Chegg’s chalked up an excuse-generator to help you weasel out of doing homework, taking tests—just about anything. But some administrators say the tool feels impersonal and, well, robotic. Congratulations for making it through the first quarter of 2019! The reward that awaits: Our fine annual tradition of hijinks and horseplay, exaggerations and extrapolations, and all the absurdities not fit for print on any day other than April 1. We’re not the only ones getting in on the fun. MORE

Chegg appears to have borrowed a page from Duolingo’s previous shenanigan for the Osmosis Pillow , which takes “memory foam” to another level. Students are virtually beamed onboard a cruise via a robot, which has a screen and camera to give students at home a sense that they are roaming around the ship. Tragedy struck this week, however, when one robot toppled overboard. Happy first of April—a day where the joke’s on all of us. MORE

Robots and Other Education Science Fiction. Via Techcrunch : "Starting a robotics company out of school? Chegg has acquired WriteLab for $15 million. Each week, I gather a wide variety of links to education and education technology articles. All this feeds the review I write each December on the stories we are told about the future of education. National) Education Politics. MORE

Robots and Other Ed-Tech SF. I missed this news back in February: Chegg acquired RefMe. (National) Education Politics. The AP interviews US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos , who laments “she didn’t decry racism enough.” ” Via Politico : “New marching orders from Betsy DeVos’ civil rights chief have the Education Department churning through civil rights complaints. MORE

Other investors include education technology executives, like Penn Foster CEO Frank Britt and Chegg CEO Dan Rosensweig, along with Zynga founder Mark Pincus and Flatiron Health CEO, Nat Turner. In the industrial manufacturing sector, “there is obviously unfilled demand, and I’m a believer that robotics and AI will materially change the nature of work over the next decade,” Mark Cuban said in an email. MORE

” Robots and Other Education Science Fiction. Alex Usher reviews Robot-Proof : Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Via Edsurge : “ Cheating on Chegg ? ” So Chegg’s algorithms declare you’re a cheater, and you don’t get a tutor. Each week, I gather a wide variety of links to education and education technology articles. MORE

Robots and Other Ed-Tech SF. Chegg has acquired Cogeon for $15 million. (National) Education Politics. “Assessing Betsy DeVos ’ Rollback on Disability Rights ” by Pacific Standard’s David Perry. “The 72 OSERS Documents Rescinded by Betsy deVos ” – by Liz Ditz. Via Inside Higher Ed : “The White House announced Thursday that President Trump would nominate Kenneth L. Marcus , president and general counsel of the Louis D. MORE

Robots and Other Education Science Fiction. Chegg has acquired the flashcard app StudyBlue for $20.8 Each week, I gather a wide variety of links to education and education technology articles. All this feeds the review I write each December on the stories we are told about the future of education. National) Education Politics. Via The Chronicle of Higher Education : “ Trump Administration Will Rescind Obama-Era Guidelines on Race-Conscious Admissions.” MORE

” A data breach at Chegg – more details in the data and surveillance section below. Robots and Other Education Science Fiction. “Culturally Sensitive Robots Are Here to Care for the Elderly ,” Futurism.com claims. Remember: robots for the elderly share a direct connection to MOOCs replacing higher ed.). Via Techcrunch : “ Facebook sends Sphero robots so classrooms can apply coding education.” MORE

Robots and Other Education Science Fiction. Via Futurism.com : “Here Are the States Where a Robot Is Most Likely to Steal Your Job.” “ Ed Tech Cybersecurity : Suppose they gave a data breach and nobody came,” writes Phil Hill on the Chegg data breach. *Each week, I gather a wide variety of links to education and education technology articles. All this feeds the review I write each December on the stories we are told about the future of education. (Oh MORE

” Pearson and Chegg are partnering for textbook rentals. ” Robots and Other Ed-Tech SF. Education Politics. From the Department of Education’s press release : “U.S. Secretary of Education Announces Chief of Staff and Additional Staff Hires.” ” And what a fine bunch. Via ProPublica : “DeVos Pick to Head Civil Rights Office Once Said She Faced Discrimination for Being White.” MORE