Entries pour in for maths-art competition | Leisure - HeraldLIVE

With 600 entries received from high schools across the country, judges of Nelson Mandela University’s second mathematical art competition have had a tough time choosing finalists by Herald Reporter.

One of the submissions for the 2019 NMU art competition

Grade 8 to 12 pupils from every province poured heart and soul into their unique maths-inspired art – which included beautifully-coloured mandalas, sharp-angled high-rise buildings and plenty of animals and plants made up of geometrical shapes, angles, curves and precise patterns.

All the work is being exhibited at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum until June 21, and the winners will be announced at a prize-giving at the gallery on June 8.

“We received responses from everywhere – from small towns, big towns, private schools, government schools, the whole spectrum,” said competition coordinator Carine Steyn, from the university’s Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Centre, which spearheads the competition...

They could use any visual medium, including photography, drawing, painting, collage or mixed media, and each artwork needed to be accompanied by a written explanation, describing how it linked to maths.

“The children had to do research for this and we could see in the responses that they had learned new and interesting things about the maths-art connections – and about the subject they were exploring,” Steyn said.
Read more...

Source: HeraldLIVE

Data Science Boom Escalates, Colleges To Increase Cut-Off Marks For Statistics Courses | Analytics India Magazine

The data science and AI boom has begun to exhibit effects on other parts of the talent pipeline, reports Anirudh VK, AI enthusiast and love keeping up with the latest events in the space.

Photo: Analytics India Magazine

Universities have now begun increasing the cut-off marks for statistics across Pune, showing the rising need for statisticians in data science.

Undergraduate courses in colleges now have over 90% as the cut-off rates for statistics. The course is normally open for any students who have taken science and have an aptitude for numbers and logic. Seats are also scaling up in numbers, owing to the higher demand for Bachelor’s and Master’s courses for statistics.

Moreover, with the rise of big data and analytics, there is a need for statisticians and similarly skilled professionals in the job market. A variety of verticals such as banking, financial services, market research, and more heavily utilize statistics and, by extension, statisticians...

This, along with a background in computer science and handling large amounts of data, is usually the kind of candidate many big companies are looking for. Many have noticed this trend and are looking to make it a part of their career as well, owing to the lucrative pay and growth in the future.
Read more... 

Source: Analytics India Magazine

Celebrating the Eclipse That Let Einstein Shine | Science - The New York Times

Siobhan Roberts, Science Journalist, Biographer says, Before 1919, cosmology was as subjective as art criticism. A solar eclipse, and a patent clerk’s equations, changed everything.

Cake pops demonstrating how a solar eclipse works, baked by Katherine Leney, a physicist at CERN.
Photo: Video by Katharine Leney

A century ago, on May 29, 1919, the universe was momentarily perturbed, and Albert Einstein became famous.

On Wednesday at the Institute for Advanced Study, Einstein’s intellectual home from 1932 until his death in 1955, scholars celebrated the centenary with an afternoon symposium titled “The Universe Speaks in Numbers.” The premise: that nature reveals itself through patterns, which can be described with numbers and probed through problems posed by mathematicians and physicists alike. The event’s name was borrowed from the title of a new book by Graham Farmelo, who gave the introductory talk.

“This is actually a good story,” said Helmut Hofer, a mathematician at the Institute, sitting in his office. Behind him, on the wall, hung an axiom that his wife and found and framed:

“Mathematics is such a drama queen. It can’t seriously have that many problems.”

Having the right mathematicians in the company of the right physicists can be quite helpful in solving problems, said Dr. Hofer...

Katharine Leney, a physicist at CERN, in Switzerland, and the purveyor of @PhysicsCakes on Twitter, created a rotating solar eclipse diorama, featuring cake pops of the sun, Earth and moon.

On Wednesday, two actors, Ben Livingstone, playing Einstein, and Colin Uttley, as Arthur Eddington, the astrophysicist who led the Príncipe expedition, gave a special performance at the Royal Astronomical Society in London...

Back on the Princeton campus on Wednesday, scholars at the Institute for Advanced Study, the scholars paused their own investigations to contemplate the numerical nature of the universe.

“We are just a bunch of human beings muddling along in a world that’s very hard to understand,” said mathematician Karen Uhlenbeck, the recent winner of the Abel Prize. She was speaking with Freeman Dyson, the mathematical physicist, and Natalie Wolchover, a writer for Quanta.

