A Reflection on the Past Year, the Present, and Looking Forward to the Near Future
Poh-Sun Goh
31 March 2021 @ 0711am, Singapore Time
The past year (2020) has been unprecedented in human history, affecting literally everyone, globally, with a rapidity amplified by modern technologies of rapid, global travel; underpinned by the biology of the COVID-19 virus, and ease of human to human transmission. Modern technology, communication networks, and media (both professional, and social media) have connected us globally as never before, keeping the public up to date with events, and both connecting scientists, public health professional, industry and government leaders; as well as facilitating an unprecedented global response to control, mitigate and progressively get on top of this pandemic. These ongoing efforts will occur in the near future.
As a global community, we have moved collectively with breath-taking speed to adopt digital technologies to live (eCommerce), learn (eLearning or Technology enhanced Learning/TEL), work (remote working, 'Zooming'), connect with each other and live (virtually), rebalancing hybrid forms of analogue-technology platform mediated interaction tilted during the peak of the COVID-19 global pandemic toward increased reliance on technology, with absent/much reduced direct human to human contact and interaction.
As we reflect on our current 'new normal', and look toward the future, what features of our 'emergent' and 'emergency' 'band-aid' measures will remain, what will be refined, improved upon and become the dominant ways we live, learn, work and play; and what transformative changes might still occur and be rolled out from current 'bench' innovation for mass adoption? What accessible, low cost, easy to scale tools, platforms and emerging solutions might transfer to practice and be widely adopted in the near future? How can we anticipate and prepare for this, and participate in the development of these initiatives? What is the role of digital literacy, faculty development, institutions, NGOs and governments in preparing for this near future?
Maslow, Miller, MedEd, Technology, EdTech, MedTech, Lives and Livelihoods
Why, before What and How
Poh-Sun Goh
1 April 2021 @ 0538am, Singapore Time
Two centralising priorities and preoccupations throughout the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic have been, and are protecting lives, and livelihoods. These two priorities have driven decision making, and allocation of resources (attention, time, effort, material and financial) at international, national, state, district, city, town, institution, family and individual levels. Human lives, health(care), science, education, media, information, learning, economics and governance (and government) issues have occupied our individual and collective mindshare and mind-space. Facilitated, and amplified by global human networks and technological connectivity.
Basic human needs (Maslow) have driven core decision making priorities with speed and urgency. Our human capacity to learn, connect and co-operate to meet this external and existential threat (COVID-19) and its health and economic consequences (lives and livelihoods) has been on full display in both traditional/professional and newer forms of (social) media.
Globalise and Localise, Minds-Hearts-Hands, Perceptions-Mindset-Intention-(Transfer)toPractice, Design (Thinking), Adaption and Innovation, Application, Theory to Practice informing Theory then Repeat, Both Top-Down and Bottom-Up (Organic) cyclical, iterative, cumulative Efforts, Data and Evidence, Quantitative and Qualitative
Poh-Sun Goh
1 April 2021 @ 0628am , Singapore Time
One of the greatest, if not the greatest challenge (we face as change agents, teachers, educators, instructional designers, mentors and coaches) is the Transfer Paradox, to translate theory to practice, classroom (learning and training) into the workplace, to achieve real world value and impact.
In essence, our empirical observations, personal experience, and the literature (science of human behaviour, psychology, sociology, anthropology, human history) inform us that personal motivations and needs, and external (existential) challenges and demands are (the ultimate, essential) levers and triggers for initial and sustained action, application of effort, to learn, improve, adapt, innovate, change, refine our actions and thinking/feeling/opinion/mindsets in response. To survive, and thrive. To exist, and live. We (need to) move hearts, and change minds (through external instruction, teaching, instruction, encouragement, support, informing; and internal processing, reflection, understanding, learning and acceptance) before better, improved and new(er) actions are taken. Global efforts (geographical and top-down, physical and metaphorical) need to be localised, customised and adapted to local conditions, down to the ultimate granularity of individual by individual thinking and actions ([eyes-ears]-to reach-hearts-minds-then hands and feet). Command and control remotely requires boots on the ground locally, and local leadership and skilling up (competency building and education) to have a sustained impact and value. Going beyond providing fish, to teaching and learning how to fish (and farm, build and improve, at both personal and local level).
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