With students and schools in mind we’re looking to take a balanced view of what’s happening in the world of robots and work, referencing some sound research and looking at examples of how robots are affecting firms and workers. We’re also going to take a look at recent technical achievements, along with issues that are starting to appear and are evolving.
Welcome to Industry 4.0 – one in which large scale manufacturing combines with personalisation, constant changes to product lines, fewer human workers, vastly improved efficiency and extremely short delivery times. So what does this mean for learning?
We’ve written about the emerging power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implication for learning and the future before, and often its potential challenges and pitfalls. However, like any human endeavour, AI has the potential to do enormous good, and today we’re looking at some of the benefits it’s starting to bring. With these benefits come new opportunities and new questions, and we’re keeping a firm eye on learning for the future as we share the examples of how AI can be a powerful force for good.
This week’s focus is squarely on technology and automation, what the research indicates what’s happening right now, and suggests what might happen in the future.
Anyone who works in education, learning or an industry or any kind is hearing about the need for people to develop ’21st Century Skills’. These skills are now becoming essential for human development and success in life and work, and are being coupled with new technical skills from exponential industries.
Let’s look at what’s happening with the automation of work, become informed, start a conversation about what skills and competencies might be needed, what this means for our students, teachers, schools, learning systems, communities and societies.
The nature of almost all forms of work is changing rapidly, and new skills are required. Routine manual and cognitive tasks such as factory work and analysis are being replaced or augmented by robots and machine learning. Agriculture is becoming automated. So what is happening in the world of work, and how can we prepare for what’s coming?
Today we’re looking at work and employment, and how these are changing. So how and why is work changing, and what are the effects of these changes? As you can imagine, there’s a lot happening, but it is possible to identify trends in the future of work and the risks and opportunities that exist for young people, and what this might mean for learning.
This article takes a look at automation in Industry 4.0, and questions whether education systems are preparing students for a new world of work.
