You
may have already run across the terms Industry 4.0, Work 4.0, Health
4.0 … It's now time to start more proactively talking about emerging efforts to
collaborate on designing and building next generation Education
4.0 solutions. The pandemic has raised the importance of these issues.
The
US is in the process of developing and implementing
Education
3.0, which
is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of ways we
have been moving over the past decade to better integrate
digital
technologies
into learning using
web-based
and mobile technologies.
It involves moving away from classes and traditional
lectures, focuing instead on interactive learning customized to needs
of individual students. These efforts will continue well into the
next decade.
Looking
a bit further into the future, Education 4.0 is a term
starting to be used to describe the systems that will be put into
place by 2040 to complement and support the global shift to Industry
4.0, Health 4.0, and other next generation advances in every industry
and aspect of society. It is characterized by more advanced, global
systems utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), invisible user
interfaces (IUI), and the convergence of many other technologies -
coupled with 'open access' to knowledge, science, and other data
resources.
Education
4.0 – Convergence of Technologies
Over
the last few years we have seen the emergence of Industry
4.0 and 'Smart' Factories. Industry 4.0 describe a quantum leap
forward by
manufacturers and
distributors of autos, airplanes, appliances, computers, and just
about everything we use. Industry 4.0 will involve
the
development
and use
of multiple hi-tech
solutions
for tomorrow's
'smart factories'. It
will
include
the integration and use of multiple converging technologies such as
the Internet
of Things, Robotics, 3-D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Wearable
Systems, Implantables,
Nanotechnology,
Big Data, Cloud Computing, Virtual
Reality, Quantum Computing, Embedded ...
Similarly,
Health
4.0 will connect
all available health information, services, devices and people
together in a more meaningful way by
2040.
Massive
global health data warehouses will
store
data from a wide range of health IT systems, e.g. Electronic Health
Records
(EHR), Personal Health Records (PHR), wearable fitness trackers,
implantable medical devices, clinical imaging systems, genomic
databases, surgical robots, health research knowledgebases and more.
Artificial
intelligence (AI)
system will monitor and analyze the health data gathered on all
humans in real-time, detecting potential individual and public health
issues and
send alerts to your smart personal assistance devices.
The system will also be interfaced to pharmacies, laboratories,
health insurers, public health agencies, and other institutions as
needed. See
Global
Artificial Intelligence Network for 2040.
Looking
at the field of Education & Training, the workplace of the future
in Industry 4.0 'smart factories' and healthcare institutions that
will be deploying Health 4.0 solutions will require a highly
educated workers with new skills that will need to be continuously
updated throughout their lives. Key components of Education 4.0
systems will be interoperability, 'open' standards, 'artificial
intelligence, the invisible user interface (UIU), 'open access' to
knowledgebases, use of virtual reality, mobile technology, and
convergence of the wide range of technologies currently being
developed.
Education
& Training in 2050
The
following is a brief brainstormed
list of new technologies, educational needs, processes, projections,
and predictions about the field of Education
& Training in 2050.
Some
of the many slowly converging technologies
that will have a tremendous impact on the future of Education &
Training include:
Artificial
Intelligence (AI)
Augmented
Reality
Brain
Interface Technologies
Free
& Open Source Software
Free
& Open Access Textbooks
Implantable
Systems
Invisible
User Interface (IUI)
Language
Translation Technology
Multimedia
Educational Materials
|
Mobile
Technology & Apps
Personal
Learning Assistant
Robotics
Social
Media
Telepathy
Televideo
Virtual
Reality
Virtual
Classrooms
Wearable
systems
3D
Printing Technology
|
In
addition, the following are some of the major changes in Education
& Training that we
will see by 2050. The changes will impact all educational
institutions, educators, trainers, administrative staff, support
staff, students,
parent, workers, and
more:
The
education system and
schools will
dramatically redefine
their
mission,
purpose, structure, funding, curriculum,
tools... over
the coming decades.
Cost-competitive
private, online schools and universities will dominate the education
landscape by 2050. Global education and training institutions will
serve students around the world. Human illiteracy will be largely
eliminated around the world by 2050.
-
Teachers
will need to become
experts in new technologies and how to best use them in different
settings. Their role
will shift towards becoming education coaches, mentors, career
counselors... Teacher
compensation will change as the importance of their role, level of
expertise, and range of skills
increase.
-
'Personalized
education' programs tailored to individual needs and capabilities
will develop. Education
and training programs will need to be developed and tailored for all
age groups.
-
Students
will be equipped with some form of artificial intelligence device
that will serve as a 'learning companion' and development of
'accelerated learning'
programs for motivated
students with advanced
capabilities will increase.
-
Most
'brick and mortar' campuses will be local commuter campuses allowing
for face-to-face learning opportunities when needed. Home schooling
and distance learning solutions will further
dominate the
landscape. 'Intelligent
classrooms'
of the future will
often occur
in 'virtual'
space.
-
Educational
institutions will
drastically rethink their curriculum, focusing more on critical
thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills than a specific
concentration. They will also
be forced to collect and share data on quality of courses, course
completion rates, costs, student hiring and
more.
-
Ongoing,
lifelong vocational
training will be
made available to those in the country's workforce.
Individuals
will receive credit for life experience and
receive
certificates of expertise in lieu of college degrees.
-
Free
and 'open source'
education software and tools will be available to all. Also,
free and 'open
access' to most of
the world's knowledge and information will be available to everyone.
Use of 'open access'
textbooks and journals will dramatically lower the cost of
education.
-
Both
public and private sector institutions will need to collaborate more
closely on education and training programs to meet ever changing
needs. Governments
will subsidize and/or provide free education for all citizens,
including college courses. Student
loans and debt will become a thing of the past.
-
By
2050, interplanetary
education
programs may begin to emerge as colonies begin to be established on
the moon and Mars.
What
else should be added to the list of brainstorming ideas, projections,
and predictions about Education
4.0? What
else do you think will happen by 2050? The pandemic is accelerating the need for changes - now.
