Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

The recent 737 Max crashes don't really relate to educational technology, but the sort of mistakes that led to them do. In a detailed and well-argued analysis Gregory Travis shows, "Boeing produced a dynamically unstable airframe, the 737 Max. That is big strike No. 1. Boeing then tried to mask the 737's dynamic instability with a software system. Big strike No. 2. Finally, the software relied on systems known for their propensity to fail... Big strike No. 3." That sounds a lot like the way technology is often used in education: in an unstable system, technology is being used to correct the defects, but relying on input that is known to be flawed.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Aug 28, 2025 8:55 p.m.

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