Tips for educators to master virtual instruction | AWS Public Sector Blog

As educators, we need to approach the transition to online teaching as permanent change and innovate for the future. At California State University, we have moved to virtual instruction repeatedly throughout the last five years for a variety of reasons. I encourage educators to have an online version for all your classes, not only for emergencies, but also to be responsive to students who want online offerings.

In this AWS Public Sector Blog post I discuss how to:

  1. Leverage technology to replace face-to-face interaction.
  2. Make the tech work for you.
  3. Get creative.
  4. Throw out the rulebook.
  5. Change the way you approach grading.
  6. Balance organization with passion.
  7. Bonus tip for computer science instructors: Some material is easier to teach online.

From: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/publicsector/tips-for-educators-to-master-virtual-instruction/

KVTA 1590 Interview on the AWS Cloud at CSUCI

Interview on the partnership between CSUCI and Amazon Web Services, Dec 7, 2020

Main Points of the interview:

  1. Can you explain what a“cloud” is for the laypeople?
    • In some sense it is giant warehouses filled with computers
    • But more importantly it is a new paradigm of computing, described often as on demand access to IT resources via the Internet with a pay-as-you-go plan
    • A good analogy is the power grid; instead of running your own generator, and its backup, and being responsible for its maintenance and operation, you connect to the grid, and outsource those responsibilities to the power company. Then you are just responsible for paying the bills. 
  2. Give a short history of the Cloud.
    • Started over a 100 years ago with the telegraph, smart terminal and operator at the edges, but “dumb” inside (just a cable and repeaters)
    • Then the telephone, dumb at the edges, but smart inside with the switchboard / circuit switching
    • Then the Internet, again flipping the paradigm, smart at the edges, dumb inside – 50 years ago
    • Finally the cloud, going back to the original, dumb at the edges, smart inside – 15 year ago
  3. How is Artificial Intelligence, in particular Machine Learning, connected to the Cloud?
    • Machine Learning is a method of computing where the computation is data driven, rather than instruction driven. A good example, is Optical Character Recognition – you can train the computer to recognize hand written digits, e.g., depositing a check the OCR software extracts the amount from the check.
    • The mathematical idea behind it is a perceptron, that models the neurons in the human brain, and this was first discovered in the 1960s but at that time we lacked the computer power to implement it in practice.
    • Suddenly, 15 years ago or so with the advent of the data center, more companies and institutions had access to the necessary computer power.
    • But since 5 years, maybe a little longer, individuals have access to it via the Cloud. Our AWS Pilot in Machine Learning – students have access to the latest.
  4. What are some examples of the Cloud?
    • Service that we all use: Dropbox, Netflix, Gmail, etc.
    • Your handheld device does not have a lot of compute power, so in some sense it is a portal into the cloud – google maps directions are computed for you in the cloud
  5. Is the cloud secure?
    • That is a very good question, but it does not have a yes/no answer. Security is assessed with risks and probabilities.
    • But, in general, a company like Dropbox has tremendous resources and expertise at its disposal to secure your data.
    • On the other hand, how secure is your data in on-premises solution? 
    • In any case, businesses are moving swiftly into the cloud, because the pricing is so attractive, but their number one concern is: will my data be secure? 
    • Famous saying of Gene Spafford: “The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards – and even then I have my doubts.
  6. What is the job market in the cloud?
    • Excellent, LinkedIn has listed cloud skill as the #1 skill searched for by employers since 2014.
    • That is why we have been growing our Cloud offering at CSUCI. 

How can I learn more about the cloud

  1. List of certification classes
  2. Link to sign up

A Head in the Cloud – Channel Magazine

While we know Amazon as the world’s online marketplace, millions of international companies know it for its cloud computing services. They use Amazon Web Services (AWS) to store and access data over the internet, allowing us to easily stream our favorite shows, store files and shop online. As more and more companies turn to AWS for technology needs, computer science students will need to quickly learn how to use the platform so they can market themselves post-graduation.

Source: A Head in the Cloud – Channel Magazine – CSU Channel Islands

Working from home may be new normal

SETTLING IN—According to a 2020 Gallup poll, the percentage of Americans working remotely doubled, from 31% in mid-March to 62% by April.

Every weekday, Ricky Kreitman rolls out of bed and heads to his garage office with his morning yogurt to start the workday.

It’s been his daily routine since the stay-at-home orders were announced in March. The television producer and editor said his company had just finished filming a show before the shutdown, so he’s been able to edit it from his home office.

