Breaking down barriers to inspire greater innovation
27/05/09 19:40
Recently we have seen the opening of a new $20 million building to house the ICT Innovation Institute at Canterbury University – a partnership between the University and some of the country’s top technology firms. As well as academics and post-graduate students, the Institute will house staff on secondment from companies such as IBM, HP, Tait Electronics and Jade. The building is open plan, allowing students to work in multidisciplinary teams. The Institute’s Director, Dr Darin Graham, who helped set up a similar institute in Canada before coming to New Zealand, says that it takes time to break down barriers between traditionally research-focussed academics and profit-driven businesses. “It’s about building up trust and value. When it takes off, the spark and energy is truly phenomenal.” Read more:
|
School lunches go online
27/05/09 19:28
An innovative solution to the “what to give the kids for lunch” dilemma has been found by a Christchurch mother of three. Kids School Lunches provides parents with an online site where they can order healthy lunch options for their primary school children, and have them delivered to the school.
Read the full story.
Read the full story.
Facebook sackings stir up privacy debate
12/05/09 09:54
There have been a spate of facebook sackings in the last few weeks. The case of a Swiss insurance worker sacked for surfing on facebook whilst taking sick leave because she couldn’t look at a screen appeared clear cut, So, on the face of it did the case of the UK prison guard who was found to have
Award-winning innovation in action in NZ
24/04/09 11:01
The NZ Herald this morning reports that a New Zealand High School teacher, Nathan Kerr, will be presenting his and his students innovative ideas to 1400 teachers at the National Education in Computing Conference in June. He was chosen to present there after having been named “the most innovative teacher in the world” at Microsoft’s international awards ceremony in November last year. We’re always on the lookout for example of innovation in teaching, especially in secondary schools, so we are still trying to work out how we missed the announcement last November!
On reading the report (and delving a little further to find out more) it seems that the “secret” of Nathan’s success is a combination the relationship he has with his students and their collaborative approach to teaching and learning, which enabled the students to teach Nathan how to use mobile technologies to improve their learning opportunities in geography. He also acknowledges the fact that New Zealand teachers and students as not constrained by our curriculum as is the case in many other parts of the world.
In the video below, Nathan talks about the work that led to that award:
<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=72097678-11c1-4317-b490-3df9168d1255" target="_new" title="Nathan Kerr, New ZealandNathan Kerr, New Zealand">Video: Nathan Kerr, New ZealandNathan Kerr, New Zealand</a>
To read the NZ Herald report, click here and to find out more about the Microsoft NZ Innovative Teacher Awards, click here.
On reading the report (and delving a little further to find out more) it seems that the “secret” of Nathan’s success is a combination the relationship he has with his students and their collaborative approach to teaching and learning, which enabled the students to teach Nathan how to use mobile technologies to improve their learning opportunities in geography. He also acknowledges the fact that New Zealand teachers and students as not constrained by our curriculum as is the case in many other parts of the world.
In the video below, Nathan talks about the work that led to that award:
To read the NZ Herald report, click here and to find out more about the Microsoft NZ Innovative Teacher Awards, click here.
Teaching resources for interactive white boards
14/04/09 13:38
Most schools have the 'smart boards' now. Here's an interesting site with a huge range of e-resources, from history to science. Worth having a look at, just to see where technology in the class room is taking us. You can see what's available without having to subscribe to the site.
Do Schools Kill Creativity?
14/04/09 13:25
I'm sure lots of you have seen this TED lecture given by Ken Robinson. But it's well worth a view. He was interviewed by Kim Hill recently. He points out that children starting school today will be graduating in about 2068. We have no idea what the world will look like then - in fact we have no idea what the world will look like in 5 years time. His main message?
"Creativity is as important in education as literacy"
Bad Science
08/04/09 13:14
What skills should we be teaching students now to help them understand the impact - or lack of it - of statistics? There was an article in the Herald recently which showed that although murder rates have dropped (from 21 per million people per annum in 1985-92 to 12 per million per annum in 2004-2008), people still think that crime is getting worse. Perhaps in this case, the gap between reality and perception is partly due to an aging population; the older you get the more often you've heard of violent crime and horrible murders, so it feels like the murder rate has increased, even if the opposite is actually true.
But there's also the challenge of how to equip students to understand statistics, and be aware of when they can be misused. A classic example can be found in Ben Goldacre's book - 'Bad Science’ (have a look at his site - it’s a great source of stories on bad statistics and dodgy scientific claims). In the book, he sites an infamous trial in 1999 when solicitor Sally Clark was put on trial for murdering her two babies. The prosecution case rested on a statistic that claimed, the chance of two babies in the same family dieing of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SID) was 'one in seventy three million'. Sally Clark was convicted on that statistic. Unfortunately for her the defence team failed to point out that it was equally statistically rare for two babies in the same family to be murdered by their mother. And they failed to explain to the jury that the figure 'one in seventy three million' was dodgy anyway because it was just the statistic showing the chance of one baby dieing of SID - doubled; 8,543 x 8,543, which failed to take into account environmental or genetic factors that may have been shared by both babies.
Perhaps these test cases should be taught in schools.
