Teaching new and emerging technologies through · PDF fileTeaching new and emerging technologies through Disruptive Technologies Teachers’ Guide Authors David Barlex Nick Givens

Teachingnewandemergingtechnologiesthrough

DisruptiveTechnologies

Teachers’Guide

AuthorsDavidBarlexNickGivensTorbenSteeg

DisruptiveTechnologiesTeachers’Guide|Barlex,Givens,Steeg|v1.0|February2016 1

ContentsForewordSection1.IntroductionSection2.Whatismeantbydisruption?Section3.Whyteachdisruptivetechnologies?Section4.Whichdisruptivetechnologiesaremostappropriatetostudy?Section5.Teachingdisruptivetechnologies

ThroughcasestudiesThroughdesigningwithoutmakingThroughdesigningandmakingThroughmakingwithoutdesigningThroughconsideringconsequences

Section6.TheSTEMDimensionSection7.ApproachestocurriculumdevelopmentSection8.ClosingremarksReferencesTheauthorsAppendix1SuggestionsforfurtherreadingAppendix2Questionswithwhichtoframeacasestudyfortheapplicationofadisruptivetechnology


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


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.


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?


TheMcKinseyfeaturesofdisruptivetechnologiesgiveaframeworkbywhichimpactmaybejudged.Suchaframeworkgivespupilsayardstickbywhichtoevaluatetheimpactofestablishedtechnologiesandspeculateabouttheimpactofemergingtechnologies.Initiallythesemaybethosetechnologieswhichweaseducatorsthinkarelikelytobedisruptivebutultimatelywewouldwantyoungpeopletobeabletousesuchaframeworktoconsiderthepossibleimpactofanynewandemergingtechnology.Thisisjustonereasonforteachingaspectsofdisruptivetechnologiesindesign&technology.Furtherreasonsinclude:Forteachers

• Toprovideawayofkeepingthecurriculumtheyteachuptodateandrelevant• Tounderstandthatconsideringtheconsequencesofdisruptivetechnologiesaddsto

boththedepthandbreadthofdesign&technologyeducationForpupils

• Todevelopengagementinwellinformed,speculativethinkingaboutthefuturewithindesign&technology

• Todevelopunderstandingofthewaysinwhichtechnologycanleadtochange• Toprovidepreparationforaworldinwhichmanytechnologiesarerapidlybecoming

moreavailabletoawiderangeofconsumers• Tostarttounpickhownewopportunitieswillredistributesocial,moral,

environmental,andfinancial,responsibilities.Havingidentifiedthefeaturesofdisruptionwenowneedtoconsiderwhyitisimportanttoteachdisruptivetechnologies.Thatisthepurposeofthenextsection.


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.


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.


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


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


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


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


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.


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


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


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.


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:


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.


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


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


useof‘squeezed’design&technologycurriculumtime.Soalthoughonoccasionsyoumightteachaspectsofconsequencesasastandalonetopicoveracoupleoflessonsyoucouldalsoteachconsequencesaspartofdesignwithoutmakingordesignandmakingactivities.Theauthorswouldbehappytoreceivescommentsaboutthesuccessorotherwiseoftheseapproachesviahttps://dandtfordandt.wordpress.com/contact/.Aswehaveacknowledgedthisisnewterritoryandtheproofofthepuddingwilldefinitelybefoundinclassroompracticeasitisdevelopedbydesign&technologyteachersmodernizingthesubject.Notethatothersortsofactivitiesarebothpossibleanddesirable.Herearetwoexamples.Asdisruptivetechnologiesbecomemoreavailablepupilsmightbeabletocarryoutusertripswithsuchtechnologiesinordertoexperiencethemfirsthandandcommentonthatexperience.Inordertoseethedisruptivetechnologiesinawidercontextpupilsmightconsidertheirroleincircularasopposedtolineareconomies(EllenMacArthurFoundation,2015)ThenextsectionwillconsidertheplaceofteachingdisruptivetechnologieswithintheSTEMagendaacknowledgingtherolethatscienceandcomputerscienceteachersmightplayinprovidingthenecessarybreadthanddepthofexpertise.


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.


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


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/


8.ClosingremarksWehopeyouhavefoundthisTeachers’Guideinteresting,informativeandusefulandwillbeabletouseitindevelopingyourteachingofnewandemergingtechnologiesthroughaconsiderationofdisruptivetechnologies.ThisTeachers’Guideisthefirststepindevelopingasuiteofresourcestosupportsuchteachingasshownbelow.TheTeachers’GuideTeacherBriefingsfor

AdditivemanufacturingArtificialintelligenceAugmentedRealityBigDataInternetofThingsNeurotechnologyProgrammablematterRoboticsSyntheticBiology

TeachingGuidesfor

AdditivemanufacturingArtificialintelligenceAugmentedRealityBigDataInternetofThingsNeurotechnologyProgrammablematterRoboticsSyntheticBiology

Wehopetoproducealltheseresourcesandmakethemavailableathttps://dandtfordandt.wordpress.com/projects/disruptive-technologies/betweenFebruaryandAugust2016.Pleasenotethatwewillbepleasedtoreceiveyourfeedbackontheresourcesandthewaysyouhaveusedthemathttps://dandtfordandt.wordpress.com/contact/.


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


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


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/


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


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.

Documents

Teaching new and emerging technologies through · PDF fileTeaching new and emerging technologies through Disruptive Technologies Teachers’ Guide Authors David Barlex Nick Givens