Understanding where technology will take human society
is a daunting and interesting thought experiment. The things we are capable of
today is exponentially more advanced than we were capable of even a shy decade
ago. A popular concept is that of Moore’s Law. A theory that states technology exponentially
grows as time moves on. This is represented by a conclusion that processors
double in speed every 2 years. (Keyes, 2006) This concept is one
that I swear by in my everyday understanding of technology and as I have aged I
have become more open believing in “impossibilities” with technology.
This could not be any more clear than a memory of a
conversation I had with an English teacher my freshman year of high school in
2005. This particular teacher predicted a future where teachers and students would
have “hand held paper computers” that would be the size of a notebook that a
student could take with them between classes and to home. As a naïve 15
year-old I scoffed at this concept thinking that battery life would not be
sustainable. I proved to be more than sufficiently wrong and since then I have
refused to underestimate the power of technology.
Examining the everyday uses of technology in the
classroom now can give some foresight into where the trend will take us. Tablets
will no doubt become incredibly ingrained in education and teaching, that
students will rarely be seen without them. Tablets still however can be large
devices with an IPad mini having a seven inch screen and weighing about a pound
or two. If one were to go into a Brookstone store they would happen across a
laser projection virtual keyboard. Where once activated projects a keyboard
onto a surface that is fully functional. In the future this technology can be
expanded on so that devices that are either carried or worn will have the
capability of projecting a graphical user interface (GUI) onto a surface. This will
shrink a student’s load of scholastic equipment substantially and will
virtually remove the need for a knapsack.
The projection technology to make something like this
already exists and is in stores. All that would be required is a way to install
the proper software onto the device and make it practical to run. Once that is
achieved this device could be market ready. Something so small that can fit
into a pocket or clipped onto a shirt that allows a user to interact on massive
surfaces could revolutionize education. Imagine a teacher using such a
technology to lecture on chemistry projecting the structure and composition of
a molecule in real time 3D in a classroom. This would give students an
interactive component to learning because they could manipulate and “feel”
their education.
A real world existing technology that will be improved
on is virtual reality. There exists blueprints to fold cardboard up into a
certain design that allows a user to place their phone in it and hold it to
their face like a layman’s VR headset. This technology could be expanded on to
allow students to “visit” exotic places around the world. Or it could allow students
who may be bed ridden to still attend a “virtual” class. The possibilities of
something like virtual reality are endless because as graphics advance the
ability to “project” yourself someplace else will increase.
Works Cited
Keyes, R. W. (2006). The Impact of Moore's Law. Solid
State Circuits, 28.
Nussbaum-Beach, S., & Hall, L. R. (2012). The
Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age. Bloomington:
Solution Tree Press.
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