morals/values

The Justice Gap: The Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-income Americans

On 11/28/2022, in Access to Justice (A2J), ethics, hearts -- matters of the heart, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legislatures / government / legal, Michigan, morals/values, policy, political science, society, sociology, trends, United States, by Daniel Christian

The Justice Gap: The Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-income Americans — from the Legal Services Corporation

Legal Services Corporation’s 2022 Justice Gap Report provides a comprehensive look at the differences between the civil legal needs of low-income Americans and the resources available to meet those needs. LSC’s study found that low-income Americans do not get the help they need for 92% of their civil legal problems, even though 74% of low-income households face at least one civil legal issue in a single year.

The consequences that result from a lack of appropriate counsel can be life-altering – low-income Americans facing civil legal problems can lose their homes, children and healthcare, among other things. Help can be hard to access, so LSC is working to bridge this “justice gap” by providing pro bono civil legal aid for those in need. Find out more about LSC’s work to ensure equal justice for all by tuning in to the rest of the Justice Gap video series.

For more information on the Justice Gap, visit https://justicegap.lsc.gov/.

Also relevant/see:

This report was mentioned by the Chief Justice of Michigan’s Supreme Court, Bridget McCormack, at her 11/4/22 presentation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Law 2030 event.
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“Unleash all this creativity”: Google AI’s breathtaking potential [Kingson]

On 11/03/2022, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Australia, Canada, emerging technologies, ethics, future, Google, health, innovation, languages and translation, law schools, legislatures / government / legal, morals/values, by Daniel Christian

“Unleash all this creativity”: Google AI’s breathtaking potential — from axios.com by Jennifer Kingson

Excerpt:

Google’s research arm on Wednesday showed off a whiz-bang assortment of artificial intelligence (AI) projects it’s incubating, aimed at everything from mitigating climate change to helping novelists craft prose.

Why it matters: AI has breathtaking potential to improve and enrich our lives — and comes with hugely worrisome risks of misuse, intrusion and malfeasance, if not developed and deployed responsibly.

Driving the news: The dozen-or-so AI projects that Google Research unfurled at a Manhattan media event are in various stages of development, with goals ranging from societal improvement (such as better health diagnoses) to pure creativity and fun (text-to-image generation that can help you build a 3D image of a skirt-clad monster made of marzipan).
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The “1,000 Languages Initiative”: Google is building an AI model that will work with the world’s 1,000 most-spoken languages.

AI “can have immense social benefits” and “unleash all this creativity,” said Marian Croak, head of Google Research’s center of expertise on responsible AI.

“But because it has such a broad impact on people, the risk involved can also be very huge. And if we don’t get that right … it can be very destructive.”
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And as Axios’ Scott Rosenberg has written, society is only just beginning to grapple with the legal and ethical questions raised by AI’s new capacity to generate text and images.

Reflections on Proverbs 11:1

On 11/02/2022, in business, corporate / business world, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, ethics, hearts -- matters of the heart, Michigan, morals/values, parents/guardians, relationships, society, trends, United States, vendors, workplace, by Daniel Christian

11 The Lord detests dishonest scales,
but accurate weights find favor with him.

From DSC:
I thought about this verse the other day as I opened up a brand-new box of cereal. The box made it look like I was getting a lot of cereal — making it look like a decent value for the price. But when I opened it up, it was about half full (I realize some of this occurs by pushing out the box as the contents settle, but come on!). In fairness, I realize that the amount of the cereal is written on the box, but the manufacture likely kept the size of the box the same but decreased the amount that they put within it. They kept the price the same, but changed the quantity sold.

This shrinkification of items seems to be happening more these days — as companies don’t want to change their prices, so they’ll change the amounts of their products that you get.

It just strikes me as yet another deception.
We BS each other too much.
We rip each other off too much.
We bury stuff in the fine print.
Our advertising is not always truthful — words are easy to say, and much harder to back up.
We treat people as though they just exist to make money off of. It’s like Philip Morris did to people for years, and it still occurs today with other companies.
In today’s perspective, people are to be competed against but not to be in relationships with.

I hope that we can all build and offer solid products and services — while putting some serious quality into those things. Let’s make those things and offer those services as if we were making them for ourselves and/or our families. Let’s use “accurate weights.” And while we’re trying to do the right things, let’s aim to be in caring relationships with others.

