Tec and LATAM leaders discuss educational innovation at Sony summit

Representatives from Latin American universities spoke about the role of technology in improving education, as well as that of teachers in applying it, during the 5th Sony Education Summit, held at the Monterrey campus.

“Universities are facing the challenge of creating a culture of openness to change, as well as of identifying classroom needs in order to make decisions about the best technological elements that can serve us.

“What’s more, we have to make sure that this tool of innovation, which is designed to improve learning, does not detract from students’ critical thinking,” said Irving Hidrogo, Director of Innovation with Emerging Technologies at the Tec.

He said this during one of the summit’s panel discussions, participating alongside Juan Camilo from the Pontifical Xavierian University; Manuel Solari from the University of Lima, Peru; Isabel Merino from Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador, and Harold Castro from the University of Los Andes, Colombia.

Professor Juan Camilo added that “As part of an educational community, we have to understand technology and not lose the ability to be amazed by new trends in order to have a vision of the future.”

The experts also explained the importance of teacher support for achieving students’ academic goals.

“Just as we individualize our students’ learning, we need to do so with that of our teachers.

“Because innovation tools aren’t going to work the same for one teacher as another,” shared Isabel Merino, Director of the IDEA Institute at Universidad San Francisco de Quito.

For his part, Harold Castro, Coordinator of Digital Transformation at the University of Los Andes, said that education had managed to escape the impetus of technology, but young people have changed, and universities can no longer resist change.

“Just as we individualize our students’ learning, we need to do so with that of our teachers.” - Isabel Merino.

“We have to better suit students’ expectations and the new model where people are going to qualify in less time. They’re going to want to study and work at the same time.

“And as universities, we have that responsibility for that future they’re demanding and to take advantage of the tools that industries are putting in front of us,” he acknowledged.

For his part, Manuel Solari, Coordinator of the Department of Communication Services at the University of Lima, said that faculty acceptance of new education technologies has to take place gradually.

“We base technology on learning to tell stories. We want students to approach technology and learning together,” he said.

The discussion panel was moderated by Beatriz Palacios, Director of Educational Innovation and Digital Learning at Tec de Monterrey.

“We have to better suit students’ expectations and the model where people are going to qualify in less time.” - Harold Castro.

Education technology partnership

In March 2017, Tecnológico de Monterrey signed an agreement with SONY to establish a collaboration for innovative teaching.

In pursuing this objective, the Monterrey campus and SONY inaugurated a television studio equipped with 4K technology that same year, thus making Tec de Monterrey the first university in the world to have this technology.

“For many years, we have been working hard at the Tec on all educational processes.

“We have had important collaboration with Sony on a path where we think of education with greater impact and longer-lasting learning,” said Joaquín Alejandro Guerra, Vice Rector for Educational Innovation at the Tec.

The agreement between both institutions is currently maintained through various agreements:

• Developing local activities (workshops, seminars, brand activation)
• Industry trends webinars for both students and teachers
• Participation in university events (Film Festival)
• Working on the Technology Renovation Plan (future investment)

About the 2023 Sony Education Summit

Under this year’s slogan of “Embracing the New Age of Education,” the 2023 SONY Education Summit aimed to share the latest education technology trends through workshops and conferences.

Experts from institutions making up the event’s executive committee participated and shared their best practices, creating a collaborative learning environment with real-life applications for educational excellence.

“As a company, we always have in mind how we can serve as a bridge between academia and industry.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved together with universities like Tec. We’re on the right track and we still have a long way to go, but these partnerships are important for development,” said Eisuke Sakai, Sony Marketing Manager for Latin America.

As part of their visit to the Monterrey campus, participants visited MOSTLA and the Emerging Technologies Laboratory, located on the ground floor of the Rector’s Building, where they learned about the Tec’s various innovation projects.

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