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Navigating Firewall Migrations: Greatest Practices and Palo Alto to Cisco Subsequent-Gen Firewall Specifics

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Migrating firewalls generally is a advanced enterprise, typically involving intricate insurance policies, vital functions, and the necessity for seamless transition. This publish distills key insights from skilled architects on greatest practices for any firewall migration, after which dives into the distinctive concerns when transferring from Palo Alto Networks to Cisco Subsequent-Era Firewalls.

Part 0: The Background

Buyer management has determined emigrate from PAN to Cisco.  This was a enterprise choice primarily based on elevated costs by PAN.  Not like many firewall migration tasks CX helps, this engagement had the next complicating components:

  1. Lack of current-state documentation.
  2. Lack of awareness of present id resolution. Extra particularly, we recognized (with effort) that there was a have to make Cisco & PAN co-exist due to many cases of identity-based firewall enforcement.
  3. Lack of awareness of firewall historical past (i.e. WHY is there a firewall right here/what community segments want isolation).
  4. Lack of awareness/documentation of applications-and how/the place the firewall coverage helps the functions.
  5. 24/7 setting: There is no such thing as a ‘after-hours’ so each migration effort required vital planning.

Part 1: Normal Firewall Migration Greatest Practices

A profitable firewall migration hinges on meticulous planning, thorough execution, and diligent post-migration actions.  There is no such thing as a device that may change good practices and this part’s intent is to organize an engineer with abilities required to avoid wasting one’s sanity:

1. Complete Prep Work:

  • Pre-migration Cleanup & Optimization: Earlier than you even take into consideration transferring, clear up your present firewall. This consists of analyzing rule and NAT hit-counts to determine unused or redundant insurance policies, and performing object de-duplication to streamline configurations.  Would you progress homes with out first decluttering and throwing away trash?  If not, why would you progress stale or irrelevant firewall coverage?  greatest follow is to make this one thing the client is liable for.  Like transferring, you’ll be able to’t declutter indefinitely, so guarantee there’s a timeline to which the client is held accountable to.
  • Change Administration: Ideally, implement a configuration freeze on the supply firewall. If not doable, set up sturdy change monitoring to duplicate any new guidelines or modifications throughout each the outdated and new firewalls.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Establish all mission-critical functions and their key stakeholders. Their enter is essential for understanding site visitors flows and validating post-migration performance.
  • Documentation is King:
    • Develop an in depth Methodology of Process (MOP): Define each step, together with whether or not you’ll carry out a ‘arduous’ cutover or an incremental/phased migration. Embrace clear time targets.
    • Conduct Peer Critiques: Have a number of eyes in your MOP and configurations.
    • Create a Thorough Take a look at Plan: This isn’t nearly testing functions; it’s about testing your take a look at plan itself. Guarantee it covers all vital functionalities and edge circumstances.
    • Design a Rollback Plan: All the time have a transparent technique to revert to the earlier state if points come up.

2. Flawless Migration Execution:

  • Conduct a ‘Dry-Run’: If doable, simulate the migration in a take a look at setting to determine potential points earlier than the precise cutover.
  • Validate ARP Tables: Test ARP tables each earlier than and after the migration to make sure correct community connectivity.
  • Optimize Crucial Site visitors: Develop pre-filters or ‘fastpath’ guidelines for vital functions to make sure their efficiency isn’t impacted.
  • Pre-stage Monitoring Instruments: Put together customized searches and packet captures upfront to rapidly diagnose points through the migration.
  • On-Name Help: Have utility testers and homeowners available or on a devoted name through the migration window.  Vital notice: These MAY NOT be the identical folks.  Typically, we got testers, who lacked any understanding of how the appliance labored.  Guarantee it’s effectively documented the place this expertise lives.  Supply/vacation spot IPs & L4 ports-who is aware of these low-level particulars?

3. Put up-Migration Actions for Stability & Optimization:

  • Assessment Put up-Migration Stories: Completely analyze any experiences generated by migration instruments to determine and deal with lingering points.
  • Replace Documentation: Guarantee all community diagrams, coverage paperwork, and operational procedures are up to date to replicate the brand new firewall configuration.
  • Steady Monitoring: Implement sturdy monitoring to trace efficiency, safety occasions, and potential anomalies.
  • Coaching and Help: Educate your operations staff on the brand new platform and its administration.
  • Ongoing Optimization: Firewall insurance policies should not static. Commonly evaluate and optimize guidelines to keep up effectivity and safety posture.

Finish-to-Finish Migration Process (Normal Steps):

  1. Obtain and launch the migration device.
  2. Export the supply firewall’s configuration file.
  3. Assessment the pre-migration report.
  4. Map interfaces, safety zones, and interface teams.
  5. Map configurations with functions.
  6. Specify vacation spot parameters and choose options for migration.
  7. Optimize, evaluate, and validate the migrated configuration.
  8. Push the migrated configuration to the brand new firewall’s administration middle (e.g., FMC).
  9. Deploy the configuration to the firewall.
  10. Obtain and evaluate the post-migration report.
  11. Configure any extra guide gadgets.

Part 2: Key Variations and Migration Methods from Palo Alto to Cisco Subsequent-Era Firewalls

Migrating from Palo Alto Networks to Cisco Safe Firewall brings its personal set of nuances, significantly regarding id integration, coverage conversion, and platform-specific capabilities.

  1. Id Coexistence Throughout Migration:

A big problem is guaranteeing person id mappings (e.g., “Lisa is 10.14.10.7”) are constant throughout each Palo Alto and Cisco firewalls through the interim migration interval.

  • The Drawback: Cisco wants to pay attention to user-to-IP mappings that Palo Alto’s Person-ID brokers or VPN gateways already know. With out this, site visitors from recognized customers could be denied by the Cisco firewall as a result of it lacks the mandatory context.
  • Options Explored:
    • Devoted ISE-PIC Deployment: Whereas tried, utilizing an present ISE deployment for this function may be problematic, particularly since PassiveID is incompatible with 802.1x Machine Authentication. Observe: ISE-PIC has reached Finish-of-Life.
    • Syslog Forwarding: A viable technique entails configuring the Palo Alto VPN firewall to ahead Syslog messages containing user-to-IP mappings to Cisco ISE.
    • Lively Listing Brokers: Deploying brokers on Lively Listing servers or terminal servers can assist each platforms collect id data.

