What could happen in 2044?
Based on the Facer & Sandford (2010) article that you read for Session 11, compose a blog post thinking 25 years into the future.
Considering what could happen in the year 2044:
1. Write down 1 scenario from the Facer & Sandford (2010) article that you think is viable.
Honestly, all of the scenarios reminded me a little of something out of Black Mirror. I was torn between World 1: trust yourself and World 2: loyalty points in terms of viability. World 1:trust yourself seems possible because of the trend and desire for increasingly individualized learning and the change to less structured, informal learning environments.
However, based on social trends that seem to prescribe constant communication, preoccupation with other peoples’ lives (through reality TV shows and social media), and an increasing search for meaning among digital natives, I think World 2: loyalty points, where a system of contracts manages relationships and people are able to obtain rewards and benefits based on their perceived contributions to society, may be most feasible.
*This scenario actually was scarily similar to this Black Mirror episode.
World 2 seems to be viable and likely in a future where social interaction is increasingly possible via technology regardless of geography. Additionally, our society, specifically younger generations of digital natives, seem to have an obsession with interacting through social media and via public relationships. As Generation Z seems particularly interested in curated, personal, and meaningful experiences, I think World 2, where people are aware of others’ reputations and manage their social standing by contributing to social and economic association, would be extremely appealing.
A scenario like this seems to be banking on the idea that everyone will have diverse enough interests and social causes, and therefore time and wealth will be evenly distributed so that no cause is left unattended.
The proposed educational systems in this scenario, ‘Discovery’ and ‘Diagnosis’ are reflective of a society where individuals feel an obligation to contribute and where their skills and assets can be assessed and utilized for the good of all.
2. Write down 2 additional predictions that you think could happen but that are not mentioned in the article.
*Theoretically, simulations could eventually be indecipherable from reality.
World 5: wellness prioritization
A world where a priority is placed on forming relationships, building families and communities, and gaining knowledge through experience. Youth is viewed as a time to optimize chances for in-person experiences and endeavors necessary to develop skills such as effective communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and taking initiative. Young people draw against their eventual earnings and achievements in an elaborate I.O.U. system and then spend the later half of their life applying the knowledge gained from experience to contribute to society.
3. Explain why you think this is the future.
Many of the trends Facer & Sandford (2010) proposed have already come to pass. Currently iPhones allow for access to a comprehensive and diverse information landscape and a personal cloud. Individuals, students, and employees see more technology integrated into their daily lives, from Alexa and Google smart home devices to personal computers to Smartboards to online conferencing systems. Technology such as email, cell phones, video chatting, and even advancement in transportation technology, has made the world a more global space than ever before. However, Facer & Stanford (2010) correctly predicted how location would remain an important part of identity.
Most importantly though, I think the trends of required continuous learning, blurring of lines between previously separate spaces, and machination of tasks, will be deciding factors that will lead us towards my two proposed futures.
The new generation of digital natives in Generation Z have shown a preference for curated training and programs, meaningful learning opportunities, mission-driven work, and personalized feedback. They come into the classroom and the workplace equipped with technological literacy, global and diverse mindsets, and a comfort with and expectation for constant communication.
As concerns about the environment and equity become increasingly important, I think digital systems that enable virtual learning will ensure equity of opportunity and support environmentally friendly initiatives. Additionally, as students and employers are more concerned than ever with practical knowledge and experience, performance improvement, and ROI, I think this type of low lift tailored instruction is the best value. Finally, an independently created, personalized learning curriculum that still allows for remote social interaction would cater to various learning styles, could be implemented to accommodate disabilities, and would promote wellness by enabling users to learn on their own schedules.
Students’ learning could be monitored and adapted by collecting constant feedback data and the style of peer support and mentor learning would align more with student-centered models of education that empower learners as a vital part of their instruction process.
The video below provides a good overview of how the internet is solving the manpower problem of personalized instruction by providing online resources, making things more cost-effective, and possibly using AI in a computer program.
