Teaching new and emerging technologies through · PDF fileTeaching new and emerging...
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Teachingnewandemergingtechnologiesthrough
DisruptiveTechnologies
Teachers’Guide
AuthorsDavidBarlexNickGivensTorbenSteeg
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ContentsForewordSection1.IntroductionSection2.Whatismeantbydisruption?Section3.Whyteachdisruptivetechnologies?Section4.Whichdisruptivetechnologiesaremostappropriatetostudy?Section5.Teachingdisruptivetechnologies
ThroughcasestudiesThroughdesigningwithoutmakingThroughdesigningandmakingThroughmakingwithoutdesigningThroughconsideringconsequences
Section6.TheSTEMDimensionSection7.ApproachestocurriculumdevelopmentSection8.ClosingremarksReferencesTheauthorsAppendix1SuggestionsforfurtherreadingAppendix2Questionswithwhichtoframeacasestudyfortheapplicationofadisruptivetechnology
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ForewordThestudyofdisruptivetechnologieshasthepotentialtobothengageandinspirethepupilsinourschoolswhoweneedtobecomethenextgenerationofengineers,designers,codersandscientists.Byteachingpupilsaboutthesetechnologiesweareenrichingthenextgeneration’stechnicaleducationsothattheyhavetheknowledgetocreatethefuture.But,itisimportantthatwealsoprovidethemwiththeinsighttodosoresponsibly,becausealthoughtechnologycanenabletrulyremarkablehumanachievementandprogress,itcanalsohaveasignificantimpactonpeople’slivesandwork.IbelievethedisruptivetechnologiesidentifiedinthisTeacherGuidecanprovideexcellentrealworldcontextsfortheteachingofscience,technology,engineeringandmathematics(STEM)inschools.AstheleadfortheRoyalAcademyofEngineering’sSTEMeducationprogramme,whichprovidestrainingandresourcesforteachersacrosstheUK,IhaveseenthepositiveimpactofteachingSTEMknowledgeandskillsthroughengineeringcontexts.Teachingaboutdisruptivetechnologieshasthepotentialtoshowpupilstherelevanceofwhattheylearnintheclassroomandtobringthecurriculumtolife,whilealsobroadeningtheirunderstandingofmodernengineering,scienceandtechnology.Andinteachingpupilsaboutdisruptivetechnologies,whichencompasselementsofalltheSTEMsubjects,teachersarepresentedwithaclearopportunitytocollaboratewiththeircolleaguesfromotherSTEMdisciplines.ThispublicationprovidesexactlytheguidancetheteachersofSTEMsubjectsneedtoreflectontheirownpracticeanddevelopenhancedlearningexperiencesfortheirpupilsbasedonthetopicofdisruptivetechnologies.DominicNolanManager,STEMCurriculaTheRoyalAcademyofEngineering
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Section1.IntroductionThisTeacherGuidehasbeenwrittentoprovideanintroductionfordesign&technologyteacherstoteachingnewandemergingtechnologiesinthesecondaryschoolcurriculumthroughaconsiderationofso-calleddisruptivetechnologies.Italsoidentifiesopportunitiesforsuchteachinginscienceandcomputersciencelessons.Webelievethatstudyingdisruptivetechnologieswithinthisareaofthecurriculumisimportantforthreemainreasons.Firstitwillcontributesignificantlytotherigourofthesubjectindevelopinginpupilsbothtechnologicalperspective1andtechnologicalcapability2.Seconditwillraisetheappealofdesign&technologytothosepupilswhoarenotmotivatedbytechnologyasanendinitself.Thirditwillinformthemodernizationofthesubjecta)bydevelopingnewsubjectknowledgeaboutnewandemergingtechnologieswithafocusondisruptivetechnologiesb)anewskillbasewithregardtocritiqueandnewpedagogywithregardtoteachingboththeknowledgeandtheskills.TheGuideclarifiesthemeaningofdisruptioninsection2“Whatismeantbydisruption?”;justifiestheteachingofdisruptivetechnologiesinSection3“Whyteachdisruptivetechnologies?”;identifieswhichdisruptivetechnologiesshouldbeconsideredinSection4“Whichdisruptivetechnologiesareappropriate?;andconsidersfiveapproachestoteachingdisruptivetechnologiesinSection5“Teachingdisruptivetechnologies”.InSection6itconsiderstheplaceofteachingdisruptivetechnologieswithintheSTEMagendaacknowledgingtherolethatscienceandcomputerscienceteachersmightplayinprovidingthenecessarybreadthanddepthofexpertise.TheGuidethensuggeststhreeapproachestocurriculumdevelopmenttobringdisruptivetechnologiesintotheclassroominSection7“Approachestocurriculumdevelopment”.FinallySection8presentssomeclosingremarks.ThisGuideshouldbereadinconjunctionwiththeTeacherBriefingNotesandTeachingGuidesforspecificdisruptivetechnologies.Itisnotourintentiontowritelessonplansaswebelievethisguidancewillbesufficientforteacherstowritetheirown,specifictotheirsituation.Butwewillbehappytopostlessonplansofcolleaguesarewillingtosharethem.AllthesematerialsareavailablefreetodownloadfromtheDavidandTorben’swebsiteathttps://dandtfordandt.wordpress.com/projects/disruptive-technologies/Wehopethatteacherswillbeabletoputthemtogooduse.Weinvitethosewhodouse,orindeedadaptanduse,thematerialstotellusabouttheirexperiencesandwewelcomesuggestionsforimprovementandadditions.DavidBarlex NickGivens TorbenSteeg 1Wedefinetechnologicalperspectiveasinsightinto‘howtechnologyworks’whichinformsaconstructivelycriticalviewoftechnology,avoidsalienationfromourtechnologicallybasedsocietyandenablesconsiderationofhowtechnologymightbeusedtoprovideproductsandsystemsthathelpcreatethesortofsocietyinwhichpupilswishtolive.2Wedefinetechnologicalcapabilityasdesignermakercapability,capturingtheessenceoftechnologicalactivitywhichisinterventioninthemadeandnaturalworlds.
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Section2.Whatismeantbydisruption?Inthissectionwedevelopaviewofdisruptionthatisappropriateforthesecondaryschoolcurriculum.TheMcKinseyGlobalInstitute(ManyikaJetal,2013)hassuggestedsomefeaturesthatmarkoutatechnologyashavingthepotentialtobedisruptive.Eachfeatureisexemplifiedbelowthroughtheimpactofthepopularisationofphotographyatthebeginningofthe20thcentury.• Theyupsetthestatusquo,forexampleoverturningexistinghierarchiesandofferingthe
possibilitiesofbothmoreandlessdemocratichierarchies.TheadventofaneasytousecameraaccompaniedbyaninexpensiveservicetodevelopthenegativesandproduceblackandwhiteprintsbyGeorgeKodakgavethegeneralpopulaceaccesstophotographywhichhadhithertoonlybeenavailabletorichpeoplewithspecialistknowledge.
• Theyalterthewaypeopleliveandwork,forexampleincreasingordecreasingemploymentopportunities,changingtheknowledgeandskillsrequiredforcertainkindsofemployment,shiftingtheexpectationsofeducationsystemsandalteringrelationshipsEnablingordinarypeopletotakephotographsalteredthewaypeopleworkedinprovidingemploymentfordarkroomtechnicianswhoprocessedthefilmandthewaypeoplelivedinprovidingapopularhobby.
• Theyreorganisefinancialandsocialstructures,forexamplebyredistributingfinancialrewardstowardsthosewhoaredeployingthesetechnologies.TheEastmanCompanybecamefinanciallyverysuccessfulinamarketthathadnotpreviouslyexistedandenabledtheemploymentofphotographersinmanydifferentindustries.
• Theyleadtoentirelynewproductsandservices.Camerasforthedomesticmarketbecamemoresophisticatedaspeoplelearnedmoreaboutphotographyandwantedtotakebetterphotographsleadingtothedevelopmentofthesinglelensreflexcamera,theuseoflightmeters,lightmetersbecomingintegratedintothecamerasandtheavailabilityofcolouredfilm.
NotethatthesuccessoftheEastmanandKodakCompanieshasnotbeenindefinite.Theriseofdigitalphotography(ironicallyfirstdevelopedbyKodakengineers)hasallbuteliminatedtheuseofcameraswithfilmthatrequiredevelopingsowehaveanexampleofanewtechnologydisplacingatechnologythatwasinitsdaydisruptive.YoumaywishtoconsiderwhetherdigitalphotographyisadisruptivetechnologybyapplyingtheMcKinseyfeaturesofdisruptionusingatablesuchasthathere:Diddigitalphotographyupsetthestatusquoandifsohow?.
