Is the next Uber coming your way? — from ibm.com IBM’s Global C-suite Study

Excerpt:

This report is IBM’s second study of the entire C-suite and the eighteenth in the ongoing series of CxO studies developed by the IBM Institute for Business Value. We now have data from more than 28,000 interviews stretching back to 2003. Our latest study draws on input from:

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs): 818
Chief Finance Officers (CFOs): 643
Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs): 601
Chief Information Officers (CIOs): 1,805
Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs): 723
Chief Operating Officers (COOs): 657

Innovations that harness new technologies or business models, or exploit old technologies in new ways, are emerging on an almost daily basis. And the most disruptive enterprises don’t gradually displace the incumbents; they reshape entire industries, swiftly obliterating whatever stands in their way. So how are C-suite executives (CxOs) tackling the threat of competition from companies in other sectors or with very different business models? Our latest study explores what they think the future holds, how they’re identifying new trends and how they’re positioning their organizations to prosper in the “age of disruption.”

 

NextUberComingYourWay-IBM-2015

 

From DSC:
Is looking out for the next Uber just something that corporations/businesses should be doing? Isn’t this true for us as individuals as well? That is, aren’t our jobs/positions vulnerable to disruption as well? As our organizations go, so we often go.  As such, should we leave the pulse checking to others or should we be developing these types of skills ourselves? That is, shouldn’t our own gazes be set on the horizons so that we aren’t broadsided as individuals? 

Given the pace of change and given that more of us are freelancing, this is why I think that we need more such training within K-12 and higher education — programs that focus on pulse checking a variety of landscapes. Futurism is not gazing into some magic ball; such skills can be useful today.

 

 

DanielChristian-MonitoringTrends

 

 

 

Top 10 skills in data science — from businessoverbroadway.com by Bob Hayes

Excerpt:

The practice of data science requires skills that fall into three general areas: business acumen, computer technology/programming and statistics/math. Depending on whom you ask, the specific set of top skills varies. Dave Holtz describes the data science skills you need to get a job as a data scientist (8 Skills You Need to Be a Data Scientist). Ferris Jumah, examining LinkedIn profiles with the title “Data Scientists,” identified 10 skills (The Data Science Skills Network). BurtchWorks offers their list of skills that are critical to success in data science (9 Must-Have Skills You Need to Become a Data Scientist). RJMetrics, using LinkedIn data, identified the top 20 data science skill (The State of Data Science). For these lists, top skills reflected the frequency with which data professionals list these skills on their social media profile or simply reflect what the author thinks is a good set of skills.

 

DataScienceSkills-Jan2016

 

 

From DSC:
Listed below are some potential tools/solutions regarding bringing in remote students and/or employees into face-to-face settings.

First of all, why pursue this idea/approach at all?

Because schools, colleges, universities, and businesses are already going through the efforts — and devoting the resources — to putting courses together and offering the courses in face-to-face settings.  So why not create new and additional revenue streams to the organization while also spreading the sphere of influence of the teachers, faculty members, trainers, and/or the experts?

The following tools offer some examples of the growing capabilities of doing so. These types of tools take some of the things that are already happening in active learning-based classrooms and opening up the learning to remote learners as well.

Eventually this will all be possible from your living room, using morphed
versions of today’s Smart/Connected “TVs”, VR-based devices, and the like.

————————

Bluescape

Excerpts from their website:

  • Each Bluescape workspace is larger than 145 football fields, a scale that allows teams to capture and build upon every aspect of a project.
  • A single Bluescape workspace enables unlimited users to work and collaborate in real time.
  • Edits to your Bluescape session happen instantly, so geographically distributed teams can collaborate in real time.
  • Write or type on multi-colored notecards that you can easily move and resize. Perfect for organizing and planning projects.
  • Ideate and quickly iterate by writing and drawing in a full range of colors and line thicknesses. Works with iOS devices and Bluescape multi-touch displays.
  • Add pictures and write on the workspace via the iOS App for iPads.
  • Securely access your Bluescape workspaces with a web browser, our iOS app, or our multi-touch displays.
  • Easily share what’s on your computer screen with other people.
  • Bluescape creates persistent online workspaces that you can access at any time that works for you.
  • Work with any popular website like Google, YouTube or CNN in your workspace.
  • Drag and drop files like JPEGs and PNGs into your Bluescape workspace for inspiration, analysis, and valuation.
  • Share your screen instantly during online or in-person meetings.
  • Use the same touch gestures as you do on smart phones, even handwriting on your iPad.

