‘Design Squad Global’ Hooks Up US, Africa Kids in STEM Exchange

Posted March 11th, 2016 at 11:05 am (UTC-5)
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Girls in the 'Design Squad Global Club' at SOS Children’s Village school in Mbabane, Swaziland build a waste bin to reduce litter around their school. (WGBH Educational Foundation)

Girls in the ‘Design Squad Global Club’ at SOS Children’s Village school in Mbabane, Swaziland built a waste bin to reduce litter around their school. (WGBH Educational Foundation)

In an increasingly digitized world, cultivating a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) mindset is crucial to mint a new generation of makers who understand unmet global needs. One partnership is looking to do that by building bridges between U.S. and southern African kids to give STEM skills a boost.

Using after-school programs or “clubs,” Design Squad Global (DSG), an online hub, matches U.S. kids 8-13-years-old with their counterparts in Swaziland, Botswana and South Africa to design engineering projects, collaborate, and gain an understanding of each other.

“We have eight sites in southern Africa and eight sites in the U.S. where … after-school programs have been matched up,” said DSG Executive Producer Marisa Wolsky in an interview.

The south African region, while recognizing the importance of early STEM education for economic growth and global competitiveness, has “a critical lack of curriculum time, teaching expertise and resources for STEM,” said DSG’s Southern African Facilitator Dylan Busa in an email.

DSG promotes “global competency” and gives kids “the engineering skills they need,” said Wolsky. But its priority is to expose children to the design process and teach them how to solve related  problems. “There are many solutions to a problem rather than one right answer,” she said. “That’s another big thing we try to promote.”

The 10-week program is the result of a partnership between Boston’s public broadcaster WGBH, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the global development organization FHI360.

FHI360, which maintains a presence in 60 low-to-middle-income countries and helps to identify local needs and feasible solutions for DSG, is piloting programs to provide kids in southern Africa with more STEM opportunities.

Reality checks

Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the initiative promotes teamwork and creative problem-solving. At the same time, children “gain new perspectives and the ability to communicate and collaborate with people with different cultures,” said Valentine Kass, Program Director at NSF’s Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings.

The process of sharing solutions and exchanging feedback gives children a unique cross-cultural learning opportunity, where partner clubs often realize very quickly how different the needs are in other countries.

'Design Squad Global' kids at the Phatsimong Youth Center in Gaborone, Botswana build a mouse trap-inspired pill dispenser. The contraption is meant to help kids remember to take their pills in a country with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. (WGBH Educational Foundation)

‘Design Squad Global’ kids at the Phatsimong Youth Center in Gaborone, Botswana build a mouse trap-inspired pill dispenser. The contraption is meant to help kids remember to take their pills in a country with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. (WGBH Educational Foundation)

Project designs often reflect those needs, with children from Botswana, for example, where there is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, creating “a daily medication toy” to remind kids to take their medicine.

Working with lower-income kids also returned some interesting findings about how little children in the United States and South Africa, for example, knew about each other’s cultures before they began collaborating through DSG.

“The South African kids thought the [U.S.] kids … would all be rich, they would all be really, really, really smart,” said Wolsky. “And they learned that, actually no, they have challenges in their community just as they do.”

Participating children in Sweto, South Africa, were surprised to learn that English was not the first language of the kids they were matched with in the U.S. And children in the United States, where crafting materials are readily available, also knew very little about the unmet needs of their African counterparts.

This is particularly true of southern Africa, said Busa, where there are “significant shortages in equipment” and trained teachers, both of which account for low enrollment in some STEM fields.

Mindful of shortages, DSG tries to ensure that the materials needed for the children’s projects are accessible and offers alternatives if they are not. “So for instance,’ said Wolsky, “when a group built their emergency shelters in the U.S., they used wooden planks and … plastic sheeting. And in … South Africa, they used bamboo rods.”

