Blog 12: University Consortium to Offer Small Online Courses for Credit, Jennifer Wall November 16 2012 4:20pm

Ten major universities including, Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and Northwestern, have come together to form a consortium called Semester Online. The consortium will offer about thirty online courses that can be taken by both current students at the universities as well as the general public. The costs of the courses will be included in the regular tuition for students currently enrolled at the participating universities but others will have to pay and actually be accepted into the courses. The courses will offer full college credit. While online college courses are nothing new, the way that the courses in the consortium will work is a new concept. They will essentially be virtual classrooms where students will be able to interact with each other just as they would in a traditional classroom. They will even be able to separate into smaller discussion groups or hold online study sessions.

As mentioned above, the concept of online courses are not new but the traditional online courses most of us have taken, do not give the same experience that the classroom does. This is important to mention because each person has his or her own, individual way of learning. Some people learn better when left completely on their own and others do better as part of a classroom. While these universities are located in the United States, the concept of online education is a global issue. Using the power of the Internet allows people in other countries to have access to high quality educational experiences. Access to the Internet is spreading quickly around the world. Even in remote locations, people can access the Internet using satellite connections. This type of connectivity will allow people to be able to have more of a freedom to choose how and where they are able to obtain an education. It may not be the solution for everyone in every situation, but it is a step in the right direction in reducing some of the educational inequality in the world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/16/education/duke-northwestern-to-offer-semester-online-classes.html?ref=education&_r=0

Blog 11: At a Manila Hospital Making Mothers by the Minute, Jennfier Wall November 9 2012 2:25pm

Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital is a government ran maternity hospital in Manila. It serves women that cannot afford to go to a private hospital to give birth. It is an overcrowded hospital where woman have to wait in line outside, even to the point of having to sleep on the sidewalk. When they do get in, they are forced to sleep two in the bed and are usually released within 48 hours. The Philippines has one of the highest birthrates in Asia. Compared with the birthrate in the United States, which is 13.7 out of 1,000 people, the birthrate in the Philippines is 24.8 out of 1,000. Many of these births are from women that are poor and cannot afford birth control. For many years, the Philippine Congress, the House of Representatives has been trying to pass a bill to subsidize contraception and sex education. However, after not being able to reach an agreement with the bill, they have finally decided to end the debate. The people that were for the bill argued that by providing birth control and sex education, women would have fewer children and finally be able to get out of poverty. The people opposed to the bill argued that birth control goes against their moral beliefs and religion. Also, it is their argument that a high birthrate helps the economy and reduces poverty.

In such situations, it would appear clear that women having so many children are only making the problem of poverty worse. It may be true that having a larger population filed with younger people could possibly contribute to the economic base. However, it is also true that when women, who are already poor, continue to have children, it creates a cycle of poverty that they can never escape. Many of the women would use birth control if they had an opportunity to do so. Providing the contraceptives and education to the people would be of a much greater benefit to their society than having to provide care for the mothers and children during and after birth. It would appear, at least to me, that this should be their top priority for the country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/10/world/asia/10iht-manila10.html?ref=world&_r=0

Blog 10: Parents in Survey Take Responsibility For Childhood Obesity, Jennifer Wall November 2 2012 1:15 am

Yale University recently did a survey where the parents that took part said that sixty percent of the responsibility for childhood obesity was the parent’s fault. According to the parents, the rest of the responsibility falls on an unhealthy food environment. According to the survey conducted by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, parents spend an estimated fifty-eight billion dollars a year on food and beverages. The survey was taken by 2,454 parents with children ages two to seventeen years old, during a three-year period from 2009 to 2011. The average income of most of the respondents was $59,000 and most had at least some college education. The easy access to junk food, the expense of healthy food options and advertising and media exposure were cited as three of the top obstacles to a more healthy diet. The parents also admitted to giving in to their children and not setting good food examples. When asked about their children’s exposure to media marketing around food, fast food and soft drinks were the most often cited examples. When asked what the parents would like to see changed in regards to finding a solution to the obesity problem, 72% of the parents supported stronger school lunch standards and healthier food being sold in the schools vending machines. 57% of the respondents wanted to see all media advertising stopped for children under 8 years old.

