Archive of ‘announcement’ category

Online course, storytelling, data

Online Course | A Thousand Words and a Picture: Storytelling with Data

https://events.educause.edu/courses/2019/a-thousand-words-and-a-picture-storytelling-with-data

Part 1: March 13, 2019 | 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET
Part 2: March 20, 2019 | 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET
Part 3: March 27, 2019 | 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET

Overview

A picture is worth a thousand words, but developing a data picture worth a thousand words involves careful thought and planning. IT leaders are often in need of sharing their story and vision for the future with campus partners and campus leadership. Delivering this message in a compelling way takes a significant amount of thought and planning. This session will take participants through the process of constructing their story, how to (and how not to) incorporate data and anecdotes effectively, how to design clear data visualizations, and how to present their story with confidence.

Learning Objectives

During this course, participants will:

  • Develop a story that elicits a specific outcome
  • Identify and effectively use data elements to support a compelling story
  • Learn how to tell your story in a clear and effective way

NOTE: Participants will be asked to complete assignments in between the course segments that support the learning objectives stated below and will receive feedback and constructive critique from course facilitators on how to improve and shape their work.

Facilitator

Leah LangLeah Lang, Director of Analytics Services, EDUCAUSE

Leah Lang leads EDUCAUSE Analytics Services, a suite of data services, products, and tools that can be used to inform decision-making about IT in higher education. The foundational service in this suite is the EDUCAUSE Core Data Services (CDS), higher education’s comprehensive IT benchmarking data service.

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more Educause webinars in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=educause+webinar

Well-being, Health, Happiness

The Power of Well-being: Health, Happiness and Success!

 50 mins

https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/15555/347129

Well-being is more than just living a healthy lifestyle. It is the complex combination of your physical, mental, emotional, and social health factors. Women often focus on the needs of those around them first, putting their own well-being on the back burner. This can result in a range of health issues – both physical and mental.

During this webinar, three experts will provide guidance to help you improve your overall well-being:

– 5 Easy Strategies to Boost Your Happiness at Work – Presented by Shelly Ryan, WHEN BEING and CAREER Advisor®, WHEN Manager

– Well-Being in the Workplace and at Home – Presented by Nancy Friedman, PsyD, Chief Being Officer

– What is Well-Being
The Key Elements of Well-Being
How Well-Being Impacts Your Life
4 Key Tools Proven to Increase Your Well-Being

– Healthy Living and Well-Being – The Art of Loving and Caring for Yourself – Elaine Stewart, ND, WHEN Chief Health Officer

– Finding Your WHEN® – Lisa Miller, VP of Strategic Development & Partner Liaison

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more on mindfulness in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=mindfulness

Digital Humanities Workshop

Digital Humanities Workshop with Marina Rustow – February 28
1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Wallin 15K (Elmer L. Andersen Library, lower level), University of Minnesota

Graduate students: Join us for a Digital Humanities Workshop with Marina Rustow, History & Near Eastern Studies, Princeton. Learn more here. Co-sponsored by the Center for Medieval Studies, DASH, and the James Ford Bell Library.

AR with Metaverse Studio

https://studio.gometa.io/landing

If you want to create AR, but don’t know Unity….

Thousands of people, from kids to teachers to big brands, are creating all kinds of Augmented Reality Experiences (games, interactive stories, educational curriculum, scavenger hunts, RPGs and much more!)

Here’s a quick overview video to help get you started

Check out our YouTube channel for more tutorials

Follow us on Twitter and read our blog where we feature amazing things created by people just like you.

Please send us all your questions, big or small. We’re here to help 🙂

If you have any questions you can respond to this email, or use the blue help chat button located at the bottom-left of the Metaverse Studio.

All the best,
Dmitry Shapiro
CEO
Metaverse

Digital Minimalism

‘Digital Minimalism’: How To Hang Up On Your Phone Addiction

February 07, 2019 Jeremy Hobson Serena McMahon

Cal Newport, author of the new book “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World” and an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, argues that phone use is getting in the way of too much of our lives.

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more on contemplative computing in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=contemplative+computing

 

American AI Initiative

Trump creates American AI Initiative to boost research, train displaced workers

The order is designed to protect American technology, national security, privacy, and values when it comes to artificial intelligence.

STEPHEN SHANKLAND,SEAN KEANE FEBRUARY 11, 2019

https://www.cnet.com/news/trump-to-create-american-ai-initiative-with-executive-order/

President Donald Trump on Monday directed federal agencies to improve the nation’s artificial intelligence abilities — and help people whose jobs are displaced by the automation it enables.

t’s good for the US government to focus on AI, said Daniel Castro, chief executive of the Center for Data Innovation, a technology-focused think tank that supports the initiative.

Silicon Valley has been investing heavily in AI in recent years, but the path hasn’t always been an easy one. In October, for instance, Google withdrew from competition for a $10 billion Pentagon cloud computing contract, saying it might conflict with its principles for ethical use of AI.

Trump this week is also reportedly expected to sign an executive order banning Chinese telecom equipment from US wireless networks by the end of February.

