Big data, mobile technology, artificial intelligence, the
internet of things and other forms of emerging technology are
continuing to make their presence felt within the educational sphere and all
areas of society[i].
As these changes keep happening at an accelerated rate, various issues
especially the ethical, societal and economic implications are coming to the
fore[ii].
Some of the major issues affecting this rapidly changing
technology evolution, is the question of who is accruing the economic benefits
of these advances, the inherent biases in the technologies from the population
coding and developing them, the disparate engagement with technology especially
as dictated by socio-economic factors and geography.
These issues as well as those that affect privacy and
security of data are all issues educational institutions across the world must
contend with. While there is an advanced understanding of these issues in
developed world, the same cannot be said for certain areas for the developing
world. For example, in the absence of institutions of higher education adopting
effective learning management systems to serve their needs, university students
on various campuses across countries have turned to WhatsApp and other social
media platforms to act as learning repositories and alternative learning management
systems. The issue of the provision of basic learning management systems
highlights the stark differences between the haves and have-not's across the
world.
In addition to the disparate access, the control of
use of data especially private and educational data is increasingly worrying. As
highlighted with the emergence of technologies like Facebook, Uber and google,
there is huge economic and social impact of these technologies. However, it is
becoming increasingly clear that this data is increasingly controlled, at least
in the western world by private entities. These are mainly Google, Amazon,
Facebook and Apple. While some argue this private participation and control
work well for innovation, the kind of innovation and use of that innovation
does not always align with the public interest including education.
The issue of technology is one that is here to stay. It
has been shown to improve efficiency, economic outcomes and enhance overall
educational and other interests. As instructional designers, educational
leaders and managers grapple with the auxiliary issues raised here, understanding
and equipping our institutions, students and practices with more progressive
and accessible techniques will go a long way to solving some of these problems.
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