App Practice: Inclusive

  The world is changing constantly, and people have felt plenty of anxiety because of the uncertainty of their future. I was born in 1981 and was called Gen Y.  Generation Y (born after 1980) are digital native generation transforming traditional communication to whole new era of technology. I was so grateful that I knew how to enjoy life without machines, I enjoyed the wind, the sun, the ocean, Music, and even the dirt. 

For past 10 years, I refused to use any of apple company products, any apps, smart TV, and ETC though I had enough money to buy them. My idea was so simple, "live naturally, don't add artificial flavors in your life."

 However, before I recognize, the changes of the world have suppressed way beyond my knowledge. I tried to ignore the speed of these new technologies by not giving any interest. But as soon as I entered Gordon college for education, it was obvious that I should not avoid the fact of reality; it is 21st century, and it is critical for new generation adapting technology to their education environment.  We have to prepare for the massive unemployment sweeping the country by the artificial intelligence-based system society. We need courage to face this unfamiliar environment of future.

Educators have to try hard to predict or at least have a sense for the changes to come in near future for our students. If we are teaching some information that students can simply type in google search and figure it out, their times to learn something valuable for their future might be wasted. I'm not saying all those basic skills are not important, but teachers should be more flexible using positive effect of technology in their classroom. One of the positive effect of technology integrated classroom is that it can be much more inclusive environment.

As an ELS student myself, I could express better, and learn more using apps that I've learned through this Edu 614 class. Like wings to fly exploring the world, every app and lessons that I've practiced through the class provided me a great view of possibility of near future education. From a basic skill of Google doc with Google slide to Fulbaroo, Edshelf and more, I want to introduce them for my students who are having a hard time to express themselves.  For students who have physical and mental limitations, assistant technologies will be provided to improve the functional capabilities so that they can feel much comfortable to communicate.

one of my favorite youtube channel is Special books by Special kids.  Every child has a different story and whenever I learn about the limitation they have, I try to figure out any tool or technology that they might need to achieve their goals. For this specific assignment, I want to focus on devices for blind or visually impaired people. 


Here is a story of a computer programmer who is actually blind. He explain how he has been studied and using technologies to learn. 

<Click here to see the ted video by Austin Seraphin>

APH (American Printing House) is one of the nonprofit organization creating educational environment for blind people.  They sell products like the Orbit Braille 20 for reading, or Graphit for graphs. 
Two most important devices for visually impaired students need are alternative input devices like touch screens, modified keyboards, and joysticks, which can direct senses, or Speech-to-text apps for writing. 

Facebook and google also updated their iOS apps to provide more inclusive environment for visually impaired people, more study about this section required. 

<Blitab>

<Aipoly>

Facebook, and google chrome also updated their 

Technology Article for diverse learner (PDF)

References
http://www.alphr.com/health/1003140/the-technology-helping-blind-people-to-see
http://www.aph.org/
http://blitab.com/
http://aipoly.com/
https://www.teachthought.com/technology/15-assistive-technology-tools-resources-for-students-with-disabilities/

News article for the future jobs

Will AI Revolution Lead to Mass Unemployment?

 / T

BY JOHN BARNETT
April 24, 2017

Artificial Intelligence-based systems and chatbots are taking every industry by storm. As much as they are playing an important role in making tasks and processes better, their effect on human-centered jobs and capabilities in the workplace has become a major debate.

Artificial intelligence-based systems and chatbots are taking every industry by storm. As much as they are playing an important role in making tasks and processes better, their effect on human-centered jobs and capabilities in the workplace has become a major debate. The jobs that most of the people are currently doing, may get obsolete or automated sooner than you think.

A few months ago, a statement from Elon Musk broke the Internet, where he said AI-powered systems and automation technologies are going to replace most human jobs very soon. He also suggested that all countries may have to adapt universal basic income programs for their citizens to cope with the aftermath of this revolution. 

At this time, we all need tech enthusiasts and language programmers to create algorithms that automate the processes. Even the AI systems are based on languages and programs coded by humans and designed by humans. However, this is where AI has an edge. An AI-powered system has an ability to reach a singularity point where it becomes able to program itself, learn itself and implement itself. At this point, what role will humans play?

Is AI there to replace human jobs eventually?

This bold step has already been taken by Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance in Japan. The company stated that by the end of March, 34 of its employees will be replaced with an artificial intelligence system that can calculate payouts on policyholders. Although this may look like just a tiny cost-cutting technique by a company, it has a much deeper impact. It raises the question of what will happen to the future of employment.

