Speculative Futures

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Year: [[12050.|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czgOWmtGVGs]] The 21st Century has seen rapid advances in human technology. In the early part of the century, tech was continuously becoming more mobile, affordable, and powerful. By 12020, it was [[estimated|https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2019/02/05/smartphone-ownership-is-growing-rapidly-around-the-world-but-not-always-equally/]] that two-thirds of the global population had smart devices, with the highest concentration among younger and more educated populations. This reflected the transient demands of the workforce, with young adults often migrating to major cities for their post-secondary education, and later often crossing inter/national borders to find work. This all changed during the Pandemics of the 12020s. The highly infectious virus, SARS-CoV-2, brought humanity to a standstill. The media began broadcasting the need for <<button "Social Distancing">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Social Distancing"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("SDfootnote").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>>. People began to work from home, and schools were forced to undergo a monumental evolution. The metamorphosis took decades, but now humanity has a new relationship with technology, one that deepens our relationships with each other. How has [[work]] changed? How have [[schools]] changed?

Alice is an Educational Game Designer, now living in Williams Lake, British Columbia. They were a child during the Pandemics, and was encouraged by their teachers to pursue their own projects (so long as they related to the subject material) and inspired by [[Eric Barone|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-k6j9g5Hzk]], who single-handedly made one of the greatest games of her childhood. While Alice was lucky enough to live close to Town, many of their friends were just off The Grid and had difficulty accessing digital materials (a common issue during The Decade of Digital Divides, as demands for greater infrastructure grew). This experience inspired Alice to pursue a career focused on engaging distance learning.

This term was corrected to “Physical Distancing” later that year, after mass gatherings people in the summer of 12020 lead to the Disastrous Second Wave. It was agreed on that the need for socialization, combined with the risk of people taking "Social Distancing" too literally, had contributed to the disaster.

In 12050, schools continue to be physical gathering places of learning. <center> <img src="http://blogs.ubc.ca/lauraulrich/files/2020/07/ClassRedo2.jpg" width="888" height="500" alt="A view of a classroom in 12050, facing the front."> </center> One thing that has changed, is that secondary students are no longer enrolled in specific classes. Instead, they enroll in a cohort, and are placed in homerooms in groups of ~20 peers. Their <<button "homeroom educator">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Educators in 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Teachers").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> is always most closely associated with the theme of their cohort. For example, students interested in visual arts will have an Art Educator lead their homeroom, while students interested in the environment and life sciences will have a Biology Educator. Student learning revolves around their various inquiry projects across the year. These projects must include aspects that teach an assortment of core skills, such as: planning, mathematic problem-solving, comprehension of writing and orature, and connecting history to current events. The students are not confined to their Homeroom. They sign up to meet with teachers in other subjects, and at different times of the day they migrate to these other classrooms for mini-lessons and mentorship. They also have a time to access remote mentors through VR classrooms. <center> <<button "Examine Students">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Students 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Students 12050").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> [[Turn to the left|Students]] [[Turn around|Whiteboard]] </center>

<<button "Alice">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("About Alice"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Alice").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> woke up to the sound of her alarm clock percolating a fresh cup of tea. They had a team-meeting in a few hours, which left plenty of time to listen to a science podcast and work on fixing a bug in the latest game build. <img src="http://blogs.ubc.ca/lauraulrich/files/2020/07/Office4.jpg" width="888" height="500" alt="Alice at her computer desk in 12050."> <center> <<button "Examine Books">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Books in 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Books").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> <<button "Examine Journal">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Journals in 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Journal").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> <<button "Examine Computer">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Comuters in 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Computer").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> What kind of [[game]] are you making, Alice? Go to [[Team Meeting]]. </center>

Books still exist in the average household, due to their mass-production in the previous centuries. New printed books are becoming more uncommon, with reference and skill books holding to the old technology the most. However, even these are annotated with symbols which can be scanned with a DigiLens, allowing for augmented-reality experiences (such as seeing a blueprint in scalable 3D).

