Learning Ecosystems

Microsoft teams with Khan Academy + other items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 06/03/2024, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, bots, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, community colleges, computer science, data related items, education technology, emerging technologies, faculty, future of higher education, game-changing environment, Google, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, lifelong learning, Microsoft, Open AI, pedagogy, platforms, teaching & learning, tools, trends, Uncategorized, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Microsoft teams with Khan Academy to make its AI tutor free for K-12 educators and will develop a Phi-3 math model — from venturebeat.com by Ken Yeung

Microsoft is partnering with Khan Academy in a multifaceted deal to demonstrate how AI can transform the way we learn. The cornerstone of today’s announcement centers on Khan Academy’s Khanmigo AI agent. Microsoft says it will migrate the bot to its Azure OpenAI Service, enabling the nonprofit educational organization to provide all U.S. K-12 educators free access to Khanmigo.

In addition, Microsoft plans to use its Phi-3 model to help Khan Academy improve math tutoring and collaborate to generate more high-quality learning content while making more courses available within Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Teams for Education.

One-Third of Teachers Have Already Tried AI, Survey Finds — from the74million.org by Kevin Mahnken
A RAND poll released last month finds English and social studies teachers embracing tools like ChatGPT.

One in three American teachers have used artificial intelligence tools in their teaching at least once, with English and social studies teachers leading the way, according to a RAND Corporation survey released last month. While the new technology isn’t yet transforming how kids learn, both teachers and district leaders expect that it will become an increasingly common feature of school life.

Professors Try ‘Restrained AI’ Approach to Help Teach Writing — from edsurge.com by Jeffrey R. Young
Can ChatGPT make human writing more efficient, or is writing an inherently time-consuming process best handled without AI tools?

This article is part of the guide: For Education, ChatGPT Holds Promise — and Creates Problems.

When ChatGPT emerged a year and half ago, many professors immediately worried that their students would use it as a substitute for doing their own written assignments — that they’d click a button on a chatbot instead of doing the thinking involved in responding to an essay prompt themselves.

But two English professors at Carnegie Mellon University had a different first reaction: They saw in this new technology a way to show students how to improve their writing skills.

“They start really polishing way too early,” Kaufer says. “And so what we’re trying to do is with AI, now you have a tool to rapidly prototype your language when you are prototyping the quality of your thinking.”

He says the concept is based on writing research from the 1980s that shows that experienced writers spend about 80 percent of their early writing time thinking about whole-text plans and organization and not about sentences.

On Building AI Models for Education — from aieducation.substack.com by Claire Zau
Google’s LearnLM, Khan Academy/MSFT’s Phi-3 Models, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu

This piece primarily breaks down how Google’s LearnLM was built, and takes a quick look at Microsoft/Khan Academy’s Phi-3 and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu as alternative approaches to building an “education model” (not necessarily a new model in the latter case, but we’ll explain). Thanks to the public release of their 86-page research paper, we have the most comprehensive view into LearnLM. Our understanding of Microsoft/Khan Academy small language models and ChatGPT Edu is limited to the information provided through announcements, leaving us with less “under the hood” visibility into their development.

AI tutors are quietly changing how kids in the US study, and the leading apps are from China — from techcrunch.com by Rita Liao

Answer AI is among a handful of popular apps that are leveraging the advent of ChatGPT and other large language models to help students with everything from writing history papers to solving physics problems. Of the top 20 education apps in the U.S. App Store, five are AI agents that help students with their school assignments, including Answer AI, according to data from Data.ai on May 21.

Is your school behind on AI? If so, there are practical steps you can take for the next 12 months — from stefanbauschard.substack.com by Stefan Bauschard

If your school (district) or university has not yet made significant efforts to think about how you will prepare your students for a World of AI, I suggest the following steps:

July 24 – Administrator PD & AI Guidance
In July, administrators should receive professional development on AI, if they haven’t already. This should include…

August 24 –Professional Development for Teachers and Staff…
Fall 24 — Parents; Co-curricular; Classroom experiments…
December 24 — Revision to Policy…

New ChatGPT Version Aiming at Higher Ed — from insidehighered.com by Lauren Coffey
ChatGPT Edu, emerging after initial partnerships with several universities, is prompting both cautious optimism and worries.

OpenAI unveiled a new version of ChatGPT focused on universities on Thursday, building on work with a handful of higher education institutions that partnered with the tech giant.

