This post is largely driven by the opening words in the preface to Prof John Ziman’s book “ Principles of the theory of Solids”. The frontiers of knowledge (to coin a phrase) are always on the move. Today’s discovery will tomorrow be part of the mental furniture of every research worker. By the end of next week it will begin every course of graduate lectures. Within the month, there will be a clamour to have it in the undergraduate curriculum. Next year, I do believe, it will seem so commonplace that it may be assumed to be known to every schoolboy.
It has also been inspired by an anecdote attribute to Albert Einstein. The story is told of how Albert Einstein one day gave his students a final exam that was a year old. In fact, Einstein had given his students the exact same final exam the year before. His assistant noticed the “error” and timidly made the famous physicist aware of his mistake. Einstein looked closer at the newly distributed sheet and answered: “You’re right, these are the same questions as last year – but the answers have changed.”
And more recently the futurist Thomas Frey made an important observation ( https://youtu.be/McV9AMV2LiI ) that if we continue to insert a teacher in between ourselves and everything that we need to learn, we cannot possibly learn fast enough to meet the demands of the future.
I have been for sometime now evangelising and advocating the use of Internet and allied technologies, including the often maligned social media as a means of self-directed learning. I am sharing here a list of 10 topics at the frontiers of new knowledge on which one can get useful information, which as Thomas Frey says you are unlikely to get from a CBSE recognised School, a UGC approved University or an AICTE/ NAAC degree awarding Institution, whether public or private. And if you are not ready with new relevant knowledge, you have your place reserved in what Yuval Noah Harari describes as the “ useless class”: https://youtu.be/OMDlfNWM1fA
Amongst the top contenders of the most trending words of the year 2021, Metaverse offers a parallel virtual universe. It opens up a whole new world of economic prospects, from virtual music events to NFT-based products. Due to its vast potential, many big tech giants are already taking a leap and entering the world of Metaverse.
Serious and concerted perusal of these resources will enable you to comprehend Metaverse in a more effective manner, giving you a significant advantage, in reaping its benefits.
You will gain an understanding of the issues and acquire insights on several key points:
Have an idea of the emerging Metaverse
Know of various technologies involved in Metaverse
Learn how you can benefit with Metaverse
Explore different Use Cases of Metaverse, especially in education.
There is a section on the Metaverse in Healthcare/ Medicine as education can benefit from the models of healthcare delivery. Much like we have doctors running their clinics in the Metaverse, we will have educators dispensing cognitive advice byway of ‘ learn8ng prescriptions’ in the Metaverse.
We also share stories of Banking and FinTech in the Metaverse, because innovation often happens by adopting and infusing ideas from an apparently different context.
Since 2021, the concept of the metaverse has been widely discussed. It refers to the internet accessed via virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) glasses, and is considered to be the next-generation mobile computing platform that will be widely used in the future.
Professor Chunxue Bai and colleagues have recently proposed the metaverse in medicine, and suggested naming 2022 as the “Year of the Metaverse in Medicine”. Their expert group further discussed the definition of the metaverse in the medical context, and its concept and application scenarios, as well as its clinical importance. It is expected that this new concept will contribute to improving comprehensive healthcare as well as prevention and treatment of diseases, and to upgrading the current diagnosis and treatment model – which varies widely between doctors and hospitals, creating uneven standards akin to production in handicraft workshops (referred to as the “handicraft workshop model”) – to a modern high quality “ six sigma” model that consistently delivers high standards.
Three areas in which the metaverse is likely to gain dominance in the healthcare industry are : Surgical operations, mental health and medical education and training.
The UN General Assembly’s 2015 resolution regarding “ good health and well-being” will be realised most likely with leveraging the Metaverse. The SDG Goal 3 aims to achieve universal health coverage, that seeks equitable access of healthcare services to all men and women. It proposes to end the preventable death of newborns, infants and children under five and end epidemics.
The potential of the Metaverse in healthcare/ medicine is now well appreciated, but it may take another decade for it being used actively in the hospitals or medical practices. However practical implementation is already happening. The link at number 5 below describes a product that was shown at Dubai in January 2022.
Louis Pasteur, pioneer of the “ germ theory of disease” had said that “ fortune favours the prepared mind”. Let’s get fortunate with the Metaverse.
A few carefully chosen links for further information:
The first bank to enter the metaverse with much fanfare was JP Morgan earlier this year. The US investment giant took a large plot in Decentraland and boasts a prowling tiger as a feature in its Onyx Lounge.