NZ identity now and in the future
08/04/09 10:28
Melinda Webber, a lecturer in School of Teaching Learning and Development at the University of Auckland suggests that we need to re-think the way in which we view “kiwi-ness” and “New Zealand-ness” because New Zealanders’ concepts of identity are changing and will continue to do so. Last year, she released a book entitled “Walking The Space Between: Identity and Māori / Pākehā” which she hopes will not only encourage debate about identity in New Zealand but also help teachers understand the issues faced by their students of mixed descent. Click here to hear a short interview with Melinda on 95bFM.
Melinda’s not the only one considering the question of NZ identity in the future. Click here for some thought-provoking questions on the same issue from the FutureMakers project.
Melinda’s not the only one considering the question of NZ identity in the future. Click here for some thought-provoking questions on the same issue from the FutureMakers project.
Twit.tv
07/04/09 12:57
Setting up the Think Tech site has been a learning experience for all of us at Secondary Futures, and in the process we've stumbled across some interesting sites, thanks to people alerting us that these sites exist. Here's one set up by a bunch of techie people from North America. It all started in 1998 with a small cable network called ZDTV, a channel dedicated to covering computers, the Internet, and personal technology. ZDTv became TechTV. When the channel was sold and dismantled, the same people decided to set up an on-line 'channel' that is now called twit.tv. Today, you'll find over a dozen different shows here - some of it streamed live - and all covering some aspect of technology. It's free (or you can make a donation if you want). So if you're interested in the latest technology, have a look.
Secondary Futures launches ThinkTech
27/03/09 09:12
New Zealand’s first online policy debate tool, ThinkTech, will be launched at Te Papa on Tuesday with a live online forum about the place of technology in education.
Click Here for more information on the launch
And don’t forget to visit ThinkTech to register
See you there.
Click Here for more information on the launch
And don’t forget to visit ThinkTech to register
See you there.
A thought-provoking morning on Radio NZ National
20/03/09 13:03
There were a couple of great items about education on the Nine-to-Noon programme this morning. For those (many) of you with an interest in education unable to listen to radio during those hours, you can hear the interviews here.
In the first interview, Mark Brown, principal of Nelson’s Victory Primary School talks about changes in his school over recent years; changes which are creating a real sense of community around the school. The school is placing the needs of its students (and their families) at the centre; it has made its spaces and resources available to the community and the community is in turn providing services to the school. I wonder how many others are doing similar work and if this might be the way of the future for other schools and communities.
Later in the morning, Kathryn Ryan interviewed British “creativity” expert, Sir Ken Robinson, who contends that we are educating the creativity out of our children to the detriment of our children and our society. He considers that in today’s world, creativity is every bit as important as literacy. If you’d rather see Sir Ken as well as hear him, click here for a video of a conference presentation, where he expresses similar thoughts.
In the first interview, Mark Brown, principal of Nelson’s Victory Primary School talks about changes in his school over recent years; changes which are creating a real sense of community around the school. The school is placing the needs of its students (and their families) at the centre; it has made its spaces and resources available to the community and the community is in turn providing services to the school. I wonder how many others are doing similar work and if this might be the way of the future for other schools and communities.
Later in the morning, Kathryn Ryan interviewed British “creativity” expert, Sir Ken Robinson, who contends that we are educating the creativity out of our children to the detriment of our children and our society. He considers that in today’s world, creativity is every bit as important as literacy. If you’d rather see Sir Ken as well as hear him, click here for a video of a conference presentation, where he expresses similar thoughts.
Philanthrocapitalists in education
05/03/09 13:13
Wealthy philanthropists have been around for hundreds of years. There’s nothing new about the rich wanting to do good deeds with surplus wealth. But the emergence of the so-called ‘philanthrocapitalists’ is a new slant on an old idea; the likes of Bill Gates for example aren’t happy just to give funds to worthy charities via their own charitable foundation; Gates (and other ‘philanthrocapitalists like Warren Buffett) want to use their business skills to increase the effectiveness of their charitable dollars. They demand outcomes and accountability, and they’re prepared to hire the best people around to make the policy decisions in their charitable foundations (rather than attempt to be the experts themselves).
Big global companies like IBM promote themselves as ‘good corporate citizens’. It’s not just because they claim to see it as the moral and right thing to do (IBM support literacy programmes, and send IBM staff into schools). They also see it as ‘good business’.
They recognise that their own staff for example will only stay with IBM for a few years before they move on to work for another organisation. Job mobility is a reality. Rather than fight this trend, IBM have decided to embrace it. They invest in their staff, upskill them and train them - knowing that another company is likely to reap the benefits - but trusting that those other companies will do the same with their staff, and in an inter-connected global job market, IBM will pick up other quality staff. What goes around comes around.
So ‘philanthrocapitalists’ still do good deeds just like the Rochefellars and the Carnegies of yesterday, but for more complex.
And a mixture of compassion and enlightened self-interest can be a good thing.
Reading your mind
03/03/09 15:26
'Reading your mind' on last night's 60 Minutes suggested that FMRI Thought Identification would, within the next five years, read your mind. Apparently, neuro-marketers could use this to find out what products we want to buy - they already are! Stroke victims who cannot speak, would be able to communicate their ideas to family and health carers. This could mean that teachers can identify what ideas children have and which direction their thought patterns are going in. I'm excited that this could mean that kids and their teachers are always on the same wave length, but worried about the invasion of privacy this brings with it.
See the 60 Minutes clip
See the 60 Minutes clip
Food for thought
03/03/09 13:17
On Saturday morning, I listened to Kim Hill interviewing British nutritionist, Patrick Holford, about the relationship between nutrition and such health issues as addiction and depression. He has also written extensively about the relationship between nutrition and learning and behaviour. There is a growing body of research showing such links, including this from the UK Parliamentary Food and Health Forum as shown on one of Patrick Holford’s websites.
