connect with an expanding cloud market and could lead to technology vendors altering how they work with partners, according to analysts at global research and advisory firm Gartner. "It raises the customer expectation that there will be greater interoperability between different service providers," says Ed Anderson, research VP with Gartner.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week signed a plan into law that requires the state to get all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050. Solar capacity would have to reach 6,000 megawatts -- five times what it is now -- in six years, and new building codes would mandate efficiency measures.
Six criteria used to measure pollutants in the air decreased from 2016 to 2018, per a report from the Environmental Protection Agency, and the agency attributes these changes to President Donald Trump's administration. Measurements of the six key pollutants, excluding greenhouse gases, decreased by 74% since 1970.
Los Angeles International Airport has rolled out new germ-resistant bins at its security checkpoints. The bins are being paid for through an advertising agreement with JCDecaux Global.
Dream Cruises' summer 2020 itineraries will include new ports of call, such as Christmas Island and Belitung. Favorite locales Palawan and Kota Kinabalu also are among the destinations for the two- through five-night cruises.