Read more...

Recommended Reading

The Universe Speaks in Numbers:
How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets

---

 

No Shadow of a Doubt:
The 1919 Eclipse That Confirmed Einstein's Theory of Relativity

Source: The New York Times

Famous unsolved math problem sees new progress | Mathematics - Futurity: Research News

A new paper suggests that one of the many proposed solutions to the most famous open problem in mathematics—the Riemann Hypothesis—is unexpectedly practical.

---

“In a surprisingly short proof, we’ve shown that an old, abandoned approach to the Riemann Hypothesis should not have been forgotten,” says Ken Ono, a number theorist at Emory University and coauthor of the paper in PNAS, according to Emory University and Carol Clark-Emory.

Prime numbers. 
Photo: Getty Images

A commentary on the work by Fields Medalist Enrico Bombiero also appears in the journal.

“By simply formulating a proper framework for an old approach we’ve proven some new theorems, including a large chunk of a criterion which implies the Riemann Hypothesis. And our general framework also opens approaches to other basic unanswered questions.”

The paper builds on the work of Johan Jensen and George Pólya, two of the most important mathematicians of the 20th century. It reveals a method to calculate the Jensen-Pólya polynomials—a formulation of the Riemann Hypothesis—not one at a time, but all at once.

“The beauty of our proof is its simplicity,” Ono says. “We don’t invent any new techniques or use any new objects in math, but we provide a new view of the Riemann Hypothesis. Any reasonably advanced mathematician can check our proof. It doesn’t take an expert in number theory.”...

Combining polynomials
In 1927, Jensen and Pólya formulated a criterion for confirming the Riemann Hypothesis, as a step toward unleashing its potential to elucidate the primes and other mathematical mysteries. The problem with the criterion—establishing the hyperbolicity of the Jensen-Pólya polynomials—is that it is infinite. During the past 90 years, only a handful of the polynomials in the sequence have been verified, causing mathematicians to abandon this approach as too slow and unwieldy.

For the PNAS paper, the authors devised a conceptual framework that combines the polynomials by degrees. This method enabled them to confirm the criterion for each degree 100 percent of the time, eclipsing the handful of cases that were previously known. 
Read more...

Additional resources
Original Study 
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1906804116 

Source: Futurity: Research News 

Best of arXiv.org for AI, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning – April 2019 | insideBIGDATA

In this recurring monthly feature, we filter recent research papers appearing on the arXiv.org preprint server for compelling subjects relating to AI, machine learning and deep learning – from disciplines including statistics, mathematics and computer science – and provide you with a useful “best of” list for the past month.

In this recurring monthly feature, we filter recent research papers appearing on the arXiv.org preprint server for compelling subjects relating to AI, machine learning and deep learning – from disciplines including statistics, mathematics and computer science – and provide you with a useful “best of” list for the past month. Researchers from all over the world contribute to this repository as a prelude to the peer review process for publication in traditional journals. arXiv contains a veritable treasure trove of learning methods you may use one day in the solution of data science problems. We hope to save you some time by picking out articles that represent the most promise for the typical data scientist. The articles listed below represent a fraction of all articles appearing on the preprint server. They are listed in no particular order with a link to each paper along with a brief overview. Especially relevant articles are marked with a “thumbs up” icon. Consider that these are academic research papers, typically geared toward graduate students, post docs, and seasoned professionals. They generally contain a high degree of mathematics so be prepared.
Read more... 

Happy reading! 

Source: insideBIGDATA  

Phase transitions: The math behind the music | Mathematics - Phys.org

Next time you listen to a favorite tune or wonder at the beauty of a natural sound, you might also end up pondering the math behind the music, notes Phys.org.

We can look at a balance--or a competition--between dissonance and entropy of sound--and see that phase transitions can also occur from disordered sound to the ordered structures of music.
Photo: Jesse Berezovsky/Case Western Reserve University

You will, anyway, if you spend any time talking with Jesse Berezovsky, an associate professor of physics at Case Western Reserve University. The longtime science researcher and a part-time viola player has become consumed with understanding and explaining the connective tissue between the two disciplines—more specifically, how the ordered structure of music emerges from the general chaos of sound.

