Tag: edtech

#EDUCHAIN- BLOCKCHAIN IN EDUCATION

“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s then we rob them of tomorrow.” During the pandemic, technology facilitated education in the best way. Therefore the intertwining of blockchain and education #EdChain will certainly be really. Blockchain is an immutable, decentralised form of database that stores information. As the name suggests, it is a chain or a series of blocks that store data like the date, time and amount of transactions.

The most important feature associated with blockchains is security. Each block within a blockchain contains a hash of the previous block. Hashing makes it difficult to alter the blocks. Thus it ensures immutability. Incentivising miners ensures integrity as they disapprove malicious transactions. These mechanisms ensure the high security of data.

The intertwining of blockchain and education would help improve teaching and learning in various dimensions.

Decentralized control over data

Blockchain can store data related to students’ credentials. It can also store details like the skills or courses that students have learnt. Consequently, a centralized authority will not control this data. It would also enable the students to share this data with their prospective employers. Furthermore, students can store data related to both classroom learning and skill enhancement. It would ensure accuracy in the resumes. The security mechanisms of blockchain ensure the safety of the data. Students cannot alter past educational certificates stored on the blockchain so it would ensure accuracy. Blockchain also takes care of privacy. This is because blockchain would store the hash of the data rather than the data itself. Students can also encrypt data before storage at the option of the student. We already have many blockchain-powered applications that facilitate the record-keeping of digital credentials and intellectual property.

Ensuring accuracy

Students cannot alter their past educational certifications. Therefore, employers would get the most accurate information about their skills. This would also help find the perfect matches between employers and job seekers. A distributed ledger system like blockchain supports safe chronological academic records. By integrating transparency and accuracy blockchain can create a strong relationship between employers and job seekers.

Make learning engaging

Blockchain can also make learning more engaging. This would help us to move forward from the conventional tools of teaching and learning. Blockchain’s OpenSource framework is a tool that can enhance online teaching and learning. It would also facilitate the personal development of students. New technologies combined with blockchain can provide personalized learning. Consequently, we can customize the content to suit the needs of different students. We can also have gamified online education to make learning interesting.

Smart Contracts

Students can also enter into various Smart Contracts with the university through blockchain. These contracts can be related to various payments like tuition fees or examination fees. The contracts will provide convenience and safety of transactions at the same time. Smart Contracts in Blockchain can help automate administrative tasks. Additionally, this would also reduce overhead costs related to administrative tasks.

Efficacy in Selection

Blockchain would certainly reduce CV fraud by streamlining the data provided by the students. It can also make appropriate matches between employers and job seekers by suiting their requirements. Blockchain-based university diplomas would certainly be a good leap forward in the selection of job seekers

SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES

Digital Credentials Consortium is an initiative that aims to enhance the record-keeping of digital academic credentials. The initiative started in 2018, intending to create a safe mechanism for storing digital academic credentials. It will enable the students to hold a lifelong record of their academic achievements. Students can easily share this data with the employer as well. The students will also get other benefits like safety, security and privacy. Moreover, they will not be required to pay fees to get copies of their credentials from the university. It would also benefit the educational institutions by managing records securely, eliminating the risk of identity fraud. Thence they can save the cost and time required in admin work. Subsequently, the employers would get the benefit of easy access to accurate records.

MIT is one of the leading institutions that has developed blockchain applications to streamline academic accreditation. It believes that the intertwining of blockchain in education can be used for various purposes.MIT Media Lab and Learning Machine’s Blockcerts is a platform. It allows educational institutions to incorporate blockchain accreditation in their programs. The University of Nicosia offers accredited courses through verified certificates on the blockchain. Southern New Hampshire University issues bachelor and diploma degrees in a digital format on the blockchain besides in a traditional paper format.

CONCLUSION

Educational technology has made good progress over the last 20 years but, there is a long way to go. Modern technologies like blockchain can facilitate progress effectively. According to the Gartner, 2019 CIO Survey around 2% of higher education respondents has already incorporated blockchain. On the other hand, 18% are planning to do so. However, 47% are not interested in incorporating blockchain in education. The possible reason behind this seems to be a wait and watch approach. Keeping in mind the hype and potential risks of blockchain respondents probably aim at playing safe. Record keeping is the most promising use of blockchain besides security and privacy. Overall we have numerous universities and enterprises aiming at enhancing education by intertwining blockchain with it. These universities use blockchain not only for record-keeping but also for teaching and learning purposes.

We need to have an accepting attitude towards change. Amalgamating technology in education may seem difficult. But it is the need of the hour. New technology can improve the existing methods by saving time and cost at the same time. Many universities have already explored this walk still we need more efforts in this regard. As they say, change is the only constant, so we need to be more receptive to this change.

