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Has the higher-ed revolution begun? [Allen]

On 01/30/2012, in business side of he, changing business models, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, future of higher education, game-changing environment, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, reinvent, robotics, staying relevant, by Daniel Christian

Has the higher-ed revolution begun? — from mindingthecampus.com by Charlotte Allen

Excerpts (emphasis DSC):

It’s happening, almost overnight: what could be the collapse of the near-monopoly that traditional brick-and-mortar colleges and universities currently enjoy as respected credentialing institutions whose degrees and grades mean something to employers.

The most dramatic development, just a few days ago, was the decision of robotics-expert Sebastian Thrun to resign from his position as a tenured professor of computer science at Stanford in order to start an online university he calls Udacity that he hopes will reach hundreds of thousands of students who either can’t afford Stanford’s $40,000-a-year tuition or who can’t travel thousands of miles to one of the bricks-and-mortar classes he used to teach.

…

Besides threatening to up-end universities’ traditional control of educational credentials, Thrun may also drastically change the shape of for-profit education. Udacity is being operated by Know Labs, a Thrun-founded for-profit enterprise funded by the venture-capital firm Charles River Ventures. Know Labs’ ultimate aim, according to Thrun, is to offer high-quality online courses that will be either free or cheap (the company is in the process of developing a business model). Thrun has estimated, for example, that if he and Norvik had charged only $1 apiece to all 160,000 enrollees in their artificial-intelligence course last fall, they could have easily recouped their costs. By contrast, the majority of existing for-profit colleges charge relatively high tuition that has made those institutions highly dependent upon their students’ federal grants and loans. It’s unlikely that anyone would have to borrow in order to take an Udacity course.

Also see:

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Hmmm…interesting: Telepresence robots let doctors go home with patients in the U.S. [Marable]

On 12/15/2011, in 21st century, health, robotics, by Daniel Christian

Telepresence robots let doctors go home with patients in the U.S. — from dvice.com by Eileen Marable

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Telepresence robots let doctors go home with patients in the U.S.

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Introducing kids to robotics [Grossberg]

On 12/01/2011, in engineering, K-12 related, robotics, by Daniel Christian

Introducing kids to robotics — from LearningToday.com by Lauren Grossberg

 

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Singularity Summit 2011 — videos, recaps, other

On 10/19/2011, in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, computer science, disruption, emerging technologies, ethics, future, human-computer interaction (HCI), pace of change, programming, robotics, society, trends, by Daniel Christian

SingularitySummit.com — conference website

Excerpt:

The Singularity Summit is the premier dialog on the Singularity. The first Singularity Summit was held at Stanford in 2006 to further understanding and discussion about the Singularity concept and the future of human technological progress. It was founded as a venue for leading thinkers to explore the subject, whether scientist, enthusiast, or skeptic. The goal of the Summit is to improve people’s thinking about the future and increasing public awareness of radical technologies under development today and of the transformative implications of such technologies understood as part of a larger process.

Singularity Summit 2011 — from the nextbigfuture.com

Singularity Summit 2011 videos — from the nextbigfuture.com

What you missed at Singularity Summit 2011 — from technoverseblog.com

Excerpt:

  • David Brin (scientist and sci-fi novelist)
  • Ray Kurzweil (inventor, restless genius, and author of The Singularity is Near)
  • Stephen Wolfram (physicist, developer of Mathematica and Wolfram Alpha, genius)
  • Dimitry Itskov (founder of Russia 2045)
  • Michael Shermer (contrarian and founder of Skeptic magazine)
  • Riley “Red Balloons” Crane (post doctoral fellow at MIT Media Lab and winner of DARPA’s balloon challenge)
  • Sharon Bertsch McGrayne (writer, author of “The Theory That Wound not Die”)
  • Tyler Cowen (economist, George Mason University)
  • Jaan Tallinn (founder of Skype)
  • Ken Jennings (Jeopardy champion and loser to Watson)
  • Dan Cerutti (IBM executive charged with marketing Watson)

 

Addendum on 10/20/11:

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Some items re: robotics (and employment)

On 10/03/2011, in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, business, career development, change, curriculum, dangers of the status quo, disruption, global / globalization, reinvent, robotics, staying relevant, surviving, workplace, by Daniel Christian

How did the robot end up with my job? — from the New York Times by Thomas Friedman

Excerpt:

In the last decade, we have gone from a connected world (thanks to the end of the cold war, globalization and the Internet) to a hyperconnected world (thanks to those same forces expanding even faster). And it matters. The connected world was a challenge to blue-collar workers in the industrialized West. They had to compete with a bigger pool of cheap labor. The hyperconnected world is now a challenge to white-collar workers. They have to compete with a bigger pool of cheap geniuses — some of whom are people and some are now robots, microchips and software-guided machines.

