Anna, aged eleven, won a competition to open Latitude Festival with her poem, The Mother Tree. She told Newsround about her experience.

It has been announced that Strictly Come Dancing Star Amy Dowden will not be returning to this year's series of Strictly.

Does it seem like there are more spiders around the house right now? And do the spiders you spot seem bigger than those you've seen in recent months? Spider expert, Dr Sara Goodacre, is here with some arachnid answers.

The largest and most advanced wave pool is opening in Scotland giving surfers the chance to ride the waves no matter what the weather.

Donald Trump has addressed his supporters as he claimed victory in the US presidential election.

Leaders around the world have started sending their congratulations to Trump.

Donald Trump has won the 2024 US election and will be president for a second time from early next year. Lots of you had questions and we asked a BBC expert to answer them.

Nina has our weekly dose of Strange news. We've got some cake, some giant masks and some apples in a bath!

Test your knowledge of recent news with our Quiz of the Week.

Nope you're not seeing double! Take a look at the new wax figure of Mary Earps at Madame Tussauds.

Beyoncé joins Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga as a subject for serious academic study.

The new series is nearly here and we now know which ten famous faces will be going into the jungle. Meet all the stars set to star in this year's show - and let us know who you're most looking forward to seeing in action.

Researchers say the fossil is a distant relative of our modern-day spiders.

New research shows the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from private jets between 2019 and 2023.

Many schools across the UK will be marking Anti-bullying Week, but what is it all about?

More than 1.5 million children across the UK are taking their learning outside this year as part of Outdoor Classroom Day.

For Children In Need, one Gladiator is making surprise visits to primary schools around the country.

Title: Idioms- Body 3
Topic: Idioms
Level: Advanced
Information: Choose the correct answer.
Link: https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/569.html

Title: Test Your Spelling 3
Topic: General
Level: Intermediate
Information: Choose the correct answer.
Link: https://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/577.html

Help students master important reading skills with a passage about the Pony Express and reading comprehension questions, in this printable warm-up.

The utility's five-year capital plan totals $63 billion, 80% of which will support investments in grid modernization and zero or lower-carbon emitting generation.

After a few weeks of cold weather, cloudy skies and snow on the ground my mind begins to wander and think of where I would rather be than here. Hawaii sounds good, doesn't it? Unfortunately, my bank account usually says no to those types of dreams so I found AirPano.com which, at least, took my mind off of how cold I am and provided me a poor man's virtual vacation.

AirPano.com was actually better than I expected as it provided incredible 360 degree imagery of landmarks and cities from all over the world. Their website features "over 700 panoramas showing over 120 amazing locations of all continents including Antarctic and the North Pole" and panoramas from some 50 other locations are in the works.


Source: AirPano.com

Much of the AirPano imagery now includes interactive pinmarks that you can click on to learn more about the places that you are visiting (as you can see on the Venice, Italy panorama below). I think AirPano is a great way to learn about other parts of the world, not only from the amazing images, but also from the history and facts about each site that they provide. Last, but not least, it is a great way to get your mind off of the cold winter weather...


Visit Venice, Italy on AirPano.com

It's unbelievable that 2016 is here and the school year is half over, but that also means we are closer to the busiest time of year for those of us in the assessment industry.

I hope everyone has created and follows a secure assessment policy, but if not, John Kleeman, founder of Questionmark, created Ten tips for Securing Your Assessment System, which provides a secure foundation for your assessment system.  It seems security breaches most often occur as we get busy and are more prone to creating shortcuts in our work, but a "system" should help minimize these errors.  Please read John's post in its entirety and address any weaknesses in your assessment security:

What can you do to make your assessment system more secure? How can you avoid a disruptive data breach where people’s personal information is disclosed? Using a vendor who takes security seriously reduces risk, as I wrote in my blog article Eight ways to check if security is more than skin deep. But security involves both vendor and user. This post gives ten good practice tips on how you as a user or administrator of an assessment system can reduce the risk of data breaches.

1. Don’t give yourself or other administrators unnecessary privileges. Follow the principle of least privilege. It may sound counter-intuitive, but most administrative users don’t need access to all capabilities and data within your system. Limiting access reduces the impact of a data breach if an account is compromised or someone makes a mistake. If you are using Questionmark, allocate appropriate roles to limit people to what they need.

2. When someone leaves the project or organization, remove their access. Don’t allow someone who has left your team to still have access to your assessment data.

3. Follow good password security. Do not share passwords between people. Do not use the same password for two accounts. Choose strong passwords and change them periodically. If someone asks you for your password, never, ever give it. And if a web page doesn’t look right, don’t type your password into it.

4. Install all the patches and secure the system. A common cause of security breaches is failing to install the latest versions of software, and attackers exploit known vulnerabilities. You need to be proactive and always install the latest version of system and application software, set up good technical security and follow the vendor’s recommendations.

If you haven’t got the time or resources to do this properly, move to a cloud solution. In a cloud SaaS solution like Questionmark OnDemand, the vendor is responsible for updating Windows, updating the application, monitoring security and ensuring that everything is up to date.

