What’s in this episode?
Melvin Kranzberg, a past Professor of the History of Technology at Georgia Tech, famously said:
“Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral.”
In this episode we look at how to maintain responsible and calm digital citizenship at a time of screaming headlines, whilst also looking at the necessary ethical and philosophical questions which come with advanced technology. We also review what the future of work might look like, following research conducted by Pearson and Nesta on the future of skills and employment in 2030.
Managing our reaction, interaction, and, ultimately creation with technology. Remember that these are tools. Churchill said “we shape our buildings, thereafter, they shape us;” McLuhan paraphrased him “we shape our tools, thereafter, they shape us.” Now technology is a part of almost every aspect of our lives: buildings can be 3D-printed, cars can drive themselves, and algorithms can direct our education. It is essential that we understand how these functions and what the implications are of silos and biases. We also look into a changing world of work and how we can best prepare.
People
Sophie is the founder of the iTunes new and noteworthy, The Edtech Podcast. The mission of The Edtech Podcast is to improve the dialogue between ‘ed’ and ‘tech’ for better innovation, through storytelling. The podcast is downloaded 1500+ times a week from up to 109 countries, with the UK, US & Aus in the top 3. Sophie is a mentor and advisor within the edtech community. If she’s not interviewing a university lecturer, school leader, ex-Angry Bird, NGO, or investor about education innovation, she’s chasing her three-year-old around the park or binge-reading Homo Deus.
Twitter: @podcastedtech
Denis Hurley leads the global Future Technologies program within the Advanced Computing and Data Science Lab (“The Lab”) at Pearson. The Lab applies advanced computing and data science to create innovative software capabilities, processes, and frameworks that improve our digital products, advance our digital ways of working, and change how we approach digital education. The Future Technologies program is a pan-Pearson, cross-disciplinary, collaborative community of hundreds of colleagues, that has completed over 40 prototypes and roundtable discussions. Website: https://becomeachiron.com
Paolo is an Economist in the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs of the OECD. He previously held an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at Oxford University, where he continues to collaborate with researchers in the Department of Economics (Centre for the Study of African Economies). He holds a PhD in Economics from Oxford University. Since June 2009 he has collaborated with researchers at several research institutions, including the World Bank, the Paris School of Economics, and the Overseas Development Institute, mainly focusing on African labour markets. His previous work experience includes the UK Independent Commission on Banking, NERA Economic Consulting, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (London). He is also a founding member of the think-tank Fonderia Oxford. Website:www.paolofalco.com
Heather McGowan is an internationally known speaker, writer and thought leader. McGowan prepares educators and business leaders to most effectively react to rapid and disruptive changes in education, work, and society. As an innovation strategist, Heather has worked with diverse teams in academia and large corporations to address these challenges. In higher education, she advises presidents to develop expertise and learning agility to prepare graduates for jobs that do not yet exist. She was the architect of the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering, and Commerce at Philadelphia University, the first undergraduate college explicitly focused on innovation. At Becker College she crafted the intellectual construct for the Agile Mindset learning framework. She assists corporate executives in rethinking their business models, teams, and organizational structures to become resilient in changing markets. Her corporate clients range from start-ups to publicly traded, Fortune 500 companies, including Autodesk and BD Medical. Recently, she originated the role of Minister of Culture for Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. McGowan is the co-author and co-editor of the book Disrupt Together: How Teams Consistently Innovate. (Links: LinkedIn, Twitter, www.heathermcgowan.com)
For full references and recommendations for further reading for this episode, be sure to check out the Edtech Podcast page here.
Tell us your story
We’d love to hear about innovative technology or approaches you are developing or using in education. Leave your stories in the comments below. Alternately, record a quick free voicemail via speakpipe for inclusion in the next episode. Finally, you can post your thoughts or follow-on links via twitter @podcastedtech @DenisHurley or via The Edtech Podcast Facebook page.
