The latest advancements in cloud technology for school students revolve around providing collaborative platforms, improved accessibility, and enhanced security. Here are some notable developments:
Collaborative Tools: Cloud-based platforms like Google Workspace for Education (formerly G Suite for Education) and Microsoft Office 365 Education offer various tools like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Microsoft Teams, which enable real-time collaboration among students, allowing them to work together on projects and assignments from different locations.
Virtual Classrooms: Cloud-based virtual classroom platforms such as Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams for Education, and Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) facilitate online learning by providing features like video conferencing, assignment distribution, grading, and communication tools. These platforms enhance remote learning and allow for seamless teacher-student interaction.
Cloud Storage and Accessibility: Cloud storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox offer students the ability to store their files, documents, and assignments securely in the cloud. This ensures that their data is accessible from any device with an internet connection, eliminating the need for physical storage devices and enabling easy sharing and collaboration.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration: Cloud platforms are incorporating AI capabilities to enhance learning experiences. For example, AI-powered chatbots can provide instant support and answer students’ questions, while adaptive learning platforms can personalize educational content and tailor it to each student’s needs.
Data Security and Privacy: Cloud providers are continually improving their security measures to protect student data. They implement robust encryption, access controls, and compliance measures to ensure data privacy and meet regulatory requirements, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): Cloud-based AR and VR technologies are being utilized to create immersive learning experiences. Students can explore virtual environments, conduct virtual experiments, and engage in interactive simulations that enhance their understanding of complex subjects.
Cloud-based Assessment Tools: Cloud platforms offer online assessment and grading tools that simplify the process of evaluating students’ performance. These tools can automatically grade multiple-choice questions and provide immediate feedback, saving time for teachers and providing students with timely insights.
Overall, cloud technology continues to evolve to meet the needs of school students, enabling collaborative learning, remote education, and enhanced accessibility while prioritizing security and privacy.
Excessive screen time among students can indeed have negative consequences on their academic performance, overall development and on situational awareness. Here are some specific ways it can impact them:
Came across a school incident recently. Please watch this video at the link below:
To address these concerns and promote better situational awareness among students, here are some strategies:
By promoting a balanced approach to technology use and providing opportunities for students to engage with the physical world and interact face-to-face, educators and parents can help mitigate the negative effects of excessive screen time and support students’ situational awareness.
We always strive to ensure that our student participants are aware about latest technologies and innovations, while also making sure they are aware of the potential dangers of the cyber world. We want to ensure that our student participants are digitally literate in the truest sense, so they are not only aware about the latest technology, but also know the potential dangers and how to stay safe. We are proud of all our student participants!
Today’s blog post is about the latest cybercrime that made headlines in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. This cybercrime victimized 80 people over a period of 16 days and collectively siphoned off almost 1 crore rupees (99.12 lakhs). This incident serves as a reminder that we need to be cautious before clicking on any link and be careful about sharing our personal and confidential information.
The cyber fraudsters duped 80 individuals who had their own bank accounts. They were sent messages of account deactivation or suspension due to KYC update pending or PAN card not updated, but the messages were not sent by the bank but by the fraudsters! As a result, these individuals lost money from their accounts.
Authorities have not found any data leak from the bank’s side, but they are still investigating the point of data leak that put these 80 individuals in this situation. It is uncertain whether these individuals will get their money back from the bank, as they clicked on the link without verifying and divulged their account information, despite constant warnings from banks. The Cyber Crime Unit of the Mumbai Crime Branch has taken up the case and hopes to achieve a breakthrough.
The list of individuals who were duped in this crime includes actor-politician Nagma, actor Malavika aka Shweta Menon, as well as other professionals, students, housewives, and retired senior citizens.
The Cyber Crime Unit is equipped with all the technical details to carry out the probe. They have issued warnings to customers to not panic on receiving such messages and instead get in touch with their respective banks personally instead of searching for the numbers on the internet.
The team is finding out and tracking from which subsidiary sub-lending financial institutions the data breach has occurred. They have also found the module of the organized crime syndicate involved in the fraud. However, it is too early to disclose their details. The total cases registered in the city till date tallied at 80.
In order to track down the scamsters, the Cyber Crime Unit has sought details of the 300 fake accounts and the 100 SIMs the fraudsters procured using fake documents. DCP (Mumbai-Cyber Crime) Dr. Balsing Rajput shared that no banks or financial institutions or service providers will warn anyone of the suspension of their accounts.
