Inspirational IT

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Inspirational IT Public Engagement a Global Challenge Professor Nigel Shadbolt BCS President

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Inspirational IT. Public Engagement a Global Challenge Professor Nigel Shadbolt BCS President. BCS@ nearly 50. Record membership Sound finances New products and services Increasing numbers of candidates taking our exams Leading a successful Professionalism Programme - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Inspirational IT

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Inspirational IT Public Engagement a Global

Challenge

Professor Nigel Shadbolt

BCS President

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BCS@ nearly 50

Record membership

Sound finances

New products and services

Increasing numbers of candidates taking our exams

Leading a successful Professionalism Programme

Raising our Learned Society Profile

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BCS@ nearly 50

Created a dynamic Thought Leadership ProgrammeExpanding our work with business, government and academiaImproving our infrastructure - physical and digital52 Specialist Groups6 Forums55 Branches…

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And yet…

We face a real problem

Whilst IT is a vital part of society and culture

IT cannot flourish without support of wider community

This requires public engagement

We have not been effective here

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We are not unique…

Science, Engineering and Technology have changed the world

Scientists, engineers and technologists feel unappreciated and undervalued

In our discipline the problem is, if anything, even worse

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The public image is…

A poor one

Bored at school

A world of geeks and nerds

Profession associated with IT failures

Falling numbers at University

This varies from country to country; interesting differences in emerging economies

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Reasons advanced include…

The public doesn’t care

The IT school curriculum

The media

The technology

Us

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Reality check…

Public appetite for SET exists

Urgent need to review IT in schools

We need to engage with the media

We are in possession of inspirational technology

The challenge lies with us

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What can we do?

Defy expectations

Understand the nature of the problem

Confront the challenge of our subject in schools

Foster media engagement

Evangelise computational thinking

Embrace the breadth and variety of our discipline

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How do we do it?

Invest time, effort, energy and enthusiasm– Top down and bottom up– BCS has appointed a Public Engagement Manager

Change Public Opinion– Reach the opinion formers– Engage more aggressively with mainstream media

Select targets– Find the issues, the debates, future possibilities

that affect usWork at all levels exploit our connections and networks

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The emerging approach

Using the 50th as a platform to engage

Focus on the future externally, while celebrating the past achievements

Select areas that can be made accessible, interesting and engaging to wide and various audiences

Contextualise breakthroughs

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Example activities

Crisis in Computing

Celebrating the future through the past

Inspirational role models

The power of computational thinking

The caring digital society

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Crisis in Computing

Significant downturn in students entering computing/computer science degrees

Government does not yet fully recognise the problem

Media strategy

– Pallab Gosh

– Edelman

– Timing

Week after I became President interview became the most viewed and emailed on the BBC Online

And then you have to deal with the consequences

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Inspirational Role Models

Recruit those who have made a difference

Look for the next generation

Cultivate our own skills

Working with other Professional Bodies and Learned Societies

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Celebrating the Future though the Past

UK has a somewhat unique tradition in this regard

Illustrates both strengths and weaknesses

The Bletchley Park Story

– Codes and Cyphers Heritage Trust

– Computer Conservation SG

– Bombe

– Colossus

– BCS support Cypher Challenge

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Computational Thinking: A revolutionary paradigm

A large part of modern STEM is all about; computational models, representations, abstractions

But it goes wider into social sciences and humanities

This is a well kept secret and we need let it out...

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The Caring Digital Society

Issues of societal interest– e.g. Privacy - surveillance and

sousveillance

Putting forward the benefits and not always focusing on the disbenefits– e.g. Improved citizen services

Informed dialogue is essential– e.g. HFA and GM Crops

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This is not just a BCS problem ...

Is it...?

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