Design Squad Global is still in its pilot phase. But it is set to expand to other countries and build new partnerships in the fall. This is a crucial step in an increasingly interconnected world, said Wolsky, particularly for U.S. kids who might not know enough about the rest of the world, and for kids in developing regions facing challenges in STEM education.

For southern Africa, the biggest need in STEM education is for “clear and actionable policy,” said Busa. That means coming up with a well-articulated curricula that receive adequate instructional time, highly skilled STEM educators who can foster creativity, exploration, experimentation, and digital technology and internet bandwidth resources.

“If we are going to create engineers of the future,” added Wolsky, “the only way to do that is to get them to understand that we live in a global world and that whatever you design or build needs to have that global context in order for it to ultimately be useful.”

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Google AI Wins Second Go Match; Future Hacks Could Cause Injuries

Posted March 10th, 2016 at 11:57 am (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

South Korean professional Go player Lee Sedol reviews the match himself after losing the second match of the Google DeepMind Challenge Match to Google's artificial intelligence program, AlphaGo in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2016. (AP)

South Korean professional Go player Lee Sedol reviews the match he just lost in the Google DeepMind Challenge to Google’s artificial intelligence program, AlphaGo, in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2016. (AP)

Google’s AI Wins Pivotal Second Game in Match With Go Grandmaster

AlphaGo, Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) program, won a second round in the ancient Chinese board game Go against grandmaster Lee Sedol. No machine has ever beaten humans at Go, a complex strategy game where players vie for more ground. AlphaGo needs only one more victory to claim the tournament.

DeepMind Founder Demis Hassabis on How AI Will Shape the Future

Google’s AlphaGo program is only one part of the company’s artificial intelligence efforts. The company’s DeepMind division, which has been developing a neural network to emulate – and exceed – human learning, has ambitious plans for the future that could go beyond board games to medicine and healthcare.

Trend Micro: Cyber-attacks Could Lead to Injuries, Fatalities

A new report from cybersecurity firm Trend Micro warns that hack attacks increasingly targeting businesses could ultimately lead to injuries and perhaps fatalities. The company’s Annual Security Roundup report cites autonomous cars as an example. Hackers could potentially take command of driverless cars in the middle of traffic, thereby endangering public safety.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Computer AI Trounces Go Champ; UN Slams UK Web Snooping

Posted March 9th, 2016 at 12:40 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

South Korea's Lee Sedol (R), the world's top Go player, shakes hands with Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind Technologies and developer of AlphaGO, after a news conference ahead of matches against Google's artificial intelligence program AlphaGo, in Seoul, South Korea, March 8, 2016. Go is an ancient Chinese board game, where players battle for more ground. (Reuters)

South Korea’s Lee Sedol (R), the world’s top Go player, shakes hands with Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind Technologies and developer of AlphaGO, after a news conference ahead of matches against Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo, in Seoul, South Korea, March 8, 2016. Go is an ancient Chinese board game, where players battle for more ground. (Reuters)

Computer 1, Human 0 as Google’s AI Wins First Game in Go Challenge

And the battle is on. Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) program has soundly beaten professional South Korean Go master Lee Se-dol in their first face-off. Google’s DeepMind’s AlphaGo made a clean 5-0 sweep in the first round of the complicated strategy board game. The competition is being heralded as a test of ongoing efforts to create machines that are smarter than humans. A $1 million prize is at stake.

UN Slams UK Government Web Surveillance Plans as Disproportionate, Intrusive

Britain’s Investigatory Powers Bill, which expands police powers to collect data, has come under fire again, this time from the United Nations’ special rapporteur on privacy, Joseph A. Cannataci. Dubbed the Snooper’s Charter by critics, Cannataci said the bill is disproportionate and threatens the spirit of privacy. His report on the state of privacy in 2016 can be found here.