 

BlueScape-2016

BlueScape-2016-screens

 

 

 

 

Mezzanine, from Oblong

 

Mezzanine-By-Oblong-Jan2016

 

 

 

 

ThinkHub Demo: MultiSite Collaboration

 

 

 

Then there are tools that are not quite as robust as the above tools, but can also bring in remote learners into classroom settings:

 

Double Robotics Telepresence Robot

DoubleRobotics-Feb2014

 

doublerobotics dot com -- wheels for your iPad

 

Beam+

Beam-Plus=-2016

 

 

Anybots

Anybots-2016

 

 

 

iRobot

 

irobot-jan2016

 

 

Vgo

vgo-jan2016

 

 

…and there are other telepresence robots out there as well.

 

 

Some other somewhat related tools/solutions include:

Kubi

 

kubi-Jan2016

 

Swivl

Swivl-2016

 

 

Vaddio RoboSHOT PTZ cameras

The RoboSHOT 12 is for small to medium sized conference rooms. This model features a 12X optical zoom and a 73° wide angle horizontal field of view, which provides support for applications including UCC applications, videoconferencing, distance learning, lecture capture, telepresence and more.

The RoboSHOT 30 camera performs well in medium to large rooms. It features a 30X optical zoom with a 2.3° tele end to 65° wide end horizontal field of view and provides support for applications including House of Worship productions, large auditorium A/V systems, large distance learning classrooms, live event theatres with IMAG systems, large lecture theatres with lecture capture and more.

 

 

Panopto

 

Panopto-Jan2016

 

 

6 top iPad collaboration apps to bring remote teams closer together — from ipad.appstorm.net by Nick Mead

 

 

 

 

Industry Speaks: Top 33 Big Data Predictions for 2016 — from datanami.com by Alex Woodie

Excerpt:

What will happen in big data in 2016? You’d think that would be a cinch to answer, what with all the deep neural net and prescriptive analytic progress being made these days. But in fact the big data predictions from the industry are all over the map. Datanami received dozens of predictions from prominent players in the industry. Here is a culled collection of the most interesting ones.

Oracle sees the rise of a new type of user: the Data Civilian. “While complex statistics may still be limited to data scientists, data-driven decision-making shouldn’t be,” Big Red says. “In the coming year, simpler big data discovery tools will let business analysts shop for datasets in enterprise Hadoop clusters, reshape them into new mashup combinations, and even analyze them with exploratory machine learning techniques.”

Machine learning, big data automation, and artificial intelligence were big in 2015, and will get bigger next year, says Abdul Razack, SVP & head of platforms, big data and analytics at Infosys. “In 2016, the pace at which enterprises more widely adopt artificial intelligence to replace manual, repetitive tasks will rapidly increase,” Razack says, citing the $1 billion AI investment made recently by Toyota. Big data automation is already growing, but next year “it will be more widely used to accentuate the unique human ability to take complex problems and deliver creative solutions to them.” The self-driving cars from Tesla have built-in machine learning, but next year, “machine learning will quietly find its way into the household, making the objects around us not just connected.”

 

Will Lynda.com/LinkedIn.com pursue this powerful vision with an organization like IBM? If so, look out!

From DSC:
Back in July of 2012, I put forth a vision that I called Learning from the Living [Class]Room

 

The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV

It’s a vision that involves a multitude of technologies — technologies and trends that we continue to see being developed and ones that could easily converge in the not-too-distant future to offer us some powerful opportunities for lifelong learning! 