So what do we do with this kind of information and what should we be doing with it? Many schools are taking removing sales of junk food from tuckshops but is that going far enough? One Northland school has taken the issue further by trialling Omega-3 supplements with their students. See what you think of their approach and results.
Should all schools be following this example or is it going too far? Who has the responsibility for using this information to enhance learning (and behaviour)?
Can your phone make YOU an expert?
03/03/09 11:51
The latest fitness app to hit iPhone is a module which uses wireless sensors to monitor your heart rate — the app will also allow you to track and record your workouts, and even send that data to websites for medical assessment.
Technology like this could potentially make specialist professions such as nutrition and exercise consultants obsolete by encouraging people to monitor their own health more closely.
But what are the consequences of everyone becoming an 'expert'?
Kids and homework
27/02/09 15:06
Where do young people go when they are not at school
18/02/09 16:11
At the International Congress for Schooling Effectiveness and Improvement in Vancouver last month, Valerie Hannon of The Innovation Unit in the UK was talking about how the world was changing and how learning has to adapt to this changing world. We were particularly struck by this picture showing all the media student consume out of school hours and the drop off when they are in school. If this is where students choose to go when school's out, how might those places become richer learning environments?
Pasted Graphic 1
Pasted Graphic 1
2019: DNA mapping at birth as a matter of course?
11/02/09 10:21
“EVERY baby born a decade from now will have its genetic code mapped at birth, the head of the world's leading genome sequencing company has predicted.” More…
Like so many advances in science and technology, this development has potential benefits and the potential for harm… So, what will future decision-makers in areas such as health management, employment, privacy and insurance need to learn so that the benefits to society and to individuals are maximised and the harm minimised?
1.5 million graduates going spare
10/02/09 08:34
Got any ideas on what to do with a spare 1.5 million new graduates from China?
A recent report offers three possible solutions:
- local employment agencies to work more co-operatively to collect and share information
- community organisations to provide more jobs for young people
- major enterprises to shoulder more social responsibilities,
Those of us in countries outside China would be foolish to ignore the potential impact that such an enormous resource might have on our own lives. Just think, if you were one of the affected graduates, what opportunities might you be exploring? And what might this mean for what students in New Zealand will need in order to be successful in the future?
Schools of the future in NZ today
09/02/09 15:32
- Mission Heights schools welcomed on TV network
http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/tamati-mission-heights-junior-college-07-32-2462818/video
What messages do you get about the school from the students and staff?
What messages do you get about schooling in general from the way this item is covered?
You can find more about the values and learning culture of the schools at: http://www.mhjc.school.nz and http://www.mhp.school.nz
- Welcome to Albany Senior High School
http://albanyseniorhigh.school.nz/
If you were directing Albany in the film segment they might make about their school, what would you like to find out?
Are selfish parents a threat to children's well-being?
09/02/09 11:56
“An aggressive pursuit of personal success by adults is now ‘the greatest threat’ to the well-being and happiness of children”, according to a 3-year inquiry in the UK. Read more...
What does this mean for what our students will need to learn in order to equip them for their futures?
Are parenting programmes such as Triple P (see post 03/02/09) the answer? Are schools already addressing the problem through values programmes?
What does this mean for what our students will need to learn in order to equip them for their futures?
Are parenting programmes such as Triple P (see post 03/02/09) the answer? Are schools already addressing the problem through values programmes?
Google maps the sea floor
09/02/09 09:54
Hot on the heels of the recent launch of Street View, Google last week released the new Explore the Ocean feature of Google Earth. This new feature allows users to explore the depths and even investigate famous shipwrecks from the comfort of their home or office.
The updated version of Google Earth also includes the Mars 3D feature.
So with not just the world, but the universe soon to be at our fingertips, what does this mean for schools? Will tools such as Google Earth enhance the learning experience? Will virtual exploration replace the real thing?
The updated version of Google Earth also includes the Mars 3D feature.
So with not just the world, but the universe soon to be at our fingertips, what does this mean for schools? Will tools such as Google Earth enhance the learning experience? Will virtual exploration replace the real thing?
Triple P comes to NZ
03/02/09 08:54
Auckland University is initiating a research programme http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10554641 based on a successful positive parenting programme in South Carolina which showed that by providing all families with access to proven parenting information and support, rates of child maltreatment in whole communities could be reduced.
It will take time for this programme to take roots in New Zealand, but while it does, do we need to be thinking about the sort of parenting and community programmes that might be happening as a result of this research in five or ten years' time? Might workers be taking parenting programmes at work, as part of their professional / personal development plans? Might there be new centres for parenting springing up in local communities, or might we find that existing learning facilities, such as schools, are harnessed for this use? What role might current education professionals have such programmes, and in what ways might the availability impact on what young people are taught as their 'schooling' experience?
It will take time for this programme to take roots in New Zealand, but while it does, do we need to be thinking about the sort of parenting and community programmes that might be happening as a result of this research in five or ten years' time? Might workers be taking parenting programmes at work, as part of their professional / personal development plans? Might there be new centres for parenting springing up in local communities, or might we find that existing learning facilities, such as schools, are harnessed for this use? What role might current education professionals have such programmes, and in what ways might the availability impact on what young people are taught as their 'schooling' experience?
