No one can predict the future, or which digital platforms or tool will emerge as the front runner in an ever-changing world, however, there are some key themes that emerge when we look at where the future of Ed Tech is going: the use of AI, increasing reliance on digital tools, and the freedom to study online and what that means for the traditional classroom environment. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how quickly we can transition out of a traditional classroom environment and into a digital-based learning structure for both K-12 and postsecondary education. The days of having to get up and go to class are over. Today students can study from anywhere from virtually any educational institution, the race for online enrolment is well underway. Selwyn et al (2020) discuss how a flexible almost nomadic education has blurred the lines between school time and leisure time creating a learning environment that is unpredictable, at least for now.
Selwyn, N., Pangrazio, L., Nemorin, S., & Perrotta, C. (2020). What might the school of 2030 be like? An exercise in social science fiction. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 90-106.
Thanks for this description, Emma. If this is the now, what 2030 be? I’d like you to imagine and write about that future, grounded on what you’re reading. Don’t imagine this as a work of predicting the future. Rather, we’re trying to speculate on what it might become, what it could potentially look like based on the trends we’re seeing. For instance, you’ve identified this notion of flexible nomadic-like educational experience. Assuming that we’re on this path, what may that look like in 2030? To generate some ideas you may explore viewing this from different perspectives. What would it look like from a student perspective? From a teacher perspective? From the government perspective? Pick a perspective that you’re drawn to and know more about than the others, and explore this a bit further. For example, assuming a student perspective, could we end up in a situation where students only have self-paced no-instructor no-peer courses available to them? Perhaps that’s a good place to be if they’re affordable? Perhaps that’s a horrid place to be if there’s no socialization? I’d like to see this kind of exploration and unpacking in your essay. You also don’t need to focus on both sides of a debate – feel free to take a stance based on your readings, hopes, etc…
Broad full application and consistent excellence in online or blended learning does seem futuristic to me, although I would like to hope it might be sooner than 2030. You touch on an interesting aspect in “the race for online enrolment” and I think that the global education market is an interesting and controversial sub-topic of what you have quite accurately described as a present/future here. It might link nicely to educational capitalism versus open source philosophy as well.
~Alisha