We hope this post helps you stay alert and safe while navigating the cyber world. Remember, always be cautious before clicking on any link and never share your personal or confidential information without verifying the source.
ChatGPT, launched on November 30, 2022 has taken the world of technology by storm. After just two months, the AI chatbot has built a base of 100 million active users. A study from investment bank UBS says that ChatGPT’s growth rate makes it one of the fastest-growing apps in history.
ChatGPT is an AI language model and an incredible technology that is revolutionizing the way we interact with machines. For junior students who are just beginning to explore the world of technology, ChatGPT is an exciting and accessible way to learn about the possibilities of this rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence.
At its core, ChatGPT is a language model that has been trained on a vast amount of data from the internet. This means that it is able to generate responses to user queries that are not only accurate but also contextually appropriate. It can converse on a wide range of topics, from science and technology to sports and entertainment, and can even help with homework assignments.
One of the great things about ChatGPT is that it is available to anyone with an internet connection, which means that students can access its vast stores of knowledge from anywhere in the world. This makes it an incredibly valuable tool for learning, as it provides students with instant access to information that would have been difficult to find otherwise.
Another important aspect of ChatGPT is its ability to adapt and learn from user interactions. As students engage with the model and ask it questions, it is able to refine its responses and become even more accurate over time. This means that the more students use ChatGPT, the more valuable it becomes as a learning tool. Hence, ChatGPT can also provide personalized recommendations based on a student’s learning history, helping them to improve their academic performance over time.
We all have done our schooling and one thing that has remained consistent throughout the past is the “Homework”. Using ChatGPT, it becomes much easier finishing the homework. For example, a student gets a homework assignment to write a 4 page essay on certain topic. Getting this done using ChatGPT will not even take a minute.
Now, some schools in the US and other countries are discouraging their students from using ChatGPT at this stage. But, some other schools are teaching their students about the tool, what to learn from it, what are the purposes they should use it for and NOT use it for, as they do not want for their students to miss out on the opportunity to use and learn about ChatGPT.
Overall, ChatGPT is an exciting and powerful technology that has the potential to transform the way we learn and interact with machines. For junior students who are just beginning to explore the world of AI, it is an accessible and user-friendly tool that can help them discover the possibilities of this rapidly evolving field. By leveraging the power of ChatGPT, students can gain access to vast stores of knowledge and explore the world in new and exciting ways.
Updated on March 16, 2023
As ChatGPT became available online, it became extremely popular and in just matter of days, almost everyone online wanted to use ChatGPT. It is often found being used at its max capacity levels and users have to wait for it to become available at times. As a result, ChatGPT Plus has been recently launched.
This is an introductory blog about Digital Rupee.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched a pilot project on digital rupee on November 1, 2022 called e-Rupee (e₹). In the first PHASE, it is valid only for the wholesale transactions for enabling large payments and settlements on the purchase and sale of government securities. Next month, RBI is planning to launch digital rupee for retail segment as well.
One may think that we are already using digital money for our daily transactions, through the means of PhonePe, GPay, Paytm etc. so some of the obvious questions that come to mind are:
Let us look at some of the facts and try to understand it better.
The e-Rupee has been issued by RBI, which is India’s Central Bank and hence this is a legal currency. This will be at par with cash, that is rupee notes and coins. So, one can say this is currency in digital form.
Being in digital form, the transactions made using it would be much faster, easier and cheaper.
However, the difference being that the digital payments that we currently make using PhonePe, GPay, Paytm etc. are done using our bank account. With each transaction we make, the app we use goes to the server of our bank, initiates the transaction, the bank server confirms the payment and then the transaction goes to the recipients’ bank account and when the receipt is confirmed by recipient’s bank account that is when finally, the transaction is completed. So, we can imagine the bank servers are always very busy dealing with millions of transactions and this scale of transactions impact the servers severely.
Now let us look at how the transaction will be processed in case of e-Rupee? Here, these will not be processed through banks but will be processed on blockchain, which offers distributed ledger technology. On Blockchain, because of the distributed ledger technology, the transactions will be processed at great speed. As a matter of fact, to use e-Rupee, we do not even need a bank account. I had explained above that e-Rupee is like cash in digital form, and when we use cash we simply use it without going to the bank.