By together with a mixture of syslog forwarding on the PAN VPN firewall and new Cisco brokers on the client AD servers, we have been capable of migrate a downstream PAN firewall to Cisco.

Ought to customers be coming from on-premise (passive authentication) or by way of remote-access VPN, the Cisco firewall can have a user->IP mapping to ensure the suitable firewall coverage is being matched.

As of Firewall Administration Heart 7.6, the passive ID performance is on the market instantly with out the necessity for ISE-PIC (which went EOL on 5/5/2025).

2. Coverage Conversion with the Safe Firewall Migration Device:

The Cisco Safe Firewall migration device is designed to help with this transition, however understanding its capabilities and limitations is essential.

    • Extraction & Mixture: The device can extract and mix Palo Alto configurations, figuring out components like Entry Management guidelines, Community/Port objects, Interfaces, Routes, and Purposes.
    • Characteristic Choice: You’ll be able to choose which elements of the configuration (e.g., Interfaces, Routes, Entry Management) emigrate.
    • Software Mapping: It’s essential to resolve any clean or invalid utility mappings. In some circumstances, you would possibly want so as to add port-based equivalents if a direct utility mapping isn’t accessible. Assets like Cisco AppID and Palo Alto’s Applipedia can assist.
    • Bulk Actions & Optimization: The device facilitates bulk actions and permits for ACL optimization, however keep in mind to pre-stage File and IPS insurance policies within the Cisco Firepower Administration Heart (FMC).

3. Palo Alto Configuration Limitations for Migration:

    • PAN-OS Model: The supply Palo Alto firewall have to be operating PAN-OS software program model 8.0 or increased for the migration device to operate accurately.
    • VSYS Migration: The device helps migration of both single or multi-vsys configurations, that are usually merged with VRFs to attain segmentation in Cisco FTD.
    • System Configuration: Crucial system configurations, comparable to Platform Insurance policies (e.g., NTP, SSH entry) in FTD, are typically not migrated by the device and require guide setup.

4. Particular Challenges and Guide Configurations:

A number of components require guide consideration or have completely different implementations between the 2 platforms:

  • NAT IP and Port Oversubscription: Palo Alto can deal with increased ranges of NAT oversubscription (e.g., 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x reuse of identical deal with/port). When migrating to Cisco, you typically want to extend the PAT pool dimension to accommodate this.
  • URL Wildcards: Palo Alto makes use of characters like * or ^ for URL wildcards, whereas Cisco usually helps substring matching (e.g., cisco.com as a substitute of *.cisco.com). These want adjustment.
  • Nested Object Teams: Community and port object teams nested deeper than 10 ranges should not supported in Cisco FMC and can want flattening.
  • Id Realm/Lively Listing Integration: Whereas newer variations of the migration device (FMT 7.7+) assist AD/Realm integration, you’ll typically have to manually add id to relevant guidelines and pre-stage the Realm and AD configurations within the FMC.
  • NAT Supply Substitute: Manually change NAT supply in Entry Management Coverage (ACP) guidelines with the NAT vacation spot (i.e., swap the translated deal with with the unique vacation spot).
  • Unmigrated Objects Requiring Guide Configuration:
    • Time-based entry management guidelines.  Cisco doesn’t at the moment assist time-based entry management guidelines.
    • Id-based entry management guidelines: You’ll have to explicitly affiliate id teams or particular person identities.
    • FQDN objects: Particularly these beginning with or containing particular characters. Wildcard FQDNs typically want alternative or updates.
    • URL Filtering Insurance policies: Add the respective classes as insurance policies utilizing URL filtering won’t translate instantly.
    • Software Mapping: If a rule in Palo Alto used “utility default” for service, it would seemingly be migrated as “any” service in Cisco, requiring guide refinement.  In some case we added port-based equivalents.
    • Negate Guidelines: Palo Alto’s “enable X however exclude Y” logic must be translated into specific “deny” guidelines in FTD.  Cisco doesn’t at the moment assist negate guidelines.  This was completed by merely implementing a ‘deny’ rule in FTD.
    • Dynamic Routing: Requires guide configuration.  This won’t be ported by way of the migration device.
    • Route Reflector: Add FTD as an eBGP peer manually.  Extra particularly, cisco doesn’t at the moment (as of this weblog posting) assist iBGP route reflector configuration.  This was overcome by manually configuring a brand new eBGP autonomous quantity for the firewall.  This additionally required the extra configuration of ‘allow-as in’ as there have been cases the place route propagation hair pinned the firewall.

5. Partially Supported, Ignored, or Disabled Objects:

Remember that sure configurations should not totally supported or are ignored throughout migration:

  • Administration Settings (like NTP, SSH entry).
  • Syslog Dynamic Routing.
  • Service Insurance policies (these typically translate to FlexConfig in FTD).
  • Distant-Entry VPN reserved IP addresses (require workarounds by way of ISE or AD).
  • Gadget-Particular Website-to-Website VPN configurations.
  • Connection log settings.

By adhering to basic greatest practices and understanding these particular variations when migrating from Palo Alto to Cisco Subsequent-Era Firewalls, organizations can obtain a smoother, safer, and environment friendly transition.

Montana President Eyes Senate Run

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Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Common Photos Group by way of Getty Photos

Whereas the politician–to–school president pipeline is flourishing in pink states like Florida and Texas, College of Montana president Seth Bodnar goals to go the opposite course with a Senate run.

Bodnar is anticipated to launch a bid for the U.S. Senate as an Impartial and can resign from his position as president, a job he has held since 2018, to take action, The Montana Free Press reported

A Bodnar spokesperson confirmed the run and the resignation plans to the information outlet however stated he would wait till after a proper announcement to offer extra particulars. The transfer is reportedly a part of a plan backed by Jon Tester, a Democrat who served within the Senate from 2007 to 2024. Tester was unseated by Republican Tim Sheehy in 2024.

