Preparing students for a future that they haven’t imagined.
Where will your experience take you today?
Digital learning is teaching that uses technology to improve a student’s learning experience. The emphasis is on high-quality instruction and provides challenging content. The student is assessed constantly and unobtrusively and feedback through formative assessment is almost instant.
With modern Digital Learning learning is anytime and anywhere. Students can be taught individually to ensure they achieve full potential. Through such choices the student is led to discovering her / his own interest.
Digital learning is personal learning. It increases access to quality education. It provides learning that places the student at the centre. Through repetition it increases the students response time. The student is only challenged by her / himself. The criteria are only set against him /herself.
The student creates a time and the opportunity to learn. When and what they learn and nurtures a lifetime of education through a journey of self-discovery. It opens a world of education unrestricted by the four walls of a conventional classroom.
After All, Man will be judged by his character
Thus, the focus on the importance of the values, which include respect, kindness, courtesy, consideration, confidence, humility and learning to be givers, not takers, must not be lost.
Each day students come to school bringing dreams hope seeking inspiration
Ideally a 21st Century Education should provide every learner with:
A personalized, student-centered learning environment
Research-based digital learning strategies implemented by caring and qualified teachers
A learning experiences that prepare students for an increasingly technology-driven workforce and world
Learning that taps into passions and interests for deeper engagement and agency
A clear pathway to post secondary success through which every child achieves his or her potential
Digital learning is replacing traditional educational methods more and more each day. In the rapidly changing classrooms, it is best to forget past practices and start thinking about newer teaching and learning techniques. Techniques that are based on digital learning tools and technologies.
The inclusion of digital learning in the classrooms can vary from simply using tablets instead of paper or using elaborate software programs that measures a learners progress and maps a way forward for the learners development.
LMS – Learning Management System – Online Learning Platform
A learning management system is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs. The learning management system concept emerged directly from e-Learning. (Wikipedia)
Even social networks and communications platforms can be used to create and manage digital assignments and agendas.
Irrespective of how much technology is integrated into the classroom, digital learning has come to play a crucial role in education. It empowers students by getting them to be more interested in learning and expanding their horizons. Here is how digital learning is a step up from traditional education methods.
A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses. Learning management systems were designed to identify training and learning gaps, utilizing analytical data and reporting. LMS’s are focused on online learning (Wikipedia)
Students using digital learning tools and technology become more engaged in the process and more interested in growing their knowledge base. They may not even realize that they are actively learning since they are learning through engaging methods such as:
peer education,
teamwork,
problem-solving,
reverse teaching,
concept maps,
gamification,
staging,
role playing and
storytelling.
Reorienting Students for A World Where Technology Is Omnipresent
Digital learning is far more interactive and memorable than voluminous textbooks or one-sided lectures. They provide a greater viewpoints and more engaging activities. In this way students connect more actively with the learning material. Digital tools often offer a more interesting and involving way to digest information. This is reflected in retention rates and test scores. Further, by tracking their own scores and progress it can improve motivation and accountability.
Some benefits of digital learning
Learning tools and technologies like social learning platforms make it easy for teachers to create and manage groups.
The shift to digital learning can assess the benefits of tutoring while
The shift to digital learning can free up time for teachers to address individual and small group needs.
Learning now becomes customized for individual learners. The opportunity to customize learning for each student will make education more productive. Learners will progress at their own pace.
By closing the learning gaps in this way progress can accelerate. The chance for working together and peer-to-peer interaction increases, dynamic grouping, workshops, and project-based learning can add lots of collaborative learning to the already present education model.
For the Teacher
There are many online platforms like Panworld Education that provides lesson planning tools, worksheets, assessments etc. for educators. This makes their tasks easier. Educators can also join online professional learning communities to ask questions and share tips and stay connected with a global educators’ community. They can keep themselves updated with the most relevant content for their curriculum using such learning tools and technology.
These help teachers teach better and students learn better through engagement and enjoyment.
Parents can easily monitor their child’s progress which can serve as an extension to what they are learning in their classrooms. Digital learning tools and technology provide enjoyment for kids as well as numerous benefits in terms of developing a child’s well-being. Everyone benefits with the digitization of learning.
GAME BASED LEARNING
There is nothing as encouraging as instant gratification. A child’s interest in learning is enhanced since gamification makes the process much more enjoyable and interesting. This also provide instant results.