Since then, South Korea’s Kookmin Bank has opened up its customer services options by providing one-to-one consultations in the metaverse.
HSBC then followed, opening a branch in the established Sandbox region of the metaverse, while the UK-based payments fintech Sokin recently announced its imminent foray into the augmented reality platform.
Launched in 2021 Sokin operates as a next generation payments provider rather than a bank, but the fintech is set to enable full ecommerce payments for the first time in the metaverse, allowing brands and businesses to grow from its physical store into the virtual world.
Currently no single metaverse world exists where consumers can shop their favourite brands, however, Sokin will launch its own metaverse community designed to process full ecommerce transactions.
Genome Sequencing is 10 million times cheaper and 100,000 times higher quality than it was just a few years ago. Quantum Computing is around the horizon. Artificial Intelligence is displacing erstwhile white collar jobs. Engineering education loans are now NPA’s of Banks. Time to wake up! If you can only do what you have been taught how to do, you are replaceable by a piece of software or by a robot if sensing and motion are also involved. You have to become an ‘आत्मनिर्भर’ self-learner. Join the 5th education revolution.
Since 2021, the concept of the metaverse has been widely discussed. It refers to the internet accessed via virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) glasses, and is considered to be the next-generation mobile computing platform that will be widely used in the future.
Professor Chunxue Bai and colleagues have recently proposed the metaverse in medicine, and suggested naming 2022 as the “Year of the Metaverse in Medicine”. Their expert group further discussed the definition of the metaverse in the medical context, and its concept and application scenarios, as well as its clinical importance. It is expected that this new concept will contribute to improving comprehensive healthcare as well as prevention and treatment of diseases, and to upgrading the current diagnosis and treatment model – which varies widely between doctors and hospitals, creating uneven standards akin to production in handicraft workshops (referred to as the “handicraft workshop model”) – to a modern high quality “ six sigma” model that consistently delivers high standards.
Three areas in which the metaverse is likely to gain dominance in the healthcare industry are : Surgical operations, mental health and medical education and training.
The UN General Assembly’s 2015 resolution regarding “ good health and well-being” will be realised most likely with leveraging the Metaverse. The SDG Goal 3 aims to achieve universal health coverage, that seeks equitable access of healthcare services to all men and women. It proposes to end the preventable death of newborns, infants and children under five and end epidemics.
The potential of the Metaverse in healthcare/ medicine is now well appreciated, but it may take another decade for it being used actively in the hospitals or medical practices. However practical implementation is already happening. The link at number 5 below describes a product that was shown at Dubai in January 2022.
Louis Pasteur, pioneer of the “ germ theory of disease” had said that “ fortune favours the prepared mind”. Let’s get fortunate with the Metaverse.
A few carefully chosen links for further information:
We need innovations in education. One such innovation is the “ Learning Prescription”. I had earlier espoused the idea of a “to learn” list like the “to do“ list that is well known in management.
By investing in a reading habit, you can ensure you’re growing yourself every day. That’s why the 1st example is of ‘Reading Effectively’. The NEP 2020 emphasises ‘learning how to learn’. The 2nd sample learning prescription is therefore on ‘ Building Learning Power’. It has been said that the future will in due course, become the present, whether we are prepared or not. It has also been said that success happens when preparation meets opportunity. Hence the 3rd sample learning prescription on ‘Anticipating the future’. In the present and coming era of information explosion, available information must be absorbed critically,hence the 4th sample learning prescription is on ‘ Critical Thinking’. Finally there is both a hype about as well as great promise from the Metaverse. The 5th sample learning prescription is therefore about ‘ Education in the Metaverse’.
It builds upon the concepts of “ Bibliotherapy” and “ CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy” to create a product for self-directed learners, who would want to stay away from joining the useless class predicted by Yuval Noah Harari.
Distance Learning has used self-instructional learning materials designed by specialised Instructional designers for its learners. This was done by the UK Open University, the Indira Gandhi National Open University and other similar Institutions. But that course material was the same for all the learners pursuing a particular course. Learning prescriptions are designed for an individual learner.
The next edition of this weekend course is on Saturday May 28th and Sunday May 29th 2022. Thereafter it will be on offer every fourth weekend of the month.
Flow:
Day 1: The Concept of a Learning Prescription
1.1: What is ‘prescribed’ in education?