From the perspective of a company, a computer does not look forward to a handsome paycheck at the end of every month; however, having a computer to work for you is not free either. To hire a computer as your employee, you have to bear development costs and also compare that cost with the total amount you would eventually be saving. Fukoku Life Insurance brought in an AI which costed them £1.4m, but the company's experts say that it would be saving £1m yearly. In addition to just the development and procurement costs, like any other machine, your AI would also need routine and unplanned maintenance. The company reported it costs about £100k a year.

The figures look good from a financial perspective, but many questions still need to be answered. Most important (from a company’s point of view) is the quality of a product, especially because the company is a service provider, and their product is not a tangible commodity. Whether AI can give a satisfactory quality of service or not must be the deepest concern for service companies. Would programmers be able to code the compassion into the machine? This can also be a debate.

However, there is another factor: the social acceptance of the fact that a person would lose a job every time a machine is assigned to perform his or her task. The growth of human jobs with the increase in AI-based platforms is not that significant, which might raise a few eyebrows. Soon, we can expect a number of organizations emerging from the need to regulate this change. Also, we are likely to face greater resistance from the people who are at the risk of losing their jobs.

Which jobs are vulnerable to AI revolution?

In a widely acclaimed study, Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne found out the probability of automation for 702 jobs, and found that 47 percent of employees in America are at high risk of losing jobs because of automation and AI. Their study warned the employees working in transport and logistics (taxi drivers and courier drivers are to be replaced by self-driving cars and car-pools), office support staff (security guards and front-desk officers to be replaced by computerized check-ins and securities), and sales and customer support staff (cashiers, telemarketers, call-center assistants, clerks are to be replaced with chatbots and machines).

The study also stated that “recent developments in machine learning and artificial intelligence will put a substantial share of employment, across a wide range of occupations, at risk in the near future.” Some other studies also noted an equivalent figure of 35 percent for the workforce for the United Kingdom (where more people work in creative industries less susceptible to automation) and 49 percent for Japan.

How does the future look?

Are we heading towards a future where automation will make employment a scarcity? "We are expecting 500 billion objects to become connected to the Internet, and this automation is going to hollow out middle and working class jobs," explained Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup's Latin America business, while speaking at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit in Laguna Niguel, Calif.  

But this is just one side of the story. AI will also create new jobs in the field. Self-driving cars may need drivers for emergency rides. More tech developers to create chatbots for every industry and most of all more AI-trainers to train chatbots to act like a human. Like websites, all the systems needs to be maintained and constantly updated. No matter how advanced and super-efficient AI may become, some jobs are always done better by humans, including doctors, therapists, hairdressers and personal trainers. An analysis of the British workforce by Deloitte highlighted a profound shift over the past two decades towards “caring” jobs: the number of nursing assistants increased by 909 percent, teaching assistants by 580 percent and care workers by 168 percent.

On one side, there are techies who say that machines and AI are ready to take all the jobs. On the other side, there are economists who say that AI revolution or any new technology always create more jobs than they destroy. Well, the real answer lies somewhere in between. Artificial Intelligence will not lead to mass unemployment, but it will shake up the foundation of many companies that rely on outdated technologies, which will result in huge losses and then layoffs. Those companies that will embrace it, will disrupt the industry and speed up the existing trend of computer-related automation which will enable their employees to learn new skills more quickly than in the past.

Photo credit: Willyam Bradberry/Shutterstock

John Barnett

John Barnett, Project Coordinator at Iflexion with over 14 years of experience in the IT industry. John is an industry expert in such areas as Business Intelligence, Enterprise Mobility and the Cloud.

Assessment for 21st century

Assessment for 21st century

Assessment for 21st century should be comprehensive, and various sources and techniques are required. Assessment itself need to be authentic learning experiences for students that it can be expanded not just a test to check their knowledge by teachers but a technology enhanced tool for their personal learning strategy with instant feedback by peers or by themselves. So the formative assessment is a big part of learning environment in 21st century education. 

Click here for Google doc assignment!

App Practice: Students as Global Citizen

App Practice: Students as Global Citizen

The Definition of Global Citizen is a someone who sees himself/herself as being part of an emerging world community and whose actions help define this community's values and practices.

< Click here For a Google doc Assignment>

App Practice: Student Researcher

Overview

 For the class Edu 614, one of my goal is to be proficient in Google features, and this is such a good opportunity to dig more into G suite for this assignment "Apps for student researcher".

