Questões

    The history of language study illustrates widely divergent attitudes concerning the relationship between writing and speech. Written language was the medium of literature, and, thus, a source of standards of linguistic excellence. It was felt to provide language with permanence and authority. The rules of grammar were, accordingly, illustrated exclusively from written texts.

    The everyday spoken language, by contrast, was ignored or condemned as an object unworthy of study, demonstrating only lack of care and organization. It was said to have no rules, and speakers were left under the illusion that, in order to “speak properly”, it was necessary to follow the “correct” norms, as laid down in the recognized grammar books and manuals of written style.

    There was sporadic criticism of this viewpoint throughout the 19th century, but it was not until the 20th century that an alternative approach became widespread. This approach pointed out that speech is many thousands of years older than writing; that it develops naturally in children (whereas writing has to be artificially taught); and that writing systems are derivative — mostly based on sounds of speech.

   Jack Kilby’s revolutionary idea was to make all the different components of a circuit out of the same flat block of semiconductor material. Not only would this get rid of wires and faulty connections, it would make the entire circuit much more compact. Kilby demonstrated his first “integrated circuit” on Sept. 12, 1958.

   Six months later, in California, another engineer, Robert Noyce, independently came up with the idea of making an integrated circuit. Noyce’s chip was better suited to be manufactured in large numbers, and soon he was part of a young company called Intel.

   Thus was launched a revolution. The first chip-based computer was the first U.S. Air Force computer, built in 1961. The true potential of the integrated circuit was shown when Texas Instruments unveiled the pocket calculator. Previously calculators had been bulky devices that needed to be plugged in to electrical mains. The pocket calculator, small enough to hold in one’s palm, had a chip inside and batteries were adequate to power it.

   Progress was rapid thereafter. Many have already heard of Moore’s law, which has become a mantra of the digital age. First put forward by the Intel co-founder Gordon Moore in the 1960s, it says that the processing power of a chip doubles every two years, while the price falls by half. For more than four decades, Moore’s law has held, driving incredible growth and miniaturization — and wealth.

  The question is whether the semiconductor industry can sustain this pace. Further increasing the processing power of chips is proving to be problematic as certain fundamental physical barriers are being reached. At the same time, new frontiers are opening up. The quest is on to make chips that are powered by light instead of electricity, which will enable much faster computers.

Saswato Das. The Chip that Changed the World. Internet: <www.nytimes.com> (adapted).

Adapted from:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/multilingual/world_englishes/#:~:text=The%20term%2 0World%20Englishes%20refers,background%2C%20function%2C%20and%20influen ce.

  Today's meeting is really about you. I can stand in front of you and talk about working safely and what procedures to follow until I'm blue in the face. But until you understand the need for working safely, until you are willing to be responsible for your safety, it doesn't mean a whole lot.
   Some of you may be familiar with OSHA - the Occupational Safety & Health Administration. The sole purpose of this agency is to keep American workers safe. Complying with OSHA regulations isn't always easy, but if we work together, we can do it. Yet, complying with regulations is not the real reason for working safely. Our real motive is simple. We care about each and every one of you and will do what is necessary to prevent you from being injured.
   However, keeping our workplace safe takes input from everyone. Management, supervisor, and all of you have to come together on this issue, or we're in trouble. For example, upper management has to approve the purchase of safe equipment. Supervisors, including myself, have to ensure that each of you knows how to use that equipment safely. Then it's up to you to follow through the task and use the equipment as you were trained. If any one part of this chain fails, accidents are going to happen and people are going to get hurt.

Responsibility Number One - Recognize Hazards
   At the core of your safety responsibilities lies the task of recognizing safety and health hazards. In order to do that, you must first understand what constitutes a hazard. Extreme hazards are often obvious. Our hopes are that you won't find too many of those around here.
   There are, however, more subtle hazards that won't jump up and bite you. As a result of your safety training and meetings like these, some things may come to mind. For example, a machine may not be easy to lock out. Common practice may be to use a tag. This is a potential hazard and should be discussed. Maybe something can be changed to make it easier to use a lock. Other subtle hazards include such things as frayed electrical cords, a loose machine guard, a cluttered aisle, or maybe something that just doesn't look right.

Responsibility Number Two - Report Hazards
    A big part of recognizing hazards is using your instincts. Nobody knows your job as well as you do, so we're counting on you to let us know about possible problems. Beyond recognizing hazards, you have to correct them or report them to someone who can. This too, is a judgement call. For example, if something spills in your work area you can probably clean it up yourself. However, if there is an unlabeled chemical container and you have no idea what it is, you should report it to your supervisor.

Additional Employee Responsibilities
   Good housekeeping is a major part of keeping your work area safe. For example, you should take a few minutes each day to ensure that aisles, hallways, and stairways in your work area are not obstructed. If boxes, equipment, or anything else is left to pile up, you have a tripping hazard on your hands. Those obstructions could keep you from exiting the building quickly and safely should you face an emergency situation.
   Also watch out for spills. These can lead to slips and falls. Flammable materials are another thing to be aware of. Make sure they are disposed of properly.
   Keep Thinking. Even if you're doing your job safely and you are avoiding hazards, there are often even better ways to work safely. If you have ideas for improving the safety of your job or that of co-workers, share them.

   Concluding Remarks
  While nothing we do can completely eliminate the threat of an incident, we can work together to improve our odds. As I said, this must be a real team effort and I'm counting on input from all of you. Let's keep communicating and continue to improve safety.

  Available at: <http://www.ncsu.edu/ehs/www99/right/training/meeting/emplores.html>.Retrieved on: April 1st, 2012. Adapted.

The time to embrace change in education is right now! In fact, it’s long overdue. Did you know that the model for modern-day public education was created by the need for on-time mechanical workers during the industrial revolution? That was certainly a technological disruption, but it happened 250 years ago. It’s what we call the front-lead method, and it’s not the best model for addressing the learning needs of many students: divergent thinkers, neurodiverse minds, creatives, scientists, and the list goes on. Which brings us to our next point: it’s time for the next wave of disruption. Luckily for us, it’s here. And it’s been here since 1989, when Tim Berners-Lee — a British scientist from CERT — invented the World Wide Web. We know, you use the internet every day, and it’s great, but maybe you’re skeptical that it can revolutionize education. Well, if you didn’t know, it already is. A large body of evidence-based, peer reviewed work points to the web as one of the central hubs for positive educational change today. It’s our connection to others, our access to a world of educational resources, it’s a format that works for many learners, it’s at the heart of countless services (that don’t work in an unconnected world), and it’s driving access to education. 

https://www.early-childhood-education-degrees.com/features/editors-choice-best-books-on-technology-in-education/