Group items tagged problem - Educational Technology and Change Journal

How real school reform should look (or explaining water to a fish) - 1 views

How real school reform should look (or explaining water to a fish) By Valerie Strauss http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/how-real-school-reform-should-look-or-explaining-wat...

school reform not a standard body of knowledge political paralysis education change

started by Bonnie Sutton on 06 Feb 12 no follow-up yet

Rupert Murdoch uses eG8 to talk up net's power to transform education | Media | guardia... - 6 views

www.guardian.co.uk/...g8-invest-education-technology

rupert murdoch uses

shared by Jim Shimabukuro on 02 Jun 11 - No Cached

Jim Shimabukuro on 02 Jun 11

"Rupert Murdoch uses eG8 to talk up net's power to transform education News Corp chairman claims 'Victorian' schools are 'last holdout from digital revolution' Kim Willsher in Paris guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 May 2011 18.10 BST Rupert Murdoch, the News Corporation founder and chairman, used his address to the eG8 Forum in Paris on Tuesday to call for more investment in education and "unlocking the potential" of the world's children. Murdoch said it was not a question of putting a computer in every school, but concentrating on opening up opportunities for youngsters to flourish by using targeted and tailored software. News Corp moved into the $500bn (£310bn) US education sector in late 2010, paying about $360m in cash for 90% of technology company Wireless Generation, which provides mobile and web software to enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver personalised learning."

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">"Rupert Murdoch uses eG8 to talk up net's power to transform education News Corp chairman claims 'Victorian' schools are 'last holdout from digital revolution' Kim Willsher in Paris guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 May 2011 18.10 BST Rupert Murdoch, the News Corporation founder and chairman, used his address to the eG8 Forum in Paris on Tuesday to call for more investment in education and "unlocking the potential" of the world's children. Murdoch said it was not a question of putting a computer in every school, but concentrating on opening up opportunities for youngsters to flourish by using targeted and tailored software. News Corp moved into the $500bn (£310bn) US education sector in late 2010, paying about $360m in cash for 90% of technology company Wireless Generation, which provides mobile and web software to enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver personalised learning."</div>

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Jim Shimabukuro on 02 Jun 11

From Harry Keller

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">From Harry Keller</div>

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Claude Almansi on 02 Jun 11

Interesting contrast with Murdoch's attitude in 2009 - see http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov/09/murdoch-google - but is it really a contrast?

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Interesting contrast with Murdoch's attitude in 2009 - see <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov/09/murdoch-google" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov/09/murdoch-google</a> - but is it really a contrast?</div>

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Harry Keller on 02 Jun 11

We've had Ely Broad, Bill Gates, and a host of other billionaires (even George Lucas) attempting to "fix" our education system. They're not doing so well. What is so interesting to me about Murdoch, despite his pirate-like business practices, is that he sees what I think is the real direction for the future of education. Oddly unlike his right-wing colleagues, he's not pushing for vouchers or more school privatization. Unlike the technocrats, he's not pushing for more and more computers in schools. He sees the solution to our schooling problems as "targeted and tailored software." Many (maybe most) countries, including the U.S., lack the political will as societies to fix education the way that Finland did. Software is the other path. Much discussion today centers around the platform. Will we use smart phones or e-tablets or netbooks? Will we see $1 apiece apps as the learning modules or cloud-based solutions? Will our new learning software run on iOS or Android? All of that is window dressing and barely worthy of discussion. For me, Murdoch hit the nail on the head. We have too little software "targeted and tailored" to education or, at least, too little highly professional quality software.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">We've had Ely Broad, Bill Gates, and a host of other billionaires (even George Lucas) attempting to "fix" our education system. They're not doing so well. What is so interesting to me about Murdoch, despite his pirate-like business practices, is that he sees what I think is the real direction for the future of education. Oddly unlike his right-wing colleagues, he's not pushing for vouchers or more school privatization. Unlike the technocrats, he's not pushing for more and more computers in schools. He sees the solution to our schooling problems as "targeted and tailored software." Many (maybe most) countries, including the U.S., lack the political will as societies to fix education the way that Finland did. Software is the other path. Much discussion today centers around the platform. Will we use smart phones or e-tablets or netbooks? Will we see $1 apiece apps as the learning modules or cloud-based solutions? Will our new learning software run on iOS or Android? All of that is window dressing and barely worthy of discussion. For me, Murdoch hit the nail on the head. We have too little software "targeted and tailored" to education or, at least, too little highly professional quality software.</div>

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Claude Almansi on 04 Jun 11

Errh yes about Murdoch pushing "targeted and tailored software" , Harry. But see also: "News Corp moved into the $500bn (£310bn) US education sector in late 2010, paying about $360m in cash for 90% of technology company Wireless Generation, which provides mobile and web software to enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver personalised learning." So he is doing at software level what Microsoft etc were doing at hardware - and at times software - level: promoting his wares in a very juicy market. We've had "targeted and tailored to education" software for decades, now: LMSs, addons to office suites, etc. Some good, some bad. The problem with software that is targeted and tailored to education is that it is a) often boring; b) perforce based on an abstract general idea of education; c) often remote from what gets used outside school. Would it not be better to train teachers in adapting whatever software is generally available, be it desktop or on the cloud, to fit their and their specific students' needs?