Bodnar

The College of Montana

Tester has reportedly expressed skepticism about possibilities for a Democratic victory however signaled help for Bodnar in a textual content message, seen by native media, wherein he pointed to the UM president’s background in non-public enterprise, army service and Rhodes Scholar standing.

Bodnar holds levels from america Navy Academy and the College of Oxford. He served in Iraq as a member of the one hundred and first Airborne Division, was a Inexperienced Beret within the U.S. Military’s First Particular Forces Group, and later a lieutenant colonel within the Montana Nationwide Guard.

Bodnar taught at West Level from 2009 to 2011 earlier than becoming a member of Common Electrical, the place he served in a wide range of company management roles earlier than he was recruited to take the UM presidency.

A college spokesperson didn’t reply to a request for remark from Inside Larger Ed asking when a proper marketing campaign announcement can be made or when Bodnar might step down.

SAD Gentle Remedy – HealthyWomen

If winter has you feeling 50 shades of blah — you’re not alone. Between the grey skies and the grey sludge and the paranoia that colours had been one thing you simply made up in your head, the darkish days of winter may be tough.

Though it’s completely pure to really feel lower than sunny in months with much less solar, if the season has a major impression in your temper and conduct you possibly can be experiencing seasonal affective dysfunction (SAD).

SAD is a kind of melancholy that’s commonest within the winter and sometimes lasts till the spring. It might trigger a variety of signs together with emotions of hopelessness, tiredness and melancholy.

The excellent news is science says there’s a comparatively straightforward therapy choice that will assist deal with signs of SAD: gentle remedy.

Gentle remedy for SAD

Gentle remedy therapy entails sitting in entrance of a customized vibrant gentle (often referred to as gentle remedy packing containers or gentle remedy lamps) for about half-hour a day. Most gentle remedy gadgets for SAD have an publicity of 10,000 lux, which is across the quantity of outside gentle you’d get on an overcast day.

The sunshine remedy machine mimics pure daylight, which can assist enhance temper and power.

How gentle remedy works for SAD

Winter means shorter days and fewer sunshine. The idea behind gentle remedy is that publicity to gentle over time can enhance signs of SAD.

Jamie M. Zeitzer, Ph.D., professor of the Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and co-director of the Heart for Sleep and Circadian Sciences at Stanford College, mentioned gentle remedy has a optimistic impression on our circadian system, which helps regulate necessary issues like sleep and wake cycles and is concerned in just about all mind and physique capabilities.

“A number of issues are impacted by the circadian setting and it’s why — for some folks — shorter days may result in issues,” Zeitzer mentioned. So, in case your inside clock isn’t aligned along with your schedule, you may expertise SAD, and synthetic gentle remedy may also help.

“In some people there appears to be a direct impression of sunshine on temper. We’re not completely clear on why or the way it occurs however what we do know is for those who’re outdoors, you are happier than if you’re inside usually,” Zeitzer mentioned.

Gentle remedy for nonseasonal melancholy

Along with SAD, analysis exhibits gentle remedy can have a optimistic impact on folks with different forms of melancholy. One current research confirmed vibrant gentle remedy improved signs and a spotlight in folks with depressive signs.

One other research of twenty-two ladies discovered gentle remedy within the morning was related to a major discount in signs of perinatal melancholy.

Zeitzer famous that gentle remedy can deal with signs of melancholy in some folks, nevertheless it doesn’t treatment the dysfunction. It’s necessary to work with a healthcare supplier (HCP) to deal with the reason for any kind of non-seasonal melancholy.

Learn: Is It Simply Unhappiness or Is It Medical Melancholy? >>

Is gentle remedy secure?

Gentle remedy is secure for most individuals, however people who find themselves delicate to the solar, delicate to gentle or have eye circumstances like glaucoma ought to discuss to their HCP earlier than attempting gentle remedy.

The professionals of sunshine remedy for SAD

Along with a lift in temper and power, gentle remedy is straightforward to make use of and gained’t put an enormous dent in your pockets.

  • It’s handy — you should buy a light-weight remedy field on-line or in large field outlets and do the therapy at residence
  • Gentle remedy packing containers are comparatively cheap — you should buy one on-line for round $100
  • Some folks see enhancements inside days

The cons of sunshine remedy for SAD

With the intention to get the advantages of sunshine remedy, it’s a must to decide to the therapy. Which means sitting in entrance of the sunshine just about each morning from the top of fall into spring. Take into account that you shouldn’t stare instantly into the sunshine.

Effort and time is required to see outcomes, however, on the brilliant aspect, you are able to do different issues whereas in entrance of the sunshine field.

Speak to your healthcare supplier earlier than lighting up

In case you’re having signs of melancholy, discuss to your HCP earlier than attempting gentle remedy.

“It is necessary for folks to see a physician to verify this can be a potential answer as a result of what you do not need to have is somebody having medical melancholy that is not seasonally associated doing gentle remedy and never having it work after which having melancholy worsen,” Zeitzer mentioned.

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6 JPM Bulletins You Don’t Wish to Miss

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This yr’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Convention in San Francisco, which wrapped on Thursday, introduced collectively healthcare leaders from throughout the globe to convene, talk about business developments and provides updates on their companies. The occasion additionally featured information bulletins from corporations all around the healthcare sector.

Under are six notable bulletins made throughout the occasion.

Nvidia and Eli Lilly are investing $1 billion over 5 years right into a joint innovation lab in South San Francisco. The lab will carry collectively Lilly’s biology, chemistry and medical specialists with Nvidia’s AI engineers to create extra highly effective fashions that may velocity up the identification and validation of recent drug molecules. The companions stated that one key focus shall be constructing a “steady studying system” that connects Lilly’s moist labs with computational dry labs so AI can help researchers, in addition to enhance experiments and mannequin growth, across the clock. The lab is predicted to be purposeful early this yr.

Novartis struck a licensing settlement value almost $1.7 billion with SciNeuro Prescribed drugs to develop potential antibody therapies for Alzheimer’s illness. Novartis positive factors entry to SciNeuro’s proprietary expertise aimed toward bettering how antibodies are delivered into the mind, which might differentiate these candidates from current amyloid-targeting therapies. The collaboration may have the businesses collectively work on early growth earlier than Novartis leads later-stage scientific testing and international commercialization. 

