The Force of Evolutionary Technologies

Although technological devices might not reemerge from the past, the effect of their original impact has the ability to reappear time and time again. Dr. Thornburg (2014h) noted that it’s not the technology that has been rekindled, but the effect of the technology that is rekindled and how it’s being used through their evolution and progression. According to Dr. Thornburg (2014j), the key principles that drive evolutionary technologies, which are new technologies that are a progressive growth of previous technologies, include: rhymes of history, science fiction, disruptive technologies, increasing returns, and the red queen. Within Rhymes of History, the impact of previous technology is felt as new innovations emerge. For Science Fiction, new innovations are developed from science-based science fiction. Disruptive Technologies are those that create innovative ways of thinking about the essential technological task. Increasing returns are seen when two competing technologies emerge, but only one is chosen while the other disappears. Lastly, the Red Queen emerges when two competing technologies advance ahead of other devices. As seen from past modules, during the early stage of technology, numerous innovations will be seen; however, only a few will re-emerge through evolution of the devices efficiency and usefulness. 

The force of evolutionary technologies could be a sustainable and reliable way to predict future trends in technology to help schools alleviate unnecessary purchases of technology that will become obsolete shortly after their adoption. By viewing common trends and investing in technology devices listed in the Horizon Report (2015), schools could stay current with their technology adoption while also investing in devices that are projected to provide a return on the investment, efficiency, and usefulness of the device for years to come.

Three evolutionary educational technologies that are listed in the Horizon Report (2015) include: Cloud Based Learning (pg. 11), Social Media (pg. 13), and Gamification of Learning (pg. 8).

Students can use cloud-based platforms such as Qino, ProofHub, and MindMeister for collaborative projects, to promote teamwork, peer-to-peer learning, and to keep track of their individual assessments, learning plans, and work (New Media Consortium Horizon Project, 2015, pg. 11). Another site that was recommended to me on Twitter by an Educational Technology Representative was a program called Nearpod that allows teachers to create and customize learning material and allows students to collaborate with their peers and submit responses all through the program. The interactive lessons and student assessments are offered through the Nearpod platform and can be accessed using mobile or desktop devices. These cloud-based educational platforms would allow learning to become more individualized to better facilitate learning. This would also reduce the carbon footprint often left behind when using an actual device to store information once the device becomes obsolete.

Social Media, such as Skype and Twitter, can be used for global collaboration of students and educators to create electronic publications. An example of this was seen by The World School in New York who has published a Global Book Series utilizing the collaboration efforts of educators and students from all around the world that they collaborated with using the Twitter platform (New Media Consortium Horizon Project, 2015, pg. 13).

Lastly, Gamification of Learning “shifts from students as consumers to students as creators” to allow students to enjoy the process of identifying, creating, and enjoying the potential of their learning capabilities (Briggs, 2014). Briggs (2014) also mentioned  how  “Creative thinking not only enhances our ability to adapt to our environment and circumstances but also allows us to transform those environment and circumstances.” Integrating technology into curriculum would allow students to acquire skills necessary for the future workforce which was seen when 3D printing was applied to science classes and media production into humanities courses (New Media Consortium Horizon Project, 2015, pg. 8). As Pew (2014) mentioned, “the world is moving rapidly towards ubiquitous connectivity that will further change how and where people associate, gather and share information, and consume media.” Devices are evolving to become more portable and allow users to become more productive and efficient in their work.

In regards to 3D printers, scholars believe that “printers are going to double up on performance and double down on costs” (Chyzowski, 2015). I have been reading more and more about the Zero-G 3D printers that are currently being used in space. You can submit digital data to the printers for astronauts to print out the design and test while in space. Imagine the cost and time efficiency that is improved simply by not having to ship so many devices into space if you can simply print them there.  3D printers would be revolutionary in the classroom allowing students to shift from simply being consumers of information to becoming creators of their own learning (Briggs, 2014). The New Media Consortium Horizon Project (2015) claimed that integrating 3D printing into sciences would enable students to “understand the various intersections between technology and virtually any subject matter, acquiring a skillset that is desired in the contemporary workforce” (pg. 8). By creating a curriculum that allows students to develop and produce new products, educators can enable them to become productive members of our society who will contribute to the jobs that are projected to emerge in the near future (Palmer, 2014).

References:

Briggs, S. (2014, September 20). Students as creators: How to drive your students to be more than just consumers. Retrieved from http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/students-as-creators/

Chyzowski, H. (2015, July 1). RE: Discussion - Module 3 [Online discussion post]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014j). David Thornburg: Six forces that drive emerging technologies [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014h). David Thornburg: Rhymes of history [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

New Media Consortium Horizon Project. (2015). The NMC Horizon Report. Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

Palmer, K. (2014, October 17). Program helps Kansas city-area students create technology, not just use it. Retrieved from http://kcur.org/post/program-helps-kansas-city-area-students-create-technology-not-just-use-it

Pew Research Center. (March 2014). Digital life in 2025. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/digital-life-in-2025/