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Errh yes about Murdoch pushing "targeted and tailored software" , Harry. But see also: "News Corp moved into the $500bn (£310bn) US education sector in late 2010, paying about $360m in cash for 90% of technology company Wireless Generation, which provides mobile and web software to enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver personalised learning." So he is doing at software level what Microsoft etc were doing at hardware - and at times software - level: promoting his wares in a very juicy market. We've had "targeted and tailored to education" software for decades, now: LMSs, addons to office suites, etc. Some good, some bad. The problem with software that is targeted and tailored to education is that it is a) often boring; b) perforce based on an abstract general idea of education; c) often remote from what gets used outside school. Would it not be better to train teachers in adapting whatever software is generally available, be it desktop or on the cloud, to fit their and their specific students' needs?</div>

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Harry Keller on 04 Jun 11

My point is simply that Murdoch gets it. His motives don't have to be pure for us all to benefit from the light he's shining on educational technology. Regarding the software, your points are well-taken. However, one extra qualification must be added. The software must be "good." That means it must avoid the problems you list.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">My point is simply that Murdoch gets it. His motives don't have to be pure for us all to benefit from the light he's shining on educational technology. Regarding the software, your points are well-taken. However, one extra qualification must be added. The software must be "good." That means it must avoid the problems you list.</div>

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Harry Keller on 05 Jun 11

"Would it not be better to train teachers in adapting whatever software is generally available, be it desktop or on the cloud, to fit their and their specific students' needs?' I disagree with this analysis. Software not created for educational purposes will only adapt so far. It is, for example, word processing substituting for paper and pencil. That's worthy of doing but really makes no difference in instruction. When software is created specifically for learning, it can reach much more deeply into the learning processes. It's not just peripheral but central to learning. You can adapt lots of software to education in lots of ways, and I've read of many very clever adaptations. Almost all could be done without the use of a computer, albeit somewhat less efficiently but nonetheless effectively. I read Murdoch's call, which echoes something I've been saying for many years, as meaning that we have to build software that answers the necessities of learning. We don't have much today.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">"Would it not be better to train teachers in adapting whatever software is generally available, be it desktop or on the cloud, to fit their and their specific students' needs?' I disagree with this analysis. Software not created for educational purposes will only adapt so far. It is, for example, word processing substituting for paper and pencil. That's worthy of doing but really makes no difference in instruction. When software is created specifically for learning, it can reach much more deeply into the learning processes. It's not just peripheral but central to learning. You can adapt lots of software to education in lots of ways, and I've read of many very clever adaptations. Almost all could be done without the use of a computer, albeit somewhat less efficiently but nonetheless effectively. I read Murdoch's call, which echoes something I've been saying for many years, as meaning that we have to build software that answers the necessities of learning. We don't have much today.</div>

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Claude Almansi on 05 Jun 11

Taking up your example of word processing as substitute for pen and pencil , Harry: true, and that's what I retorted in the late 1990's to a digitalophobe academic, when we met about the Italian translation of one of his books, and he boasted of having got a letter from a publisher saying he was their last author to deliver typescripts on paper and not as a digital file. I pointed out that cut and paste, copy and paste (the things he particularly hated the ease of in digital media) existed in the real world looooooong before computers, let alone PCs, let alone the Web. And yet... in 2007 I was asked to set up at very short notice an intensive preliminary French workshop for participants in a master course in intercultural studies: though in Lugano, the course was to be in French and English. I asked for access to the Moodle for the course, to store course materials there etc. The organizers refused: "The Moodle will only be explained to the students in the first week of the course proper". The idea that graduate students needed to have a Moodle explained to them in 2007 seemed peregrine, but rather than arguing, I set up a for-free wiki instead. At our first meeting, the students asked why we weren't using the Moodle, I repeated the official explanation, they laughed and got the hang of the wiki immediately. Then, for reading comprehension, they chose one of the assigned texts for the course: a longish book chapter they had received by e-mail as a grayish PDF based on a low-resolution scan, based on a reduced photocopy to make 2 pages fit on an A4 sheet: i.e. with no margin to take notes on. So we printed the PDF, separated the pages with scissors, pasted the separate pages with glue sticks on new A4 sheets, to get wider margins to write in. And then we made a wiki page for it, copied in it the subheadings, between which the students, added the notes they were taking, working in groups on the new paper version. Result: http://micusif.wikispaces.com/Vinsonneau