Microsoft Is Beating Apple in Key Battle for Future of Computing

The prevalence of mobile devices in the past few years has hit the desktop PC market hard. And now the tablet market is also shrinking. Meanwhile future PCs are taking shape, becoming detachable and portable. Writer Matt Weinberger argues that Microsoft is currently better poised than Apple to take advantage of the detachable evolution.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Giving Women in Tech Their Due; Wearable Mobility for the Blind

Posted March 8th, 2016 at 12:10 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

FILE - President Barack Obama presents the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Yvonne C. Brill, RCA Astro Electronics, Oct. 21, 2011, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP)

FILE – President Barack Obama presents the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Yvonne C. Brill, RCA Astro Electronics, Oct. 21, 2011, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP)

Why Have We Always Dissed Women in Tech?

Decorated rocket scientist Yvonne Brill’s obit in 2013 focused more on her cooking and her family culture than on the propulsion system she invented to keep satellites in orbit. And that’s just one example that reflects what writer Richard Nieva calls “society’s tendency to trivialize, ignore or just plain deny women’s contributions to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).”

Toyota Developing Wearable Mobility Device for Blind and Visually-impaired

Known primarily for making cars, Toyota is branching into other technological areas. A new device by the Japanese automaker, which can be worn around the shoulders, is intended to provide users with more information so that they are better able to navigate their surroundings. For instance, it allows visually-impaired users to identify amenities stairs, exits and the like.

Tim Cook’s Apple: Clash Over iPhone Redefines Steve Jobs’ Company

Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly stressed his commitment to customer privacy. But now, against the backdrop of his company’s ongoing battle with the U.S. government over encrypted iPhones, Cook is emerging as a leading corporate advocate of privacy and social issues, in contrast to his predecessor, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Pay to Unlock Ransomware

Posted March 4th, 2016 at 10:51 am (UTC-5)
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Attackers using ransomware encrypt files on mobile devices or PCs and lock out their users until they comply with a demand to pay ransom. (Ted Benson for VOA)

Attackers using ransomware encrypt files on mobile devices or PCs and lock out their users until they comply with a demand to pay ransom. (Ted Benson for VOA)

Ransomware attacks are becoming more frequent, more sophisticated and harder to detect. And unprepared victims are often all too willing to pay the ransom to expedite the return of their hijacked files, effectively extending an invitation to future extortionists.

Earlier this month, two German hospitals were targeted with ransomware attacks. That was around the same time California’s Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid cybercriminals who encrypted its files a $17,000 bitcoin ransom to regain control of the hospital’s computer systems.

If You Pay Ransom

  • There is no guarantee you will get your data back
  • There is no guarantee the data will be restored
  • There is no guarantee the data was not exported elsewhere
             eSentire’s Eldon Sprickerhoff

Paying the ransom typically is not recommended, although victims often choose to pay. Unfortunately, it is probably the fastest, most efficient way to regain control of hijacked data. But it also adds “fuel to the fire,” said Eldon Sprickerhoff, Chief Security Strategist at eSentire.

That does not necessarily mean that a paying victim could be targeted twice, said Steve Wallace, VP Operations at ThreatSTOP. But paying the ransom could whet the criminals’ appetite for more money.

“I’m not so sure they would intentionally try to exploit the same victim,” he added, “but if the same victim fell into the same trap, I’m sure they’d take advantage. More likely, they’ll pass on a paying victim’s information as a qualified lead to another criminal for exploitation.”

In the absence of a good backup, the alternative is to pay up. In the hospital scenario, for example the disruption would have caused “severe performance delays for months [working with a paper system in the meantime], while critical patients cannot get immediate or quick treatment,” said Sprickerhoff.

The Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center is pictured in Los Angeles, California, Feb. 16, 2016. The FBI is investigating a cyber attack that crippled the hospital's electronic database for days, forcing doctors to rely on telephones and fax machines to relay patient information. (Reuters)

The Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center is pictured in Los Angeles, California, Feb. 16, 2016. The FBI is investigating a cyberattack that crippled the hospital’s electronic database for days, forcing doctors to rely on telephones and fax machines to relay patient information. (Reuters)

The backup-and-restore function clearly failed in this particular case. And that should be “a wake-up call to improve policy, procedures, and employee training,” said Stu Sjouwerman, Founder & CEO of KnowBe4.