Cloning Extict Animals
02/02/09 09:30
Interesting to hear this morning (02/02/09) http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport about the cloning of an extinct Pyrean Ibex by Spanish scientists.
In his comments on this advance, Sir Ian Wilmut, who cloned Dolly the sheep 12 years ago, was quick to point out that it would be difficult to clone pre-historic predators like tyrannosaurus rex due to the absence of a suitable recipient to host the fertilised embryo. He reminded us though "you can never tell what might be possible in the future. Just fifteen years ago we didn't expect to be able to clone humans either!"
The scientists, lawyers, ethicists and citizens who will be making such decisions in twenty years' time are in schools now; what sort of decision-making frame does education need to provide for them so that innovative bio-tech decisions are consistent with our values?
In his comments on this advance, Sir Ian Wilmut, who cloned Dolly the sheep 12 years ago, was quick to point out that it would be difficult to clone pre-historic predators like tyrannosaurus rex due to the absence of a suitable recipient to host the fertilised embryo. He reminded us though "you can never tell what might be possible in the future. Just fifteen years ago we didn't expect to be able to clone humans either!"
The scientists, lawyers, ethicists and citizens who will be making such decisions in twenty years' time are in schools now; what sort of decision-making frame does education need to provide for them so that innovative bio-tech decisions are consistent with our values?
ICSEI '09: A question of voice
30/01/09 14:08
The Secondary Futures ‘A Question of Voice’ paper launched at the ICSEI conference in Vancouver in January 2009, outlines the theory that forms the basis for Secondary Futures' work.
Check out the paper to see how the unique structure and practice of the Secondary Futures project has created a space for all voices to be heard and a vision for the future of education to be imagined.
The paper notes how, given an opportunity to have a voice and, by a futures frame, to consider what was truly valued and what could be let go, New Zealanders envisaged an education system that was truly based on success for all learners; and a society where education was valued as critical to the success of both individuals and the nation
What do you think New Zealand needs to be doing to ensure a prosperous future?
Business and facebook
20/01/09 17:57
We thought this deserved a gold star. Tony Crisp, Director of Corporate Events Guide is using facebook to bring together New Zealand’s corporate events planning industry. The facebook page will include interesting bits of information, plus events and an informal platform for the industry to pose questions and chat.
Are there any other businesses out there using facebook like this?
Are there any other businesses out there using facebook like this?
Beyond the farm...
20/01/09 17:42
If you haven’t seen ‘Beyond the Farm and the Theme Park’ yet, we encourage you to take a look. This is a thought-provoking documentary from Paul Callaghan on New Zealand and its economic future. Paul is on a mission - to try and save New Zealand from a poor future. It’s 45 minutes but if you can - down-load it. He’s a captivating and very motivational speaker.
He says that earnings from farming and tourism won’t save New Zealand without adversely affecting the environment. Instead we should focus on our fine tradition of creativity and innovation. He believes high-tech companies will play a leading role in economic growth in New Zealand’s future.
In the documentary he also interviews:
Richard Taylor – Weta Workshop
Stephen Tindall – The Warehouse
Neville Jordan – Endeavour Capital
David Skilling – The New Zealand Institute
Di McCarthy – The Royal Society of New Zealand
Michael Chick – Tait Electronics
Andrew Wilson – Photonic Innovations
Murray Broom/Hans van der Voorn - Australo
Mike Daniell – Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Rod Oram – Financial Journalist
Andrew Coy – Magritek
He says that earnings from farming and tourism won’t save New Zealand without adversely affecting the environment. Instead we should focus on our fine tradition of creativity and innovation. He believes high-tech companies will play a leading role in economic growth in New Zealand’s future.
In the documentary he also interviews:
Richard Taylor – Weta Workshop
Stephen Tindall – The Warehouse
Neville Jordan – Endeavour Capital
David Skilling – The New Zealand Institute
Di McCarthy – The Royal Society of New Zealand
Michael Chick – Tait Electronics
Andrew Wilson – Photonic Innovations
Murray Broom/Hans van der Voorn - Australo
Mike Daniell – Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Rod Oram – Financial Journalist
Andrew Coy – Magritek
Buy a $600,000 house for $100!
20/01/09 17:34
Who says the way we do things can’t change? (well, actually the Internal Affairs Department says so in this case).
However, we thought this was an interesting idea if only to show what happens when people think outside the box and decide to throw the rule book out the window; a real-estate couple want to sell their $600,000 house by auctioning it off for the lowest price. That’s right - the lowest price. All you have to do is pay $100 for a seat at the auction.
This might not be the way we buy and sell houses in the future, but you can be sure it’ll be different to the way we do it today.
However, we thought this was an interesting idea if only to show what happens when people think outside the box and decide to throw the rule book out the window; a real-estate couple want to sell their $600,000 house by auctioning it off for the lowest price. That’s right - the lowest price. All you have to do is pay $100 for a seat at the auction.
This might not be the way we buy and sell houses in the future, but you can be sure it’ll be different to the way we do it today.
Te Papa gets global recognition for using technology
20/01/09 14:26
Te Papa is getting recognised by international bloggers for creating some of the best interactive learning games.
This blog alerted the world to Te Papa’s interactive ‘make your own giant squid’. If you haven’t already, have a go.
Te Papa is also creating ipod applications and much more. So if you’re looking for the technology/education nexus, Te Papa is a good place to start.