5. Install good quality antivirus / anti-malware software. Reportedly there are nearly a million new or variant malware and viruses produced each day. Protect your computer and those of your co-workers with up to date, professional software to address this threat.

6. Protect any downloaded data. Questions, assessments and reports on results are generally safer on a server or in an on-demand service than on a workstation. If you need to download data locally, set up security procedures to protect it and try to ensure that any download is temporary only.

7. Dispose of data properly. Deleting a file on a computer doesn’t erase the data, it simply erases the index to it. If you use a reputable service like Questionmark OnDemand, if a disk is repaired or reaches end of life, it will be securely destroyed for example by degaussing. But if you download data locally or use installable software to manage your assessments, you need to do this yourselves. A recent study suggested that about half of used hard drives sold online contain residual data. Make sure this is not your assessment data!

8. Be careful about clicking on a link or attachment in an email. Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites (clicking on a link) to collect sensitive information or infect your machine with malware and viruses. Such attacks could even be aimed at your organization or assessment activity directly (this is called spear phishing!). Think before clicking.

9. Be aware of social engineering. Social engineering is when someone tries to trick you or someone else into a security breach. For example someone might ring up and claim to be a student who wants their results, but really is an imposter. Or someone might spoof an email from your boss asking for the questions for the next test to review. Be wary of strange phone calls or emails that ask for something urgent. If something seems suspicious, clear it with a security professional before you give them info or ask a caller to hang up and call them back on an official number.

10. Conduct security awareness training. If you’re not already doing this, organize training sessions for all your authors, proctors, administrators and other users to help them be security aware. if you can, deliver tests after the training to check understanding. Sharing this blog article with your co-workers would be a great way to start.

To see more Questionmark posts click HERE.

Follow us on Twitter!  @CareerTechTest

Whether you're a social media novice or not, hashtags may seem confusing and inessential. These short links (hashtags) preceded by the pound sign (#) are integral to the way we communicate online and it's important to know how to use them.

Can hashtags be fun? Absolutely!

On Twitter, the pound sign (or hash) turns any word or group of words into a searchable link. This allows you to organize content and track discussion topics based on those keywords. So, if you want to post about the NFL Super Bowl, you would include #SuperBowl in your tweet to join the conversation (or simply search for the hashtag to follow the discussion). Clicking on a hashtag will allow you to see all the posts that mention the subject in real time.

I also recommend using a social media management platform, such as HooteSuite, TweetDeck, etc., where you can create columns with hashtag topics.  I like the ability to monitor several discussions, i.e. #edchat, #lrnchat, #careerteched, at once and all on the same screen.

I've created a list of popular educational hashtags and tried to categorize them for you (see below). It definitely isn't all inclusive, but it's a good starting point and I hope you will share any new educational hashtags you find interesting and helpful!  (Also, hashtags are now a staple to social media and their use has been extended to other social media platforms.)

Popular Educational Hashtags
Hashtag	Category
	Career and Technology Education
#careerteched
#CTE
#vision15
	College
#highered
	Curriculum
#cchat
	Distance Education
#disted
#elearning
#k12online
#mlearning
#onlinelearning
	Groups and Chats
#edchat	Educational Technology
#educhat	Education Chat
#lrnchat	Social Media and Education
#oklaed	Oklahoma Education Chat
	Instruction/Learning
#blendchat	Blended Learning
#blendedlearning	Blended Learning
#education
#elearning	Electronic Learning
#flipclass	Blended Learning
#GBL	Game-Based Learning
#ntchat	New Teachers
#onlinelearning	Blended Learning
#pbl/#pblchat	Project-Based Learning
#studentcentered	Blended Learning
#teachered
#teachers
	Language
#bilingual
#efl	English as a Foreign Language
#ell	English Language Learning
#esl	English as a Second Languae
#tesol	Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
	Leadership
#edleadership
#eduleaders
	Resources
#education
#educational videos
#educationresources
#learning
#lessonplans
#library
#research
#teachers
#TLChat	Twitter Librarians
#TT	Teacher Tuesday where educators suggest others to follow
	Special Needs
#gifted	Gifted Education
#GTChat	Gifted Education
#spedchat	Special Education
	Science
#STEM
	Technology
#1:1
#apps
#blendchat	Blended Learning
#BYOD	Bring Your Own Device
#EdApps	Educational Apps
#edtech	Educational Technology
#edtechchat	Educational Technology
#elearning	Electronic Learning
#ipadchat	iPad
#iNACOL	International Association of Online Learning
#iste	International Society for Technology in Education
#mlearning	Mobile Learning
#mobile	Mobile Learning
#slide2learn	iDevices and Learning
#vitalcpd	Effective Use of Technology in the Classroom
#web20

Want to know how sleep "resets" your brain? How memories are formed and retained?  Then watch The Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep, embedded below, and learn how sleep balances and regulates the body's vital systems which, in turn, affects declarative and procedural memory.