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more on AI in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=artificial+intelligence

Microsoft BrightBytes DataSense

Microsoft Takes a Bite Out of BrightBytes, Acquiring Its DataSense Platform and Team

Tony Wan     Feb 5, 2019

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-02-04-microsoft-takes-a-bite-out-of-brightbytes-acquires-its-datasense-platform-and-team

From launching new tablets to virtual-reality curriculum, Microsoft has added plenty to its educational offerings

DataSense, a data management platform developed by Brightbytes.

DataSense is a set of professional services that work with K-12 districts to collect data from different data systems, translate them into unified formats and aggregate that information into a unified dashboard for reporting purposes.

DataSense traces its origins to Authentica Solutions, an education data management company founded in 2013.

A month later, BrightBytes acquired Authentica. The deal was hailed as a “major milestone in the industry” and appeared to be a complement to BrightBytes’ flagship offering, Clarity, a suite of data analytics tools that help educators understand the impact of technology spending and usage on student outcomes.

Of the “Big Five” technology giants, Microsoft has become the most acqui-hungry as of late in the learning and training space. In recent years it purchased several consumer brand names whose services reach into education, including LinkedIn (which owns Lynda.com, now a part of the LinkedIn Learning suite), Minecraft (which has been adapted for use in the classroom) and Github (which released an education bundle).

Last year, Microsoft also acquired a couple of smaller education tools, including Flipgrid, a video-discussion platform popular among teachers, and Chalkup, whose services have been rolled into Microsoft Teams, its competitor to Slack.

Tackling Data in Libraries

Tackling Data in Libraries: Opportunities and Challenges in Serving User Communities

Submit proposals at http://www.iolug.org

Deadline is Friday, March 1, 2019

Submissions are invited for the IOLUG Spring 2019 Conference, to be held May 10th in Indianapolis, IN. Submissions are welcomed from all types of libraries and on topics related to the theme of data in libraries.

Libraries and librarians work with data every day, with a variety of applications – circulation, gate counts, reference questions, and so on. The mass collection of user data has made headlines many times in the past few years. Analytics and privacy have, understandably, become important issues both globally and locally. In addition to being aware of the data ecosystem in which we work, libraries can play a pivotal role in educating user communities about data and all of its implications, both favorable and unfavorable.

The Conference Planning Committee is seeking proposals on topics related to data in libraries, including but not limited to:

  • Using tools/resources to find and leverage data to solve problems and expand knowledge,
  • Data policies and procedures,
  • Harvesting, organizing, and presenting data,
  • Data-driven decision making,
  • Learning analytics,
  • Metadata/linked data,
  • Data in collection development,
  • Using data to measure outcomes, not just uses,
  • Using data to better reach and serve your communities,
  • Libraries as data collectors,
  • Big data in libraries,
  • Privacy,
  • Social justice/Community Engagement,
  • Algorithms,
  • Storytelling, (https://web.stcloudstate.edu/pmiltenoff/lib490/)
  • Libraries as positive stewards of user data.

Facial Recognition Technology in schools

With Safety in Mind, Schools Turn to Facial Recognition Technology. But at What Cost?

By Emily Tate     Jan 31, 2019

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-01-31-with-safety-in-mind-schools-turn-to-facial-recognition-technology-but-at-what-cost

SAFR (Secure, Accurate Facial Recognition)

violent deaths in schools have stayed relatively constant over the last 30 years, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. But then there’s the emotive reality, which is that every time another event like Sandy Hook or Parkland occurs, many educators and students feel they are in peril when they go to school.

RealNetworks, a Seattle-based software company that was popular in the 1990s for its audio and video streaming services but has since expanded to offer other tools, including SAFR (Secure, Accurate Facial Recognition), its AI-supported facial recognition software.

After installing new security cameras, purchasing a few Apple devices and upgrading the school’s Wi-Fi, St. Therese was looking at a $24,000 technology tab.

The software is programmed to allow authorized users into the building with a smile.

“Facial recognition isn’t a panacea. It is just a tool,” says Collins, who focuses on education privacy issues.

Another part of the problem with tools like SAFR, is it provides a false sense of security.

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more on surveillance in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=surveillance

more on privacy in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=privacy

college finances for waste

Students, employees scour college finances for waste, proof of unfair pay

As public confidence declines, university budgets and investments face growing scrutiny

https://hechingerreport.org/increasingly-skeptical-students-employees-want-colleges-to-show-them-the-money/ 
But seldom has this level of attention from students and employees been so focused on the finances of their own campuses. It coincides with what polls disclose is falling public confidence in higher education. And given the results, it seems likely to create more, not less, mistrust.
Higher education has become a popular public target. Fifty-eight percent of people polled by the think tank New Americasaid colleges and universities put their own interests ahead of those of students. About the same proportion in a Public Agenda survey said colleges care mostly about the bottom line, and 44 percent said they’re wasteful and inefficient. And a Gallup poll found that more than half of Americans have only some, or very little, confidence in higher education.
We want to see greater transparency in how they spend our money. And it is our money, most of it,” since such a large percentage of the budget comes from tuition

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