"Why is music composed according to so many rules? Why do we organize sounds in this way to create music?" he asks on a short explainer video he recently made about his research. "To address that question, we can borrow methods from a related question:

'How do atoms in a random gas or liquid come together to form a particular crystal?".

Phase transitions in physics, music
The answer in physics—and music, Berezovsky argues—is called "phase transitions" and comes about because of a balance between order and disorder, or entropy, he said...

Mixing math and music is not new. Mathematicians have long been fascinated with the structure of music. The American Mathematical Society, for example, devotes part of its web page to exploring the idea (Pythagoras, anyone? "There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.")
Read more... 

Additional resources
Jesse Berezovsky, The structure of musical harmony as an ordered phase of sound: A statistical mechanics approach to music theory, Science Advances (2019).  
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav8490

Source: Phys.org

'Century Masters' looks back on educator Su Buqing | Film & TV - Chinadaily USA

Century Masters, a docuseries celebrating prominent Chinese figures during the 20th century, started filming its third season which opens with the life story of China's leading mathematician and educator, Su Buqing, continues Chinadaily USA.
 

Chinese mathematician and educator Su Buqing (1902-2003).
Photo: provided to chinadaily.com.cn

Premiering in 2012, the series has produced over 100 episodes covering art, music, theater, literature and architecture. Through exclusive historical materials and interviews, it manages to reveal the contributions of these outstanding people with authenticity and integrity.

"Wenzhou is the hometown of Chinese scenic poetry, Nanxi Opera and many great mathematicians," said Chen Weijun, secretary of the Wenzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. "This first episode will present the patriotism and devotion of Su – and inspire younger generations."

"Based on research and interviews, our crew will follow the footsteps of Professor Su and explore his life in detail," chief director Li Li said at the news conference.
Read more...

Source: Chinadaily USA  

The 42 New Skills You Can Now Learn on LinkedIn Learning | New Courses - LinkedIn Learning

Paul Petrone, Editor - LinkedIn Learning suggest, Each week presents a new opportunity for you and your team to learn the skills necessary to take on the next big challenge.

Photo:  Learning Blog - LinkedIn Learning

And, at LinkedIn Learning, we want to do everything we can to help make that happen. 

So, each week, we add to our 14,000+ course library. And this past week was no different, as we added 42 new courses covering everything from software methodologies to visualization to taking a more creative approach to problem-solving. 

The new courses now available on LinkedIn Learning are:
Read more... 

Additional resources 
Want to see what else we offer?    
View all of LinkedIn Learning's 13,000+ courses today.

Source: LinkedIn Learning   

Deep learning pioneer Fei-Fei Li on the fundamentals of ethical AI | Evaluate - TechTarget

Photo: Fei-Fei Li

AI luminary Fei-Fei Li was among a group of distinguished AI researchers asked to share their thoughts on how to develop ethical AI. The right data and careful observation help.

Business and IT leaders grappling with how to build an enterprise AI program that is effective and ethical might want take a page from the AI pioneers who invented the technology that sparked the current AI boom: It's not about the tool set...

Fei-Fei Li, professor of computer science at Stanford and co-director of the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute and former chief scientist of AI and machine learning at Google. Meanwhile, former AI executives from Microsoft discussed their explorations of how AI could improve the quality of life in India...

Developing a model for good AI Over in India, the Wadhwani Institute for AI is exploring different ways that AI can be applied to social good. Its CEO, Padmanabhan Anandan, came from Microsoft, where he was founder and director of the Microsoft India Research Lab and led Microsoft's computer vision research. In an interview with SearchCIO, he explained that implementing AI requires going beyond just deploying better algorithms. It requires doing extensive exploration of existing cultures, institutions and processes to find where AI can be adopted in a way that makes a positive difference for everyone.
Read more... 

Source: TechTarget

Opinion | Online learning and the challenge for universities | Online learning - Livemint

Universities will have to embrace the advent of online learning to ensure their sustainability isn't in question by Kapil Viswanathan and V.G. Narayanan.

Photo: (HT file)

In the fall of 2011, when two professors at Stanford University shared a taped version of their popular computer science course online, little did they realize that they were heralding a revolutionary new medium of learning, the Massive Online Open Course, or the MOOC, as it has come to be known. More than 120,000 students from across the world registered for their course and within 12 months, MOOC platforms such as Coursera, Udacity, and edX came into existence.

