Emerging Technology in Higher Education
Joshua Kaufman, M.Ed, CTS
Campus AV Coordinator Tufts University
As a kid, my grandfather would take me to flea markets after breakfast on Sundays. We’d walk up and down the rows of junk, jetsam, and occasional treasures. One particular booth called “Trailing Edge Technology” always intrigued me. I didn’t understand what the name meant, I had heard the term “bleeding edge,” what kid growing up during the ‘90s tech boom, within spitting distance of the Route 128 Tech Corridor no less, hadn’t? In the end, of course, it was a play on the fact that they sold the oldest, most outdated, probably PCB-filled computer gear you could ever hope to find. Some of it, however, still had a use beyond its original purpose. Many times, as I’ve walked through the dusty storage rooms at the schools I’ve worked at I’ve been reminded of that stall, gear dating back sometimes decades, but still with life left in it for someone willing to adapt it to a new use.
Of course, we’re talking about so-called “Emerging Technologies” this month, and in my regular column, I talk about the idea of “new-to-me” emerging technologies and how those play into the classroom. But what about truly emerging technologies, and how to use them in the classroom?
But going beyond the obvious, “new-to-me” technologies, looking at how classrooms have changed since I entered the field I can see “emerging technologies” in classrooms that are either adopted from larger, commercial uses or are older proven equipment that universities are repurposing to save money. Neither of these is bad, by the way, and in fact the newest, shiniest thing on the floor at Infocomm is probably not the best choice for a classroom environment where it will be used orders of magnitude more than in a conference center or ballroom.
When I came back from Infocomm in 2019, I had (according to the baggage scale) about 25lbs of promotional brochures, 24lbs of which were for things that I later realized wouldn’t be workable in higher ed, at least not for a few years. It was disheartening because as I walked
around the show floor, my immediate thoughts were of how to integrate these technologies into the classroom. But how? While we may want giant displays or projection mapping, these aren’t really feasible on a classroom scale (for now) and we often don’t have the budget to or because they aren’t really envisioned for educational use. Arguably, there is a lot of stuff there that is usable for higher ed, but it is often newer versions of older equipment.
How, then, can we in higher ed figure out what emerging technologies will work best for us? Vendors often misunderstand the needs of higher ed because they are tailored to the wider industry or if they do have a higher ed rep they don’t always fully understand our needs. At the same time, we have colleagues all over the country, and the world, who often are addressing the same problem but so often we address these questions in a vacuum or within our personal networks.
This is, to me, the value of HETMA. By bringing together the widely dispersed knowledge of our field, we’re able to look at the rapidly changing landscape of our field collectively. At the same time, we’re now better positioned to advocate for what we need, as a field, so that future technologies are better designed to meet educational needs. That is why the role of HETMA is so critical in our vertical because it unites us. The more of us that join, the more of a voice we have, and with a bigger voice, we can better drive the direction of the emerging technologies in the coming years.
Joshua Kaufman
Tufts University
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.
ABOUT HETMA
HETMA is an advocacy organization focused on the higher education AV industry. The goal of HETMA is to raise awareness of technology issues unique to the higher education community by communicating with manufacturers, vendors, and higher education administrators on the needs and challenges that technology managers face. HETMA is also dedicated to providing educational and networking opportunities to our members so that we can empower and grow our influence as an industry.
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