AbbVie is investing $650 million upfront to license a clinical-stage bispecific most cancers drug referred to as RC148 from Chinese language biotech RemeGen. The drug is being developed to deal with a number of superior stable tumors, together with lung and colorectal cancers. Underneath the deal, AbbVie positive factors unique rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize RC148 outdoors Better China. AbbVie’s transfer highlights how international pharma is tapping Chinese language innovation within the crowded however promising space of most cancers R&D.

—Generative AI startup Hippocratic AI is pushing into the life sciences business by buying agentic AI specialist Grove AI and making a devoted life sciences division. Grove’s expertise facilitates scientific trial operations, serving to enhance participant engagement and recruitment. Hippocratic additionally appointed a president of life sciences, in addition to established a life sciences govt advisory council with business leaders, to information product technique and implementation. 

VieCure, a startup promoting software program for oncology care, raised $43 million to broaden the usage of its platform. The corporate’s expertise combines scientific information with determination assist instruments to assist clinicians design personalised most cancers care plans on the level of care. The corporate stated the funding will speed up its mission to democratize entry to precision oncology, significantly in neighborhood settings the place most sufferers obtain therapy.

Baxter rolled out a brand new good stretcher designed to enhance affected person dealing with and workflow for care groups. The design permits many procedures to be executed with out transferring sufferers, serving to cut back clinicians’ bodily pressure and the danger of damage. Baxter stated the stretcher serves as a option to enhance each affected person security and operational effectivity in busy hospital environments.

Photograph: Richard Drury, Getty Photographs

Anthropic’s Claude Powering Elation Well being’s Medical Insights Module

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EHR distributors says Claude synthesizes complicated, longitudinal affected person information — together with downside lists, medicines, go to notes, labs, and vitals — into concise summaries

In an August 2025 interview, Kyna Fong, Ph.D., Elation Well being’s co-founder and CEO, pressured the significance of constructing AI options natively into the EHR platform. “We’re embedding AI natively into Elation as one of many instruments within the toolkit for accelerating our roadmap and fixing necessary issues for our clients quicker or extra fully,” she mentioned. 

Now Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant, is powering the Medical Insights resolution of San Francisco-based Elation Well being’s major care-focused EHR.  The corporate says it has 46,000 scientific customers caring for 23 million sufferers.

Since launching its AI platform in August 2025, Elation mentioned it has seen fast adoption of AI instruments throughout its nationwide major care community, with Medical Insights rising because the quickest‑adopted AI function on the platform.

Elation mentioned that Medical Insights now makes use of Claude’s pace and long-context reasoning to synthesize complicated, longitudinal affected person information — together with downside lists, medicines, go to notes, labs, and vitals — into concise summaries with clear citations again to the chart. This permits major care clinicians to get a targeted view of every affected person’s well being story, serving to them put together for visits quicker whereas staying firmly accountable for scientific selections.

Since finishing the migration in November, Elation says the mixing of Claude into Medical Insights has led to: 
• 61% quicker solutions on the level of care: With Claude Haiku 4.5 time-to-first-insight dropped considerably, with streaming responses that clinicians can learn as they’re generated.
• Fast clinician adoption: Utilization of Medical Insights has doubled since its core engine was moved to Claude, making it essentially the most quickly adopted AI functionality on the Elation platform.
• Excessive‑high quality chart synthesis with quicker charges: Inner evaluations present that Claude understands the nuances of affected person charts extra precisely and responds quicker than Elation’s earlier strategy, enabling safer, extra well timed insights to assist resolution making on the level of care.
• Workflow‑aligned, personalised experiences for major care: Clinicians can personalize Medical Insights with Fast Motion buttons (akin to “summarize final three visits”) and customized directions, select computerized or on‑demand technology, and transfer fluidly between the AI abstract, the affected person’s full file, and their go to be aware.

“Anthropic was a pure alternative for Elation and is a trusted integration as we improve our native intelligence in methods which might be transformational for major care,” mentioned Fong in an announcement. “We selected Claude, powered by Anthropic, for the energy of its mannequin and its fame for accountable AI. Collectively, we’re utilizing AI thoughtfully, not for novelty, however to ship clinical-first intelligence that reduces burden, retains physicians in management, and strikes major care ahead.”

Free Valentine’s Day Bulletin Board Kits

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Want a fast, enjoyable February bulletin board that your college students can truly assist construct? These free Valentine’s Day bulletin board kits deliver the enjoyable with daring designs, straightforward printables, and built-in scholar “craftivities” that make your show extra than simply ornament. Whether or not you’re highlighting friendship, kindness, or class neighborhood, you’ll have all the pieces you might want to pull it collectively quick: Title banners, themed borders, interactive scholar items, and attention-grabbing parts assist unfold kindness this Valentine’s Day!

We Are Academics

FREE PRINTABLES

Valentine’s Day Bulletin Board Kits

Create a Valentine’s Day bulletin board your college students will love serving to create! Fill out the shape on this web page to get our free printable Valentine’s Day bulletin board kits.

Valentine’s Day Bulletin Board Kits

Why Academics Love Them

Academics love these kits as a result of they make adorning really feel easy and purposeful. As a substitute of ranging from scratch, you get an entire, coordinated set of printables that appears polished on the wall and comes collectively rapidly. Every equipment consists of an interactive aspect, so it doubles as a simple SEL or writing extension, not simply ornament. Academics may also simply use these Valentine’s Day bulletin board kits as door decor too!

Why College students Love Them

College students love them as a result of they get to assist construct the show. Their hearts, recipes, and avatars go up on the wall, so the board feels prefer it belongs to the category. The themes are enjoyable and acquainted, and the actions are artistic however easy sufficient for everybody to hitch in.

How To Use Them

Put up the title and border first so the board seems to be “completed,” then add scholar items over a couple of days. Use it for morning work, facilities, early finishers, or a fast SEL block. Wrap up with a brief gallery stroll or share-out to strengthen friendship and kindness.

