Technology – The New Medium of Education

Your kids go to school… Which medium? Hindi? English? Or maybe any state language? Learning in the language that one understood made it easier to learn faster and better. Globalisation in post industrialisation era along with the advent of MNCs prompted parents to send their kids to English medium schools to enable them to become citizens of the world in which English surreptitiously became the global language. Clearly, English was the future for the twentieth century and became the preferred medium of education. Evidently, “Technology” is fast becoming the preferred “language” of the twenty-first century and hence it is pertinent for us to start teaching our children in “Technology” medium.

What does studying the Technology-medium entail?

Devices… Just look around and all you see is people with their heads bowed. No, they are not paying you respect, instead they are browsing their smartphones which have pervaded all cast and creed around the world in just a decade since the first iPhone got launched in 2007.  In the near future, it will be imperative for children to be taught how to use smartphones effectively. Smartphone is just one of the million other devices that are all around us… laptops, tabs, smart TVs, DSLR cameras, GPS, smart wearables, gaming consoles, driverless cars, home automation including smart refrigerators / washing machines, wifi enabled lights, CCTVs etc, the whole IoT jingbang, servers, robotics, just to name a few. Even teachers would need to be taught usage of Smartboards, casting devices, and projectors.

Applications… People would need to be taught how to use apps. In the era gone by, we were taught how to write and would even get extra marks for good handwriting, now we need to teach how to type. There might be a course on Emojis as well which would include explanation of various types of emojis and how to use them effectively. Emojis can also be used to explain racial differences what with all the colours (white, brown, yellow, black) one can use. Interestingly, in one of the episodes of Black Mirror, a British TV series that revolves around the effects of technology in the future, castes are defined by the ratings one got from others on every human interaction.

While the caste system founded on ratings based on every interaction seem a little far-fetched, factions have already sprung up which are divided by people who are tech-savvy, tech-literate, tech-aware and tech-illiterate. It is quite clear that one would find it difficult to manage in the world which runs on tech-medium. The exact reason what made people around the world learn English makes it essential to learn “Technology”. We have already started practical usage of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), holograms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and going by Moore’s law, in a blink of an eye, we would be using these in our day to day lives.

The prime objective of “Education” is to teach people what is required for them to learn languages, sciences or humanity subjects to help them choose careers. While the choice of careers won’t change much, it would not be possible to excel or even survive without being trained in using technology relevant to the respective field. The advent of all pervading internet along with powerful devices in everyone’s hands also makes it possible for education to be imparted anytime anywhere. The existing “school” model is so last-centuryish which came in existence as the only way a teacher could teach many students was to bring them all in one room. With information available and accessible on-the-go, it is even easier to customize the content to individual students who can study at their own speed as well.

Undoubtedly, Education sector is at the tipping point of being zapped by technology covering all aspects including content, medium and expected outcomes. Just like how manufacturing transformed itself in the last century or banking in the last couple of decades, Education would get completely overhauled over the coming decade. The so-called digital migrants who themselves acquired their education bereft of technology are the last bastion holding the fort of the antiquated education format. As soon as the digital natives take over the education sector it would transform in no time with technology ruling the roost since the millennials don’t even know how the world sans technology looks like and they don’t have any of the good-old-days hangover to which some of the educationists are desperately holding on.

The Backpack Revolution

Once upon a time there was a cute school satchel, a powerful office briefcase, a pretty ladies bag, a useful vegetable basket and then there was also an innocent cloth ‘thaila’. They all used to live happily together till, like the proverbial East India Company which silently, slowly & steadily took over all the Indian princely states, a backpack effectively killed them all one by one as anyone and everyone irrespective of caste or creed, rich or poor, young or old, male or female were seen with one slung on their one or two shoulders serving one or all of their needs.

When and how did this happen? Without anyone advertising the “New, Improved” or “Revolutionary” new product that would change the way one looked, washed clothes or brushed teeth, without any “brand” trying to sell the utility or imagery or style or fashion statement how could a product be so widely accepted by one and all? I think the only invention that would come close to such rapid and wide adoption would have been a wheel. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a little but it would surely come a close second.

A backpack has been in use for centuries by hikers and hunters but was adapted for modern use as recent as about 45 years back however it’s acceptability grew exponentially across the globe over just the last decade. Let’s see how the adoption happened over various user types over the time and the reasons behind them.

It were the students first. The earlier school bag used to be made of cloth having a flap with buckles and would be slung over one shoulder. During the 80’s the school bags started becoming heavier which made it difficult to carry it on one shoulder. It was then the students stumbled upon the back-pack which was easier to carry with it being hauled over both the shoulders. And out went the school bag.

Office bag was the next victim. The ‘senior’ managers used to carry a leather briefcase that exuded power while the staff carried a steel tiffin with food from home. It was in the 90s when the technology revolution brought in millions of youngsters into the IT industry. These kids weren’t at a stage to carry briefcases and they scoffed at carrying a tiffin and by the mid of the first decade of the new century had to carry laptops with them. The backpack provided them with the much needed alternative. Meanwhile the senior managers had started flying frequently, most doing morning-evening from one place to another or maybe just an overnight stay. The briefcase didn’t offer the required utility and was a pain to carry in one hand running to catch planes. The backpack carried everything; laptop, overnight clothes and even food. Poof!!! The backpack sniper shot the leather briefcase dead from a long distance.

Ladies bag was next in line. While the scooters gave way to motorcycles for men in the nineties, it was at the beginning of this century when gear-less light-weight ‘scooty’ became the vehicle for the fairer sex. It was easy to start, ride and maneuver and quickly became the preferred ride for young girls and housewives alike, the former using it to go to college and the latter to quickly hop on it and ride to the vegetable market. While the mobility came in easy, it became a challenge to carry the traditional ladies bag with a short handle. They also had to carry college books, makeup kit and even vegetables. Enter the backpack that offered to solve all the problems relegating the ladies bag to just parties or a visit to the mall.

The universal use of a backpack across all countries, class and gender is a reflection of the massive change that has happened in the world albeit without us even realizing it aka the fable of frog in hot water. Backpacks are the sign of the advent of a utilitarian society across the world, the coming together of erstwhile dichotomous breeds. If the last century belonged to denim jeans which became universally accepted amongst rich and poor, man and woman at the same time, this century definitely belongs to the backpack.

Pat on the back…!!!

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