Next Generation Education 4.0 Systems - Part 2

You may have already run across the terms Industry 4.0, Work 4.0, Health 4.0 … It's now time to start talking about emerging efforts to collaborate on designing and building next generation Education 4.0 solutions.

The U.S. 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 tradition classes and lectures, focusing instead on more innovative interactive learning systems customized to needs of individual students. These current efforts will continue well into the next decade.

Focus of Next Generation Education Some selected excerpts from “A Model for the Future of Education” The 3R’s - Reading, ‘Riting’ & ‘Rithmetic’ Literature & Communication Skills Creative Expression & Improvisation Foreign Language & Culture Logic & Analytical Thinking Ethics , Morality & Empathy Technology Exposure & Coding Innovation & Scientific Experimentation Entrepreneurship & Marketing Persistence & Passion Collaboration & Sharing

The recommended focus of ‘next gen’ educational systems listed above doesn’t seem to differ much from existing approaches and content already employed in our schools. So what have we missed? What else needs to be added to further enhance our educational system?

Focus of Next Generation Education

Looking beyond the coming decade, Education 4.0 is a term starting to be used to describe changing technologies, focus, and systems that need to be put into place by 2050. Additional changes in our education system are needed to further complement and support the global shift to Manufacturing 4.0, Health 4.0, and other ‘next gen’ advances in every industry and aspect of society. These changes will be characterized by use of ever more advanced and innovative systems utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), invisible user interfaces (IUI), and the convergence of many other new and emerging technologies - coupled with 'open access' to knowledge, science, and other data resources.

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 steadily converging technologies will have a tremendous impact on the future of Education & Training in the 2030-2050 timeframe. These technologies and solutions will 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 Robotics Social Media Telepathy Televideo Virtual Reality Virtual Classrooms Wearable systems 3D Printing Technology

How to best employ these many new technologies I leave in the hands of our many tremendous educational professionals and our free market system. I expect there will be a lot of trial and error before we get it right. I look forward to seeing our ‘next gen’ educational system of the future.

What will our Education 4.0 system look like by the time we complete the transition from a Type 0 Civilization into a Type 1 Civilization – see previous blog on the Kardashev scale.

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 * Also, you might want to check out Summerton SC Blogs on Education 4.0 and Type 1 Civilization.

Next Generation Education 4.0 Systems - Part 1

You may have already run across the terms Industry 4.0, Work 4.0, Health 4.0 … It's now time to start talking about emerging efforts to collaborate on designing and building next generation Education 4.0 solutions.

The U.S. 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, focusing 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 Manufacturing 4.0, Health 4.0, and other next generation advances in every industry and aspect of society. It is characterized by more advanced and innovative systems utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), invisible user interfaces (IUI), and the convergence of many other new technologies - coupled with 'open access' to knowledge, science, and other data resources.

Five Issues With ‘Traditional’ Schools Excerpts from “A Model for the Future of Education” Grading: In the traditional education system, you start at an “A,” and every time you get something wrong, your score gets lower and lower. It’s demotivating. In the online gaming world (e.g. Angry Birds), it’s just the opposite. You start with zero and every time you come up with something right, your score gets higher and higher. Sage on the Stage: Most classrooms have a teacher up in front of class lecturing to a classroom of students, half of whom are bored and half of whom are lost. The one-teacher-fits-all model comes from an era of scarcity where great teachers and schools were rare. Relevance: When I think back to elementary and secondary school, I realize how much of what I learned was never actually useful later in life, and how many of my critical lessons for success I had to pick up on my own. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t ever actually had to factor a polynomial in my adult life. Imagination vs. Coloring inside the Lines: With the factory-worker, industrial-era origin of today’s schools, programs are so structured with rote memorization that it squashes the originality from most children. In today’s world, we need to foster imagination and innovative ideas in our schools. Boring: If learning in school is a chore, boring, or emotionless, then the most important driver of human learning is disengaged. i.e. passion. Having our children memorize facts and figures, sit passively in class, and take mundane standardized tests completely defeats the purpose. An average of 7,200 students drop out of high school each day, totaling 1.3 million each year. Over 50 percent of these high school dropouts name 'boredom' as the number one reason they left.

