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Chuck DiNardo

ArtBabble | ArtBabble - 0 views

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    The website artbabble.org is a great example of the alternatives to youtube that the freetech4teachers article discusses.  It is a video sharing site devoted to inspiring creativity through art. I navigated to an abstract expressionism page and watched a pretty cool video on how different artists came to find their passion for the style and medium that they employ.  I understand the need to have alternatives to youtube available as classroom resources. The school that I currently work at has a block on youtube at all school computers. You can temporarily bypass the block as a teacher, but the process never fully works when you need it to during a class. In addition to firewall issues, sights like artbabble provide a more focused and efficient search than youtube. The search options are specifically designed for finding art related media, so you don't have to scan through tons of irrelevant information.
Nathan Bell

Captioned or subtitled video: Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface - 0 views

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    Interesting video about installations at the Modern Art Museum in San Diego, which showcase pieces from the Light and Space movement.
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    This site specializes in aggregating video from various sources online, but only content that has closed captioning. This could be a great asset for tracking down material online if you are in an inclusive setting and want to ensure that a student with a hearing impairment can still make use of video utilities like Youtube. This was an interesting video, and it was neat to see some glimpses of what look like some very cool installations, including some by James Turrell, who has some permanent installations at the Mattress Factory right here in Pittsburgh!
Nathan Bell

Free Technology for Teachers: 47 Alternatives to Using YouTube in the Classroom - 1 views

  • 1. School Tube is a website dedicated to the sharing of videos created by students and teachers. School Tube allows teachers and schools to create their own channels for sharing their students' works. School Tube also provides excellent how-to resources, copyright-friendly media, and lesson plans for using video in the classroom.
    • Kristen Koburger
       
      I like the idea of students sharing their work with other students from around the country (or even the world). I think students would take more interest in their assignments if they knew they would get to share them with others.
    • Rachael Webster
       
      I agree. Especially considering how one impact of technology is that many kids (heck, people) expect lots of attention over the most mundane things. If they get 43 comments on a Facebook status about brushing their teeth, only getting feedback from a teacher or classmates on their work is probably a lot less exciting, no matter how good the feeback is.
  • 12. CNN Student News is a daily web show highlighting a handful of stories. The stories covered by CNN Student News range from traditional serious news topics to how-to stories appealing mostly to students to light and fun stories. As a social studies teacher every week I find at least a couple of stories from CNN Student News that I can work into my curriculum. CNN Student News provides printable maps and a daily news quiz to go along with each episode.
    • Kristen Koburger
       
      I didnt know CNN had a student site. This is great!!! Getting students interested in news and current events can help widden their perspective on the world and maybe make them proactive citizens.
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      If I were a history teacher, I would integrate these videos into the class assignments, having the students watch the videos and write a brief summary of the content.
    • Brittney Story
       
      I loved this cite and I thought it was a perfect way to sift through all of the regular news to find news that is interesting to students in school.
  • 38. Art Babble is a video website designed and maintained by the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The purpose of Art Babble is to provide a place for people to learn about the creation of art, artists, and collections through quality video productions. Visitors to Art Babble will find videos related to many forms of and formats for art. Browse the video channels and you'll find videos covering a wide array of topics including abstract art, European Art and Design, African Art, graphic design, glass, sculpture, surrealism, and much more.
    • Kristen Koburger
       
      Some museums let you take virtual tours of parts of their museums. Free field trip!!! http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossilhalls/virtualtours/
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • The Week in Rap is produced by the same people that produce Flocabulary. Each Friday The Week In Rap posts a weekly news summary in the form of a rap music video. The videos cover stories from national and international politics as well as sports and entertainment news.
    • Max Applegate
       
      As number 47 on this once-titled "30+ Alternatives" list, The Week in Rap is a great last addition to the rest of the tools. Even though the site is subscription-based, you can view some free videos if you sign up and pay $5 a month for access to everything. The best part about this tool is that is stands as an alternative to schools that have YouTube or Vimeo blocked. I would love doing live performances of these raps, though! The lyrics are posted on the site and what better way to grasp students' attention than to stay topical. Flocabulary's videos reminda me of Auto-Tune the News, but with less vocoder, obviously. Haha. Putting these videos up on Fridays is the perfect time to unwind and consume the latest.
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      These videos seem like fantastic resorces for History, Social Studies, Science and Math teachers, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of content geared toward English or Literature studies. - Loren
    • Brittney Story
       
