Emerging Technologies

Today I attended a great little session after school run by the Centre for Education Futures at UWA called the Emerging Technologies in Education Mini Fair.

Apart from loving being at my old University which holds many wonderful memories, it was great to hear from leaders in some of the emerging fields. I think some of the links to secondary schools are a bit tenuous, but predicting the future of these tech ideas is not straightforward. Will all students be wearing virtual reality headsets in every class whilst they go on a virtual field trip to Rome, do a virtual dissection, build a virtual house then take a virtual driving test? Sciosity would like to think so. The possibilities of this tech are endless and latest developments make this a more immersive experience. Imagine a surgeon creating a 3D representation of a patients brain and practicing a "virtual" operation using this model - only a few years ago science fiction - this has been done already. Right now a Google Cardboard set is cheap (around $20AUD) and there are options to get started there.

Robotics will play a huge part in our future. Today I saw the genesis of an "I, Robot" future with a little guy called "NAO" who has Siri voice recognition and responds to your questions. Check out https://www.aldebaran.com. The education connection here is the coding students can do to get the robot to respond. Coding is another theme - there is simply no doubt that these skills will be highly in-demand and sought after.

3D Printing was another display - now how can I get my hands on one of these?! I am sure the students in the Makerspace would love one! Imagine dreaming, designing and producing something tangible - amazing!

How are schools reacting to these emerging technologies? This technology is being repurposed as educational tools to enhance learning and teaching practices, but if other educational shifts in technology are a guide it will be a while before this tech finds a place in most classrooms. Yes budget constraints are a reality but we do our students no favours if they don't enjoy the benefits of exposure to these kinds of technologies. This stuff comes from the world our students inhabit and comes from their future. Get on board!

It would be a tragedy if traditional, tired 20th century curriculum stopped teachers from engaging with this stuff and wondering about how they could adapt their courses to include these technologies.

#VR #Coding #innovation