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Google Classroom is using AI to help children learn in a whole new way
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Google has announced a new feature for its online learning platform that will provide students with a more personal learning experience through interactive lessons and real-time feedback.

With practice sets in Google Classroom, educators will be able to transform their teaching content into interactive assignments while an autograding tool will help them save time so that they can focus on the needs of their students instead of being bogged down with paperwork. At the same time, practice sets can help teachers figure out which concepts require more instruction time and determine what students need extra support.

As students complete practice sets, they get real-time feedback so that they can know whether or not they're on the right track. For instance, if a student is struggling to solve a problem, they can get hints through both visual explainers and videos. Then when they get the answer correct, practice sets uses fun animations and confetti to celebrate their success.

According to a new blog post, Google is currently in the process of testing out practice sets with some schools ahead of the feature's beta launch in the coming months. Once practice sets become available in Google Classroom, any educator with the Teaching and Learning Upgrade or educational institution using Google Workspace for Education Plus will be able to test them out.

Adaptive learning technology

The concept of adaptive learning has been around for decades and refers to a type of learning where students receive customized resources and activities to address their unique learning needs.

Now though, thanks to recent AI advances in language models and video understanding, Google is working to incorporate adaptive learning technology into Google Classroom through practice sets. Adaptive learning technology also saves teachers time and provides data to help them understand the learning processes and patterns of their students. 

Read More

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> HP reveals new rugged devices for learning anywhere

> How online learning platforms can help solve the skills shortage

In a separate blog post, Google explained that a teacher testing out practice sets likened the new feature to having a teaching assistant in the classroom at all times. This is because the technology provides students with one-on-one attention and validation so that they know right away whether or not they got a problem correct. Practice sets also helped drive both student motivation and engagement.

Now that Google is adding AI capabilities to Google Classroom, expect the search giant to add even more automation to its online learning platform going forward.

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Using YouTube Vanced on Android? Google has taken it down
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A popular third-party app of YouTube has been taken down by Google, due to a legal challenge by the company, which allowed users to block ads without a Premium subscription.

YouTube Vanced was able to block any ads that would play before, during, and after a video you had planned on watching. As it was available on Android, the app could be used on Amazon Fire TV devices, handhelds running Google's OS, and more.

But while you can still use the app if you already have it installed on your device, it won't see future updates.

The Vanced website instead highlights web extensions that you can install to almost mimic the app's intention without purchasing a YouTube Premium subscription that does these features officially. But this only highlights the issues with YouTube's paid service.

Analysis: YouTube Premium needs more choice

Advertisements are part of the YouTube experience – they always have been in one way or another. But in the last few years, ads have changed from being a short break, into an irritating distraction.

There was a time when you would usually see an ad begin at the start of the video, but now they're essentially anywhere in the video.

You might click on one video for example, and be greeted with an 'Ad starting in 5..4..3..' right away, alongside when you're clicking on different timestamps of the video.

YouTube Premium UK pricing

(Image credit: YouTube)

It can be very annoying, and while this can be avoided with a YouTube Premium subscription at $ 11.99 / £11.99 / AU$ 14.99 a month, many users simply don't want to pay this amount just to block ads.

With this subscription, you get YouTube Music, downloads, and background play included. While these are welcome features, they're features that users don't want to try.

But there's yet to be a tier where you just want to solely block ads. This seems like an easy win for YouTube, yet there's no way of signing up to a simple tier that only blocks ads.

It's why there have been popular third-party apps and web extensions that have fulfilled this need, and for free. But with Google only seeing legal reasons for these methods and not other ways to appease these users, there's little chance of seeing different Premium tiers in the near future.

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Using YouTube Vanced on Android? Google has taken it down
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A popular third-party app of YouTube has been taken down by Google, due to a legal challenge by the company, which allowed users to block ads without a Premium subscription.

YouTube Vanced was able to block any ads that would play before, during, and after a video you had planned on watching. As it was available on Android, the app could be used on Amazon Fire TV devices, handhelds running Google's OS, and more.

