Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Australian ICT 2020

Andrew Johnson, ACS CEO just asked the delegates at the Australian Computer Society 2016 Conference to consider ICT in the world of 2020. In amongst driver-less and flying cars, Andrew asked if we would be able to provide Internet access to all the Australian population and have sufficient students with the required STEM skills. 

It happens that I wrote "Canberra 2020: World Information Capital" for Informatics Magazine (September 1993), helped run the "Foundations of Open: Technology and Digital Knowledge Local 2020 Summit" for Senator Lundy in 2008 and wrote "Australian Higher Education in 2020" (2013). One thing I have learned from a previous attempt at future history, "Australia: The Networked Nation" (2005 from 1996), was how wrong such predictions can be.

Rather than just predict the future, I suggest ICT professionals are in the business of making the future. At a number of venues before the end of the year I will be speaking on the future of education, as it can be. This is starting with "Learning to Teach On-line with an E80 Blend" at the Australian National University, in Canberra, 7 September 2016. Other times, cities and countries to follow.

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