Considering what could happen in the year 2044:
1. Write down 1 scenario from the Facer & Sandford (2010) article that you think is viable.
Honestly, all of the scenarios reminded me a little of something out of Black Mirror. I was torn between World 1: trust yourself and World 2: loyalty points in terms of viability. World 1:trust yourself seems possible because of the trend and desire for increasingly individualized learning and the change to less structured, informal learning environments.
However, based on social trends that seem to prescribe constant communication, preoccupation with other peoples’ lives (through reality TV shows and social media), and an increasing search for meaning among digital natives, I think World 2: loyalty points, where a system of contracts manages relationships and people are able to obtain rewards and benefits based on their perceived contributions to society, may be most feasible.
*This scenario actually was scarily similar to this Black Mirror episode.
World 2 seems to be viable and likely in a future where social interaction is increasingly possible via technology regardless of geography. Additionally, our society, specifically younger generations of digital natives, seem to have an obsession with interacting through social media and via public relationships. As Generation Z seems particularly interested in curated, personal, and meaningful experiences, I think World 2, where people are aware of others’ reputations and manage their social standing by contributing to social and economic association, would be extremely appealing.
A scenario like this seems to be banking on the idea that everyone will have diverse enough interests and social causes, and therefore time and wealth will be evenly distributed so that no cause is left unattended.
The proposed educational systems in this scenario, ‘Discovery’ and ‘Diagnosis’ are reflective of a society where individuals feel an obligation to contribute and where their skills and assets can be assessed and utilized for the good of all.
2. Write down 2 additional predictions that you think could happen but that are not mentioned in the article.
World 4: trust your network
A world where individual customization is key and virtual reality is highly utilized. In this world, constructing knowledge is a collaborative process and jointly owned responsibility. It has fully transitioned from a hierarchal education system where the instructor owns and imparts information to the students, but rather has transitioned to a community-learning model where information is sourced from one’s connections and applied through authentic learning simulations.
Educational systems in World 4 are as follows:
A world where individual customization is key and virtual reality is highly utilized. In this world, constructing knowledge is a collaborative process and jointly owned responsibility. It has fully transitioned from a hierarchal education system where the instructor owns and imparts information to the students, but rather has transitioned to a community-learning model where information is sourced from one’s connections and applied through authentic learning simulations.
Educational systems in World 4 are as follows:
- Remote Mentorship – Students engage in learning throughout their life course by participating in personally curated computer learning programs that adapt and respond to individual needs. From an early age, students are matched with a network of mentors that provide guidance and information in a variety of topics. This mentor network may change as the student clarifies their interests and academic focus. Students engage with their mentors either virtually or in-person, either solo or group formats. Eventually students will also be paired with younger students and play the role of mentors. Students’ learning data is constantly collected and collated to adapt their learning program. This allows for a learning-focused system that is not constrained by one timeline.
- Virtual Apprenticeships – A large component of this world is exploration through virtual experiences and apprenticeships. Students engage in a constructivist type of learning, where they take part in realistic simulations gain knowledge about possible academic tracks and careers. Learners complete apprenticeship courses to obtain various skills and explore available avenues.
World 5: wellness prioritization
A world where a priority is placed on forming relationships, building families and communities, and gaining knowledge through experience. Youth is viewed as a time to optimize chances for in-person experiences and endeavors necessary to develop skills such as effective communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and taking initiative. Young people draw against their eventual earnings and achievements in an elaborate I.O.U. system and then spend the later half of their life applying the knowledge gained from experience to contribute to society.
- Community universities and presentations – Young learners will join together when in similar locations to share and present knowledge and experience. The community will document knowledge shared and the group will make meaning from the collaboration by identifying commonalities, themes, and best practices. Learning communities will be facilitated but not run by older learners.
- Reverse educational time system – When they reach middle age (a moving target) learners will take on a facilitation role and contribute to government, infrastructure, and community works. They will engage in obtaining any missing skill set and then seek to apply their skills and experience to support future generations.
3. Explain why you think this is the future.
Many of the trends Facer & Sandford (2010) proposed have already come to pass. Currently iPhones allow for access to a comprehensive and diverse information landscape and a personal cloud. Individuals, students, and employees see more technology integrated into their daily lives, from Alexa and Google smart home devices to personal computers to Smartboards to online conferencing systems. Technology such as email, cell phones, video chatting, and even advancement in transportation technology, has made the world a more global space than ever before. However, Facer & Stanford (2010) correctly predicted how location would remain an important part of identity.
