Opinion: What the Past Can Teach Us About Technology and the Future

When I author columns on technology innovations of the day, I’m sometimes reminded of innovators from the past. Modern technologies we so readily embrace most likely came from innovators who attempted to solve complex problems with simple creative solutions. Today we hear of the innovative uses of generative artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data and digital transformation. These innovations did not happen overnight, but rather came from a unique series of events which, stacked together, brought us to where we are today, in a world of technology. What we need to recognize is that there are important skills we need to learn, either from our education or through world experiences, to use and build upon these advances — skills like problem solving, innovative thinking and communication.

To better illustrate the importance of these skills, and how they relate to our use of technology today, I’d like to share what I’ve learned from my father and his time overseas during World War II in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In researching his photos and personal narrative, I gained some unique knowledge of the importance of these essential elements for navigating our technological future.

PROBLEM SOLVING

The story began when I came across a self-portrait of my father that he took with his box camera in a forest near Munich, Germany, near the end of the war. Interestingly, he wrote a short message on the back of many of his photos. For this image he wrote, “If you notice my left arm out holding a long stick to snap the shutter.” This was an innovative self-portrait from over 80 years ago, and a notable example of problem solving, innovation and documenting an event through narrative. My father’s opportunity was not limited by what he already knew. Think about how we take images today on our smartphones instantly, with little planning or forethought. As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was quoted as saying by the technology services company TechNet, “Opportunities are not limited by what we know; they are limited by what we are willing to learn. By keeping our eyes open to the emerging markets of technology, we can stay at the forefront of innovation and position ourselves for success."

In other images my father documented a B-17 bomber, displaying the number of bombing runs, and also photographed a wide variety of German planes captured at the end of the war — a priceless, fleeting memory. He probably didn’t realize it, but he was capturing history for future generations to learn from and build upon. In this same vein, studying past technologies reveals how quickly they can transform the world and highlights the importance of addressing both the benefits and challenges they present.

PACE OF CHANGE

When we look at the history of technology, we can get a sense of how innovations can change and reshape our lives and society. What was once novel and creative can become quite commonplace, like our ability to take high-quality selfies anytime, anywhere and without human intervention. A September 2024 blog post from the professional organization Executive Agenda, titled "Leadership in the Digital Age: Navigating the Challenges of a Tech-Driven World," pointed out, “In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven world, leadership is no longer just about guiding teams — it’s about navigating complex digital landscapes that are continuously evolving.” We may face obstacles along the way, but we can learn from them and better prepare ourselves to face our future challenges through technology.

EDUCATIONAL IMPACT

Technology has dramatically changed our education in myriad ways. From books to magic lanterns, audio recordings, motion pictures, computers and AI, all of these incremental steps came from a continual process of trial, error, failures and modification. For Smithsonian Magazine, Erica Hendry wrote about the importance of failure in an article titled “7 Epic Fails Brought to You By the Genius Mind of Thomas Edison.” While these “epic fails” were challenging, they also led the way to many successes. Edison himself is often quoted as saying, “I will not say that I failed 10,000 times. I will say that I found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

How we utilize technology in education has been profound. It has shifted the role of the teacher and has forged new ways students can interact as well as co-create, which can generate much more meaningful learning experiences. As associate professor Stacy Katz from Lehman College, City University of New York, once pointed out, “Co-creating with students gives them agency over their learning and helps to develop self-direction, confidence, creativity and critical thinking skills. It enables educators to create meaningful learning experiences for students by engaging in a more challenging and rewarding teaching practice.” Creative problem solving from students who can co-create with faculty can lead to innovative solutions.

LESSONS LEARNED

Finally, our successful use of technology is preserved not only with education, but with our own desire to learn and experiment. Thomas Edison himself was homeschooled by his mother and did not have a formal education. It is reported he only attended school for about three months. The higher education of Edison did not include pursuing college or university, as he was largely self-taught or received education through training. Yet throughout his life, he had a continual thirst for knowledge and was a frequent reader.

In some ways, Edison’s thirst for information and knowledge mirrored my father’s mindset, although my dad did not have the opportunity to work with as many technological inventions and innovations throughout the years. My father worked as a farmer, never attended high school, and later was a machinist. His service in Europe during WWII was the first journey he ever made outside of the Midwest. What I was struck by was his never-ending desire to read, learn, innovate and document the world around him, preserving his stories for us to remember.

While he was on leave in London during the war, he had a photo taken of himself and his GI buddies near Parliament. Many years later I had the chance to stand in the same place.

As I stood there while the photo was taken, I felt a deep sense of appreciation for what my father had carefully documented for us to wonder about, from so many years ago. It provided an opportunity to understand how the world had changed, and still does, at an ever-increasing pace. Technology is just a part of our history. The larger story is how we solved problems, innovated and communicated our accomplishments along the way. It’s not always the destination, but rather our personal journey to get there.