The ChatGPT Edu product, expected to start rolling out this summer, is a platform for institutions intended to give students free access. OpenAI said the artificial intelligence (AI) toolset could be used for an array of education applications, including tutoring, writing grant applications and reviewing résumés.

The Magic of Storytelling: Lessons from Penn Jillette [Kelly] + Most Important Transferable Skills 2024–2028 [Brandon]

On 06/03/2024, in corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, instructional design, Learning Experience Design, simulations, skills, staying relevant, story, storytelling, training / L&D, workplace, by Daniel Christian

The Magic of Storytelling: Lessons from Penn Jillette — from learningguild.com by David Kelly
This fall we’re celebrating 20 Years of DevLearn. As part of that celebration, I’m reflecting on the insights I’ve gained from some of my favorite DevLearn keynote speakers over the years. I kick off this series by revisiting The Magic of Storytelling and Learning from Penn Jillette, from DevLearn 2016.

At the heart of Jillette’s message is the power of storytelling. He demonstrates that, much like a magician’s performance, effective learning experiences are crafted from engaging narratives. These stories, although selectively told, can ethically captivate and teach, making the learning process more impactful. Jillette’s career itself is a story of transformation and adaptation, one that resonates deeply with the ongoing journey of a learning professional.

Also from The Learning Guild, see:

AI’s Fusion with Hands-On Workshops Is Transforming Learning — from learningguild.com by Markus Bernhardt

Complementing these conversational approaches are learning experiences enhanced with AI. I highlighted the fast-growing role of immersive scenarios and simulations, produced in tandem with AI and powered through AI in their delivery.

Moreover, the integration of voice interactions, advanced image processing, and augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies provides additional tools to enrich learning experiences.
…
The rapid adoption of AI signifies a real shift for our industry, and we are able to see sparks of what is coming our way throughout 2024 and beyond.

Practicing difficult conversations
One of the most compelling applications I’ve seen lies in managerial and leadership training, specifically in navigating complex interpersonal dynamics: practicing difficult conversations. Through interactions with sophisticated avatars capable of mimicking a diverse range of employee personalities and behaviors, learners can engage in realistic scenarios that challenge their communication skills.

Beyond AI: Why Technical Skill Development is Your Next Strategic Advantage — from learningguild.com by Bill Brandon

Table 1. Most Important Transferable Skills 2024–2028

Transferable Skill	Description
Problem-solving	The ability to identify, analyze, and solve complex problems.
Critical thinking	The ability to think objectively, analyze information, and form sound judgments.
Communication (written & verbal)	The ability to effectively convey ideas and information to others, both in writing and verbally.
Collaboration	The ability to work effectively with others to achieve a common goal.
Creativity & innovation	The ability to think creatively and come up with new ideas and solutions.
Digital literacy & competency	The ability of everyone from CEO to workers to use digital tools and technologies effectively.
Data analysis & interpretation	The ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data to draw meaningful conclusions.
Self-directed learning & adaptability	The ability to take initiative to learn new things and adapt to change.
Time management & organization	The ability to manage time effectively and stay organized.
Emotional intelligence & empathy	The ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions, and the emotions of others.

Also for the L&D world, see:

When Business Is Just a Game — from bloomberg.com by Robb Mandelbaum
Corporate trainer Abilitie uses simulations to teach lessons in management.

When is the high-stakes, high-pressure world of the C-suite just a game? When executives at emerging companies Compuline and Nanotel met on a Wednesday evening in May to manage existing products and roll out new ones, that’s exactly what it was. The “executives” were students in…

Introducing Perplexity Pages [perplexity.ai]

On 06/03/2024, in faculty, productivity / tips and tricks, research, teachers, tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Introducing Perplexity Pages — from perplexity.ai
You’ve used Perplexity to search for answers, explore new topics, and expand your knowledge. Now, it’s time to share what you learned.

Meet Perplexity Pages, your new tool for easily transforming research into visually stunning, comprehensive content. Whether you’re crafting in-depth articles, detailed reports, or informative guides, Pages streamlines the process so you can focus on what matters most: sharing your knowledge with the world.

Seamless creation
Pages lets you effortlessly create, organize, and share information. Search any topic, and instantly receive a well-structured, beautifully formatted article. Publish your work to our growing library of user-generated content and share it directly with your audience with a single click.

A tool for everyone
Pages is designed to empower creators in any field to share knowledge.

