I'm Reevaluating the Curve

In my previous post, I stated that I am between an Early and Late Adopter of innovative technologies. I am circling back around to reflect on that statement as I have nearly completed my graduate school course Emerging Trends and Technologies for Learning Design. I mentioned before that in a work context I would consider myself an Early Adopter, but in my personal life, I would consider myself a Late Adopter. While I still stand by that statement, I have also come to recognize the true importance of adopting and assessing new technologies and trends early. Throughout this course, I’ve had the opportunity to explore some key players in the field of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, micro-credentials and badges, learning analytics, and extended reality. I have also expanded my knowledge by doing my own research on gamification, blockchain, and adaptive learning. My studies this semester have helped to expand my view of emerging technologies for learning and informed decision-making in both my personal and professional life. 

One characteristic of emerging technologies today that has become apparent to me is the growing speed at which technologies are becoming mainstream. This speed coupled with the immense power and capabilities of some of these technologies makes me worrisome. In particular, my students at ASU Preparatory Academy are currently studying how artificial intelligence is being utilized in various fields and the ethical implications that it poses. This project, in addition to the knowledge I have gained from my course, has forced me to think critically about AI’s integration into society. While I am enthusiastic about the feats that AI devices have been able to accomplish and their utility in my everyday life, I am cautiously awaiting news of how it will be governed in the future. There are many issues that I am aware of surrounding the widespread implementation of artificial intelligence. Concerns such as privacy, intellectual property, inclusiveness, and job elimination are just a few of the aspects that need to be addressed in order to maintain ethical boundaries. However, due to the speed at which this technology has been developed, there is a gap between the adoption and establishment of these boundaries. While AI is certainly at the forefront of ethical technology concerns, other emergent technologies are likely to introduce similar threats. Recognition of these threats and proactive planning are benefits of being an Early Adopter.

I am also curious and apprehensive about how these various technologies will have a lasting impact on jobs in education. Will there be a need for teachers 10 or 20 years from now? More importantly, can you have a successful career in education without being well-versed in emerging technologies? The future has yet to tell, but I’m leaning towards no to both of these questions. I believe that the future of technology will not only eliminate or change jobs but also demand a more technologically savvy and adaptable workforce. I imagine a world where teachers become facilitators rather than content experts and the role of a learning designer becomes more and more intertwined with technology as typical classrooms continue to be replaced with digital classrooms. This is likely something that everyone in education expects, but the question becomes one regarding the timeframe of these changes. My guess is that the educational world will be unrecognizable in the next 10 years. Unfortunately, we cannot interrupt the coming of these changes, but we can certainly prepare for them through early assessment of emergent technologies. 

 While my cautious nature has prevented me from making countless mistakes throughout my life, in this context I see that the benefits of adopting and exploring emerging technologies early has more pros than cons. By becoming an Early Adopter, you are able to get a clear picture of the technology’s capabilities and potential problems in advance. The only way we will successfully be able to implement technologies without social or ethical issues is to be proactive about it. Thanks to my recent studies on this subject, I can now clearly see the benefit of adopting technologies sooner rather than later and I am more convinced to become an Early Adopter. Specifically, utilizing strategies such as developing a BUILDS Analysis of the emergent technology can help immensely in determining if it is worth being adopted and assessing the potential problems in advance. An organization might develop a risk mitigation plan from there. 

With that being said, my career in education will most definitely be shaped by emerging technologies in the future. I am interested in expanding my knowledge in computer science and data analytics as it applies to instructional design. The information I have learned thus far tells me this will be a growing area of need in the future. As technology continues to advance rapidly, massive amounts of data will continue to be generated, leading us to the potential of using this data to inform our actions. But to really understand the backbone of these emerging technologies through the expansion of knowledge and expertise in computer science has obvious advantages as well. For now, I am happy to be more aware of the importance of technology in learning design and look forward to more openly adopting it in the future. The possibility of emerging technologies to improve the process of learning and outcomes excites me, and I plan to be more cognizant of potential risks posed by mainstream adoption of these technologies in the future.