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Taking up your example of word processing as substitute for pen and pencil , Harry: true, and that's what I retorted in the late 1990's to a digitalophobe academic, when we met about the Italian translation of one of his books, and he boasted of having got a letter from a publisher saying he was their last author to deliver typescripts on paper and not as a digital file. I pointed out that cut and paste, copy and paste (the things he particularly hated the ease of in digital media) existed in the real world looooooong before computers, let alone PCs, let alone the Web. And yet... in 2007 I was asked to set up at very short notice an intensive preliminary French workshop for participants in a master course in intercultural studies: though in Lugano, the course was to be in French and English. I asked for access to the Moodle for the course, to store course materials there etc. The organizers refused: "The Moodle will only be explained to the students in the first week of the course proper". The idea that graduate students needed to have a Moodle explained to them in 2007 seemed peregrine, but rather than arguing, I set up a for-free wiki instead. At our first meeting, the students asked why we weren't using the Moodle, I repeated the official explanation, they laughed and got the hang of the wiki immediately. Then, for reading comprehension, they chose one of the assigned texts for the course: a longish book chapter they had received by e-mail as a grayish PDF based on a low-resolution scan, based on a reduced photocopy to make 2 pages fit on an A4 sheet: i.e. with no margin to take notes on. So we printed the PDF, separated the pages with scissors, pasted the separate pages with glue sticks on new A4 sheets, to get wider margins to write in. And then we made a wiki page for it, copied in it the subheadings, between which the students, added the notes they were taking, working in groups on the new paper version. Result: <a href="http://micusif.wikispaces.com/Vinsonneau" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://micusif.wikispaces.com/Vinsonneau</a></div>

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Social Justice and Equity - 1 views

http://blog.fedcan.ca/2011/05/20/equity-and-social-justice-from-the-inside-out-ten-commitments-of-a-multicultural-educ Equity and social justice from the inside-out: Ten commitments of a multicultu...

Muticultural Pavillion pluralism social justice strategies for equity

started by Bonnie Sutton on 12 Aug 11 no follow-up yet

Why We're Building a Civic Commons - And How You Can Be Part of It - 1 views

ttp://civiccommons.org/2011/06/building-a-civic-commons/ Why We're Building a Civic Commons - And How You Can Be Part of It | By Andrew McLaughlin Walk down any major street in any ci...

started by Bonnie Sutton on 09 Jul 11 no follow-up yet

Just Schools: Pursuing Equality in Societies of Difference - 1 views

http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=16561 Just Schools: Pursuing Equality in Societies of Difference reviewed by Sherick Hughes - October 14, 2011 Title: Just Schools: Pursuing Equality...

pursuing equality societies of difference critical race theory CRT ethnicity

started by Bonnie Sutton on 18 Oct 11 no follow-up yet

Brown Center Report on American Education - 2 views

The 2012 Brown Center Report on American Education View online: http://www.brookings.edu/newsletters/browncenter/2012/0216.aspx ► Brookings.edu February 16, 2012 Brown Center on Education Poli...

Achievement Gaps NAEP Common Core

started by Bonnie Sutton on 16 Feb 12 no follow-up yet

Stanford Imaging Study Reveals Differences in Brain Function for Children With Math Anx... - 1 views

03/28/2012 12:39 PM EDT Vinod Menon Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have shown for the first time, how brain function differs in people who have math anxiety from those who do...

math anxiety stanford problem solving

started by Bonnie Sutton on 29 Mar 12 no follow-up yet

Computer Science Education Week - 2 views

About CSEdWeek http://www.csedweek.org/about KEY FACTS | NEWSROOM | PARTNERS CSEdWeek 2011, December 4 to 10, 2011, is a highly distributed celebration of the impact of computing and the ...

CSED computer education information technology systems

started by Bonnie Sutton on 06 Dec 11 no follow-up yet

The ten most popular eSN stories of the year - 2 views

The ten most popular eSN stories of the year Here are the most popular eSchool News stories of 2011. Recently, we published our editors' picks for the 10 most significant ed-tech stories of 2011...

started by Bonnie Sutton on 03 Jan 12 no follow-up yet

U.S. Report Sees Perils to America's Tech Future - 1 views

U.S. Report Sees Perils to America's Tech Future In report, Commerce Department looks at competitive threats and internal weaknesses in new report http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/92231...