Most importantly though, I think the trends of required continuous learning, blurring of lines between previously separate spaces, and machination of tasks, will be deciding factors that will lead us towards my two proposed futures.
The new generation of digital natives in Generation Z have shown a preference for curated training and programs, meaningful learning opportunities, mission-driven work, and personalized feedback. They come into the classroom and the workplace equipped with technological literacy, global and diverse mindsets, and a comfort with and expectation for constant communication.
As concerns about the environment and equity become increasingly important, I think digital systems that enable virtual learning will ensure equity of opportunity and support environmentally friendly initiatives. Additionally, as students and employers are more concerned than ever with practical knowledge and experience, performance improvement, and ROI, I think this type of low lift tailored instruction is the best value. Finally, an independently created, personalized learning curriculum that still allows for remote social interaction would cater to various learning styles, could be implemented to accommodate disabilities, and would promote wellness by enabling users to learn on their own schedules.
Students’ learning could be monitored and adapted by collecting constant feedback data and the style of peer support and mentor learning would align more with student-centered models of education that empower learners as a vital part of their instruction process.
The video below provides a good overview of how the internet is solving the manpower problem of personalized instruction by providing online resources, making things more cost-effective, and possibly using AI in a computer program.
Hello Grace,
ReplyDeleteI like your detailed and thought-provoking predictions on the future of education. I agree with you that the collaborative learning based on personal networks will become a popular learning approach in the future. As the world is driven by efficient communication and globalization, it will be necessary for students to train the ability of cooperation and develop the sense of social responsibility. In the future, the AI technology and big data can manage the personal learning progress and build the system to record people's social contributions as you mentioned. I think such technology is useful for motivating people to utilize their knowledge to benefit the society.
I also hope that with the functions of collaborative learning and personalized learning, the educational system in the future can better support lifelong learning. Sometimes I feel when we grow older, it is difficult to concentrate on learning when facing the busy work and other pressures in life. With more convenient communication tools and more available educational resources, it is possible that people can keep learning, researching and communicating on academic topics in the spare time.
Hi Grace,
ReplyDeleteI think you came up with some very interesting predictions on the development of education in the next 25 years. Helping students to build up their own network with the support of data technologies to analyze based on their personalized interests and need can definitely be a future direction. I personally have always been wanted a mentor to get some advice and suggestions on both the academic and professional aspects. However, when I turned to my senior friends or families for advice, they are not always in the same field as what I want to be in. Thus, a remote mentorship will be very helpful to match people with the same interests or work in the same industry without the limits of location. The virtual apprenticeship can be a plus for the students to observe and learn how the real-world industry works. However, I still have some questions regarding this prediction: do you think the remote mentorship will become a paid service in the future? If it's not, how can you make sure the mentors will be active participators since they're more like volunteering?
Hi Grace,
ReplyDeleteI like your assumptions of the future education landscape with informative descriptions and reasonable explanations. I think your idea of intelligent mentor network is really great. The collaborative learning and personalized learning are increasingly concerned with the development of ICTs. The remote mentorship is a good creation to connect educators and people who need it. I’ve participated in a mentorship program named “Ed With U” in the education field. It is more like an education community where participants share their experience leading to the present position in the career, what they are doing at hand, their thoughts and reflection toward the specific area. Topics cover early childhood education, special education, bilingual education in developing countries and so on. Participants could understand the general landscape of a specialized area and learn from experienced mentors to better understand their interests and pursuing paths. And the one-to-one mentor-mentee program allows mentees to get more personal and detailed instructions, which are beneficial to their career decision-making and personal development.
Additionally, beyond this kind of communities or groups with clear boundaries and concrete mentor-mentee programs, I think there also exist other types of remote mentorship. For example, the audio programming is a good way of receiving knowledge and mentorship. Users could choose the certain topics they like and the time and place to receive the education. This is not the future scenario, but the fact that is happening now. In the future, there may be more types of remote mentorship and the experience and mechanisms may get better to provide educational services.