“The HundrED Global Collection 2023” + 7 other items re: the K-12 learning ecosystem

On 10/26/2022, in 21st century, Africa, architecture, art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, assessment, Australia, blended learning, Canada, collaboration, communications, communities of practice, creativity, design, Design Thinking, digital audio, digital storytelling, digital video, drama/theater, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, entrepreneurship, ethics, Europe, experimentation, global / globalization, health, India, innovation, K-12 related, languages and translation, leadership, learning ecosystem, marketing/social marketing, mathematics, morals/values, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, music, online learning, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, programming, project-based learning, reading, real-world assignments, robotics, social media, society, storytelling, strategy, student-related, teachers, tools, UK, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

HundrED Global Collection 2023 — from hundred.org
Meet the 100 most impactful innovations that are changing the face of education in a post-COVID world.

Excerpt:

The year 2022 has been a year to look to the future, as the global education conversation moves again toward themes of education transformation and the futures of education. The 100 innovations selected for this year’s global collection are impacting the lives of over 95 million students worldwide. The collection highlights the important role of teachers in education innovation; the continued need for students to develop 21st century skills, including social and emotional learning; an increasing focus on student wellbeing and mental health; and equity in education.

For more information, download the full Global Collection 2023 report.
You can also browse the innovation pages of the selected innovators here.
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From DSC:
Here’s an excerpt of the email I received today from EducationHQ out of Australia — though I think it applies here in the United States as well:

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Amplify and value teachers’ voice in education policymaking: researchers — from educationhq.com
Amplify and value teachers’ voice in education policymaking: researchers

Excerpt:

Monash University’s Teachers’ Perceptions of their Work Survey has revealed teachers’ waning satisfaction in their role and highlighted their…

Also from educationhq.com

Teachers changed my life: Trauma-informed education shows kids they matter — from educationhq.com by Beck Thompson
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Nonprofit Bringing Businesses to Life in the Classroom — to the Tune of $400,000 — from the74million.org by Tim Newcomb
Making candles out of crayons, building birdhouses, fashioning furniture: Real World Scholars has helped 50,000 students become entrepreneurs

Not much entices a second grader to skip out on recess to get back to schoolwork. But excitement around a classroom-run business can do just that, especially when it means creating candles out of crayons and selling them in the local community.

Students design their ideal urban home in My ArchiSchool exhibition — from dezeen.com

Excerpt:

Promotion: fifty-two students presented digital designs and architectural models of their ideal home as part of Hong Kong-based education institute My ArchiSchool’s latest exhibition. As part of the exhibition, My ArchiSchool students were asked to design their ideal home within an urban environment. The exhibition, which took place on 2 October 2022 at the Sky100 on the 100th floor of the International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong, showcased photomontages of digital designs presented alongside physical models.

5 Resources that help students become digital citizens — from rdene915.com by Rachelle Dene Poth

Excerpt:

We need to create opportunities for students to become more digitally aware and literate, and to be responsible when using technology. There are many ways to do this, depending on our content area and grade level. We can model best practices for our students, bring in a specific digital citizenship curriculum to guide them through their learning, or use digital tools and resources available to have students explore and create.

Helping students learn to safely navigate what has become a highly digital world is something that we are all responsible for. Students need to be aware of the impact of their posts online, how to create and manage social accounts and protect their information, and how to properly access and use resources they obtain through technology.

3 Reasons School and District Leaders Should Get on Social Media — from edweek.org by Marina Whiteleather

Excerpt:

School and district leaders can—and should—be using social media in their work.

That’s the message shared by Stephanie McConnell, a superintendent in the Hawkins Independent School District in Texas, and Salome Thomas-El, a K-8 principal in Delaware, during an Education Week K-12 Essentials forum on Oct. 13.

At the event, McConnell and Thomas-El provided insights and advice for school leaders who are hesitant to post on certain social platforms or unsure how to use them.

The 5 Biggest Artificial Intelligence (AI) Trends In 2023 — from forbes.com by Bernard Marr

Excerpt:

Today, the technology most commonly used to achieve AI is machine learning – advanced software algorithms designed to carry out one specific task, such as answering questions, translating languages or navigating a journey – and become increasingly good at it as they are exposed to more and more data.

Worldwide, spending by governments and business on AI technology will top $500 billion in 2023, according to IDC research. But how will it be used, and what impact will it have? Here, I outline what I believe will be the most important trends around the use of AI in business and society over the next 12 months.

