Archaic computer technology is hampering the effort to combat the effects of covid-19 in the United States.

Young medical students and health-care workers simply want to keep contributing in the only home they know.

Reopening the country may be bad from a public health standpoint, but the president is pushing for it anyway.

The administration’s crackdown on immigration makes it harder to staff a health-care system facing chronic worker shortages.

America only benefits from U.S.-trained scientists.

Trump is all about the favors. Even when it concerns our livelihood.

Those taking on great risk should be appropriately compensated.

Tax cuts are the GOP’s all-purpose remedy. Even for the coronavirus.

Trump's own industry — leisure and hospitality — saw all its job gains since 1988 wiped out.

Obviously, due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, summer plans are on hold until further notice. And for families who rely on camp during the warmer months, this can be problematic. Although traditional summer camps might be out of the question this year, there are plenty of virtual options that will keep kids of all ages entertained. Whether they're looking to keep their academics sharp (hey, no one likes that pesky summer slide, right?) or just want some good, old-fashioned fun, these online summer camps will deliver.

In honor of April’s status as National Humor Month and the Covid-19 pandemic, today’s topic is clean, funny, kid jokes. National Humor Month was founded in 1976 by author Larry Wilde, who chose April because of its frequently bleak weather, […]

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends wearing cloth face masks in public when it is difficult to maintain proper distance from other people, such as when walking in a busy part of town or at the grocery store. They […]

“April showers bring May flowers.” Perhaps this is why May is National Flower Month. Indulge your green thumb with this week’s website picks about flowers.

There are several things which go into successful video marketing on YouTube. One of these things is the very often neglected YouTube SEO that’s so vital for getting viewers to actually find your video. Too many YouTube marketers are concerned with what’s going on in their videos to really push for better SEO, and it […]

The post How Web Media Developer can use YouTube SEO with Better Search Marketing to Rank Their Videos appeared first on SpyreStudios.

It’s rather unfortunate that the best some of us can do in a time of a global pandemic is to stay at home in order to help. Quarantines for that matter, are tough challenges for the regular person. However, they don’t have to feel like an unproductive slog, why not treat yourself to some self-improvement […]

The post 12 Free Web Development Courses to Take While in Self-Isolation appeared first on SpyreStudios.

In the past five years, mobile games have exploded in popularity. With the advent of Apple’s App Store, mobile app developers have jumped on the opportunity to create mobile games from scratch on the most popular devices in the world. What Makes a Mobile Game Go Viral? Why is it that some mobile games become […]

The post From Concept to Design: How Developers Create Today’s Most Popular Mobile Games appeared first on SpyreStudios.

Staying fit these days is now more important than ever with the global pandemic having no cure or vaccine yet other than a healthy body. It just so happens that being active is also more difficult because gyms are closed in affected areas. Home workouts like yoga, in that regard, are golden and yoga website […]

The post 12 Yoga Website Designs for Inspiration appeared first on SpyreStudios.

As web designers/developers, finding the right theme for a client’s website can be a complicated process. There are several factors to consider – preference, needs, functionality, and even budget. When you first look at themes, aesthetics is often what captures the eye, looks are important and will play an essential role in creating the right […]

The post Important Functionalities for an E-Commerce Theme appeared first on SpyreStudios.

ECommerce is undeniably a buzzword. Many people have been discussing this term for a long time since the Internet was opened to commercial use. Through its history, with many advantages over brick and mortar stores as well as mail-order catalogs, eCommerce has become one of the fastest-growing industries.  Did you know that 25% of the […]

The post What Will An Ecommerce Website Need To Stand Out In 2020? appeared first on SpyreStudios.

The option of cryptocurrencies or electronic currencies for websites is increasingly stronger as a mechanism for the purchase of products and services, not only on the Internet but also in some businesses that have begun to accept this means of payment. If you’re working on a crypto-related project or a client who accepts cryptocurrency payments, […]

The post Tools You Should Know To Protect Bitcoin Transactions appeared first on SpyreStudios.

Coffee, music, YouTube channels, and procrastination— only a handful of things can make your day when it comes to increasing productivity but none of them are as complete as having a home office setup. It makes a world of difference where and how you work especially if you work from home. Hence, some home office […]

The post 12 Home Office Setup Ideas for Web Designers and Developers appeared first on SpyreStudios.

One of the biggest mistakes a business owner can make today is ignoring social media marketing or treating it as an afterthought. This is even more so in an increasingly competitive space like the web design niche where small businesses have to strive to leave the shadows of more established brands with years of history […]

The post How to Use Instagram To Grow Your Web Design Business appeared first on SpyreStudios.

With the lockdown across nations, you are probably spending more time reading. Whether it’s for pleasure or for work, we’re here to help you fill your time with some reading material. These web design articles are not only about best practices, deals, and trends in the niche but also include feel-good stories that we all […]

The post Roundup: Web Design Articles May 8, 2020 appeared first on SpyreStudios.