America's tech future innovation advanced technology produces STEM

started by Bonnie Sutton on 09 Jan 12 no follow-up yet

Digital Divide, Mobile Divide, Knoeledge Divide, Access Divide, are we a nation of oppo... - 1 views

http://thepowerofus.org/2012/01/06/digital-divide-mobile-divide-knowledge-divide-access-divide-are-we-a-nation-of-opportunity/ We Still Have a Digital Divide and it is growing!!'We Still Have a Di...

digital divide access knowledge vint cerf Bob Kahn nation of opportunity

started by Bonnie Sutton on 06 Jan 12 no follow-up yet

CHEATING ON THE SATS - 0 views

From CBS 60 Minutes [TV program], Sunday, January 1, 2012 -- you can view the segment at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57348498/the-perfect-score-cheating-on-the-sat/ and also read the s...

60 MINUTES PERFECT SCORE CHEATING COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAM SAT WIZARDS

started by Bonnie Sutton on 03 Jan 12 no follow-up yet

President Obama's unusual education roundtable - 1 views

Permalink to the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/president-obamas-unusual-education-roundtable/2011/07/18/gIQAf3UJMI_blog.html (odd that the Diigo software didn't inc...

President Obama educators Roundtable Foundations

started by Bonnie Sutton on 23 Jul 11 1 follow-up, last by Claude Almansi on 23 Jul 11

Why Johnny Can't Program - 1 views

Why Johnny can't program -- and how that can change Today's schools are actually turning kids away from computer science, and it will take innovative programs to reverse the trend By Neil McAll...

middle school children's programming agent sheets computer science computing

started by Bonnie Sutton on 05 Aug 11 no follow-up yet

For At-Risk Youth, is Learning Digital Media a Luxury? - 1 views

July 22, 2011 | 2:20 PM | By Tina Barseghian DIGITAL DIVIDE For At-Risk Youth, is Learning Digital Media a Luxury? FILED UNDER: Culture, Learning Methods, Research, Tech Tools, digital media, mobi...

Culture Learning Methods Research Tech Tools digital media mobile-learning

started by Bonnie Sutton on 23 Jul 11 no follow-up yet

BBC News - Cinema subtitle glasses give promise to deaf film fans - 0 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...technology-14654339

BBC cinema subtitle glasses captioning accessibility Satchell

shared by Claude Almansi on 25 Aug 11 - No Cached

Claude Almansi on 25 Aug 11

"25 August 2011 Last updated at 02:17 GMT Help People who are deaf or hard of hearing have long complained that going to watch a film can be an unsatisfactory experience, with subtitled films on at unsociable times and often suffering from technical problems. But a solution could soon available in the form of special glasses which allow the wearer to see subtitles directly in front of their eyes, giving them the freedom of choice afforded to hearing people. Graham Satchell reports."

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">"25 August 2011 Last updated at 02:17 GMT Help People who are deaf or hard of hearing have long complained that going to watch a film can be an unsatisfactory experience, with subtitled films on at unsociable times and often suffering from technical problems. But a solution could soon available in the form of special glasses which allow the wearer to see subtitles directly in front of their eyes, giving them the freedom of choice afforded to hearing people. Graham Satchell reports."</div>

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Discipline Problems, Successful Schools and Racial Justice - 3 views

The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles (CRP) announces the release of a new report by Daniel Losen, director of the new Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the CRP and one of the nati...

CRP Discipline Problems Dignity in Schools Campaign Successful and Racial Justice Civil Rights Project

started by Bonnie Sutton on 05 Oct 11 no follow-up yet

SC11 June Newsletter - 1 views

http://sc11.supercomputing.org/ Follow SC11: SC11 will feature the latest scientific and technical innovations from around the world. Bringing together scientists, engineers, researchers, educa...

SC11 Tutorials Broader engagement student volunteers education HOC Paralle computing communities

started by Bonnie Sutton on 22 Jun 11 no follow-up yet

U. of Illinois at Springfield Offers New 'Massive Open Online Course' - Wired Campus - ... - 1 views

chronicle.com/...31853

chronicle education illinois MOOC

shared by Claude Almansi on 22 Jun 11 - No Cached

Claude Almansi on 22 Jun 11

"June 21, 2011, 6:52 pm By Marc Parry "What happens when you invite the whole world to join an online class? As The Chronicle reported last year, a growing number of educators are giving that idea a try by offering free "massive open online courses," or MOOC's, to anyone who wants to learn. Today, that experimental idea gained some more traction in mainstream higher education. The University of Illinois at Springfield announced a new not-for-credit MOOC devoted to examining the state of online education and where e-learning is heading. Nearly 500 people from two dozen countries have registered so far, with 1,000 expected to sign up by the time the course begins next Monday. (...) Not enough MOOC for you? Stay tuned. Starting in September, another group will organize what the MOOC pioneer George Siemens calls the "Mother of all MOOCs." In a blog post Monday, Mr. Siemens welcomed the growing interest from traditional universities. And he countered the more skeptical take offered by another open-education leader, David Wiley, who wrote recently that "MOOCs and their like are not the answer to higher-education's problems." (...)"