We’ve Bought the Recipe for Friendship Bulletin Board Equipment

Friendship is one thing you possibly can apply, combine, and share. This candy bakery-inspired board turns friendship abilities right into a enjoyable “recipe” your college students can create and show.

an image of a Valentine's Day bulletin board featuring a recipe for friendship
Adrienne Hathaway for We Are Academics

What’s Included

  • A Valentine’s Day–themed baking border
  • A mini poster that includes a recipe for kindness
  • Pupil recipe writing pages formed like hearts (with and with out traces)
  • Ornamental parts like mixing bowls and hearts
Adrienne Hathaway for We Are Academics

Pupil Interactive Element

College students write their very own “recipes” for being a form buddy, member of the family, or neighborhood member, then add them to the board. Sentence frames to assist college students get began are included!

heart printables
We Are Academics

You’re the 6 to My 7 Valentine’s Day Bulletin Board Equipment

Some friendships simply make sense. This playful “6-7” theme is ideal for celebrating teamwork, class neighborhood, and the little issues that make your college students higher collectively.

an image of a Valentine's Day bulletin board featuring 6-7
Adrienne Hathaway for We Are Academics

What’s Included

  • A 6-7-themed border
  • “67” crammed hearts
  • Massive fingers making the “6” and “7” motions
  • Pupil writing hearts to share 67 constructive statements
  • A built-in interactive class show: “67 Causes We’re Higher Collectively”
an image of a student response sheet for a Valentine's Day bulletin Board
Adrienne Hathaway for We Are Academics

Pupil Interactive Element

College students fill out 67 hearts, every sharing one cause your class is best collectively. Then, add them to the board as you go to create a category show of teamwork and friendship.

Roblox Pals Endlessly Bulletin Board Equipment

Carry the online game vibes while not having a tool. This daring, playful board makes use of avatar visuals and online game–impressed parts to make kindness really feel like a day by day mission your college students need to be a part of.

an image of a Valentine's Day bulletin board featuring roblox friends forever
Adrienne Hathaway for We Are Academics

What’s Included

  • A Roblox-inspired “Pals Endlessly!” design
  • A online game border to border your show
  • Online game–model hearts for adorning and scholar additions
  • A Valentine’s Day–themed sport controller graphic
  • Printable scholar avatar pages to assist a category kindness focus
an image of a student response sheet for a Valentine's Day bulletin Board
Adrienne Hathaway for We Are Academics

Pupil Interactive Element

College students design their very own avatars on paper and write a brief blurb about how they present kindness (in school, at house, or with pals), then add them to the bulletin board.

Valentine's Day Coloring Pages
Allie Ogg / We Are Academics

Get your free Valentine’s Day bulletin board equipment bundle!

a featured image featuring three Valentine's Day bulletin board kits

In search of a enjoyable, low-prep February bulletin board? Simply fill out the shape on this web page to seize your free Valentine’s Day bulletin board kits!

Want extra bulletin board concepts? Take a look at these winter bulletin board concepts.

Plus, 50 Valentine’s Day Enjoyable Info To Fill Your Coronary heart and Thoughts.

4 yr previous male Spanish Mastin Cross out there for adoption

Noodle is a 4.5 yr previous male Spanish Mastin Cross. He’s a pleasant, playful boy who loves being near his individuals and enjoys feeling a part of the household.

Though he has a relaxed and barely lazy nature, he nonetheless enjoys getting out for his walks.

Noodle’s current adoption sadly didn’t work out, via no fault of his personal. Whereas he’s nice with canine outdoors the house and enjoys taking part in with them, he finds sharing his indoor area with different canine very tense.

After skilled evaluation, it was agreed that Noodle could be happiest residing as the one canine within the family.

Noodle is usually calm and easygoing within the house. He’s implausible on the lead and prefers to walk alongside beside you slightly than rush forward. His regular tempo and laid-back angle make walks with him a pleasure.

Noodle is nice with cats and has additionally proven himself to be dependable round chickens and livestock. This makes him properly suited to quite a lot of house environments, together with extra rural settings.

He’s finest suited to a house with older kids who can respect his area.

Noodle is a wholesome boy who’s vaccinated and castrated. He’s at the moment primarily based in Fife, Scotland, however could be adopted anyplace throughout the UK. Noodle really deserves a without end house the place he can loosen up, really feel safe, and revel in being the centre of consideration.

4 yr previous male Spanish Mastin Cross out there for adoption

Mastin Matters

Mastin Issues

For additional particulars concerning adopting a canine from Mastin Issues, please go to www.mastinmatters.org, e-mail alina.jumabhoy@gmail.com or by telephoning 07737330408.

Our purpose at Mastin Issues is to rescue and residential as many Mastins as we are able to, to offer them with completely happy futures and provides the British public an opportunity to understand and welcome these pretty canine into their lives.

Articles: 28

It’s Solely a Subsidy If You’re Poor – The Well being Care Weblog

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By KIM BELLARD

Despite the fact that most ACA enrollees/would-be enrollees have made their 2026 enrollment selections assuming the expanded premium subsidies will not be going to be renewed, the renewal of these subsidies just isn’t solely lifeless. Final week the Home narrowly handed an extension, counting on a discharge petition and 17 Republican Congressmen prepared to go in opposition to their management. In the meantime, within the Senate, Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), of all folks, is main an effort to provide you with a invoice to increase them as effectively.

Whether or not it can ultimately get handed is unsure, as is how/when it could be reconciled with the Home invoice, and the President would possibly simply veto no matter extension would possibly handle to emerge. The expanded subsidies aren’t lifeless but, they’re simply “largely lifeless,” as Miracle Max would say.

The seeming indifference to the issues of over twenty million ACA enrollees is appalling, however in character. That is an Administration and a Republican Congress that doesn’t like SNAP, Medicaid, faculty lunches, or support to ravenous folks in Third World international locations, amongst different issues. For those who’re poor, they suppose, too dangerous; get a job, or a greater job, and pull your self up your self. No handouts.

In the event that they had been in opposition to federal subsidies usually, out of fiscal prudence or different guiding rules, I might respect it. I wouldn’t agree with it, but it surely’d at the least be intellectually trustworthy. The difficulty is, they’re not in opposition to subsidies per se; they simply don’t like them going to poor folks. I.e., those who want them most.