#EduRob- ROBOTICS IN EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

“Our future success is directly proportional to our ability to understand, adopt and integrate new technology into our work.” During the pandemic, technology facilitated both work and learning. Keeping this in mind, the idea of intertwining Robotics in Education seems convincing. According to the research by Global Market Insights, Artificial Intelligence in the education market will surpass USD 6 billion by 2024.

A PEEP INTO THE EFFICACY OF ROBOTICS IN EDUCATION

Technology in education, popularly called edtech is the need of the hour.

Audio Visual Media

Robotics can use audiovisual media to impart quality learning. Online learning requires a lot of attention from students and a proper system to deliver on the part of teachers. Therefore, Robotics can also make use of Virtual Facilitators like gesture recognition, 3-D gaming and computer animation to create interactions with students, making learning engaging. Subsequently, gamification tools can make the subject more engaging. Also, Chatbots can address queries by providing tailor-made answers.

Combat the Paradox in Employment

India has witnessed a paradox in employment. Indian recruitment is going through a peculiar phase. Surprisingly, almost 8 million youngsters enter the job market every year; still, companies find it tough to fill vacancies for crucial roles. The main reason for this is the enlarging skill gap. Many times students do not possess the skill set required by companies for crucial roles. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Robots can help re-skill and up-skill students. Subsequently, Robotics can use AI and predictive analysis to map high demanded skills to boost career prospects.

Streamline admin work and universal access

Teachers have to spend their precious time and energy on admin tasks and paper checking. They can use this time to impart knowledge. Here Robotics comes into play as it can streamline these tasks. Robotics in Education gifts us universal access wherein students belonging to different linguistic communities can learn freely.

Customized Learning

The most fundamental efficacy of Robotics in Education is customized learning. Different students have different problems. Therefore, we require different methodologies to address them. Some students have good grasping power while some learn at a slower pace. Subsequently, AI in Robots can smartly customize learning by giving challenging tasks to fast learners and going at a slower speed for slow learners. It can also communicate with learners, simulating human experiences by voice or hologram.

Catering to differently abled students

Today, we have a plethora of online courses for upgrading skills available. But unfortunately, these courses are unable to cater to the needs of differently-abled students. In such a scenario, Robotics attains prime importance. AI in Robots can create customized lessons to suit the learning needs of differently-abled students as well. During the video conference for Smart India Hackathon, 2019, an engineering student from Dehradun presented her program that could help dyslexic students by utilizing the benefits of AI. Hence, Robotics can unclip the wings of specially-abled children by enabling them to learn the latest skill sets.

A GLANCE AT SOME SUCCESS STORIES

Some counties have already very well amalgamated technology with education. Columbia is running full-time online schools as a substitute for bricks and mortar schools. The schools use digital resources like digital grade books, digital portfolios, learning games and real-time feedback of students. Finland has goodwill as an educational powerhouse, imparting quality learning. It is also known for making the most advanced application of digital technology in formal and extracurricular activities. Finland has successfully used Robotics through humanoid robots and mobile apps. The robots can understand and speak up to 23 languages. The robots can also give feedback to teachers about the problems that students face. Robotics enhances the overall interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) by developing critical thinking skills.

Robotics in E-Learning is not an unexplored arena. Air Force technicians use Intelligent Tutoring Systems like SHERLOCK to detect electrical system problems in aircraft. We can use a similar system in education as well. Another pertinent instance is Duolingo which is one of the most famous apps used for learning foreign languages. Carnegie Learning’s MATHia was awarded the “Best Use of AI in Education”. It is a learning engine that adjusts itself according to the capacity of students.

THE FINAL THOUGHT

Robotics can certainly pave a new path for Education. It provides adaptive learning to help students ace subjects. It would help impart quality education through an engaging methodology.Skill upliftment through a digital medium can provide a flexible approach besides adding shimmer to one’s resume. Today various fields are making optimum use of Robotics. Hence we need to deal with the challenges associated with it. The primary challenge before us is preparing students for this change. We need to instill an understanding that AI would simply complex things while eliminating boundaries in learning. At the same time, one also needs to understand that there are roles requiring creativity, emotional intelligence. Only humans can play these roles well. We ought to bust the myth that utilizing Robotics in various fields would not lead to unemployment.

The purpose of using Robotics in Education is not to replace the existing people but to enhance the quality of Education. Thus the need of the hour is striking a balance and combining both AI and human abilities. Another challenge is that there is a vast need for Research & Development in this field as we are just in the initial phase of usage. Extensive Research and further innovation would ensure successful implementation.

Adapting to changes always seems difficult. But we need to understand that change is the only constant. Therefore, we must be more receptive to it.“Robotics in Education is not meant to eliminate humans but to facilitate them”.