Technology + Education = A path to the darkside?

I want you to take a walk into the future with me. I don’t know if this is 20 years or 50 years but it is a path to the future.

Technology is rapidly finding its way into education. We have laptops and tablets and cell phones being used by students to search for information and for testing. Computers are becoming a primary tool in education. Indeed, one of our most read blog articles discusses the future teachers…being robots. We have devices that monitor attention and notify the teacher if a student isn’t focused. China is using facial recognition software in classrooms to determine engagment. The number of records about students is stagering and growing.

Where will technology take us? Virtual reality to “immerse” the student in content to “enhance” their learning experience? More devices to gather information to determine whether they are attentive and paying attention so they can be “stimulated” and “nudged” to focus on their learning?

Perhaps this evolves to some sort of “implant” that allows much quicker transfer if information directly to the brain? This implant will allow communication that does away with the cell phone and computer of today. In an effort to be more efficient and effective we’ll be coerced into implants…to be competitive in our education with other countries. The allure will be instant access to information. Having answers at the speed of thought. How wonderful to be able to know without spending all the time and effort!

Handwriting? Not needed! A thought…a spoken word. It will be promoted as the great equalizer giving all people access to information and advancing equality and fairness.

But…who controls the data? Today we “surf the net” searching for information and we accept what we find as truth and accurate. We rarely question the accuracy and truth of information.

Now…what if those who control the information choose to “push” information to the person instead of waiting for them to ask? What if those in control choose to delete certain facts and data…how will we know? What if the “information controllers” could delete information about any given person…would they cease to exist? If those in control could, via your implant, delete information you would never remember the prior reality. Those in control could prompt emotions, direct thought and “guide” the population for the greater good.

No one expects that we will fight change and never advance. Those who stand to benefit (financially or philosophically or politically) will sell the positives and ignore the negatives. And it will start with the children in school. Apparently innocuous. Sold as the “great equalizer”. Claiming benefits galore. Security and safety by being able to track children and monitor their health at all times. As the children grow and become adults they continue to use the implant(s) because that’s how they were raised. Inside 2-3 generations the change will be made…but will we remember the past the way it was…or the way they want it to be remembered?

Technology has many upsides…but there is a darkside that we would do well to remember. Is technology a tool for us or will be a tool for them?