While you’ve been able to identify a person’s location via their cell phone for awhile now, it’s been impossible to discern their altitude. Practically speaking, if someone is in an apartment building, you couldn’t tell if they were on the second floor or the seventh.
Until now.
Using a smartphone’s built-in technologies that measure barometric pressure, a user’s altitude can be calculated within just a few feet, according to the Washington Post. And since cell phone users are always updating their devices, this technology is already in the hands of more than 100 million people.
The benefits of this technology are numerous. One such usage could help 911 operators obtain much more precise readings of where a caller is within a building. GPS technology requires a direct line of sight to satellites, rendering it ineffective indoors and creating issues for dispatchers and paramedics, especially when the caller is unable or unwilling to provide the specifics of their location. With this new technology, however, a caller’s exact location (i.e. what floor they’re on) will be available.
This has caused much concern to public-safety groups, who state there is no restrictions keeping intelligence agencies like the CIA and FBI from commandeering the technology for their own uses.
“This puts those of use in the civil-liberties community in a difficult position of opposing the creation of location services for emergency services, because we know the FBI will ask for it later, and we don’t have the power to stop them when they ask for it,” says Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist for American Civil Liberties Union to the Washington Post.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is in the process of updating its requirements for the ways wireless carriers handle 911 calls, demanding the construction of an alternative, precise location pinpointing system capable of finding callers even in buildings. This proposal has triggered a battle amongst lobbyists, with some public safety groups supporting strict FCC rules, and wireless carriers pushing for slower implementation of different technology.
“We are committed to both improving public safety and protecting consumer privacy,” says David Simpson, chief of FCC’s public-safety and homeland-security bureau.
Though this stagnation is causing concern in those in public service. “The [wireless] industry is basically trying to slow the train down,” says Harold Schaitberger, general president of International Association of Firefighters. “That’s very troubling to us.”
Category: Bridging the Opportunity Divide
Meet the School Chief Who’s Offering Double-Digit Raises to Teachers
We all know that good teachers matter. It’s just common sense that a child learns more with an outstanding educator leading the classroom.
That’s why Antwan Wilson, Oakland Unified School District’s new superintendent, has come up with a bold move to retain and attract the best and the brightest teachers. As SFGate reports, Wilson’s “Pathway to Excellence” plan includes a 10 percent raise for teachers over three years.
“Paying teachers is extremely important,” Wilson said in a press conference. “We have a double-digit (pay raise) offer on the table right now. On salaries, we are behind, but in benefits, we’re way ahead. But when you add those together, we’re still behind.”
Oakland, Calif. district teachers make less than their counterparts in Alameda County, according to the Oakland Tribune. (The median salary for Oakland’s public teachers is $59,782). Funds for the raise will stem from an extra $12 million the Oakland district received thanks to California’s schools funding program, according to the publication. Counter proposals will be considered next month.
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“If I am a teacher, what’s going to attract me to this district is how I was made to feel special,” Wilson added. “When we recruit you, did we talk to you and were we excited about you, or did we hire you and just forget about you? We need to think about their best interests, the best fit for them and how we made them feel successful.”
It’s no secret that the men and women who are trusted with educating America’s youth don’t get paid very much. The average salary for public school teachers in the United States is $56,643 a year, with many teachers making much less than that. By raising salaries, it incentivizes teachers to stay, and it also attracts new teachers to come aboard.
You might be surprised how big of a difference a good teacher makes. According to a (controversial) 2011 study cited in TIME magazine’s recent cover story, replacing a poorly performing teacher with a good one could increase students’ lifetime earnings by $250,000 per classroom. And as we previously reported, the (rigorously screened and highly experienced) teachers at an experimental charter school in New York City called The Equity Project (TEP) have a stunning salary of $125,000 annually. The result of their Wall Street compensation? Students have higher test scores and are accelerating their education; a Mathematica Policy Research says that TEP students learned in four years what would’ve taken more than five and a half years at other schools.
It’s clear that a good teacher can make a big difference in a student’s life. If we want to put the best educators in America’s classrooms, it’s time they are given every penny they are worth.
DON’T MISS: The State That’s Actually Hiring Teachers and Paying Them More
This is What Community Oriented Policing Looks Like
The Houston Police Department’s mental health division works out of the second floor of the city’s first Center for Sobriety, which provides assistance and monitoring for people under the influence of alcohol. It’s a fitting location for the unique department, which was formed in 2007 and has centered itself around partnerships with community organizations and mental health case workers to develop a more sensitive, multi-pronged approach for dealing with people with mental illnesses.
