3/27/21 Important News for Educators

 Republished from A Coloradoan In Education.

Covid has impacted how people view education, which the below article talks about. I actually feel though that the devaluation of education though happened during the Trump administration and how Republicans and others don't listen to experts in whatever field is need for a specific conversation and do not value education in general. I know on face book it seems like most are just looking at news sources instead of doing real research or looking at peer reviewed journals.

As Pandemic Upends Teaching, Fewer Students Want to Pursue It

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/27/us/covid-school-teaching.html?fbclid=IwAR0G05miJX3_UAXyiFB_LQGQL02acreggKdiAQt-8pgM6faSO-dstbncnkQ

Education Covid Vaccine Update

 Republished from A Coloradoan In Education. Published 2/2/21.

https://acoloradoanineducation.blogspot.com/2021/02/education-covid-vaccine-update.html

Below is a message from the Governor in relation to covid vaccine. The problem I have is what about higher education. Colleges and universities have had covid break outs (mostly due to students not doing what they should) and those education workers need protected as well.

 

 

 

 

Dear State employees,    As we have worked together during this extraordinary and challenging year, I have said the COVID-19 vaccine is our path back to the Colorado we know and love, and with every vaccine administered the light at the end of the tunnel gets a little brighter.    From the onset, Colorado has approached vaccine distribution in a way that is equitable, saves the most lives, and ends the health emergency as soon as possible. I’m incredibly proud to say that 90% of our highest-risk, frontline health care workers have received both doses of their vaccine. And we are well on our way toward reaching our goal of vaccinating at least 70% of Coloradans 70 and older by February 28, having currently vaccinated 190,995 - or nearly half -  of the people in this group.   Given the progress we’ve made thus far, and the estimated number of vaccines we anticipate Colorado will be receiving in the coming weeks, I’m excited to announce new updates to our vaccine prioritization list.    Starting on February 8, PreK-12 educators, child care workers in licensed programs, and Coloradans ages 65-69 will also be eligible to receive the vaccine. Coloradans 65-69 will be able to sign up the same way that our 70 and older population has, through their local provider. Our PreK-12 educators will work with their employers, as many major school districts have already partnered with local providers.    Beginning in early March, our frontline essential workers and Coloradans ages 16-64 with two or more high risk conditions will also be eligible. We’ll have more information on how this group can sign up soon.    This is a big next step. But we wouldn’t be making it if I didn’t believe we were ready.    Since the early days of this pandemic, our decisions have been driven by data and the best information we have available. We know that getting this right is crucial, not only to save lives, but to make sure that our small businesses can stay open so we can focus on building back stronger than ever before.    For more information, visit COCOVIDVACCINE.org or call 1-877-CO VAX CO (1-877-268-2926). These resources can help you find contact information for providers and sign up for their waitlist.    I am grateful for all your hard work over this last year. Colorado’s response has been strong because of the incredible dedication from each and every one of you. Thank you.    Sincerely,

 

 

Governor Jared Polis

Outbreaks of Covid Continue in Higher Education

 Republished from A Coloradoan In Education. Published 9/28/20.

https://acoloradoanineducation.blogspot.com/2020/09/outbreaks-of-covid-continue-in-higher.html

Covid keeps hitting higher education. Previously CU Boulder had issues with students getting infected due to them not following the rules, and now the waste water from a CSU dorm has tested positive for covid meaning that someone in there has it. I hate to say it, but I’m not surprised for many reasons. First, this age group for the most part still thinks they are immune to covid with how it has been covered by the media and the current U.S. government not taking it seriously. Second, this age group is still developing into adults and they are still learning basic life skills that may not have had to deal with at home. This includes things like cleaning and basic social responsibility. These are skills that can take time to develop depending on how they were raised. Lastly, we have seen that when people are brought together cases of covid go up. This is one where I hate to say it, but the schools should have known better. I know that everyone wants things to return to normal, but when that is rushed we will continue to have outbreaks. Some of the schools are also going back and forth between in person and online learning depending on what covid cases look like.

The best way to address this would have had all lecture based courses switch entirely online and then only have classes meet in person for labs associated with the sciences or technical programs. No student should have been allowed back in the dorms. I know that this would have cut into the schools funding (they way over charge for both housing and food), but you need to do what is in the best interest of not only the school and students but what is best for the whole community. Sorry for the run on sentence but it was needed. Many colleges today have the capabilities to run online only. For example CSU has CSU Global. They should have taken direction from this to see how they could function 100% online. 

I do understand that there are some students that just learn better in person. Unfortunately due to safety these students may have to put their education on hold. Online education takes a specific type of personality to be successful. Not everyone can do it. One of the key traits that is needed is time management. Another is that they must have self-motivation. The only way I see around this is for schools to make special sections of courses and only bring these students on campus while keeping the environment as controlled as possible (this could also include students with disabilities so that their needs are met as well). I could then see these students being housed on campus, but they could not be allowed to leave and would have to live in a quarantine. 

At this point, I’m just waiting to see how far into the semester/this academic year it will take before schools realize what they need to do. I’ll just keep watching the situation to see what happens as schools start to release their plans for the spring semester while we wait for a vaccine.

8/12/20 Covid Numbers Update

 

The infections are coming in waves, but at least the deaths aren't.