But while you can still use the app if you already have it installed on your device, it won't see future updates.

The Vanced website instead highlights web extensions that you can install to almost mimic the app's intention without purchasing a YouTube Premium subscription that does these features officially. But this only highlights the issues with YouTube's paid service.

Analysis: YouTube Premium needs more choice

Advertisements are part of the YouTube experience – they always have been in one way or another. But in the last few years, ads have changed from being a short break, into an irritating distraction.

There was a time when you would usually see an ad begin at the start of the video, but now they're essentially anywhere in the video.

You might click on one video for example, and be greeted with an 'Ad starting in 5..4..3..' right away, alongside when you're clicking on different timestamps of the video.

YouTube Premium UK pricing

(Image credit: YouTube)

It can be very annoying, and while this can be avoided with a YouTube Premium subscription at $ 11.99 / £11.99 / AU$ 14.99 a month, many users simply don't want to pay this amount just to block ads.

With this subscription, you get YouTube Music, downloads, and background play included. While these are welcome features, they're features that users don't want to try.

But there's yet to be a tier where you just want to solely block ads. This seems like an easy win for YouTube, yet there's no way of signing up to a simple tier that only blocks ads.

It's why there have been popular third-party apps and web extensions that have fulfilled this need, and for free. But with Google only seeing legal reasons for these methods and not other ways to appease these users, there's little chance of seeing different Premium tiers in the near future.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

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Using Instagram’s time limit? Your sessions are about to double in length
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Instagram has been beefing up its usage features in recent years by giving parents additional control over their sons and daughters' accounts, while also allowing users to set limits on how long they can use the app every day.

As reported by TechCrunch, the company has doubled its usage options from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, before you're greeted with a screen that limits you to use the app further for the rest of that day.

While it was assumed that this was because of new efforts by Meta, Instagram's parent company, to increase the time that users are on the app due to falling revenue, it's been dismissed by Instagram, explaining that the reason for the time increase was to give users additional time to manage their notifications.

However, while the feature can be difficult to find by going to Profile > Activity > Time Spent > Set time limit, there are other alternatives that could help limit your social media apps to any time you want on your device.

Analysis: there's better alternatives to controlling your usage

If you have an iPhone, you can use ScreenTime, a built-in feature of iOS that allows you to limit any app you have installed on your device. This can be limited to a certain time of day, or you can set a time limit. If you have more than one Apple device on the same AppleID account, you can apply these limits to all of your devices, thanks to iCloud.

But it's limited to your apps – ScreenTime doesn't currently allow you to extend your usage limits to the websites you visit. Apps like Ochi will be able to do this and will filter out certain sites if you try to go onto a social media site for example.

Android has its own take on this called Digital Wellbeing. This can do the same functions as ScreenTime, where you can set daily time limits to any app that's installed, except for website addresses.

These can easily replace Instagram's usage features, as they're arguably harder to find.

See more

You may occasionally spot a time when you're scrolling down your feed, and it prompts you that you've checked all the newest posts. But for usage limit options it's still hidden away.

While the increase in usage times makes sense, on one hand, there's no reason why Instagram could make another option available to set a custom time for all users, and in an area of the app where it's easier to spot.

But while the minimum is 30 minutes for the app, there's no reason why you can't use ScreenTime, Digital Wellbeing, and third-party options like Ochi to set your own time, regardless.

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I used to think I was too old for TikTok, but now I’m using it for wedding ideas
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This week (February 18) marks two years since I was engaged, and since then my devices have been full of apps containing ideas for every part of the wedding.

From the flowers to the colors of the tables at the Wedding Reception we had sorted out plans for everything – putting in a level of work would make you wish you eloped and dealt with the family fallout soon after they find out.

But we had been struggling with some music ideas – especially for when our guests are finding their seats, and unfortunately, my idea of a track from Metal Gear Solid was rejected.