New Technologies for 'Next Gen' Education Systems

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 will have a tremendous impact on the future of Education & Training in the coming decades 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 Robotics Social Media Telepathy Televideo Virtual Reality Virtual Classrooms Wearable systems 3D Printing Technology

The question is, what attributes will be most critical for our children to learn in order to be successful in the future? We'll explore that further in Part 2 of this series. In the meantime, check out the following selected links.

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

 

Preliminary List of the Potential Democratic Presidential Contenders in 2020

It’s time for the Democratic Party to get serious about identifying and surfacing its top contenders for the 2020 Presidential Election. I read an article in the Washington Post entitled “The Top 15 Democratic presidential candidates for 2020” but it seemed all over the spectrum andway off base. The list contained:

#15 John Delaney, #14 Michael Avenatti, #13 Deval Patruck, #12 Hillary Clinton (Really!), #11 Amy Klobuchar, #10 Terry McAuliffe, #9 Michael Boomberg, #8 Beto O’Rourke, #7 Sherrod Brown, #6 Kirsten Gillibrand, #5 Cory Booker, #4 Joe Biden, #3 Kamala Harris, #2 Bernie Sanders, and #1 Elizabeth Warren.

Their list of honorable mentions included Eric Holder, Oprah Winfrey, Chris Murphy, Mitch Landrieu, Andrew M. Cuomo, Steve Bullock, Jason Kander, Pete Buttigieg, Eric Garcetti, Julián Castro, Tim Ryan, Tom Steyer, John Hickenlooper, Jeff Merkley, Seth Moulton, Martin O’Malley, Eric Swalwell, Jay Inslee, Howard Schultz

The Washington Post list gave me some heartburn. So here is my first prediction from out in America’s heartland of potential Democratic candidates that may have some sort of chance of actually winning. It’s a bit different than what comes out of Washington D.C.

1. Joe Biden
2. Michael Bloomburg
3. Joe Manchin
4. Bernie Sanders
5. Elizabeth Warren

My short list of honorable mentions include Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker, and Kamala Harris. No matter what happens, it will be an exciting 2020 primary season for the Democrats and the country.

Can you think of any other Democratic Party candidates with a real shot at winning? Let our readers know.

High-Level Overview of Blockchain Technology for Management

The following is a very high level management overview of Blockchain technology at this point in time and next steps to take for those who want to further explore the business potential of this new technology.

Blockchains are a novel approach to the creation of a distributed database that incorporates a number of existing technologies that can now be used in new, innovative ways by individuals and organizations to more securely create, transmit and store seemingly permanent records of a wide variety of data transactions.

The book ‘Blockchain for Dummies’ mentions three types of Blockchains: Large public blockchains like the Bitcoin network, permissioned blockchains like Ripple, and a growing number of smaller private blockchains typically used by a consortium of trusted members. All three types of blockchain solutions are decentralized peer-to-peer systems that make use of cryptography, secure wallets, smart contracts, protocols, tokens… To better understand the key components you’ll need to do some further study on your own.

Bitcoin – This term is confusingly used to refer to the public blockchain Bitcoin network, as well as to the cryptocurrency token used by the system to exchange value when a financial transaction takes place. Don’t get caught up in the obsession about the value of the Bitcoin token.

The open source Bitcoin network was the first and most famous of the blockchain systems to emerge. However it has many limitations and several other prominent blockchain systems have emerged. The key ones include: Ethereum that has a built in programming language and uses a cryptocurrency token called ether; Ripple, that uses a cryptocurrency called ripples; and Factom Inc., which has built a variety of useful tools and apps.

Some of the major companies and organizations working on blockchain networks and solutions for industry include Microsoft, Cisco, Google, Hyperledger, IBM, Intel… and they are working with major financial organizations like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and JP Morgan. They are also now branching out into the healthcare, insurance, real estate and many other industries – including the government and ‘smart cities’..

The coming decades are going to be very exciting as blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, robots, and the Internet of Things (IoT) come to pass. Blockchain technology is going to play a key role in the future for almost every industry. So, if you are a public or private sector manager – Pay Attention!

It may be time for your management team to start putting together a high level Blockchain Development & Implementation Project Plan - so you don’t get left behind over the coming decade by your competitors.

