Emerging technology
Josh Kaufman, M.Ed
One of the funny things about the pandemic is that it’s highlighted the different ways to look at emerging technology. One is the technology that is fundamentally new, either because it is groundbreaking in some way or is an expansion or new version of existing technology. The other is the technology which is new-to-us, either because it wasn’t needed (or the need wasn’t apparent) or was too expensive for our sector in the past. And in many ways, it’s that second category that I have found more solutions to more problems.
Obviously, there is a constant drumbeat of “emerging technologies” we see on the news and at tradeshows. If not for that, Infocomm, CES, and more could happen at any college because you just need enough lecture halls for the training and event space for social gatherings. Technologies like Lucasfilm’s “The Volume” system used to film the Mandalorian large sets or greenscreens are of course groundbreaking and emerging. But the technology that drives them often isn’t. Many times these so-called emerging technologies are actually new and innovative uses of existing technologies. And that is really what I want to focus on here. In my career, I’ve made a point to try to repurpose things if they still work, either as testbeds for ideas or to use them in new ways.
In a recent article in VentureBeat called The Autistic Bliss of Zoom, author Jonie Whitworth describes what a common experience, the meeting, is like for a person on the Autism Spectrum, from navigating the social rules of meetings to dealing with sensory overload from taking in information at the same time as dealing with the other sensory inputs, smells, visual, tactile, that so-called neurotypical people don’t notice or aren’t bothered by. She goes on to discuss why Zoom, something that a year ago was, if not a novelty, was not the default way for people to interact. She describes how, as we shifted our lives to Zoom she, and many others like her, have found they are more able to succeed at their jobs because many of the struggles people on the Autism Spectrum face were eliminated or reduced. This speaks to the second kind of emerging technology I described, the “new-to-me” type because while Zoom has been around for a few years, we were using it in a very different way.
I like to include a simple question in my talks about universal design: “who here uses captions when they watch Netflix?” I ask this to drive home the point that a tool initially designed for those with disabilities is something that we can all use in our daily lives. The same can be said for automatic doors, moving sidewalks, curb cuts, and even single-person restrooms. But what about services like Uber and Lyft? Where I live in MA, individuals with disabilities can use a service run by the local transit authority called The Ride which allows them to call an on-demand vehicle equipped for their needs. Sound familiar? If not, think about the levels of service available from Uber and Lyft, everything from a shared ride to a chauffeured town car or in extreme examples a helicopter. Why am I mentioning this? Because emerging technologies aren’t always emerging to everyone, but they are emerging to different groups of people.
Accessibility technology will always be “new” to those who don’t need it, even if it benefits them in the long run. The “newness” of it is part of what makes universal design so important in classroom AV. The more we make things like captions, and assistive listening, but even less obvious things like reducing the amount of background noise through sound masking or soundproofing as well as making sure the air filtration is high enough to remove the various smells generated in a classroom (something we should be doing anyhow, as we’ve learned during the pandemic, but that’s a column for someone with another expertise in a different magazine!) Similarly, installing power jacks in seating areas can serve multiple tiers of accommodation, yet is something we often overlook in selecting furniture.
(I’ll argue that tastefully concealed power spots are an emerging technology. Incorporating a power jack in a way that is both functional and leaves the furniture usable otherwise is more difficult than it seems.) And again, these benefit not just individuals with disabilities, but they benefit the entire community. An individual in a power wheelchair can charge from that port, at the same point any student can power a laptop or phone.
Finally, I want to touch on an area that while nowhere near emerging in a traditional sense is still something that in many classes is “emerging.” That is the use of cellphones instead of laptops. Now how is this equity? How is it something new when cellphones are now in their fifth decade on the market and everyone has one? Truth is, it’s not the existence of phones that is emerging, it’s the way in which they are used. When I was in college, it was still somewhat unusual for a student to bring a laptop to class, and cellphones still required you to push a button several times to select a letter. Now, we’re walking around with more processing power in our pockets than seems responsible. So again, how is this emerging? Simple. Students no longer need to bring their computers to class in order to take notes or even to work on assignments.
When I did my thesis in 2017, I actually walked around a lake dictating it into my phone to be later copied. By the same token, someone could dictate their assignments if typing is difficult without having to acquire speech-to-text software. On top of that, students can use assorted technologies for everything from assisted listening to captioning and translation to participating in class without having to mark themselves out as having a disability. And honestly, it is a class equity issue as well. Laptops are expensive, phones (especially those subsidized by the carrier) are far less so. A student without the means to access a laptop can use their phone in lieu of it and can succeed in their classes.
Even this just touches on the “emerging” technologies that can be utilized to make classes more equitable and inclusive. If you take anything away from what I’ve written this month I hope it’s this: We don’t just need to look at what is on the floor at Infocomm, we need to look at what is in our storerooms under a layer of dust, what is in our workshops and our vehicles. And of course, what is in our pockets. Only by doing that will we be fully able to have “emerging technology” in the classroom.
Get to Know Josh Kaufman
Josh Kaufman has spent his entire career in higher ed AV, starting as a student employee at Boston University where he worked for seven years and later moving on to Harvard University where he was the assistant director. He is currently the Operations Coordinator and R&D coordinator at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. He holds a masters in instructional design from the University of Massachusetts as well as two graduate certificates in instructional technology and instructional technology design.
Josh has presented at NWMET in 2019 on the application of Universal Design to AV in order to increase accessibility, as well as at HETMA’s virtual conference in June and at EdSpaces 2020 in November. He had been slated to present at Infocomm 2020 prior to its cancelation on the same topic.
In his spare time, Josh enjoys attending NCAA hockey games, exploring the historic sites of New England, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.