1.2: The elements of a medical prescription
1.3: Generic format of a ‘learning prescription’?
1.4: Self-learning and ‘learning prescriptions’
1.5: Who should be giving ‘ learning prescriptions’?
Day 2: Examples of Learning Prescriptions
2.1: Reading effectively
2.2: Building Learning Power
2.3: Anticipating the future
2.4: Critical Thinking
2.5: Education in The Metaverse
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Enrolment and fee payment:
As this weekend course is being delivered through WhatsApp the enrolment process is simply that of sending a WhatsApp message to Prof MM Pant at +919810073724.
The fee for the course is Rs 500/- and can be easily remitted through PayTM to MM Pant ( mobile number : +919810073724).
For those who would rather pay into a Bank account, the relevant information is :
Anthony Seldon in his book “ The fourth Education Revolution” says that only three education revolutions can be said to have occurred in the last 3 to 5 million years. Schools and Universities today would be recognised today by our forefathers as far back as the year 1600.
Most of this will change with the 4th education revolution that is taking shape. Education 4.0 harnesses the latest digital technologies ( Blockchain, AR, VR, MR, AI and Machine Learning etc.) and pedagogical research ( NeuroScience, Cognitive Science to enhance teaching learning and assessment.
The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by 2030. Goal 4 about education is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. The slow progress in achieving SDG Goal 4 so far is reminiscent of another important target, about 140 years back.
The U.S. Constitution required that a population count be conducted at the beginning of every decade. This has been happening since the year 1790. As the country grew, each new census required greater effort than the last, not merely in collecting the data but also to compile it into usable form. For the processing of the 1880 data, it was realised that it was nowhere near completion until 1888. It was then that a new technology of Hollerith punched card was introduced and the count then proceeded so rapidly that the work was completed very soon. This later evolved into the famous IBM company. IBM led the way in perfecting card technology for recording and tabulating large sets of data for a variety of purposes.
The fifth education revolution will be driven by the desire to achieve SDG Goal4 by its planned target date.
Five features of education 5.0:
Shift of focus from teaching ( by educators in an authority driven and regulated educational system, directed by mandatory educational policies) to learning by interested and motivated learners who seek experiences and opportunities for lifelong learning.
Such experiences and opportunities will be most readily available in the Metaverse.
Shift from certificates that depend on performance in monolithic exams like board exams to an on demand demonstrations of cognitive and other intellectual abilities of a parson, at anytime.
Accelerated Learning: to catch up with the rapid growth and expansion of the frontiers of knowledge. This will facilitate the rapid development of a Quantum Ready workforce.
The movement towards the fifth education revolution would be driven by the Science of Learning, perhaps the youngest Science, based on advances in Neuroscience and a better understanding of Artificial General Intelligence.
Towards being ready for education 5.0, I have created a suite of courses that can be accessed with a mobile phone on WhatsApp, whose details are given at mmpant.com
At the outset we thank you very much for your presence and making it a lively, interactive and wonderful session on 20 March 2022.
As a precursor to the *The World Quantum Day being celebrated on 14th April 2022*, Prof Pant has planned an exciting hybrid event on the same theme for 10th April 2022.
The proposed schedule is as hereunder:
*9:30 to 10 am: Joining in and networking*
10:00 am to 11:10 am:
*Session 1: The emergence of Quantum Computing: Prof MM Pant*
1.1: Why Quantum ?
1.2: Pre-Quantum mysteries
1.3: The dramatis personae of Quantum
1.4: India’s contribution to Quantum
1.5: Key Concepts in Quantum
1.6: Quantum Computing
*11:10 to 11:30 am: Tea/Coffee Break*
11:30 am to 11:50 am:
*Session 2: Quantum Biology : Dr Ramesh Pande*
11:50 to 12:30 pm
*Session 3. Other Quantum issues: Prof MM Pant*
3.1: From Y2K to Y2Q
3.2: From Qubits to profits (investment opportunities in Quantum Technologies)
3.3: Quantum Law
3.4: Wrapping Up: how and where to learn more?
*12:30 pm onwards : LUNCH*
May I request you to fill in this simple form for logistics purpose for the venue arrangements:
Resources to help you become well versed with ‘ Education in the Metaverse’.