Digital Learning Tools and Technology Is Rapidly Increasing Information Sharing
Do not forget that this is not the first change in media. Six centuries ago, the printing press transformed formal education and increasing learning opportunities by providing books for all. The recent shift from print to digital has NOT only change the medium but has impacted how we learn. Digital learning allows students to access more and more information while ensuring that the information customizable and suited to their personal needs.
The opportunity to help every student learn at ‘the best pace and path’ is the most important benefit of digital learning.
Increasing Students’ Employability with Digital Learning Tools and Technology
Technology in the workplace.
Before technology reaches the classroom, they are first employed in commerce and the workplace. So, it is essential that learners are comfortable with this medium.
Entrepreneurship
With the ongoing employment crisis, it is crucial that if young people are unable to find jobs, they should have the ability to create their own and ideally even generate jobs for others. For this purpose, newer methods of learning and education need to be incorporated into the school curriculums, starting right from elementary school. Digital learning tools and technology in elementary, secondary, and high schools prepares students for higher education and modern careers by helping them acquire skills including problem-solving, familiarity with emerging technologies, and self-motivation.
Traditional Education Methods Have to be Replaced – Some things change while others remain the same
Traditional lectures may still exist along with the new-age learning tools and technology, but the lecture materials should be provided as a supplement to classroom activities and moved online for students to reference outside of the classroom. Classroom time is better used for discussing the curriculum, engaging in activities with teams and completing class projects. Students often have the option to pace their learning and even study ahead with a digital learning tool if they wish to do so. By helping children think outside their typical learning modes, digital learning inspires creativity and lets children feel a sense of accomplishment that encourages further learning.
Digital learning tools and technology fill the gaps where traditional classroom teaching falls behind. In fact, some of the efficiencies such tools bring are simply unmatchable by traditional learning techniques. From
Then there is the environmental impact recognized by the need for less paper for handouts and books to
saving time with quick access to information and the ease of research,
digital learning provides an effective way to cut costs, maximize resources
and heighten both reach and impact for students and educators alike.
Traditional lectures may still exist along with the new-age learning tools and technology, but the lecture materials should be provided as a supplement to classroom activities
Whether you believe it or not or whether you like
it or not the future is going to disrupt your life. This means that we are
definitely going to do things differently. This revolution has already started,
and it is driven by AI – Artificial Intelligence. Through our smartphones and Apps
we have readily accepted these changes.
Remember these terms
Artificial Intelligence AI and Machine Learning ML and Algorithms
So what is AI?
AI is (a science of) Computers emulating humans and ML – Machine learning is the method behind how machines learn from data
What does artificial intelligence do?
Artificial intelligence – or AI for short – is technology that enables a computer to think
or act in a more ‘human’ way. It does this by taking in
information from its surroundings and deciding how to respond based on what it
learns or senses.
What can artificial intelligence be used for?
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is
the use of computer science programming to imitate human
thought and action by analyzing data and surroundings, solving or anticipating
problems and learning or self-teaching to adapt to a variety of tasks.
Artificial intelligence in business
management
Applications
of AI in business management include:
Throwing out the junk from your emails
smart email categorisation
voice to text features
smart personal assistants, such as Siri, Cortana and
Google Now
automated responders and online customer support
process automation
sales and business forecasting
security surveillance
smart devices that adjust according to behaviour
automated insights, especially for data-driven industries
(eg financial services or e-commerce)
Artificial intelligence in e-commerce
AI
in e-commerce can be evident in:
smart searches and relevance features
personalisation as a service – telling you what you can find in your area including where to buy those things that you like and what is the best prices
product recommendations and purchase predictions
fraud detection and prevention for online transactions
dynamic price optimisation
Here is a real Life example of the application of
Algorhithms in Artificial intelligence AI and the need for continues education.
It is taken from a book by Emily Guendelsberger, author of the new book, “On
the Clock.”
Algorithms are Changing Low-Wage Work…
Big-name restaurant chains, like McDonalds and Chipotle, have started to offer free or subsidized college education options to their workers. The idea is that this can help those employers recruit and retain workers by offering educational benefits, and also offer them a path to more lucrative careers.
But there is a price to pay
and how well do these new benefits work in practice? What kinds of people do they best serve?
The author of the book spent at least a month working three different low-wage jobs—at a McDonalds restaurant, an Amazon warehouse, and at a customer-service call center. The culture she saw at these jobs was very different from what she remembers 20 years ago when she scooped ice cream for minimum wage as a teenager.