Consider that in won’t be very long before a learner will be able to reinvent himself/herself throughout their lifetime, for a very affordable price — while taking ala carte courses from some of the best professors, trainers, leaders, and experts throughout the world, all from the comfort of their living room. (Not to mention tapping into streams of content that will be available on such platforms.)

So when I noticed that Lynda.com now has a Roku channel for the big screen, it got my attention.

 

lyndadotcom-roku-channel-dec2015

 

Lets add a few more pieces to the puzzle, given that some other relevant trends are developing quite nicely:

  • tvOS-based apps are now possible — and already there are over 2600 of them and it’s only been a month or so since Apple made this new platform available to the masses
  • Now, let’s add the ability to take courses online via a virtual reality interface — globally, at any time; VR is poised to have some big years in 2016 and 2017!
  • Lynda.com and LinkedIn.com’s fairly recent merger and their developing capabilities to offer micro-credentials, badges, and competency-based education (CBE) — while keeping track of the courses that a learner has taken
  • The need for lifelong learning is now a requirement, as we need to continually reinvent ourselves — especially given the increasing pace of change and as complete industries are impacted (broadsided), almost overnight
  • Big data, algorithms, and artificial intelligence (AI) continue to pick up steam; for example, consider the cognitive computing capabilities being developed in IBM’s Watson — which should be able to deliver personalized digital playlists and likely some level of intelligent tutoring as well
  • Courses could be offered at a fraction of the cost, as MOOC-sized classes could distribute the costs over a greater # of people and back end systems could help grade/assess the students’ work; plus the corporate world continues to use MOOCs to cost-effectively train their employees across the globe (MOOCs would thrive on such a tvOS-based platform, whereby students could watch lectures, demonstrations, and simulations on the big screen and then communicate with each other via their second screens*)
  • As the trends of machine-to-machine communications (M2M) and the Internet of Things (IoT) pick up, relevant courses/modules will likely be instantly presented to people to learn about a particular topic or task.  For example, I purchased a crib and I want to know how to put it together. The chip in the crib communicates to my Smart TV or to my augmented reality glasses/headset, and then a system loads up some multimedia-based training/instructions on how to put it together.
  • Streams of content continue to be developed and offered — via blogs, via channels like Periscope and Meerkat, via social media-based channels, and via other channels — and these streams of multimedia-based content should prove to be highly useful to individual learners as well as for communities of practice

Anyway, these next few years will be packed with change — the pace of which will likely take us by surprise. We need to keep our eyes upward and outward — peering into the horizons rather than looking downwards — doing so should reduce the chance of us getting broadsided!

*It’s also possible that AR and VR will create
a future whereby we only need 1 “screen”

 

The pace has changed significantly and quickly

 

 

Addendum:
After I wrote/published the item above…it was interesting to then see the item below:

IBM opens Watson IoT Global Headquarters, extends power of cognitive computing to a connected world — from finance.yahoo.com
1000 Munich-based experts to drive IoT and industry 4.0 innovation
Launches eight new IoT client experience centers worldwide
Introduces Watson API Services for IoT on the IBM Cloud

Excerpt:

MUNICH, Dec. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the opening of its global headquarters for Watson Internet of Things (IoT), launching a series of new offerings, capabilities and ecosystem partners designed to extend the power of cognitive computing to the billions of connected devices, sensors and systems that comprise the IoT.  These new offerings will be available through the IBM Watson IoT Cloud, the company’s global platform for IoT business and developers.

 

 

From DSC:
The world of learning lost a great contributor last Friday when Jay Cross passed away.

To me, Jay modeled lifelong learning — not only helping others to learn and to grow, but also seeking to do those very things himself. For example, he was constantly trying out new tools, experimenting with them, learning about them, and then taking what works and discarding the rest.  He’d pick up a new web-based collaboration tool, make a recording, and then move onto something else.

He was a founding member of a great, collaborative team in the Internet Time Alliance, where members included Jay, Jane Hart, Harold Jarche, Charles Jennings, Clark Quinn, and Paul Simbeck-Hampson.

