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As the Fall semester winds down, schools need to apply lessons from this year to the next. 2020 has been an unusual year for education but, for all its difficulties, it can serve as a jumping-off point for schools. Perhaps more than anything, this year has emphasized the importance of thorough cybersecurity.
When we think of creativity, most of us will readily associate it to art, from painting to composing music to writing fiction. But the act of being creative is much more than that: a person can be a creative thinker even if they never pick up a paintbrush or a musical instrument.
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You are being creative when you decide on a catchy slogan for your product; you are being creative when you pitch your own idea for a small business; and most of all, you are being creative when you are presented with a problem and come up with a unique solution.
In a world where having original ideas sets humans apart from machines, thinking creatively is more important than ever and educators have a responsibility to foster, not stifle their students’ imagination.
COVID-19 presents a unique challenge for any business or institution that typically holds a large number of people. As schools reopen and try to stay open through the waves of the pandemic, technology plays a big role. Whether it's in-person, online or a hybrid model, technology is what makes learning during the pandemic possible.
Japanese tech company SoftBank has created a version of its Pepper robot that can detect whether office workers are wearing a mask.
The 47-inch-high robot with human-like features is already in operation in some countries welcoming visitors to shops, exhibitions and other public spaces.
But the upgraded version is designed to stand at the entrance to offices, conferences, airports and other public spaces, to provide a gentle reminder to people to wear masks.
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Right now, COVID-19 seems to be accelerating several trends that existed before the pandemic — like the push to cashless transactions and work-from-home arrangements.
Schools and the ed-tech industry are struggling to adapt to a new world where almost all students learn from home. Teachers are finding ways to adapt lesson plans and homework to remote education. At the same time, school districts are trying to invest in cybersecurity tech and professionals that can keep their students and faculty safe.
It's likely that even once the pandemic is over, the changes will continue to have a big impact on how educators teach students. It could determine which services the ed-tech sector focuses on over the next decade.
Robots could be used in care homes after a study found they can improve mental health and have the potential to reduce loneliness in vulnerable older people. A robot called Pepper, which can engage in conversation and learn people's tastes, has been tested in care homes.
Given the recent COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on traditional educational institutions, the fields of formal education are headed for a systematic change. Robotics and artificial intelligence technologies can not only mitigate difficulties caused by the pandemic but also help build on their foundations.
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COVID-19 has highlighted digital inequity—but collaborative tech and digital tools could help close the gap.
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Robotics education is becoming increasingly commonplace in schools. This is largely due to the fact that students in K12 schools will graduate into a workforce that’s rife with technology, in an era where robots will become widely used in our everyday lives.
Coding is enormous in education right now.
No wonder. Coding offers so many academic benefits that schools cannot ignore its significance. Sequential processes, computational thinking, and creative problem-solving all make up coding. It’s the new literacy in schools. There’s so much to like about coding that coding academies and boot camps are springing up everywhere.
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