…

The proper term, says Lamy, is “made in the world.” More products are designed everywhere, made everywhere and sold everywhere.

The term “outsourcing” is also out of date. There is no more “out” anymore. Firms can and will seek the best leaders and talent to achieve their goals anywhere in the world.

 

Robots mania — from WashingtonPost.com
Each year robots are getting more sophisticated and entertaining than ever before. Check out these captivating robots that can do almost anything — from reciting Shakespeare to serving shaved ice cream with a smile.

 

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Robot financial workers to replace human traders, report says [Hsu]

On 09/13/2011, in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, career development, change, computer science, disruption, future, programming, robotics, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Robot financial workers to replace human traders, report says — from innovationnewsdaily.com by Jeremy Hsu

Excerpt:

Human financial traders complicit in precipitating the Great Recession may soon find themselves as unemployable as many others, put out of work by robots as if they were factory workers or stevedores.

…

Of course, like the human world of high finance, the new world of robot financial trading comes with some risks. Better self-regulation is needed to prevent short-sighted, computer-driven market swings such as the “Flash Crash” of May 6, 2010, that wiped out $800 billion on the U.S. equity market in five minutes, and then recovered most of the loss within 30 minutes. Disturbingly, the report found very few studies that examine how human and robot traders interact with one another.

The evolution of next-generation trading algorithms that can learn and adapt without human involvement may also make their behavior “very difficult to predict or control,” the report says. That unpredictability would extend to world financial markets dominated by such robot traders.

Still, there is one likely upside for any college graduates and job seekers of today and tomorrow — computer programmers who can develop such algorithms will certainly remain in high demand.

 

Addendum on 9-13-11:

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From Cisco’s Chief Futurist: Seeing the Future of the Office Internet

On 08/31/2011, in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, career development, corporate / business world, emerging technologies, future, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, internet, robotics, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Seeing the Future of the Office Internet -- from Cisco's Chief Futurist -- August 23, 2011

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Stanford University is offering Computer Science courses online, free to anyone [Eddy]

On 08/29/2011, in 24x7x365 access, Australia, computer science, Daniel S. Christian, disruption, engineering, higher education, innovation, internet, machine-to-machine communications, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, open courseware and systems, robotics, strategy, trends, United States, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Stanford University is offering Computer Science courses online, free to anyone — from geekosystem.com by Max Eddy

 

Introduction to databases -- free online course from Stanford for fall 2011

A bold experiment in distributed education, “Introduction to Databases” will be offered free and online to students worldwide during the fall of 2011. Students will have access to lecture videos, receive regular feedback on progress, and receive answers to questions. When you successfully complete this class, you will also receive a statement of accomplishment. Taught by Professor Jennifer Widom, the curriculum draws from Stanford’s popular Introduction to Databases course. A topics list and many of the materials are available here. More information about the Stanford course can be perused here. Details on the public offering will be available by late September. Sign up below to receive additional information about participating in the online version when it becomes available.

Also see the video at:
Introduction to Databases class by Stanford University

 

Machine learning course -- free, online course from Stanford this fall

A bold experiment in distributed education, “Machine Learning” will be offered free and online to students worldwide during the fall of 2011. Students will have access to lecture videos, lecture notes, receive regular feedback on progress, and receive answers to questions. When you successfully complete the class, you will also receive a statement of accomplishment. Taught by Professor Andrew Ng, the curriculum draws from Stanford’s popular Machine Learning course. A syllabus and more information is available here. Sign up below to receive additional information about participating in the online version when it becomes available.

Also see the video at:
Machine Learning: About the class

 

From DSC:
Again, my question is…if these trends continue, what opportunities are presenting themselves? What threats are presenting themselves?  What is our response?  How will colleges/universities differentiate themselves in this developing landscape? If items like the below continue to grow…how do we respond?

 

thegreatcourses.com -- professors

 

Addendum later on 8/29/11:

 

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From Daniel Christian: Fasten your seatbelts! An accelerated ride through some ed-tech landscapes.

On 08/25/2011, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, adjunct faculty, analytics, art, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, attention, Augmented Reality (AR), blogs / blogging / vlogging, change, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, colleges, communities of practice, community colleges, computer science, convergence, creativity, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, drama/theater, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), economics, education, education reform, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, engineering, expectations, faculty, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, intelligent tutoring, internet, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning theories, liberal arts, lifelong learning, machine-to-machine communications, memory, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile learning, mobile technologies, multi-touch, multimedia, music, Near Field Communication (NFC), New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new media literacies, online learning, online media, pace of change, passions, pedagogy, Personal Learning Networks (PLNs), presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, publishing, reading, reinvent, robotics, RSS, social learning / networks, social media, society, staying relevant, storytelling, strategy, streams of content, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, surviving, tablets, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technologies for your home, technology (general), telepresence, television, textbooks, tools, transmedia, trends, ubiquitous learning, United States, universities, videoconferencing, virtual K-12 schools, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, visualizing information, web-based collaboration, writing, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Immediately below is a presentation that I did for the Title II Conference at Calvin College back on August 11, 2011
It is aimed at K-12 audiences.