One area of all of our learning ecosystems involves informal learning, something that Jay stressed and had a tremendous influence on. More recently, he tackled the The Real Learning Project which “aims to help millions of people learn to learn,  increase their intelligence, and realize their life goals.”

There are many postings out there re: Jay, so I’ll  point to Jane Hart’s compilation/tributes to Jay to steer you towards some of them.

Two days before passing, Jay posted an item entitled Real Learning: Micro and Macro on his Internet Time Blog:

JayCross-Passes11-6-15

Quoting from that posting, Jay says:

Setting goals, reflecting daily, taking risks, and doing experiments
prime the brain for spotting opportunities and working smarter.

So you can see that up to his dying day, Jay was about helping people learn and grow.

Thanks Jay for your work and your very important contributions.

RIP Jay.

Daniel

 

Introducing Coursera for Apple TV: Bringing Online Learning to Your Living Room — from blog.coursera.org

 

Apple TV

 

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

We’re thrilled to announce that Coursera content will now be available on Apple TV.

Since our beginning, one of our primary goals has been to make learning more accessible for everyone. Our mobile platform brought an on-demand learning experience to people’s busy, on-the-go lifestyles, and now, we’re extending availability to your home. Regardless of where in the world you are located, you’ll now be able to learn from top university professors and renowned experts without the expense of travel or tuition.

TV availability isn’t only a first for Coursera—it marks Apple TV’s first ever introduction of online learning to its platform. Everything you can do online at Coursera, you’ll now be able to do from the comfort of your own living room: browse our entire catalogue of courses, peruse new topics, and watch videos from some of the top academic and industry experts.

 

From DSC:
Coursera takes us one step closed to a very powerful learning platform — one that in the future will provide a great deal of intelligence behind the scenes.  It’s likely that we will be using personalized, adaptable, digital learning playlists while enjoying some serious levels of interactivity…while also making use of web-based learner profiles (the data from which will either be hosted at places like LinkedIn.com or will be fed into employers’ and universities’ competency-based databases).  The application development for tvOS should pick up greatly, especially if the collaboration capabilities are there.

For example, can you imagine marrying the functionalities that Bluescape provides with the reach, flexibility, convenience, and affordances that are unfolding with the new Apple TV?

Truly, some mind-blowing possibilities are developing.  In the not too distant future, lifelong learning won’t ever be the same again (not to mention project-related work).

This is why I’m big on the development and use of
team of specialists — as an organization may have
a harder time competing in the future without one.

 

 

BlueScape-2015

 

 

The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV

 

 

 

Next Generation K-12: 10 Implications for HigherEd — from gettingsmart.com by Tom Vander Ark and Guest Author

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

There are a growing number of next generation models in K-12 as a result of new thinking about learning design and deeper understandings of college and career readiness, enabled by cheap devices, better tools, and foundation support. They personalize learning in blended and competency-based environments. These models revolve around students and learning, rather than teachers and direct instruction as the primary pedagogy.

We’ve chronicled the development of next-gen schools (here and here) and see hundreds of districts and networks adopting next-gen strategies. We’re optimistic that broader adoption of these strategies will produce better student outcomes. Following are 10 examples of next-gen learning in K-12.

These examples are not single course innovations, they are engineered solutions. The first half are districts or networks; the other half are schoolwide models. There are hundreds of examples and they have big implications for HigherEd.

We see 10 implications for HigherEd; some directly as a result of next-gen models, some resulting from next-gen policies, some from EdTech and consumer variables impacting both K-12 and HigherEd.

 

From DSC:
I post this valuable item from Tom Vander Ark because I’m constantly shouting “Heads up!”  “Heads-up!”  I shout it to those of us working within higher education, and I shout it to those working within the corporate world. 

Why?

Because those of us working within higher education operate in a continuum — and so do you working within the corporate world (especially those of you working within corporate training and corporate universities, as well as those of you producing elearning-based materials).