She describes what she experienced as “cyborg jobs,” meaning
they often treat employees more like robots than people. One example, she says
is that many service jobs now use algorithms to schedule when employees work,
and the machine often isn’t shy about handing out assignments that she sees as
unreasonable.
Consider what workers call a “clopen,”
Clopens or computerized work schedules. It is one of the most challenging things for many low-wage workers these days. You don’t have a regular schedule anymore. Your schedule is set by an algorithm that sort of analyzes what they think the demand is going to be that day, They use data from the previous year and the previous month.
But if it’s a computer that tells you, “Oh yeah, this is the
schedule.” It just prints out and you’re really not sure how it came up
with that… then it sort of erases culpability.”
However, if you’re using the data from the previous week it means giving people are given a schedule the day before.There’s no predictability, which is incredibly hard if you’re trying to plan anything in your life whatsoever, especially having kids.”
The algorithms are used to try to keep staffing levels as low as possible, which means more hectic days for workers—and more stress.
In this series we try to focus on “new Jobs” of the 21st Century
Ricardo Hausmann, director of Harvard’s Centre for International Development and a Centre senior fellow, pointed out:
How mechanization has reduced the work force
The diminishing role of manufacturing in job creation means we must look to new pathways for moving people from poverty to prosperity.
As technological innovation transforms our economies, workers all
over the world are doing whatever it takes to change their conditions. Whether
crossing borders, changing jobs, or starting businesses – for a chance to
thrive.
Yet workers in transition are often highly vulnerable. What will
it take to safeguard workers in the labour market of the future?
In the not-too-distant past, most workers were employed in the
same industry – often at the same company – for most of their careers.
But today, nearly 40% of employed people in the European Union are in atypical employment or self-employed. They are not working under a full-time, open-ended contract. On the other hand, the average worker in American today will hold 11 jobs over their lifetime, with many working multiple jobs at once.
HOW THE FUTURE CAN POSSIBLY PAN OUT?
As living conditions improve Life Expectancy will increase – people may live longer
With the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI),Internet of Things (IOT) and Robotics technological innovation will transform our economies
many people will be working multiple jobs at once
There will no longer be standard contracts
life-long learning will be the norm
‘Technology will continue to substitute workers‘
It is not clear to what extent technology will continue to substitute workers in both routine manual and cognitive tasks as ever more capable robotics and algorithms amplified by artificial intelligence develop. The impacts of this, on employment and income will be, uneven sectors, workers, communities and nations.
Laura Tyson, distinguished professor of the Hass Business School, University of California, Berkeley and a senior fellow with the Centre, said,
“The resultant dislocation and transition costs associated with technological changes have fallen unevenly on sectors, workers, communities and nations.”
In this context, advancing inclusive growth is a precondition for the future of work.
Manufacturing jobs have been particularly hard-hit by technology. In the United States, people employed in manufacturing have fallen by about two-thirds in the last 50 years. This was mostly caused by technological changes as opposed to trade and globalization.
Since 1999 the US lost a total of 5 million manufacturing job
Source: US Bureau of Labour Statistics
Manufacturing rapid decline 1939 -2010
training – training and retraining
The Effect of Technology
Men without a college degree have also been unduly affected.
In 1964, 36.6 percent of U.S. men without a college
education were employed in manufacturing. By 2014, that share was down to 10.1
percent. For these men, manufacturing was their best chance of earning a
middle-class income and thus, its collapse was devastating.
New technologies typically increase demand for skilled
workers while substituting the unskilled. At the same time, new technologies
increase productivity. A more productive economy means higher income in the
aggregate, which generates more demand for goods and services in the economy,
leading to stronger job creation. In this context, even automation would create
more jobs for people.
Again the emphasis is on skills. This in turn points to upskilling of workers and life time learning. The 4IR is pointing to the rapid change in technology. The effect of 5G hasn’t been measured. All that we know for certain is that IoT is showing a upward growth trajectory.
Manufacturing has been the chief employment sector firstly in western countries secondly in East and Southeast Asia and most recently China. But it obvious from the graph above that jobs in manufacturing is not sustainable
Inclusive growth is imperative
The diminishing role of manufacturing in job creation in
developing countries means that their vast numbers of underemployed and
unemployed will have to struggle a lot harder for a job that pays a living
wage. This will make poverty alleviation more difficult. Thus, while the
current shock wave of technological changes has worsened inequality in many
developed countries, it is simultaneously making it harder to reduce inequality
in the developing world.