“(I’m) enjoying working at home,” the Thousand Oaks resident said. “Grateful for the distraction of work and glad to not be commuting.”

According to a 2020 Gallup poll, the percentage of Americans working remotely doubled, from 31% in mid-March to 62% by April.

Michael Soltys, chair of the computer science department at CSU Channel Islands, thinks telecommuting is here to stay.

“COVID-19 has accelerated a trend that was already there,” said Soltys, who specializes in cloud computing and algorithms and has spent the last 19 years teaching computer science. “People have been moving to remote work for at least a decade.”

Clare Briglio, communications and business disruption resources director at the Camarillo-based Economic Development Collaborative, has already seen this shift in the businesses owners the nonprofit advises.

Government contractors, fieldbased contractors and medical providers are just a few types of businesses that have started using cloud-based services like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Slack and WhatsApp since the pandemic began. Briglio said she expects the trend to continue.

“They have figured out how to use technology to accommodate their need,” she said.

With so many workers trying their hand at a work-from-home lifestyle, some are finding they like it more than going to the office.

Tejas Sachdeva, a computer science student at CSU Channel Islands, said he’s been more productive since his job at the university’s career services department became remote in March.

Source: Working from home may be new normal | Camarillo Acorn

Some media statements on working from home and the cloud

Here is an excerpt from the VCReporter on HEALTHCARE 2.0 | DOCTOR-PATIENT INTERACTIONS GO HIGH TECH DURING THE PANDEMIC — AND JUST MAY STAY THAT WAY

“A MASSIVE SHIFT”

Experts say the rapid technological changes happening in medicine due to the pandemic also have profound implications for other types of businesses, government agencies, schools and religious institutions.

CSUCI computer science professor Michael Soltys says organizations of all kinds have been adapting quickly to new technologies like Internet-based meeting programs.

Michael Soltys. Photo courtesy of CSU Channel Islands

“Everybody’s on Zoom and working from home if they can,” said Soltys “It’s a massive shift.”

He also says some people are finding benefits from taking care of business at home.

“Of course there’s the joke about sitting in your pajamas at a meeting comfortably in your home with a cup of coffee, but you do save time on commuting. Meetings online tend to be more targeted and condensed and better scripted. They’re often recorded so people are better prepared. They’re not just hanging out in a meeting room killing time,” said Soltys. “People are going to become accustomed to those benefits and will want to have them.”


I recently (April 12, 2020) spoke with KCLU on COVID 19 and the Cloud.

CI Begins Preparing For Proposed Engineering Program

A university on the South Coast is preparing for a new engineering program it hopes to have in place within the next two years.Cal State Channel Islands in Camarillo proposed to launch an engineering program last summer. University officials say they’re still awaiting final approval from the CSU Chancellor’s Office, but they expect to get a green light soon.

So, they’ve begun the planning process for a program focused on mechatronics, which is a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering.

“The animation of mechanical devices by software” said Michael Soltys, chair of the Computer Science Department, which mechatronics will be housed under.

He said few engineering programs have an emphasis in this field.“We’re thinking of starting mechatronics with small robotic mobility, like drones, like underwater robots. Robots that move, that walk, that drive,” he said.

The university has begun hiring faculty and designing courses. The goal is to start the engineering program in the fall of 2018 with 24 students.

Source: South Coast University Begins Preparing For Proposed Engineering Program | KCLU

Mechatronics at CI

The following from: https://www.kclu.org/post/south-coast-university-begins-preparing-proposed-engineering-program#stream/0

A university on the South Coast is preparing for a new engineering program it hopes to have in place within the next two years.

Cal State Channel Islands in Camarillo proposed to launch an engineering program last summer. University officials say they’re still awaiting final approval from the CSU Chancellor’s Office, but they expect to get a green light soon.

So, they’ve begun the planning process for a program focused on mechatronics, which is a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering.

“The animation of mechanical devices by software” said Michael Soltys, chair of the Computer Science Department, which mechatronics will be housed under.

He said few engineering programs have an emphasis in this field.

“We’re thinking of starting mechatronics with small robotic mobility, like drones, like underwater robots. Robots that move, that walk, that drive,” he said.

The university has begun hiring faculty and designing courses. The goal is to start the engineering program in the fall of 2018 with 24 students.

Interview with Information Technology

La teoría de la complejidad computacional intenta distinguir entre los problemas que pueden resolverse y los que no, y los recursos necesarios para llegar a una solución. Cuáles son sus aplicaciones según un experto canadiense.

My interview for Information Technology in Argentina, in 2008, conducted by Bruno Massare. Full article here.