What happens in the prior stages of a student’s/employee’s life directly impacts us/you.  Expectations are at play here; which impacts engagement; which impacts learning.

 

DanielChristian-what-should-our-learning-environments-look-and-act-like

 

Why there isn’t greater collaboration between these spheres is troublesome to me.  So I want to lift up those people — like Tom Vander Ark — who are trying to do something about it.

 

 

————

Addendum on 11/5/15 that nicely illustrates my point:

2 things you should know about Google ed evangelist’s vision [Educause 2015] — from educationdive.com by Roger Riddell
Jaime Casap says schools aren’t broken, but they do need to adapt

Excerpt:

While that topic was certainly touched on during Casap’s keynote at Educause, the issue at hand on Thursday was a much more generational one. The discussion was, after all, titled “The Digitally Native Generation Z Is Going to College: Are You Ready?”

“There’s a generation of students coming to college that are a little bit different from the ones that they’re used to, and they’re learning in a different way,” Casap said, adding that a lot of the innovation in education is occurring in K-12 and will likely have some impact on higher ed. 

 

The 50 Most Popular MOOCs of All Time — from onlinecoursereport.com, via Jordan Hall

Excerpt:

MOOCs – or Massive Open Online Courses – are picking up momentum in popularity – at least in terms of initial enrollment.

Unlike regular college/ university courses, MOOCs can attract many thousands of enrollees around the world. They can come in the form of active course sessions with participant interaction, or as archived content for self-paced study. MOOCs can be free, or there can be a charge – either on a subscription basis or a one-time charge. Free MOOCs sometimes have a paid “verified certificate” option. There are now thousands of MOOCs available worldwide from several hundred colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning. For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of 50 of the most popular MOOCs, based on enrollment figures for all sessions of a course. The ranking is based on filtering enrollment data for 185 free MOOCs on various elearning platforms.

 

Google teams up with Udacity to introduce a new tech entrepreneurship nanodegree — from thetechportal.in by Mir Juned Hussain

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Google, during its I/O 2015 developer conference in May had announced a partnership with Udacity to launch a six-course Android Development Nanodegree. The company wanted to allow developers to learn how to write apps for Google’s mobile operating system. 

Surprisingly, these new Nanodegrees turned out to the most popular ones by Udacity, attracting more than 300,000 people to enrol in the courses. The web giant wanted anyone, technical or not, to learn not just the basics of how to build Android, iOS, and web apps, but also to explain what it takes to design, validate, prototype, monetize, and market app ideas.

As a part of that initiative, Google has now introduced a new Nanodegree, which will consist of a Tech Entrepreneurship certificate, access to coaches, guidance on your project, help staying on track and career counseling. If all you want is the content, quizzes, and projects, all of that is available online for free at udacity.com/google.

 

From DSC:
This item made me wonder:

Will setting up nanodegrees become a trend for OS providers?  That is, will Google be more successful in the marketplace than either Apple or Microsoft if they develop a series of nanodegrees?  In fact, taking that one step further…will doing so become a competitive necessity for OS providers?  For other software-related vendors?

Hmmm….

 

tvOS: The days of developing for a “TV”-based OS are now upon us.

Apple puts out call for Apple TV apps — from bizjournals.com by Gina Hall

Excerpt:

The company put out the call for app submissions on Wednesday for tvOS. The Apple TV App Store will debut as Apple TV units are shipped out next week.

The main attraction of Apple TV is a remote with a glass touch surface and a Siri button that allows users to search by voice. Apple tvOS is capable of running apps ranging from Airbnb to Zillow and games like Crossy Road. Another major perk of Apple TV will be universal search, which allows users to scan for movies and television shows and see results from multiple sources, instead of having to conduct the same search within multiple apps.

Apple CEO Tim Cook hopes the device will simplify how viewers consume content.

 

 

 

From DSC:
The days of developing for a “TV”-based OS are now upon us:  tvOS is here.  I put “TV” in quotes because what we know of the television in the year 2015 may look entirely different 5-10 years from now.

