The sudden shift to remote learning has exposed cracks in today's digital teaching strategies, as parents and teachers struggle with the challenges of recreating the classroom experience online.
Why it matters: School closures have affected 72% of the world's student population, per UNESCO. With uncertainty clouding the prospects of a full return in the fall, there's a renewed focus on content and techniques that actually work.
Apple will start reopening some of its U.S. stores after the coronavirus pandemic spurred mass retail closures, the company confirmed to Axios on Friday.
The big picture: Apple will resume some retail operations in Alabama, Alaska, Idaho and South Carolina next week, signaling a slow return to normalcy for the tech giant. It has also opened a few locations in South Korea, Australia and Germany, according to CNBC, which first reported the U.S. re-openings.
Volvo Cars is preparing to launch its first fully self-driving technology for highways using lidar and perception technology provided by Luminar, an ambitious tech startup.
Why it matters: The partnership is a major milestone for both companies.
As more and more cities look to automate the coronavirus testing process, tech companies are working together to ensure that people can use an app or website to schedule tests instead of waiting in a potentially dangerous line.
Why it matters: Many testing locations remain overwhelmed by demand, but some are still underused. More efficient coordination could help make better use of the resources we have.
In the latest version of its volunteer effort, the Help Main Street project is linking directly to the many small businesses offering their own ordering systems, in an effort to help them avoid giving a cut to various middlemen.
Why it matters: Large, tech-based intermediaries like Grubhub often take a significant cut of revenue, eating into badly needed cash for already struggling restaurants.
The debate over reopening the economy splits Silicon Valley, like every other community in the U.S., in two. But in place of the usual blue state/red state, Democrat/Republican divide, tech's argument is between technocrats and libertarians.
Why it matters: The pandemic has only amplified tech giants’ power, ensuring their mindset and choices will play an outsize role in shaping how the U.S. reopens its economy. Nailing or bungling that process could save or cost the nation thousands of lives and billions of dollars.
