Rymes of History, in Edutainment

      Kevin Kelly’s speech, "The Next 5,000 Days of the Web," predicts three ways that the web will be transformed over the next 5,000 days—embodiment, restructuring, and codependency. The telephone, the television, and the radio are all technologies that have followed the evolutionary path. These technologies are obviously on the evolutionary path because of the multiplicative changes. These are perfect examples of technologies that will continue to develop along an evolutionary path. Yet, there are several aspects of society that influence the changes of the telephone, television, and radio. These changes are better explained through rhymes of history. Together, Moore’s Law and rhymes of history are valuable tools to evaluate obsolete and emerging technologies in the field of Education.

Augmented reality in the future of on-line learning

      Kelly’s concepts of embodiment, restructuring, and codependency on the web are examples of the rhymes of history.  The key principles of evolutionary technologies provide a practical way to measure growth. I believe this tool is a sustainable way to make projections about the future of technology. Yet, it may not be the most and reliable way to predict future trends in technology because of the many influences on technological development and social change. According to Dr. David Thornburg, evolutionary technologies, rhymes of history, disruptive technologies, science fiction, increasing returns, and Red Queens are examples of six forces that drive emerging technologies. Each of these forces provides new ways of thinking about emerging technologies when making decisions about the technologies we adopt and invest in.

     These three trends rekindle (or retrieve) ideas from the past, this video is a great example of the work. kevin kelly_on the next 5,000 days of the web Moore’s Law concerning evolutionary technologies is a very useful learning resource. Moore’s Law can be used to predict the future and the changes that obsolete and bring about new technology. Through this discussion I recognize the many factors that influence the emergence of new technologies and better understand that no one factor is responsible for explaining the popularity of one technology adoption over another. The idea of evolutionary technologies is a way of thinking about the future of existing technologies and the kinds of emerging technologies to anticipate.

References:

Thornburg, D. (2008a). An amazingly incomplete emerging technologies bibliography. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

Thornburg, D. D. (2009). Six Forces That Drive Emerging Technologies. [Video Vodcast]. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.