Once developed, things like lifelong learning, web-based learner profiles, badges and/or certifications, communities of practice, learning hubs, smart classrooms, virtual tutoring, virtual field trips, AI-based digital learning playlists, and more will never be the same again.

 

 

The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV

 

 

 

MoreChoiceMoreControl-DSC

 

 

Also see:

 

 

 

Addendum on 10/26/15:
The article below discusses one piece of the bundle of technologies that I’m trying to get at via my Learning from the Living [Class] Room Vision:

  • No More Pencils, No More Books — from by Will Oremus
    Artificially intelligent software is replacing the textbook—and reshaping American education.
    Excerpt:
    ALEKS starts everyone at the same point. But from the moment students begin to answer the practice questions that it automatically generates for them, ALEKS’ machine-learning algorithms are analyzing their responses to figure out which concepts they understand and which they don’t. A few wrong answers to a given type of question, and the program may prompt them to read some background materials, watch a short video lecture, or view some hints on what they might be doing wrong. But if they’re breezing through a set of questions on, say, linear inequalities, it may whisk them on to polynomials and factoring. Master that, and ALEKS will ask if they’re ready to take a test. Pass, and they’re on to exponents—unless they’d prefer to take a detour into a different topic, like data analysis and probability. So long as they’ve mastered the prerequisites, which topic comes next is up to them.
 

Switcher Studio: Be your own TV station — from switcherstudio.com with thanks to Mr. Doug Cuddihy for letting me know about this resource
Mobile streaming video production app

Excerpt:

Switcher Studio is a mobile video app that lets you sync up to four iPhones and iPads to record and stream LIVE video to services like YouTube and Ustream. Insert photos and graphic overlays, manage multi-view effects, and more.

 

switcherstudio-oct2015

 

switcherstudio2-oct2015

 

From DSC:
Now let’s take this one step further. 

If REMOTE learners could switch between cameras at any point, NOW we’re talking! That is, it would be great if we could set up 3-4 cameras in a face-to-face classroom, and let the remote learners switch between whichever viewing angle/feed that they want to see at any given point in time (i.e., the professor, the whiteboard, the computer, other).

 

 



Addendum on 10/15/15: also see:

  • Touchcast Studio in a Box:
    Excerpt:
    TouchCast Studio in a Box allows you to transform your iPad into a full, interactive video studio. The TouchCast Studio includes a green screen, lapel mic, mini-tripods, iPad and iPhone holders. Paired with the TouchCast App, you will be able to use the green screen to transport yourself.

    And don’t forget to add video apps (vApps) to make your video interactive. Your audience can tap these to dive deeper into other videos, web pages and more.

touchcast-studio-in-a-box-oct-2015

 

 

Imagine what learning could look like w/ the same concepts found in Skreens!


From DSC:
Imagine what learning could look like w/ the same concepts found in the
Skreens kickstarter campaign?  Where you can use your mobile device to direct what you are seeing and interacting with on the larger screen?  Hmmm… very interesting indeed! With applications not only in the home (and on the road), but also in the active classroom, the boardroom, and the training room.


See
Skreens.com
&
Learning from the Living [Class] Room


 

DanielChristian-AVariationOnTheSkreensTheme-9-29-15

 

 

Skreens-Sept2015Kickstarter

 

Skreens2-Sept2015Kickstarter

 

 

The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV

From DSC:
Some of the phrases and concepts that come to my mind:

  • tvOS-based apps
  • Virtual field trips while chatting or videoconferencing with fellow learners about that experience
  • Virtual tutoring
  • Global learning for K-12, higher ed, the corporate world
  • Web-based collaborations and communications
  • Ubiquitous learning
  • Transmedia
  • Analytics / data mining / web-based learner profiles
  • Communities of practice
  • Lifelong learning
  • 24×7 access
  • Reinvent
  • Staying relevant
  • More choice. More control.
  • Participation.
  • MOOCs — or what they will continue to morph into
  • Second screens
  • Mobile learning — and the ability to quickly tie into your learning networks
  • Ability to contact teachers, professors, trainers, specialists, librarians, tutors and more
  • Language translation
  • Informal and formal learning, blended learning, active learning, self-directed learning
  • The continued convergence of the telephone, the television, and the computer
  • Cloud-based apps for learning
  • Flipping the classroom
  • Homeschooling
  • Streams of content
  • …and more!