Inclusive growth has always been important, but it is now more important than ever. In a world where technological changes are rapidly and continuously reinventing how work is being done, workers need to reinvent themselves to stay productive and relevant. They cannot do so without inclusive growth.
Simply put reinventing means life time learning and training and re training
Ricardo Hausmann, director of Harvard’s Centre for International Development and a Centre senior fellow, pointed out,
“Over the course of history, it has always been easier to think about jobs that are disappearing than to imagine new jobs that will be created by the new technological possibilities.”
Advancing inclusive growth means focusing on the new possibilities. Whether in Johannesburg, Mumbai, or indeed, Janesville, it is nothing less than a precondition for the future of work for all, not just the lucky few.
A computer game is defined as such because the activity
has goals,
is interactive and
is
rewarding (gives feedback).
The gaming activities must offer the user the options to
choose or define and then observe the newly created sequence.
We describe computer games as being interactive based on a
set of agreed rules[i]
and constraints[ii]
and directed toward a clear goal that is often set by a challenge[iii].
In addition, games constantly provide feedback, either as a score or as changes
in the game world, to enable players to monitor their progress toward the goal[iv].
In speaking of a serious (computer) game, we mean that the objective of the
computer game is not to entertain the player, which would be an added value,
but to use the entertaining quality for training, education, health, public
policy, and strategic communication objectives[v].
Is Digital Game-Based Learning the Future of Learning?
Parents are confused when their child, who cannot multiply
improper fractions can explain how to defeat a video game Boss in one sitting.
The explanation here is very simple:
Digital game-based learning (DGBL), is a motivational,
challenging, and rewarding process that can be fun.
Next, we ask what is Game-Based Learning?
Game-based learning is an effective, interactive experience
that motivates active participate in the learning process.
How does it work?
Game-based learning involves the use of computer smart
device and video games to produce learning outcomes. It is designed to balance
subject matter and gameplay. It also assesses the learner. It checks the learner’s
ability to retain and apply acquired knowledge in a real-world scenarios.
An effective game-based learning environment helps learners
work toward a goal while choosing actions (pathways) and the learner experience
the consequences of those decisions first-hand.
Here is the interesting part: While players (learners) make
mistakes, the risk-free setting of a game environment allows failures to become
challenges, which then drives them to revise their actions until they arrive at
the correct way of doing things. There are hardly embarrassing moments in this
learning environment.
This makes the activity more engaging until the learning
objective is fulfilled.
Is Digital Game-Based Learning Effective?
Extensive research has been done on DGBL. Richard Van Eck of
the University of North Dakota said that several reviews of the literature on
gaming over the last 40 years find that digital game-based learning generally has positive effects.
Referring to the principle of situated cognition, Van Eck
states that games are effective partly because
the learning takes place within a meaningful
context.
The subject matter is directly related to the
environment in which learners/players learn.
As such, the knowledge gained is not only
relevant but applied and practiced within that context.
DGBL is a primary mechanism of learning and socialization through
play. This is common to all human cultures and starts informally from a very
young age. Hence humans as well as a number of animal groups learn in this
manner. A lion learns to hunt through modelling and play, not through direct
instruction, which is the same principle employed in a game-based instructional
strategy.
The following elements of digital game-based learning add to
its appeal as an effective educational tool:
Competition.
The competitive elements of a game are generally not found
in traditional learning methods or during classroom lectures or discussions.
Competition provides motivation to learners/players to engage and finish an
activity. It doesn’t need to be against another participant. It could be an
attempt to bag get the highest score possible or outdoing one’s self every
time.
Engagement.
Games that are fun to play significantly improve learning
performance. When learners have fun, the learning pressure dissipates, allowing
them to freely define and modify their strategies according to a specific goal.
Immediate Rewards.
Rewards aid in the learning process by keeping the
participant invested and coming back for more. This fosters a continuous
learning process for the learner/player, as each learning objective is tied to
a series of challenges. Goals and their corresponding rewards can be built in
stages and set according to difficulty.
Immediate Reinforcement and Feedback.
Research on learning and behaviour shows that learners learn
faster when there’s a shorter interval between behaviour and reinforcer.
