health

EdSurge Reflects On a Year of Pandemic-Era Education Journalism — from edsurge.com by Jeffrey Young, Rebecca Koenig and Tony Wan

Excerpts:

[Wan] It has never been a better time to be in education. It has also never been a worse time to be in education.

Which is it for you?

The answer depends on where you are in this ecosystem.

[Koenig] If I didn’t know before, I do now: Education is not merely the transmission of knowledge. It is experiences shared and relationships nurtured among people who have not only brains, but also bodies and spirits. Lungs vulnerable to viruses and eyes to screen fatigue. Hearts susceptible to fear and grief and doubt and loneliness.

[Young] There will probably be lessons from all the forced experimentation. But during 2020, there was little time for reflection, only a push to turn in something that looked as much like a college experience as possible.

Online Education Isn’t the Sideshow. It’s the Main Event. — from edsurge.com by Chip Paucek

Excerpt:

Over the course of 2020, there has been plenty of discussion about what will and won’t return to “normal” once we’ve fought COVID-19 into submission. I can’t predict the future, but my bet is that many of the innovations and changes we’ve witnessed this year will stick around. And I know two things for certain: first, many students will go back to in-person learning, but the demand for high-quality online education and shorter, non-degree learning pathways—like boot camps and short courses—will continue to grow as people upskill, reskill and look for greater flexibility in education. And second: demand for online undergraduate and graduate degrees will grow too.

James DeVaney, associate vice provost at the University of Michigan put it best in his recent tweet, saying that we “need to move from ‘what’s your rev share’ to ‘what value do you create?’ And tailored to higher ed, ‘what is your contribution to learning?’ I care about reach, research, $ development, reputation, and revenue—but all in the context of learning. That’s the transparency we need.”

How COVID-19 Hollowed Out a Generation of Young Black Men [Johnson & Martin]

On 12/27/2020, in economics, health, society, sociology, by Daniel Christian

How COVID-19 Hollowed Out a Generation of Young Black Men — from propublica.org by Akilah Johnson and Nina Martin
They were pillars of their communities and families, and they are not replaceable. To understand why COVID-19 killed so many young Black men, you need to know the legend of John Henry.

Excerpt:

While COVID-19 has killed 1 out of every 800 African Americans, a toll that overwhelms the imagination, even more stunning is the deadly efficiency with which it has targeted young Black men like Bates. One study using data through July found that Black people ages 35 to 44 were dying at nine times the rate of white people the same age, though the gap slightly narrowed later in the year. And in an analysis for ProPublica this summer using the only reliable data at the time accounting for age, race and gender, from Michigan and Georgia, Harvard researcher Tamara Rushovich found that the disparity was greatest in Black men. It was a phenomenon Enrique Neblett Jr. noticed when he kept seeing online memorials for men his age. “I’ll be 45 this year,” said the University of Michigan professor, who studies racism and health. “I wasn’t seeing 60- and 70-year-old men. We absolutely need to be asking what is going on here?”

Our efforts led us to a little-known body of research that takes its name from one of the most enduring symbols of Black American resilience.

23 Greatest Engineering Highlights from 2020 [McFadden]

On 12/15/2020, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, digital photography, emerging technologies, engineering, entrepreneurship, future, game-changing environment, Google, health, photography, robotics, science, society, STEAM-related, telecommunications, by Daniel Christian

23 Greatest Engineering Highlights from 2020 — from interestingengineering.com by Christopher McFadden
These are some of the greatest engineering highlights from 2020.

A new one-stop site provides free [legal] help — from friendly robot guides. [Rockett]

On 12/13/2020, in bots, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, health, ideas, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, new business models, United States, by Daniel Christian

Hundreds are seeking legal aid for eviction, unemployment and debt tied to pandemic. A new one-stop site provides free help — from friendly robot guides. — from chicagotribune.com by Darcel Rockett

Excerpts (emphasis DSC):

But the legal aid community knew the need for their help would be dire, as COVID-19 pummeled the economy and left people financially strapped, unemployed and unable to pay their rent. They’ve sounded the alarm, warning of what could be the worst housing crisis in U.S. history, with up to 43% of American renters facing eviction in the coming months.
…
At the end of November, the state’s legal aid system launched a new site, Illinois COVID H.E.L.P. (Housing and Economic Loss Prevention), for residents in need of help finding employment or with unemployment benefits assistance; aid with personal debt and bankruptcy; housing or disputes between tenants and landlords; and wills, estates and guardianship.