 

 

 

 

Addendum:

Check out this picture from Meet the winners of #RobotLaunch2015

Packed house at WilmerHale for the Robot Launch 2015 judging – although 2/3rds of the participants were attending and pitching remotely via video and web conferencing.

 

IBM Expands Watson Platform for Next Generation of Builders; Extends Industry’s Largest Portfolio of Cognitive APIs — from ibm.com

– New APIs Broaden Watson’s Language, Vision and Speech Capabilities
– Developer Tools Simplify Combining APIs and Data
– Upcoming Platform Innovations Previewed including Industry Data Sets & Robotics Integration
– New Watson Hub to Open in San Francisco

Excerpt:

SAN FRANCISCO – 24 Sep 2015: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today expanded the industry’s largest and most diverse set of cognitive APIs, technologies and tools for developers who are creating products, services and applications embedded with Watson.

The announcement was made by IBM during its forum on cognitive computing and Artificial Intelligence, where the company announced a new Watson location in San Francisco. IBM also previewed new platform innovations and research projects that will extend its industry-leading cognitive portfolio.

 

 

Excerpts from IBM Watson Ecosystem Partners in Market Building Businesses:

Student Career Counseling: Carney Labs is an education technology company that provides a platform embedded with Watson language capabilities to help schools learn about a student’s personality characteristics in order to build them a career roadmap. The Commonwealth of Virginia adopted a policy for all high schools in the state to leverage this app to use with students entering their freshman year.

Knowledge Management: Bloomfire  is a cloud-based knowledge network platform that helps employees within a company easily find the information they need to do their jobs. By scanning posts within the platform and automatically creating tags via the Watson data insights API, employees at companies including Whole Foods, Dun & Bradstreet and Etsy spend less time searching for information and more time doing meaningful work to improve company performance.

Research & Development: Inno360, an enterprise research and innovation management platform provider, is embedding a powerful combination of 7 Watson APIs for language and data insights into its SaaS platform to transform the way its clients, including Fortune 50 companies, conduct research and process big data. Inno360 is able to provide its clients advanced analysis of their R&D data to resolve product issues quickly and bring new products to market more rapidly.

Talent Sourcing and Matching: UnitesUs is a cloud based hiring & recruitment platform utilizing cognitive computing and big data analysis to match prospective employees to hiring organizations based on personality, company cultural fit, and core qualifications. By analyzing the personalities of job candidates leveraging Watson language capabilities and characterizing a company’s work environment, UnitesUs uses proprietary, automated matching algorithms to help companies, including imaging and electronics company Ricoh USA and fitness gym chain 24 Hour Fitness, make better hiring decisions.

 

 

ibmwatson-sept2015

 

Here are the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2015 — from c4lpt.co.uk by Jane Hart

 

TopTools-2015-Hart

 

Excerpt:

Over 2,000 learning professionals from around the world from both education and enterprises contributed to the 9th Annual Survey of Learning Tools. Very many thanks to all those who took the time to complete the online form, write a blog post, send me an email or tweet me their selection.

I have now compiled the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2015, updated the Top 100 Tools for Learning website and prepared a slideset, which I have hosted on Slideshare and embedded below.

For the 7th year running Twitter is the  No 1 tool on the list, although this year it is very closely followed by YouTube, and once again, the list is dominated by free online tools and services. I can also see some interesting new trends in the tools that are being used for both personal learning and for creating learning content and experiences for others, and I will provide my analysis shortly. In the meantime, beneath the presentation, you will find a summary of the new tools on the list and the big movers up the list.

 
© 2025 | Daniel Christian