Educators: Develop comprehensive study guides for your students, breaking down complex topics into easily digestible content.
Researchers: Create detailed reports on your findings, making your work more accessible to a wider audience.
Hobbyists: Share your passions by creating engaging guides that inspire others to explore new interests.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Keynote at COMPUTEX 2024 [Streamed live on Jun 2, 2024]

On 06/03/2024, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Asia, bots, NVIDIA, tools, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Via The Rundown AI

The Rundown: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang just announced a series of new AI announcements during a keynote at the Computex conference, including next-gen ‘Rubin’ chips, a new AI gaming assistant, and AI tools for creating lifelike avatars.

The details:

Nvidia’s ‘Rubin’ platform is slated for 2026, with the ‘Rubin Ultra’ coming a year later as part of what Huang called a “new industrial revolution”.
Nvidia also showed off Project G-Assist, an AI gaming assistant that provides context-aware help and personalized responses for PC games.
The company also introduced ACE, a suite of AI services that simplify the creation of digital avatars for applications like customer service and healthcare.

More re: Nvidia:

Nvidia and AMD announced new next-generation AI chips — from qz.com by Britney Nguyen
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced the company’s next AI platform, called Rubin
‘Accelerate Everything,’ NVIDIA CEO Says Ahead of COMPUTEX — from blogs.nvidia.com by Brian Caulfield
Emphasizing cost reduction and sustainability, Huang detailed new semiconductors, software and systems to power data centers, factories, consumer devices, robots and more, driving a new industrial revolution.
Nvidia Unveils Next-Generation Rubin AI Platform for 2026 — from bloomberg.com by Ian King and Vlad Savov
CEO Jensen Huang reveals plans for annual upgrade cycle | Company details plans for Blackwell Ultra and subsequent chips
Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said the company plans to upgrade its AI accelerators every year, announcing a Blackwell Ultra chip for 2025 and a next-generation platform in development called Rubin for 2026.

“Introducing ChatGPT Edu” [OpenAI] + several other items re: AI

On 06/01/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, community colleges, data related items, emerging technologies, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Introducing ChatGPT Edu — from openai.com
An affordable offering for universities to responsibly bring AI to campus.

We’re announcing ChatGPT Edu, a version of ChatGPT built for universities to responsibly deploy AI to students, faculty, researchers, and campus operations. Powered by GPT-4o, ChatGPT Edu can reason across text and vision and use advanced tools such as data analysis. This new offering includes enterprise-level security and controls and is affordable for educational institutions.

We built ChatGPT Edu because we saw the success universities like the University of Oxford, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania(opens in a new window), University of Texas at Austin, Arizona State University(opens in a new window), and Columbia University in the City of New York were having with ChatGPT Enterprise.

ChatGPT can help with various tasks across campus, such as providing personalized tutoring for students and reviewing their resumes, helping researchers write grant applications, and assisting faculty with grading and feedback.

Claude can now use tools — from anthropic.com

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Tool use, which enables Claude to interact with external tools and APIs, is now generally available across the entire Claude 3 model family on the Anthropic Messages API, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Cloud’s Vertex AI. With tool use, Claude can perform tasks, manipulate data, and provide more dynamic—and accurate—responses.

Define a toolset for Claude and specify your request in natural language. Claude will then select the appropriate tool to fulfill the task and, when appropriate, execute the corresponding action:

Extract structured data from unstructured text…
Convert natural language requests into structured API calls…
Answer questions by searching databases or using web APIs…
Automate simple tasks through software APIs…
Orchestrate multiple fast Claude subagents for granular tasks…

From DSC:
The above posting reminds me of this other posting…as AGENTS are likely going to become much more popular and part of our repertoire:

Forget Chatbots. AI Agents Are the Future — from wired.com by Will Knight
Startups and tech giants are trying to move from chatbots that offer help via text, to AI agents that can get stuff done. Recent demos include an AI coder called Devin and agents that play videogames.

Devin is just the latest, most polished example of a trend I’ve been tracking for a while—the emergence of AI agents that instead of just providing answers or advice about a problem presented by a human can take action to solve it. A few months back I test drove Auto-GPT, an open source program that attempts to do useful chores by taking actions on a person’s computer and on the web. Recently I tested another program called vimGPT to see how the visual skills of new AI models can help these agents browse the web more efficiently.

Looking Back on My AI Blog One Year In: AI Unfolding as Predicted — from stefanbauschard.substack.com Stefan Bauschard

On May 30, 2023, I’ve started blogging about AI, and, so far, I think things have been unfolding as predicted.