Let us know if you’re aware of any other organisations pushing the boundaries.
This blog alerted the world to Te Papa’s interactive ‘make your own giant squid’. If you haven’t already, have a go.
Te Papa is also creating ipod applications and much more. So if you’re looking for the technology/education nexus, Te Papa is a good place to start.
Let us know if you’re aware of any other organisations pushing the boundaries.
Scanner could create 3D classrooms on your home PC?
13/01/09 17:40
New Zealand researchers have developed a hand-held scanner which can record a 3D ‘model’ of crime scenes which investigators can later call up and navigate through on their office computer.
After watching CNN use holograms - Princess Laia like - of journalists reporting on the US election in November, these sorts of devises are developing very fast and being used in many different professions already.
The implications for the classroom are huge. In fact, who needs a classroom when you’ve got this kind of technology?
After watching CNN use holograms - Princess Laia like - of journalists reporting on the US election in November, these sorts of devises are developing very fast and being used in many different professions already.
The implications for the classroom are huge. In fact, who needs a classroom when you’ve got this kind of technology?
Do you want to know how to find gold and win a beauty contest?
08/01/09 15:56
This article got us talking as we tried to get up to speed after the Christmas blur. There are now so many competing sites which set out to give you advice and teach you stuff. On one site you can learn everything from how to pan for gold to how to kiss. Another site shows you how to make a USB mini-fridge and win a beauty pageant swimsuit competition. Or you can learn how to wield a samurai sword, and play guitar.
While the range of skills and learning is impressive, how can we know whether or not the advice and teachings are valuable? What quality assurances are there? Perhaps whether or not you find gold or actually win the beauty contest!
We certainly celebrate the idea that everyone in the community can help learning to happen, and we wrote extensively about this in our Community Connectedness paper.
What do you think? Is quality an issue or do we just learn from our mistakes, discard the USB mini-fridge that never worked, and go with the guitar lessons which seem to be improving our ability?
'The Place of Technology' in the future
11/12/08 11:10
We are continuing our interactive process to collect the latest thinking and analysis on the place of technology in education in the future. Tune in for more web-conferences, live video feeds, chat rooms and much more in the new year.
In the meantime, have a look at this video and tell us what you think about the social effects of technology in education in twenty years. Already we know, for example, that students spend a lot more time alone in front of their computer at home when studying. What are the implications of changes like this? Tell us what you think and be part of our continuing work on our final theme paper: ‘The Place of Technology.’
In the meantime, have a look at this video and tell us what you think about the social effects of technology in education in twenty years. Already we know, for example, that students spend a lot more time alone in front of their computer at home when studying. What are the implications of changes like this? Tell us what you think and be part of our continuing work on our final theme paper: ‘The Place of Technology.’
Hand-made shoes to home-made health care
02/12/08 19:22
A connected world through the internet and cheaper sensing and scanning devices mean that people have access to more unique products (you can buy individualized hand made-shoes from Estonia without leaving your home by taking a 3D scan of your feet and then using it to order shoes on line).
It also means that health and diagnosis services, for example that used to require people to travel far to access expensive centralized infrastructures could in future be done from home.
Home scanners and sensors could allow people to scan themselves and be diagnosed remotely. For diseases like diabetes, this could support much better day to day management of the condition, whilst reducing travel costs and stress.
Surely these technologies could also be applied to help students learn. Let us know if you’ve got ideas about this.
It also means that health and diagnosis services, for example that used to require people to travel far to access expensive centralized infrastructures could in future be done from home.
Home scanners and sensors could allow people to scan themselves and be diagnosed remotely. For diseases like diabetes, this could support much better day to day management of the condition, whilst reducing travel costs and stress.
Surely these technologies could also be applied to help students learn. Let us know if you’ve got ideas about this.
Good night Kiwi...
02/12/08 19:18
We thought it was rather lovely that TVNZ is bringing back the ‘Good Night Kiwi’ greeting for Christmas, even though TV is now 24/7 and never goes to sleep.
Remember how the Kiwi used to put out the milk bottle? Now it would be more likely to put out the recycling bin before saying good night.
What will our Good Night Kiwi be doing in twenty years time?
Remember how the Kiwi used to put out the milk bottle? Now it would be more likely to put out the recycling bin before saying good night.
What will our Good Night Kiwi be doing in twenty years time?
Wireless - anywhere, anytime
02/12/08 19:05
In the relatively near future, experts suggest there will be cheap full coverage for rural wireless communications.
This work is being speeded up by Indian investment in particular.
The Indian government has recently established the Centre for Excellence in Wireless Technologies in Chennai. It is a public-private initiative to promote R&D in fixed and mobile technologies and to create next generation wireless platforms.
This is likely to be good news for people living in rural areas in India who want low cost connection to the digital world.
The Indian government is keen to speed development in this area, not only to provide a better platform for business, but also to deliver education.
They recognise the long term educational benefits to the community when you supply this service with the help of government funding.
In the meantime, in New Zealand the new Minister of Local Government, Act party leader Rodney Hyde is debating whether or not local councils need to keep funding libraries; he suggests the benefit of borrowing and reading a book is to the individual, not the community - therefore why should the community pay?
But isn’t there a benefit to having our communities education and informed?
Doctor doctor - I'm in a reality TV show
02/12/08 18:55
Ever wondered if your life was a reality television show and you are the star? You're not alone - other people think they're on The Truman Show too.