Your Options If Targeted?

  1. Format your computer, lose everything
  2. Restore your computer from a known good backup
  3. Pay the ransom
                            PC Pitstop’s Dodi Glenn

But there is no simple answer. And Sprickerhoff and Dodi Glenn, VP of Cyber Security at PC Pitstop, agree that there is no single defense method, particularly against attackers that use social engineering to trick computer users into giving up their credentials or installing malicious software on their systems.

In at least one of the targeted hospitals, the attack was triggered by an uninformed click on an infected email.

“The most effective ways to defend yourselves is to train users to exercise caution when opening Office documents from persons unknown and to use tools as appropriate [patching, read-only Word and Excel viewers],” said Sprickerhoff.

Users can protect themselves, said Wallace, although criminals are clever and will find new ways to extort money. But Sprickerhoff warned that failure to exercise “sufficient security rigor” means that it becomes “very easy to find yourself locked out of your own files.”

How to Protect Yourself

  • Prevent a user/device from accessing malicious software
  • If a device does become infected, prevent it from “phoning home” to the criminals
  • Detect the infection as quickly as possible and eliminate the malware
             ThreatSTOP’s Steve Wallace

The ransomware economy

Ransomware is effective, easy to obtain and can be widely disseminated via email. But paying the ransom, while expedient, fills the pockets of extortionists and fuels a thriving business that is now expanding to websites and increasingly favoring mobile devices.

The criminals’ modus operandi “is to get as much money from as many people as possible,” added Glenn. “If they get lucky, they will land on something valuable, like a hospital. However, they are really just trying to catch as many victims in the ‘cyber ocean’ as possible.”

A criminal ecosystem that supports these activities already exists, providing key attack components such as ransomware software kits and malware distribution systems. “It’s a great economic model with very low risk for the criminal,” said Wallace.

“There are even ransomware-as-a-service operations that take a cut of the take in a ransomware campaign,” he added. “The upfront investment is minimal. Payment to vendors and from victims is in Bitcoin, which is the closest thing we have to an untrackable currency. If you target your campaign in a foreign country, you are even less likely to be identified and prosecuted.”

It is practically impossible to identify who the crooks are, let alone identify their location, said Sprickerhoff. And when you do catch one, added Glenn, “three more criminals will take over.”

Glenn, who has participated in takedown events, said even when the criminals’ infrastructure was disrupted to the point where they move on, “at some point, someone new will crop up and take over.”

“It is a very successful criminal business model,” said Sjouwerman. “More and more cyber gangs are moving into this area.”

When ransom demands are made, negotiations can help lower the amount, as in the case of the California hospital where the initial ransom demand was $3 million.

Ransom amounts remain relatively small. But increasingly, extortionists are demanding more. “We’ve seen the cost go from $100 to over $1,000 in just a short period of time,” said Glenn. “And if you don’t have a known good backup, added Sprickerhoff, then “paying may be the only option.”

Glenn foresees a time when ransomware attacks will become more targeted. “And companies that have been identified as having more assets at their disposal will have higher ransoms made.”

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Google Joins UNICEF Against Zika; African Tech Goes Global

Posted March 3rd, 2016 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

A Brazilian Army soldier shows pamphlets during the National Day of Mobilization Zika Zero in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. 13, 2016. The pamphlet reads, 'A mosquito is not stronger than an entire country.' (Reuters)

A Brazilian Army soldier shows pamphlets during the National Day of Mobilization Zika Zero in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. 13, 2016. The pamphlet reads, ‘A mosquito is not stronger than an entire country.’ (Reuters)

Google Combats Zika Virus With Expanded Search Results, Mapping Tool

Partnering with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Google Thursday announced a grant of $1 million to help the agency fight the Zika virus in Brazil. Google is also launching new initiatives to enhance Zika search results and maps to provide more detailed information about the disease.