 

Daniel S. Christian presentation -- Fasten your seatbelts! An accelerated ride through some ed-tech landscapes (for a K-12 audience)

 

From DSC:
Immediately below is a presentation that I did today for the Calvin College Fall 2011 Conference.
It is aimed at higher education audiences.

 

 Daniel S. Christian presentation -- Fasten your seatbelts! An accelerated ride through some ed-tech landscapes (for a higher ed audience)

 

Note from DSC:

There is a great deal of overlap here, as many of the same technologies are (or will be) hitting the K-12 and higher ed spaces at the same time. However, there are some differences in the two presentations and what I stressed depended upon my audience.

Pending time, I may put some audio to accompany these presentations so that folks can hear a bit more about what I was trying to relay within these two presentations.

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Reflections on “The Singularity: Five technologies that will change the world (and one that won’t)” [Gerrold]

On 08/17/2011, in 3D, chemistry, emerging technologies, engineering, future, learning agents, love of learning, Near Field Communication (NFC), social learning / networks, streams of content, by Daniel Christian

The Singularity: Five technologies that will change the world (and one that won’t) — from MaximumPC.com by David Gerrold; originally saw this in Steve Knode’s July 2011 Newsletter

Excerpt I want to comment on:

Now, let’s try a thought experiment. If we apply Moore’s law and assume that the rate of scientific advancement doubles at the same rate as the computer power that we apply to research, then we can project that we will likely accomplish a whole 20th century’s worth of scientific advancement in 5 years—by 2015. As the rate continues to double, we’ll accomplish a century’s work in 2.5 years, then 1.25 years, 7.5 months, 3 months and 3 weeks, then a smidge less than two months, one month, two weeks, one week, then 3.5 days, 1.75 days, and if you ignore Zeno’s paradox, by the end of 2020 we will be accomplishing a century’s worth of research every day, and two weeks later, every second. And after that…?

From DSC:

This is why it is critical that all of us are tapping into streams of content. We can’t be dealing with damned up “water” — but we need to access ever-flowing-streams of content. We need to learn how to learn — and like learning! We’ll also need to know how to manage learning agents in order to sort through the information overload coming at us.

What's the best way to deal with ever-changing streams of content? When information has shrinking half-lives?

 

Also mentioned in the above article:

  • Graphene
  • Robots
  • Bio-Fabbing
  • Universal Smart Tech

Also from Steve Knode:

 

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Some postings re: Foxconn’s move to replace a portion of its workforce with robots

On 08/07/2011, in business, corporate / business world, robotics, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Articles/postings on Foxconn’s move to replace a portion of its workforce with robots:

 

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Free Artificial Intelligence (AI) course from Stanford this fall [Thrun & Norvig]

On 08/07/2011, in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Deep Learning / Algorithms, computer science, engineering, global / globalization, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning, open courseware and systems, robotics, by Daniel Christian

Free Artificial Intelligence (AI) course from Stanford this fall

 

Addendum on 8/16/11:

  • Virtual and artificial, but 58,000 want course — from NYT
    PALO ALTO, Calif. — A free online course at Stanford University on artificial intelligence, to be taught this fall by two leading experts from Silicon Valley, has attracted more than 58,000 students around the globe — a class nearly four times the size of Stanford’s entire student body.
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20 most impressive science fair projects of all time

On 07/27/2011, in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, health, mathematics, physics, programming, robotics, science, student-related, by Daniel Christian

20 most impressive science fair projects of all time — from onlineuniversities.com
 

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University of Utah robotics camp a smash hit with kids [Fattah]

On 07/24/2011, in engagement / engaging students, engineering, K-12 related, motivation, robotics, student-related, by Daniel Christian
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RoboEarth — in the wrong hands…a bit unnerving for me.

On 02/12/2011, in internet, robotics, by Daniel Christian

What is RoboEarth?

At its core, RoboEarth is a World Wide Web for robots: a giant network and database repository where robots can share information and learn from each other about their behavior and their environment.

Bringing a new meaning to the phrase “experience is the best teacher”, the goal of RoboEarth is to allow robotic systems to benefit from the experience of other robots, paving the way for rapid advances in machine cognition and behaviour, and ultimately, for more subtle and sophisticated human-machine interaction.

RoboEarth diagram

— image from http://www.roboearth.org/


The three-layered architecture of RoboEarth

— image from
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intelligence/roboearth-a-world-wide-web-for-robots

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Also see:

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From DSC:
Given the state of many of mankind’s prideful hearts…this is the type of area that makes me nervous. How will such technologies be used?

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