Emerging technologies: the personal device in education, business and industry
It is difficult to make predictions about emerging technologies, and even more difficult to guess what people will want or how they will use those technological devices that do emerge. One thing is sure: it would have been virtually impossible to predict the impact that cell phones, for example, have on our society today. Gone are the days of difficult, laborious communication in the form of letters or even standard phones. Try to imagine telling a college student today that he or she has to be at home to receive a phone call. Demand and development work hand in hand to spur technological advance on to new and higher levels. It was this kind of demand and development that created the ubiquitous cell phone as we know it today.
To view one of the most dynamic, influential technologies available today, all you need to do is look around; they are on the street, in cars, in educational settings, in airplanes, on the subway. They are used by doctors, mothers, academics and teenagers. These devices have become such a part of our lives that few can remember what life was like before them. These devices are cell phones. The invention of the mobile cellular phone has arguable changed the way we communicate with each other – both in the West and the East, since cell phones are not an isolated phenomenon (Mouchard, 2003). We are now in constant contact with each other; our communicative abilities are no longer limited by location or proximity to a telephone. While it is certainly up for debate whether this is a positive or a negative development, the fact of the matter is that cell phones, and the devices sure to come after them, are here to stay.
Cell phones, however, are just the beginning (Black, 2002); they have opened the door to technologies that will most likely change the way our societies are shaped. In particular, there is one technology that will have, most probably, the greatest impact on industry, business and education. This technology is already available, but rather than in one integrated device, it is still only available in separate components. One piece of this kind of powerful technology that we already have is the smart phone. Smart phones are, “A class of wireless phones typically used to describe handsets with many features and often a keyboard. What makes the phone "smart" is its ability to handle data, not only voice calls,” (The Wireless Glossary, 2003). There are other components such as personal computing devises, personal assistant devices, mobile web services, global satellite positioning capabilities, wireless video streaming capabilities, wireless email, and wireless still imagery. One day in the not so distant future, these technologies will be combined to form one superior multimedia communication technology. This superior technology will, eventually, be no larger than a wristwatch. Once created, it will change how we do everything – how we communicate, shop, and learn. Since this technology is not, to my knowledge, currently named, for the sake of this paper, I will call it a personal device, or PD.
Only the imagination can really say how this PD will change society, but there are some predictions about how this device will shape education, business, and industry. For those of us in instructional technology, it seems that the invention and mass use of PDs can only be positive; however, there are drawbacks and fears about these devices that need to be addressed. I will look at the benefits and drawbacks of PDs in education, business and industry.
There is a fear today in higher education particularly, but not limited to this level, that technology may one day replace human instructors in the traditional face-to-face classroom. Many higher education faculty resist adopting technology (Butler & Sellbom, 2002; Passmore, 2000) for fear they may innovate themselves out of a job (Moore, 2000). The advent and wide spread adoption of distance education has convinced many in higher education that their tenure as faculty in grounded universities is about to come to an end, (Feenberg, 1999; Simmons, 2000). In my opinion, this fear is unfounded because information is not instruction (Merrill, 1998), and successful student learning simply always requires qualified and gifted teachers. Once faculty realize that technology can be their tool in the teaching and learning process, the amount and level of learning that can take place both in and outside of the classroom is infinite. Imagine how these new PDs can be used in a classroom. Picture the following scenario.
A large lecture class of one hundred or more students enters a classroom for a traditional lecture, but each student carries a PD. In the traditional model, students are asked to sit and listen to the instructor, write notes, and try to take in as much information as possible, all in a very passive manner. The teaching and learning is based on a one way learning model (Cox, 1994). With a PD, information can be wirelessly and seamlessly transmitted to all students at the same time. In addition to quick data transmission, supplementary audio, graphics and video could also be disseminated and then be as much a part of the lecture as the traditional blackboard. Illustrations, explanations, figures, diagrams, and photographs all could aid the student in the learning process. Students would also have the capability to respond immediately to an instructor, who would have the option of recording responses for analysis or assessment. Future lectures could be shaped based on this analysis. Even the current lecture could be affected by student input – if a majority of students commented electronically that they did not understand a particular concept, the professor could respond immediately, thus preventing confusion and frustration on the spot.
In-class data transmission and student feedback are not the only things PD’s could do to enhance student learning. Let’s look at a few more inventions that would be integrated into the PD and that would aid the students in the class. With the PD, students could download their electronic textbooks, which would allow them to have this entire resource at their disposal for quick reference. These textbooks could also be integrated into the wireless network, which would increase their ability to incorporate multimedia, thereby increasing their functionality and educational scope. These are just a few basic example of how PDs could benefit education; the possibilities are endless, and limited only by human imagination.