Finding Humor in Dark Times

People are not liking wearing masks, but at least workers at this Walmart have found a way to put smiles on people's faces.

 

Looking At the Deaths

 Here are some charts that show the current deaths in Colorado from Covid. Google actually as a great search page where you can find this and other covid info. Just type in "How many people in Colorado have died from covid".

How is COVID 19 Impacting Geek Life During Lock Down

 Reposted from Geeked Colorado.

https://geekedcolorado.blogspot.com/2020/05/how-is-covid-19-impacting-geek-life.html

Right now this is a tough time for everyone and now with the possibility of things slowly reopening what does that mean to current geek life. Most people think of geeks as the loner that lives in their parent’s basement, but that is not true for all geeks. Geek life is actual very social. There is everything from shopping experiences, to LARPing and of course the old mighty con. COVID 19 has taken this social interaction away from a lot of geeks. For many geeks, being a geek is very important as a way that they keep their sanity. Losing this outlet can cause depression to increase, so it is very important for geeks to stay active in their fandoms. Luckily there are ways to do this during lock down. This could be anything from video games, binge watching favorite series, or even writing fan fiction.

During this time I have been catching up on a lot of movies I missed due to my normally busy schedule. At the same time I have missed out on things I was looking forward to. I had been accepted to be official press at a con, first time I would have been official. Missed my normal Free Comic Book Day routine of running around the state to see what different comic book stores were doing. Even the week that things shut down I had been planning on going to a Marvel bingo event at a local brewry. Then I am also worrying about plans I had scheduled for later in the year.

Right now Free Comic Book Day has been postponed with no new set date. Free Comic Book Day has become very important to many small comic stores as a day when they get their heaviest foot traffic. These comic stores now have also been closed and not making money unless they also have online stores. I worry about how many comic stores will not be able to reopen. When things do start to reopen, please remember to support these smaller stores. Yes I will admit that sometimes they are pricier then other options, but many times they can be the only place to find that hard to find item. This also goes for small anime stores that in Colorado have been dropping of in the last decade.

When you are able to go out and enjoy geek shopping, please wear a face mask. I know that it is argued if the cloth ones are effective or not, but in my mind every little thing helps. You are also not just wearing a mask for yourself, but for others. This pandemic has been very scary because of how many people are asymptomatic. Someone could interact with you that appears well, but then when you go home you take the virus home with you. This could then infect your family and friends. Another thing to be aware of is that this virus can live on items for days. I know that many geeky products and not be directly cleaned with disinfecting wipes. Paper products like comics and collectibles can be damaged if you try to clean them. For items like this, time is your best defense. This means that when you buy something do not touch it for at least a week. I am actually letting things sit untouched for a month. This gives time for the virus to die. Also if you have a weak immune system I would also recommend wearing gloves both when you purchase these items in stores and at home until they have had a chance for time to kill anything on them. Placing items in the sun can help, but remember that many collectibles and paper products will fade with sun light. Be careful of this method.

Many of the fall cons still don’t know what they are doing. One of the major ones in Colorado is Nan Desu Kan (NDK). As of now on their website they say that they are still planning to go ahead with the con. Any regular con goer has at least heard of con funk. After this mass gathering it is normal to get a little sick from the con. It normally only lasts a few days, but how much worse will it be with COVID in the mix. Also all cons right now depend on if the rules about how many people can gather in one spot changes or not. Also if you have ever been to a con you know that social distancing is nonexistent. For cons if they are allowed to happen I recommend that you still protect yourself. I know personally that if the con does happen I will be wearing a face mask the whole time and have gloves for the dealer’s room. Hand sanitizer will also be a most in my con kit this year.

Face masks….yes I have been supporting them in my above writing. I know that there is a lot of kick back on them, but if my claustrophobic mother can learn to live with them so can others. Remember it is not just for yourself, but your families and others that you interact with. I will fully admit that I think less of people that are not wearing them. I feel that these people do not care about others so why should I care about them. The geek community has the power to make facial coverings a strong social movement. It will not only show that we care about others, but we can also do it more fashionably then they can. All you cosplayers out there, time to break out you mad sewing skills and let your geek flag fly. I want to challenge all of you to make the most amazing and functional masks out there. Even if you can’t sew, places like ShopDisney are creating geeky masks that you can buy (and the child one is really cute). Wearing a mask is a simple thing that each person can do and it has a potential to help the world get back to normal. The Japanese actually have a very strong mask culture. This can be seen in both their anime and popular culture products that make it to the U.S. I was actually able to by a BTS mask for my mom at the Asian store in Aurora Mall before everything shut down. They also had Fortnite ones.

A lot of phone app games have also been doing what they can to help us through these times. The different Candy Crush games have been randomly giving out 24 hours of unlimited lives. Pokemon Go has also adjusted many aspects of their game to make it more friendly to lock down measures. This includes everything from cutting walking distance for hatching eggs to remote raid passes.

As to the future is being built it is unclear what the new world will look like. I know that many of the social changes will have lasting effects at least for the next few decades like what happened after the Spanish flu. How much the geek world will be impacted is also unclear. I personally know that this will change parts of my life moving forward. The geek world can stay strong if we all work together to be happy and safe.