This story represents a global issue because children around the world are being affected by childhood obesity. It is important for parents everywhere to understand their role in preventing childhood obesity. By understanding this and acknowledging the other factors involved with this problem, parents are then in a much better position to take action to ensure that their children maintain a healthy diet and maintain appropriate weight levels. The media also needs to become more aware of their affect on the health of the children that they are marketing to. While it may be unrealistic to think that the media will stop advertising to children, they can choose to create a more balanced environment to present to the children. The article mentions that less than one percent of the television based food ads targeted to children were for fruits and vegetables. The lack of healthy advertising messages will certainly have a negative affect on the children viewing the ads.

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-parents-in-survey-take-responsibility-for-childhood-obesity-20121031,0,1900086.story

Blog 9: School 'Hand Hygiene' Plan Shows No Asthma Benefit, Jennifer Wall October 25 2012 11:45pm

A research study was recently conducted in a county school system in Alabama to determine how effective “hand hygiene” plans were in reducing the rate of asthma attacks in school children. The hand hygiene plans were designed to teach children about hand hygiene and hand washing as well as to encourage the children to use alcohol based hand sanitizers provided in the schools. The idea behind the study was that the use of the hand sanitizers and increased hand hygiene education would help reduce the triggers that cause children to have asthma attacks. The results of the study indicated that there was no real benefit to the use of such a plan, especially in regards to using the hand sanitizers. The problem with the study was that right after it was started, the H1N1 swine flu broke out and most schools started to rely heavily on the use of hand sanitizers. This basically took away the research study’s control group. Since the control group was no longer there, the results could be argued to no longer be valid. Even so, the study suggests that general hand washing should be just as effective at preventing asthma attacks as the more intensive hand hygiene plan with heavily hand sanitizer use.

Asthma is a disease that affects people everywhere and in all cultures. For this reason, it would be considered a global problem. Finding a way to help prevent children from having attacks would affect children around the world. Even though there was an issue with the study, it appears clear that the extensive use of alcohol based hand sanitizers are not affective in preventing the asthma attacks. My personal feeling is that these hand sanitizers are being overused and instead of helping, they are actually going to cause more problems. In order to build up our immune systems, we need to be exposed to the everyday germs around us. These hand sanitizers are everywhere now and people are constantly using them. This kills all of the germs and prevents us from being exposed to them. This lack of exposure will eventually make is so that our bodies do not know how to fight against them when exposure does happen.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-school-handbre89n1mc-20121024,0,6930696.story

Blog 8: HPV Vaccine Doesn’t Alter Sexual Behavior Study Finds, Jennifer Wall October 19 2012 4:08 pm

HPV or the human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. It can cause many different types of cancers but it can be easily prevented by giving both girls and boys the HPV immunization shot.  The shot became available in 2006 and at that time, the public health officials began to recommend that young women be vaccinated. They suggested that the vaccinations start as early as eleven years old. Last year, they began to recommend the same for preadolescent boys. While this shot is considered safe and very effective at preventing HPV, many parents have been hesitant to give the shot to their daughters. One of the main reasons for this hesitancy, is that because of the nature of the shot and what it is intended on preventing, some parents feel that giving it to their daughters will encourage them to be more promiscuous. While doctors have tried to convince parents otherwise, there was no absolute proof until now. A study lead by Robert A. Bednarczyk, of the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research Southeast, in Atlanta, GA, has shown that there is no evidence to suggest that giving the shot to young women causes any changes in participation in risky sexual behaviors.