<img src="http://blogs.ubc.ca/lauraulrich/files/2020/07/Office3.jpg" width="888" height="500" alt="Alice's meeting room (looks an awful lot like a living room)"> <<button "Alice">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("About Alice"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Alice").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> asked Bob to save their progress and turned towards the other half of the room. <center> <<button "Examine Digital Display">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Digital Displays in 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Display").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> <<button "Examine Dome-Like Object">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Holograms in 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Holograms").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> <<button "Examine Immersion Pad">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Virtual Reality in 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("VR").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> Log onto the [[meeting]]. How have [[schools]] changed? </center>

Computers do not appear to have changed dramatically over the past decades. However, there has been some advances of note. Working from home has driven the need for more ergonomic support; multiple sensors pick up gesture interactions, and though keyboards are still used, most now use the [[Dvorak|http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/Dvorak/]] arrangement. As common as a mouse in 12020, computers usually have a peripheral headset for virtual reality. This is used for creative, productive, and social pursuits. With the discovery of small-scale [[nuclear fusion|https://youtu.be/oIe1EDExxyg]], computer desks were adapted into computers themselves. Not only did they support and power the device, they became a electrical hub within a household, powered solely on seawater.

Though tablets have become more commonplace, Alice still prefers to write in the physical plane, possibly due to their experiences of putting their thoughts down on paper while the family computer was being used by one of their siblings. However, the pages are more commonly made from recycled stone in 12050 rather than pulped wood, as the old practice became unpopular as the effects of Climate Change became more prominent by the 12030. The new "paper" was also waterproof, in addition to not requiring cutting down trees and bleaching the pulp.

<center> <img src="http://blogs.ubc.ca/lauraulrich/files/2020/07/ClassRedo3.jpg" width="888" height="500" alt="Students collaborating at the computers."> Here we see two<<button "Students">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Students 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Students 12050").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> collaborating over a project. They are working on a simulation game, and often meet with their mentor, Alice, in a VR classroom. Desktop computers, still more reliable and long-lasting than their mobile counterparts, provide an interface for digital content-creation. [[Look at front of class|schools]] [[Look at back of class|Whiteboard]] I want to know how [[work]] has changed? </center>

<center> <img src="http://blogs.ubc.ca/lauraulrich/files/2020/07/ClassRedo4.jpg" width="888" height="500" alt="A view of a classroom, facing the front."> <<button "Examine Books">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Books in 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Books").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> <<button "Examine Board">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("Whiteboards in 12050"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Boards").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> [[Look at front of class|schools]] [[Look at computers|Students]] I want to know how [[work]] has changed? </center>

A display of this size is uncommon, an expense limited to wealthy families and individuals whose job requires one. Alice uses it during playtesting and to see their colleagues (who also work from their homes around the world) during meetings. Sometimes Alice moves the clutter off of their low table, in order to stand on it and use the screen as a giant tablet. This functions much like the whiteboards of the earlier part of the century, but with a digital backup.

The strange device on Alice's coffee table is a hologram-projector from 12035. It is a predecessor to the Immersion Pad on the floor. Holograms were initially used for entertainment and social interactions; however, Alice and others saw its potential for educational use. Alice worked with a team a few years ago developing a holographic game to teach young students how to solve math equations with their hands, rather than calculator. The students could place their hands over the device, and it would superimpose delightful animations around their fingers. Compared to virtual reality, hologram-technology was a slow horse to bet on.

Virtual Reality is where Alice's most successful games dwell. Standing on this pad, Alice can wear a headset and dive into a digiscape of infinite possibilities. You can go shopping in a quaint market, and have drones deliver your purchases to your physical-plane door. You can see the latest movie at the theater with your friends, with the ability to mute the chatterbox behind you. You can attend astronomy lessons on a raft drifting through the cosmos themselves. You can dawn your hat and robe, and compete for the Quidditch World Cup. Alice's work focuses on creating learning environments for Learners and Educators. She collaborates with them a great deal, creating situations where Learners can engage with their knowledge connections in a meaningful way. Alice tries to take on a student-mentee each year, to encourage others to produce Virtual Reality experiences, rather than only consuming them.