This is where TikTok came to the rescue for me, where discovering artists with covers and their own spin on other tracks has made us both completely redo the Wedding playlist, both for the church and the Wedding reception.

A For You page of Wedding ideas

For those unaware, TikTok is an endless vertical scroll of videos, that its algorithm sources from its millions of users. It could be clips of TV shows from the 90s, or 'life hacks' of how to clean the grill in your oven to name just two of the countless examples of what you can find.

But if you're looking for something specific without the algorithm trying to find something for you, it's the Discover page that shines here.

Typing in 'covers' or 'mashup' brings you a bunch of results of songs that you didn't think would ever work, but they do. This particular track is something that my fiance and I are already planning on using for the day.

@veggibeats

♬ Only girl in september – veggibeats

It's content that I've never found on other social platforms. Facebook is less of a feed and more of photos and 'announcements' from those you've not spoken to in years, while Instagram is more about looking at Instagram Stories to pass the time, regardless of its efforts into short-form video as of late.

But TikTok scratches an itch I didn't know I had – where creators are giving me ideas to use for one of the most important days of my life. It's an app that, at the moment anyway, doesn't cause unnecessary discourse for certain topics, or shoehorns in paid options as I'm scrolling through Gayle and Notorious B.I.G. covers.

The app is already at the front of my iPhone home screen because of this, and once the wedding is accomplished – if there are more covers to as good as the above to find – it's not a stretch to think it may keep me around for a good while longer.

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Facial recognition will soon be optional for government agencies using ID.me
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The identity verification company ID.me has announced that it will make facial recognition verification optional for public sector government partners.

The Virginia-based company recently made headlines after the IRS revealed its plans to require US taxpayers to submit a video selfie in order to create an account on its website. However, following backlash from citizens,  privacy advocates and lawmakers, the government agency has since backtracked on these plans.

In a press release, founder and CEO of ID.me, Blake Hall explained that the company will now provide public sector employees working for the government with a new option to verify their identities, saying:

“We have listened to the feedback about facial recognition and are making this important change, adding an option for users to verify directly with a human agent to ensure consumers have even more choice and control over their personal data.”

Not a biometrics company

ID.me will now give government agency employees the option to verify their identity with an expert human agent as opposed to having to submit a video selfie.

At the same time, beginning on March 1, all of the company's users will be able to delete their video selfies or photos. This is good news due to the fact that if ID.me were to fall victim to a data breach or even suffer a data leak, employees who used its identity verification service could be at high risk of identity theft as cybercriminals would have access to a great deal of their personal information.

Read more

> IRS drops use of facial recognition for ID verification

> Many Americans aren't aware they're being tracked with facial recognition while shopping

> Thousands of US government agencies using facial recognition without permission

In its press release, ID.me also pointed out that it is an identity verification company and not a biometrics company. So far, the company's trained agents have already verified the identities of over 3m Americans including the unbanked, homeless and international users. During the pandemic, law enforcement and government agencies also employed ID.me's services to prevent criminals from committing unemployment fraud.

While the IRS has dropped its plans to implement identity verification for US taxpayers, the government agency could reverse course in the future.

Via Gizmodo

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Using Gmail on iPhone should now finally be a lot easier
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Google has unveiled a number of updates and upgrades for Apple devices, including a selection of new tools for Google Meet and Gmail on iPhone and iPad.

The new Google Workspace additions include a homescreen widget for Gmail, which means users will be quickly able to view, edit and reply to emails when on the move.

Rolling out now having first been announced back in November 2021, Gmail version 6.0.211226 now includes a new “Email updates” widget that gives speedy access to your messages without needing to open up the full app – useful if you're dashing to a meeting or hopping on a train. 

Gmail on the go

Google notes that the new widget will give users access to the senders and subject lines of your most recent emails right on your Home Screen.

It joins the existing “Quick email actions” homescreen item, and will also allow users the option to compose new messages immediately – and even be available in dark mode.

