Transforming Sydney into a world EdTeh hub by 2020

The SydEduTech group has issued a Draft Strategy Framework for Sydney EdTech Hub 2020, with the aim to "transform Sydney a leading EdTech Hub by 2020". This is an ambitious goal for an ad-hoc volunteer group, especially given that 2020 is only five years away. But Sydney has some natural advantages, being one of the most livable cities in the world, in Australia's most economically vibrant region and having a number of major universities and Google's Australian Headquarters.

SydEduTech has invited the community to:

1. Review the draft strategy framework 
2. Comment to Facebook, directly or link blogs to there.
3. Attend a SydEduTech “strategy reset” meeting, 6pm, 3 February 2015.

Three questions asked are:

1. What are the major trends predicted for EdTech for the next 5 years?
2. What are the outcomes that need to be achieved for Sydney to be recognized as a global EdTech hub?
3. What are the challenges/strategic investments that we need to do as a group to achieve this goal and how would you approach them?

My answers:

1. What are the major trends predicted for EdTech for the next 5 years? Interest in MOOCs will gradually transform into demand for courses which ordinary students actually complete, have a viable business model and provide credible credentials. Within five years on-line education will become the norm, with the upper secondary, vocational and university student spending about 80% of their time on-line.
2. What are the outcomes that need to be achieved for Sydney to be recognized as a global EdTech hub? Sydney needs to build on its strengths as a good place to live and popular destination for international students. An area which Sydney could work on is training and qualifications for ICT professionals and educators in EdTech. As well as skilling up the thousands of local educational designers and on-line teachers required, training and qualification packages could be marketed to the world.
3. What are the challenges/strategic investments that we need to do as a group to achieve this goal and how would you approach them? The Australian and state governments, along with higher education providers need to be convinced that the golden age of international students coming to Australia for face-to-face courses is about to end.  Existing educational institutions need to be convinced that there is benefit in cooperation, rather than competition, to retool for on-line education, while they are still in business. One way to do this would be for the NSW government to emulate the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN),which has the major universities as members.