Sgt. Steve Wick heads up a small unit inside this department called the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT for short), which is made up of four officers, one sergeant and three mental health case workers. In addition to responding to complaints associated with homelessness, like public intoxication or loitering, this police unit works proactively to get those people off the streets of downtown Houston — preventing complaints from happening in the first place.
This approach to homelessness is not unique to Houston. Departments in Cambridge, Mass. and Colorado Springs, Colo. amongst others, have started units with similar strategies. Sgt. Wick spent a week with the Colorado Springs department learning about their program before starting HOT in Houston.
It’s hard to tell if this approach has lead to a significant decrease in complaints associated with the homeless, but the impact on the street population is evident. According to Wick, HOT has helped place more than 400 people in temporary or permanent housing since 2011.
When Skiers Leave Behind Warm Clothing, These Teens Dole It Out to the Homeless
There’s more than a mountain of snow at ski resorts each season, as giant piles of winter coats, mittens, hats and scarves accumulate in the lost-and-found departments.
Back in 2011, two 11-year-old ski racers from the Bay Area, Corinne Hindes and Katherine Kirsebom, noticed these mountains of unclaimed winter wear at Lake Tahoe ski resorts and decided to use them to help less fortunate people.
They didn’t stop with just donating one batch of coats to homeless shelters and other charities, however. The girls founded the nonprofit Warm Winters, and to date, the organization has donated 5,000 pieces of warm clothing to help thousands of homeless people.
Even though Hindes and Kirsebom are still only teenagers, they plan to expand Warm Winters nationally with the help of a 2013 Jefferson Award, given by a foundation that describes itself as “the country’s longest standing and most prestigious organization dedicated to activating and celebrating public service.”
As part of the award, Hindes is studying leadership with the Jefferson Awards Globe Changers Leadership Program. She aims to expand Warm Winters to 10 ski-friendly states, while keeping the program a teen-led initiative as they work with the National Ski Area Association to get it off the ground at 50 or more ski resorts.
Hindes tells TalkingGood, “There was a time a few years back where I saw a homeless man in a T-shirt and jeans on a terribly cold day in winter and I was horrified by how cold he was, and the fact that he had no jacket to shield him from the cold broke my heart. That was a moment where I gained clarity about my purpose because I knew that I had to help him and others like him in any way that I could, and I had to do all that I could to make their situation better. When I gave my first coat to a homeless person, the smile on his face gave me the most rewarding feeling I had ever felt, and it still does today.”
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A Second Grader’s Genius Idea Helps Lonely Kids Make Friends
For some kids, the playground can be a big, lonely place.
But last year, Christian Buck, a second grader in York, Penn., came up with a simple, but amazing idea to help kids who don’t know where to go during recess or have anyone to play with.
According to Good News Network, the 8-year-old was shown a photo of a special bench at a German school where lonely kids can go to so that other children can befriend them. The young man liked what he saw, and he decided to tell his teacher and his principal at Roundtown Elementary about it, and they thought it was a great addition for the playground. Soon after, the Buddy Bench was born.
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Six months later, Christian’s school project has turned into somewhat of a movement (check out this map of Buddy Benches across the nation). There are also Buddy Benches in schools around Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, Italy and Canada, the York Daily Record reports. The newest one just popped up in Lake Superior Primary and Intermediate School in Ashland, Wis.
“It helps the kids who see others on the Buddy Bench, to enable them to approach and ask them to play,” Intermediate School Counselor Kelly Sundeen tells Ashland’s Daily Press. “It also tells the kids on the bench that it is OK to say ‘I need someone to play with.’”
The bench is also a powerful anti-bullying tool that allows teachers and administrators to teach students to be kind to others and not ostracize schoolmates that sit on the bench. “It really builds their self-esteem to ask others to play with them,” Sundeen adds.
Christian has since given speeches in California and Connecticut about his wonderful idea.
“The idea of the Buddy Bench is to allow others to meet and play with new friends or old friends,” Christian explains in this video. “We show we care about others when we ask others to play.”
Isn’t it nice to be nice?
Great day to have @MUKSAVE in the building. Here is our new Buddy Bench for students looking for a friend at recess. pic.twitter.com/apv7RF3XTu
— Rolling Hills Elem (@RHElementary) March 17, 2014
[ph]
DON’T MISS: The Brilliant But Simple Way This Teacher Stops Bullying
5 Inventors Under 20 That Are Changing the World
Remember that list teachers had you make in elementary school? It was filled with all of the amazing things you wanted to accomplish in your life, most of which were grandiose. And while most of us probably won’t have the opportunity to cure cancer or travel to the moon, some teenagers are already making an impact. All under 20, these kids are using their ingenuity and everyday objects to solve the world’s problems.