Blast from the Past: This blog entry was first issued on June 30, 2014 and was reissued on March 28, 2020. As I re-introduce this piece, we are sheltering in place as is so much of the world. That means schools are closed in many places and teachers and parents are concerned about what is being lost from children's education. As with many of you, I've been trying to help protect children's learning during these fraught times. Which brings us to today's blog entry, this one about how I taught my own children to read at home.

Last week, I began a multi-part series on how I taught my daughters to read. My oldest daughter wryly replied to that entry, suggesting I could have saved a lot of pixels if I had just said that I hired a tutor…. And her son who just had his third birthday (and who did not read that entry) informed me that his goal for being three years old was to read words.

So far, I have explained the literacy environment, print awareness, and sight word teaching that were part of teaching my daughters to read, but phonics also played an important role.

Previously, I described how I taught my daughters about print, sight vocabulary, phonological awareness,

The world lost an incredible talent with the death of Tomie dePaola. 

Have you ever thought that your home might provide areas of learning experiences for your child? As a teacher of young children, I would ask parents to look at their homes as a unique way of engaging children with their immediate and daily environment. Doing so not only prepares the children for school academic learning, but also for physical, social and emotional growth.

Establishing daily and weekly routines provides a structure for learning at home. Parents and children know how the day will unfold; routines create predictability and also anticipation for the fun and comforting things that will happen throughout the day. It can be helpful to identify a learning theme to explore together over the course of two weeks. You'll find a sample daily schedule below, with ideas for how to bring in the theme into every part of the day, from breakfast to read alouds to art and science activities. 

This month’s school closures have forced families to become teachers at home overnight. 

Teaching students to read is the first job of our schools. How can we help all students become strong, confident readers? Literacy for All: Equitable Practices for Reading and Dyslexia was held on February 20, 2020 in Annapolis, Maryland. The event was hosted by National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL), Decoding Dyslexia Maryland (DD-MD), and community partners. Reading experts from NCIL shared best practices in early screening and interventions supported by decades of reading research.

Author Madelyn Rosenberg hasn’t been able to visit her mother in person lately and has been thinking about all her mom has done for her — especially nurturing her as a writer. This led to Madelyn reaching out to other author friends who join her in sharing some of the great things their moms have done to support them and their career choice!

Yesterday, I helped a parent find books for her five-year old whose dog had just died. I suggested Judith Viorst’s The Tenth Good Thing About Barney (Atheneum) in which a child remembers the best things about his much missed and greatly loved cat.

David Bowles is an award-winning writer and poet, reviewer and translator, elected to the Texas Institute of Letters in 2017. He teaches children’s and young adult literature at the University of Texas Rio Grande. Living in Texas on the border of the United States and Mexico with his family, he not only embraces his Mexican-American heritage, he explores it in his writing.

A recent article from Edutopia suggested that we’re rushing young children through childhood.

Illustrator, writer, and filmmaker Mordicai Gerstein died earlier this month. He leaves behind an amazing body of work which is sure to be read and appreciated; several have already been anointed as modern classics.

Kevin McCloskey delivers fascinating information in digestible, user-friendly formats, which appeal to not only young readers but experienced ones as well.

We hear a lot about diversity and inclusion these days, often as it relates to books for young readers. Just as publishing for children and teens has evolved over the years, so has adults’ perception of youth and what is appropriate for them.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have a feeling I’m not alone. My cabin fever is getting worse the longer I’m staying home. The only thing keeping me sane is a pile of books that stimulate lots of ideas and inspire various activities. I’ve just gone through some recent books for kids and thought I’d share a few thoughts about how books can encourage creativity and help build a sense of community, right there at home.  

The world lost an incredible talent with the death of Tomie dePaola. 

The Washington Post’s rules for comments, reader discussions and communities.

O’Reilly has long been a leader in fostering community and building a direct sales channel. This week we took the next step in enhancing the customer’s direct buying experience by offering German editions for many of our ebook titles. Take …

I know from talking to many of my clients that most have read Jim Collins’ book ‘Good to Great’. I have also been inspired by his research into what makes great companies great. Many of you will recall an article …

Digital vs paper: ink on paper may still have the advantage In a recent edition of Scientific American, Ferris Jabr took a look at how technology is affecting the way we read and the differences between reading on screens and …

My favorite number at the first TOC buchreport in Berlin on April 23rd was 20, as in 20% of the 2.4 million ebook buyers in Germany in 2012 had not bought any books in the previous twelve months, according to …

I’m drawn to LinkedIn now more than ever before. The rate of connection requests I’ve been receiving there has also been accelerating over the past few months. Maybe it’s due to all the uncertainty of the publishing industry but I …

Back in college, I took a class on statistics and never forgot the first lesson my professor taught us, which was, “Anyone can manipulate numbers to make them mean whatever they want.” I see this point magnified today by the …

As an industry I think we’re getting weary of all the various “rich content” experiments and products floating around these days. I have to admit that most make me want to yawn and move on to the next item in …

Perhaps you’ve also wondered why the publishing industry produces and distributes all the major climate science information available but doesn’t read it. If it did, publishing could become the standard bearer for global reduction of carbon footprints. This business challenge …