Also relevant/see:

Press Art to Continue: New AI Tools Promise Art With the Push of a Button — But Reality Is More Complicated — from blogs.nvidia.com by Brian Caulfield
Creatives like Drew Leung are taking, and breaking, the latest AI tools, and, in the process, learning how they can make their work better.
State of AI Report 2022 — from stateof.ai by Nathan Benaich and Ian Hogarth
The State of AI Report analyses the most interesting developments in AI. We aim to trigger an informed conversation about the state of AI and its implication for the future.

Futures Literacy: shaping your present by reimagining futures [Damhof & Badminton]

On 10/03/2022, in Emotion, future, ideas, morals/values, by Daniel Christian

Futures Literacy: shaping your present by reimagining futures — from futurist.com by Nikolas Badminton and Loes Damhof

AI/ML in EdTech: The Miracle, The Grind, and the Wall [Feldstein]

On 10/03/2022, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, computer science, data related items, education technology, emerging technologies, ethics, future of higher education, higher education, morals/values, programming, society, by Daniel Christian

AI/ML in EdTech: The Miracle, The Grind, and the Wall — from eliterate.us by Michael Feldstein

Excerpt:

Essentially, I see three stages in working with artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). I call them the miracle, the grind, and the wall. These stages can have implications for both how we can get seduced by these technologies and how we can get bitten by them. The ethical implications are important.

Reflections on “We must end ‘productivity paranoia’ on working from home says Microsoft” [inavateonthenet.net]

On 09/29/2022, in business, change, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, MBA, Microsoft, morals/values, motivation, organizational change, workplace, by Daniel Christian

We must end ‘productivity paranoia’ on working from home says Microsoft — from inavateonthenet.net

Excerpt:

As part of a survey on hybrid working patterns of more than 20,000 people in 11 countries, Microsoft has called for an end to ‘productivity paranoia’ with 85% of business leaders still saying they find it difficult to have confidence in staff productivity when remote working.
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“Closing the feedback loop is key to retaining talent. Employees who feel their companies use employee feedback to drive change are more satisfied (90% vs. 69%) and engaged (89% vs. 73%) compared to those who believe their companies don’t drive change. And the employees who don’t think their companies drive change based on feedback? They’re more than twice as likely to consider leaving in the next year (16% vs. 7%) compared to those who do. And it’s not a one-way street. To build trust and participation in feedback systems, leaders should regularly share what they’re hearing, how they’re responding, and why.”

From DSC:
It seems to me that trust and motivation are highly involved here. Trust in one’s employees to do their jobs. And employees who aren’t producing and have low motivation levels should consider changing jobs/industries to find something that’s much more intrinsically motivating to them. Find a cause/organization that’s worth working for.

10 in-demand soft skills to supercharge your career [Rosenthal]

On 08/03/2022, in business, career development, collaboration, communications, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, ethics, morals/values, skills, training / L&D, Uncategorized, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

10 in-demand soft skills to supercharge your career — from fastcompany.com by Melissa Rosenthal
Your résumé and experience may get you through the door, but these soft skills could help you clinch the job.

Excerpt:

A LinkedIn Global Talent Trends report shows that 92% of talent professionals reported that soft skills are equally or more important to hire for than hard skills. The same study reveals that 89% surveyed said that when a new hire doesn’t work out, it’s because they lack much-needed soft skills.

The hard truth about hard skills is that they can have a short half-life. Constant innovation, technology updates, and new feature releases render many of these skills obsolete quickly. Meanwhile, soft skills never expire—they are relevant, transferable, and keep a person highly employable.

Why Infosys’s cofounder Nilekani is urging leaders to use tech for good [Kumra]

On 07/24/2022, in Asia, change, education, health, India, innovation, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, morals/values, technology (general), telecommunications, ubiquitous learning, by Daniel Christian

Why Infosys’s cofounder Nilekani is urging leaders to use tech for good — from mckinsey.com by Gautam Kumra
The cofounder of the multinational IT company believes Indian start-ups will soon develop technologies to transform education, healthcare, and other social challenges.

Excerpts:

McKinsey: The world has also become a more complex place, with recent geopolitics, inflation complexity, rocketing energy prices, excessive liquidity, and digitization challenges. How do you personally keep adapting and learning?

Nandan Nilekani: In the last 40 years, I think we have gone through every transition: mainframes to minicomputers to LANs [local area networks] to internet to smartphones to AI. It has been fun understanding and riding these waves.