Eesha Khare
Just 18 years old, Khare knows more about batteries than most of us combined ever will. This Saratoga, Calif. teenager revolutionized their function by inventing one that can be charged in 20 seconds and keeps power 10 times longer than the average battery. [ph]
Param Jaggi
With carbon dioxide emissions (particularly from cars) becoming a more prevalent environmental hazard, Jaggi decided to look to the environment for a solution. The answer? Algae. Using the water weed, the 17-year-old Jaggi created Algae Mobile – a device inserted into the tailpipe of a car, which converts exhaust into oxygen. [ph]
Marion Betchel
The daughter of geologists and a music lover herself, Betchel found a way to combine her experience with both to fight violence. Using the sound waves from the piano, Betchel created a keyboard-based device that can detect hidden land mines — which, in many areas, are still a huge cause of death, particularly among children. Betchel’s device could prevent many of those unnecessary deaths. [ph]
Ryan Patterson
In Colorado, 17-year-old Patterson just found a way to ease the lives of the deaf using a glove. Equipped with sensors, a radio frequency transmitter and a microcontroller, this glove can interpret hand motions, thereby, translating sign language for the user. [ph]
Raquel Redshirt
In New Mexico’s Navajo Nation, poverty runs rampant while electricity is scarce. Many of the residents can’t afford an electric oven — making food options very limited. That is, until 16-year old Redshirt created a solar-powered one. Comprised of anything lying around — old tires, aluminum foil, shredded paper, dirt — Redshirt created a simple device that’s changing the lives of her family and community. [ph]
Considering all of these great things were accomplished during their teen years, just imagine what these youth are going to do in the next 50 years.
To read about more teenage inventors, click here.
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The City That’s Turning Old Pay Phones into Wi-Fi Hotspots
New York City has a plan to revamp the antiquated pay phones dotting city streets throughout the five boroughs.
Mayor Bill De Blasio unveiled a plan to transform thousands of public phones into information booths that provide free Wi-Fi access, free calls to anywhere in the United States, complimentary phone charging and a touchscreen featuring access to city services. Dubbed LinkNYC, the nearly 10 feet tall booths will provide Wi-Fi range from 150 feet in any direction for up to 250 devices, according to the New York Times.
But don’t expect the typical slow, public Wi-Fi. The network will be 100 times faster than average municipal systems and more than 20 times faster than average home internet service in the city, according to the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. That means a two-hour movie could be potentially downloaded in about 30 seconds.
“It’s going to help us close the digital divide,” says Maya Wiley, counsel to Mayor De Blasio.
The city awarded the bid to build the kiosks to CityBridge, a conglomerate of companies, including Qualcomm and Titan, and plans to roll out the hotspots beginning of next year. Approximately 10,000 will be installed across the five boroughs, with a weekly check-in to ensure they haven’t been vandalized.
The city plans to pay for the program through advertising revenues from digital displays featured on the booths. De Blasio says, the program will come at “no-cost to taxpayers and generate more than $500 million in revenue for the city over the next 12 years.” CityBridge is planning to create a local agency for maintenance and repair, which will add to the 100 to 150 new full-time jobs expected to come with the LinkNYC program.
For those who still rely on old-fashioned pay phones, CityBridge said it plans to keep three existing “Superman pay phones” along the West End Avenue, where some traditional phone booths have endured.
“With this proposal for the fastest and largest municipal Wi-Fi network in the world — accessible to and free for all New Yorkers and visitors alike — we’re taking a critical step toward a more equal, open and connected city,” De Blasio says, “for every New Yorker, in every borough.”
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Eat Lunch, Help the Mentally Ill
If you’re ever in Tucson, Ariz., you can dine on American comfort food with a side of social change at Café 54.
Since 2004, the downtown nonprofit bistro has won accolades from the local press for its cuisine, while also assisting more than 250 adults with behavioral health issues.
Founded by executive director Mindy Bernstein, whose previous work also focused on vocational rehabilitation, Café 54 trainees are paid for their work as they gain valuable vocational skills in food preparation, cooking, retail and service. Some of the common challenges among employees are depression, anxiety and the often-intertwined affliction of substance abuse. Trainees graduate from the program after as little as three or as many as nine months.
Of course, work is never served without stress and having a restaurant largely run by individuals recovering from behavioral health issues comes with challenges. Despite this, Café 54’s program manager, Orlando Montes, says that for most of the trainees, symptoms decrease as they acclimate to their positions.