The other significant addition is picture-in-picture mode for Google Meet, allowing users to have multiple apps open and displaying when on a video conferencing call, which could be extremely useful for workplace users.

Going forward, iPhone and iPad users can dial in to a meeting on their device, but also be able to forward an email, share a document or just do some extra research whilst the call is continuing. Navigating outside of Google Meet will minimize the app, which can be resized or moved around the Home Screen however you like. 

“If you use Google apps to get work done on your iPhone or iPad, we’re making some improvements to help you stay organized and productive,” Luke Wroblewski, Director, iOS at Google, wrote in a blog post.

“We hope you enjoy these new features…and that they help make it easier to get your work done on iOS devices.”

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Retailers using WooCommerce are the next target for Magecart card skimmer attacks
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Three new Magecart attacks are taking advantage of potential vulnerabilities in the WooCommerce ecommerce platform, experts have warned.

Discovered by RiskIQ, the vulnerabilities target retailers using third-party themes and tools to integrate into  WooCommerce pages that are particularly prone to Magecart risk.

As a result, many consumers are potentially vulnerable to having credit card details stolen ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Magecart threat 

Further research by Barn2, a software company that specializes in WooCommerce products and WordPress, found that WooCommerce represents 29% of the top one million websites using ecommerce technologies. This exceeds five million active installs of the free plugin as of early 2021.

WooCommerce is notably popular because it is a free to use and easily customisable WordPress plugin. 

“WooCommerce users are often small and medium-sized businesses, sometimes considered the most vulnerable, as they lack resources for complex and highly-vetted third-party tools. As we've seen over the years, both small and large retailers can be the targets of Magecart skimming,” RiskIQ wrote in its blog post.

In a typical Magecart attack, threat actors use a vulnerability and weaknesses in an ecommerce platform to inject a malicious code that skims online payment forms to intercept the payment information of unsuspecting customers.

As these third-party tools integrate with thousands of websites, when one supplier is compromised, Magecart has effectively breached thousands of sites at once.

RiskIQ's detection of skimmers and other malware shows the innumerable ways threat actors gain access, deploy, and hide their tools on victim websites and advice site operations to regularly inspect their crontab commands for strange contents, ensure that access permissions are correct, and audit file access to it.

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Microsoft accused of using Windows to push OneDrive and Teams over rivals
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A coalition of software and cloud companies has filed a complaint with the European Commission (EC) against Microsoft's anti-competitive behavior of bundling its OneDrive cloud storage, Teams, and other services with Windows 10 and Windows 11.

The Coalition for a Level Playing Field includes several European Union (EU)-based companies led by open source hosted cloud storage vendor Nextcloud.

“This is quite similar to what Microsoft did when it killed competition in the [web] browser market, stopping nearly all browser innovation for over a decade. Copy an innovators' product, bundle it with your own dominant product and kill their business, then stop innovating,” says Frank Karlitschek, CEO and founder of Nextcloud.

Big Tech 

Arguing that Microsoft’s behavior is bad for the consumers, the coalition has asked the EC to enforce a level playing field for all the players, and ensure that Microsoft doesn’t leverage its dominant market position in the operating system sector to drive out competition in other segments.

Besides Nextcloud, the coalition includes several prominent open source, and non-profit organizations, such as European DIGITAL SME Alliance, the Document Foundation, and the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE).

On their homepage, the coalition suggests that the anti-competitive behaviour of Big Tech is not only killing competition, but in doing so is harming the consumers and business. 

“Microsoft is integrating [Microsoft] 365 deeper and deeper in their service and software portfolio, including Windows. OneDrive is pushed wherever users deal with file storage and Teams is a default part of Windows 11. This makes it nearly impossible to compete with their SaaS [Software-as-a-Service] services,” reasons the coalition.

To further drive home the point, it argues that while Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have grown their market share to 66% in the EU, the share of local providers has contracted from 26% to 16%. 

If you looking to make you business data omnipresent, these are the best business cloud storage services

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