In my view, if a billion people can use something, then that’s a benefit. A billion people can learn using technology. A billion people can get better healthcare using technology. A billion people can move around and change jobs using technology.

From DSC:
I hope I can meet Nandan Nilekani someday. I feel that he is a kindred spirit. Several things that he said really resonated with me.

New: Futurist Friday Podcast Interview with Gerd Leonhard: TheGoodFuture?

On 07/21/2022, in 21st century, emerging technologies, engineering, ethics, future, game-changing environment, innovation, morals/values, platforms, society, by Daniel Christian

New: Futurist Friday Podcast Interview with Gerd Leonhard: TheGoodFuture? — from futuristgerd.com by Gerd Leonhard

Excerpt:

Over the course of the summer of 2022, DonM a cPherson and 12 Geniuses are releasing 12 interviews with futurists and forward thinkers in order to help their global audience of leaders become better visionaries for their organizations and be more prepared for the uncertain future.

In this episode, Gerd Leonhard joins the show. First, he points out that “the future is already here, we just haven’t paid enough attention to it.” He talks about how technology is promising to make us superhuman, that we are in the biggest shift era in recent history as far as energy and climate is concerned, and that machines and artificial intelligence are starting to emulate humanity.

Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should: What Genetic Engineers Can Learn From ‘Jurassic World’ [Maynard]

On 07/20/2022, in 21st century, biology, emerging technologies, ethics, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, health, morals/values, science, society, by Daniel Christian

Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should: What Genetic Engineers Can Learn From ‘Jurassic World’ — from singularityhub.com by Andrew Maynard

Excerpt:

Maybe this is the abiding message of Jurassic World: Dominion—that despite incredible advances in genetic design and engineering, things can and will go wrong if we don’t embrace the development and use of the technology in socially responsible ways.

The good news is that we still have time to close the gap between “could” and “should” in how scientists redesign and reengineer genetic code. But as Jurassic World: Dominion reminds moviegoers, the future is often closer than it might appear.

Inside a radical new project to democratize AI [Heikkilä]

On 07/16/2022, in 21st century, Amazon, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, emerging technologies, ethics, Europe, Google, Microsoft, morals/values, open courseware and systems, by Daniel Christian

Inside a radical new project to democratize AI — from technologyreview.com by Melissa Heikkilä
A group of over 1,000 AI researchers has created a multilingual large language model bigger than GPT-3—and they’re giving it out for free.

Excerpt:

PARIS — This is as close as you can get to a rock concert in AI research. Inside the supercomputing center of the French National Center for Scientific Research, on the outskirts of Paris, rows and rows of what look like black fridges hum at a deafening 100 decibels.

They form part of a supercomputer that has spent 117 days gestating a new large language model (LLM) called BLOOM that its creators hope represents a radical departure from the way AI is usually developed.

Unlike other, more famous large language models such as OpenAI’s GPT-3 and Google’s LaMDA, BLOOM (which stands for BigScience Large Open-science Open-access Multilingual Language Model) is designed to be as transparent as possible, with researchers sharing details about the data it was trained on, the challenges in its development, and the way they evaluated its performance. OpenAI and Google have not shared their code or made their models available to the public, and external researchers have very little understanding of how these models are trained.

Another item re: AI:

Not my job: AI researchers building surveillance tech and deepfakes resist ethical concerns — from protocol.com by Kate Kaye
The computer vision research community is behind on AI ethics, but it’s not just a research problem. Practitioners say the ethics disconnect persists as young computer vision scientists make their way into the ranks of corporate AI.

For the first time, the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Conference — a global event that attracted companies including Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Tesla to recruit new AI talent this year — “strongly encouraged”researchers whose papers were accepted to the conference to include a discussion about potential negative societal impacts of their research in their submission forms.

Learning Ecosystems

The Justice Gap: The Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-income Americans

Reflections on Proverbs 11:1

Futures Literacy: shaping your present by reimagining futures [Damhof & Badminton]

Reflections on “We must end ‘productivity paranoia’ on working from home says Microsoft” [inavateonthenet.net]

10 in-demand soft skills to supercharge your career [Rosenthal]

Why Infosys’s cofounder Nilekani is urging leaders to use tech for good [Kumra]

New: Futurist Friday Podcast Interview with Gerd Leonhard: TheGoodFuture?

Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should: What Genetic Engineers Can Learn From ‘Jurassic World’ [Maynard]

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