TECH Dozens -- Week Ending Saturday 6/27/15

Last update: Sunday 6/28/15 @ 11:05 pm

This week's cover = graphic from tweet that Tech celebrates Supreme Court's gay marriage decision 

... Other top stories = Facebook's disappointing diversity numbers ... Google's self-driving cars ... and Google's free Wi-Fi

Below find links to the Digital Learning Lab's "Dozens" of favorite news items about HBCUs' use of information technology to enhance their teaching, research, and community services ... plus news about hackathons and issues related to coding & coding literacy... in HBCU media and Tech media ... for the week ending Saturday 6/28/15 @ 3 pm ... Links to previous editions of the Dozens can be found ==> Back issues.

A. HBCUs | B. Ed Tech | C. Gen Tech | D. Hackers | E. Views | F. Events ... TECH 2014

Pass the MOOCs -- Part 3 (Udacity)

Last update: Saturday 6/27/15

This note resumes the discussion that I began in Part 2 of some unexpected insights about career-oriented MOOCs offered by top-ranked universities that I have encountered in my quest for the new knowledge and skills that will enable me to reenter the job market in a different field. Much ado has been made in some academic circles about the low completion rates of MOOCs. Many enroll, but few successfully complete. Given my first insight -- that some top-ranked universities deliberately underestimate the prerequisite knowledge and the study time required to successfully complete their career-oriented MOOCs --  low completion rates are not surprising. So this note offers my conjectures as to why top-ranked universities deliberately mislead prospective students.

Pass the MOOCs -- Part 2 (Underestimations)

Last update: Thursday 6/25/15

I posted a note on this blog ("Pass the MOOCs") recently that informed readers that I am currently taking a series MOOCs that will enable me to reenter the workforce with newly acquired skills in machine learning, data analytics, data science, etc, etc, etc. The main point of my previous blog was that dabblers drop out of MOOCs, but job hunters stay the course. In my case, I dropped out of a couple MOOCs that I had previously taken to satisfy my intellectual curiosity.

"TECH Dozens" -- Week Ending Saturday 6/20/15

Last update: Sunday 6/21/15 @ 10:05 am

This week's cover = photo/graphic from tweet about the biggest weekend of the year for Black Girls Code ... 1 hackathon + 2 workshops 

... Other top stories ==> Nest launches camera and other home IoT devices ... FBI investigates whether St. Louis Cardinals hacked Houston Astros ... and Sony's announcements at E3 2015

Below find links to the Digital Learning Lab's "Dozens" of favorite news items about HBCUs' use of information technology to enhance their teaching, research, and community services ... plus news about hackathons and issues related to coding & computational thinking... in HBCU media and Tech media ... for the week ending Saturday 6/21/15 @ 3 pm ... Links to previous editions of the Dozens can be found ==> Back issues.

A. HBCUs | B. Ed Tech | C. Gen Tech | D. Hackers | E. Views | F. Events ... TECH 2014

DLL Storify of Black Girls Code Hackathon in Oakland, Day 3 of 3 ... Sunday 6/21/15

Last update: Saturday 6/20/15 @ 2:57 pm EDT 

Day 1 -- Friday  | Day 2  -- Saturday | Day 3  -- Sunday 

The Oakland hackathon began on Friday afternoon 6/19/15 and ends on Sunday 6/21/15. Below find the DLL Storify of tweets that were generated by participants who used hashtags = #bgchackathon and #BGCProjectHumanity on Sunday, Day 3. 

For an overall description the hackathon, see the DLL's Storify of Day 1. As usual, this DLL Storify is merely a "firehose" draft, i.e., it includes all tweets in chronological order without comment or classification ... Storyfies of other #DiversityInTech events are listed in the DLL Archives

DLL Storify of Black Girls Code Hackathon in Oakland, Day 2 of 3 ... Saturday 6/20/15

Last update: 6/21/15 @ 12:19 am EDT 

Day 1 -- Friday  | Day 2  -- Saturday | Day 3  -- Sunday 

The Oakland hackathon began on Friday afternoon 6/19/15 and ends on Sunday 6/21/15. Below find the DLL Storify of tweets that were generated by participants who used hashtags = #bgchackathon and #BGCProjectHumanity on Saturday, Day 2. 