Diddigitalphotographyalterthewaypeopleliveandwork,andifso,how?
Diddigitalphotographyreorganisefinancialandsocialstructures,andifso,how?
Diddigitalphotographyleadtoentirelynewproductsandservices,andifso,which?
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TheMcKinseyfeaturesofdisruptivetechnologiesgiveaframeworkbywhichimpactmaybejudged.Suchaframeworkgivespupilsayardstickbywhichtoevaluatetheimpactofestablishedtechnologiesandspeculateabouttheimpactofemergingtechnologies.Initiallythesemaybethosetechnologieswhichweaseducatorsthinkarelikelytobedisruptivebutultimatelywewouldwantyoungpeopletobeabletousesuchaframeworktoconsiderthepossibleimpactofanynewandemergingtechnology.Thisisjustonereasonforteachingaspectsofdisruptivetechnologiesindesign&technology.Furtherreasonsinclude:Forteachers
• Toprovideawayofkeepingthecurriculumtheyteachuptodateandrelevant• Tounderstandthatconsideringtheconsequencesofdisruptivetechnologiesaddsto
boththedepthandbreadthofdesign&technologyeducationForpupils
• Todevelopengagementinwellinformed,speculativethinkingaboutthefuturewithindesign&technology
• Todevelopunderstandingofthewaysinwhichtechnologycanleadtochange• Toprovidepreparationforaworldinwhichmanytechnologiesarerapidlybecoming
moreavailabletoawiderangeofconsumers• Tostarttounpickhownewopportunitieswillredistributesocial,moral,
environmental,andfinancial,responsibilities.Havingidentifiedthefeaturesofdisruptionwenowneedtoconsiderwhyitisimportanttoteachdisruptivetechnologies.Thatisthepurposeofthenextsection.
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Section3.WhyteachDisruptiveTechnologies?Itisimportanttohaveaclearjustificationforteachingdisruptivetechnologies.Developingsuchajustificationisthepurposeofthissection.Theofficialdocumentationthatdescribescurriculumcontentprovidesguidanceonwhatschoolsshouldteachbut,aswithallsuchdocumentation,itrequiresinterpretation.InEnglandatbothKeyStage3(forages11–14years)andKeyStage4(forages14–16years)itisclearlytheexpectationthatyoungpeopleshouldstudynewandemergingtechnologiesandtheirimpactasshownbytheextractsfromsuchdocumentationpresentedinTable3.1.ThisexpectationismirroredincurriculumdocumentationfromScotland(EducationScotland(undated)),NewZealand(MinistryofEducation(2010))andtheUSA(NextGenerationScienceStandards(2013)).Table3.1CurriculumcontentguidancefromEnglandconcerningnewandemergingtechnologiesFromtheNationalCurriculum(DepartmentforEducation,2013)Designandtechnologyprogrammesofstudy:keystage3InthesectionentitledEvaluate
-Investigatenewandemergingtechnologies-Understanddevelopmentsindesignandtechnology,itsimpactonindividuals,societyandtheenvironment,andtheresponsibilitiesofdesigners,engineersandtechnologists
FromtheDesignandTechnologyGCSEsubjectcontent(DepartmentforEducation2015)InSection9TechnicalPrinciples -Theimpactofnewandemergingtechnologies
onindustry,enterprise,sustainability,people,culture,societyandtheenvironment,productiontechniquesandsystems-Howthecriticalevaluationofnewandemergingtechnologiesinformsdesigndecisions;consideringcontemporaryandpotentialfuturescenariosfromdifferentperspectives,suchasethicsandtheenvironment
Wearguethatdisruptivetechnologiesarelikelytohaveasignificanteffectonyoungpeoples’livesintheimmediateandnottoodistantfuture.Thustheyareidealcandidatesforthenewandemergingtechnologiesthattheyshouldstudy.Wearesensitivetotheargumentthatdesign&technologycanbejustifiedbymeansofseveraldifferentrationalesasshowninTable3.2.Itseemstousthateachoftheserationalesshouldinformaschooldesign&technologycurriculumandalthoughinparticularcircumstancestheirrelativesignificancemayvary,foraschooltoadoptordeviseacurriculumthatdidnotrespondinparttoeachoftheseargumentswouldleadtosignificantomissions.
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Table3.2Justificationsforteachingdesign&technologyPossiblearguments TheargumentitselfAneconomicargument
Asteadysupplyofpeoplewhohavestudiedtechnologyisessentialtomaintainanddevelopthekindofsocietywevalue.Technologyiscentraltotheinnovationonwhichourfutureeconomicsuccessasanationdepends.Technologyqualificationsopendoorstoawiderangeofcareers.
Autilityargument
Itisusefulineverydaysituationstobeabletousetechnologicalthinking,whichincludesdesignskillsandtechnicalproblemsolving,inbeingabletoaddressandsolvepracticalproblems.
Ademocraticargument
Throughthemedia,peopleencounterissuesthatinvolvetechnology.Someunderstandingoftechnologyisneededtoreachaninformedviewonsuchissuesandengageindiscussionanddebate.
Aculturalargument
Technologyisamajorachievementofourculture,soeveryoneshouldbehelpedtoappreciateit,inmuchthesamewaythatweintroducethemtoliterature,artandmusic.
Alearningargument Constructionismisalearningtheorythatclaimsthatbuildingknowledgeoccursbestthroughdesigningandmakingthingsthataretangibleandsharable.Design&Technologyisuniqueinthecurriculuminhavingthiswayofworkingatitscore.
Forusitisimportantthatamultipurposedesign&technologycurriculumasdescribedabovedevelopsbothtechnologicalcapabilityandtechnologicalperspective.WethinkthatteachingdisruptivetechnologiescancontributesignificantlytoboththeseaspectsandwesuggestthisinSection5ofthisguide.Howeveratthisstageitisimportanttoidentifywhichdisruptivetechnologiesshouldbestudiedandthatisthepurposeofthenextsection.
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Section4.Whichdisruptivetechnologiesaremostappropriatetostudy?Inthissectionwejustifyourchoicesofthedisruptivetechnologiestoconsiderinaschooldesign&technologycurriculum.TheMcKinseyGlobalInstitute(ManyikaJetal,2013)haveidentified12technologiesthathavesignificantpotentialtoalterthebusinessorsociallandscape.ThislististosomeextentmirroredbyinDavidWillets‘EightGreatTechnologies’(2013).Thelistofpotentiallydisruptivetechnologiesthatwethinkarerelevantandpotentiallyengagingtopupilswasdrawnupindependentlyofthesereports.Thesethreelistsaresummarisedintable4.1.Table4.1Identifyingpotentiallydisruptivetechnologies
McKinsey DavidWillets OurlistMobileinternet Automationofknowledgework Artificialintelligence
Internetofthings InternetofThingsCloudtechnology Advancedrobotics
RoboticsandAutonomousSystems RoboticsAutonomousornear
autonomousvehicles
Nextgenerationgenomics LifeScience,genomicsandSyntheticBiology SyntheticBiology
Energystorage 3Dprinting Additivemanufacturing
Advancedmaterials AdvancedMaterialsandNano-Technology Programmablematter
Advancedoilandgasexplorationandrecovery
Renewableenergy EnergyanditsStorage
TheBigDataRevolutionandEnergy-EfficientComputing BigData
SatellitesandCommercialApplicationsofSpace
RegenerativeMedicine Neurotechnology Agri-Science AugmentedRealityWhilstthereisnotcompleteonetoonecorrespondencebetweenourlistandthetechnologiesidentifiedbyMcKinseyorWillets,therearesufficientsimilaritiestogiveusconfidencethatourlistisrobustintermsofnewandemergingtechnologieslikelytohavesignificantsocialaswellaseconomicimpact.Abriefdescriptionofeachtechnologyis
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showninTable4.2andTable4.2(continued).Table4.2Disruptivetechnologiesfortheschooldesign&technologycurriculumThetechnology
Thedescription
Additivemanufacturing(AM)
AM(oftenreferredtoas3Dprinting)involvesfabricatingphysicalobjectsinsuccessivethinhorizontallayers,accordingtodigitalmodelsderivedfromCADdesigns,3-Dscansorvideogames.Suchprintingcantakesplaceatdifferentscalesfromnanostructurestocompletebuildingsandmayinvolveawiderangeofmaterials:humantissue,electronics,andfoodaswellastraditionalindustrialproductmaterialssuchaspolymers,metalsandceramics.