      Great resource for any subject!
  • TED Talks
    • Nathan Bell
       
      Shout out to the TED!!
Brittney Story

Home | Watch Free Movies and Documentaries Online | SnagFilms - 0 views

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    I love this website! I think this is a great way for students and teachers to see a variety of educationally appropriate videos that also show the classroom discussions as well.  This site along with many of the other sites in the blog are great ways to incorporate technology into any class.  One of the videos that I found fascinating (Because i'm an art major) is the video about Michelangelo.  The great part about the site is that you can search by subject therefore making it easier for teachers to find what they are looking for.  
Rachael Webster

22frames.com - Search and find captioned / subtitled videos from across the web - 2 views

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    I think this site is pretty awesome even for hearing students. I know that when I watch something with words along the bottom, I automatically read what is along the bottom no matter what. Things that have tickers across the bottom, like CNN or (what I'm more likely watching, shamefully) E!, I get super distracted, which is frustrating. But having the words that are actually being spoken, kids may become better readers and also better absorb what is being presented to them. Reading along also makes watching a video a less passive activity.
Loren Kurpiewski

HowStuffWorks "Learn how Everything Works!" - 1 views

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    When I was little, I had a book called How Stuff Works. I used to reference it all the time because I was curious about everything. Conversion to a website format makes it that much easier to find what you need and to add additional videos as technology advances. I think that this would be a fantastic reference website for any classroom.
Loren Kurpiewski

High School Educational Videos | Teacher Videos for Students | SnagLearning - 0 views

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    This website looks like a fantastic resource for teachers, although I was saddened to find that they didn't include English or Literature in their list of subjects.
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    This website looks like a fantastic resource for teachers, although I was saddened to find that they didn't include English or Literature in their list of subjects.
Ron Lombard

Avalon Project - Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy - 1 views

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    Avalon Project - excellent for use in looking at pimary documents. Students can review specific documents in the context of understanding events and historical periods
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    Students can work in groups reviewing primary documents and collecting information in the context of a event or historical action. This allows for students to understand the importance of looking at materials in the context of their particular time and location
Ron Lombard

Wecome to History Animated - 1 views

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    ANIMATED HISTORY - If a picture is worth a thousand words, a good animation is worth ten thousand. After reading book after book dealing with history and finding only complicated maps with dotted lines and dashed lines crisscrossing the pages, An effort has been to depict key naval and land battles using animation technology.
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    This is an excellent site that allows animation to present complicated facts through animations connecting events with the historical concepts and activites that surround them. An excellent way to present complicated specific information to student in an accurate, detailed, and yet entertaining way.
Rebecca Delivuk

HowStuffWorks "10 Completely Wrong Ways to Use Commas" - 0 views

  • Plus, it looks so much tidier.
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      I always tell my writing tutees this: We put commas and periods (other than those following citations) inside quotation marks because they are like small children. Semicolons, colons, exclamation points, and question marks are like adults; they can go inside or outside. But comma-children will get lost or run over a bus if you let them outside.
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      Sidenote: Brits let commas out-of-doors. Some may say that this is because Brits enjoy fresh air and long walks; I say it is because Brits have public healthcare, and don't have to pay when their children are run over by buses. 
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      Helpful hint -- have high schoolers collaborate to make "grammer hint" videos or presentations for their classes. This site would aid them :)
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    One reason I bookmarked this site is because I was shocked, flabbergast, and delighted that "10 Completely Wrong Ways to Use Commas" made it into the "Most Popular" list for howstuffworks.com. The other reason is simpler: Howstuffworks taught me how to explain transgenics, use fantasy football, and change a car tire. Students should know this site!
Loren Kurpiewski

Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? | People & Places | Smithsonian Magazine - 2 views

  • The people in the government agencies running them, from national officials to local authorities, are educators, not business people, military leaders or career politicians.
    • Kristen Koburger
       
      Why dont we do this???? Having politicians and businessmen run the education system in this country is like having a ballerina play football. It doesnt make sense!
    • Rachael Webster
       
      I wish there was a "like" button here. So this is my LIKE.
    • Nathan Bell
       
      Double like.
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      LIKE!
  • “We are not much interested in PISA. It’s not what we are about.”
    • Rachael Webster
       
      I wonder if they would be saying the same thing if they were at the bottom, though. It's easy to say you don't care about test scores when your test scores are through the roof. If you're at the bottom of the pack and saying you don't care about test scores, then people say "Well, obviously. That's why they are doing so poorly."
    • Nathan Bell
       
