MIT Solve

In today’s fast-paced world, nearly every sector of the economy is reinventing itself with the latest advancements in technology. As the pace of innovation accelerates, companies both large and small are turning to groundbreaking approaches to create smarter, more sustainable solutions. Yet among the thousands of exciting new developments released each year, a select group of technologies stand out for their ingenuity. These are Fast Company's 2024 Next Big Things in Tech winners. The 138 honorees span 28 categories, including AI and Data, Space and Telecom, and Health. From corporate giants to ambitious startups, each honoree has demonstrated impressive progress—showing both immediate promise and potential to drive lasting change in the years ahead. You might see this dichotomy in some of our winners: Coursera, Electronic Arts (EA), Logitech, Headspace, Houzz, and Discord. It may be the first time you’ve encountered some of these brands, but it certainly won’t be the last. Whether using AI to improve disaster-response efforts, creating a hiking-friendly wearable exoskeleton, or making supply chains more ethical, each of these products, services, and technological breakthroughs reflects fresh thinking that inspires us. Read the full #FCTechAwards list: https://bit.ly/3Cz2HVj

Celebrate Geography Awareness Week with the National Geographic #ExplorerClassroom series and discover the power of Geography with your classroom! Join Explorer and design researcher Nick Okafor to learn more about how you can incorporate mapping tools and activities in your classroom that promote storytelling, data visualization, and even implement solutions for our planet. 💛 🌏 Register Your Class: Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 10am ET Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 2pm ET https://lnkd.in/e-4nN3Je #NatGeoExplorer #ExplorerMindset

“There’s a myth that Indigenous people exist only in the past,” says Danielle Boyer, a 23-year-old Ojibwe engineer who invented a wearable robot to help preserve Indigenous languages. “But we’re here now and we will be here in the future.” Boyer designed her first robot at 17, which transformed into EKGAR (“Every Kid Gets a Robot”), a $20 kit that teaches Indigenous students tech skills. She’s 3D-printed and shipped over 11,000 kits for free, and she takes her robots on the road to demonstrate technology as a tool to communicate, advocate, and relate while imparting hands-on engineering skills. Boyer’s second invention, SkoBot, helps teach Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) and other Indigenous languages. About 10 inches tall and wearable, SkoBots can detect motion and say “boozhoo” (hello) and other phrases in response. The kid-friendly designs include a makwa (bear) and waabooz (rabbit), designed in collaboration with an Ojibwe tattoo artist. Boyer’s nonprofit, The STEAM Connection, offers SkoBots at no cost for students to build themselves. And Boyer is currently recording more words in the voices of Ojibwe children and elders (including her grandmother) to expand the robots’ repertoire. “To be Indigenous is a protest and a constant advocating for the future of your community,” she says. Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g2PEYB9b Profile by Leorah Gavidor; Portrait by Erica Joan

The answer can’t be: “We’re not going to use AI.” There are too many positive applications. JusticeText co-founder and CEO Devshi Mehrotra exemplifies this—and the critical roles technologists can play in addressing societal problems—through her work providing resource-strapped public defenders with AI tools to enhance police accountability.

"Don’t get me wrong: I love the new GenAI models and use them all the time. But from an educational point of view, we need students to value their own thoughts, value the act of thinking, creating, & exploring, and want to get better at modelling the world through language so that they will be proficient and reflective users of whatever these new tools turn out to be." Writelike's own Andrew Duval spoke to The Educator about #Frankenstories, #GenAI in schools and what makes our tools unique for the classroom. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/g2_f9-VJ