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Education

Private schools A-level dip reflects national trends

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Brighton College A-level students

Private schools saw a dip in top A-level results this year, largely reflecting national trends, figures released by the sector suggest.

The proportion of private school A-level entries gaining grade A or better was 48.7%, down from 49.3% last year, says the Independent Schools Council.

This is still almost twice the national average of 25.8%, itself down slightly from 25.9% in 2015, says the ISC.

Council chairman Barnaby Lenon called the figures encouraging.

Overall, the 2016 A-level grades, published earlier this month, showed a marginal fall in top grades for the fifth successive year – but the Joint Council for qualifications described outcomes as relatively unchanged.

The ISC figures, for 495 UK independent schools offering A-levels, reflect the results of 36,992 candidates and suggest:

  • 17.9% of pupils achieved at least one A*, down 0.6 percentage points, but more than double the national average of 8.1% (itself down 0.1% on 2015)
  • 6.8% got at least three A* grades, down from 7% in 2015
  • 55.5% got ABB – unchanged on 2015

Overall the pass rate for private school A-level students was 99.1% – one percentage point better than the national average, says the ISC.

And three-quarters (75.2%) of grades were B or higher, it adds, compared with 52.9% nationally

According to the ISC, more private schools are choosing to offer the International Baccalaureate, with the number rising by 5% on last year.

The ISC says the figures show academic success is still a “top priority” at independent schools, with a strong focus on good grades in the subjects preferred by the most selective universities.

“A concerted effort to halt grade inflation in recent years has seen the top grades both nationally and in independent schools level off and fall slightly, so it is encouraging to see the headline A* and A figure remain solid,” said Mr Lenon.

“Of particular note is the number of students achieving ABB grades, which will see many of them moving on to the university of his or her choice, a high number to the top institutions.”

[Source:- BBC]

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Internet

Quantum Trends And The Internet of Things

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

QUANT processor

As a new decade approaches, we are in a state of technological flux across many spectrums. One area to take note of is quantum computing. We are starting to evolve beyond classical computing into a new data era called quantum computing. It is envisioned that quantum computing (still in a development stage) will accelerate us into the future by impacting the landscape of artificial intelligence and data analytics. The quantum computing power and speed will help us solve some of the biggest and most complex challenges we face as humans.

Gartner describes quantum computing as: “[T]he use of atomic quantum states to effect computation. Data is held in qubits (quantum bits), which have the ability to hold all possible states simultaneously. Data held in qubits is affected by data held in other qubits, even when physically separated. This effect is known as entanglement.” In a simplified description, quantum computers use quantum bits or qubits instead of using binary traditional bits of ones and zeros for digital communications.

There is an additional “entanglement” relating to quantum, and that is its intersection with the Internet of Things (IoT). Loosely defined, the Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the general idea of things that are readable, recognizable, locatable, addressable, and/or controllable via the Internet. It encompasses devices, sensors, people, data, and machines and the interactions between them. Business Insider Intelligence forecasted that “by 2023, consumers, companies and governments will install 40 billion IoT devices globally.”

As we rapidly continue to evolve into the IoT and the new digital economy, both edge devices and data are proliferating at amazing rates. The challenge now is how do we monitor and ensure quality service of the IoT? Responsiveness, scalability, processes, and efficiency are needed to best service any new technology or capability. Especially across trillions of sensors.

Specifically, quantum technologies will influence: optimization of computing power, computing models, network latency, interoperability, artificial intelligence (human/computer interface), real-time analytics and predictive analytics, increased storage and data memory power, secure cloud computing, virtualization, and the emerging 5G telecommunications infrastructure. For 5G, secure end-to end communications are fundamental and quantum encryption (which generates secure codes) may be the solution for rapidly growing IoT connectivity.

Security of the IoT is a paramount issue. Currently cryptographic algorithms are being used to help secure the communication (validation and verification) in the IoT. But because they rely on public key schemes, their encryption could be broken by sophisticated hackers using quantum computers in the not so distant future.

On the other side of the coin, quantum computing has the ability to create an almost un-hackable network of devices and data. The need to securely encrypt and protect IoT connected devices and power them with exponential speed and analytical capabilities is an imperative for both government and the private sector.

As quantum computing and IoT merge, there will also be an evolving new ecosystem of policy Issues. These include, ethics, interoperability protocols, cybersecurity, privacy/surveillance, complex autonomous systems, best commercial practices.