Also see:

Pandemic Pushes Corporate Law Department Upgrades, Study Finds — from news.bloomberglaw.com by Brian Baxter
Excerpt: “The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating a transformation of corporate law departments, from technology use to staffing levels, said a survey released Thursday. Nearly 75% of departments significantly or moderately increased adoption of legal technology compared to last year, according to an HBR Consulting analysis.”

HolonIQ North America EdTech 100 — from holoniq.com
HolonIQ’s annual list of the most innovative EdTech startupsacross North America.

This annual list helps to surface the innovations occurring across all parts of the market, and the teams who are supporting institutions, teachers, parents, learners and employers.

Massive issues coming up re: evictions: A potential nightmare coming down the pike.

On 12/07/2020, in Access to Justice (A2J), health, law schools, leadership, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, policy, political science, society, surviving, telelegal, United States, vendors, videoconferencing, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Logging in to get kicked out: Inside America’s virtual eviction crisis — from technologyreview.com by Eileen Guo

Excerpts:

An unprecedented, imperfect moratorium
Before the pandemic, an average of 3.6 million Americans lost their homes to evictions every year, according to Princeton University’s Eviction Lab. By the end of 2020, this number could increase exponentially, with one report from the Aspen Institute estimating that, without further federal aid, between 30 to 40 million people may be at risk of eviction in the next several months. The financial hardship exacerbated by covid-19 has left many in a precarious situation.

.

Legal aid attorneys chart course for 2021 after spike in demand — from law360.com by Justin Wise

Excerpts: (emphasis DSC)

The coronavirus pandemic and the economic downturn it caused sparked a massive spike in demand for legal aid services from America’s most marginalized communities, leaving a field already under-resourced facing even greater strain in 2020.

At the same time, many organizations had to close their offices in the spring and significantly reduce in-person communication with clients to comply with health guidelines. It all amounted to a “pretty crushing” year in which attorneys transitioned to a primarily remote operation with new channels including a COVID-19 legal intake line, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Executive Director Laura Tuggle said.

Tuggle said 3 in 4 of the calls on the SLLS hotline are from people seeking assistance on matters relating to housing and evictions. Overall, the group has had a 300% increase in eviction cases this year. It also had a 600% increase in unemployment assistance cases in the first few months of the pandemic.

“The most pressing legal need America faces as we enter 2021 is the tsunami of potential evictions that threaten the millions of people who have lost jobs during the pandemic,” LSC Executive Director Ronald Flagg said, pointing to a study showing that evictions can cause increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

A potential nightmare is coming down the pike: Massive # of evictions — which will further exacerbate the Covid19 crisis (at minimum).

DC: How can #highereducation help people reinvent themselves quickly and affordably?#learningfromthelivingclassroom https://t.co/TV5InkWHwn pic.twitter.com/5OgplxXuMO

— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) December 7, 2020

Addendum on 12/9/20:

Black households face greater financial devastation due to COVID-19 shutdowns — from bigthink.com by Molly Hanson
New research spotlights how low-income Black households face greater financial distress and vulnerability as a result of the pandemic economic crisis.

DC: This is not right! When will there be justice?! We need to help Native American colleges, universities, & communities out!

On 12/04/2020, in Access to Justice (A2J), adjunct faculty, Amazon, Apple, business, change, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, colleges, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, culture, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, economics, education, education reform, education technology, ethics, Facebook / Meta Platforms, faculty, faith, funding / grants, future, future of higher education, geography / geology, Google, health, higher education, history, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, legislatures / government / legal, lifelong learning, Michigan, Microsoft, mobile technologies, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, morals/values, new media literacies, online learning, platforms, policy, remote teaching and learning, society, student-related, surviving, technologies for your home, telecommunications, ubiquitous learning, United States, universities, vendors, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, youth, by Daniel Christian