African Tech Is Going Global

Africa’s technology sector has been booming, and international tech companies have been paying attention. Now, three of the continent’s startups from Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria are teaming up with major U.S. accelerators to help grow their business abroad.

Therapists Create Virtual ‘Heroin Cave’ to Help Addicts

Doctors at the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work in Texas have come up with a new way to help heroin and opioid abusers deal with addiction. Researchers hope that using virtual reality (VR) for immersion therapy could help. To do that, they created a virtual ‘heroin cave’ that patients can navigate with the help of therapists to identify and deal with their addiction triggers.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Virtual Reality: the ‘Drug’ of the Future; Data Privacy Extinction

Posted March 2nd, 2016 at 12:49 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

People react as they use the new Samsung Gear 360, a 360-degree camera, during the Mobile World Congress Wireless show in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 24, 2016. Many companies unveiled their latest virtual reality (VR) headsets and related content as the technology dominated  this year's event. (AP)

People react as they use the new Samsung Gear 360, a 360-degree camera, during the Mobile World Congress Wireless show in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 24, 2016. Many companies unveiled their latest virtual reality (VR) headsets and related content as the technology dominated this year’s event. (AP)

Game Devs on VR Future: ‘People Will Fall for It Like a Drug’

Virtual Reality continues its advance amid considerable hype, with promising applications in gaming and perhaps even therapy. Game developers project the technology will become mainstream in gaming. But one developer warns that it will be so immersive that “people will fall for it like a drug.”

Is Data Privacy on the Brink of Extinction?

No matter how hard you try, it is becoming virtually impossible in an increasingly connected world to safeguard the remnants of your privacy that have not been hacked, tracked or siphoned away behind your back. But writer Kris Lahiri offers some options that might help protect your information.

Facebook’s Brazil Dispute Shows Tougher Path to Next Billion Users

A Brazilian judge Wednesday ordered police to release Facebook’s Latin America vice president, Diego Dzodan, who was detained Tuesday for failing to comply with court orders in a drug trafficking investigation. Facebook called the detention a “disproportionate measure.” This is the latest hurdle Facebook faces while trying to secure its next billion users with its Free Basics initiative, which is already banned in some countries.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Hack-proofing Connected Cars; Cities of the Future

Posted March 1st, 2016 at 12:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

FILE - An employee sits inside a virtual reality connected car cockpit built by Segula Technologies during the first press day ahead of the 85th International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, March 3, 2015.  (Reuters)

FILE – An employee sits inside a virtual reality connected car cockpit built by Segula Technologies during the first press day ahead of the 85th International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, March 3, 2015. (Reuters)

Three Years Until Connected Cars Are Cyberattack-proof?

The world is becoming increasingly more connected with the proliferation of Internet of Things Devices and connected cars and appliances. That might be a boon for people seeking convenience, but it also opens all kinds of doors to hackers and cyber criminals only too eager to take advantage of the lack of security surrounding these gadgets, including your connected car.

Here’s What Cities Will Look Like in 2050

What does the future look like? A Samsung report titled SmartThings Future of Living Report offers some tantalizing possibilities, including buildings and streets that automatically recharge your mobile devices, space ports and self-contained cities.

Why It Would Be So Hard to Limit Apple’s GovtOS to Just One iPhone

Apple and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are on Capitol Hill Tuesday for Congressional hearings to tackle the ongoing controversy about unlocking an iPhone that belonged to a mass shooter and balancing privacy and security. The move comes after a New York judge ruled that Apple doesn’t have to unlock an iPhone in a similar case. Apple maintains the case could set a dangerous precedent. The FBI argues that unlocking the iPhone in the California case will aid their terrorism investigation. But as writer Lance Ulanoff points out, the case is much more complicated than that.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Goalzie Nudges Young People to Talk About Mental Health

Posted February 26th, 2016 at 10:59 am (UTC-5)
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A screenshot from Goalzie, an app designed to encourage young people toset goals and ask for heal when under stress to avoid more serious mental health issues. (Courtesy of the Safe and Well Online project of the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre)

A screenshot from Goalzie, an app designed to encourage young people to set goals and ask for help when under stress to deal with mental health issues. (Courtesy of the Safe and Well Online project of the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre)

Online bullying can be traumatic. This is especially true for young people who often are reluctant to seek help when targeted or harassed, leaving themselves open to potential mental health issues. But an Australia-based group hopes to change that with a free mobile app called Goalzie.