As quantum computing capabilities advance, we should act now to prepare IoT for the quantum world. There are many areas to explore in research and development and eventually implementation. The coming decade will provide both imperatives and opportunities to explore quantum implications.

[“source=forbes”]

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Education

Top 5 Digital Transformation Trends In Education For 2020

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

uncaptioned

It’s that time of year again where we take a look at the top digital transformation trends in the coming year in several industries. First up: education. As we all know, the only thing constant in digital transformation is change. So, how have digital transformation trends in education changed as we move toward the coming decade? And what, if anything, has stayed the same? The following are my top picks for not just technology trends but overall shifts in how we’ll be learning and connecting through technology moving forward.

Customized Learning Experiences

I have a friend in the private school sector who develops such customized learning experiences for her students that they are able to determine how they’d personally like to express their learning from each lesson—book report, song, art work, or even interpretive dance. Unfortunately, we can’t all send our kids to expensive private schools that put this much emphasis on personalized learning. One of the most maddening things for any parent with children in the public school system is the issue of standardized testing. As all parents and teachers know, all children have different ways of learning—visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc. New digital transformation trends in technology are going to make it easier for students of different learning types to learn in the way most appropriate to them, be it through interactive games, modeling tools, video production, etc. I can certainly see advanced analytics, AI and machine learning playing a role in analyzing individual student learning; although that may be a bit further off than next year.

For everyone considering the massive cuts to public education right now, I want to emphasize: it may not be that the teacher or school itself is providing an avenue to use these games for learning. However, new apps and software will make these learning avenues more accessible to students at home, etc.,which in turn will make their learning experiences that much more personalized.

Accessibility

Do we even need to learn to read anymore? With new digital transformation trends in technology, I’m beginning to wonder. The real answer is yes, of course, but it’s a provocative thought to say the least.  One of the most amazing things to me about technology is that it’s making information and knowledge accessible, regardless of how well someone is able to read it. This is true for voice-to-text and text-to-voice transcription technologies that are especially helpful to students with dyslexia and other learning issues. There is also an increasing volume of information available in video and audio form, ensuring that learning is no longer limited by the easy ability to read. Huge!

Accessibility is improving in the geographic sense, as well. Not everyone is lucky enough to live in a great school district or near an amazing college. However, digital transformations trends in education are making it less and less important where you live. For instance, the child with dyslexia mentioned above may live in a rural area that provides little support for learning differences. However, video conferencing makes it easier for even the most remote students to get the specialized support they need.

Internet of Things

While the Internet of Things (IoT) may have yet to pay off when it comes to creating smart cities, it does hold tremendous potential in terms of creating smarter, more connected schools. On the obvious end, it’s helping save money in terms of energy and lighting usage. But in a more obscure way, it’s also helping to keep schools and students safer and more connected. For instance, by using sensors to track traffic throughout the campus, schools may be able to determine where security features like lighting would benefit students and visitors. Using real-time communication tools, they can share homework assignments with parents so they can stay on top of less communicative children. These tools can also let parents know when their child is absent from class. Using time-stamp technology, they can alert parents and students when an assignment has gone missing. The bottom line is that the IoT has the chance to keep all of us more connected, engaged, and on our toes. And that’s always a good thing.

Security

With so many kids online, security is a huge priority for parents. In the past, we’ve relied on apps like Securly. Still, the online world is such a wild mess of content that many parents still wonder how secure their child’s learning environment may be. In the next year, I think we’ll continue to see a push for more transparency and parental controls in online learning. We’ll also see a greater emphasis on things like digital credentialing through blockchain and two-factor authentication to ensure that all students are kept safe, wherever they may be accessing the content that fits their needs.

Schools are strapped

Obviously, one of the growing trends in education overall is a lack of funding. In fact, due to a growing distribution of pension funds in many states, that lack of funding is only going to continue to grow. For instance, in California, school districts paid 8% of their teacher payrolls for pensions in 2013. By 2020, that contribution will rise to 19%. This will force teachers, who already spend a considerable amount of their own money on classroom supplies, into an even tighter corner and will have the potentially to increase the growing tech/educational divide. In the short term, I believe the outgrowth of new technologies and the ease with which even parents can create customized learning plans will lead to an increase in charter schools and homeschooling—completely upending our definition of “education” overall.