Prior to starting the project, there are a series of preliminary steps that need to be taken, e.g. obtaining senior management support; selecting the ‘core’ members of a proposed project team headed by a business manager; conducting more in-depth research into blockchain technology by the team; developing an initial high-level project plan and budget for the proposed project.

Once management if on-board and approves moving forward with the project, the following is a brief description of the four major stages that should be incorporated into your project plan - no matter what the industry.

• Stage 1 involves the development of a preliminary business use case and an initial information technology architecture.
• Stage 2 involves development and testing of a prototype solution in a laboratory setting to produce a proof of concept (POC) for the new technology.
• Stage 3 involves development of a pilot system in a field setting, which will go through a number of iterations testing a variety of potential features that may eventually be included in the first version of he system to be rolled out in the next stage of the project.
• Stage 4 will involve the phased roll out of the new system over a period of years as more features, partnering organizations, customers, and the technology evolve.
  
  
  Whether doing a blockchain implementation internally or with outside help, it's very important for companies to gain expertise in-house with blockchain technology because it is both new and fairly complex. Most companies will choose to contract for outside help with blockchain. It's going to be way too hard to get up to speed in a sensible way on the multiple complex technologies involved.
   
  Several big IT vendors are active around blockchain, notably IBM, JP Morgan, and Microsoft. Keep these organizations in mind. You might also want to seriously consider partnering with ‘open source’ blockchain community initiatives related to your industry, e.g. Insurance, Healthcare, Real Estate...

Selected Reference Links

Bitcoin Magazine Blockchain Alliance Blockchain Council Blockchain University Blockchain YouTube Videos Ethereum Foundation

Factom Inc. GitHub: Blockchain Hyperledger OpenBazaar R3 Consortium RippleNet

Unraveling the Confusion About Blockchain Technology and Bitcoin

Over the past several years I have paid interested, but half-hearted attention, to the topic of Bitcoin and the Blockchain technology it is built upon. It has been very confusing to try and decipher, but seemed important enough to stay attuned to as we head into the future.

I recently bought a copy and read a copy of the book ‘Blockchain for Dummies’ published in 2017. A great book that is a must read for all managers who are going to be around for the next 20 years. The book finally explained and clarified for me, what Blockchain and Bitcoin are all about.

The following is a very high level management overview of Blockchain based on what I learned from the book along with selected links you might want to check out. If you are a senior management official - Pay Attention!

Blockchains are a novel approach to the creation of a distributed database that incorporates a number of existing technologies that can now be used in new, innovative ways by individuals and independent organizations to more securely create, transmit and store seemingly permanent records of a wide variety of data transactions.

The ‘Dummies Guide’ mentions three types of Blockchains: Large public blockchains like the Bitcoin network, permissioned blockchains like Ripple, and a growing number of smaller private blockchains typically used by a consortium of trusted members. All three types of blockchain solutions are decentralized peer-to-peer systems that make use of cryptography, secure wallets, smart contracts, protocols, tokens… To better understand the key components you’ll need to do some further study on your own.

Bitcoin – This term is confusingly used to refer to the public blockchain Bitcoin network, as well as to the cryptocurrency token used by the system to exchange value when a financial transaction takes place. Don’t get caught up in the ridiculous obsession about the value of the Bitcoin token.

The open source Bitcoin network was the first and most famous of the blockchain systems to emerge. However it has many limitations and several other prominent blockchain systems have emerged. The key ones include: Ethereum that has a built in programming language and uses a cryptocurrency token called ether; Ripple, that uses a cryptocurrency called ripples; and Factom Inc., which has built a variety of useful tools and apps.

Some of the major companies and organizations working on blockchain networks and solutions for industry include Microsoft, Cisco, Google, Hyperledger, IBM, Intel… and they are working with major financial organizations like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and JP Morgan. They are also now branching out into the healthcare, insurance, real estate and many other industries – including the government and ‘smart cities’.

The coming decades are going to be very exciting as blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, robots, and the Internet of Things (IoT) come to pass. Bockchain technology is going to be key. So Pay Attention!

Selected Links

Bitcoin Magazine Blockchain Alliance Blockchain University Blockchain YouTube Videos Ethereum Foundation

Factom Inc. Hyperledger OpenBazaar R3 Consortium RippleNet