While e-Rupee uses the Blockchain technology but it is very different from cryptocurrency. Unlike cryptocurrency, e-Rupee is issued by India’s Central Bank, the RBI and not by a private player. With cryptocurrency, any private individual can compete to mine and create value in the cryptocurrency but here, since it is issued by RBI, mining is not possible. In crypto, the value is determined by the market forces hence its value always fluctuates, whereas, with e-Rupee, there will not be any change in face value over a period. The biggest fear that lies with cryptocurrency is completely eliminated here. For example, a 2,000 Rupee worth of e-Rupee value will always be worth Rs. 2,000. And since it is issued by the RBI, it is sovereign with a guarantee for its face value.
When the e-Rupee becomes available for retail transactions, how do we get it? What we know now is that e-Rupee will be distributed entirely by Commercial Banks and that you do not need to have a bank account with the bank to transact in e-Rupee. It is understood that we will be able to withdraw digital tokens/ e-Rupee from banks in the similar way as we withdraw physical cash (except that we will not need a bank account to withdraw e-Rupee). We will see specially created electronic wallets for receiving, storing and transferring the digital rupee in the form of electronic tokens.
Now comes the smart question. Since this will be stored in an electronic wallet, what kind of interest will it offer? Sorry, but there won’t be any interest. As mentioned above, digital rupee is just a digital form of physical cash and since physical cash does not bear any interest, e-Rupee will also not bear any interest.
Now, is it mandatory to switch to e-Rupee once RBI launches it for retail transactions? The answer is No. e-Rupee will coexist along with the other forms of digital payments and also along with physical form of rupee like currency notes and coins. There is absolutely no compulsion to convert to e-Rupee.
So then what are the benefits for switching to e-Rupee?
Let us extend a warm welcome to e-Rupee for wholesale transactions and look forward to welcome the launch of e-Rupee for retail transactions.
The company Meta, previously called Facebook, owns four of the most popular social media platforms worldwide, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram. This post is focused on Facebook.
In the first quarter of 2022, Facebook took action on 1.6 billion fake accounts, In the first quarter of 2019, a record figure of approximately 2.2 billion fake accounts were removed by the social media platform.
In India alone, there are nearly 239.65 million Facebook users, making it the leading country in terms of Facebook audience size. So, one can imagine, the larger the user base, the larger is the number of scammers.
The vast majority of those deleted accounts were automated accounts that are often created by software programs. We all know that bots have been used for years to manipulate people. The good news is that in recent years, Facebook, Twitter and other tech companies have gotten much better at catching bots.
However, the challenge still lies when real humans create the fake accounts. In such cases, these social media companies have a much harder time catching them because such accounts are hard to identify, as they do not carry the same revealing digital signs of a bot. Approaches to find such accounts remain imperfect. So, what can we do about it?
This means WE MUST OWN RESPONSIBILITY TO STAY SAFE. Here are some tips that can help you identify fake Facebook profiles.
FIRST & FOREMOST: TRUST BUT VERIFY
This means Do Not talk to strangers online. If you do not know them or recognize them, DO NOT accept friend request. These fake accounts would generally have an attractive photo because attractive photos entice people to befriend the account.
DO A REVERSE IMAGE SEARCH
If you want to know more, then the best way to identify a fake Facebook profile is to save the profile photo, and then do a reverse image search using https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=EN or www.tineye.com, and there are few more options that you may use to do a reverse image search. Doing so would reveal if the profile photo is real or fake? Such an exercise will show all the places where the photo has been used and it will be easy for you to spot if the profile photo is real or fake.
SEEING YOUR FRIENDS ALREADY BEING FRIENDS WITH STRANGER’S ACCOUNT DOES NOT MEAN ACCOUNT IS REAL
It is also important to remember that if you find such accounts already friends with your friends, it does not mean the accounts is genuine or real. Please know that fake accounts can connect with your friends as well as you. If you are unsure about an account, DO NOT accept the friend request, but send a message and enquire how does this person know you or where did you meet? Chances are such accounts will never respond, and if you do get a response, verify the correctness of the response.
Some of the other ways to spot a fake profile are:
Remember, you can identify fake accounts, just stay alert!
Digital literacy- a term of immense relevance in the present. According to the UNICEF, it refers to the knowledge, skills and attitudes that allow one to be both safe and empowered in an increasingly digital world. The present scenario of digitalization broadly includes learning, researching, socializing and participating. With almost all aspects of education being covered digitally, digital literacy plays a vital role. One should be digitally literate to not only use the internet wisely but to use it with safety too. Cyber safety, hence is also an important aspect of being a digital literate. An individual needs to be cautious and alert of the various cyber-crimes/ threats that he/ she might be exposed to, while making use of the internet. As correctly said by the UNICEF, digital literacy allows one to be both safe and empowered in this digital World. While most of us are aware of how we are digitally empowered, many do not know how their safety is a threat.