Curated by Prof. M.M. Pant
Amongst the top contenders of the most trending words of the year 2021, Metaverse offers a parallel virtual universe. It opens up a whole new world of economic prospects, from virtual music events to NFT-based products. Due to its vast potential, many big tech giants are already taking a leap and entering the world of Metaverse.
Serious and concerted perusal of these resources will enable you to comprehend Metaverse in a more effective manner, giving you a significant advantage, in reaping its benefits.
You will gain an understanding of the issues and acquire insights on several key points:
Have an idea of the emerging Metaverse
Know of various technologies involved in Metaverse
Learn how you can benefit with Metaverse
Explore different Use Cases of Metaverse, especially in education.
“ Innovation in education : the algorithm for meta-learning “
Aide de memoir for my presentation in session 6 of the 49th NPSC annual conference on 5th March 2022.
The overarching theme is “ Bridging the gap for sustainable and inclusive learning”. The SDGs ( sustainable development goals) which were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA) and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. Goal 4 of these, pertaining to education is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. SDG 4 has ten targets which are measured by 11 indicators. The slow progress in achieving SDG Goal 4 so far is reminiscent of another important target, about 140 years back.
The U.S. Constitution requires that a population count be conducted at the beginning of every decade. This has been happening since the year 1790. As the country grew, each new census required greater effort than the last, not merely in collecting the data but also to compile it into usable form. For the processing of the 1880 data, it was realised that it was nowhere near completion until 1888. It was then that a new technology of Hollerith punched card was introduced and the count then proceeded so rapidly that the work was completed very soon. This later evolved into the famous IBM company. IBM led the way in perfecting card technology for recording and tabulating large sets of data for a variety of purposes.
The topic for this session is “ Innovation in education : the algorithm for meta-learning “. And such algorithms are ‘ learning algorithms’, that drive Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
A learning algorithm is best defined in the book “ Machine Learning” by Thomas Mitchell: “A computer program is said to learn from experience E with respect to some class of tasks T and performance measure P, if its performance at tasks in T, as measured by P, improves with experience E.”
Tom Mitchell’s quote is well-known and time-tested in the world of machine learning, having first appeared in his 1997 book. The quote also features prominently in Chapter 5 of the much more recent (2015) “Deep Learning” by Ian Goodfellow, Joshua Bengio & Aaron Courville.
The SDGs were set up in the year 2015. In January 2016, Prof Klaus Schwab chief of the WEF drew attention to the arrival of the 4th Industrial revolution driven by AI and machine learning. And Andrew Ng said that AI is the new electricity.
In the year 2018, Sir Anthony Seldon in his book “ The fourth education revolution” pointed out that there have been only 3 education revolutions so far and the 4th one is unfolding right now, driven by AI and machine Learning, in which educators must take an active role and not just be passive observers.
The futurist Thomas Frey (https://youtu.be/McV9AMV2LiI ) said that “ If we continue to insert a teacher between ourselves and everything that we want to ( or need to) learn we cannot possibly learn fast enough to meet the demands of the future.”
The future is already here. It’s just not very evenly distributed, said William Gibson: The Economist, December 4, 2003”
It is inevitable that what was once the distant future will become the present, very soon, whether we are prepared for it or not.
To achieve the desired goal of a high quality education for all, we have to first move from the art of teaching to the Science of learning. And the Science of learning is best built upon neuroscience. To scale the solution we need to use intelligent automation, or Artificial Intelligence as it is more popularly called.
There was a time when long tedious calculations were done by humans, who were formally designated as computers. This is no longer so. Similarly human teachers standing in front of a class, delivering lectures to a prescribed syllabus will be automated and the erstwhile educators will move up to the more important role of cognitive development facilitators.
Today there are over six billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide, and for every one person who accesses the internet from a computer two do so from a mobile device. Given the ubiquity and rapidly expanding functionality of mobile technologies, UNESCO is enthusiastic about their potential to improve and facilitate learning, particularly in communities where educational opportunities are scarce. AI powered language learning Apps such as Duolingo, Thinkster Maths for Maths and Gradescope for assessment would help in scaling. AI powered Chatbots as personal tutors and Ecole 42 as communities of learning would evolve to the new learning ecosystem that can help achieve the targets of SDG Goal 4, like the Hollerith punched cards did for the US Census, about 130 years ago.
The future of education is AI empowered self-directed learners in a community of chatbots and cognitive development facilitators, preparing to meet future challenges in a rapidly evolving world.
