ARYABHATTA ACADEMY PUNE

Teaching computers to plan for the future

As humans, we’ve gotten pretty good at shaping the world around us. We can choose the molecular design of our fruits and vegetables, travel faster and farther and stave off life-threatening diseases with personalized medical care. However, what continues to elude our molding grasp is the airy notion of “time” — how to see further than our present moment, and ultimately how to make the most of it. As it turns out, robots might be the ones that can answer this question.

Computer scientists from the University of Bonn in Germany wrote this week that they were able to design a software that could predict a sequence of events up to five minutes in the future with accuracy between 15 and 40 percent. These values might not seem like much on paper, but researcher Dr. Juergen Gall says it represents a step toward a new area of machine learning that goes beyond single-step prediction.

Although Gall’s goal of teaching a system how to understand a sequence of events is not new (after all, this is a primary focus of the fields of machine learning and computer vision), it is unique in its approach. Thus far, research in these fields has focused on the interpretation of a current action or the prediction of an anticipated next action. This was seen recently in the news when a paper from Stanford AI researchers reported designing an algorithm that could achieve up to 90 percent accuracy in its predictions regarding end-of-life care.

When researchers provided the algorithm with data from more than two million palliative-care patient records, it was able to analyze patterns in the data and predict when the patient would pass with high levels of accuracy. However, unlike Gall’s research, this algorithm focused on a retrospective, single prediction.

Accuracy itself is a contested question in the field of machine learning. While it appears impressive on paper to report accuracies ranging upwards of 90 percent, there is debate about the over-inflation of these values through cherry-picking “successful” data in a process called p-hacking.

In their experiment, Gall and his team used hours of video data demonstrating different cooking actions (e.g. frying an egg or tossing a salad) and presented the software with only portions of the action and tasked it with predicting the remaining sequence based on what it had “learned.” Through their approach, Gall hopes the field can take a step closer to true human-machine symbiosis.

“[In the industry] people talk about human robot collaboration but in the end there’s still a separation; they’re not really working close together,” says Gall.

Instead of only reacting or anticipating, Gall proposes that, with a proper hardware body, this software could help human workers in industrial settings by intuitively knowing the task and helping them complete it. Even more, Gall sees a purpose for this technology in a domestic setting, as well.

Microsoft Launches Office 365 University for Higher-Education Students

Microsoft announced the availability of Office 365 University for full-time and part-time students studying in accredited colleges and universities in India. Students can now subscribe to Office 365 University which includes the latest and most complete set of Office applications and works across 2 PCs or Macs, comes with Office on Demand and an additional 20 GB Premium SkyDrive Storage-all for Rs. 4,199 for a 4-year subscription. Office 365 University will empower students to study better resulting in future jobs and provide them a winning edge in the young and competitive Indian job market.

“Office 365 University is in a class by itself and university students will love the capabilities of new Office,” said Ramkumar Pichai, GM - Microsoft Office Division, Microsoft India. “Office 365 University will be a trusted and integral part of students’ everyday always-on, always-connected life, taking full advantage of the cloud and touch capabilities, all at the best price. The special pricing for students will help provide them with opportunities and empower them to develop the necessary skills to be successful in the fast-paced campus environment, making them future ready as they join the workforce of tomorrow.”

“Office 365 University will make my life much easier as I can now study, work and enjoy on the move, can edit and share documents/notes in real-time and store more on the cloud. As students, we are always looking for cutting-edge technology at the best price to learn and collaborate, and this makes a real impact on our student life. I can now move from the house to college to the playground across devices and manage my day-to-day assignments and tasks anywhere anytime,” said Shaurya Mittal, a student of Sri Venkateswara College, New Delhi.

Purchase Process

Students need to go online at www.office.com/verify to verify their eligibility in order to activate Office. During the verification process, students will need to fill out their university credentials, or international student identity card (ISIC) details. Alternatively, they can submit documentation through the manual verification process. The academic verification process is completed online; post which students can purchase Office 365 University from the online Microsoft store.

