How The Crisis Cured Our Technophobia
This stat surprised me. According to recent figures from the Education Department, during the 2018–2019 academic year only 35% of postsecondary students in the U.S. took at least one course online.
Stop and think about that. Despite the ubiquity of high speed internet, the sophistication of video conferencing technology and the availability of high quality online learning platforms, two out of three students didn’t take a single online course last year.
Nearly overnight, of course, the number taking online courses has rocketed to 100%.
Certainly, that change has come with some growing pains, as students and professors adjust to an online learning environment. It’s challenging to replicate the energy and dynamics of a university class in a virtual space. Teachers and students alike may be unfamiliar with the technology or lack needed equipment.
The other side of the coin, however, is that real learning is now being accomplished, at scale, remotely. Think about the savings and efficiencies involved: all the time and money normally spent commuting to and from class; the fact that there’s no need to lease and maintain costly school buildings; the radical reduction in carbon footprint; all the money saved by students who no longer need to rent dorm rooms and apartments; and on and on.
There will always be a place for real-life classes. But so much learning can, and should, be done online. Isn’t it about time we got comfortable with the digital alternative … not just in the classroom but beyond?
Tech acceleration during COVID
Of course, comparable changes are happening everywhere right now — in how we work, shop, play games, order food and groceries, even how we visit the doctor. These changes have been precipitated by the COVID-19 crisis and have been jarring in their speed and intensity. But the end result may well be a valuable acceleration of our digital transformation as a society.
Many benefits are already becoming clear. Kids unable to get to the classroom are continuing their education online. Doctors and patients are using telemedicine to connect without having to leave home. Small neighbourhood retailers dealing with store closures are jumping into ecommerce. And employees everywhere are learning how productive and efficient working from home can be thanks to tools like Zoom, Slack and Google Docs.
This may feel like it’s happened overnight, but, from another perspective, it’s been a long time coming. In many cases, we’ve had the digital technologies needed in place for years, if not decades. The real obstacle has been inertia. From force of habit, from fear, from self-interest, we’ve clung to so many legacy systems that add little value while consuming valuable time and resources.
But the crisis has obligated us — all at once — to “get over the hump” when it comes to technology. This hasn’t come without real challenges, nor should it happen without question or debate. But we may well look back on this moment as a bright, dividing line in the transformation of our relationship with connected, digital technologies, at work, at school and beyond.
An enduring shift
In fact, the shift in tone and attitude is already palpable. Anxieties about “screen time” have faded into the background as we use devices to connect with friends and family. Qualms about invasive ads on social media have given way to appreciation of its power to bring people together. As a society, we’re suddenly using more technology, more fully and to better results, than ever before. Writes New York Times columnist Kevin Roose: “[The] virus is forcing us to use the internet as it was always meant to be used — to connect with one another, share information and resources, and come up with collective solutions to urgent problems.”
Nor are these changes likely to be temporary. Will education ever be the same now that millions of students and teachers have embraced online learning platforms? Employers and employees have now seen remote work in action, across their entire workforce — auguring massive changes in the way we work in years to come. Countless retailers and restaurants have been introduced to ecommerce, a channel they’re unlikely to turn off once the crisis is over.
Not to say that engaging with real people, face-to-face, in real life isn’t important. I don’t think anyone wants a future where we connect only through devices. But by embracing our digital potential, we open up more time for those high-value, human interactions — spending time with family and friends, sitting down for meals with parents and loved ones, going outside and experiencing nature, being truly present for colleagues and children. In its highest form, that’s what digital transformation is really about.
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