What set me off on this was a ProPublica/Excessive Nation Information investigation into grazing on public lands. For those who dwell within the East you most likely don’t suppose a lot about both grazing or public lands, however should you dwell within the West you’re most likely very aware of each. Nearly 50% of land in Western states is federally owned. It ranges from 85% in Nevada to 4% in North Dakota. Nearly half of California is federal land. You could be forgiven should you assume federal lands should be nationwide parks, however they’re small relative to land managed by the Bureau of Land Administration (BLM), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).

In accordance with ProPublica: “The federal authorities permits livestock grazing throughout an space of publicly owned land greater than twice the dimensions of California, making ranching the most important land use within the West.” Properly, you would possibly suppose, that’s not inherently dangerous; we’d as effectively use the land for one thing, possibly even make just a little cash from it. That’s the issue; the federal authorities is virtually giving it away. Its evaluation discovered that the grazing charges charged quantity to a 93% low cost relative to the market fee. You learn that proper: ninety three p.c. That’s not a reduction, that’s a giveaway.

OK, that’s eye-opening, but when it helps a bunch of ranchers who’re struggling to outlive, possibly that’s not so dangerous; ranching goes again to frontier days and has a sure cowboy enchantment. Sadly, that stereotype isn’t fairly true.

ProPublica discovered:

A small variety of rich people and companies handle most livestock on public lands. Roughly two-thirds of the grazing on BLM acreage is managed by simply 10% of ranchers, our evaluation discovered. And on Forest Service land, the highest 10% of permittees management greater than 50% of grazing. Among the many largest ranchers are billionaires like Stan Kroenke and Rupert Murdoch, in addition to mining corporations and public utilities.

To be honest, there are numerous small ranching operators who additionally make the most of grazing on federal land; they’re simply not the operations who do many of the grazing.

As if the wealthy ranchers weren’t already benefiting, the Trump Administration needs to extend subsidies and scale back oversight. However after all it does. As an alternative of being a protector of public lands, BLM has become a facilitator of their exploitation.  Present and former BLM staff informed ProPublica in regards to the political strain that was utilized each time they tried to do something that could be thought-about “anti-grazing.”

It’s not simply ranchers. We like to think about household farmers working their land, and we offer tens of billions in support to farmers, however, based on the Environmental Working Group:

…the overwhelming majority of farmers don’t profit from federal farm subsidy applications and many of the subsidies go to the most important and most financially safe farm operations. Small commodity farmers qualify for a mere pittance, whereas producers of meat, f[r]uits, and greens are virtually fully neglected of the subsidy recreation (i.e. they will join backed crop insurance coverage and infrequently obtain federal catastrophe funds).  

In the meantime, the Trump Administration brags about the way it “is making main strides in placing America’s public lands to work for the American folks,” by which it means if you wish to drill for oil or gasoline, mine for coal, tear down forests, whereas paying little and never worrying about environmental issues, you’re in luck. However by “American folks” it means “wealthy American folks.”

Equally, subsidies that go to the U.S. fossil gasoline trade are tough to pin down, however a 2025 evaluation by Oil Change Worldwide estimated them at $31b yearly, double the quantity in 2017. And that was earlier than the “Large, Stunning Invoice” added even additional to the subsidies.

Don’t even get me began on how companies and wealthy people handle to evade federal taxes, comparable to by way of the carried curiosity loophole. Not many poor folks profit from that.

Sure, maybe the expanded ACA credit maybe had been expanded just a little an excessive amount of, and, sure, there could also be some fraud in this system. However to throw the newborn out with the bathwater by merely permitting them to run out is draconian. The estimated $30b in annual prices for the subsidies just isn’t trivial, however I’d quite spend it guaranteeing thousands and thousands of individuals can get/preserve well being protection than giving it to wealthy ranchers, farmers, or oil corporations.

Kim is a former emarketing exec at a significant Blues plan, editor of the late & lamented Tincture.io, and now common THCB contributor

Protecting Studying Human In AI-Powered Company Coaching

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Is Your LMS Utilizing AI Responsibly?

For those who walked into a company coaching house ten years in the past, you’d most likely encounter a well-recognized scene: a coach with a deck of slides, a gaggle of staff politely taking notes, and a conventional LMS quietly monitoring who accomplished what. Stroll into that house at the moment, and also you is perhaps greeted by a chatbot welcoming learners, a customized dashboard adjusting in actual time, and a predictive engine figuring out who would possibly want help earlier than the day even begins. AI has fully redrawn its boundaries. But, whilst automation unlocks new prospects, a deeper query emerges: How can we continue to learn human when machines are doing a lot of the pondering?

AI’s Increasing Function In At present’s Studying Ecosystems

Trendy AI-powered LMS platforms perform virtually like clever coaches, learning learner habits, understanding talent gaps, and predicting future wants with exceptional accuracy. What as soon as took L&D groups weeks to plan can now be executed in moments. Personalised journeys aren’t a luxurious anymore; they’re anticipated. Studying now not waits for the classroom as a result of the classroom has turn into dynamic, contextual, and out there on demand. However beneath this promise lies an uncomfortable reality: the extra energy AI features, the extra rigorously we should study the way it makes choices, influences alternatives, and shapes profession paths. Automation brings velocity and intelligence, but it surely additionally brings duty.

The Moral Questions AI Forces Us To Confront

As AI turns into extra concerned in managing, recommending, and even prioritizing studying experiences, it steps into areas that may subtly form a learner’s future. And this calls for considerate oversight.

One of many greatest issues revolves round information transparency. Trendy studying methods acquire an unlimited quantity of behavioral information, equivalent to completion charges, quiz efficiency, talent proficiency, time spent studying, and even patterns in how staff work together with content material. Whereas this information allows personalization, learners usually do not understand how deeply they’re being noticed or how these insights have an effect on the suggestions they obtain. When studying begins feeling like monitoring, belief disappears.

