Working At The Edge

Make School Different: Digital leadership & Transformation

#FutureLearning Podcast – Episode 003: How Automation is Going to Redefine What it Means to Work

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In this episode I’m sharing some key takeaways from an article in Futurism by Scott Santens titled How Automation is Going to Redefine What it Means to Work. We look at how these ideas impact education and the way we lead our schools.

Here are some of the questions and connections to leadership:

  • What are we doing in schools that prepares learners for a world of non-routine/cognitive work?
  • If “jobs are for machines, and life is for people” as Santens suggests, should we be helping our learners uncover their passions? Is the “work” going to be living a life focused on pursuing passions instead of what has traditionally been labeled as “work”? How are we currently engaging (or understanding) what drives our learners? What makes their hearts sing?
  • I also wonder, if after deeper learning hits its height, will there be any work that only humans can accomplish? What will that look like? Can we identify these uniquely human skills that learners will need to develop and leverage?
  • The way Santens paints this picture, it would appear that  computers will replace humans as far as work goes. Is this a zero sum game, though? If we really can shape the future, wouldn’t we want to find ways that humans can work alongside  machines? In other words, not eliminating all jobs, but making us humans better at our jobs? Essentially, will we use computers and AI to do what we do even better – to augment what we do?

Resources:

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Randy Ziegenfuss
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