The Death of the PC, The Internet of Things and Ubiquitous Computing

What does the future hold for computing?

The most profound technologies are those that disappear

I think the future will inevitably be ubiquitous computing. The comparison of literacy and computing is interesting in Mark Weiser's 1991 Scientific American article.

What does it mean for education?

If the future of computing is ubiquitous computing, then what kind of education is relevant? Children are taught literacy which increases their ability to function effectively in the world. What kind of computing literacy will allow humans to function effectively in the future?

Perhaps a useful way is to examine the written word. There are producers, consumers and technologists. Consumers are simply people who read written works, basically anyone who can "consume" words and make sense of their meaning.

Producers are people who produce the written works, the authors, editors and bloggers. They are masters at juxtaposing the different elements to produce works that consumers value.

Technologists are people who connect producers and consumers. Technologists make it possible for a single producer to reach many consumers and for a single consumer to consume the works of many producers. Historically, technologists are makers of clay tablets, printers, book publishers and these days, Wordpress and Blogger. Technologists play an essential simplification role by removing complexities for producers and consumers. Authors do not need to know how books get published to write great works and neither do consumers. Similarly, bloggers do not need to know how Wordpress works to blog.

What does it mean to be a producer, a consumer and a technologist in the world of ubiquitous computing?

References

1. Death of the PC
2. Ubiquitous Computing
3. The Computer for the 21st Century
4. Tools for Thought