      Yes, but isn't he saying that their focus is not preparing the students for some standardized test, but more in training them in how to be knowledgeable about the important things they need to know to be functional, productive adults? With that dreamy philosophy actually put to practice, it would seem to me that they would achieve success on the tests, and continue to not care much about them...
    • Chuck DiNardo
       
      I agree that the sentiment is that value in placed on learning rather than testing. It would be interesting to see from a budgetary standpoint how much money the U.S. invests in standardized testing and consider what they could accomplish if they put that money into more effectively helping students learn.
    • Rachael Webster
       
      I understand and agree with the fact that they put the focus on learning as opposed to testing. However, they still take the tests. If they were truly not concerned about the tests, they could just opt not to take them, right? If the US said that we were focused on the holistic learning process and not on tests, would anyone put any value in that statement considering our test performance?
  • Teachers in Finland spend fewer hours at school each day and spend less time in classrooms than American teachers.
    • Rachael Webster
       
      Interesting. In our curriculum class last night, China was being praised for how much more time is spent in the classroom (praised in a video clip).
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      I'm wondering if teachers might be a little more sane if they spent more time prepping and less time in-class... what do you think? And maybe it just varies by the teacher.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • Finland provides three years of maternity leave and subsidized day care to parents, and preschool for all 5-year-olds, where the emphasis is on play and socializing. In addition, the state subsidizes parents, paying them around 150 euros per month for every child until he or she turns 17.
    • Rachael Webster
       
      Sorry, I know I'm going a little crazy here with the commenting, but man. I sure wish the US had social policies like this.
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      I'm not sure I agree. Although I too am deeply concerned about the number of homeless, hungry, neglected, and poorly-parented (purposefully or not) kids in our American system, I am also concerned about the economic burden of subsidizing children to this extent. Is there a happy medium, a creative solution, so that family-related problems are not automatically relegated to the state?
    • Rachael Webster
       
      Well, I was more focused on the maternity leave. Not that I'd turn down $150/month for my kid, but the real issue is how far behind the rest of the world the US is when it comes to maternity leave and valuing the family.
  • Teachers use the extra time to build curriculums and assess their students
    • Ron Lombard
       
      Much like the setup in Japan / preparation time is used in an effective manner along with professional development
  • here are no mandated standardized tests in Finland,
    • Zachary Beebe
       
      nor should there be
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      and thus no teaching to the test!
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      I agree with this completely.
  • Ninety-seven percent of 6-year-olds attend public preschool, where children begin some academics. Schools provide food, medical care, counseling and taxi service if needed. Stu­dent health care is free.
    • Nathan Bell
       
      Any mention of differences in taxes? I think all of the things described here sound awesome, but if they're taxing the people of Finland at 60%, there's a snowball's chance in Hell it would ever happen here in the States.
  • Equality
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      I'm not sure straight-up "equality" is what we need in education, since every individual is different. Perhaps charter schools are good insofar as they can cater to a students strength. HOWEVER, the immense discrepency between city schools and suburban schools--check Philadelphia vs. satellite Radnor township, for instance--is insane and unjust. Equal opportunity should be a given in this "land of the free."
  • We prepare children to learn how to learn, not how to take a test
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      This is what we should be focusing on doing - creating life-long learners. Students should be excited over the process of learning, not just the end result.
Loren Kurpiewski

Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? | People & Places | Smithsonian Magazine - 0 views

  • expanded system of vocational high schools, which are attended by 43 percent of Finnish high-school students, who prepare to work in restaurants, hospitals, construction sites and offices
    • Nathan Bell
       
      I like the idea of expanded vocational school. The American system of what is now esentially compulsory "13th - 17th Grade" in undergrad just renders the Bachelors degree that much less useful when you're out of school and looking for a job.
  • equal status with doctors and lawyers
    • Nathan Bell
       
      As they should be! (maybe even higher status than lawyers) (who am I kidding, DEFINITELY higher status than lawyers!)
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      Wow. This is how it should be. Teachers here are ignored, questioned, suspected and even vilified for trying to do their job.
  • “We help situate them in the right high school,”
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      because let's face it, not all students are the same.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Neither Scandinavian nor Baltic, Finns were proud of their Nordic roots and a unique language only they could love (or pronounce).
    • Max Applegate
       
      This is where I can see Finland wanting to separate themselves from the rest of their neighbors in an effort to show their uniqueness within Northern Europe.
  • Public schools would be organized into one system of comprehensive schools, or peruskoulu, for ages 7 through 16.
    • Max Applegate
       