Artificialintelligence(AI)
AIcanbecategorizedatthreedifferentlevels.Firstis‘narrow’AIthatspecializesinoneareae.g.theAIthatplayschessbetterthanhumans.Thesecondandthirdlevelsareconcernedwithmoregeneralability.‘General’AIcanperformaswellasahumanacrosstheboardi.e.itisAIthatcanperformanyintellectualtaskthatahumancan.SuchAIisyettobedeveloped.Thirdis‘superintelligent’AIi.e.anAIthatperformsbetterthanhumanbrainsinpracticallyeveryfield.Thishasyettobedevelopedbutseveralprominentscientistsandtechnologists(includingStephenHawkin,ElonMusk,BillGates)havewarnedthatthiscarrieswithinanexistentialthreatforthehumanrace3.
Augmentedreality(AR)
Augmentedreality(AR)isalive,directorindirectviewofaphysicalreal-worldenvironmentthroughascreenwhichmaybeembeddedingogglessuchasMicrosoft’sHoloLens,whoseelementsareaugmented(orsupplemented)bycomputergeneratedsensoryinputsuchassound,video,graphicsorhaptics.
Bigdata Bigdataisdatathatexceedstheprocessingcapacityofconventionaldatabasesystems.Thedataistoobig,movestoofast,ordoesn’tfittheconstraintsofstandarddatabasearchitectures.Itiscollectedbylargecorporationsandgovernments(and,increasingly,opendatafrom‘citizenscientists)andwheninterpretedusingbigdataanalyticsitcanbeusedtogiveinsightsintothebehaviourofpotentialconsumersandcitizens.Itistheabilitytocross-referencelargedatasetsandthusdrawinferencesthatdon’tactuallyappearinanyoftheindividualdatasetsthatgivesrisetoconcernsthattheavailabilityofsuchdataanditsanalysiswillinvadepeople’sprivacyandleadtomassmanipulation
Internetofthings(IoT)
TheInternetofThings(IoT)isthenetworkingofeverydayandindustrialphysicalobjectsi.e.thingsthathaveembeddedwithinthemelectronics,softwareandsensorswhichareconnectedtooneanotherovertheInternetandcanexchangedata.Thisallowsextensivecommunicationbetweenthephysicalanddigitalworlds,enablesremotecontrolofdevicesacrosstheInternetandproducesvastamountsofbigdata.
Neurotechnology Neurotechnologyisconcernedwithtechnologiesthatinformaboutandinfluencebrainandneuralbehaviour.Currentneurotechnologiesincludevariousmeanstoimagebrainandneuralactivity,stimulationofthebrainbymagnetismandelectricity,measuringtheelectricalandmagneticactivityofbrainsandnervesandimplanttechnologytomonitororregulatebrainornerveactivityortocontrolexternaldevices.
3Seehttp://observer.com/2015/08/stephen-hawking-elon-musk-and-bill-gates-warn-about-artificial-intelligence/butalsohttp://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35082344foramorepositiveview
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Table4.2(continued)Disruptivetechnologiesfortheschooldesign&technologycurriculumProgrammablematter
Programmablematter,ismatterwhichhastheabilitytochangeitsphysicalproperties(shape,density,elasticity,conductivity,opticalproperties,etc.)inaprogrammablefashion,baseduponuserinputorautonomoussensing.Thisis,currently,aspeculativelytechnology,thoughprecursorstotrulyprogrammablematterdoexist,suchasClaytronics4andquantumdots5.Theideaofprogrammablemattercomesfromunderstandingorganiccellsastheprogrammable(viaDNA)buildingblocksoforganicmatterandspeculatingabouthowprogrammablebuildingblocksforinorganicmattermightbedeveloped.
Robotics Averybasicdefinitionofarobotis“amachinethatautomatesaphysicaltask”.Thisislimitedbecauseitgivesnoindicationastotheintelligenceandautonomyofsuchamachine.Amicrowavecookerautomatesthetaskofheatingfoodbutissimplyrespondingaccordingtoinstructionsselectedfromamenuofpre-programmedinstructions.Soamoreappropriatedefinitionis“amachinethatcarriesoutaphysicaltaskautonomouslyusingacombinationofembeddedsoftwareanddataprovidedbysensors”.ThisdefinitionembracesrelativelysimplerobotssuchastheRoombavacuumcleanertoextremelycomplexrobotssuchastheGoogleselfdrivingcar.
Syntheticbiology Syntheticbiologyistheprocessofdesigningandcreatingnovelarrangementsofgenesandimplantingthemincells.Insomecasesallexistinggeneshavebeenremoved;inothersthenewgeneticsequencesareintroducedintotheDNAofexistingcells.Syntheticbiologyistheprocessbywhichcompletelynewlifeforms,i.e.lifeformsthathaveneverpreviouslyexisted,arecreated.
Inthenextsectionwewillconsiderwaystoteachdisruptivetechnologiesthatwilltogethercontributebothtotechnologicalcapabilityandtechnologicalperspective.
4http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~claytronics/5http://discovermagazine.com/2008/oct/09-programmable-matter-moves-from-sci-fi-to-sci-real
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Section5.TeachingdisruptivetechnologiesInthissectionwedescribefivedifferentwaystoteachdisruptivetechnologies:throughcasestudies,throughdesigningwithoutmaking,throughdesigningandmaking,throughmakingwithoutdesigningandbyconsideringtheirconsequences.Acurriculumwhichdevelopsbothtechnologicalcapabilityandtechnologicalperspectivewillmakeuseofallthesemethodsatregularintervalsaspupilsmovethroughtheirdesign&technologystudies.
ThroughcasestudiesCasestudiesaretruestoriesaboutdesign&technologyintheworldoutsideschool.Throughreadingcasestudiespupilscanfindoutabouthowadisruptivetechnologyworks,whatitisbeingusedforandhowitaffectssociety,theenvironmentandpeoples’lives.Itisimportantforpupilstomakesenseofanycasestudyandthiscanbeachievedbyembeddingthreetypesoftaskintothestudy.Theseare:‘Pauseforthought’whichhelpspupilstothinkaboutwhattheyhavejustreadsothatthefollowingtextwillbeeasiertounderstand.Thereisnoneedforthemtowritearesponse.‘Questions’whichaskthepupiltostopreadingandtotacklethequestions.Therangeofpossibleanswersiswide.Thepupilmayneedtowritedownananswer,makeadrawingoramodel,discussthestudywithotherpupilsormakeashortpresentationtotheclass.‘Research’whichasksthepupilstofindoutmoreandreportaboutwhattheyhavefoundout.Itmayinvolveusingotherinformationsourcesortalkingtoanexpert.Itmaytakequitealotoftimesopupilsprobablyneedtodoitashomework.Thereportmaybeintheformofwritingbutotherresponsesarepossiblee.g.ashortPowerPointpresentation,anaudioorvideorecording,aPinterestboard.Producingcasestudiesaboutdisruptivetechnologiesneednotbeatimeconsumingtask.Forexample,theBBCnewswebsitehasmanyarticlesintheScience/EnvironmentandTechnologysectionsthatarethebasisforinterestingcasestudiesconcerningdisruptivetechnologies.Itisrelativelystraightforwardtodirectpupilstoaparticularitemandsuggestwheretheymight‘pauseforthought’,answeraparticular’question’ordosomefollowup‘research’.InsomecasesyoumightwishtoprintoutthewebsitepageandaskthepupilstouseDARTtechniquesi.e.DirectedActivitiesRelatedtoText.Thismightinvolveunderliningimportantwords;makingnotesinthemargin;cuttingoutpictures,stickingthemontoalargesheetofpaperandaddingnotes;colourcodingwordsorphrasestodowithaparticularissue.OryoumaychoosetoproducethecasestudyinelectronicformatsuchasasaPDFwhichyourstudentscaninteractwithandannotate.Bystructuringpupils’engagementwiththecasestudyyoucanenablethemtocritiqueaparticulardisruptivetechnology.Aspupilsgainexperienceinusingcasestudiesthatyouhaveprovidedtheycanmoveontoproducingcasestudiesoftheirown.Workwithcasestudieswillsupportthedevelopmentoftechnologicalperspective.AsetofquestionsthatyoucanusetoframeacasestudyontheapplicationofadisruptivetechnologyisavailableinAppendix2.