Eligibility and Verification Process

Apart from full-time and part-time enrolled university and college students, faculty and staff in accredited institutions are also eligible to purchase an Office 365 University subscription.

Microsoft Office 365 University is built on the company’s philosophy of empowering youth to imagine and realize their full potential by connecting them with greater opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship by:

1.helping them strengthen education and expand digital inclusion

2.giving them inspiration and tools to imagine new opportunities; and

3.h

elping youth realize new opportunities of employability and entrepreneurship

About Office 365 University

Office 365 University will be offered online and at retail locations in 52 markets worldwide. Features include:

-- The latest and most complete set of Office applications – Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Access

-- Office on Demand

-- Additional 20 GB Premium SkyDrive Storage and default save to SkyDrive

-- Install Office on up to two PCs or Macs, for use by a single person

To know more about Office 365 University, click here.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ 'MSFT') is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft Corporation (India) Private Ltd is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation, USA. It has had a presence in India since 1990 and currently has offices in nine cities - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune.

GOOGLE OPEN ITS G SUITE FOR EDUCATION TO HOME-SCHOOL CO-OPS

Google today announced that it is changing the eligibility guidelines of its free G Suite for Education service to include home-school co-ops. Parents and teachers who run home-school co-ops will be able to sign up for it in the coming weeks.

G Suite for Educations includes all of Google’s usual online productivity tools and then layers a number of education-specific services like Classroom on top of that. Google Classroom, it’s worth noting, was already available to any G Suite user, but to subscribe to G Suite for Education, you needed to be affiliated with a school or school district. Now, home-school co-ops will be able to verify their status and get access to G Suite for Education, too.

“Through technology, home-school co-op teachers can set and change assignments on the fly, students can work together even if geographically separated, and everyone has a common format for collaboration,” writes Darren Jones of the Home School Legal Defense Association, in today’s announcement. “It’s because of this potential that I’ve been working closely with Google this year to make sure that home-school co-ops have the same access as other schools to G Suite for Education.”

Google has piloted this program with a number of co-ops in recent months and given that these groups function a bit like traditional schools, with some being more formal than others, I can see how access to a shared and integrated set of tools would be useful there.

Google launches a free website for AI and Machine Learning education

Google has launched a free platform to help professionals learn about AI and machine learning. A new site called Learn with Google AI is an information hub for anybody getting starting with AI and machine learning.

The company had initially developed the course for Googlers but later decided to make it available for developers around the world. Learn with Google AI is the information hub where people can “learn about core ML concepts, develop and hone your ML skills, and apply ML to real-world problems.”

Any developer, right from the beginner level to advanced researchers can get benefitted from the resources available on the site. The whole idea behind developing the online platform is to help developers community to understand how these advanced technologies work. Even people working in the industry can find the information available on the site incredibly useful.

Google’s Zuri Kemp said, “AI can solve complex problems and has the potential to transform entire industries, which means it’s crucial that AI reflect a diverse range of human perspectives and needs. That’s why part of Google AI’s mission is to help anyone interested in machine learning succeed.”

Win prizes worth
Rs 4,11,000+
by participating in coding challenges

The major highlight of the website is the Machine Learning Crash Course (MLCC). The company had created MLCC as an internal resource for its employees. Google has uploaded the entire 15 hours of crash course on the website for free. Anybody willing to get started with machine learning can get benefited by MLCC.

Google has designed MLCC keeping in mind that the resources can be learned by anyone. The candidate signing up for the course is expected to have a basic level of algebra knowledge and some programming skills. It is expected that you are good with basic Java object-oriented programming, data structures, algorithms, SQL and fundamentals of Python.

THE LOGITECH CRAYON IS GREAT, BUT IT'S LIMITED TO THE EDUCATION MARKET

We just got a look at the new iPad accessories Logitech announced today: the $49 Crayon and the $99 Rugged Case. They are really nice, but they are not for you. Both accessories are specifically designed to sell to the education market and will not hit general retail.