What other new ‘syndromes’, or paranoid conditions are we likely to ‘invent’ in the future?
A positive pupil award for the person who can come up with the most innovative paranoid condition....
What other new ‘syndromes’, or paranoid conditions are we likely to ‘invent’ in the future?
A positive pupil award for the person who can come up with the most innovative paranoid condition....
A new kind of CEO for the future?
02/12/08 18:39
The Secondary Futures team wanted to say for the record, how impressed we have been with the Air NZ CEO, Rob Fyfe and his response to the tragic plane crash in France this week.
He has been personally involved with the tragedy from the beginning, has been with the families of the victims, flown with them to France, and has represented for all New Zealanders, just how heart broken and shocked we feel for the families.
Think back to the terrible tragedy at Mt Erebus more than 20 years ago, and how different the response from Air NZ was then.
This got us thinking about the changing role of leaders and CEOs as we head towards the future. Gone are the days when CEOs and people in high level positions could present themselves as unemotional and unapproachable. Now they need to present themselves as part of the team, listening to staff at all levels. As a goal, this has got to be a step in the right direction.
Rob Fyfe has also spent time in the past working in different departments in Air NZ to get to know the different jobs and to get to know staff.
Is this a new kind of CEO?
He has been personally involved with the tragedy from the beginning, has been with the families of the victims, flown with them to France, and has represented for all New Zealanders, just how heart broken and shocked we feel for the families.
Think back to the terrible tragedy at Mt Erebus more than 20 years ago, and how different the response from Air NZ was then.
This got us thinking about the changing role of leaders and CEOs as we head towards the future. Gone are the days when CEOs and people in high level positions could present themselves as unemotional and unapproachable. Now they need to present themselves as part of the team, listening to staff at all levels. As a goal, this has got to be a step in the right direction.
Rob Fyfe has also spent time in the past working in different departments in Air NZ to get to know the different jobs and to get to know staff.
Is this a new kind of CEO?
How do we prepare students for anti-ageing drugs?
02/12/08 18:27
Over the next ten to twenty years, major medical developments from biotechnologies are expected to improve health and lengthen lives.
• Bio artificial organs from 2010–2020
• Anti-ageing drugs by 2014
• Development of stem-cell-based tissue engineering to cure
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by 2015–2025
• Organ regeneration by 2030
• Integration between neurons and silicon chips – to provide super senses – sight and sound first
• Gene therapy to enhance non-pathological traits by 2010–2020
• Genetic-based diagnostics, predictive, and preventative technologies –
e.g. gene slicing to cure overactive genes by 2019
In some areas the benefits are clear, but other possibilities raise complex ethical questions. Today’s secondary school students will live in a world populated by questions their forbearers have never had to consider.
What do we need to do to prepare students to negotiate their way through these issues successfully?
Tomorrow’s business will be in fields that don’t even exist yet
02/12/08 18:21
The RAND corporation’s research on the developing, combining and applying technologies suggest that some sectors that are either small or don’t exist at all at the moment could, in 2020, be employing many of us (as twenty years ago, no one thought that millions of people world wide would make a living from the special effects industry). Their examples include:
Personalised medicine and therapies
Genetic modification of insects to control pests and disease vectors
Computational (or ‘in-silico’) drug discovery and testing
Biomimetic and function-restoring implants
Embedded sensors and computational devices in commercial goods
Small and efficient portable power systems
Mass-producible organic electronics, including solar cells
Smart fabrics and textiles
Pervasive undetectable cameras and sophisticated sensor networks
Large, searchable databases containing detailed personal and medical data
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking of commercial products and individuals
Quantum based cryptographic systems for secure information transfer.
The current cohort of 11year olds will be twenty two in 2020. How will their secondary education make sure that they are fully equipped to contribute to, and lead across these fields and others that we haven’t yet imagined?
Driverless vehicles take students of the future to learning sites
02/12/08 18:14
In the future, fully autonomous “driverless” vehicles could free up drivers to become passengers and to work, communicate with others or just enjoy the ride.
The Mars Rovers – the small robotic vehicles deployed by NASA for exploring the planet Mars - are successful examples of autonomous vehicles that have already been created.
A number of enabling technologies already exist in standard cars now. Driverless parking, using cameras and sensors, has been available in some cars since 2006. Many luxury cars have lane departure warning systems and radar assisted cruise control.
In 2005 a competition in the USA provided an opportunity to witness driverless vehicles moving at up to 200kph through sharp bends, tunnels and narrow roads.
In the future school students will need to learn in a wider range of places and in a range of different sized groups. This technology could help them to get to where they need to be safely and independently, and free them up to carry on learning as they travel.
If we do develop driverless vehicles and the systems to run them on, what do we need to think about to ensure we build students needs into the system design?
The Mars Rovers – the small robotic vehicles deployed by NASA for exploring the planet Mars - are successful examples of autonomous vehicles that have already been created.
A number of enabling technologies already exist in standard cars now. Driverless parking, using cameras and sensors, has been available in some cars since 2006. Many luxury cars have lane departure warning systems and radar assisted cruise control.
In 2005 a competition in the USA provided an opportunity to witness driverless vehicles moving at up to 200kph through sharp bends, tunnels and narrow roads.
In the future school students will need to learn in a wider range of places and in a range of different sized groups. This technology could help them to get to where they need to be safely and independently, and free them up to carry on learning as they travel.