For an overall description the hackathon, see the DLL's Storify of Day 1. As usual, this DLL Storify is merely a "firehose" draft, i.e., it includes all tweets in chronological order without comment or classification ... Storyfies of other #DiversityInTech events are listed in the DLL Archives

DLL Storify of Black Girls Code Hackathon in Oakland, Day 1 of 3 ... Friday 6/19/15

Last update: 6/20/15 @ 11:03 EDT

Day 1 -- Friday  | Day 2  -- Saturday | Day 3  -- Sunday 

Hackathons sponsored by Black Girls CODE are community oriented "girls only" events for girls between the ages of 12 - 17 which allow them to participate in creating solutions to social issues within their communities while they build their skills, confidence, experience and have lots of fun! Girls attending BGC hackathons learn how to brainstorm as a team, research their ideas and design an app.  Experienced mentors work with teams over a weekend to build amazing mobile apps and digital tools.  At the end of the hackathon, teams will demo their solutions on stage, receiving feedback from judges and be eligible for prizes. 

The HBCU community mourns the Charlestown victims

Last update: Saturday 6/20/15

Below find some tweets from HBCUs, HBCU organizations, HBCU media, and HBCU notables that express sorrow, condolences, righteous anger, and prayers for the slain victims in Charlestown, SC.

DLL Storify of U.S. News Twitter Chat -- Getting underserved population involved & interested in STEM fields ... Wed 6/17/15

Last update: Thursday 6/18/15

On Wednesday, June 17, U.S. News STEM Solutions conference and U.S. News Education hosted a Tweet Chat to discuss how to get the underserved population involved and interested in STEM fields. The moderator asked 8 questions that sparked conversations regarding anything from local resources to specialized STEM high schools and more. More information about the briefing can be found on the event's Web page.



Below find the DLL Storify of tweets that were generated by participants who used hashtag = #STEMserve.  As usual, the DLL Storify is merely a "firehose" draft, i.e., it includes all tweets in chronological order without comment or classification ... Storyfies of other #DiversityInTech events are listed in the DLL Archives

TECH Dozens -- Week Ending Saturday 6/13/15

Last update: Sunday 6/14/15 @ 11:05 am

This week's cover = photo/graphic from tweet about Apple's WWDC 2015

... Other top stories ==> Worst breach of personal ID ... Intel funds startups run by women & minorities ... and Apple open sources Swift 

Below find links to the Digital Learning Lab's "Dozens" of favorite news items about HBCUs' use of information technology to enhance their teaching, research, and community services ... plus news about hackathons and issues related to coding & coding literacy... in HBCU media and Tech media ... for the week ending Saturday 6/13/15 @ 3 pm ... Links to previous editions of the Dozens can be found ==> Back issues.

A. HBCUs | B. Ed Tech | C. Gen Tech | D. Hackers | E. Views | F. Events ... TECH 2014

A must-read -- "Rise of the Robots"

Last update: Saturday 6/13/15

Rise of the Robots -- Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future by Martin Ford (Basic Books, 2015) is, perhaps, the most disturbing Doomsday Book that I have ever read because it's the most low key. 

The other books read like powerful scripts for gory horror movies with thunderous sound tracks and eye-popping visual effects that show us how how the world will end because of climate change, or how the world will end because of nuclear proliferation, or how the world will end because of our creation of artificial intelligence that will quickly surpass us, despise us, and eliminate us. 

