The 2018 KU Annual Conference New Frontiers from Strong Foundations will focus on igniting a new level of excitement for teaching and learning that will propel educators toward new frontiers of education with a sense of anticipation, courage and enthusiasm.
Keynote speaker Steve Sammartino shared his insights into what is happening in education today and how we can harness that to build strong foundations for future generations.
Five minutes with Steve Sammartino
Steve Sammartino is Australia’s most respected futurist and media commentator on emerging technology. Steve is one of the world’s most engaging and thought provoking keynote speakers on the future and is the author of bestselling books on the technology revolution. His keynote address will challenge educators to reinvent thinking about reshaping teaching and learning that is congruent with the shifting demographic of contemporary society and the challenge of digital literacy and technologies.
The KU Annual Conference has the theme of 'New Frontiers from Strong Foundations'. How does the messages in your book tie in with this theme?
The theme is exactly aligned to what’s happening right now. We are lucky we live in a democratic country with a solid starting ground to early education – this is exactly what The Lessons School Forgot is all about. Education is not something we should ever finish. It’s a process that must continue if we wish to thrive.
What are some of the key messages that you share in your book The Lessons School Forgot?
The book covers some of the things that school didn’t have time to teach us, or that weren’t invented yet. The world is changing at a rapid pace, and while this can sometimes be scary, it has brought with it a chance to rebuild the world in a more human way. We just need the will to push forward and create the change we want to see.
What motivated you to write your book?
Some of the most important things I’ve learned in my life happened outside of school. Things like how to reinvent your life and career, and how to reshape an industry so it can become future proof and better suit its customers. We need to change with time and I think this is the most important topic in the global economy right now – how to adapt to change because it effects everyone.
What are the main aspects of your keynote presentation?
Technology is not to be feared – it’s just a tool like a car is. Very few of us know how a car works under the bonnet and that has never bothered us. The only thing we need to know is how to drive and where a car can take us. Modern digital technology is much the same – we only need to know how to make it work for us, not how it works underneath. The rest is about imagination and putting humans first.