The Digital Divide for Tribal College Students — COVID, CARES Act, and Critical Next Steps — from diverseeducation.com

Excerpt:

In this episode staff writer Sara Weissman shares a story that focuses on the digital divide for Native Americans by bringing in voices of tribal college leaders and their students during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Many don’t know but Native American colleges and universities have long struggled with the worst internet connectivity in the nation while ironically paying the highest rates for service. Hear first-hand how students from Diné College and other institutions are currently affected. Carrie Billie (Big Water Clan), President & CEO of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and Dr. Cynthia Lindquist (Star Horse Woman), President of Cankdeska Cikana Community College in North Dakota, break down the data and lay out critical next steps necessary to address the digital divide.

Many don’t know but Native American colleges and universities have long struggled with the worst internet connectivity in the nation while ironically paying the highest rates for service.

From DSC:
When will there be justice!? Let’s join in and make amends and provide the funding, concrete assistance, products, and services to Native American colleges, universities, and communities. Some potential ideas:

For the short term, could there be Loon balloons deployed immediately to provide free and stronger access to the Internet?

Could our Federal Government make amends and do the right thing here? (e-rate program, put Internet access in, make policy changes, offer more grants, other?)
Could Silicon Valley assist with hardware and software? For example:
- Can Apple, HP, Microsoft, and others donate hardware and software?
- Can Zoom, Adobe, Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams, and others donate whatever these communities need to provide videoconferencing licenses?
Could telecom providers provide free internet access?
Could MOOCs offer more free courses?
Could furniture makers such as Steelcase, Herman Miller, and others donate furniture and help establish connected learning spaces?
How might faculty members and staff within higher education contribute?
How could churches, synagogues, and such get involved?
Could the rest of us locate and donate to charities that aim to provide concrete assistance to Native American schools, colleges, universities, and communities?

We need to do the right thing here. This is another area* where our nation can do much better.

* Here’s another example/area where we can do much better and make amends/changes.

Addendum on 12/7/20:

How to Implement Long-Term Remote Learning in a Rural Area— from techlearning.com by Ray Bendici

Two items re: AI: The good & the not so good

On 12/03/2020, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Amazon, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, health, innovation, society, the downsides of how people use tech, tools, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
The good…

London A.I. lab claims breakthrough that could accelerate drug discovery — from nytimes.com by
Researchers at DeepMind say they have solved “the protein folding problem,” a task that has bedeviled scientists for more than 50 years

This long-sought breakthrough could accelerate the ability to understand diseases, develop new medicines and unlock mysteries of the human body.

…and the not so good…

Hmmm…can’t imagine anyone slipping on this slippery slope in the future. https://t.co/h2lZcpAh02

— Daniel Christian (he/him/his) (@dchristian5) December 3, 2020

Building your own website is cool again, and it’s changing the whole internet — from protocol.com by David Pierce
Writers, creators and businesses of all kinds are looking to set up their own space online again. To do that, companies are trying to figure out how to deal with two very different internets.

Excerpt:

Websites are back. After years of being sucked into the vortexes of Facebook and Yelp pages, devoting their time to amassing Twitter followers and Instagram likes, creators and businesses alike have seen the benefits of hanging up their own shingle again. Legions of writers are setting up Substack newsletters. Millions of people and businesses are setting up shop for the first time online using Squarespace or WordPress. Wix reported 7.8 million new users in the last quarter alone, and more than 29% revenue growth.
…
Substack doesn’t see itself as a newsletter platform, or an email-based product. The company is fundamentally interested in fostering direct relationships between readers and writers, rather than let them be mediated by companies whose interests are not always aligned with either side.

The driving force behind all that growth? Thanks to a pandemic closing stores, keeping people at home and leaving a lot of people without jobs, the only way to move forward is to figure out the internet.

From DSC:
Though I really like WordPress — and this blog uses it — look at the stock performance in 2020 for Wix!