We know learning needs to continue to evolve and that technology and tools can help to enable that. Our world is becoming a place where we can rapidly learn anything, and in many fields our experience is only a small part of our ability to learn and achieve. The future of education is exciting and scary. Schools and education must evolve to embrace new learning styles and technologies that can captivate students, while concurrently maintaining integrity of the knowledge in areas like literature and history that help create well rounded people. That should really be at the core of our change and digital transformation efforts in education.

[“source=forbes”]

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Online Marketing

11 SEO strategy trends that are set to dominate digital marketing

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the backbone of brands when it comes to online presence. Ranking higher on SERP takes effort and time – and gets even more challenging with trends that change without a moment’s notice. Google is anamorphous search engine which is popular (and even notorious) for rolling out changes in its search algorithms pretty often.

The year 2019 brought fresh updates from Google – some radical enough to ensure a swift departure from the usual SEO effortsused by professionals in the past. From the V’s (Video, Voice, and Vernacular) to the emphasis on local queries, Google is bringing a lot of changesas perthe changing internet consumption.

Let’s look at some of these changes and what they mean:

1.      Content is still the dominant factor

To offers users authentic, detailed, and complete information, websites’ content will continue to be Hobson’sChoice for boosting SEO efforts. Digital marketers and SEO stalwarts need to emphasiseon unique content that appeals to readers. Content must be in the realm of context and should not deviate from the main line of industry events. It shouldn’t be a smug illustration devoted to self-appreciation and highlighting limited virtues of business.

Further, content needs to be so detailed that a promising content cluster should appear to readers who look for securing comprehensive informationon given topics and all its aspects.

2.     Mobile apps to complement SEO strategy

Sterling mobile apps offering a range of featuresand giving impetus to business objectives among target customers will call the shots from this year onwards. However, a slight alteration in Google ranking factors will be the element of importance and popularity. Such apps are developed to gather users from social media and through online forums.

A heads-up to the SEO community: stress on building exclusive business apps, finely tuned with business ads. These apps should enable easy lead generation and sales full throttle.

3.     Local queries and Google My Business to amplify results

Google wants us to come of age and start looking forward to local business interests with intent. For a small business or an SMB with limited scope of business, getting registered onGoogle Mapsis essential. Having a business profile with Google My Business adds another level of authenticity and boosts results with local search queries.

4.    Multiple languages to provide information on website

Google has gained credibility as being the ultimate source of information across the world. To promote the idea of globalisation, websites exhibiting information in multiple languages are given preference across geographical quarters.

In other words, the website should be translation-friendly to cater to a global audience. Therefore, to generate a greater number of clicks and address users’ preference, SEO professionalsshould consider tweaking their websites to enable multiple languages.

5.     Searches through video, voice, and vernacular

Since the estimation of users hunting for specific product or services stands at a whopping 320 million across the globe, Google has decided to take a stride in this arena. As a strong hint to our ever-insightful SEO executives, the websites will be located through voice searches against a given set of keywords spanning industries. Websites need to program the lines of code accordingly to decipher and process voice-based queries.

Furthermore, according to a recent study, internet users in vernacular languages have seen immense growth. More than 70 percent Indians prefer surfing local languagecontent.Video has a similar story to tell and is responsible for 75 percent of total mobile traffic in India. More than 95 percent of video consumption online is in vernacular languages.

The entire digital ecosystem is changingand there’s more focus on the 3V’s of digital medium: video, voice,and vernacular.

6.    Online forums and communities with ingenious reviews

Businesses and websites are manipulated for ranking through real-time user reviews. Working on such a principle, explicit algorithms are written where metadata drawsin user reviews targeting a product range or a service. Such an idea is pretty broad; it entails recording opinions in favour or against a particular product on online forums.

Here, as a notion for SEO efforts, we need to heed what people think about us in forums and what perception our company or website enjoys. Adequate steps should be taken to refine it gradually.

7.     Image optimisation is crucial

Google searches are largely seen inundated with images, forcing SEO professionals (especially those working for ecommerce websites) to derive immense fortunes from such a perspective.Further, as Google also taps machine learning to uncover images, we need to post pixel-perfect, real-time product images imbibing relevance regarding their texture.

8.    Revisit the most crucial ranking parameters again and again

In general, backlinks are rightly reckoned to be a prominent effort affecting searches. Since they have a significant impact on searches, they are highly exploited and are one of the most prominent black hat SEO practices. Thus, as an antidote to such a menace, users’ behaviour on any of the navigational links is put under constant scanner.