Topics included:

AGI
It’s not just another piece of Edtech
AI Literacy
Bot Teachers/tutors
AI Writing Detectors
AI Use in the Classroom is Uncontrollable
…and more

DSC: There are likely to be more “menus” that run previously fine-tuned prompts

On 05/28/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Daniel S. Christian, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interaction design, interactivity, interface design, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, by Daniel Christian

This posting is out on LinkedIn.

NVIDIA continues to grow quickly and expand it’s influence

On 05/24/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, corporate / business world, cryptocurrencies, data related items, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, health, NVIDIA, platforms, programming, by Daniel Christian

Nvidia Earnings: Stock Rallies As AI Giant Reports 600% Profit Explosion, 10-For-1 Stock Split — from forbes.com by Derek Saul

Nvidia reported $6.12 earnings per share and $26 billion of sales for the three-month period ending April 30, shattering mean analyst forecasts of $5.60 and $24.59 billion, according to FactSet.
Nvidia’s profits and revenues skyrocketed by 628% and 268% compared to 2023’s comparable period, respectively.
This was Nvidia’s most profitable and highest sales quarter ever, topping the quarter ending this January’s record $12.3 billion net income and $22.1 billion revenue.
Driving the numerous superlatives for Nvidia’s financial growth over the last year is unsurprisingly its AI-intensive datacenter division, which raked in $22.6 billion of revenue last quarter, a 427% year-over-year increase and a whopping 20 times higher than the $1.1 billion the segment brought in in 2020.

Per ChatPGT today:

NVIDIA is a prominent technology company known for its contributions to various fields, primarily focusing on graphics processing units (GPUs) and artificial intelligence (AI). Here’s an overview of NVIDIA’s main areas of activity:

1. **Graphics Processing Units (GPUs):**
– **Consumer GPUs:** NVIDIA is famous for its GeForce series of GPUs, which are widely used in gaming and personal computing for their high performance and visual capabilities.
– **Professional GPUs:** NVIDIA’s Quadro series is designed for professional applications like 3D modeling, CAD (Computer-Aided Design), and video editing.

2. **Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning:**
– NVIDIA GPUs are extensively used in AI research and development. They provide the computational power needed for training deep learning models.
– The company offers specialized hardware for AI, such as the NVIDIA Tesla and A100 GPUs, which are used in data centers and supercomputing environments.

3. **Data Centers:**
– NVIDIA develops high-performance computing solutions for data centers, including GPU-accelerated servers and AI platforms. These products are essential for tasks like big data analytics, scientific simulations, and AI workloads.

4. **Autonomous Vehicles:**
– Through its DRIVE platform, NVIDIA provides hardware and software solutions for developing autonomous vehicles. This includes AI-based systems for perception, navigation, and decision-making.

5. **Edge Computing:**
– NVIDIA’s Jetson platform caters to edge computing, enabling AI-powered devices and applications to process data locally rather than relying on centralized data centers.

6. **Gaming and Entertainment:**
– Beyond GPUs, NVIDIA offers technologies like G-SYNC (for smoother gaming experiences) and NVIDIA GameWorks (a suite of tools for game developers).

7. **Healthcare:**
– NVIDIA’s Clara platform utilizes AI and GPU computing to advance medical imaging, genomics, and other healthcare applications.

8. **Omniverse:**
– NVIDIA Omniverse is a real-time graphics collaboration platform for 3D production pipelines. It’s designed for industries like animation, simulation, and visualization.

9. **Crypto Mining:**
– NVIDIA GPUs are also popular in the cryptocurrency mining community, although the company has developed specific products like the NVIDIA CMP (Cryptocurrency Mining Processor) to cater to this market without impacting the availability of GPUs for gamers and other users.

Overall, NVIDIA’s influence spans a broad range of industries, driven by its innovations in GPU technology and AI advancements.

LearnLM is our new family of models fine-tuned for learning, and grounded in educational research to make teaching and learning experiences more active, personal and engaging.

.

AI in Education: Google’s LearnLM product has incredible potential — from ai-supremacy.com by Michael Spencer and Nick Potkalitsky
Google’s Ed Suite is giving Teachers new ideas for incorporating AI into the classroom.

We often talk about what Generative AI will do for coders, healthcare, science or even finance, but what about the benefits for the next generation? Permit me if you will, here I’m thinking about teachers and students.