Let’s start with the Crayon because it’s fascinating. It’s half the price of the Apple Pencil and works a little bit differently. It does not need to be paired via Bluetooth. Instead, any Crayon can work with any iPad. Apple says that’s so a teacher can walk around with it and use it with student devices. Since it doesn’t pair via Bluetooth, it can’t do pressure sensitivity. However, everything else works the same. It can measure angle, handle palm-rejection, and it’s just as precise.

It charges via Lightning, with a little rubber grommet on top to cover the hole. It also has another feature the Apple Pencil lacks: an honest-to-god on / off button. That means it’s not just a passive stylus; 9to5Mac says it uses a “special wireless frequency.”

It seems as though the Crayon will only work with the most recent generation of iPads, not the iPad Pro or older iPads. It should last about eight hours on a charge, according to Logitech.

Apple says this is the first (and so far, the only) MFI-approved third-party stylus for the iPad. And using it for just a minute or two, it came so close to being as good as an Apple Pencil that I was pretty bummed that it won’t be made available to the general market.

TENCENT AND EDUCATION STARTUP AGE OF LEARNING BRING POPULAR ENGLISH-LEARNING APP ABCmouse

Tencent is teaming up with Los Angeles-based education company Age of Learning to launch an English education program for kids in China. ABCmouse, Age of Learning’s flagship product, has been localized and will be available as a website and an iOS and Android app in China, with Tencent handling product development, marketing, sales and customer support.

The new partnership extends Tencent’s involvement in ed-tech, which already includes a strategic investment in VIPKID, an online video tutoring platform that connects Chinese kids with English teachers and competes with QKids and Dada ABC. ABCmouse, on the other hand, uses videos, books and online activities like games, songs and stories to help kids study English.

The Chinese version of ABCmouse includes integration with Tencent’s ubiqutioius messenger and online services platform WeChat, which now has more than one billion users, and its instant messaging service QQ, with 783 million monthly active users. This makes it easier for parents to sign up and pay for ABCmouse, because they can use their WeChat or QQ account and payment information. It also allows families to share kids’ English-learning progress on their news feeds or in chats. For example, Chen says parents can send video or audio recordings of their children practicing English to grandparents, who can then buy gift subscriptions with one click.

Though you probably haven’t heard of it unless you have young kids or work with elementary school-age children, Age of Learning has built a significant presence in online education since it was founded in 2007, thanks mainly to the popularity of ABCmouse in schools, public libraries and Head Start programs. Two years ago, Age of Learning hit unicorn status after raising $150 million at a $1 billion valuation from Iconiq Capital.

Jerry Chen, Age of Learning’s president of Greater China, says there are more than 110 million kids between the ages of three to eight in China and the online English language learning market there is “a several billion dollar market that’s growing rapidly.” He points to a recent study by Chinese research agency Yiou Intelligence that says total spending on online English learning programs for children will be 29.41 billion RMB, or about $4.67 billion, this year, and is projected to reach 79.17 billion, or $12.6 billion, by 2022.

The localization of ABCmouse will extend to the design of its eponymous cartoon rodent, who has a more stylized appearance in China. Lessons include animations featuring an English teacher and students in an international school classroom and begin with listening comprehension and speaking before moving onto phonics, reading and writing. Tencent-Age of Learning products will also include speech recognition tools to help kids hone their English pronunciation.

In an email, Jason Chen, Tencent’s general manager of online education, said that the company “reviewed several companies through an extensive research process, and it became clear that ABCmouse had the most engaging and effective online English self-learning curriculum and content for children. Age of Learning puts learning first, and that commitment to educational excellence made them a perfect fit for our online English language learning business.”

CODING QUEEN: HOW THIS 17-YEAR OLD IS HELPING 70,000 STUDENTS TO LEARN CODING

An Indian-origin schoolgirl has started Code Camp to help Indian schools. 17-year old living in London has set up her own charity while studying for A-Levels.

Mahek Vara, 17-year old student from Westminster School was shocked to see the poor facilities in Indian government schools. Her charity has provided computer lessons to more than 1,800 schools in Gujarat. Her initiative aims to educate millions of students across the world.

The 17-year old student realized that computer programming knowledge is an essential skill for working life. When she realized the level of computer education in Indian government school, she started designing a program to teach the subject in these schools. Her charity has provided programming lessons in more than 1800 schools in Gujarat.