If we do develop driverless vehicles and the systems to run them on, what do we need to think about to ensure we build students needs into the system design?
Virtual field trips
27/11/08 18:14
This is another story which shows us the future is already here - just some people don’t know it yet.
At LearnNZ, students can go on virtual field trips while they stay at school. They visit places they would never otherwise go to and interact with people they would never meet.
Students go to Otago goldmines, marine reserves and visit windmill farms and coal mines - all from the comfort of their own classrooms.
There’s live audioconferencing, videos uploaded daily, web diaries and lots of background material and activities for students.
We’d love to hear from anyone who has been involved with LearnNZ.
At LearnNZ, students can go on virtual field trips while they stay at school. They visit places they would never otherwise go to and interact with people they would never meet.
Students go to Otago goldmines, marine reserves and visit windmill farms and coal mines - all from the comfort of their own classrooms.
There’s live audioconferencing, videos uploaded daily, web diaries and lots of background material and activities for students.
We’d love to hear from anyone who has been involved with LearnNZ.
Education ranked lowest sector for IT intensiveness
27/11/08 16:50
Did you know that the US Department of Commerce recently ranked 55 industry sectors by their level of IT intensiveness?
Education was ranked number 55, the lowest - below coal mining.
At Secondary Futures we’re continuing to look at the role of technology in the future of education. So this is sobering research, but well worth a look.
How does New Zealand education rank?
By the way, if you haven’t already had a look at the Virtual Learning network (VLN) - take a look. The future is already here! VLN ‘supports the concept of classrooms without walls, where students and educators have the flexibility to connect with their classes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ‘
Education was ranked number 55, the lowest - below coal mining.
At Secondary Futures we’re continuing to look at the role of technology in the future of education. So this is sobering research, but well worth a look.
How does New Zealand education rank?
By the way, if you haven’t already had a look at the Virtual Learning network (VLN) - take a look. The future is already here! VLN ‘supports the concept of classrooms without walls, where students and educators have the flexibility to connect with their classes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ‘
Is this for real?
25/11/08 17:21
The tragic story recently of a 19 year old student who killed himself live on the internet while 1000s of people watched via their computers - and did nothing - shocked us and got us thinking about the implications of this story.
Technology is changing us. You can’t imagine 1000 people standing around outside doing nothing, while a young person committed suicide in front of them. So why is it possible on the internet?
Perhaps people don’t or can’t distinguish between what is real and what is not real on-line.
Or is technology changing our moral compass? Why didn’t anyone watching do something? And if they wanted to do something, what should they have done? Who do you call? There are no internet emergency services. In the end someone did call the police who turned up - on camera - but too late.
Is it that we don’t feel connected via the internet, despite all the talk of a more inter-dependent world; we don’t really think of these people as part of our ‘communities’.
This very sad story shocks, and raises more questions than answers. But we owe it to ourselves and the future to try and grapple with the hard questions.
We’ll be launching our interactive discussion on the place of technology in the future and its impact on education, and looking forward to your contributions on these sorts of difficult questions.
Technology is changing us. You can’t imagine 1000 people standing around outside doing nothing, while a young person committed suicide in front of them. So why is it possible on the internet?
Perhaps people don’t or can’t distinguish between what is real and what is not real on-line.
Or is technology changing our moral compass? Why didn’t anyone watching do something? And if they wanted to do something, what should they have done? Who do you call? There are no internet emergency services. In the end someone did call the police who turned up - on camera - but too late.
Is it that we don’t feel connected via the internet, despite all the talk of a more inter-dependent world; we don’t really think of these people as part of our ‘communities’.
This very sad story shocks, and raises more questions than answers. But we owe it to ourselves and the future to try and grapple with the hard questions.
We’ll be launching our interactive discussion on the place of technology in the future and its impact on education, and looking forward to your contributions on these sorts of difficult questions.
Are you wiki-literate yet?
25/11/08 17:02
Do you use a wiki?
For those of you who don’t know what a wiki is yet - here’s how ‘wikipedia’ defines it.
A wiki is simply a page or collection of web pages designed to allow anyone who accesses them to contribute or modify content. So ‘Wikipedia’ is one of the first ‘collective websites’ - or wikis.
Wikis have proved to be very effective in building community websites where people can add stuff and engage in conversations and debate. Most businesses use them to create intranets or knowledge management systems. So they are everywhere even if you didn’t know it!
We heard of one secondary school principal - a member of the Coalition of 21st Century Principals - (more of them another time; this is a voluntary group made up of principals in the Waikato and they are doing some very exciting work). This one principal decided to set up a wiki while he was on sabbatical so that he could share what he was doing and learning in other parts of the world with the members of the group back in New Zealand. This was a huge success.
Some schools have set up wikis so that parents, students and teachers can swap information. One primary school lets parents know what is happening that week in the classroom. They share videos of class activities, and parents can add information too.
Imagine if wikis could be used more widely as a learning tool between students and teachers at different schools, for example?
Are wikis the classroom tool of the future?
For those of you who don’t know what a wiki is yet - here’s how ‘wikipedia’ defines it.
A wiki is simply a page or collection of web pages designed to allow anyone who accesses them to contribute or modify content. So ‘Wikipedia’ is one of the first ‘collective websites’ - or wikis.
Wikis have proved to be very effective in building community websites where people can add stuff and engage in conversations and debate. Most businesses use them to create intranets or knowledge management systems. So they are everywhere even if you didn’t know it!