It would be less discouraging for learners to learn their
mistakes right away than seeing a red mark on paper assessments a few days
later. Feedback in a game context is instantaneous and scoring can be
standardized to allow comparisons.
Criticisms of Digital Game-Based Learning
While positive claims have been made about using games as
educational tools, some question its viability as well. There are those who
argue that research has been slow to provide hard empirical evidence on its
effectiveness.
Among the negatives that are associated with games and
technology in general is that
it promotes isolation and anti-social behaviour, and
it results in short attention span.
However, the anti-social behaviour element might not, as
more and more games are developed for social play. While some games do not
allow face-to-face interactions, they mirror real-world communication that
could prove useful in personal and business transactions.
The cost
Others argue that implementing either a fully digital
game-based curriculum or even one that relies heavily on games requires
additional equipment, software, and training of teachers, thus increasing
costs.
Some believe that playing games distract learners from
attaining other valuable skills.
Is Digital Game-Based Learning Here to Stay?
There are debates on whether or not digital game-based
learning will prevail in the next 10 years or so, but it cannot be denied that
it is thriving. Based on the figures released by Ambient Insight, the game-based
global market reached $1.5 billion in 2012 and is expected to grow to $2.3
billion in 2017, a compound annual growth rate of 8.3%.
Final Word
Educators can take advantage of the multiple learning
scenarios it presents to engage their audience.
“The digital shift where we’re seeing information in different forms”
When the teachers say:
“Write a research paper.”
Students hear: “Google
it.”
It’s no secret that
today’s students conduct their research mostly through search engines. When
you’ve got everything you could ever want to know right at your fingertips, why
bother combing through online databases or poring over reference books?
“Some teachers report that for some students, ‘doing research’ has shifted from a relatively slow process of intellectual curiosity and discovery to a fast-paced, short-term exercise aimed at locating just enough information to complete an assignment,” says Pew Research Center.
It is the same as reading a comic book of the 70’s. It was scorned by the teachers but now the comic is accepted as alternate reading material.
We have to take notice
of learners preferred choices and guide them to make the most out of it.
The world is evolving
very fast and the “traditional” approach will not be the same as the
“traditional” approach of the previous generation.
On the downside the big
problem is how to find credible resources.
Three in five teachers agree that although today’s technologies provide access to a much greater depth and breadth of information, they also make it harder for students to find credible sources of information. In fact, more than 40 percent of students say they have trouble evaluating sources when researching, and many are entering college without learning basic research skills like how to find and vet information from a wide variety of respected sources.
Here is an excellent example
how these modern challenges can be redirected.
To help college instructors bring their high school students up to speed, a librarian created a series of mini-podcasts on how to do research and made them available for instructors to assign as homework.
The podcasts, which range from 2 minute segments to 15 minute discussions in different formats, address topics such as how to use databases or what peer-reviewed research is. It
explains what research entails and why students should seek out scholarly
sources. It helps them be good Knowledge Constructors, a crucial element of the
standards that college and universities are looking for.
Podcasts are a great way to slip in extra instruction.
You can make a podcast, upload it to
the course page and students can listen at their own time and as often as
necessary.
Although the article is focused on South Africa it is equally relevant for most countries in the world
The headlines scream:
South
Africa is the most unequal country in the world.
A 2018 World Bank report on poverty and inequality in South Africa found that, in many ways, the legacy of apartheid endures. Previously disadvantaged South Africans hold fewer assets, have fewer skills, earn lower wages, and are still more likely to be unemployed, .
These
inequities are mirrored in the education system, where 20% of schools are
broadly functional, and 80% are mostly dysfunctional. The life chances of
the average South African child are determined not by their ability, hard work
or diligence, but
by the colour of their
skin,
the province of their
birth, and
the wealth of their
parents.
“The reality is so deterministic that before a child’s seventh birthday one can predict with some precision whether they will inherit a life of chronic poverty and sustained unemployment, or a dignified life and meaningful work.”
So how can we make a difference? How can we turn this around?
“We are witnessing a process unfolding where an unjustifiable and illegitimate racial education system (apartheid) morphs and evolves into one that is more justifiable and somewhat nonracial, all the while accommodating a small privileged class of South Africans who are not bound to the shared fate of their fellow citizens.”
Today black and coloured learners make up 60% of those attending former whites-only fee-charging schools. Thus, a small, separate and functional school system that was created to privilege one section of the population and exclude others has remained intact. But the discriminating principle has morphed over time from ….
race to fees
So what is wrong with our school system?