Throughdesigningwithoutmaking
ThiswasdevelopedthroughtheYoungForesightProject(Barlex2012)andincorporatedintotheNationalStrategiesfordesign&technology(DepartmentforEducationandSkills2004).Inthisapproachpupilsenvisagethesortsofproductsandservicesthatmightderivefromthedeploymentofaparticulardisruptivetechnology.Thisisanopenapproachtodesigninwhichthepupilsarewritingtheirowndesignbrief.Ideallytheyshouldworkin
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groupsandhavetopresenttheirproposalstotheirpeersandteachers.Removaloftherequirementtomakewhathasbeendesignedallowsthepupiltoconceiveideasforproductsthatarenotlimitedbytheirpersonalmakingskillsandthetools,materialsandequipmentavailableintheschool.Italsoenablesthemtoconsiderapplicationsofdisruptivetechnologiesthatareunlikelytobeaccessibletoschools.Itisessentialthatthepupilsarerequiredtojustifytheirdesignproposalintermsoffourfeatures;technicalfeasibility,beingacceptabletothesocietyinwhichtheproductwillbeused,meetingclearlyidentifiableneedsandwantsandthenatureofthemarketintowhichtheproductwillbesold(Barlex2012).Ifanyoneoftheconsiderationsisomitteditislikelythattheresultingdesignconceptwillbeflawed.Thedetailwithwhichthepupilsdescribeandjustifytheirproposalsshouldindicatetheirworthandshowtheyarecapableofproductionalbeitnotbythepupils.Thisopportunitytobecreativereflectsthecreativityofthedesignerintheworldoutsideschoolwherethedesignerisseldomrequiredtomanufactureherdesignproposalalthoughshehastoensurethatitcanbemanufactured.Workofthisnaturewilldevelopbothtechnologicalcapabilityandtechnologicalperspective.Precedingoraccompanyingthissortofactivitywithcasestudyworkprovidesthepupilswiththenecessarybackgroundinformationaboutthedisruptivetechnologytotackletherequireddesigntaskwithsomeconfidence.
ThroughdesigningandmakingAlthoughnotalldisruptivetechnologieswillbeimmediatelyavailabletoschoolssomewill.Forexampleadditivemanufacture,robotics,theInternetofThingsandaugmentedrealitycanallbereadilyengagedwithusingtoolsbothaccessibletoschoolsandalreadyinmany.Lowcostequipmenttoallowexplorationofartificialintelligenceandneurotechnologyiscurrentlyjustbecomingavailableandsomeschoolsarealreadyengagingpost-16pupilswithsyntheticbiology,generallyasanextra-curricularactivity.AspectsofBigDatacanbeexploredwithprogrammingtoolsthatmanypupilswillbecapableofusing.Programmablematteriscurrentlyaspeculativetechnology.Increasinglyschoolsareacquiring3Dprinters.Hencepupilswillbeabletodesigncomplexcomponentsandartefactsonscreenandmanufacturethemwithlittleifanyconventionalhandtoolormachinetooluse.Suchworkmightbedifficulttoassessundercurrentassessmentrequirementsandcanbeseenasdisruptingtheconventionalschooldesign&technologyexperience.Additivemanufacturemaydisruptglobalsupplychainsbyenablinglocalmanufacture(Birtchelletal2013).Henceitispossiblethataspupilsengagewithatechnologythatdisruptstheirexperienceofschooldesign&technologythatsametechnologyisalsodisruptingwhathappensintheworldoutsideschool.Ofcoursetheextenttowhichpupilsareawareofthiswiderdisruptionwillbedependentontheuseofcasestudyworkconcerningadditivemanufacture.InEngland,the2014NationalCurriculumfordesign&technologyrequireslowersecondaryschoolpupilstodevelopproductswithembeddedintelligence(DepartmentforEducation2013);thisisasteptowardsdevelopingproductsthatarecapableofinteractingwiththeInternet.LowcostPICAXEmicrocontrollerkitsmakethisfeasibleinlowersecondaryschoolandprovideprogressiontomoresophisticatedworkinuppersecondaryschoolwithPICAXEandothermicrocontrollersystemssuchasGenie,ArduinoandmbedsystemsorlowcostsingleboardcomputerssuchasRaspberryPi(andRaspberryPiZero,)C.H.I.PandBeaglebone.Supportingsuchworkwithcasestudiesconcerningtheimpactofrobotics,artificialintelligenceandtheInternetofThingswillenablepupilstoputthesimpleapplicationstheydevelopintothewidercontextofconsideringimpactintheworldoutsideschool.Hencesuchworkwilldevelopbothtechnologicalcapabilityandtechnologicalperspective.
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Throughmakingwithoutdesigning
Activitiesinwhichpupilsmakeartefactsthatsomeoneelsehasdesignedareusefulbecausetheyallowpupilstodevelopparticularmakingskillswithoutthedistractionofdesignactivityortheproblemsthatmightbecausedbypupilstryingtomakesomethingtheyhavedesignedbutistoodemandingwithregardtotheircurrentlevelofmakingskill.Somedisruptivetechnologiescanbeusedformakingwithoutdesigning.Printinganitemdesignedbytheteacherinordertolearnhowtousethe3Dprinterforexample.Orbuildingasimplerobotfromakitofpartsfollowinginstructionsprovidedbythesupplier.Inboththeseactivitiespupilswoulddevelopthemakingaspectoftechnologicalcapability.
ThroughconsideringconsequencesAconsiderationoftheconsequencesthatmightoccurwhendisruptivetechnologiesaredeployedclearlysupportsthedevelopmentoftechnologicalperspective.Inthissectionwediscussfourapproachestoconsideringconsequences.Theyareallintellectuallydemandingbutourbeliefisthatyoungpeoplewillrespondpositivelyandrisetothischallengeifthediscussionoftheconsequencescanbeframedintermsofthewaytheywillaffecttheirownlivesandthelivesofpeopletheycareabout.
AwordofcautionThereisoftenpublicdisquietaboutnewandemergingtechnologies,especiallythosethatareseenasdisruptive.Governmentandindustryareoftenbemusedbythisrejectioninthefaceofwhatseemstothemtheobviousbenefitsofsuchtechnologies.TherejectionofgeneticallymodifiedfoodsbythepublicintheUnitedKingdomisonesuchexample.Agroupofsocialscientists,PhilMacnaghten,SarahR.Davies&MatthewKearnes,recordedtalkaboutemergingtechnologiesinarangeoffocusgroupscomposedmainlyoflaypeoplewithlittletechnicalknowledgeaboutsuchtechnologies.Interestinglytheanalysisofthetalkrevealedfiveunderlyingculturalnarrativesdescribingattitudes/beliefstowardssuchtechnologiesthatembodiedthisdisquiet.Thesenarrativeswere:
1. Becarefulwhatyouwishfor–thenarrativeofDesire2. Beingkeptinthedark–thenarrativeofAlienation3. Messingwithnature–thenarrativeoftheSacred4. Pandora’sbox–thenarrativeofEvilandHope5. Therichgetricher–thenarrativeofExploitation.
