Education 4.0 by 2040

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 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)

Mobile Technology & Apps Personal Learning Assistant Quantum Computing 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:

• People will have a lifespan of 100 years, a work-span of 80 years and the reality of at least 6 careers and 14 jobs in this time. Life-long learning will be needed by all humans to adapt to the global economy of the 21^st century.

• 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.

 

Education 4.0 – YouTube Video

Selected Links Building the Future of Schools 4.0 Education 4.0 Images Education 4.0 Videos Education & Training in 2050 Forecast 4.0 – Education & KnowledgeWorks Google 'Cardboard' VR for Schools Higher Education 4.0 – Trends and Future Stanford 2025

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education

This blog provides a brief, high level introduction to the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and its role in the Future of Education.

Our education system, schools, and universities are in the process of dramatically redefining their mission, purpose, structure, funding, curriculum, new technologies and tools as we adapt to an ever changing future. Think about Education and Online Learning available to everyone, anywhere, anytime. Think about personalized, Lifelong Learning solutions tailored just for you.

Televideo, virtual reality, robotics, implantable systems, brain interface technology, artificial intelligence systems, personal learning assistants, augmented reality... so many new technologies and tools are in the process of being developed and deployed to bring about change in how we will educate and train people in the coming decades. The focus here is on the use of just one of these new technologies – Artificial Intelligence (AI).

A report entitled “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in the US Education Sector 2018-2022” predicts a nearly 48 percent growth rate for AI tools over the next three years. There’s no rulebook yet for deploying artificial intelligence in schools. However, solutions such as IBMWatson Education and Google Cloud Platform & AI initiative offer the potential for schools to deliver personalized learning strategies and offer analytics-based performance feedback and insights. It is not yet clearly defined how K–12 educational institutions will actually best leverage these tools.

The following are selected articles on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and the future of education that you might want to read:

• Unleashing the power of AI for education | MIT Technology

• Artificial Intelligence in Education | Case Studies

• AI in Education: Where is It Now and in The Future

• Artificial Intelligence in Education: Benefits and Challenges for Students and Teachers

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications In Education – Forbes

• Brooking Institution: The Need to rethink education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

• AI in Education is Revolutionizing Student & Teacher in K-12 Schools

• AI In Education: 12 Companies You Should Know

Understandably, most institutions still lack a formal strategy or approach to advance the effective use of emerging AI solutions at this early stage. Initial development is well underway on AI solutions aimed at improving administrative processes and daily operations. Much work is yet to be done on adaptive 'personalized education' programs, individualized assessment and feedback, intelligent tutoring, use of immersive technologies, 'accelerated learning' programs for motivated students, augmented and virtual reality, mobile ‘learning companions’, gamification and more.

 

It will be interesting to see the changes to our education system that will unfold over the coming decade, It's interesting to take a quick look back at the History of Public Schools and when they came into being in the U.S.

Other Selected Links China's Squirrel AI IBM Watson AI Education Team and Solutions‎ Google Cloud & AI Platform for Education McGraw Hill's ALEKS OpenAI Organization YouTube: Future of Education

* If you are interested in this blog, you might also read the collection of other Summerton Blogs on Technology and the Future of Education

Preliminary High Level Predictions about Life in the Year 2100

I have previously written a series of articles about Technology Advancements and Life in 2050. In this article a first attempt is made to project even further into time and make predictions about life by the end of the century – Year 2100. By then we will have completed the transition from a Type 0 to a Type 1 Civilization. (Revisiting this article again during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, the predictions seem to be right on target.)

A Type 0 civilization extracts its energy, information, raw-materials from crude organic-based sources, e.g. food/wood/fossil fuel/books/oral traditions; pressures via natural disaster, natural selection, and societal collapse creates extreme risk of extinction; it's capable of orbital spaceflight; societies that fail to improve social, environmental and medical understanding concurrently with other advancements, frequently accelerated their own extinction. A Type I civilization extracts its energy, information, and raw-materials from fusion power, hydrogen, and other "high-density" renewable-resources; is capable of interplanetary spaceflight, interplanetary communication, megascale engineering, and interplanetary colonization, medical and technological singularity, planetary engineering, world government and trade, and stellar system-scale influence; but are still vulnerable to possible extinction. A Type II civilization extracts fusion energy, information, and raw-materials from multiple solar systems; it is capable of evolutionary intervention, interstellar travel, interstellar communication, stellar engineering, and star cluster-scale influence; the resulting proliferation and diversification would theoretically negate the probability of extinction. A Type III civilization extracts fusion energy, information, and raw-materials from all possible star-clusters; it's capable of intergalactic travel via wormholes and intergalactic communication, galactic engineering and galaxy-scale influence. A Type IV civilization extracts energy, information, and raw-materials from all possible galaxies; it's effectively immortal and omnipotent with universal-scale influence, possessing the ability of theoretical time travel and instantaneous matter-energy transformation and teleportation, moving entire asteroid belts and stars, creating alternate timelines and more. - See http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale

