Our Ceiling, Their Floor, Educating the Future
Throughout this blog series, we've been discussing the future of tech in relation to our young people. At Akamai, our outreach programs and forward-thinking culture have positioned us as part of the movement determined to make the world better for our children.
As it happens, technology is transforming the world day-by-day. Communications have been overturned throughout the last few decades. Now technology is, inevitably, looking to shape the future of education.
At Akamai, we're already on this journey with our programs such as Girls in Code. The future of education is not just defined by the technological advancements that will initiate progress. Rather, it is centered in the young people who will carry it forward.
However, the core of what we do each day here at Akamai is essentially future focused. The technologies we are developing are set to play a vital role in the evolution of education.
Classroom-based learning - while vital for building our children's communicative and collaborative skills - is set to be transformed with the introduction of new and improved technology. A paperless society is set to broaden the learning experience, making data accessible and easy to share in everyday life.
Along with these technological innovations set to change the nature of learning, society is evolving. As such, there is so much more knowledge available about the different ways in which individuals learn. We are all uniquely different, and as a result, we all receive and process information in various ways. There's no right way to learn. However, traditionally, education has expected young people to sit, listen and absorb.
With the introduction of AI and Intelligent Learning Apps, the simplification of small tasks will leave more time for the things that matter. As well as this, they will enable teachers to tailor "the delivery of information and assessments" to each individual "based on their characteristics."
These advancements in the classroom will open up the possibilities for different types of learning, making education infinitely more accessible. When children of all abilities and from all backgrounds can be individually catered to, we are set for a more inclusive, diverse future.
Imagine the impact of virtual reality on education. When learning is not just knowledge based but is experiential. When we learn about our history, and about other cultures by partaking in other people's experiences. Virtual reality will enable us to connect with people from different cultures on a human, emotional level. As such, we are potentially set to become a more empathetic society.
Niki Hansen, our Manager of Change Safety Optimization, says, "I would love to see a more interactive experience where all of your senses are involved and triggered, so you're not only listening but also feeling and sensing."
When learning is experiential information is better retained. This can be seen in Kolb's Theory of Experiential Learning, in which he states, "learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience."
With cloud-based education set to transform our classrooms, data becomes more accessible. This enables educators to analyze and understand which learning methods work best for which students. Akamai is integral to the availability of data. Our global footprint enables us to access data all around the world, utilizing the cloud for seamless sharing.
Our responsibility is also for the protection of that data. At Akamai, our passion is security. With the development of secure and easily accessible space to share information, content becomes widely available to everyone. This ensures that no one is left out.
As such, at Akamai we envision the future of tech to be a future in which society is more equal. In our future, the global web experience is both connected and protected, thus enhancing the learning experience.
Ultimately, while technology is the means to create change, people are the real goal. We believe to be future focused is to inherently be people focused. Our aim is to play a part in developing a society in which all people have equal opportunities and can fulfill their potential.
At Akamai, we take this responsibility seriously. We are already pouring our knowledge back into the young people who will shape and experience this transformative future through our outreach programs. For example, our Girls in Code program. As we invest in the future of young people, we hope to equip and inspire them to be the change.
As Niki went on to say, "technology can open our eyes in ways we never even thought possible."
However, as we work towards this vision each day, it starts with our internal culture. We truly believe that change is created from the inside out. As a result, the future is not so distant, but it is already here. It's in each of us.
At Akamai, our job is to unlock the potential not just in ourselves, but in everyone. We may be at different stages of the journey, but it's the same journey we're on, and we're in it together.