For engineering the SEO, such an aspect can hardly be overlooked.It is important to crafta content cluster in a given context whereby websites are searched against a given query.

In the same way, links need to be built from an array of websites that dominate a given niche and not the other way around. Further, unwanted traffic should be avoided at all costs. A content strategy should align perfectly with the demands of the target audience.A good content strategy will be one that offers solutions to the customer’s queries and doubt at each stage of the purchase process.

9.    Videos bringing the next shift

While looking for information, one generally develops a solidified and widely integrated knowledge through videos rather than reading volumes of data as textual representation. In other words, Google is all set to manage data by placing a number to every aspect of video interaction. Number of views, likes or dislikes received, video sharing, comments, and so forth willbe calculated.

This tectonic shift in favour of videos should alert SEO executives to empathise with video explanations highlighting any process in a given industry. Furthermore, objects discussed in media content are generally captured through advanced machine learning as deployed by Google for such an underlying reason. For SEO, videos that are simply another version of contentthat should be given priority,followed by a briefsummary of information.

10. Quick results and faster ROIthrough customised searches

User preferences and past actions play a deciding role, as one’s interactions against a given keyword are manipulated. As such, those sailing in the ever-expansive SEO ocean, need to be tactful enough to capture at least (and at best) single interaction with all clients/customers categorised as hot leads in a specific geographical area.

In such an effort, PPC campaigns should be executedwhile giving Facebook ads a boostto enable traction among the crowd to click on the website in any given industry. The underlying benefit is that when the search is for a keyword or any such query, website pages relevant to the keyword or search query will start showing up in SERP organically.

11.   Lay copyrighted and third-party multimedia content to Rest

Google is getting better at all sorts of multi-media context, including music and videos. To ensure a draw of great luck and fortune for our websites, we also need to sail along the tide of originality and should restrict putting up videos and multimedia that are copyrighted or owned by others. For best results, proficient graphic designers should be roped in for carving out and stockpiling images with company name and logos.

In the same way, artists can be contacted on platforms such as SoundCloud for consent to use their work. They usually agree because it cross-promotes them. Finally, upcoming artists and talent should be given a thumbs-up by including their work onto the website. In short, under all circumstances and in all weather, originality needs to be accentuated, and duplicity and dubious play of things should be discouraged as Google’s eyes and sight are improving.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.) 

[“source=yourstory”]

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Online Marketing

7 Online Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2018

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Tayloright.com

What your customers want, how your customers think, and how your customers interact with each other are all changing—constantly. Each year in the digital age, we see the rise and fall of social media platforms, lightning-in-a-bottle trends and memes, and overarching changes to customer preferences that force the online marketing world to evolve.

As a daily participant in the industry, I can’t help but be excited about the changes to come. New tech and new trends keep me on my toes, and prevent my job from ever getting boring. Still, it’s easy for some opportunities to slip past, and it’s sometimes hard to predict exactly what trends will manifest in the near future—or how fast they’ll develop.

Accordingly, I like to spend the end of each year researching and brainstorming to solidify a list of trends I think will take the online marketing world by storm in the next year.

These are some of the most important trends I see developing in 2018:

1. Big, big data. Big data’s been a big trend for many years now, but it’s mostly been confined to big businesses and major players. With the prevalence of big data now—after all, there are over 6 million developers working on big data projects—and its growing accessibility thanks to machine learning and AI, big data will become more available to small- to mid-sized business owners. With more advertising platforms and marketing outreach methods incorporating big data into their usual infrastructure, it’s going to be hard to stay competitive if you aren’t tapping into the thousands of customer data points that are now available.

2. Non-visual experiences. Nobody expected the smart speaker industry to blow up the way it did in 2017. By 2022, smart speakers are expected to be a staple part of more than 55 percent of US households, and they’ve already sold more than 20 million units this year alone. People are starting to interact with these devices as a part of routine, daily life, using voice commands and listening back to results. Consumers are gradually getting used to interfaces that require no visual surface or physical inputs, and that’s going to have a huge impact on how marketers communicate with them.

3. App capitalization. There’s an app for everything now. And yes, there’s been a diversity of apps available for the past decade or so, but now, consumers rely on certain apps—like map, transportation, and review apps—as part of their daily life. They’ve become as ingrained as Google as a primary search engine, and therefore represent strong real estate in which a brand can grow. I think in 2018, we’re going to see more app capitalization—more brands purchasing ads and making deals to earn exposure on other, highly popular apps.