Mahek said, “I set up the charity primarily for government schools in India because I believe students don’t have the same opportunities that we have here. I am originally from India and used to go there every year. Last year I had longer holidays for Christmas and Easter so I spent more time there. I realized there was a need for computer education. There are computers in schools but a lot of technical difficulties. They haven’t been updated — so if there are six computers, five won’t work.”

Code Camp is being promoted by Mahek Vara and a team of volunteers. The initiative has helped tens of thousands of children in the state of Gujarat so far. Mahek plans to expand the reach of Code Camp to Gulf and Sri Lanka. She started learning to code as last year curriculum in A-levels.

She further added, “I started creating sample resources for Code Camp myself. I started personally coding last year for my Extended Project Qualification so as a novice in coding I was in a prime position.” After completing beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons in coding, Mahek launched her charity in April last year. She has trained more than 100 teachers herself.

In India, there are more than 30 Code Camp volunteers that actively contribute to the work. Realizing the gender gap in Science and Technology, Mahek wants to organize events to encourage more girls to take up STEM subjects.

G Suite Enterprise for Education rolling out with business-level features for schools

Earlier this year, Google announced G Suite Enterprise for Education in response to demand from colleges and larger school districts for more advanced tools. Today, this new enterprise-grade version is becoming generally available for institutions in the US.

G Suite for Education remains a free service with Google adding more advanced tools over the coming months. However, the new version is for education organizations “with administrative needs similar to businesses.”

Features include a Security Center with potential threat analysis and actionable insights to protect sensitive data.

With security center tools, IT departments gain insights into how data may be exposed with external file sharing, can see phishing messages targeting users within their organization, and access metrics to demonstrate the organization’s security effectiveness.

Meanwhile, Advanced Mobile Device Management allows for more control over singed-in devices. Other business features coming over include Cloud Search that collate Calendar, Drive, and Gmail, while Hangouts Meet allows for group collaboration.

Introductory bulk pricing for the G Suite Enterprise for Education starts at $2/user/month for faculty and staff, and is free for eligible students. Individual licenses are $4/user/month for faculty and staff and $4/user/month for students. It will be coming soon to more countries outside the United States in the near future.

Win prizes worth
Rs 4,11,000+
by participating in coding challenges

Meanwhile, in today’s announcement, Google promises that G Suite for Education — which is used by 80 million students and teachers — will continue to be free and add new features like Data Loss Prevention (DLP), security key management and enforcement, and Gmail S/MIME over the next few months.

9to5Google’s Take

Google continues to make inroads into the education market with this Enterprise edition allowing them to justifiably monetize a usually free market. Meanwhile, these advanced features will help them continue to lead over Apple’s cloud services and hardware offerings for schools.

FTC IS HOSTING A WORKSHOP TO TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO SPOT CRYPTOCURRENCY SCAMS

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced it will host a workshop to examine the recent wave of cryptocurrency scams.

The Federal Agency, which works with the mission of promoting consumer protection, is bringing together consumer groups, law enforcement, research organizations, and the private sector to create an open dialogue about securing public interest in cryptocurrencies.

The workshop titled “Decrypting Cryptocurrency Scams” will hold discussions on the exploitation of public interest in cryptocurrencies by scammers, and the need to empower and protect the consumers in the industry.

“As consumer interest in cryptocurrencies has grown, so has interest from scammers, who are always looking for new ways to take advantage of consumers,” FTC writes on its website. “Scams involving cryptocurrencies include deceptive investment and business opportunities, bait-and-switch schemes, and deceptively marketed mining machines.”

The workshop will be hosted on June 25 at DePaul University in Chicago. It will be free and open to the public; the event is also expected to be webcast live on the FTC’s website.

This is not the first time that FTC is getting involved in cryptocurrencies. The agency has previously focussed on fighting scams within the space.

Back in 2014, FTC was responsible for the shutting down of Butterfly Labs, a Bitcoin mining equipment provider, that charged money to its customers but didn’t provide the equipments on time.