1.3 Tech Evolution
More than a few experts are suggesting that soon, the Internet will be as embedded in our lives as electricity. We won't have to search on the Internet to discover things. Instead, we will just ask, from wherever we are, and answers will emerge. Close your eyes for 60 seconds and imagine what that might really be like...........................................
(Image source: Forecasting AR)
How does this change the way we teach? If our students have knowledge as readily available as the light that fills our rooms, then what exactly do we need to teach them?
Explore the artifacts presented here with your mind tuned into your imagination. Contemplate what might be the types of skills, knowledge and mindsets that we need to begin to help foster in our children and how that might influence the methods (pedagogical strategies) we employ today and the near future.
The following "thought" pieces concern the future of technologies as well as teaching and learning. Some of the ideas presented here are merely forecasts that experts imagine could be possibilities for the directions we may head. These pieces should inspire your thinking around education and the technologies most likely to impact the way we learn and teach.
In this video, we learn about 10 technologies on the horizon for Google. I selected this particular video because it is not only enlightening, but because it gives us a window in to Google's parent company, Alphabet, and the vast expanse of its interests, which will eventually become part of our daily lives and make their way into our classrooms.
There are some mind-bending technologies out there which are not too far off from becoming reality.
Explore this series of videos from Forecasting AR to inspire your ideas for the future of learning.
"The Internet Will Be Everywhere and Nowhere"
At the ISTE 2016 Conference, Dr. Kaku presented some very vivid scenarios concerning the ubiquity of the Internet. He offers thought-provoking statements that should have all educators imagining the implications for their classrooms.
Read
These are important articles that you will need to read to inform your understanding around emerging technologies for teaching and learning:
New Media Consortium's Horizons Report 2016, (NMC, 2016) - There are tons of predictions made each year about the newest technologies for the classroom. However, the NMC's Horizon Report is my trusted resource because it presents forecasts based on research and careful assessment of factors impacting education. Note: this is 58 pages long. You do not need to read the entire report. Read the Executive Summary and skim those sections you find most intriguing. They are arranged in long-term to near-term sections so you should be able to get a good feel for what is in the immediate future versus still a ways off from making it to our classrooms.
Technology Timeline, by ExplainEverything (n.d.) offers an interesting timeline of technology since the beginning of the sun producing energy to 2016 nanotechnologies, and readings to learn more about a particular technology. Scroll through and take gain a general perspective on technology evolution.
Brief History of EdTech in the Classroom, by EdTech Magazine (2016) a nice info graphic on the tech tools we are most familiar with and how they evolved. Just skim this.
Once you've engaged in the materials here, move onto 1.4 Generation Z