The HVP virus is not contained just to the United States. It affects girls and women in all countries. The solution to preventing the spread of the virus is simple and effective. However, personal attitudes and emotions sometimes have a tendency to get in the way of doing what is best, especially when it relates to sex and children. It may be easy to see why parents might be worried about the emotional effects of giving such a shot but it is important for them to set aside their emotional concerns and do what is best for their children. Although this new study was conducted in the United States, it will hopefully help parents everywhere to understand that their concerns are not valid and enable them to take the steps necessary in order to prevent their children from getting this virus.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/hpv-vaccination-does-not-change-sexual-behavior/

Blog 7: Kids Need More Calories in Their School Lunches Lawmakers Say, Jennifer Wall October 12, 2012 12:29 pm.

In 2010, Congress passed legislation that required schools to limit the calorie counts of school lunches to 650 for Kindergarten through fifth grade, 700 from sixth grade to eighth, and 850 for high school students. These rules pertain to the federally subsidized lunch program. The changes also required schools to serve more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat and fat free milk. The goal of the legislation was to create a situation where the children would get a more healthy and nutritious lunch while reducing childhood obesity. However, the problem is that due to the calorie limits, many children are not getting enough to eat during lunch and go through the rest of the day being hungry. In order to make sure that the children are given the chance to eat the amount of food that they need, new legislation called “No Hungry Kids Act”, has been introduced to change this old law.

Of course, both the old and the new legislation affected only children in the United States, but this issue relates to the global problem of childhood obesity and the desire to raise healthy children. Childhood obesity has been a growing problem around the world for a while now. The causes of the problem are many including children overeating, which relate to larger portion sizes, children eating the wrong types of food, and the fact that children are not as active today as they should be. It is easy to understand the reason and intention for the old law but it’s also easy to see how setting a limit that applies to all of the children in specific groups could cause problems as well. Each child is different and has different needs. Setting limits that apply to everyone in one category ignores the individual child. While obesity is clearly a problem and something that should be addressed, so is allowing children to go hungry because the amount of food that they are allowed to be given is regulated by the government. It is good that the government is trying to look after the health of the children, but there also needs to be a balance so that no child is prevented from getting what they need in order to not be hungry.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-congress-school-lunch-20121011,0,6515653.story

Blog 6: Don't Use Twitter to Stage a Hoax; N.J. Teen Could Face Charges, Jennifer Wall October 5, 2012 7:05 am.

At 5:12 pm on Sunday, Kara Alongi sent a tweet out that said, “There is somone in my hour ecall 911”. Kara is 16 years old and lives in Clark, NJ. While the message contained typos many people saw it and decided that she was saying that someone was in her house. Thinking that she was in danger, a large number of people started calling the police station in Clark. The message went viral and people worldwide started calling the police station as well. This caused a major problem for the local police department because they are required to follow up on every lead regardless of how true or accurate it is. After looking at surveillance cameras and phone records, it became clear that Kara had faked the incident. Right after sending the text, she called for a taxi and booked a ticket to New York City. On Tuesday, she called 911 from the New Jersey Turnpike about one hundred miles from home. Police picked her up and returned her home after having a standard check at the hospital. It is not known yet why she did it or how much trouble she is going to be in, but she possibly faces several different criminal charges.

While this situation occurred in New Jersey, the message quickly went around the world. This incident shows the amazing powers that the Internet and social networking can have. People, especially children, are using social networking sites at a very high rate. Many of them over share things and events that are going on in their life. Not thinking about the dangers or consequences of putting personal information online for everyone to see creates a major security concern. Kara, and the large number of young people like her, do not fully comprehend the power that is involved when using social media and the internet. One simple message or Tweet has the ability to travel around the world to millions of people in a matter of seconds. It can be difficult to comprehend how simple words on a computer screen can lead to real world issues, but it can very easily happen. For this reason, it is important for children and young adults worldwide to be taught how to use both the internet and social media responsibly. In addition to just learning about how to protect their physical and emotional safety, they also need to learn it is not just a cold keypad and screen that they are interacting with. There are actual people on the other side and their behaviors should be based appropriately.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-kara-alongi-twitter-hoax-20121004,0,7558428.story

Blog 5: U.S. Is Tightening Web Privacy Rule to Shield Young, Jennifer Wall September 28, 2012 3:40 a.m.