MOOCs are often free pre-recorded courses that are streamed online and are available to hundreds of thousands of students from all over the world. There are thousands of MOOCs available from dozens of platforms taught by world famous experts and novices. It’s a free market and anyone can offer a course and anyone can take them. They offer the flexibility of learning on demand. Students can learn whenever it is convenient to them. They use high-quality videos, embedded software, quizzes and polls to deliver a highly engaging and interactive learning experience.

Pundits predicted that MOOCs would rapidly replace brick-and-mortar schools and universities. Educational publishers across the world fretted that MOOCs would replace text books and e-books, and scurried to add video and interactivity to their digital content...

Further, a student can today earn a university degree entirely online at a fraction of the cost of a traditional degree. Many universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, Georgia Tech and Imperial College London, partner with MOOC platforms to offer entirely online degrees in carefully chosen disciplines, largely in business and computer science, as an enhancement to their distance learning programmes.
Read more...

Source: Livemint

Princess Tessy leads biology workshop as 155 schoolgirls attend 'greenlight' event | Girls in science - RTL Today

Princess Tessy leads biology workshop as 155 schoolgirls attend 'greenlight' event, as RTL reports.

For the second consecutive year, girls from middle schools across Luxembourg were invited to join a workshop organised by 'greenlight for girls' and Vodafone Foundation Luxembourg.

This year's even was organised in collaboration with the Luxembourg Ministry of Education and SCIPT, a branch of the ministry dedicated to promoting and coordinating research and technological innovation throughout the education system to improve pedagogical practices.

The two-day workshop saw 155 girls, aged 11 to 15, invited to Vodafone Luxembourg to learn more about science and technology in ways meant to inspire them. They were introduced to female role-models from Vodafone Luxembourg who aimed to motivate the girls to pursue a future in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects.

After customising their own lab coats, the girls listened to inspirational talks from Princess Tessy and Melissa Rancourt, Founder of greenlight for girls, and several female role models from Vodafone Luxembourg. Working in break out groups. Girls had the opportunity to discover the secrets of coding, dive into procurement, or learn about cyber security. The girls also benefitted from mentoring sessions, interacting with the 25 volunteers and STEM role-models present each day.

Princess Tessy de Nassau — who is, among many roles, a UNAIDS Global Advocate for Young Women and Adolescent Girls, an ambassador for Montessori St Nicholas, and currently raising funds for her education non-profit Professors Without Borders — welcomed the girls and led a biology workshop where she taught them the secrets behind DNA...

Ninian Wilson, CEO of Vodafone Procurement Company (based in Luxembourg) stated “As a global technology company it’s important for us to promote and drive STEM education for girls. Along with our Vodafone Foundation, we’re ready, and uniquely placed to support our local community in Luxembourg.  We know the future is exciting, and we want to assist in building future STEM leaders and creating a more vibrant and gender balanced workplace”.
Read more...

Source: RTL Today

President Speaks: Universities should be 'agile facilitators' of knowledge | Higher Ed - Education Dive

Mark Lombardi
Photo: Maryville University

Maryville University President Mark Lombardi, president of Maryville University of St. Louis, explains his institution's approach to implementing technology-based, personalized education.
 

Photo: Maryville University

Thanks to the digital transformation that defines our age, most of us walk around with a library in our pocket. Today's access to vast information is unprecedented and transformative.

Yet, in higher education, the approach to disseminating information remains fundamentally unchanged after 2,500 years.

The professorial lecture still reigns supreme at many institutions. Students still sit in rows of seats and desks, facing the "front" and the instructor. Even technology still primarily extends the one-way dissemination of content from faculty to student.

As colleges and universities, it's time to recognize that we are no longer keepers of knowledge. We must serve instead as agile facilitators of knowledge, evolving and adapting to the new reality of how information flows through the world...

New roles and models in student-centered learning  
Access to information does not guarantee an education. Professors with expertise and real-world experience remain vital to the personalized-learning process. They can guide a student's journey from limited knowledge and awareness to understanding, application, discernment and critical problem-solving. 

If this doesn't sound like a departure in theory, it is in practice. More than ever, professors must create learning partnerships with their students and with other professionals...

