Emphasized by Selwyn (2020) with the increase of environmental crises and the global explosion of Covid-19, society has been forced to merge technology and learning at unpredictable speeds. This crisis has also encouraged reflection of priorities as our routines and plans are altered and values are challenged. The environmental crisis has made impacts socially, culturally, and mentally, controlling the direction that the world is headed, while our human side questions everything.
The 2020 crisis provides an opportunity to form connections with technology, where technology is available, taking control of our learning. The link between learning and technology has offered society functionality. Where our rituals and routines have been dismantled, technology has helped to piece us back together.
We are living in uncertain times, preparing for what we think might happen and hoping to be ‘normal’ again. Technology is serving as a bridge from the past to the future, and we are the transition, the ‘in-between’. How we react and adapt to crisis and opportunity can have global impacts. Where one see’s hardships and challenges, another see’s opportunity. Technology is the opportunity.
Using technology, driven by crisis and stamina, offers potential for great achievements. By 2030, advancements we have yet to see in our lifetime can influence how we see the world, connect to one another, and hopefully, repair the damage we caused; environmentally, socially, culturally, and mentally.
References:
Selwyn, N. (2021). Ed-Tech within limits: Anticipating educational technology in times of environmental crisis. 18(5), pg. 496-510. https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/doi/pdf/10.1177/20427530211022951
Thank you George. I was having difficulties with pulling my thoughts together on a focal point and your questions help to turn my gears. I am looking forward to completing this assignment in full, with a focus on a particular Indigenous group.
Thank you for this, Myrna. This is a good description of the broader forces of change. What’s not clear is the actual future you’ll be describing. What’s the main topic? Beyond the broader context, are you focusing on a particular community? On particular groups (e.g., learners? instructors? an institution?). Hone in much further than this in your essay, from the general to the more granular and specific.