Ifthesenarrativesaregenuinely‘cultural’thenwemightreasonablyexpectthattheywouldbepresentinthefamiliesofyoungpeopleatschoolandthattheymightinfluencetheirattitudestowardsnewandemergingtechnologies.Itisimportantfortheteachertobeawareofsuchnarrativesandiftheyappeartoinformpupilsattitudestowardsdisruptivetechnologiestotakethisseriously.Itisimportantthatateacher’spositiveornegativeattitudetoadisruptivetechnologyisnotimmediatelyandobviouslyeitheroverlysupportiveordismissiveofsuchbeliefs.Ourpositionisthatwewouldnotwanttheteacher’spositiontopreventpupilsacknowledgingtheirsympathytowardsthenarratives.Overallwewantpupilstousecritiqueinaninformedbutnotoverlyskepticalwayandengagewiththenarrativesinawaythatisneithercompletelydismissivenortotallyaccepting.ForamoredetailedanalysisoftheworkofMacgehtenetalseeACommentaryonUnderstandingPublicResponsestoEmergingTechnologies:ANarrativeApproach(Phil
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Macnaghten,SarahR.Davies&MatthewKearnes)withregardtotheDisruptiveTechnologiesProject(DavidBarlex,NickGivens&TorbenSteeg);availableathttps://dandtfordandt.wordpress.com/about/davids-publications/
UsingwinnersandlosersConsideringconsequencesfromtheviewpointofjusticecanbegainedbyaskingthequestions“Whowins?”and“Wholoses?”whenaparticulartechnologyisdeployed.Thisisausefulapproachasitimmediatelyenablesthetechnologytobescrutinisedfromtheperspectivesofdifferentstakeholdersandrevealstostudentsthatthewaytechnologyandsocietyinteractisnotstraightforward.JohnNaughton(1994)capturesthiswellwhenhewritesthattechnologyalwaysinvolves“waysofdoingthings...acomplexinteractionbetweenpeopleandsocialstructuresontheonehandandmachinesontheother”(p.12).Inotherwordsitwillalwaysbemessywiththosewhomightloseviewingthetechnologywithsuspicionandantagonismwhilstthosewhomightwingreetingthetechnologywithenthusiasmandreadyacceptance.AusefulwaytoengageyoungpeopleatschoolwiththiscritiqueistouseawinnersandloserstargetchartasshownbelowinFigure5.1.
Figure5.1AwinnersandloserstargetchartThetechnologyinquestionwouldbewritteninthecentreandthoseindividualsorgroupsdirectlyaffectedbyitsdeploymentarewritteninthefirstcircle.Thoseindirectlyaffectedarewritteninthesecondcircle.Oncethisisdoneitisamatterofdecidingwhoarewinnersandwhoarelosers.Itisnecessaryforthoseassigningwinningorlosingtoexplaintheirdecisions.Oncethetargetchartiscompleteditcanbegivenasenseofwinner-loserbalancebycolouringthewinnerlosersectionsdifferentcolours–blueforwinnersandyellowforlosers,say.Thediscussioncanbeextendedbyassigningwinningorlosinggroupstoparticularstudentsandaskingthosewhoarewinnerstojustifytheirwinningtothosewhoarelosersandthosewhoareloserstoconvincethewinnersthattheyshouldnotexploitthem.
Technology or Product
Directly affected
Indirectly affected
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UsingtheMcKinseyCriteriaIfyoungpeopleatschoolaretoconsidertheconsequencesofdisruptivetechnologiestheyneedtohaveasetoflenses(orindeedspectacles)throughwhichtoviewthetechnologiessothattheycanadoptaconstructivelycriticalperspective.TheMcKinseycriteriafordisruptionprovidejustsuchasetoflenses.Toreiteratethesearetechnologiesthat:• Upsetthestatusquo,• Alterthewaypeopleliveandwork,• Reorganisefinancialandsocialstructures,• Leadtoentirelynewproductsandservices.Sothequestionishowdoweengagepupilsinusingthesecriteria?Afirststepmustbetoenablepupilstounpackwhateachofthecriteriamean.Theterm‘statusquo’willbeunfamiliartomanysoyoumightwishtodiscusswithyourclasswhatthetermmeans(thewaysthingsarenow)andtofindexamplestoillustratethestatusquoe.g.mostchildrenaged5–16yearsgotoschool,insuchschoolsthereareteacherswhosejobitistoteachthesechildrentheNationalCurriculum;mostadultshavetoearnalivingbygoingtowork,placesofworkincludeoffices,factories,shops,hospitalsetc.Itwillbeimportantforyourpupilstousetheirexperienceoftheworldtodescribeinsomedetailfeaturesthatillustratethewaythingsarenow.Animportantsecondstepwillbetoconsiderwhatmightchangethatwouldchangethewaythingsarenow.Youcouldencouragethepupilstoimaginechangestothestatusquobythatmightbecausedbyaparticulardisruptivetechnologye.g.Supposethedevicesandequipmentinyourhomecouldcommunicatewitheachother,theirmanufacturers,andmembersofthefamily/(theInternetofThings).Whatdifferencewouldthismaketoyouandyourfamily?Thesecondcriterion‘alteringthewaypeopleliveandwork’followsnaturallyfromupsettingthestatusquo.Soyoumightaskyourclass,Ifwecould‘print’someofthethingsweneedathomehowwouldthataffectthewaypeopleliveandwork?Youmightneedtoscaffoldthiswithsubquestionssuchas:Howwouldthisaffectthepeoplewhousedtomakethesethingsinfactories?Howwouldthisaffectthepeoplewhoworkinshopssellingthesethings?Howwouldthisaffectpeoplewhodelivergoodstoshops?Howwouldthisaffecthowweusedourtimeathome?Wouldeveryonebeabletodothis?Notethatsomepupilsmightbeabletodevelopsuchsubquestionsforthemselvesanditwillbeimportanttogivethemthisopportunity.Thethirdcriterionisperhapsthemostdifficult.Thephrase‘financialandsocialstructures’willbeunfamiliartomostpupilsandaswiththeterm‘statusquo’youwillneedtodiscussthiswithyourclassanddevelopthroughsomeexamplesanagreedmeaning.Theideathatitisindustryandbusinessthatprovideanddeploytechnologieswillneedtobemadeclearandthatitisthroughmarketsthatbusinesssellstechnologiestousers.LargecompaniessuchasAmazonandGoogleareinvestingheavilyinroboticswiththeexpectationthattherewillbenewmarketsinwhichrobotswillbeused.InthecaseofGoogleitsself-drivingcars,ifsuccessfulandacceptedbythepublic,willcreatelargecompanieswhichmakeconsiderableprofitsforshareholders.Butthiswillhaveasocialimpactinthattheemploymentopportunitiesforthosewhodrivevehiclesforalivingwillbecomemuchsmaller.
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Thefourthcriterion‘leadingtoentirelynewproductsandservices’isperhapstheeasiestforpupilstoconsideriftheyreflectonwhathasrecentlybecomeavailableinthewayadisruptivetechnologyisbeingdeployed.ThemagazineWiredisfullofexamplesofnewtechnology-basedproductsandservicessothiscanbeausefulstartingpoint.Alsothepupilscandevelopforthemselvesideasforentirelynewproductsandservicesthroughthedesignwithoutmakeactivitydescribedearlier.Aninterestingadaptationofthisapproachmightbetoaskpupils“Whatdoyouthinkneedsdisrupting?”Theycouldbeaskedtojustifytheirchoicesperhapsintermsofhelpingpeopleindifficulties,makingsocietymoreequitable,orimprovingthequalityoflife.Orifthisprovedtooopenasking“Whatifyouwantedto…?Theycouldconsiderhowtheapplicationsofparticulartechnologiesmightgiverisetothedisruptionstheythoughtshouldtakeplace.GiventhatunderstandingandusingtheMcKinseycriteriafordisruptionisverydemandingitisimportantitisapproachedinwaysthataren’tonerousortootimeconsumingbutwithalightnessoftouchthatisintriguingandgivesrisetothedesiretoknowmore.
