For this task, I chose to explore two narratives.

The first discusses how Podcasts and Audiobooks will completely replace print-based texts by 2050.  For my final project in ETEC 540, I chose to look at the evolution of podcasts in higher education and to discuss the opportunities for improvements in the future.  This speculation is, of course, fiction; however, I am interested in exploring the stigma of the idea that listening to information is being thought of as less valuable than reading.  What is reading revered at a higher level than listening?  Wouldn’t the skills of active listening be more beneficial in the modern workforce?

Collaboration and teamwork are attributes that benefit from active listening and comprehension more than reading highly academic research.

Speculative Part 1 – Audiobooks and Podcasts

The other speculation is in regards to the evolution of the personal assistant.  There is, of course, Siri, Alexa, Bixby, etc. that are there to help with whatever question you have. But what if we go a step further with those algorithms, those devices will filter everything unwanted in our lives without our knowledge?  Instead of becoming more informed, we are more narrow-minded in our views because of the set algorithms?  

Speculative Part 2 – Algorithms influence our own personal narrative

I chose to complete the task by using an app: Naturalreaders.com. This tool allowed me to select a voice by gender and accent.  The voice software enables you to upload text, and you can set the pace at which it reads aloud.  The only downfall is that you need to pay to download an MP3 of the recording. I played the file on the computer and recorded it on my phone, which I could then upload to the website.  It was a little bit of an extra step, but I believe the automated voice provides a futuristic note of a dystopian society that could await us all by 2050.