This short TED-Ed lesson by Shai Marcu is an important topic as school starts and students will soon be staying up late or all night in order to cram for tests and other educational requirements. Marcu goes into detail describing the neurological importance of 8 hours of sleep, but the application is interesting as going to sleep three hours after memorizing math formulas (declarative memory) and one hour after practicing music scales (procedural memory) is the most ideal.

I'm left wondering what I might have accomplished if my sleep and learning patterns were consistent during my formative years...
    

1st part | 2nd part | 3rd part The list of the last eleven household circuit wirings: Three-way switches & light fixture (fixture at start of cable run) Three-way switches & light fixture (fixture at end of cable run) Three-way... Read more

The post 31 Common Household Circuit Wirings You Can Use For Your Home (3) appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

1st part | 2nd part | 3rd part The list of the next ten household circuit wirings: Double receptacle circuit with shared neutral wire (receptacles alternate circuits) Double receptacle small-appliance circuit with GFCIs & shared neutral wire Double receptacle small... Read more

The post 31 Common Household Circuit Wirings You Can Use For Your Home (2) appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

The circuit wirings in this article show the most common wiring variations for typical electrical devices. Most new wiring you install will match one or more of the wirings shown. Find the wirings that match your situation and use them to... Read more

The post 31 Common Household Circuit Wirings You Can Use For Your Home appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

New Lesson Plans Entry: 'Family gift suggestions: 'too' and 'enough' practice' has just been added to the Lesson Plans area of UsingEnglish.com.

The countries of the European Economic Area (EEA) have agreed on common minimum regulatory requirements in order to ensure the free movement of products within the EEA. The CE marking indicates that the product works in conformity with the directives... Read more

The post EN61800-3 (IEC1800-3) – Adjustable speed electrical power drive systems appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

In order to understand a photovoltaic (PV) installation and its components we must be familiar with the following terms: Standard Test Conditions (STC) PV modules PV string and Array The output of a PV module is not stable it depends... Read more

The post 3 Photovoltaic Installation Terms To Be Familiar With appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

MC Ride catalogs the paranoia and police brutality that drove him to the insanity the song exemplifies.

In his strangely affecting, minimalist rock paean "We Are All Teenagers," Fite sketches out a spare electric riff with a reverb-y '50s rock air as he nails the adolescent unease that lingers into adulthood.

In "That Time Is Gone," guitarist, part-time lead vocalist and pop-music legend Peter Holsapple lays bare the anxiety of re-assembling an act that was never much more than a cult phenomenon.

"Candy Girl" sounds like a shoegazer's modern take on Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" — the song that soundtracked the makeout scene in Top Gun. Cool but still beautiful, it's touching, revealing and almost painfully intimate.

Black Friday is gone, but Cyber Monday is here and it’s getting better! Let us share with you two Cyber Monday deals for our electrical engineers, expiring on December 3rd: 20% off on EEP Pro Premium Membership and 30% off... Read more

The post Cyber Monday in EEP! 30% off on courses and 20% off on premium membership! appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Black Friday is gone, but Cyber Monday is here and it’s getting better! It’s the Last Day!! Let us share with you two Cyber Monday deals for our electrical engineers, expiring on December 1st: 20% off on EEP Pro Premium... Read more

The post Cyber Monday in EEP! 30% off on courses and 20% off on PRO membership plan! appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Here we are at the conclusion of 2022, a year that was very stressful for all of us. There are many aspects about this year that will be remembered, but, in my opinion, the same as it was for 2021,... Read more

The post Well engineers, it’s about time… Pull the switch and enter the 2023! appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

The printable daily warm-up helps students master important reading skills with a passage on American history and reading comprehension questions about Betsy Ross.

I have English Teacher X's obra prima to read next and have enjoyed the other ebooks - they include a lot of sensible and realistic advice - but I didn't enjoy Speaking Activities that Don't Suck as much.

January 12
Three Branches, One Government
Review the functions of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government, as well as how the three branches relate to each other.

January 12
Fourth Grade Community Project: Going to the Museum
Encourage your students to research and visit a museum in your community with these activities.

January 12
Declaration of Independence
The text of the Declaration of Independence, including a brief description of the document and a list of the signatories.

This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the isolation, maintenance, and restoration of a 132kV GIS Transformer Bay and Line Bay. It will delve into detailed safety checks, specific steps to be... Read more

The post How to: Isolation, maintenance, and restoration of a 132kV GIS Transformer Bay and Line Bay appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Followed by Q&A with actor Colin Firth and director Tom Hooper

New study clips added! Suitable for upper-primary Literacy and ICT, these resources compliment the free wallchart available to UK teachers.

Film Education is pleased to offer you FREE tickets to a screening of 'L'Affaire Farewell' in association with the Coventry-Warwick Arts Centre

We believe viewing a wide variety of films is an essential part of young people’s film education. What film titles do you think all children and young people should see? We welcome your suggestions!