UsingthelifecycleofatechnologyTechnologyteachersarewellversedinhelpingyoungpeopleconsiderthesocalled‘lifecycle’ofproductsandhaveusedsuchteachingtoengagestudentsintheenvironmentalimpactofnotonlythemanufactureofproductsbutalsotheiruseanddisposalasacritiqueofconsumerismandtheneedtomovefromalineartoacirculareconomy(McArthur2015).Workssuchas‘TheStoryofStuff”(Leonard2010)havebecomestandarditemsinteachereducationreadinglists.Lookingattheemergenceofatechnology,itsadoptionandimpactonsocietyislessfamiliarterritorybutparticularlyrelevanttoourconcernwithdisruptivetechnologies.TheGartner‘Hype’Cycle(Gartner2015)isanattempttochartthelifeofatechnology.Itprovidesagraphicrepresentationofthematurityandadoptionoftechnologiesandapplications,andhowtheyarepotentiallyrelevanttosolvingrealbusinessproblemsandexploitingnewopportunities.InitsgeneralformitisshowninFigure5.2
Figure5.2Gartner‘Hype’CycleinitsgeneralformThekeyfeaturesofthecyclelabelledinFigure5.2areasfollows:
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TechnologyTrigger:Apotentialtechnologybreakthroughkicksthingsoff.Earlyproof-of-conceptstoriesandmediainteresttriggersignificantpublicity.Oftennousableproductsexistandcommercialviabilityisunproven.PeakofInflatedExpectations:Earlypublicityproducesanumberofsuccessstories—oftenaccompaniedbyscoresoffailures.Somecompaniestakeaction;manydonot.TroughofDisillusionment:Interestwanesasexperimentsandimplementationsfailtodeliver.Producersofthetechnologyshakeoutorfail.Investmentscontinueonlyifthesurvivingprovidersimprovetheirproductstothesatisfactionofearlyadopters.SlopeofEnlightenment:Moreinstancesofhowthetechnologycanbenefittheenterprisestarttocrystallizeandbecomemorewidelyunderstood.Second-andthird-generationproductsappearfromtechnologyproviders.Moreenterprisesfundpilots;conservativecompaniesremaincautious.PlateauofProductivity:Mainstreamadoptionstartstotakeoff.Criteriaforassessingproviderviabilityaremoreclearlydefined.Thetechnology'sbroadmarketapplicabilityandrelevanceareclearlypayingoff.Nowwemustcomecleanhereandsaythatnoneoftheauthorshaveusedaconsiderationofthelifecycleofatechnologywithpupilssoweareinunchartedterritory.Howeverwedostronglybelievethatitisimportantindesign&technologytoprovideintellectualtoolsthatenableyoupeopletoconsiderthewaystechnologiesplayoutinoursocietyandwethinkthattheGartnerHypeCyclemightprovidesuchatool.Thequestionishowdoweuseit?Thereareseveralpossibilities.YoucouldpresentthelifecycleofadisruptivetechnologyasaGartnerHypeCyclewithinacasestudyanduse‘pauseforthought’and‘questionstoanswer’toengagethepupils;essentiallyacomprehensionexercisetodeveloptechnologicalperspective.OryoucouldprovideinformationaboutadisruptivetechnologyandrequirepupilstoworkingroupstoplacethevariouspiecesofinformationontheHypeCyclecurve.Thisisamoredemandingactivityandrequiresthepupilstousetheirjudgement.OryoucouldsimplyaskpupilstoinvestigateadisruptivetechnologyandrequirethemtopresenttheresultsoftheirinvestigationasaGartnerHypeCyclecurve.Thisisofcourseamuchmoredemandingapproach.Inanyoftheseactivitiesyoucoulduseanhistoricalexamplewherethelifecycleofthetechnologyiswellknowne.g.theprintingpressortheradiooracontemporaryexample,oneofourdisruptivetechnologies,inwhichthelifecycleisfarfromcomplete.OurexpectationisthatthisactivitywillintriguepupilsbuttowhatextenttheseapproachesaresuitableforaparticularKeyStageisofcourseuptoyoutodecide.
UsingscenarioexplorationAswiththeGartnerHypeCyclenoneoftheauthorshaveusedscenariosasameansofconsideringconsequencesbutwedobelievethatthisapproachhasgreatpotential.Ageneralapproachoftenusedtopresentorbuildscenariosistoidentifytwosetsofsocalled‘criticalorsignificantuncertainties’andtousetheseasaxestocreatefourquadrantssuchthatlocatedineachquadrantthereisaparticularscenario(seeFigure5.3).Eachofthesecanbefleshedoutintoahumanstorywhichcanbeexploredfromvariousperspectives.
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Figure5.3AxesforbuildingscenariosBurthchellandUrry(CeMoRe&CentreforTransport&Society2012)adoptedthisapproachintheirconsiderationoftheimpactofadditivemanufacturingontransport.TheycreatedfourscenariosbasedonthesetofaxesshowninFigure5.4
LOCALIZED MANUFACTURE
DESKTOP FACTORIES IN THE HOME
COMMUNITY CRAFTS
ONLY PROTYPING
High engagement with 3D printing
Low engagement with 3D printing
Low corporatization of 3D printing
High corporatization of 3D printing
HighX
LowX
LowY
HighY
Scenario1HighX+HighY
Scenario2HighX+LowY
Scenario3LowX+HighY
Scenario4LowX+LowY
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Figure5.4Fourscenariosfromaxesofuncertaintyconcerningengagementwith3Dprintingandcorporatizationof3DprintingTheyalsoprovidedsuccinctdescriptionsofeachscenarioplussomeextendedvignettes.Thedescriptionfor‘Desktopfactoriesinthehome’readsasfollows:Scenario1DesktopfactoriesathomeThetechnicalpossibilitiesoffabricationinthehomeusingdesktop3Dprinterssignificantlydisruptedglobalsystemsofproduction,distributionandretailing.Manyfactoriesintheglobalsouthclosedordownsized.Yetmanysupplychainanddistributionnetworksremainedintactandhaveevenbeenconsolidatedduetorapidgrowthindemandforpowdersandotherfeedstocksfor‘printers’.ThisextractfromthevignetteaboutDesktopfactoriesconsiderstheuseof3Dprintingforhomework–anaspectofitsimpactthatmightappealtopupilsifnottheirparents.MynameisBenandIwasbornin2020.I'mtryingtofinishmyhomeworkbutmysister,Lucy,isusingtheprinteragainforthenewbraceletshe'sbeendesigningallweekend.Everyoneatschoolhasa3Dprinterathomenowandtheteachersregularlygiveusassignmentstodesignandprintoutallsortsofthingstobringtoclass.Todayweworkedonahistoryprojecttoimaginehowmedievalvillagersbuilttheirtowns.MyjobinthegroupwastoprintoutwhatIthoughtthevillagesmithymightlooklike.IgotintotroublebecauseIprintedoutmylittlesmithynearly20timestoseewhatitwouldlooklikeasImadeeachmodification.Mydadsaystheprintercartridgesarereallyexpensiveandthatit'swastefulandbadfortheenvironmenttousesomuchmaterialonthingsIdon'tneed. Page3Youcouldgivepupilsasetofsuchaxesalongwithwrittendescriptionsofthescenarioswithinthequadrantsasastimulusforadiscussiononconsequences.Youcouldaskpupilstoimaginewhatitwouldbelikeforthemiftheywereaparticularpersoninthosescenarios.Theymightcollaboratewithoneanotherinwritingpersonalvignettesandusethemtoconsidertheconsequencesofthetechnologiesinoperation.Theymightturntheirpersonalvignettesintoshortcomicbooks.Andtheymightbeabletouseawinnersandlosersapproachtofurtherexploretheconsequencesofthetechnologyineachscenario.Atthemomentsuchactivitiesarenottypicalfordesign&technologylessonssocollaborationwithcolleagueswhoteachEnglishorHistorywheresuchteachingiscommonplacewillbeuseful.Inthiswayitshouldbepossibletodevelopsomeveryrichactivities–startedinclassperhapsbutcontinuedforhomeworkinwhichtheydiscusstheirthoughtswiththepeopleathome.ReflectingonthefourapproachestoconsideringconsequencesitseemstousthatusingwinnersandlosersisthemostaccessibleandcouldbeusedfromthebeginningofKeyStage3.ScenarioexplorationcomesnextintermsofaccessibilityandcouldbeusedtowardstheendofKeyStage3.TheideathatatechnologyhasalifecyclecouldprobablybeintroducedtowardstheendofKeyStage3aswell.TheMcKinseycriteriafordisruptionstrikeusasthemostdemandingandareprobablybestleftuntilKeyStage4andwehopethattheymightfeatureinthenewdesign&technologyGCSEandGCEspecifications.Inthissectionwehavediscussedfivedifferentwaystoteachdisruptivetechnologieswithinasecondaryschooldesign&technologycourse.ExactlyhowyouusetheseisofcourseyourdecisionandthedetailwilldependonlocalconditionsandtheGCSEorGCEspecificationyouarefollowing.Itwillbeimportanttousethesedifferentwaysefficientlytomakebest
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useof‘squeezed’design&technologycurriculumtime.Soalthoughonoccasionsyoumightteachaspectsofconsequencesasastandalonetopicoveracoupleoflessonsyoucouldalsoteachconsequencesaspartofdesignwithoutmakingordesignandmakingactivities.Theauthorswouldbehappytoreceivescommentsaboutthesuccessorotherwiseoftheseapproachesviahttps://dandtfordandt.wordpress.com/contact/.Aswehaveacknowledgedthisisnewterritoryandtheproofofthepuddingwilldefinitelybefoundinclassroompracticeasitisdevelopedbydesign&technologyteachersmodernizingthesubject.Notethatothersortsofactivitiesarebothpossibleanddesirable.Herearetwoexamples.Asdisruptivetechnologiesbecomemoreavailablepupilsmightbeabletocarryoutusertripswithsuchtechnologiesinordertoexperiencethemfirsthandandcommentonthatexperience.Inordertoseethedisruptivetechnologiesinawidercontextpupilsmightconsidertheirroleincircularasopposedtolineareconomies(EllenMacArthurFoundation,2015)ThenextsectionwillconsidertheplaceofteachingdisruptivetechnologieswithintheSTEMagendaacknowledgingtherolethatscienceandcomputerscienceteachersmightplayinprovidingthenecessarybreadthanddepthofexpertise.