Colleges and universities can take a variety of approaches to reorient toward student-centered learning. At Maryville University, we've built our model around engaging students, faculty and staff in a continuous and sustainable process of active learning focused on improving student outcomes.
Read more... 

Source: Education Dive

Looking Back on This Year's Classroom Experiments | Digital Learning - Inside Higher Ed

Mark Lieberman, Digital Learning Reporter at Inside Higher Ed reports, Last fall, professors told us about their plans to experiment this year with technology-enabled teaching. Now they reflect on the successes and shortcomings.

Photo: Istockphoto.com/simonapilolla

The end of the school year is a time to reflect on accomplishments and -- ideally -- to abandon regrets, or at least learn from them.
Last September, professors from institutions around the country shared with “Inside Digital Learning” their plans for new classroom initiatives and made some predictions about what they might accomplish. We came back to them recently to ask how they went. A few said they're too busy with an end-of-year crush of grading to reply. Here's what the rest of them reported back.
Read more...

Source: Inside Higher Ed

Entrepreneurial journey: How to be yourself online | Podcasts - London Business School Review

 Photo: Jeff Skinner

 

What makes an entrepreneur? Find out in our new podcast series by Jeff Skinner, Executive Director of the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

From Facebook and LinkedIn to Instagram and Twitter, most of us have had some form of online presence for significant parts of our lives (for digital natives, make that all of our lives), which means there’s a trail of stuff about us “out there” that we have completely lost sight of. Worse still, we’ve lost sight of who has access to it – and what they do with it. Reflecting on this phenomenon gave LBS MBA and entrepreneur James Chance the idea for a new business: a service which enables individuals to manage their “personal brand” and protect their online privacy. 

By exploiting new European data protection legislation, yourself.online helps individuals control web-based information about them, making it easy to edit what other people can – and can’t – see about them.
Read more... 

Source: London Business School Review

Digital Natives Drive the Course of the next Netflix of Gaming | Gaming - Tunf.com News

Who doesn’t recognize the hegemony of Netflix in the entertainment world, batting giants like Microsoft Google, Amazon and Apple for the top spot? And who wouldn’t want to be the “Netflix of gaming”?, continues Tunf.com News.

Photo: Tunf.com News

It is an apt analogy. Major contenders are vying for the title. The players are the winners in the battle as they are seeing new cloud gaming platforms and better digital-only consoles like the Xbox S1 that just launched at an affordable price in the U and US.

Digital Natives 
Call the Shots The target market is clear. The “digital natives” portion of the population are demanding a faster experience than the old, sluggish consoles. They want their content delivered as fast as lightening. They are already enjoying upgrades to favorites like Minecraft, Forza Horizon 3 and Sea of Thieves.
Read more...

Source: Tunf.com News

Assam: e-learning lab inaugurated in Dibrugarh University | Assam - Northeast Now

e-learning lab of the Directorate of Open and Distance Learning was inaugurated at Dibrugarh University in collaboration with Oil India's Corporate Social Responsibility, inform Avik Chakraborty, Northeast Now Correspondent in Dibrugarh.

Photo: Northeast Now

An e-learning lab of the Directorate of Open and Distance Learning was inaugurated at Dibrugarh University in collaboration with Oil India‘s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on Monday.

The e-learning Lab was inaugurated by vice chancellor of DU, Prof Ranjit Tamuli in presence of resident chief executive (RCE) of OIL, Pranjit Deka, registrar of DU, Dr Hari Chandra Mahanta, D K Bhuyan, general manager (Pubic Affairs), OIL and the teaching and students’ fraternity of the university in eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh.

The objective of the project under OIL’s CSR is to develop learner’s interest in latest educational technology and equip them with proper skills through online learning mode.

Utilizing basic education and learning skills, the youths can find better jobs or start their own small businesses...

Two demo video lectures were released on the occasion for showcasing the output of the e-Learning lab. The first demo video lecture was of Prof Nasim Wazid Ali, retired professor of DHSK College, Dibrugarh on Income Tax and the second demo lecture was of Dr Rizwan Rehman, assistant professor, Center for Computer Science and Applications, Dibrugarh University on Java Programming.
Read more...