DLL Storify of Air Education's Panel Discussion on Competency-Based Education: A Higher ROI? -- Thursday, 6/11/15

Last update: Friday 6/12/15

The American Institutes for Research hosted this one hour briefing in the U.S. Capitol Building on competency-based education, a flexible model of instruction that focuses on what students know and can do—rather than how much time they spend in the classroom. The event covered how competency-based education programs work, who they serve, and how they may give learners and employers a greater return on their educational investment than traditional educational programs. Panelists also examined competency-based initiatives underway across the country and described the challenges of starting and expanding these programs. More information about the briefing, e.g., members of the panel, can be found on the event's Web page and on its program page


Below find the DLL Storify of tweets that were generated by participants who used hashtag = #CompetencyEd.  As usual, the DLL Storify is merely a "firehose" draft, i.e., it includes all tweets in chronological order without comment or classification ... Storyfies of other #DiversityInTech events are listed in the DLL Archives

The DARPA Robotics Challenge 2015 as an exemplar for other hackathons

Last update: Thursday 6/11/15

One of the really great things that happened in the world of computer technology last week was the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC0 on Friday 6/5/15 and Saturday 6/6/15. As described on the Website for the event:

TECH Dozens -- Week Ending Saturday 6/6/15

Last update: Sunday 6/7/15 @ 12:05 pm

This week's cover = photo/graphic from tweet about DARPA's Robotics Challenge
 ... Other top stories = Obama signs bill curbing NSA ...  Microsoft launches Window 10 in July   ... and China cyber attacks federal agency

Below find links to the Digital Learning Lab's "Dozens" of favorite news items about HBCUs' use of information technology to enhance their teaching, research, and community services ... plus news about hackathons and issues related to coding & coding literacy... in HBCU media and Tech media ... for the week ending Saturday 6/6/15 @ 3 pm ... Links to previous editions of the Dozens can be found ==> Back issues.

A. HBCUs | B. Ed Tech | C. Gen Tech | D. Hackers | E. Views | F. Events ... TECH 2014

DLL Storify of Final (2nd) Day of the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) 2015 -- Saturday 6/6/2015

Last update: Sunday 6/7/15 @ 12:06 pm

As described on the Home Pages of the DRC:

• The DRC was a competition of robot systems and software teams vying to develop robots capable of assisting humans in responding to natural and man-made disasters. It was designed to be extremely difficult. Participating teams, representing some of the most advanced robotics research and development organizations in the world, collaborated and innovated on a very short timeline to develop the hardware, software, sensors, and human-machine control interfaces that enabled their robots to complete a series of challenge tasks selected by DARPA for their relevance to disaster response.
   
• The DRC Finals took place on June 5-6, 2015 at Fairplex in Pomona, California. The DRC Finals required robots to attempt a circuit of consecutive physical tasks, with degraded communications between the robots and their operators. The winning team won received a $2 million grand prize; the runner-up received $1 million and the third-place team won $500,000.

DLL Storify of Howard University Twitter Chat -- 50th Anniversary of LBJ Commencement Address

Last update: Thursday 6/4/15

50 years ago, on June 4, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave a historic commencement address, titled "To Fulfill These Rights" at Howard University, an eloquent speech that laid the conceptual foundations for LBJ's subsequent "affirmative action" programs. An hour-long Twitter Chat on Thursday, June 4, 2015, beginning at 1 p.m. (EST) /10 a.m.(PST) enabled professors of the Howard University School of Law to discuss this historical moment at Howard and connected it to current events and dynamics in today's society. 

Dilemmas of Black Software Entrepreneurs (4)

Last update: Wednesday 6/3/2015

This blog post is an open letter to Black America's software entrepreneurs. It is also the fourth installment in what was originally a three part essay. I'm pursuing this theme one more time because the previous installments left most of my primary message between the lines. Some readers got it, but most didn't. So this time it's bluntly put, front and center.

DLL Storify of Black Girls Code Launch of Chapter in Washington, DC -- Monday, 6/1/15

Last update: Monday 6/1/15 @ 8:15 pm

Held at Impact Hub DC, the meetup celebrated the launch of the Black Girls Code chapter in the Washington, DC. More information can be found on the event's home page.