We heard of one secondary school principal - a member of the Coalition of 21st Century Principals - (more of them another time; this is a voluntary group made up of principals in the Waikato and they are doing some very exciting work). This one principal decided to set up a wiki while he was on sabbatical so that he could share what he was doing and learning in other parts of the world with the members of the group back in New Zealand. This was a huge success.
Some schools have set up wikis so that parents, students and teachers can swap information. One primary school lets parents know what is happening that week in the classroom. They share videos of class activities, and parents can add information too.
Imagine if wikis could be used more widely as a learning tool between students and teachers at different schools, for example?
Are wikis the classroom tool of the future?
Technology is changing us
25/11/08 16:38
A new book is out called ‘The Rise of the Video Republic’, and if you visit this site you can see a video just released called ‘The Video Republic’ (click on the video). It’s short and worth a look because it captures very effectively what we all know - which is that new technology is changing us; or in the words used in the film, ‘Video is changing young people - into reporters’.
Whether on YouTube, the internet, email, or via texts, millions of people are telling their stories. The old days when the dissemination of information was the job of a few professionals working for a handful of media monopolies has gone. Now anyone with a computer gets to share their opinions with the world. It’s what the people at ‘Demos’ call ‘the new theatre of public information’ or ‘the messy alternative realm of video creation and exchange.
Is this more democracy or is it chaos? Tell us what you think.
DJ Battle wins an award
24/11/08 10:49
DJ Battle, our on-line game to promote the idea that the community and business will be far more involved in education in the future, and learning can happen anywhere at anytime with many different experts - has won an award! Here's what they say about it:
"Your site "DJ Battle" at http://www.djbattle.co.nz/ has been chosen as the Illuminated Site of the Week. This award recognizes those websites that, in one way or the other, illuminate the Big Picture . . . that show What Is Really Happening in our newly ordered world.”
"Your site "DJ Battle" at http://www.djbattle.co.nz/ has been chosen as the Illuminated Site of the Week. This award recognizes those websites that, in one way or the other, illuminate the Big Picture . . . that show What Is Really Happening in our newly ordered world.”
Bionic eye
18/11/08 16:24
Here’s a story about a woman who lost her eye in an accident and via her blog has asked technicians to build her a ‘bionic eye’ so that she can record her life.
Assuming that at some stage in the not too distant future engineers will figure out a way to achieve this, how long might it be before people don’t need to go through the ordeal of losing an eye in order to have this feature embedded in their body somewhere?
Assuming that at some stage in the not too distant future engineers will figure out a way to achieve this, how long might it be before people don’t need to go through the ordeal of losing an eye in order to have this feature embedded in their body somewhere?
Keeping kids safe - Whose job is it?
18/11/08 16:07
Primary school children are apparently being left at the school gates up to 50 minutes before schools open and are playing chicken with cars on a busy Christchurch road, according to this recent article.
But what is interesting about this piece is how it assumes - as we all do today - that schools must play the custodial role from 9am until 3pm. Parents are custodians for the rest of the time.
This may always be true for primary school kids. But imagine secondary schools in the future. What if all of that changed? If ‘the school’ as we know it ceases to exist in its present form in 2028 and the community and business become far more involved in the delivery of education, then students could be learning in many different centres throughout the community.
Who will be responsible for students safety then? How important is ‘custody’ for secondary school age children anyway?
Sharing that responsibility amongst the community has got to be a better option in the future. Teachers can’t carry that burden alone (they’re teachers, not security guards) and families often have two parents working these days.
What do you think?
But what is interesting about this piece is how it assumes - as we all do today - that schools must play the custodial role from 9am until 3pm. Parents are custodians for the rest of the time.
This may always be true for primary school kids. But imagine secondary schools in the future. What if all of that changed? If ‘the school’ as we know it ceases to exist in its present form in 2028 and the community and business become far more involved in the delivery of education, then students could be learning in many different centres throughout the community.
Who will be responsible for students safety then? How important is ‘custody’ for secondary school age children anyway?
Sharing that responsibility amongst the community has got to be a better option in the future. Teachers can’t carry that burden alone (they’re teachers, not security guards) and families often have two parents working these days.
What do you think?
How google knows everything about you - and other scary stories.
11/11/08 16:33
Google can already see about 80% of the web sites that you click on. Soon they’ll be able to see everything.
Google’s harshest international critic was in Auckland this week and said google is becoming the ‘biggest detective agency that ever existed.’
Are you worried about this, or is it just scare-mongering?
And here’s another scary story; new software available now makes it possible to spy on every mobile call and text that someone sends. If you want to keep tabs on your partner, or you’re the boss and you want to monitor your employees, just download the software, ‘borrow’ your victim’s phone, set up the software, and return the phone. They will be none the wiser at the end of the day when they shove their phone in their bag. And you will be monitoring every call and text they make.
Now That’s scary!
Google’s harshest international critic was in Auckland this week and said google is becoming the ‘biggest detective agency that ever existed.’
Are you worried about this, or is it just scare-mongering?
And here’s another scary story; new software available now makes it possible to spy on every mobile call and text that someone sends. If you want to keep tabs on your partner, or you’re the boss and you want to monitor your employees, just download the software, ‘borrow’ your victim’s phone, set up the software, and return the phone. They will be none the wiser at the end of the day when they shove their phone in their bag. And you will be monitoring every call and text they make.
Now That’s scary!