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Section6.TheSTEMDimensionInthissectionweconsiderhowtheteachingandlearningofdisruptivetechnologiesmighttakeplacewithinaSTEM(science,technology,engineeringandmathematics)curriculum.OneapproachtoSTEMisforteacherstohelptheirpupilsusewhattheyhavealreadylearnedinsomeSTEMsubjectstosupporttheirlearninginanother,differentSTEMsubject.Theresultofthisprocesscanbethatthelearninginallthesubjectsisenhanced.Thisargumentisdevelopedindepthinthebook‘TeachingSTEMintheSecondarySchool’(BanksandBarlex2014).Itisofcourseimportantthatthelegitimatedifferencesbetweenthesubjectsareacknowledgedandonesuchdifferenceistheknowledgebasethatinformsthesubject.Hencesomeofthedisruptivetechnologiesthatwehaveidentifiedhaveastrongerbaseinthedesign&technologycurriculumthanotherswhilstsomemightfindtheirplaceinotherSTEMsubjects.InTable6.1wehaveallocatedourchosendisruptivetechnologiestodesign&technology,scienceandcomputersciencebutitisimportanttorealisethatthisisnotahardandfastallocationassomeaspectsofmostofthedisruptivetechnologiescouldlegitimatelybetaughtinallthreesubjects.Table6.1AssigningdisruptivetechnologiestodifferentschoolsubjectsBasedindesign&technology Basedinscience BasedincomputerscienceAdditiveManufacture SyntheticBiology ArtificialIntelligenceInternetofThings BigDataRobotics AugmentedReality ProgrammableMatter Neurotechnology Wethinkitisimportantthatteachershavethesubjectknowledgenecessarytorespondfluentlyandauthoritativelywhendealingwiththecomplexitiesinherentinteachingdisruptivetechnologiesbutthisshouldnotmeanthatanyonedisruptivetechnologybecomeslockedinasubjectsilo.Althoughsyntheticbiology,forexample,maybemoreexpertlytaughtbyscienceteachersthereisnoreasonwhytheimplicationsofsyntheticbiology,particularlythedevelopmentofneworganismstoproducenewmaterialsandnewapproachestoenvironmentalmanagement,cannotbeconsideredindesign&technologyclasses.Thekeystosuccessherearetheconversationsthattakeplacebetweenthescienceanddesign&technologyteacherstoensurethatanylearningaboutsyntheticbiologyindesign&technologyisunderpinnedbysoundscience.SimilarlyanunderstandingofBigDataisprobablybettertaughtbythecomputerscienceteacherbuttheimplicationsofBigData,say,fornewproductdevelopmentmightwellbeconsideredindesign&technology.Againconversationsbetweentheteachersfromthedifferentsubjectsareessentialforsuccess.Anditisimportanttorememberthatthisisa‘two-waystreet’.Approachestoconsideringconsequencescanbeusedacrossallthreesubjectsenhancingpupils’abilitiestounderstandandusesuchapproaches.Inthefollowingsectionweconsiderthedevelopmentneededtoincludedisruptivetechnologiesinasecondaryschoolcurriculum.
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Section7.ApproachestocurriculumdevelopmentNocurriculumcomesintobeingreadymade.Ithastobeconceivedandthisconceptionreliesonwhatisgoingtobetaught(theknowledge,understanding,skillsandvalues),whythisisseenasimportantandhowthismightbeputintoeffect.Inotherwordsthecurriculumhastobedeveloped.InSection2weexplainedthenatureofdisruptivetechnologies,presentedajustificationforteachingtheminSection3,identifiedthosewhichshouldbetaughtinSection4andconsideredhowtheymightbetaughtinSection5.Theinformationcontainedinthesefoursectionshastobedevelopedintoacurriculumandinthissectionwesuggestthreeapproachestosuchdevelopment
1. UsingtheCRESTSchemetogetstartedTherearethreecategoriesofCRESTprojecttochoosefrom,dependingonstudents’interest:Research;Investigation,Design/Making;andScienceCommunication.Themostimportantthingisthatthereisanelementofinvestigationandexploration,andthattheprojectsetsouttoansweraquestionorsolveaproblem.TherearefourdifferentlevelsofCRESTAward:Discovery–takesaboutfivehoursandcanbedoneinoneday;typicallyundertakenby11–14yearoldsBronze–takesabouttenhours;typicallyundertakenby11–14yearoldsSilver–takesabout30hours;typicallyundertakenby14–16yearoldsGold–takesabout70hours;typicallyundertakenby16–19yearoldsYoumightusetheCRESTschemeatDiscoveryorBronzeleveltointroducedisruptivetechnologiesintoyourKeyStage3design&technologycurriculumasaresearchactivity.Thegeneralquestionforthestudentstoconsiderwouldbe“Isthistechnologydisruptive”.Youwouldneedtodosomebasicworkonthenatureofdisruptionasanintroductiontotheawardandprovidesomeintroductiontovariousdisruptivetechnologiesbutthechoiceofthetechnologycouldbelefttothestudents.Formoredetailsvisithttp://www.britishscienceassociation.org/crest-awards
2. UsingSTEMambassadorstosupportyourGCSEteachingSTEMambassadorsarescientists,engineersandtechnologistworkinginindustryorresearchanddevelopmentatuniversitiesandvisitschoolstosupportteachersinengagingyoungpeoplewithSTEMsubjectsandSTEMrelatedcareers.YoucanrequestavisitfromaSTEMambassadorthroughyourlocalSTEMNETcoordinator(seehttp://www.stemnet.org.uk/regions/).Youcanaskforsomeonewhohasparticularexpertiseinthedisruptivetechnologiesyouwishtoteach.Theycansupportyourteachinginanumberofways:
• Reviewinganymaterialsyouhaveproducedaboutadisruptivetechnologytoensuretheyareaccurateanduptodate.
• Aschoolvisittotalkbrieflytopupilsaboutthedisruptivetechnology• Aschoolvisittodiscusswithpupilstheirworkwiththedisruptivetechnology• Discussingwithpupilsonaonetooneorsmallgroupbasistheworktheyaredoing
inlessonsondisruptivetechnologies
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Formoredetailsvisithttp://www.stemnet.org.uk/ambassadors/
3. UsingtheExtendedProjectQualification(EPQ)toenhanceGCEteachingThestudents'choiceoftopicisfree,althoughtheymustshowthatitisacademicallyuseful,eitherrelatedtotheircurrentcourseofstudy,ortheirfuturecareer.Ittakestheformofeitheradissertation(5,000wordsbeingacommonguideline)oranumberofotherforms:amusicalordramaticcomposition,reportorartefact,backedupwithpaperwork.Itwillinvolveextendedautonomousworkbythestudent.Itwillrequireintotal120guidedlearninghours.Studentsarerequired,withappropriatesupervision,to:
• chooseanareaofinterest• draftatitleandaimsoftheprojectforformalapprovalbythecentre• plan,researchandcarryouttheproject• deliverapresentationtoanonspecialistaudience• provideevidenceofallstagesofprojectdevelopmentandproductionfor
assessment.Aninvestigationintoaparticulardisruptivetechnologybuildingontheteachingabouttheappraisaloftechnologicaldevelopmentsinstudents’GCEDesign&Technologycourseswouldprovidetheopportunityforindepthstudy.SeveralAwardingOrganisationsofferEPQs:http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/projects/aqa-certificate/EPQ-7993https://www.edexcel.com/quals1/project/level3/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/projects-extended-project-h856/
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8.ClosingremarksWehopeyouhavefoundthisTeachers’Guideinteresting,informativeandusefulandwillbeabletouseitindevelopingyourteachingofnewandemergingtechnologiesthroughaconsiderationofdisruptivetechnologies.ThisTeachers’Guideisthefirststepindevelopingasuiteofresourcestosupportsuchteachingasshownbelow.TheTeachers’GuideTeacherBriefingsfor
AdditivemanufacturingArtificialintelligenceAugmentedRealityBigDataInternetofThingsNeurotechnologyProgrammablematterRoboticsSyntheticBiology
TeachingGuidesfor
AdditivemanufacturingArtificialintelligenceAugmentedRealityBigDataInternetofThingsNeurotechnologyProgrammablematterRoboticsSyntheticBiology
Wehopetoproducealltheseresourcesandmakethemavailableathttps://dandtfordandt.wordpress.com/projects/disruptive-technologies/betweenFebruaryandAugust2016.Pleasenotethatwewillbepleasedtoreceiveyourfeedbackontheresourcesandthewaysyouhaveusedthemathttps://dandtfordandt.wordpress.com/contact/.
