Cristóbal Cobo—Ph.D. in Communication Sciences, director of the Fundación Ceibal Center for Studies, and thesis advisor for the Doctor of Education program—published the book *The Pending Innovation: Reflections (and Provocations) on Education, Technology, and Knowledge*.
He proposes "rethinking education from a new perspective" and argues that "true innovation lies in exploring new ways to value and recognize knowledge, both inside and outside the classroom."
The presentation took place on Thursday, August 18, 2016, at the Spanish Cultural Center. Dr. Denise Vaillant—academic secretary of the Institute of Education—along with Dr. Mariano Palamidessi—executive director of the National Institute for Educational Evaluation (INEEd)—were in charge of discussing the book.
“Distinct,” “disruptive,” and an “invitation to think and reflect.” That is how Vaillant described it. In her words, it is a work designed for educators who, rather than causing alarm regarding the technological revolution, challenge us to “think about the evolution of technology” and what that means for education.
“The book does not give us recipes. It tells us what the ‘ingredients’ of a good recipe are, to tackle the challenges posed by the current transition that knowledge is undergoing in the digital age,” he stated.
Palamidessi, for his part, explained that the book presents “the landscape of hyper-connected society,” as well as the “technification of society and education.” He also noted that it has an “enormous capacity to flow through and navigate conceptual networks and problems, and to connect different issues.”
He further explained that the task still ahead is to “ground” what the book says: to see how the concepts “take root” in each scenario and in every challenge faced by every organization.
Finally, Cobo highlighted the most relevant aspects of his work. He stated that he seeks to bring into discussion what is happening in other countries regarding the “complex relationship between knowledge, technology, and education.”
“The pending innovation lies in understanding that transformation is not about technology, but rather cognitive transformation,” said the research associate at the Oxford Internet Institute.
The central issue, for him, is to consider what is meant by innovation: is it a means or an end? In his view, “the end is not innovation, but rather better preparing students to learn how to learn.”
“If innovation is a way to do things differently, then bring it on. But if innovation is an end in itself—and we’re incredibly innovative yet don’t actually prepare our students to ask new questions—then innovation alone isn’t enough,” he concluded.