Predictions for the Year 2100

The following are a preliminary set of high level predictions of life in the Year 2100:

Global Population

It is predicted that the global population will be close to 12 billion by 2100, barring any unforseen major pandemic or major extinction event. Over 80% of the world’s population will live in urbanized areas where ‘Smart Cities’ will house the bulk of the world's population. Networks of metropolitan regions linked by new forms of government, transportation, communication, and economic systems. By 2100, governments around the world will be using various forms of population control, e.g. preventive medical solutions, legally approved coercion, re-engineering social norms. Technology will allow us to overcome language barriers allowing people to communicate anyone in the world – and to communicate telepathically. Read the Future of Human Population

Agriculture

Demand for Food and Water resources will grow substantially as the global population increases substantially by the end of this century. High-tech solutions, precision farming systems, use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), expansion of urban farming techniques… will all be needed to boost yields several times over to meet the growing global demand. Expect to see widespread use of drones, robots, artificial intelligance (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous self-driving farming vehicles, global weather control, and many other new technologies designed to meet the needs of the large scale corporate farms of the future. Today’s scarce fresh water resources will be vastly expanded by low-cost desalinization technologies that will convert sea water into potable water. Read Future of Food and Agricultral Demand in 2050

Business & Manufacturing

Global standards will be in place for all sectors of the economy, e.g. technology, medicine, manufacturing, transportation, telecommunications. Use of Smart 3D Printers, Robots, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Advanced Manufacturing Techniques... will dramatically transform manufacturing by the end of the century. Many new and almost unimaginable ‘smart’ materials and technologies for building housing, making clothing, manufacturing cars... will be developed and put into use. Much of the workforce will use augmented and virtual reality technologies to perform their work remotely in most industries, e.g. education, healthcare, research, manufacturing, retail, transportation... both on Earth and off-planet.  Read Future of Retail & Manufacturing and Future of Work

Finance

A new global ‘digital’ currency and a more secure monetary system will have emerged and taken hold by the end of the century. Use of coins and paper money will be a distant memory. New and continuously evolving global financial systems will draw heavily upon the use of new technologies, e.g. Blockchain, ‘Bitcoins’, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Crowdfunding, Implantables, Sensors, Smart ‘Wallets’... Tens of thousands of bank branch offices will close and most accounting jobs will disappear. Collaboration, 'Open' Solutions, and Continuous Innovation will remain key management strategies for success throughout the 21st century. Read Future of the Economy and Banking in 2050

Education

Education will be free for everyone and human illiteracy will have been eliminated around the world. Access to free, continuous life-long learning opportunities will be available for all as the rate of change continues to accelerate. humans to adapt to the global economy. Many new technologies like implantable computer-brain interface technology, artificial intelligence (AI), 5G Internet, virtual and augmented reality systems, free and ‘open access’ to research and educational materials… will all play a role in revolutionizing the education system, and eliminating the cost of acquiring knowledge and becoming more productive in the future. Read Future of Education and Education 4.0

Energy

The official end of the 'Oil Age' and use of fossil fuels on Earth will have occurred back in 2050. A range of renewable energy sources will provide 100% of the world’s energy, e.g. wind, solar, hydro, fuel cell, nuclear fusion – and maybe still a little oil and natural gas. Continent-wide ‘smart supergrids' will be used to help manage the world's energy needs. Both the high cost and scarcity of energy on Earth will be a thing of the past. Roofs, windows, painted surfaces, clothes… will all be used to collect energy for home and office devices, with excess unused energy being fed into the country’s smart supergrid. Wireless energy transmission systems will be in common use. Read Future of Energy and Energy & Environment in 2050

Environment

Average global temperatures will have risen by more than 5°F by 2100. Ongoing climate change will make storms far more intense around the world, e.g. hurricanes, tornados, cyclones, monsoons. Sea levels across the globe will rise by a little over 3 feet, flooding many coastal areas around the world. Major extinctions of many animals and plant life will have occurred. For example, deep ocean mining operations around the world will become widespread further disrupting sea life. Nearly half of the rain forests and jungles in the world today will have vanished, but global efforts to halt de-forestation, clean up the seas, restore coral reefs… will have finally taken hold. Many displaced people will have migrated to Antartica as the snow cap melted and it became habitable.  Read Future of Climate Change and Energy & Environment in 2050

Health

The rise of 'Regenerative Medicine', Genetic Engineering, Stem Cell Research, and the development of 'Human Augmentation' technologies will dramatically alter people's health for the better over this next century. New technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), and the Invisible User Interface (IUI) will all be incorporated into Health 4.0 systems of the future. Use of DNA biorepositories and genomic information systems will further transform healthcare, help lower costs, combat diseases, reduce child mortality, and extend human lifespans to well over 100 years. Look to see the emergence of a new health industry focused on BioEngineering human organs and new lifeforms and dealing with recurring global pandemics. Read Future of Health and Searching for Godot: Health 4.0