Goalzie is part of a four-year online campaign to improve the attitudes and behaviors of young people between the ages of 12-25 toward the “key issues they face, which might lead to poor mental health,” said Barbara Spears, a professor of education at the University of South Australia.

“It is about changing behaviors and learning from the patterns which become more established,” she said.

Launched by international research group Young and Well CRC as a collaboration with several partners, including the University of South Australia, Goalzie was co-developed and co-designed with participation from young people. Spears said the process “helped to ensure that Goalzie resonated well with young people and authentically reflected youth culture and online practices.”

The app lets young people seek help on their social networks and among friends and leads them to additional information and professional assistance along the way. It challenges its users to team up to set goals. And they can follow up with lighthearted, funny consequences if the goals are not met.

“Our intention with Goalzie was to leverage the online space and take important messages about wellbeing and help-seeking to young people in the places they regularly frequent and in ways that align with their online behaviors,” said Spears, … “hence the messaging around goal-setting and connecting with peers and help-seeking.”

Young people typically do not reach for help. Spears said this is either because they feel uncomfortable doing so or because they think they should solve their own problems. “This is a natural part of adolescence and learning to be an adult.”

Talking about problems “is a coping mechanism,” said Spears, and only part of the issue because “taking the step and seeking help is the next and most difficult aspect for young people.”

Included in the Goalzie app is a research component that allows researchers “to capture a representative sample of young people’s current state of wellbeing before exposure to the app, and follow up with a second survey after they have seen it.”

The information helped analysts map young people’s actual engagement with the app, said Spears, and will also help them improve the process further in the future. “It will provide important opportunities for examining how young people are engaging with mental health support apps and websites,” she said.

Once data analysis is complete, it will be published in a report due for release in the middle of the year.

Researchers do not expect immediate results because behavioral and attitudinal change typically is a long-term process. But Spears said that is what Goalzie hopes to accomplish.

“The app is designed to specifically encourage young people to practice setting goals in a fun way so that when they need to, they will have learned from the experience that reaching out to others is possible and achieves something positive.”

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Android vs. iOS; Virtual Reality: Hype or Promise?

Posted February 25th, 2016 at 11:58 am (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

A man walks past the Android entrance stand during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 24, 2016.

A man walks past the Android entrance stand during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 24, 2016.

The Apple logo is pictured at Grand Central Terminal in the Manhattan borough of New York, Feb. 21, 2016.

The Apple logo is pictured at Grand Central Terminal in the Manhattan borough of New York, Feb. 21, 2016.

Android vs iOS: The Great Security Debate

Traditional thinking has it that iOS is the most secure of the mobile operating systems. That is no longer the case as more malware and other malicious software target that ecosystem. On the other hand, the fragmented Android operating system is, at best, a security risk for the uninitiated. Yet both continue to dominate. Here’s a look at where the two platforms might be headed.

VR Will Make Life Better—or Just Be an Opiate for the Masses

Virtual Reality (VR) is the talk of this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain and the most hyped topic in recent months as the next big thing in entertainment and gaming. But there are hopes that the technology might one day also help provide a better life to underprivileged populations. That remains to be seen.

Google Experimenting With New Shapes for Hard Drives

Hard drives have seen innovation in type and data density in recent years, but their physical shape has never really changed since their inception decades ago. Now, Google is reevaluating the design of the modern hard drive and possibly looking at taller, clustered drives that will improve performance while lowering cost.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.