We read all the time about learners not being able to read and worst, not being able to comprehend. One intellectual research paper follows another, just to prove a point that we already know. Where is a proposal to remedy the situation?
In my capacity as a principal I was confronted by distraught
and resigned parent who spoke very poor English. He handed me his child’s
report card. When I looked at it, I saw that the child had done extremely bad in
the exam. With an equally distraught face I looked at him and declared: Your
child has done very poorly. His simply replied ….
YES principal, I pay my school fees diligently. I caught my breath for a while trying to digest his response. Suddenly I realized that his, was and answer of resignation. It said: Yes, I send my child to school because I do not have the ability to assist him or her.
No one can stop the 4IR and the digital future. But should resources not be equally focused on teaching children to read as it is focused on IT and Coding. Yes, the new curriculum will mostly benefit the 20 percent while the 80 percent that cannot comprehend need to read first in order to benefit from the 4IR future. In the end the gulf between the rich and poor will be greater. This is the reality of ignoring the future.
Here are some sad fact:
Educators are not adequately prepared to teach PHONICS – the corner stone of reading. Or there is not enough emphasis on PHONIC teaching
Children are not stimulated / enriched through story telling in the formative years
Gross motor development is a byword in education
I conclude by saying with certainty that the challenge to fix the education system is beyond the politicians.
Statistic Quoted from NEWS 24 -https://www.businesslive.co.za/fm/features/2019-10-24-sas-schooling-system-not-making-the-grade/
Are you ready for tomorrow—no matter what tomorrow brings?
The Human Touch
In a world filled with Artificial Intelligence, human
contact and the personal touch will be more critical and sought after than ever
– Technology will free up time for hotel staff to focus on what matters most:
helping guests to connect with one another and building memorable moments.
‘Sustainable
Everything’
Only businesses that are inherently responsible will survive
the next century. Sustainability will be baked into everything about a hotel’s
design – from weather-proofed domes, to buildings made from ocean-dredged
plastic.
Hotels will act as the Town Hall of any community, managing
local resources and contributing to the areas they serve with community-tended
insect farms and vertical hydroponic crop gardens.
Menu Surprises
Our diets will include more plant-based recipes and some
surprising sources of protein – Beetle Bolognese, Plankton Pies and Seaweed
Green Velvet Cake will be menu staples! –
Decadent 3D-printed dinners and room service will provide
unrivalled plate personalisation. Chefs will be provided with biometric data
for each guest, automatically creating meals based on preferences and nutritional
requirements
Offline will be the new luxury as we seek to find moments of
tech-free time “Since its inception in 1919, Hilton has pioneered the
hospitality industry, introducing first-to-market concepts such as
air-conditioning and in-room televisions.
Futuristic Fitness
Outswim a virtual sea turtle in the pool, or challenge
yourself to climb the digital face of Mount Everest, your exercise routine will
be as unique as you are. What’s more, exercise energy generated from workouts
will be used to power the hotel, providing a zero-impact, circular system.
Guests could even earn rewards based on reaching workout
targets. Pick up where you left off with trackable workouts and holographic
personal trainers.
Last year, Hilton also became the first hospitality company
to set science-based targets to reduce its environmental impact,” said Simon
Vincent, EVP & President, EMEA, Hilton.
“We enter our second century with the same commitment to
innovation, harnessing the power of our people and technology to respond to
guest demands. Our research paints an exciting future for the hospitality
industry, highlighting the growing importance of human interaction in an
increasingly tech-centric world.”
Futurologist Gerd Leonhard says, “In 2119 we will still be
searching for unique experiences, but they will be more personalised than ever.
As technology shapes our lives we will seek out moments of offline connection
with others, including hotel team members who will help us truly get what we
need from our stays. 100 years from now hotels will have to create
opportunities to converse, collaborate and connect, delivering moments that
matter, individually, to each and every guest.”
Up next: the threats posed by the fourth
industrialization
I remember in the late 20th century one of my
mentors giving us a demonstration lesson.
He described the modern classroom, that we had so
meticulously put together (to impress him) as boring. The class was covered in
colourful charts that demonstrated a timeline of the years’ work progress. We
mindful not to overdo it with information overload or with topics that may
appear irrelevant.