Google Docs for Student researching
Many teachers felt the Google Docs Research Tool was very useful for their classes they had been used this tool daily basis.  However, unfortunately, Google recently changed one of their best feature "Research tool" in Google Doc to "Explore tool".  People are trying their best to fit in this situation, so do I.  
This is a NEW simple how-to-use method. 

• Students can use Explore tool by clicking the star-shaped icon in the bottom-right of Google Docs pages. Teachers can utilize this tool by providing essential questions for students so that they can research their answers using the searching engine within Google Docs. 

• Also, students can start their document by using Google Keep, which is also on a toolbox in Google Docs. There is a "Keep notepad" button on a toolbox, and simply by dragging Keep-notes that were already found, students can make a quick outline of their paper.

• Google Docs also provides Google advanced search operators, students will be able to find more accurate articles for their document. Clicking a quote icon while searching the "Explore tool", students can make an easy footnote.

•  For the last, students can use a citation feature by "Adds-on" the Paperpile or easyBib.  

Caution! For a research-based class, the internet safety issue is matter. These are the safe searching engines for students. 

https://www.safesearchkids.com/

http://www.kidsclick.org/

http://www.kidrex.org/

https://primaryschoolict.com/

https://www.factmonster.com/

https://www.kiddle.co/

https://scholar.google.com/

https://www.refseek.com/

https://www.wolframalpha.com/

http://www.sweetsearch.com/

I have an assignment for my other class, English Arts, and I want to figure it out whether the technology integrated lesson really works. 
you can see the the lesson plan by clicking board down below.

<Click above>

App Practice: Students Scribe

<Students Scribe>

"The Apps for using scribe" means using technology to write documents, especially as collaborative works. In the book "Who owns the learning?", the author Alan November introduced the Digital Learning Farm, which showed effective ways to integrate technology with education in the classroom. If students engage more by creating tutorials for other students, collaborating with scribing will increase their participation by producing shared notes. These are the benefits offered by the process of creating shared notes.

• Students will be better at synthesizing information into ideas
• Students will learn important skills in collaborating, communicating, organizing, writing and critical thinking.
• Students will enjoy producing shared notes. 

As a bad hand writer myself, I've always struggled to make the note neat as possible, but still I felt it was not enough to show to other people. However, after I took this Edu 614 course, I poured out my energy to create something new, better and beautiful to use and was amazed by the possibility of technology for students. Note-taking will be a great project that everyone can participate, and every voice will be heard.

However, there are one thing I've concerned about taking a note using apps.  I wrote something on the blog page, I felt it was more like making a magazine then note-taking. I could see the comments, but it was like grading by other people. If a teacher want to use technology as a scribe tool in the class, he/she needs proper apps, and a skill for that app.

 The Youtube video that professor Seavey posted ""Why Chris Penna Uses Google Docs vs. Wikis for collaborative writing" I was convinced using Google Docs is better for me then wiki for students using as a scribe tool.  Chris Penna said, wiki is more like a web page rather then a document.

Ex) First, Students will make drafts of their writing using Google Docs in their literature class. To show how to use Google Docs, I'll use my son's readers response journal for his class.

In the classroom, a teacher will use Google classroom in his/her Google Drive.

Clicking the "NEW" icon, the teacher will see the Google Docs.

For collaborative work, the teacher will make a group with two students and each group will have different questions for their paper. The group of students will write the draft though the lesson, and between lessons, they will have time to correct or add their thoughts together.  For example, they will editing together like the paper down below, and the teacher can make comments of their work.  (The Yellow-Highlight parts are on the comments that the teacher has made.)

If they can't finish their work in the class, they can do it at home, adding more details. If the teacher wants to check who are participating and did their works, there is "See version history" section.

With dates, times,  and Students' work history, the teacher can check and provide comments or reinforce about parts of the lesson.

After they make their finals, try to use Voki classroom app, if possible,

- Voki classroom is an app that students can create a character, and make it speak by adding a voice message from a phone or microphone. Students can summarize and communicate with extra fun.

For More Apps for Scribe, Click the Here!

App Practice : Student Tutorial

Student Tutorial for the App
Voicethread for Presentation

<Click the picture above to read the document by Jihye Won>

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This is an example video that I made for students Tutorial using app.
I used Screencast-O-Matic to capture my computer screen while I was using Voicethread for the assignment.
A first video that I've ever made, and you can see lots of mistake, but I really enjoyed these new technology tools. I also could see the possibility of the technology integrated class.

Thank you for watching this video!