It’s no secret that some of the most active users of ChatGPT in its heyday, were students. But how are other major tech firms thinking about this?

I actually think one of the best products with the highest ceiling from Google I/O 2024 is LearnLM. It has to be way more than a chatbot, it has to feel like a multimodal tutor. I can imagine frontier model agents (H) doing this fairly well.

What if everyone, everywhere could have their own personal AI tutor, on any topic?

ChatGPT4o Is the TikTok of AI Models — from nickpotkalitsky.substack.com by Nick Potkalitsky
In Search of Better Tools for AI Access in K-12 Classrooms

Nick makes the case that we should pause on the use of OpenAI in the classrooms:

In light of these observations, it’s clear that we must pause and rethink the use of OpenAI products in our classrooms, except for rare cases where accessibility needs demand it. The rapid consumerization of AI, epitomized by GPT4o’s transformation into an AI salesperson, calls for caution.

The Future of AI in Education: Google and OpenAI Strategies Unveiled — from edtechinsiders.substack.comby Ben Kornell

Google’s Strategy: AI Everywhere
Key Points

Google will win through seamless Gemini integration across all Google products
Enterprise approach in education to make Gemini the default at low/no additional cost
Functional use cases and model tuning demonstrate Google’s knowledge of educators

OpenAI’s Strategy: ChatGPT as the Front Door
Key Points

OpenAI taking a consumer-led freemium approach to education
API powers an app layer that delivers education-specific use cases
Betting on a large user base + app marketplace

Khan Academy & Microsoft partner to expand access to AI tools

On 05/23/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, education, education reform, education technology, emerging technologies, K-12 related, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, mathematics, Microsoft, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, teachers, tools, trends, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Khan Academy and Microsoft partner to expand access to AI tools that personalize teaching and help make learning fun — from news.microsoft.com

[On 5/21/24] at Microsoft Build, Microsoft and Khan Academy announced a new partnership that aims to bring these time-saving and lesson-enhancing AI tools to millions of educators. By donating access to Azure AI-optimized infrastructure, Microsoft is enabling Khan Academy to offer all K-12 educators in the U.S. free access to the pilot of Khanmigo for Teachers, which will now be powered by Azure OpenAI Service.

The two companies will also collaborate to explore opportunities to improve AI tools for math tutoring in an affordable, scalable and adaptable way with a new version of Phi-3, a family of small language models (SLMs) developed by Microsoft.

Also see/referenced:

Also relevant/see:

Khan Academy and Microsoft are teaming up to give teachers a free AI assistant — from fastcompany.com by Steven Melendez
AI assistant Khanmigo can help time-strapped teachers come up with lesson ideas and test questions, the companies say.

Khan Academy’s AI assistant, Khanmigo, has earned praise for helping students to understand and practice everything from math to English, but it can also help teachers devise lesson plans, formulate questions about assigned readings, and even generate reading passages appropriate for students at different levels. More than just a chatbot, the software offers specific AI-powered tools for generating quizzes and assignment instructions, drafting lesson plans, and formulating letters of recommendation.
…
Having a virtual teaching assistant is especially valuable in light of recent research from the RAND Corporation that found teachers work longer hours than most working adults, which includes administrative and prep work outside the classroom.

23 videos re: GPT-4o [OpenAI]

On 05/22/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, corporate / business world, digital audio, digital video, emerging technologies, experimentation, multimedia, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Open AI, tools, United States, user experience (UX), vendors, vision/possibilities, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, by Daniel Christian

Per OpenAI:
“Say hello to GPT-4o, our new flagship model which can reason across audio, vision, and text in real time.”

DSC: There are likely to be many more industry-specific AI-based assistants like this.

On 05/22/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, business, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, future, game-changing environment, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, trends, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

.
Grasp is the world’s first generative AI platform for finance professionals.

We build domain-specific AI systems that address the complex needs of investment bankers and management consultants.

By automating finance workflows, Grasp dramatically increases employee productivity and satisfaction.

OPINION: Americans need help paying for new, nondegree programs and college alternatives [Diemand-Yauman & Taber Staehelin]

On 05/21/2024, in career development, colleges, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, credentialing, funding / grants, higher education, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, reinvent, society, staying relevant, student-related, surviving, United States, universities, vocational / trades, by Daniel Christian

OPINION: Americans need help paying for new, nondegree programs and college alternatives — from hechingerreport.org by Connor Diemand-Yauman and Rebecca Taber Staehelin
Updating the Pell Grant program would be an excellent way to support much-needed alternatives

Janelle’s story is all too familiar throughout the U.S. — stuck in a low-paying job, struggling to make ends meet after being failed by college. Roughly 40 million Americans have left college without completing a degree — historically seen as a golden ticket to the middle class.