      This was the Finn's chance to deviate from the other education systems. From the looks of the number of languages learned, they did it right.
  • Besides Finnish and Swedish (the country’s second official language), children would learn a third language (English is a favorite) usually beginning at age 9.
Loren Kurpiewski

Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? | People & Places | Smithsonian Magazine - 0 views

  • “positive discrimination”
    • Nathan Bell
       
      Now there's an interesting term.
  • “It’s nonsense. We know much more about the children than these tests can tell us.”
    • Nathan Bell
       
      YES!
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      I second that YES!
  • There is one teacher (or assistant) in Siilitie for every seven students.
    • Nathan Bell
       
      Holy smokes.
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      Fantasic ratio!
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • laminated “outdoor math” cards. “Find a stick as big as your foot,” one read. “Gather 50 rocks and acorns and lay them out in groups of ten,”
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      I love it -- our kids need to spend more time outside, too, in creative and life-relevant activities :)
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      I love the idea of "outdoor math" cards. We need to have more of this outside-the-box thinking in (and out!) of our classrooms.
Loren Kurpiewski

Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? | People & Places | Smithsonian Magazine - 0 views

  • professionals selected from the top 10 percent of the nation’s graduates to earn a required master’s degree in education
    • Kristen Koburger
       
      Although we are obviously all pursuing our masters in education, it is not required in America that teachers receive a masters in order to teacher. In fact, in some schools and in some parts of the country just getting a teaching certificate is enough to qualify adults to become teachers. I wonder if the standard to become an employable teacher in Amercia was raised, if there would be better quality teachers. I think that if becomig a teacher required more then a certificate or a bachelors degree, only those who are truely passionate about teaching would try to become teachers.
    • Rachael Webster
       
      Having such requirements might also increase the prestige associated with teaching. It seems like Finland subscribes to the idea that only the best may teach, while the US still believes that those who can't do teach. Why would you want someone who can't do something teaching it? It's such a nonsensical colloquialism, but one that permeates attitudes toward teachers.
    • Ron Lombard
       
      there is push to do this in the US - problem is QPA's and test score don't prove you can teach
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      If we increase the level of education required to teach, then we will probably have to increase teacher's compensation so they can pay off school loans. But honestly, I think increasing education is not the biggest need--changing teacher's unions so that low-quality teachers can be fired, and high-performing teachers can be rewarded, might be a more effective method.
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      I agree with Dr. Lombard in that QPAs and test scores don't prove anything about your teaching ability, but I think that spending the extra time, effort and money to earn your Masters is an indicator of your determination and eagerness to not only be a teacher, but be a *great* teacher.
  • “Children from wealthy families with lots of education can be taught by stupid teachers,” Louhivuori said, smiling. “We try to catch the weak students. It’s deep in our thinking.”
    • Rachael Webster
       
      While I don't relish the idea of anyone having a stupid teacher, I certainly do applaud the acknowledgement that the weakest students need the strongest teachers. We need teachers who view working with the least priviledged students as the primo jobs and jobs working with kids who already have everything as something that you'd take if you had to. If you want to be rewarded for your job, isn't seeing a kid go from the bottom up a lot more rewarding than seeing a kid who has everything inch up a little higher in his already awesome educational career? I sound like I don't think wealthier students deserve good teachers, and that's not what I mean. I'm just saying that the toughest jobs are the ones we should be the proudest and most excited to do.
    • Ron Lombard
       
      Now this approach makes sense in particular in the lower grades
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      BALLIN!
    • Brittney Story
       
      I love this quote! These weaker students are the ones falling through the cracks in America or being wrongly pushed ahead.
  • If you only measure the statistics, you miss the human aspect.”
    • Rachael Webster
       
      YES
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • His Race to the Top
    • Ron Lombard
       
      A review of literature will show this caused as much trouble as any good
  • small enough
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      like private schools in the USA
Loren Kurpiewski

Edupunk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 1 views

  • "an approach to teaching that avoids mainstream tools like PowerPoint and Blackboard, and instead aims to bring the rebellious attitude and D.I.Y. ethos of ’70s bands like The Clash to the classroom."
    • Kristen Koburger
       
      I like the idea of avoiding commonly used tools like Powerpoint. There are so many other technologies students can used to create presentations nowadays.
    • Rachael Webster
       
      I agree. I know the classes which have been the most tedious all feature Powerpoint prominently. Granted, the Powerpoint was used poorly, but that seems to be the norm. Let's use this exciting stuff instead!
    • Ron Lombard
       
      This approach goes along way in holding the attention the class / more and more students expect visual and audio stimulation
    • Rebecca Delivuk
       