This is not to say that there could be some difficulties or negative responses. Many instructors seem to have difficulty adopting new, improved or just different methods of teaching. For example, the advent of video and instructional television had enormous education possibilities, but not all instructors embraced this technology, (Neal, 1998). The same will be true for PDs. For a variety of reasons, some instructors—across all levels—are hesitant to use new technologies. Neal (1998) believes this is because faculty members are not convinced that new technologies actually improve student learning. He points out that there is little evidence that supports the proposition that using electronic technology improves student learning. Although a belief in the lack of evidence is prevalent in education, it is not necessary accurate. Most professionals in instructional technology are familiar with the “no significant difference phenomenon,” but regardless, I would argue that the reason there is no convincing empirical evidence is because few are using the technology as effectively as possible. Instead of thinking of new ways of teaching and learning, these teachers are trying to use technology to teach in the same old ways. Since it seems that the old face-to-face methodology is not one that translates well to electronic technology (Twigg, 2001) , these efforts at using technology to teach in outdated ways are bound to fail.
The list of potential drawbacks in technology for education – especially higher education – is topped by the high probability of enhanced cheating possibilities. Plagarism, always a problem in higher education as students will go to great lengths to avoid writing their own papers, is made much easier through the use of the Internet. Also, just as information from teachers can easily be disseminated via PD’s, material can be accessed during testing situations. Students can easily communicate surreptitiously and quietly using text messaging during classes, either with other students in the class or accomplices off-site. As technology improves, cheating methods will too. Obviously, improved access to information can be both beneficial and detrimental to the learning process. It is up to the users to decide whether the benefits outweigh the detriments.
The benefits of the Personal Device could be immense in education, and the potential gains may be even more immeasurable in the spheres of business and industry. The PD may force us to rethink and redesign our working lives, locations and systems. This rethinking is actually already taking place as can be evidenced with the proliferation of those who are beginning to “telecommute.” Our physical work place is no longer restricted to the building designated by our company. We now have the ability to work from home, from hotels, even from airplanes. Since the PD will incorporate pocket computers, this ability to work “anytime, anywhere” will increase exponentially. Workers will gain a new sense of flexibility and control over their work hours, thereby increasing job satisfaction and, since how we feel about work directly affects our sense of wellbeing and happiness, improve the quality of our lives in general. It is arguable that businesses will become more productive if employees are able to manage their work lives in new and different ways.
In addition to anywhere, anytime job capabilities, the PD will be able to enhance business and industry on the levels of both productivity and quality control. Many companies are now realizing that stocking inventory is expensive, and it makes more financial sense to have stock shipped in on as as-needed or just-in-time basis. Recently, a television commercial aired that showed a car salesman on the dealership floor discussing the color of a car being ordered by a customer. As the customer changed his mind, and the salesman clicked on a computer, the robots painting the car in a factory (presumably miles away) immediately switched paint color to match the customer’s wishes. While this seems outlandish, there are plenty of factories today that are able to assemble products both large and small based on just-in-time delivery of parts and supplies. These systems require intricate computer and communication systems. The use of the PD will surely enhance these systems as it will give employees the ability to access and share much needed data instantaneously.
Instant transfer of data can also improve manufacturing systems. In industry specifically, for example on a production line, when a line worker sees something flawed coming down the line, he or she could use a PD to alert a supervisor about it immediately. Expensive line shut-downs might be avoided, and quality improved without significant waste of time (since this feedback would be instant) and money (since conceivably the defective parts could be replaced before being put further into production. On the spot adjustments could be discussed, ordered and implemented in a production line through the use of PD ’s, thereby making the system more efficient and productive.
Trends toward all of these innovations can be seen daily almost everywhere one looks. People are increasing online in more and more places – I was recently in a small airport in California when my laptop picked up a wireless network system. I could have paid a nominal fee and logged on right from where I happened to be sitting. This connectivity potential will increase as quickly as business can figure out how to charge for it, which means very very quickly. As mentioned above, cell phones are getting increasingly smarter, and all kinds of wireless technologies are being developed constantly. Education, business and industry are at the same time using existing technologies and driving the invention of the new technologies. As demand for quicker and more seamless integration of these new technologies increases – and it surely will – the technologies will answer by becoming more and more integrated. The fictional PD discussed in this paper might not appear exactly as described, but there will be small, portable devices capable of the immediate and uncomplicated transfer of text, audio, graphics, and video in the near future.
References
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