Yet even with a degree, many fall short of economic prosperity.

Why children with disabilities are missing school and losing skills [Turner]

On 05/21/2024, in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), education, funding / grants, K-12 related, legislatures / government / legal, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, student-related, United States, by Daniel Christian

Why children with disabilities are missing school and losing skills — from npr.org by Cory Turner

The fact that a district could struggle so mightily with special education staffing that students are missing school – that’s not just a Del Norte problem. A recent federal survey of school districts across the U.S. found special education jobs were among the hardest to staff – and vacancies were widespread. But what’s happening in Del Norte is extreme. Which is why the Lenovers and five other families are suing the school district, as well as state education leadership, with help from the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund.
…
The district sits hidden away like a secret between Oregon, the frigid Pacific and some of the largest redwood trees in the world. It’s too isolated and the pay is not competitive enough, Harris says, to attract workers from outside Del Norte. Locally, these aides – like the one Emma requires – earn about as much as they would working at McDonald’s.

Microsoft introduces the world to a new category of Windows PCs designed for AI –> Copilot+ PCs

On 05/21/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, interaction design, IT in HE, Microsoft, platforms, tools, trends, United States, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Introducing Copilot+ PCs — from blogs.microsoft.com

[On May 20th], at a special event on our new Microsoft campus, we introduced the world to a new category of Windows PCs designed for AI, Copilot+ PCs.

Copilot+ PCs are the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built. With powerful new silicon capable of an incredible 40+ TOPS (trillion operations per second), all–day battery life and access to the most advanced AI models, Copilot+ PCs will enable you to do things you can’t on any other PC. Easily find and remember what you have seen in your PC with Recall, generate and refine AI images in near real-time directly on the device using Cocreator, and bridge language barriers with Live Captions, translating audio from 40+ languages into English.

From DSC:
As a first off-the-hip look, Recall could be fraught with possible security/privacy-related issues. But what do I know? The Neuron states “Microsoft assures that everything Recall sees remains private.” Ok…

From The Rundown AI concerning the above announcements:

The details:

A new system enables Copilot+ PCs to run AI workloads up to 20x faster and 100x more efficiently than traditional PCs.
Windows 11 has been rearchitected specifically for AI, integrating the Copilot assistant directly into the OS.
New AI experiences include a new feature called Recall, which allows users to search for anything they’ve seen on their screen with natural language.
Copilot’s new screen-sharing feature allows AI to watch, hear, and understand what a user is doing on their computer and answer questions in real-time.
Copilot+ PCs will start at $999, and ship with OpenAI’s latest GPT-4o models.

Why it matters: Tony Stark’s all-powerful JARVIS AI assistant is getting closer to reality every day. Once Copilot, ChatGPT, Project Astra, or anyone else can not only respond but start executing tasks autonomously, things will start getting really exciting — and likely initiate a whole new era of tech work.

Two great resources for parents, caregivers, teachers, or anyone who works with children

On 05/20/2024, in education, Emotion, engagement / engaging students, K-12 related, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, society, sociology, teachers, youth, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
My wife does a lot of work with foster families and CASA kids, and she recommends these resources for helping children who have experienced adversity, early harm, toxic stress, and/or trauma.

TBRI: Trust Based Relational Intervention — from child.tcu.edu by Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development

TBRI^® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI^® uses Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors. While the intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience research, the heartbeat of TBRI^® is connection.

The Connected Child by Karen Purvis

The adoption of a child is always a joyous moment in the life of a family. Some adoptions, though, present unique challenges. Welcoming these children into your family–and addressing their special needs–requires care, consideration, and compassion. Written by two research psychologists specializing in adoption and attachment, The Connected Child will help you:

Build bonds of affection and trust with your adopted child
Effectively deal with any learning or behavioral disorders
Discipline your child with love without making him or her feel threatened

Learning Ecosystems

The Magic of Storytelling: Lessons from Penn Jillette [Kelly] + Most Important Transferable Skills 2024–2028 [Brandon]

Introducing Perplexity Pages [perplexity.ai]

Greetings!

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