Source: Northeast Now

DirectEmployers Association Launches DE Academy, A Self-Directed eLearning Platform for HR Professionals | Business Wire

Today, DirectEmployers Association announced its newest professional development and eLearning platform, DE Academy by Business Wire.

Photo: DirectEmployers Association, Inc.

Recently revealed to Association members at its 2019 Annual Meeting & Conference (DEAM19) in Naples, Florida, DE Academy seeks to elevate professional development for human resources professionals with courses tailored to provide content and top-notch instruction with the flexibility desired by today’s busy practitioners. Courses are available for both Members of the Association and non-members, allowing for expanded eLearning opportunities for all. 

“DE Academy meets the learner where they are, on their time. We want to promote professional development that improves the learning experience and outcome for all, resulting in real ROI through instruction and application,” commented Jen Bernhardt, VP of Member Engagement.

Many HR professionals desire to continue learning, but are often met with busy schedules, leaving many to put professional development on the back burner. DE Academy seeks to offer a different kind of learning which combines the best of traditional education with the flexibility of today’s modern learning expectations. By combining knowledge from recognized experts with industry-best instructional design methods, each course will provide a learning experience that maximizes the learner’s time and potential. Self-directed instruction also allows the learner to complete courses at their leisure. Currently lessons range from Affirmative Action Planning 101 to Disability Etiquette and are led by the following experts:..

“We are delighted to partner with DirectEmployers Association to deliver transformative professional development experiences for their learners,” stated Paul Dooley, CEO, WBT Systems. “TopClass LMS is a powerful, flexible education platform, unifying learning across DE Academy and DE Connect online community to allow DirectEmployers to deliver impactful, integrated learning at the point of need, whenever and wherever learners chose to connect.”

For more information on DE Academy or to get started on a new learning path, visit https://directemployers.org/academy. 

About DirectEmployers Association

DirectEmployers is a nonprofit member-owned and managed association focused on providing its 900+ members with simple solutions for OFCCP compliance and online recruitment challenges. The Association’s proprietary technology powers a federal contractor compliance solution that assists with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program’s (OFCCP) VEVRAA mandatory listing requirements and Section 503 outreach requirements, while also offering recruitment marketing and creative services that help win the best candidates with a combination of vivid recruitment videos, real-life photos and bold branding through its wholly owned subsidiary, Recruit Rooster.

About WBT Systems and TopClass LMS:
 

WBT Systems develops the industry-leading TopClass Learning Management System (LMS), named Best Continuing Education & Association Learning System 2019 and #1 Association Learning Management System in 2015, 2016, and 2017. TopClass LMS delivers transformative professional development experiences for association education and certification programs. With a single point of support from our in-house integration experts, TopClass LMS easily integrates with a wide variety of systems to provide efficient administration and a unified learning experience. Our focus is to support associations in using learning technology to help drive growth in membership, increase revenues, and enhance the learning experience. We believe in truly understanding your challenges and partnering with you to ensure the success of your education programs. Learn more at www.wbtsystems.com. 
Read more...  

Source: Business Wire

Helping the homeless: Couple creates mobile shower unit, will begin operating in June | MPR News

After learning about a lack of places for homeless people to shower, a Sauk Rapids couple will begin running a mobile shower unit in June.

Jason Jaques and Nancy Dyson stand next to their mobile shower van.
Photo: Dave Schwarz | St. Cloud Times

Nancy Dyson and Jason Jaques first brainstormed locations where homeless people could access showers after someone asked if they knew of places to go.

"We just looked at each other like, 'I don't (know),'" Dyson said. "It was heartbreaking."...

Jaques and Dyson began working on the idea of a self-contained unit, built in a small passenger van, a couple years ago. 

Known as Shower the People, it will be operated under the couple's nonprofit, Neighbors to Friends. The van will be ready for its first showers June 4 at Kipp's Laundry starting about 10 a.m., according to Jaques.

Jaques and Dyson plan to take the truck to people who need it, providing access to a shower as well as meals and time to hang out. 
Read more...

Source: MPR News

Development of educational mobile apps in 2019 | Mobile Apps - Gadget Advisor

Development of educational mobile apps in 2019 by Robert Rundle (robert@gadgetadvisor.com) online content writer. 