Our youngest daughter and I are going to set up a blog for her, as she loves to write. The idea was from her and my wife, but I love it! I think it’s highly motivating to her and she can have a voice…that she can share her writings with others. She’s got quite an imagination — so look out all! 🙂

Employers May Drastically Change Benefits in 2021 [Stevens-Huffman]

On 11/24/2020, in business, career development, change, corporate / business world, future, game-changing environment, health, society, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Employers May Drastically Change Benefits in 2021 — from insights.dice.com by Leslie Stevens-Huffman

Excerpts:

As employers continue to rethink all aspects of business and strategy in the wake of COVID-19, many are also exploring major changes to benefit programs and perks for 2021.
…
After access to routine health services became an issue during the lockdown, some 32 percent of employers are planning to add virtual care or telehealth services to existing health coverage, according to a study by Mercer, an HR consulting firm.

Five ways VR is being used in modern healthcare [Herman]

On 11/21/2020, in health, society, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

Five ways VR is being used in modern healthcare — from vrscout.com by Kristin Herman

Excerpts:

Detecting Vision Problems
Help Mental Injury Recovery
Helping People through Rehab
Augmented Medical Records
Prepping for Surgery

Faculty Pandemic Stress Is Now Chronic [Flaherty]

On 11/21/2020, in adjunct faculty, colleges, community colleges, faculty, health, higher education, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

Faculty Pandemic Stress Is Now Chronic — from insidehighered.com by Colleen Flaherty; with thanks to Mr. Bill Knapp for sharing this resource out on LinkedIn
COVID-19-related changes to teaching and dealing with students’ mental health continue to weigh on professors, with implications for their own mental health.

Excerpt:

The early days of the pandemic took a toll on faculty members, but for many, peak stress is now, according to a new study of faculty mental health from Course Hero. Researchers for the study website surveyed hundreds of faculty members on and off the tenure track, across institution types, this fall. The findings suggest that faculty worries about the pandemic have morphed into chronic stress — with serious implications for professors’ mental health, their students and the profession as COVID-19 drags on.

Best Practices 7 Ways Students Can Maintain Good Study Habits During COVID-19 [Bresnick & U of MI]

On 11/18/2020, in game-changing environment, health, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, ideas, K-12 related, law schools, learning, Michigan, productivity / tips and tricks, strategy, student-related, surviving, universities, by Daniel Christian

Best Practices 7 Ways Students Can Maintain Good Study Habits During COVID-19 — from fierceeducation.com by Peggy Bresnick

Excerpts:

Stay organized.
Don’t multitask.
Make the most of video lectures.
Set a schedule.
Swap out study strategies.
Collaborate remotely.
Stay connected to others.

The guide being referenced from the University of Michigan:

“Virtual 5K” and “Virtual Marathon” [Christian]

On 11/17/2020, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Blockchain, engineering, health, machine-to-machine communications, maker movement, robotics, social learning / networks, society, technologies for your home, telecommunications, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
In the future (or is it already here!?), I wonder…will we see more 5K runs/races/walks, as well as marathons and half-marathons be done virtually?

If a secured network/solution could be leveraged, such machine-to-machine communications would be interesting. Each time a runner/walker gets to the 5K mark, their machine submits their time to a Global Time Keeping System. Who knows, maybe this will run on a blockchain-type of environment.

From DSC:
Now I just need to get *some type of exercise!* Geez.

And speaking of emerging technologies, also see:

MODI: Create Anything You Want with Robotics of Things
MODI is a modular device for DIY IoT, and robotic creations. Just Connect and Build with MODI module.

Addendum on 12/19/20:

#CYBATHLON2020GlobalEdition winners of the functional electrical stimulation bike race (with interview) — from robohub.org by Daniel Carrillo-Zapata

Addendum on 1/15/21:

Social connections are key for fitness apps — from adigaskell.org by

Learning Ecosystems

Online Education Isn’t the Sideshow. It’s the Main Event. [Paucek]

How COVID-19 Hollowed Out a Generation of Young Black Men [Johnson & Martin]

A new one-stop site provides free [legal] help — from friendly robot guides. [Rockett]

Massive issues coming up re: evictions: A potential nightmare coming down the pike.

Employers May Drastically Change Benefits in 2021 [Stevens-Huffman]

Five ways VR is being used in modern healthcare [Herman]

Faculty Pandemic Stress Is Now Chronic [Flaherty]

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