Looking to the Future!

There are many elements of the future of technology which I find disturbing. However, I am trying to focus on the positive and do recognise some of the benefits of many of the technologies presented to us this week. It was really interesting to examine the Trends and Technology Timeline 2010 + and see that we are moving away from social courtesies and morals and more towards a survival-of-the-fittest (in a funny modern kind of way) where you have to keep up with technologies, become at ease with invasion of privacy (on current sights like google earth & facebook, as well as future trends, such as facial recognition and apps on iphones) and deal with a whole new set of skills for interacting (via social networking sites) in the vain hope that you will not fall behind.

On the plus side, there are some fantastic educational advantages to the development of technologies, such as virtual worlds. Being able to visit world wide museums and art galleries without the expense of travel is an absolutely fantastic learning opportunity. Also, being able to listen to conferences/lectures/lessons from the other side of the world and with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds is convenient and beneficial for teachers and any professionals or students travelling abroad. Virtual worlds are almost the next step from VOIP and mobile phones - not only can you communicate with people in distant places on a face-to-face level, you can also interact with each other in a new environment, using body language and a shared experience of a place in which to base your interaction. Plus it is all free, providing you have fast internet access.

The future holds excitement and opportunity, even though it is easy to become overwhelmed. Like any new technology, there are downsides, but it is important to recognise the learning opportunities and advantages of these technologies.