This is an introductory text to a collection of papers from the ICSF 2020: The International Conference on Sustainable Futures: Environmental, Technological, Social, and Economic Matters, which held at Kryvyi Rih National University, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on May 20-22, 2020. It consists of an introduction, conference topics review, and some observations about the event and its future.

Modernization of the education system and the emergence of innovative learning technologies can improve the educational process. The use of augmented reality technology improves the learning of individual students, their motivation, as well as helps in organizing teamwork, group cooperation. As the topic of augmented reality in education is quite new and little studied for STEM education, the study reviews publications on this topic, describes the concept of augmented reality, the analysis of augmented reality technologies is carried out, which are adapted to the teaching of natural and mathematical disciplines. The role of STEM approach with augmented reality in the educational process is determined. An example of the use of augmented reality as part of a robotics project is given.

The article presents the proceedings of two workshops: Cloud-based Smart Technologies for Open Education Workshop (CSTOE 2022) and Illia O. Teplytskyi Workshop on Computer Simulation in Education (CoSinE 2022) held in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 22, 2022. The CoSinE workshop focuses on computer simulation in education, including topics such as computer simulation in STEM education, AI in education, and modeling systems in education. The CSTOE workshop deals with cloud-based learning resources, platforms, and infrastructures, with topics including personalized learning and research environment design, big data and smart data in open education and research, machine learning for open education and research, and more. The article includes a summary of successful cases and provides directions for future research in each workshop’s respective topics of interest. The proceedings consist of several peer-reviewed papers that present a state-of-the-art overview and provide guidelines for future research. The joint program committee consisted of members from universities and research institutions worldwide.

Cloud technologies being used in STEM education for providing robotics studying are highlighted in this article. Developing cloud robotic systems have not been used to their fullest degree in education but are applied by limited specialists’ number. Advantages given by cloud robotics (an access to big data, open systems, open environments development) lead to work with mentioned systems interfaces improving and having them more accessible. The potential represented by these technologies make them worth being shown to the majority of teachers. Benefits of cloud technologies for robotics and automatization systems are defined. An integrated approach to knowledge assimilation is STEM education basis. The demanded stages for robotics system development are shown and cloud sources which could be possibly used are analyzed in this article.

This article serves as an introduction to a collection of selected papers presented at the ACNS Conference on Cloud and Immersive Technologies in Education (CITEd 2022), which took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 21-22, 2022. The collection provides valuable insights into the latest advancements in cloud and immersive technologies in the field of education. The introductory text offers an overview of the conference events and provides concise summaries of the selected papers, offering a glimpse into the diverse topics and research areas covered. These selected papers reflect the cutting-edge research and innovative approaches showcased at CITEd 2022, making them a valuable resource for educators, researchers, and practitioners interested in exploring the potential of cloud and immersive technologies in education.

The paper deals with the urgent problem of enabling better communication of IT-specialists in their business and interpersonal interaction using information and communication technologies, including cloud technologies. It is emphasized, that effective communication is an integral part of the successful professional work of IT-professionals, but in recent years it has undergone significant transformations, which have been expressed in new forms and means of communication, its content changes, its complications and volume increases, the need to improve its accuracy, and the level of understanding for a wide range of people. Certain peculiarities of communication in the IT-environment have been discussed. It is noted that typical forms of communication in the IT-environment are synchronous and asynchronous ones. The authors insist that during their professional career IT-specialists communicate in the professional community from a variety of positions and common types of task formulation can be expressed through verbal or symbolic communication means. Due to the specifics of their professional activities, IT-professionals often need to communicate using synchronous communication (chats, video chats, audio chats, instant messaging) and asynchronous communication (email, forums, comments) tools, hence there is a demand to teach corresponding communication skills at universities. Certain practical examples of teaching communication skills using modern technologies are given. Advantages of cloud technologies for better communication within a company or an educational institution are presented. Microsoft Office 365 services, which can be successfully used to enable better communication and collaboration within a company or an educational institution are analyzed.