New Federal Regulations are about to take affect with the intent of preventing websites from collecting personal information about children. Currently, there are a large number of websites that collect personal data from visitors, including children, which can be used for marketing purchases. Even major corporations such as McDonald’s, Walt Disney, and Nickelodeon collect such information. This is especially concerning since these types of corporations actually target children. Examples of the information that is being collected are names, email addresses and even pictures. McDonald’s was actually storing pictures that children had uploaded on a web directory that could be accessed by the public, making it even more dangerous. Although the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 requires that parents give consent before websites can collect data such as phone numbers, email addresses or physical addresses from anyone under thirteen years old, the Internet has evolved so much since then that the law did not keep up with it. The new laws will require parental consent for collecting additional data such as pictures of children.

While the new regulations only affect the United States, this is actually a global issue. Children around the world use the Internet everyday. Connecting to Internet is no longer something that requires sitting in front of a large desktop computer within the family environment. Today, a large number of children around the world have laptops and smartphones with constant connections to the Internet. Being connected online has become pretty much a twenty-four seven activity that can and does occur anywhere, anytime. In such a world, it is difficult, if not impossible for parents to constantly monitor what their children are doing online. The Internet can be a very dangerous environment, especially for children. We need to do everything we can in order to protect them, regardless of what country they may live in. Internet safety is not connected to specific countries; it affects everyone that uses it, regardless of where they may live. Unfortunately, since the Internet does not belong to just one country, each country has to create their own regulations. These new regulations do not solve the problem but they are a step in the right direction.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/technology/ftc-moves-to-tighten-online-privacy-protections-for-children.html?ref=us&_r=0

Blog 4: Teachers End Chicago Strike on Second Try, Jennifer Wall September 21, 2012 7:30 am.

The Chicago’s teacher strike which started last week, officially ended on Tuesday. The end of the strike came after ninety-two percent of the union delegates voted to return to work. Thanks to this agreement, 350,000 students were allowed to return to class on Wednesday morning. Several issues had lead up to the strike, including how teachers were evaluated, the length of the school day, and job security. Although all of the issues may not be completely resolved, there was apparently enough of a feeling that things were going in the correct direction to be able to move forward. A few of the agreements that came out of the negotiations include, extending the school day to seven hours, give yearly raises to teachers, and allow student test scores to count for at least a part of the teacher’s evaluation. A system was also established to help teachers that have high scores but are laid off, to be rehired into a percentage of the open positions within the school system. The news of the end of the strike was very appreciated by parents of children in the school system, who looked forward to getting their children back in school on Wednesday. One of the parents made the comment that she hoped that the administrators and teachers would now be able to focus on teaching the children.

While this strike was a situation that involved the Chicago public school system, it highlights issues that are global in nature. Teachers are at the heart of educating out children. They represent the foundation, which the future generations will be built upon. It doesn’t matter if the schools are in Chicago, New York, Spain, or Italy. Issues affecting the ability for teachers to effectively teach our children while providing for their own families are critical to the lives of both the teachers and children. Of course there has to be a balance between economics and education but the primary focus should stay on ensuring a quality education for all children. Economical factors are always going to be an issue no matter where the schools are located but this strike shows the importance of teachers and administrators working together to find this balance.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/us/vote-scheduled-on-chicago-teachers-contract.html

Blog 3: Middle-Class Mexicans Snap Up More Products ‘Made in USA’, Jennifer Wall September 14, 2012 8:10 AM

