Technology push or pull, who cares , as long it has a net positive on the humanity side
Guy Van Wijmeersch
Innovation - Design Strategist | Catalyst| Challenger of the Status Quo | Match Maker | Growth Mindset Passionate about Design, Innovation and Sustainable Inclusive Solutions | Problem Explorer and Solution Implementer.
Throughout my career in the technology sector, one question has consistently intrigued me: why do we adopt new technologies? Often, discussions with researchers, scientists, and engineers revolve around the excitement of new tech and its cool features. But amidst the digital transformation, it's crucial to pause and ask: what are we truly transforming into and why?
Multiple of why is needed in starting a technology project and don't be happy with the answer, because we can.
A recent news story in Belgium shed light on this dilemma again. Accom Belgian publisher of student courses and books, in collaboration with Microsoft, introduced a platform that utilizes artificial intelligence to help students summarize their courses. While this innovation undoubtedly benefits the publishers, what about the students and teachers?
When a students summarizes a course, it goes beyond exam preparation—it fosters critical thinking and synthesis skills essential for mastering a subject. Offering such services for free to attract users to a new platform may seem beneficial, but does it truly serve the students' long-term learning objectives?
This issue reminds me of the struggles my children faced with fill-in books, where note-taking was limited to filling out predefined words . Studies have shown that the act of writing aids in processing course content, yet these books often prioritize publisher business models over student learning outcomes.
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5 Why's are often recommended before you really get to the core of something. In the cases above, these should let to the real core about teaching ( not reproducing content but really about being able to synthesize and stimulating different parts of the brain).
So, what should we expect from new technologies? What are the broader implications for users, society, and the planet ,long and short term ? I believe a shift is needed—a move towards integrating design thinking with technology push. ( Pull is created out of a great insight using design anyhow) . Only then can we ensure that technological advancements truly deliver a net positive for all stakeholders.
Let's move beyond the allure of cool features and prioritize meaningful innovation that enriches lives and empowers future generations.
#Technology #Innovation #DesignThinking #Education #FutureOfWork
Business & Digital Innovator | Arts Driven Innovator | AI Translator | Growth & Impact Catalyst | Connector & Matchmaker | Catalyst for Futures Readiness & Impact | Futurist & Trendtranslator | Art + Technology
10 个月Thx for posting this. Mixed feeling also on my side, however mainly positive. One reason is that (as we all know) summaries are shared anyway amongst students, so the Acco AI platform can (not necessarily is ...) produce a nice summary. Hope that students start digging deeper in the course fromout the summary. On the other hand I agree that students (well, not only students) should learn to synthesise, and absolute necessity in these times of overload of information and knowledge. As tecno-optimist I hope technology will help instaed of make it worse. Let's find out how. I feel an great research project coming up :-)