Good Bye 2017

2017 was a year of “transitions” as the world acknowledged that “technology is changing everything, everywhere, and fast!”  Hence, the need to be prepared

ALBERTA’S INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

o Slight improvement in Alberta’s economic resilience and strengthening of it’s innovation ecosystem – FOR MORE 

o Incorporating Edmonton Global consolidating the Region’s economic development – FOR MORE

o Announcing Calgary’s cleanTech and Edmonton’s Health City innovation initiatives – FOR MORE

o Deep Mind opening a laboratory in the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute – FOR MORE

o Alberta Innovate’s leadership and regional innovation networks – FOR MORE

o Recognizing Alberta’s culture inspiring entrepreneurs – FOR MORE

o Announcing GOA’s commitment of $1.4 Billion to support innovation for a diversified, low carbon economy – FOR MORE

o Adding $10M of additional Alberta Enterprise Corporation investment funds – FOR MORE

o Introducing the $90M Alberta Investment Tax Credit program – FOR MORE

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Alberta is a hotbed of enterprise – triggered by great research universities, advanced education of it’s workforce, vision and leadership – capitalizing on the global/ broad/ rapid impact of emerging technologies.
 Convention of BIG Ideas – Red Deer 2016

Festival of BIG Ideas – Edmonton 2017

Click the titles for the PPT presentations. Videos HERE

  

 
Agriculture & Food Processing – Paul Pryce Forestry & Wood Products -Dalibor Houdek Transportation & Logistics –Peter Wallis Construction & Real Estate  – Peter Wardell Health & BioTech –  Peter Fenwick
Volunteers & NGOS – Annand Ollivierre Fintech & Investments – Shannon Preus Mining & Mineral Processing – Michael Dufresne Tourism & Entertainment – David Kaiser Communication & Marketing – Sharon MacLean & Doug Firby
InfoTech & Analytics – Patricia Glenn Manufacturing & Export – David MacLean Environment & CleanTech – Jason Switzer Alternative Energies – Allan Offenberger Engineering & Design – Craig Eastman
Education & Creativity – Haley Simon Legal & Security – Robbie Nissens Management & Strategy – Patrick Binns Human Resources & Development – Dan Boucher Finance & Accounting – Robert McGarvey
 

VERY BIG  IDEAS =>

 

  

Going  Global:

Klaas Rodenburg& Kevin Horek

 

 Engaging Youth:

Terry Godwaldt

 

  

People Power:

Tema Frank  & 

Simon Raby

ALBERTA COUNCIL OF TECHNOLOGIES SOCIETY – 2017                                              

o Preparing the people – education, the community – networking, and strengthening Alberta’s innovation ecosystem.

o Hosting the CleanTech for Success conference in Drayton Valley in March – HERE, The Festival of BIG Ideas in Edmonton in June – HERE and the RISING STARS symposium in September – HERE

o Releasing the 2017 “Engaging Youth – Alberta 2030” project report – HERE, a consultation with 3,700 Alberta HS students with The Centre for Global Education and approving for 2018 “Engaging Youth – The Future of Work” – HERE

o Supporting The Future of Work seminars – HERE and the Rainforest collaborative initiative in Edmonton – HERE and Calgary – HERE

o Co-hosting “Business4Success” in Red Deer in October – HERE, “Data Management” Conferences in Edmonton and Calgary in October – HERE and “The Future is Fusion” in Edmonton in November – HERE

o Pursuing sustainable funding – developing a new technology credit union and associated investment fund and applying to Alberta Culture for a 3-year sustainability grant

o Releasing 25 issues of Special Editions of QuikTech Notes – HERE

o Growing ABCtech’s network of followers from 13,180 to over 18 thousand – HERE and hosting weekly technology networking “seances” – FOR MORE

LOOKING AHEAD to 2018 – Event Schedule

o January 27th – ABCtech’s Strategic Retreat and AGM

o February 21st – Edmonton: Chateau Louis.  Co-hosting with intelliFLEX the “Introduction to Flexible & Hybrid Electronics” One-Day Course – FOR MORE

February 20th – Edmonton: Chateau Louis. Pre-workshop – Edmonton Regional intelliFLEX Networking Dinner & Meeting – FOR MORE

o March 21-23rd – The Banff Centre. Economic Developers Alberta 2018 Conference – FOR MORE

o April date TBI – Edmonton: Chateau Louis.  RISING STARS – Health Innovation.  Stay-tuned as we profile Regional enterprises featuring innovations in health.  Several pre-dinner workshops will also be featured.

o May – Edmonton. Blockchain Seminar – CONTACT

May – Edmonton and Calgary. Engaging Youth – The Future of Work – CONTACT

o June 7-9th – Calgary: TELUS Convention Centre. InVenture$ – FOR MORE

June 8-9th – Edmonton Research Park. Festival of BIG Ideas 2018 – CONTACT

The AI Wave Hits Education

Education too is suffering change with the emergence of artificial intelligence. Education – as the conveyance of knowledge through people, is as old as is civilization. The engaging of “machines” as an aide or more for education and even research/ discovery through algorithms comes at a time when “innovation” has become the clarion call of today’s professional and institutional, government and community leaders. Enjoy and let us know if you think this is good news or otherwise. – Editor

The AI Wave Hits Education by Travis Parker Martin, Head of Film & New Media Content, Bootkik

Artificial intelligence has long promised to disrupt life as we know it, but only in the last few years have we seen tech companies like Google double down on it, going so far to say they’re no longer “mobile-first” but “AI-first”.

There’s no sector immune to disruption via AI, but one of the areas with the greatest potential is how it will affect education.

We’re already seeing artificial intelligence-backed teaching assistants, and it’s been proposed that AI could help teachers with basic functions such as grading as well. Locally, Alberta-based tech startup Bootkik has entered the AI in Education market.  Leighton Healey – the CEO of Bootkik, noted that “Bookit is employing AI for matching users with mentors, determining a user’s level of knowledge on any given subject, and identifying the skills a user needs next to grow their business”. Bootkik is currrently crowdfunding for an AI-driven business learning platform.

Any company focused on bringing artificial intelligence to the education sphere is going to face  stiff competition, however. Not only are AI-based edtech startups popping up everywhere, some of technology’s biggest players, including Facebook and Google, are investing heavily into using tech to enhance education.

AltSchool, which has raised $175million to date from investors such as Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, develops education software and is trying to “redefine education”. However, parents are pushing back with criticisms that AltSchool was too impersonal for their kids, and in some situations, learning disabilities were not diagnosed because of a lack of human oversight.

To many, AI’s inclusion in education is more a matter of when, not if. Yet, as AltSchool is demonstrating, the path to truly and seamlessly merging technology and traditional education is bumpy, even among the tech sphere’s most prominent individuals.

“At this point, the best fit for artificial intelligence in education is one that enhances, not replaces” said Bootkik’s Leighton Healey. “We don’t want to go scorched earth, but we want to harness technology to open new doors that weren’t available to people 20 or 30 years ago.”

RELATED ARTICLES

14 Ways AI Will Impact The Education Sector HERE https://venturebeat.com/2017/07/23/14-ways-ai-will-impact-the-education-sector/