Then there’s the difficulty of algorithmic bias. AI fashions be taught from previous patterns, however previous patterns aren’t at all times honest. An algorithm skilled on historic efficiency would possibly suggest fewer management applications to somebody merely due to outdated assumptions. A mannequin prioritizing “effectivity” would possibly unintentionally push sure staff towards narrower growth paths. And since algorithms aren’t seen, learners haven’t any technique to query or problem these choices.

A 3rd concern is much extra refined however maybe an important: the lack of human connection. Company studying, at its greatest, has at all times been private, rooted in suggestions, mentorship, shared experiences, and moments of reflection. When studying turns into completely automated, it dangers turning into mechanical. Environment friendly, sure—however emotionally empty.

Lastly, we should take into account how predictive analytics are used. AI can forecast who would possibly want help or who is prepared for brand spanking new roles, however predictions needs to be steering, by no means labels. When predictions turn into everlasting tags, they restrict potential as an alternative of enabling it.

Why Human-Centered Studying Nonetheless Issues Extra Than Ever

Even with all its intelligence, AI cannot replicate what people carry to the educational expertise. Curiosity, empathy, creativity, vulnerability, and the need to develop are profoundly human drivers. They usually form how folks be taught way over any algorithm.

A human-centered studying tradition acknowledges that AI’s position is to not management the journey, however to help it. It sees know-how as a associate that elevates the educational expertise, not as a alternative for human instinct or interplay. It ensures that staff really feel empowered somewhat than evaluated, guided somewhat than predicted, and supported somewhat than surveyed. When studying stays rooted in empathy and human understanding, AI turns into a software that enhances—not dilutes—what really issues.

Discovering The Stability: What Moral AI Appears Like In Company Studying

So how can we carry collectively the ability of AI with the heat and nuance of human-centered studying? It begins with understanding who ought to lead and who ought to help. AI ought to inform choices by analyzing patterns, figuring out gaps, and recommending potential pathways. However folks—coaches, managers, mentors, and learners themselves—ought to retain the authority to interpret, validate, and select. AI gives path; people present that means.

Transparency additionally turns into important. When learners know what information is being collected and the way it shapes their studying expertise, the system feels collaborative somewhat than intrusive. Clear communication builds belief and encourages learners to view AI as an ally.

Moral AI can be essentially inclusive. It calls for common audits to make sure suggestions are honest and that studying pathways aren’t dictated by outdated fashions or hidden biases. When AI is designed for inclusion, it expands entry to growth somewhat than limiting it.

However maybe the best stability emerges when AI and human teaching work collectively. AI effectively handles the heavy lifting, monitoring progress, mapping expertise, and updating pathways, whereas human coaches provide motivation, emotional help, storytelling, and real-world context. This mix creates a studying atmosphere that’s each clever and compassionate.

Imagining A Studying Setting The place AI Feels Human

Image an LMS the place AI quietly streamlines the background work—automating assignments, updating talent maps, and nudging learners when wanted. On the similar time, trainers, managers, and mentors spend extra time connecting with folks. Image studying journeys the place staff have the liberty to discover past suggestions, not simply observe them. Image predictive insights that function dialog starters, not verdicts.

That is what a human-centered AI-driven LMS seems to be like: a system the place automation exists to reinforce human potential, not overshadow it. Such an atmosphere encourages learners to take possession of their development as a result of they know the system is designed for them, not round them. It offers trainers extra room for creativity and training by eradicating operational muddle. And it offers organizations a workforce that may adapt, collaborate, and innovate with out feeling restricted by know-how.

The Highway Forward: Moral, Empathetic, AI-Enabled Studying

The way forward for company studying is just not a tug-of-war between know-how and humanity. It is a collaboration. AI will proceed to evolve, providing quicker insights, deeper analytics, and extra correct suggestions. However the moral duty lies in guaranteeing that these capabilities amplify human potential as an alternative of diminishing it.

Organizations that undertake AI with empathy will unlock richer studying experiences; experiences the place learners really feel seen, supported, and understood. And this stability will outline the subsequent era of company coaching. The query now is just not whether or not AI will form company coaching, however how deliberately we information that transformation. What do you assume? Have you ever seen AI enhance or complicate your studying experiences? Do you’re feeling company coaching at the moment is turning into extra human-centered or extra automated? And what would a perfect stability seem like for you and your group?



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15 Options To Report Playing cards

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15 Options To Report Playing cards In The Ok-12 Classroom

by TeachThought Workers

Like lunchboxes (or brown paper sacks), area journeys, and textbooks, report playing cards are iconic–symbols of conventional school rooms and conventional approaches to schooling.

In its identify, the aim of a ‘report card’ is obvious sufficient: to report on progress. However it’s not that easy.

Letter grades (and options to letter grades) can ‘stick’ with a scholar eternally. When mixed over time, letter grades lead to a grade level common, an innocent-sounding time period that may be the distinction between, amongst different results, a scholar being accepted into their alternative of faculty and never being accepted in any respect.

See additionally 12 Options To Letter Grades In Schooling

The Disadvantages Of Report Playing cards

Whereas the report card is a standard instrument for speaking a scholar’s tutorial efficiency, it has a number of shortcomings, decreasing a scholar’s complicated studying journey to easy letters and numbers, failing to seize the nuances of their strengths, challenges, and total development.

In virtually each case, report playing cards don’t successfully replicate a scholar’s understanding of content material or mastery of expertise. In addition they fail in makes an attempt to ‘report’ their progress in different necessary expertise corresponding to essential considering, creativity, and collaboration.

Letter grades may also focus an excessive amount of on check scores and particular assignments moderately than the scholar’s effort, enchancment, or private growth, leaving dad and mom and college students with an incomplete image of their true tutorial progress.

This can be a drawback when college students’ views of themselves as succesful or ‘good’ are in danger.

So what may be completed about it?

To start, we are able to think about another potentialities and think about the strengths and weaknesses of every.

15 Options To Report Playing cards

The Viability Of Options To Report Playing cards

To be real looking, lots of the following options to report playing cards will not be sensible for many lecturers: they could require an excessive amount of time, information, or buy-in from colleagues, directors, and fogeys.

And not one of the choices beneath are going to easily replace report playing cards in your college or classroom. The thought is that report playing cards may be changed, there are causes to switch them, and there are concepts for options to start considering what changing them would possibly seem like.