Photo: Gadget Advisor

Introduction 
When the number of mobile users outgrew the number of people who choose desktop devices first back in 2016, it was a clear sign that our world is becoming fast-paced and on the go. Since that epic moment, the pool of mobile users grew exponentially, which triggered app developers to start focusing their efforts on mobile platforms. As one could anticipate, gaming applications reign supreme when it comes to a number of users, downloads, and launched applications, followed by business apps, while education app niche takes a strong third position...

Conclusion 
These were some of the most notable mobile education app development trends to look for this year. As the technology progresses, so do the trends change, however, the timeline of these trends seems to push the importance of each of these trends higher with every passing year. We really hope some of this information will be of use for your future projects and serve as an inspiration for your personal and professional development.
Read more...

Source: Gadget Advisor

3 experts share their blended learning advice | Online Learning - eCampus News

Thomas Goldrick, blog manager, higher ed consultant, and marketing specialist for Optimal Partners Consulting summarizes, Finding the right combination of online and in-person components can be daunting.

With a growing non-traditional student population, many colleges and universities are looking to blended learning technology and strategy to meet their pedagogical needs. But finding a combination of online and in-person components that match the expectations of both students and faculty can be daunting. Thankfully, higher ed’s collaborative culture makes networking and sharing expertise with other IT professionals easier.

A panel of industry experts spoke at the higher ed IT Professional’s Meetup at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., to discuss how to find the right mix of blended learning offerings. The panel included Eric Palson, director of academic technologies at Babson College; Kristen Palson, director for Simmons Online at Simmons College in Boston; and Gaurav Shah, director of academic technologies at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. Elmore Alexander, the former dean of the Ricciardi College of Business at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Mass., moderated the discussion.

While blended learning environments may not be as ubiquitous as other programs in higher ed, they are growing in popularity and have proven successful at some institutions. “This is an important topic for schools of all sizes,” said Babson’s Palson...

The experts offered several lessons on how to build, implement, and support a blended learning program that exceeds expectations. Here are some of their major takeaways.
Read more...

Source: eCampus News

Science is helping kids become math masters | Mathematics - Science News for Students

Experts develop strategies to help more students succeed in this oft-dreaded subject, says Rachel Crowell, Guest Writer.

Two girls work together solving a math problem in class. Such collaboration in class may represent a new approach to learning math better.
Photo: Antonio_Diaz/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Math is one four-letter word that leaves many teens anxious and sweaty. The idea of an impending math test might send shivers down their spines. Some kids avoid their homework — or at least delay starting it — because they find math so daunting. Their minds might even go blank at the sight of test questions, no matter how well they have studied. If this is you, there’s some comfort knowing that you’re not alone.

It’s hard to pinpoint how many people suffer stress or anxiety just thinking about math. But it’s common. In fact, math anxiety can strike even mathematicians. So having this condition does not mean you’re bad at math or doomed to fail. And there are tips that can help you overcome this anxiety.

There’s always hope, says Patrick Honner. “We’re in control of math. Math isn’t in control of us,” says this teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School in New York City. Honner also writes a math column for Quanta Magazine, where he shares basic math concepts from recent research.

Even people who are not math-anxious can gain more confidence and skill to better succeed with numbers. How to help students excel in math is even becoming a hot research topic. And some emerging innovations might show up soon in a classroom near you...

Group effort 
Walkington’s team has already published research in the Journal of Mathematical Behavior. That study included 51 high school students who hadn’t taken geometry before. It focused on what happened when students worked in groups of twos or threes on the math problems in the game.

The scientists looked at whether the teens could correctly determine at first glance whether the statements were true or false. They called this “intuition” (In-too-IH-shun). They also measured whether each group’s work showed that they understood the math ideas behind the problems they were solving. The scientists called this “insight.” And they looked at whether the groups created valid proofs for the statements each had been given.
Read more... 

Additional resources
 

The symbol for transgender individuals, center, is flanked by ones for females (pink at left) and males (blue at right). Some transgender researchers say that in recent years they have been feeling more included in the research community.
Photo: itakdalee/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Trans and non-binary people are becoming more visible in science and engineering by Roberta Kwok, Guest Writer.

Photo: BIG MOUTH for Quanta Magazine.

Where Proof, Evidence and Imagination Intersect by Patrick Honner, teaches mathematics and computer science at Brooklyn Technical High School, where he also serves as instructional coach.

Source: Science News for Students