Computing in the News
Tips and Options for Using Computing News in Class
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- Present a current news story about a computing innovation (including a video if there is one), then ask the students what they think about it, what computer science concepts are involved, and what the positive and negative implications are.
- Once you’ve modeled the process several times, you can ask students to bring stories to the group.
- Can be used as a five-minute bellringer every day, or save news for Fridays and give it more time.
- If the discussion is going well, let it continue!
- It can be easy — maybe a little too easy — to highlight the positive elements of a new innovation (especially when news stories are based on press releases!). So it’s important for students to see the negative (often unintended) implications as well — and to put some thought into how potential negative consequences could be prevented or mitigated.
Why Use News?
Highlights from the news make a great attention-grabber at the beginning of class, and provide handy concrete examples for thinking about the global impacts of computing. (In fact, there’s a move to use news in all undergrad CS classes at UC Berkeley!)
Three Ways to Find Computing News
News Stories Curated for CSP by TGI (this page)
2016-17 news highlights that demonstrate computing impacts. Each one lists relevant CSP learning objectives and essential knowledge, along with suggested discussion questions. Scroll article snippets or search by CSP framework tag.
Ongoing TGI “Computing in The News” Forum
Uncurated news spotted by our site users, and comments on our curated news articles. Peruse, or join in and share a story! (Forum RSS feed)
Current Uncurated News from Other Sources
Some of our favorite live news feeds: ACM Tech News, MIT News, Science Daily.
News Stories Curated for CSP by TGI
2016-17 Highlights
(Team TGI: Anna Clark, Tyler Daniell, Michael Morguarge, Nnamdi Onwumere, and Jonathan Corley at University of West Georgia and Julia Bernd at ICSI)
Search our 2016-17 Curated News Stories by CSP Framework Tag
Ongoing TGI “Computing in The News” Forum
Uncurated news spotted by our site users, community contributions, and comments on our curated news articles. Peruse or join in and share a story!
Current Uncurated News from Other Sources
Some of our favorite sources for computing news!
From ACM Tech News
- Climate Summit Embraces AI, with ReservationsThe New York TimesCOP28, the United Nations (U.N.) climate summit, opened last week in Dubai with a host of events and announcements centered on artificial intelligence (AI), touting its ability to process vast quantities of information and produce insights and efficiencies that far exceed what computers and data scientists have been able to do. The […]
- Photonic Chip 'Fits Together Like Lego'The University of Sydney (Australia)A compact silicon photonic semiconductor chip developed by researchers at Australia's University of Sydney Nano Institute and Australian National University significantly expands radio-frequency (RF) bandwidth and potentially could be used in advanced radar, satellite systems, wireless networks, and 6G and 7G telecommunications. The chip was developed using heterogenous materials integration, a […]
- Maghreb Farmers Embrace Drones to Fight Climate ChangeVoice of America NewsLocal farmers are using a drone from Tunisian startup RoboCare to help adapt to years of drought and erratic weather patterns caused by climate change in the Maghreb (a region comprised of western and central North Africa, which includes Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia). The drone, equipped with a multi-lens camera […]
From MIT News
- AI accelerates problem-solving in complex scenarios December 5, 2023A new, data-driven approach could lead to better solutions for tricky optimization problems like global package routing or power grid operation.Adam Zewe | MIT News
- High school students gain skills by working on digital learning materials November 30, 2023MIT Digital Learning Lab and Empowr pilot a new internship program.Stefanie Koperniak | Katherine Ouellette | MIT Open Learning
- A new optimization framework for robot motion planning November 30, 2023MIT CSAIL researchers established new connections between combinatorial and continuous optimization, which can find global solutions for complex motion-planning puzzles.Alex Shipps | MIT CSAIL
- What does the future hold for generative AI? November 29, 2023Rodney Brooks, co-founder of iRobot, kicks off an MIT symposium on the promise and potential pitfalls of increasingly powerful AI tools like ChatGPT.Adam Zewe | MIT News
From Science Daily
- Optical data storage breakthrough December 4, 2023Physicists have developed a technique with the potential to enhance optical data storage capacity in diamonds. This is possible by multiplexing the storage in the spectral domain.
- New wearable communication system offers potential to reduce digital health divide December 4, 2023Researchers developed a wearable device that can transmit health data 2,400 times the distance of Wi-Fi without significant network infrastructure.
- Snail-inspired robot could scoop ocean microplastics December 4, 2023Inspired by a small and slow snail, scientists have developed a robot protype that may one day scoop up microplastics from the surfaces of oceans, seas and lakes.