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Education vs. learning: How semantics can trigger a mind shift

The word "learning" opens up space for more people, places, and ideas.

  • The terms 'education' and 'learning' are often used interchangeably, but there is a cultural connotation to the former that can be limiting. Education naturally links to schooling, which is only one form of learning.
  • Gregg Behr, founder and co-chair of Remake Learning, believes that this small word shift opens up the possibilities in terms of how and where learning can happen. It also becomes a more inclusive practice, welcoming in a larger, more diverse group of thinkers.
  • Post-COVID, the way we think about what learning looks like will inevitably change, so it's crucial to adjust and begin building the necessary support systems today.
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children cities community education future future of learning government infrastructure innovation language learning public spaces social change teaching urban planning youth

How the Nazis faked part of Hamburg to fool Allied bombers

'Operation Invisibility Cloak' was a waste: Hamburg would soon be firebombed to bits

Image: Reddit
  • In 1941, the Nazis camouflaged an entire lake at the centre of Hamburg.
  • A painted tarp was made to look like a bunch of city blocks from above, in the hope of misdirecting RAF bombers.
  • But the Brits weren't fooled, and Hamburg would later suffer horrific firebombing.
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These are the best cities for work-life balance

Helsinki is the city with the best work-life balance in the world.

Photo by Julius Jansson on Unsplash

Finding room for "me time" during a stressful work week is no simple task. But in some places it's easier than others, according to a recent study.

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Mexican 'smart city' would be 100% energy efficient, self-sustaining

An Italian firm has put forward an idea for a green city that would be completely self-sustaining, modern, and green.

Image source: Stefano Boeri Architetti
  • An Italian architecture firm has proposed a sustainable city for Mexico.
  • The plans call for a 100 percent self-sufficient metropolis, with renewable energy, Venetian canals, and endless green space.
  • This design is one of many "smart city" proposals as of late that point to a new form of urbanism.
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cities architecture sustainability environment urban planning

Why Germany is a blank spot on Google's Street View

There are good historical reasons why Germans are suspicious of surveillance — but is Google as bad as Gestapo or Stasi?

Image: Google Maps
  • Since its launch in 2007, Google Street View has mapped millions of miles of roads across the world — and even gone to space and into the ocean.
  • Germany and Austria are a conspicuous gap in the mess of blue lines that covers the rest of Europe.
  • It's to do with Germans' curious sense of privacy: they'd rather flaunt their private parts than their personal data.
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