      It's so easy to stick with the comfortable, old technologies (aka Powerpoint) rather than find the best technologies. I'm certainly guilty of this!
    • Brittney Story
       
      I like the idea of avoiding tools like powerpoint as well, there are so many other tools on the internet such as Prezi that give presentations a whole new format that becomes much more interesting and useful than a typical powerpoint.
    • Chuck DiNardo
       
      I think that students fall into the pattern of using powerpoint over alternative tools because it is the one they have the most expertise with and it is the one that their audience already understands. For example I think ustream is such a dynamic resource but it doesn't have the mainstream popularity of youtube 
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      I have never been one to fit in with the mainstream, so this my kind of attitude. Powerpoint is overused and rarely used correctly. Blackboard is rarely used to its full potential and is an educational crutch. The more variety you use, the more interest you may keep.
  • Reaction against commercialization of learning
    • Rachael Webster
       
      I like that this is essentially a movement away from managed curriculum and toward constant differentiation. Between this and "do it yourself," the attitude of "hey, if this doesn't work, we will do whatever we need to in order to find something that does" permeates and I love that.
    • Ron Lombard
       
      This appears to be the way education is headed
  • Do-it-yourself attitude
    • Nathan Bell
       
      Speaking as someone who is very DIY by nature, I love the idea behind this movement. The assosciation with 'Unschooling' is a little troubling though. I read an article on Unschooling over the summer and it talked about a 15 year old kid who couldn't read. I think a little guidance in the right direction is still needed.
  • ...7 more annotations...
    • Zachary Beebe
       
      Booya!
    • Nathan Bell
       
      Ha!
  • ^ Hirst, A. (2008-06-08). "Changing Expectations". YouTube. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fNTlescIvW0. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
    • Nathan Bell
       
      I dig this video. Nice visuals and sentiments regarding the Edupunk idea. And a pretty kickin' soundtrack by Oasis, too.
  • government and corporate interests
  • Self-directed learning Student-centered education Unschooling Anarchistic free school Student voice Libre learning Popular Education Critical pedagogy
  • reframing and bundling emerging technologies
    • Max Applegate
       
      This categorization process of students mixed with new hardware in the classroom makes me feel like gov't. and corporations think of schools as customers. Just because new tech is inside of a classroom does not mean that it will be the godsend that fixes everything. Punk schools of thought can breed creativity!
  • Thinking and learning for yourself
    • Brittney Story
       
      I love the fact that the one idea the keeps coming up is the thinking and learning for yourself.  We cannot continue to teach our students in a way that doesn't force them to think and learn by themselves!
  • "Wikipedia:WikiProject Murder Madness and Mayhem"
    • Loren Kurpiewski
       
      This is a fantastic, inspiring example of an edupunk-style assignment! This would definately keep the students interested and engaged because it encourages them not only to learn about the subject, but champion it.
Zachary Beebe

Current TV - 0 views

shared by Zachary Beebe on 26 Sep 11 - Cached
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    This is a user driven channel that actually broadcasts on television, it is on all the major providers including comcast and verizon fios. Pretty cool tool!
Ron Lombard

media tools for classroom - 0 views

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    Listing and links to tools for classroom use
Rachael Webster

Games and Rules : 2¢ Worth - 0 views

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    I liked this piece because it reminded me of a conversation I had in another class this week. Another person in the class was asking how we can prepare our kids for technology in the future that we have no idea will exist as of right now. The example given was how nobody knew iPads would exist a few years ago and now tablets are the big thing. My thoughts are that if we make sure our students are well-versed in the technology that we have right now, future technology builds on that and becomes intuitive. It wasn't hard for me to go from Pac-Man to Zelda, or from Zelda to Doom. Each built on skills that I already had. When I got my iPad as a gift, I had no idea what the purpose of it was; now I can't live without it. It wasn't hard for me to learn at all because it built on the skills I already had. I think this article says all of that, albeit in a much simpler way.
  •  
    Great points!
Loren Kurpiewski

GOOD Video: Future Learning Engages Students with Lessons On Demand - Education - GOOD - 0 views

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    I saw this video the other day on Google Reader. It sparked my interest because it is a very interesting idea and could be a great resource for teachers and students alike. I think on-demand video learning is going to be a huge part of the future of the classroom, and it is a great way for students to get a fuller understanding of something that maybe wasn't discussed in as much detail in the classroom.
  •  
    Khan Academy is AWESOME! I had bookmarked it last year, and then I forgot about it. I could use it now to help my daughter in Math! Thanks!
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