For What?

 

"Neurotechnology is not just a futuristic proposition anymore. Our society is adopting a brain-focused outlook through research into transcranial direct current stimulation (tCDS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), neuroenhancement drugs, and neurostimulation devices for hobbyists. People are attending neurotechnology conferences in greater numbers, and the private sector is taking notice. There are more and more neuroimaging and neurostimulation devices on the market every day. Neurotechnology is still in its relative infancy, but it is enhancing education, communication, intelligence, cognitive ability, disease treatments, and the military." (Potomac Institute for Policy Studies 2014)

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Image: Focus1 Headband in a US classroom, BrainCo Press Release.

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Cognitive technologies are entering the mass consumer market and are being used by students, in schools or at home, to support their learning (see above the Focus1 headband by BrainCo shown in the company video). These affect the brain, promising to increase concentration or endurance, for example. However, they also have wider social implications, from redefining what education means, to one's identity if our brain has been modified. To prepare for a preferable future, we need to first understand the full effect of these technologies, both on the individual and on society as a whole. 

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The objective of this Open Educational Resource (OER) is to build together a better understanding of the implications of cognitive technologies. Which social and ethical issues may they uncover? What measures do we need to take to ensure that the future is ours? 

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The first two pages introduce the tools we need. We first define what are cognitive technologies, and then suggest a framework to analyse them as a bio-socio-technological entanglement. 

In the last two sections, we build together a critical understanding of the technologies. Case studies will help us understand the entanglement of these technologies in the environment, and speculate about possible retroactive effects on the individual and society. Finally, we will discuss the main social and ethical issues that we need to prepare for. 

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This OER is based on a position paper by the author, A Critical Approach to Cognitive Technologies in Education',  available here. 

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For Whom?

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This OER is for anyone wondering about the use of cognitive technologies in education. Should we be using these technologies in the classroom? how will they affect our students? what will become the role of the teacher? who am I if my brain has been transformed? should universities ban smart drugs for their entrance exams? 

 

The effects are still uncertain, there are no right and wrong answers, but we do need to have this discussion and it needs to be as open as possible. The course offers an open, but structured forum. Its value comes from the dialogue that it creates and the diversity of opinions that are represented. So please engage actively in the analysis and discussion, share your ideas and points of view, add your experience to the learning and remain open to other opinions. 

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How?

 

We all have different interests and objectives. There are multiple paths to get what you are looking for, or perhaps diverge and learn about something unexpected. The set up is flexible so that you can move through the material in a way that works best for you. Feel free to skim over some topics, and go into more depth in some other aspects. There are a lot of resources, but you are not expected to read or watch them all. 

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This OER covers four main areas: 

• What are cognitive technologies? 

• A framework to help us understand their implications for individuals and society.

• Case Studies: we will work together to build an understanding of the implications of these technologies for individuals and society as a whole.

• Finally, we discuss the important social and ethical issues highlighted by the case studies. 

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