Digital literacy is not just a requirement, but a right. Hence the present generations must make themselves literate and educated enough to be aware of all facets of this term called ‘digital literacy’. In a World dominated by internet and surfing skills, we ought to make ourselves both, empowered and safe! While empowering ourself we should never neglect the most important feature of this digital World to “Be Safe”.
As today we all know that without technology we could not survive during this pandemic only technology made our lives go smooth, and this has made us get over from this toughest time of the century. Online classes made our students learn new aspects of life in new dimension. All the offices work 24 X 7 with the work from home feature and saved on the electricity and other office cost as per other basic needs there.
New learning from home research, Innovation and creation displayed its new dimension with the technical proficient staff and workaholics. Teaching learning and self-development has opened new windows for every innovator with the help of Communication Collaboration and Participation.
While learning, Innovating and achieving through Digital Literacy ones digital Identity should be always kept safe as it’s the concern of their wellbeing and safety and security.
Ms. Ritu Kaushik
Multimedia Professional
Bluebells School International
New Delhi, 110048
You work for an organization and you get a legitimate looking email asking you to click on a link to install a critical “IT Update”. What should you do? Decide after reading the following blog.
Let the story of TV 9 Channel unfold.
It happened on March 28, 2021, a Sunday afternoon. Australian Channel 9 TV posted a tweet which indicated that it was under a cyber-attack. This attack rendered them unable to broadcast their popular weekend show “‘NRL Sunday Footy Show”.
This attack affected Channel 9 TV network’s ability to “produce its news and current affairs content”. Later in an article, Channel 9 News had described the outage as a sophisticated and calculated attack that fundamentally disrupted how the network delivered and presented news.
The technology that brings you 9 News every night is under attack by hackers.
Whether it’s criminal sabotage or the work of a foreign nation is still being investigated, but this attack could reveal a nationwide vulnerability. @MarkWBurrows #9News pic.twitter.com/YL8l1DLNVV
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) March 28, 2021
Thankfully, Channel 9 had an in-house business continuity plan in place which made it possible to air all predetermined broadcasts while they continued dealing with the situation.
The big question is, what had happened and how did it happen?
Media reports indicated a malware spread through devices at Channel 9’s Sydney headquarters, which affected data and production systems.
Malware is a computer software such as a virus that the target does not know about or want and is designed with the purpose of damaging the targeted computer or computer network works
Media at the time also reported through its very credible sources that the attacker(s) had acquired access to the headquarters even before that Sunday. A possibility was mentioned that fake “IT Updates” were sent to users’ at the headquarters and when they clicked on that link to install an update/repair, the malware was installed.
One kind of malware is, Ransomware. Ransomware attacks the target computer or network and it locks down the data and the systems on the network until a ransom is paid. The cyber-attack on Channel 9 had all traits matching a ransomware attack.
Ransomware attacks often start with a phishing attack, in which large numbers of emails/messages are sent to users at an organization. Phishing emails are designed to look like they are coming from a legitimate source and in an attempt to further make it look credible, the emails/messages often include seemingly privileged information like user’s names, departments etc.
Once installed, ransomware generally encrypts all important data, including important files and even entire systems, leaving them inaccessible by the users. Ransomware often targets emails and commonly used file types such as Pdf files, Spreadsheets, Presentations, and/or Word documents.
Very often the attackers have financial motive, and they typically demand for a ransom in exchange for releasing the locked-out data. Once a ransom is paid, they typically release a “key” to unlock the data.
Avoiding Ransomware Attack
Firstly, it is important to stop such attacks and for the purpose, it is very important for all organizations to make sure their network is secure and there are no vulnerabilities through which attacker(s) can acquire access to the network, to systems and to users/devices.
Secondly, it is also important to educate the staff on the dangers of clicking on links without making sure it is coming from a genuine source.
Thirdly, it is important to have an in-house business continuity plan in place.
In case of an attack, in-house continuity plan needs to be initiated, backups will need to be retrieved, and specific vulnerabilities needs to be identified and fixed/repaired immediately.
CyberLearning Educational Society (CES) is a NGO arm of India CyberLearning Pvt Ltd., which is a Global Training Partner of Microsoft and is a group of committed individuals who are problem-solvers & leaders, who want to create a lasting change and want to empower & secure every child through digital literacy for success in 21st century global economy.
For more than 15 years, CES has contributed to the cause of digital literacy through partnerships with National and Global NGOs and Foundations.