When most people think of Mexico, one of the first images that usually comes to mind is that of people living in poverty in a third world like environment. Images of the consequences of drug wars between gangs are also an image that many people think of, especially recently. The one thing that usually does not come to mind is Costco or Walmart. However, while issues of drug wars and poverty do exist, there is also a very strong Mexican middle class. Trade with the United States has increased tremendously over the last ten years. In 1993, exports to the United State were $42 billion but by 2011, this figure increased to $263 billion. This increase has allowed the Mexican economy to grow along with the Mexican middle class. Along with the growth of the middle class comes the desire for higher quality goods, which many Mexicans associate with American made products. In 2011, $198 billion of American goods were sold in Mexico. To supply and sell these goods to the people that want to buy them, major big box stores have opened up in Mexico, such stores include giants such as Walmart and Costco. This has of course, been difficult for the small, independent stores but has opened up much more choice for the Mexican families.

Trade between countries has helped create the global environment that we have today. Mexico is a good example of how increasing trade with other countries can be a benefit to everyone concerned. When families have access to quality goods and services, their standard of life can drastically change. Many people may have a negative opinion regarding these large chain stores, but they do serve a valuable purpose and can serve to make the Mexican families healthier and better.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/middle-class-mexicans-snap-up-more-products-made-in-usa/2012/09/09/27c9d1b4-f212-11e1-892d-bc92fee603a7_story_2.html

Blog #2: School Bullies Prey on Children With Autism, Jennifer Wall September 7, 2012, 8:37am

Bullying has long been a serious issue for children around the world. Bullying can and does occur in every group and environment. However, according to research just published on Monday, September third in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, bullying is more likely to occur to children with an autism spectrum disorder such as Asperger’s syndrome than their typically developing peers. In fact, these children are up to three times more likely to be victims of bullies than other children. This is especially true for high functioning children with autism because they are more likely to be placed into inclusive classrooms rather than into special education classes, as would be the case with low functioning children. In these classrooms, the particular behaviors that are associated with autism have a tendency to make the children stick out from the other children. As anyone that has ever been bullied will tell you, a bully will pick up on anything that separates one child from another. The features of autism clearly meet this criteria. While these children may be high functioning, they often have a difficult time picking up on social cues and understanding concepts such as sarcasm and therefore may not always know that they are being picked on.

Although, it does seem intuitively obvious that children with disabilities such as autism would be more likely to be victimized by bullies than other groups, it is still very alarming to read these facts. The global occurrence of bullying clearly indicates that it is not a cultural phenomenon restricted to a certain group. Sadly, as the article points out, this type of victimization usually occurs to those that are least likely to be able to emotionally handle the affects of the teasing and taunting that typically occurs in these situations.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/school-bullies-prey-on-children-with-autism/?ref=health

Blog 1: British Charity Keeps India’s Young On Track Jennifer Wall August 30, 2012 12:26am

Runaway children are a tragic reality all around the world. When the children decide to leave home, many are taken advantage of or turn to criminal behavior in order to survive. Drug use is also common as a way for these children to cope with what they are forced to go through after leaving home. Many of these children use transportation hubs like train stations as a way leaving home. This being the case, train stations are a common area to find runaways. In order to help these children, a charity organization, named Railway Children, was started in Britain. This organization has spread to other countries including moving recently along the train tracks of India. For the runaway children traveling on the trains going through India, instead of find trouble after reaching the stations, they find outreach workers. These workers provide the children with food and a safe place to stay. They also provide counseling and help guide the children back to their families. While there are many other charities that help runaway children, Railway Children focuses on early intervention in order to help the children avoid the troubles and problems that would come otherwise. Most of the other organizations work with children that have already faced terrible situations and conditions. By trying to prevent problems instead of dealing with the aftereffects when they occur, this organization is working to keep a bad situation from getting worse. Although we should always try to prevent anyone from going through such things that runaways encounter, it is so much more important when speaking in terms of children.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/british-charity-keeps-indias-young-on-track/2012/08/28/0c2d3c22-f12a-11e1-a612-3cfc842a6d89_story.html