He looked around and then delivered the coup de grace (the
death blow). He said: Do you realise
that you are competing with the supermarket and all the colour brochures that
is inundating society today.
He stood back and said: ‘The products are literally leaping
at the child off the shelves so you have to radically rethink your
presentation’
Fast forward to the 21st Century and we have new
competition. Technology
Students today are basically trained from birth to interact with
technology through touch. For example, you may have seen a young child
attempt to swipe the screen of a laptop or television only to be perplexed
that nothing on the screen moved.
So where do we find ourselves?
Previous
industrial revolutions were marked by the introduction of steam power, mass production and digital technology or…
The First Industrial Revolution is widely taken to be the shift from our reliance
on animals, human effort and biomass (dung) as primary sources of energy
to the use of fossil fuels and the mechanical power this enabled.
The Second Industrial Revolution occurred between the
end of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century, and
brought major breakthroughs in the form of electricity
distribution, both wireless and wired communication, the synthesis of
ammonia and new forms of power generation.
The Third Industrial Revolution began in the 1950s
with the development of digital systems, communication and rapid
advances in computing power, which have enabled new ways of generating,
processing and sharing information.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution can be described as the advent of “cyber-physical systems” involving
entirely new capabilities for people and machines.
While these
capabilities are reliant on the technologies and infrastructure of the Third
Industrial Revolution, the Fourth Industrial Revolution represents
entirely new ways in which technology becomes embedded within societies and
even our human bodies. Examples include genomeediting, new forms of machine intelligence, breakthrough materials and approaches
to governance that rely on cryptographic methods such as the blockchain.
Moon-walking mini-breaks, 3D-printed room service and
hyper-personalised spaces: Welcome to the Hotel of 2119
Future trends in the travel and hospitality industry over
the next 100 years include
intergalactic getaways,
fast-food nutrient pills,
2-3 hour working days and
adaptable, personalised rooms that can transport
guests everywhere from jungles to mountain ranges.
(This is according to Hilton hotels, and they should know,
forecasting the bold future trends as they celebrate 100 years in hospitality.)
Their report, supported by expert insight from the fields of
sustainability, innovation, design, human relations and nutrition, reveals how
the growing sophistication of technology and climate change will impact the
hotel industry in the future.
Personalisation is King
Technology will allow every space, fitting and furnishing to
continuously update to respond to an individual’s real-time needs – the Lobby
will conjure up anything from a tranquil spa to a buzzy bar, giving every guest
the perfect, personal welcome – From temperature and lighting, to entertainment
and beyond, microchips under the skin will enable us to wirelessly control the
setting around us based on what we need, whenever we need it.
Up next: Are you ready for tomorrow—no matter what
tomorrow brings?
Finland’s
education system is considered one of the best in the world. In international
ratings, it’s always in the top ten. However, the authorities there aren’t
ready to rest on their laurels, and they’ve decided to carry through a real
revolution in their school system.
Finnish officials want to remove
school subjects from the curriculum. There will no longer be any classes in
physics, math, literature, history, or geography.
The head of the Department of
Education in Helsinki, Marjo Kyllonen, explained the changes:
“There are
schools that are teaching in the old-fashioned way which was of benefit in the
beginning of the 1900s — but the needs are not the same, and we need something
fit for the 21st century.“
Instead of individual subjects,
students will study events and phenomena in an interdisciplinary format. For
example, the Second World War will be examined from the perspective of history,
geography, and math. And by taking the course ”Working in a Cafe,” students
will absorb a whole body of knowledge about the English language, economics,
and communication skills.
This system will be introduced
for senior students, beginning at the age of 16. The general idea is that the
students ought to choose for themselves which topic or phenomenon they want to
study, bearing in mind their ambitions for the future and their capabilities.
In this way, no student will have to pass through an entire course on physics
or chemistry while all the time thinking to themselves “What do I need to know
this for?”
The traditional format of
teacher-pupil communication is also going to change. Students will no longer
sit behind school desks and wait anxiously to be called upon to answer a
question. Instead, they will work together in small groups to discuss problems.
The Finnish education system
encourages collective work, which is why the changes will also affect teachers.
The school reform will require a great deal of cooperation between teachers of
different subjects. Around 70% of teachers in Helsinki have already undertaken
preparatory work in line with the new system for presenting information, and,
as a result, they’ll get a pay increase.
The changes are expected to be complete by 2020.
Up next: What is the fourth industrial revolution
really?