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ReferencesBanks,F&Barlex,D.(2014)TeachingSTEMinSecondarySchools(Oxford:RoutledgeBarlex,D.(2012).TheYoungForesightProjectAUKInitiativeindesigncreativityinvolvingmentorsfromindustry.InB.France&V.Compton(Eds.),Bringingcommunitiestogether:Connectinglearnerswithscientistsortechnologists.Rotterdam:SenseBirtchell,T.,Urry,J.,Cook,C.&CurryA.(2013)FreightMilesImpactsof3DPrintingonTransportandSocietyESRCProjectES/J007455/1Availableathttp://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/66198/1/Freight_Miles_Report.pdfAccessed27April2014CRESTAwardsForinformationabouttheBritishScienceCRESTAwardsvisitthisurl:http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/crest-awardsAccessed19December2015DepartmentforEducation(2015)DesignandTechnologyGCSEsubjectcontentDepartmentforEducation(2013)Designandtechnologyprogrammesofstudy:keystage3NationalcurriculuminEnglandEducationScotland(undated)Curriculumforexcellence:technologiesexperiencesandoutcomeshttp://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/technologies_experiences_outcomes_tcm4-539894.pdfAccessed30June2014ExtendedProjectQualifications(EPQs)InformationaboutEPQscanbefoundattheseurls:http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/projects/aqa-certificate/EPQ-7993https://www.edexcel.com/quals1/project/level3/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/projects-extended-project-h856/Accessed19December2015Gartner(2015)GartnerHypeCycleseethisurl:http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/methodologies/hype-cycle.jspAccessedJanuary292015Leonard,A.(2010)ThestoryofStuff.London:Constable&RobinsonLtdManyikaJetal(2013)Disruptivetechnologies:Advancesthatwilltransformlife,business,andtheglobaleconomyMcKinseyGlobalInstituteavailablefromhttp://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/disruptive_technologies
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McArthur,E.(2015)ResourcesdevelopedbytheEllenMcArthurFoundationcanbefoundatthisurl:http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/schoolsAccessed6February2015MinistryofEducation(2010)IndicatorsofProgression–AchievementObjectivestechnology.tki.org.nz/content/download/33701/141649/file/indicators-of-progression-oct-10.pdfAccessed30June2014Naughton,J.(1994).Whatis‘technology’?InF.Banks(Ed.),TeachingtechnologyLondon:Routledgepp7–12NextGenerationScienceStandards(2013)HighSchoolEngineeringDesignhttp://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/ngss/files/HS.ED%204.29%2013With%20Footer.pdfAccessed30June2014STEMAmbassadorsForinformationaboutSTEMAmbassadorsvisitthisurl:http://www.stemnet.org.uk/ambassadors/Accessed19December2015Willets,D.(2013)EightGreatTechnologies.London:PolicyExchange
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TheauthorsDavidBarlexdirectedtheNuffieldDesign&TechnologyProject.Heisanacknowledgedleaderindesign&technologyeducation,curriculumdesignandcurriculummaterialsdevelopment.Hetaughtscienceandtechnologyinschoolsfor15yearsbeforebecomingateachereducator. NickGivensisateachereducatorspecializinginsecondarydesign&technology.HewasanauthorandaCPDproviderfortheNuffieldD&TProject.Healsoworkedinschoolsfor15years,teachingdesign&technologyandscience. TorbenSteegisaneducationalconsultantwithabackgroundinsecondaryschoolteachingofdesign&technology,scienceandcomputinginteachereducation,inCPDandincurriculumdevelopment.Heisparticularlyinterestedinnewtechnologiesandthemakermovement.FairuseofthismaterialThesematerialshavebeenprovidedbyDavidBarlex,NickGivensandTorbenSteeg.Theyarereleasedundera'CreativeCommonsAttribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike4.0’Licence.Thislicenceletsyouremix,tweak,andbuilduponthisworknon-commercially,aslongasyoucredittheoriginalauthorsandlicenceyournewcreationsundertheidenticalterms.Allnewworkbasedonthismaterialmustcarrythesamelicence,soanyderivativeswillalsobenon-commercialinnature.Forfurtherinformationsee:https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
FormoreinformationontheDisruptiveTechnologiesproject,seehttps://dandtfordandt.wordpress.com/projects/disruptive-technologies/
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Appendix1SuggestionsforfurtherreadingBarlex,D.,Givens,N.&Steeg,T.(2015)ThinkingaboutdisruptivetechnologiesinGwynethOwen-Jackson(Ed)LearningtoTeachDesignandTechnologyintheSecondarySchool,3rdeditionOxford:RoutledgeBarlex,D.(Inpress)DisruptivetechnologiesinCritiqueinTechnologyEducationinKayStablesandJohnWiliamsEds)tobepublishedbySpringeraspartoftheirContemporaryIssuesinTechnologyEducationseriesin2016Barlex,D.(2015)PupilvisionsofarobotfuturepresentedatthePATT29ConferenceinMarseilleAvailableatthisurl:https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01161553Accessed20December2015Barlex,D.,Givens,N.&Steeg,T.(2013)Disruptivetechnologies:engagingteachersandsecondaryschoolstudentsinemergingaffordances.P.JohnWilliams&DilaniGedera(Eds)PATT27TechnologyEducationforthefutureaplayonsustainability.NewZealand:UniversityofWaikato;UniversityofCanterburyAvailableatthisurl:http://www.iteea.org/Conference/PATT/PATT27/PATT27proceedingsNZDec2013.pdfAccessed20December2015Barlex,D.&Stevens,M.(2012Makingbyprinting-disruptioninsideandoutsideschool?inThomasGinner,JonasHelstromandMagnusHulten(Eds)TechnologyEducationinthe21stCenturyProceedingsofthePATT26Conference2012,64–73,Stockholm,LinkopingUniversity,ISBNProceedings:978-91-7519-849-1Availableatthisurl:http://www.iteea.org/Conference/PATT/PATT26/ecp12073.pdfAccessed20December2015
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Appendix2Questionswithwhichtoframeacasestudyfortheapplicationofadisruptivetechnology
• ConcerningdevelopmentWhodecidesthatthetechnologyneedstobemadeavailable?Whofundsthedevelopment?
• ConcerningneedsandwantsWhatneedsandwantsmightbemetbythetechnology?Whatcoulditbeusedfor?Howavailableisthetechnologytothosewhomightneedit?
• ConcerningusersWhomightusethetechnology?Whateffectmightithaveontheirlivesandrelationships?
• ConcerningperformanceHowdoesthetechnologywork?Howeasyisittouse?Whatsupplier'sinformationisavailablewiththetechnology?Doestheuserrequirewritten/graphicalinformation?Arethereanyriskassessmentissuesinrelationtotheuseofthetechnology?
• ConcerningmarketingHowisthetechnologypromoted?Doesithaveanidentityorimage?Howhasthisbeenachieved?Doesthepromotiontargetaparticularagegrouporsectorofpeople?Doesthepromotiontargetpotentialbuyersand/orusers?Whatassumptionshavebeenmadeaboutthepotentialbuyers/users?Howisitsold?Whereisitsold?
• ConcerningimpactHowwillitbeused?Whateffectswillusingithave,includingthosebeyondintendeduseanduser?Whenyouusetheabovequestionstoframeacasestudyitwillbeimportanttousethepauseforthought,questions,researchsuggestionsdevicestohelppupilsusesomeofthetoolswehavesuggestedforconsideringconsequences:winnersandlosers,McKinseyCriteria,technologylifecycle.