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">"June 21, 2011, 6:52 pm By Marc Parry "What happens when you invite the whole world to join an online class? As The Chronicle reported last year, a growing number of educators are giving that idea a try by offering free "massive open online courses," or MOOC's, to anyone who wants to learn. Today, that experimental idea gained some more traction in mainstream higher education. The University of Illinois at Springfield announced a new not-for-credit MOOC devoted to examining the state of online education and where e-learning is heading. Nearly 500 people from two dozen countries have registered so far, with 1,000 expected to sign up by the time the course begins next Monday. (...) Not enough MOOC for you? Stay tuned. Starting in September, another group will organize what the MOOC pioneer George Siemens calls the "Mother of all MOOCs." In a blog post Monday, Mr. Siemens welcomed the growing interest from traditional universities. And he countered the more skeptical take offered by another open-education leader, David Wiley, who wrote recently that "MOOCs and their like are not the answer to higher-education's problems." (...)"</div>

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ATI: ATI Google Apps Accessibility Evaluation (ATI Google Apps Accessibility Evaluation) - 0 views

ati.calstate.edu/...view.php

accessibility google google apps CSU Mosinskis

shared by Claude Almansi on 30 Jun 11 - No Cached

Claude Almansi on 30 Jun 11

"In the summer of 2010, Peter Mosinskis from CSU Channel Islands assembled a team of approximately fifteen volunteers from seven different CSU campuses and one from the UC system to evaluate the accessibility of Google Apps. The team also recruited student volunteers and screen reader users to assist with the testing. Automated, manual, and screen reader testing began the first week of January 2011 and was completed February 4th. The report has been completed and posted here for your review. The CSU Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) Staff, ATI Leadership Council, and Google have reviewed the Google Apps Accessibility Evaluation report. We discovered a number of accessibility issues during our testing. These issues are outlined in the report as well as "workarounds" that can be used to improve the user experience for persons with disabilities. When campuses choose to use Google Apps, they are required to provide an equally effective service for people with disabilities and it is critical for campuses to ensure that the "workarounds" meet the educational needs of the student and/or faculty. The March 15, 2011 USA TODAY online news article "Complaint: Google programs hard for blind students" illustrates possible legal problems that may result from adopting the Google Apps for Education suite. Questions or Comments about this report may be directed to CSU ATI Staff"

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">"In the summer of 2010, Peter Mosinskis from CSU Channel Islands assembled a team of approximately fifteen volunteers from seven different CSU campuses and one from the UC system to evaluate the accessibility of Google Apps. The team also recruited student volunteers and screen reader users to assist with the testing. Automated, manual, and screen reader testing began the first week of January 2011 and was completed February 4th. The report has been completed and posted here for your review. The CSU Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) Staff, ATI Leadership Council, and Google have reviewed the Google Apps Accessibility Evaluation report. We discovered a number of accessibility issues during our testing. These issues are outlined in the report as well as "workarounds" that can be used to improve the user experience for persons with disabilities. When campuses choose to use Google Apps, they are required to provide an equally effective service for people with disabilities and it is critical for campuses to ensure that the "workarounds" meet the educational needs of the student and/or faculty. The March 15, 2011 USA TODAY online news article "Complaint: Google programs hard for blind students" illustrates possible legal problems that may result from adopting the Google Apps for Education suite. Questions or Comments about this report may be directed to CSU ATI Staff"</div>

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Claude Almansi on 30 Jun 11

Table of Contents Print Complete BookPrint This Chapter Next ATI Google Apps Accessibility Evaluation Section 1. Executive Summary Section 2. About the Project Section 3. Findings Section 4. Workarounds, Accommodations and Best Practices Summary and Conclusions Authors Note Appendices A - E

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Table of Contents Print Complete BookPrint This Chapter Next ATI Google Apps Accessibility Evaluation Section 1. Executive Summary Section 2. About the Project Section 3. Findings Section 4. Workarounds, Accommodations and Best Practices Summary and Conclusions Authors Note Appendices A - E</div>

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