4. Native ads and smart content. Native advertising is expected to drive more than 74 percent of all ad revenue by 2021. With a more natural placement and formatting, native ads tend to get more exposure and more engagement than traditional banner ads—and are less annoying for consumers. The only problem is, native advertising requires a fundamentally different approach to copy—one that can capitalize on the unique preferences of the people seeing the ads. In 2018, we’ll definitely see increased spending on native ads, and we’ll also see the rise of “smart content” for those ads, able to adapt to audiences using cookies and an in-depth understanding of target audiences.

5. Micro-moments. Google defines micro-moments as any moment that drives a customer to use their mobile device on the fly, whether they want to learn something, go somewhere, do something, or buy something. In 2018, the brands that spend the most time trying to learn, understand, and capitalize on these micro-moments are going to have the highest possibilities of success. It requires deeper demographic research and a mobile-intensive strategy, but with the new tools I think we’ll see develop, it’s going to be easier to approach for modern brands.

6. Content and influencer networks. Content marketing has been a top strategy for a long time, but we’re running into a problem: oversaturation. Every brand with a website has some kind of content strategy, and social media networks are full to bursting with content producers fighting for visibility. That’s why in 2018, I think we’ll see a major shift in investment; rather than trying to keep fighting for new space, marketers will capitalize on space that’s already taken. In other words, I think we’ll see more brands trying to increase their visibility and grow their own influence by capitalizing on influencers who have already built an audience and a reputation. These influencer networks will be less expensive to manage, can reduce the sheer volume of content being produced, and can give brands a leg-up in online visibility.

7. Individual communications. The internet is a busy place, so it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. That’s why more consumers are favoring individual, personalized experiences, including one-on-one communications with brands. Obviously, a purely one-on-one approach isn’t sustainable, but that’s why more brands are turning to chatbots as a cost-effective alternative. Chatbots have started to grow more intelligent and more customizable, and are getting more popular with brands and consumers alike. By the end of 2018, chatbots will become even more of a norm—and a practical necessity if you want to give your customers a large-scale yet personal experience.

These aren’t the only trends we’ll have to look forward to in 2018, but they are some of the biggest and most currently established. If you haven’t yet, this is a perfect time to audit your 2017 strategies, and start preparing a budget for 2018—with all the new twists and turns the year will have to offer.

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Internet

Social Media-Manipulating Cult Influencers And Other Trends To Look For In 2018

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

TBWA Worldwide’s annual 2018 insights report examines what the agency calls  “pre-trends” rooted in evolving cultural shifts.

Convergence is the emerging theme uniting the predictions, says TBWA. Genetic technology will collide with activism, memes with currency, digital goods with fashion, creative direction with algorithms and cults will meet social media.

Among the Omnicom-owned agency’s top five pre-predictions, Insta-Cults is the agency’s most “out-there pre-trend,” says Sarah Rabia, global director of cultural strategy, TBWA. “We believe that next year, we may see the formation of a new kind of cult: one built around an influencer who manipulates social media, monopolizes attention and mobilizes their fans, a la Trump.”

Brands, therefore, must ask themselves how they can leverage these cult Influencers and loyal fandoms to build a modern culture brand, she advises. “It wouldn’t take much for many mainstream celebs to tip the balance into cult leader, arguably we have some already,” Rabia says. Singer Lana Del Rey, for instance, asked her fans to join a mass occult ritual against Trump and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop sparked a community of wellness that has made some extreme followers ill with the eating disorder orthorexia.

As the physical and online worlds blur, TBWA believes what it calls “Vaporwear” will introduce computer-generated goods like lenses, filters and virtual designs created purely to be worn for social media. Brands can engage with this trend by enabling audiences to buy in to these products without buying anything.

Another tech-driven trend will allow brands to decide whether their content will be made by humans or machines, possibly resulting in algorithm-penned songs, games, novels, and feature films.

With what TBWA calls Meme Money, Blockchain advancements will help advertisers and brands trace social media shares, likes and follows to a legitimate source for credit and remuneration.

And as DNA technology empowers people to predict and manage their healthcare, brands will need to ask how far they will go with genetic technology, if at all?

This is the first year that TBWA’s cultural insight studio Backslash has published a trends report. The year-old start-up serves mostly as an internal cultural service but plans call for expanding it over the coming months to do more public content and work with brands within and beyond TBWA. The unit’s team comprises journalists, strategists, TV and documentary makers.

[“Source-mediapost”]

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