Your college could have already tried a number of of those concepts and encountered challenges that made the thought and associated practices inaccessible, unsustainable, or inefficient in doing what all of us hope report playing cards can do: talk a scholar’s progress and efficiency over time.

See additionally Kinds Of Evaluation

1. Narrative Reviews

Strengths

Present detailed, customized suggestions that may deal with particular person scholar wants.

As a substitute of relying solely on grades, narrative studies present detailed written suggestions on a scholar’s strengths, areas for enchancment, and total progress.

Supply a complete view of a scholar’s strengths, areas for enchancment, and total progress.

Encourage a deeper understanding of a scholar’s studying journey past mere grades.

Weaknesses

Time-consuming for lecturers to write down detailed studies for every scholar.

Could also be subjective, relying on the trainer’s perspective and writing expertise.

Will be difficult for fogeys and college students to digest if they’re prolonged or overly complicated.

See additionally Options To Homework

2. Portfolio Assessments

Strengths

Showcase a variety of scholar work over time, demonstrating development and studying.

Portfolios permit college students to showcase a set of their work over time, demonstrating their development, creativity, and mastery of topics.

Encourage scholar reflection and self-assessment.

Present tangible proof of scholar achievements and progress.

Weaknesses

Require important effort and time from college students and lecturers to compile and overview.

Will be troublesome to standardize and examine throughout college students.

Might not seize all points of a scholar’s studying if not well-organized or complete.

3. Scholar-Led Conferences

Strengths

Foster scholar possession and accountability for his or her studying.

In student-led conferences, college students current their work and progress to their dad and mom and lecturers, facilitating self-reflection and possession of their studying.

Improve communication expertise and self-confidence.

Encourage energetic participation from dad and mom, making a collaborative setting.

Weaknesses

Require preparation and observe, which may be time-consuming.

Could also be intimidating for some college students, affecting their efficiency.

Depend upon the willingness and availability of fogeys to take part.

4. Competency-Primarily based Assessments and Scores

Strengths

Deal with mastery of particular expertise and information, making certain college students obtain proficiency.

Competency-based assessments give attention to college students’ mastery of particular expertise and information, moderately than conventional grades.

Permit for individualized studying paces, catering to totally different scholar wants.

Present clear and measurable studying outcomes.

Weaknesses

Will be difficult to implement and align with conventional curriculum buildings.

Might require important modifications in instructing practices and evaluation strategies.

Threat of narrowing the curriculum to focus solely on assessed competencies.

5. Interim/Benchmark Evaluation Scores

Whereas possessing its personal issues, a benchmark evaluation would at the least be quantified and evaluations of documented requirements. 

Benchmark assessments “(e)valuate scholar efficiency at periodic intervals, continuously on the finish of a grading interval. Can predict scholar efficiency on end-of-the-year summative assessments. A benchmark evaluation is an interim evaluation so it may very well be helpful to contemplate them distinct regardless that they operate equally.”

6. Digital Badges

Strengths

Supply a contemporary and motivational strategy to acknowledge and validate scholar achievements.

Digital badges acknowledge and validate college students’ expertise and achievements in particular areas.

Simply shareable on-line, enhancing scholar engagement and pleasure of their accomplishments.

Encourage the event of particular expertise and competencies.

Weaknesses

Might require technological infrastructure and help that not all faculties have.

Threat of scholars focusing extra on incomes badges than on the training course of itself.

Will be perceived as superficial if not tied to significant studying experiences.

7. Progress Reviews

Strengths

Present ongoing suggestions all through the tutorial yr, preserving college students and fogeys knowledgeable.

Recurrently issued progress studies provide ongoing suggestions all through the tutorial yr, highlighting areas of enchancment and achievements.

Spotlight areas of enchancment and achievements repeatedly.

Encourage well timed interventions and help for college students.

Weaknesses

Will be labor-intensive for lecturers to organize repeatedly.

Might result in info overload if too frequent or detailed.

Threat of being seen as repetitive if not accompanied by actionable recommendations for enchancment.

8. Peer Assessments

Strengths

Promote collaborative studying and important considering amongst college students.

Incorporating peer assessments permits college students to judge one another’s work, selling collaborative studying and important considering.

Present numerous views on scholar work.

Foster a supportive studying neighborhood and improve social expertise.

Weaknesses

Could also be influenced by peer relationships and biases.

Can differ in high quality and reliability relying on college students’ evaluation expertise.

Require clear pointers and coaching for efficient implementation.

9. Self-Assessments

Strengths

Encourage self-awareness and accountability for studying.

Encouraging college students to evaluate their work helps develop self-awareness and accountability.

Develop college students’ reflective and important considering expertise.

Will be paired with trainer suggestions for a complete understanding of progress.

Weaknesses

Could also be troublesome for youthful college students or these with restricted self-assessment expertise.

Threat of scholars overestimating or underestimating their talents.

Require steerage and help from lecturers to be efficient.

Weaknesses

Might require technological infrastructure and help that not all faculties have.

Threat of scholars focusing extra on incomes badges than on the training course of itself.

Will be perceived as superficial if not tied to significant studying experiences.

Extra Options To Conventional Report Playing cards

Efficiency Duties can mirror real-world challenges that require college students to use their competencies in sensible situations. These duties can contain problem-solving, venture completion, or simulations.

Mastery Exams may be developed as focused assessments for every competency. These assessments ought to assess not solely factual information but additionally the appliance of that information in varied contexts.

Challenge-Primarily based Assessments

Assess college students primarily based on their efficiency in hands-on initiatives and real-world duties, demonstrating their understanding and software of ideas.

Studying Portals and Dashboards

Present dad and mom and college students entry to on-line platforms that show ongoing evaluation information, permitting them to trace progress in actual time.

1-5 Stars or Dashboard Programs

These visible methods present a fast overview of scholar efficiency throughout varied areas, making it simpler for fogeys and college students to grasp progress (2).

Descriptive Index Score System

This method makes use of descriptive classes to fee scholar efficiency, providing extra nuanced suggestions than conventional grades

Options To Report Playing cards