Technology

There will be more than a 1,000-fold increase in computer processing power, data collection and storage, information analysis and dissemination... By the year 2100, there will be widespread use of robots, drones, virtual reality, smart appliances, 5G Internet, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), nano-bots, brain-computer interfaces (BCI), unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAV), 3-D printers, Quantum Computers, Invisible User Interface (IUI), teleportation, and many other technologies in every industries, e.g. agriculture, manufacturing, military, government, transportation… Wearable and implantable technologies, not to mention teleportation and telepathy systems, will also be widely used in all facets of daily life,, e.g. healthcare, education, security, ... All will be needed to solve many of the challenges brought about by a growing world population, rapid urbanization, climate change, pandemics...  Read Future of Computers and Future of the Internet

Transportation

Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered vehicles will have long since replaced fossil fuel powered vehicles. Hi-tech unmanned autonompus vehicles (UAV) will be the dominant form of transportation with very few people owning their own cars. High speed Maglev trains and Hyperloop systems will be completed between major cities across the U.S. and around the world. These will all have a dramatic impact on the trucking and airplane industries as we currently know them. Finally, the commercial space transportation industry will continue to grow and evolve as mankind begins to colonize outer space.  Read Future of Transportation

Government & Society

The vast majority of countries will have adopted some form of democratic government. New alliances and partnerships between countries will lead to reinventing regional and global governance systems. Many non-state actors will take the lead from governments in confronting major global challenges, e.g. climate, pollution, healthcare… Building leadership in government and business that can be 'trusted', that is not corrupt, is citizen-centered, and not built on greed and the quest for money and power... will continue to be a major challenge for society to achieve.

By the end of the 21^st century, real time language translation technology will greatly improve global communications between individuals and organizations around the world. There will be continued progress towards the eradication illiteracy and global poverty levels. Women will have assumed a significantly growing role in public and private sector organizations across the world. Racial, religious, and gender discrimination and intolerance will have also been largely eradicated in the US and many other parts of the world. Finally, each individual will receive some guaranteed form of Universal Basic Income (UBI) from government which will meet the minimum requirements to sustain their lives, especially when changing jobs or looking for new work. Read Future of Government, Government & Society by 2050, Future of Human Evolution

Military & Warfare

It will be highly unlikely that war will go extinct, though its frequency, nature, and scope will continue to change and adapt to the future we will inhabit. Many wars will be fought in the ‘virtual world’. It is expected that rapid changes and shifts in ‘power’ may ultimately lead to more smaller intra-state and inter-state conflicts around the globe.

There will be widespread use of new technologies in weapon systems, e.g. Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles (UAV), artificial intelligence (AI), laser weapons, drones, robots, human augmentation technology, teleportation, telepathy... Also, expect to see the use of military weapons and warfare spreading to outer space as the quest to colonize the moon and other planets across our solar system becomes a reality. See Top Secret Weapons – DARPA Hard, Forecasting Change in Military Technology 2020-2040

Space Travel & Colonization

Spaceflight technology will have taken a major leap forward allowing for Inter-Planetary travel. Millions of humans will make up the first wave of immigrants populating permanent colonies on other planets and moons in our Solar System. Large scale geoengineering construction in support of these steadily growing colonies will have begun. Public and private sector organizations will be aggressively moving forward to further explore and exploit resources on nearby planets, moons, and asteroids in outer-space well into the 22^nd century. Plans for the first unmanned journeys to potentially habitable planets in the nearest solar systems of our Galaxy will be initiated. See Future of Space Exploration - Video

Conclusion

We are in the midst of the transition from the ‘Industrial Age’ of the 20^th century into the ‘Information Age’ of the 21^st century. We are also in the midst of the transition from a Type 0 Civilization into a Type 1 Civilization. It’s an amazing time to be living and the world is in some turmoil as it struggles to deal with these momentous transitions. To help people deal with the rapid pace of change all around the, this article attempts to paint a preliminary picture of the future to help make some sense of the seeming chaotic times we are living through. I hope you find this article informative and brings some clarity about the rapidly changing world you, your children, and your grandchildren are living in.

Links to Selected Resources & Reports

2100 Technology Forecasts & Reports by Quantumrun America’s Future: 2020-2050 American Infrastructure: 2050 COSI Report: Our Changing World by 2050 Future Work Skills & Challenges in 21st Century Life in 2050: A Pew Research Report National Intelligence Council (NIC): Global Trends for the Future Redefining Our Purpose as Civilization Keeps Changing

Michio Kaku: Quantum Computing and Our Future Rethinking Future Society: Robots, Jobs, and Universal Basic Income  Reports from 2050 on the Environment & Conservation Vision 2050: The New Agenda for Business WWF Report on Use of Renewable Energy by 2050 Future World: Year 2100 Technology – Video on  Future of Space Exploration  How can we become a Type 1 Civilization by 2100