Task 12 – Speculative Futures
I settled on discussing Kirn Bhela’s task 12 because of how uncomfortable it made me feel with only a few short sentences. “Myra is a grade 10 student, and has never been inside a classroom. Myra, like other children, was born a digital genius and does not require adult supervision when learning. Myra taught herself everything from reading and writing to how to paint. She has never had a teacher.” Then, Kirn made me feel guilty for continuing to buy physical books when “everything could have just been digital.” I have to congratulate Kirn on being able to evoke such strong feelings with such a short narrative.
The part about not having classrooms and schools makes me feel uncomfortable because of my role as a teacher. While I think (hope) Kirn doesn’t believe teachers are unnecessary, in this piece of speculative fiction she has written, teachers are exactly that. As a teacher myself, this puts me into a place of concern. Will my job continue to exist in the future? Interestingly, while drafting both of my speculative narratives, I did not even consider that teachers might not exist in 30 years.
Despite the rapid advances of technology, I highly doubt that the teaching profession will disappear in my lifetime. That said, I do hope that teaching evolves, and does so quickly. I think what Kirn was getting at is that education should be student-centered. Her character, Myra, teaches herself using digital tools including a digital assistant. While I posited that algorithms might help teachers focus their teaching on the interests of their students and better create student-centered activities, I am more skeptical that a type of self-teaching would be a positive educational model. While theories about how people learn will continue to evolve, I generally believe in social constructivism, the Zone of Proximal Development and the more knowledgeable other.
Kirn’s point about physical books being unbelievable when they could have been accessed digitally and saved trees is completely valid. As much as I do care about environmental issues, I am not ready to give up on physical copies of books. There are certain qualities of physical books that simply can’t be had when using a digital reading device (yet). The weight and feel of a book, being able to flip through pages, and the smell of the book all contribute to the experience. Probably the most important aspect of physical books for me is feeling and seeing how many pages I have left in the story.
As I perused other student’s work, I came across Anu Thale’s final project which is an infographic that discussed whether e-books or print books are better for children. While I have only really thought about my own preferences and opinions, this is another important consideration for the switch from print to digital.
Finally, I really enjoyed coming across Naish’s interpretation for task 12. She created to stunning images that I feel could each act as illustrations to my narratives. Her first image show green energy and environmentally friendly modes of transportation all set within calm and peaceful environment of sunlight, nature, and wildlife. I can imagine this image meshing well with my second narrative. Her second image contrasts vividly with her first. Technology and large buildings are the main element of this image which suits my first narrative quite well.
I am slightly envious of the story she has been able tell using a primarily visual mode. Despite being an art teacher and believing in the power and importance of the arts, I still struggle to be more creative and risk-taking in my own assignments. After years of writing assignments by typing words into a word processing document, it is a habit that is hard to kick. If I were to do this course again, I would challenge myself to experiment more with different modes.