“Jobs are stressful,” says Montes. “Jobs are demanding, jobs require us to get up in the morning and show up. And people are resilient, and they need that sense of purpose.”
Not everyone finishes the program, however. Some relapse with drugs or alcohol, others have complications with medications and symptoms, while some simply aren’t ready for a work environment. Of the 60 percent who see their vocational training through, about half obtain subsequent work in the private market. In the run-up to graduation, Café 54 job coaches assist them with job placement, should they want to continue working.
Café 54’s primary financial support comes from the Community Partnership of Southern Arizona. It also subsists on private donations and revenue generated by its lunchtime operation. This later source of funding has steadily grown, making expansion possible. Just this year, the first Café 54 food truck hit the streets of Tucson.
It’s not just patrons that reap the benefits of the eatery, as it improves society as a whole, as people with mental illnesses who are functional and stable are far less likely to incur medical expenses or put themselves and others in dangerous situations.
So on your travels in the Great Southwest, consider dining at Café 54. Your stomach — and your heart — will thank you.
Can Texting Help Improve Childhood Literacy?
Parents often have the best intentions to work with their young kids on the alphabet, rhyming words, and other literacy skills. But with the rush to make dinner and get the kids to bed, it can be difficult to carry through on those intentions.
In an effort to provide assistance, Stanford University researchers have developed a program that sends texts providing literacy-development tips to parents of preschoolers, and now, a new study shows that participating in the program improved the kids test scores. At a cost of less than $1 per parent, it’s an affordable intervention that catches parents at moments during the day when they just might find five minutes to squeeze in reading a book with their kids.
The researchers implemented a pilot program, called READY4K!, during the 2013-2014 school year at 31 San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) preschools. These facilities that have long collaborated with Stanford as a sort of learning lab — testing the latest education techniques that the researchers develop. Of the 440 families with four-year-olds that participated in the program, half were sent literacy activity and fact texts three times a week such as, “By saying beginning word sounds, like ‘ttt’ in taco & tomato, you’re preparing your child 4 K,” or “Let your child hold the book. Ask what it is about. Follow the words with your finger as you read,” according to Motoko Rich of the New York Times. The other half received texts with school announcements and other placebo messages.
The results? Parents who received the literacy prompts spent more time engaged in reading-related activities with their kids than those in the control group did. Plus, their kids achieved higher scores on literacy tests than did kids in the control group, and that group of parents engaged with teachers more, too.
Susanna Loeb, the director of Stanford’s Center for Education Policy Analysis, tells May Wong of Phys.org, “The barrier to some of these positive parenting practices isn’t knowledge or desire, but it’s the crazy, busy lives. It’s difficult to have the time or focus to make all these choices as parents, and we’re helping parents do what they know they should do and what they want to do.” She also notes, “We know that changing parental behaviors has proven to be very difficult, so to get these positive effects from our texting program was very exciting.”
What might be even more exciting is the fact that this technique works for low-income and minority families, whose children often enter kindergarten with a significant vocabulary gap compared to higher-income peers.
“Parents really are the first teacher that a student has and are the most important teacher at that [early] age,” Loeb tells Wong. “They don’t have to do it the way teachers do it; they just have to work things in with their daily life.”
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For New Americans Struggling with Paperwork, These College Students Are Helping Tackle It
Melanie Domenech Rodríguez, a multi-cultural psychology teacher at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, came up with an innovative way for her students to gain some hands-on experience with the topics they discussed in class: Every Tuesday night, students volunteer to help local refugees and immigrants at an employment and citizenship clinic they created.
Rodríguez and others initially trained the students, but now they run the clinic themselves.
Antonia Keller, a student coordinator, tells Lis Stewart of HJNews, “It’s been really exciting for me and really rewarding to meet all the people that move to Cache Valley. I think it really enriches the valley and makes it a better place to have people from all different backgrounds and experiences here.”
Keller and the other students help immigrants craft resumes, fill out job applications and complete the paperwork required for the naturalization test. While there are other organizations in the community that help immigrants study for the test, no one else was helping them handle the paperwork. “It’s really intensive,” Keller says, “and really a kind of big bureaucratic thing to tackle on your own.”
The clinic has been successful enough that Utah State students will continue to run it in the spring, surely resulting in more insights like the one college student Alecc Quezada had about how privileged he is to have grown up in the United States. “I knew that to become a citizen you had to take a test, and I knew what resumes and what jobs required, but it’s so much easier knowing the language especially and having that cultural background,” he says.
MORE: For More Than 100 Years, This House Has Been Welcoming New Americans