<<button "Alice">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("About Alice"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Alice").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> settled into their chair, the sensors on the computer catching the movement, and recognizing Alice's face. Alice sipped their tea while the screen flicked on, displaying a circular hub surrounded by a ring of text and icons representing the most accessed programs. "<<button "Bob">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("B.O.B."); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Bob").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>>, run Game Studio." The screen blossomed into a display of text and coloured blocks. Alice set their tea aside and fiddled with the code for a while. The game Alice was working on was inspired by one they had come across while visiting the Virtual Video Game Museum (VVGM). In it, the students lose their teacher while on a field trip to the beach and have to explore the various ocean biomes with the help of their magical bus to find her. Alice was chuffed at the idea, presented to kids half a century ago. What would children from the late 1900s think now, that fantastical field trips had become so normalized through Virtual Reality? <center> Go to [[Team Meeting]]. </center>

Bob is the name of Alice's computer. Smart-Assistant designers expanded their algorithms to account for the customization of names, after the Alexa-Scandal of 12026.

Alice stepped onto the Immersion Pad. They slipped on the VR headset and navigated to the meeting program using eye-movements. Alice was soon standing in the back of a bus; the rear seats having been removed to make room for a science lab; it was a scene from the game they had been working on. The <<button "avatars">> <<script>> Dialog.setup("VR Avatars"); Dialog.wiki(Story.get("Avatars").processText()); Dialog.open(); <</script>> <</button>> of Alice's teammates began to appear. Some sat down on the squishy grey seats, others tinkered with the science-minigames they had been developing. They bantered until everyone had arrived, and then discussed that week's progress and their upcoming plans. When the meeting adjourned, some of the teammates logged off while others went to explore the developing in-game ocean biomes together. Well, that sure was exciting. What is going on in [[schools]] these days?

In the early years of VR chat, most people adopted idealized avatars. Beautiful creations, or fan-made models of their favourite characters, both fictional and historical. During the 12040s, there was a minimalist trend. Most avatars used the same amorphous human model. People expressed their individuality by the texture they applied to their Avatar's skin: be it simple white, red-brick, galaxies, or animated patterns. As VR became a more popular option for work and schools, people returned to the avatars of the early years. While many created avatars to look like themselves in the physical plane, this was frowned-upon in public settings as it put ones' physical identity (and thus the identity of their loved ones) at risk.

A Homeroom Educator's role is to support students through their inquiry projects, which are rooted in the cohort's theme. The Homeroom Educator also helps their students discover their strengths and develop a learning portfolio. While assessment still occurs in the form of feedback on what is successful and what needs improvement, grades are no longer necessary. By the late 12020s, most post-secondary institutions had changed their admittance standards from scores on a transcript, to evaluation of learning portfolios. The development of AI's to help assess these was a great help in this process, though it is argued that this only encourages students to complete a to-do list of characteristics the algorithms are programmed to search for.

Some things never change, and human's need for interaction is near the top of that list. During the era of remote learning during the pandemics, it was quickly realised that students needed opportunities to socialize with one another, especially when they could not meet in person after school. When schools reconvened, the push for inquiry-based and gradeless learning also created a stronger learner’s community. Students talked as much as ever in class, but now their conversations revolved around their projects, peer-feedback, and problem-solving together. Facemasks are also mandatory for all staff and students during the Pandemics. This also drastically reduced the number of flu outbreaks that occurred after, and so the practice remained. Clear, full-face masks became the norm. Some models had written-text-interpretation technology; for example, one model could scan a document provide dictionary-definitions for unfamiliar terms; another could provide a rewritten overlay using a font easier for readers with dyslexia. There was some initial outcry about "cheating", but without demanding students regurgitate knowledge, this concern was quickly dismissed.

By 12050, most classrooms are equipped with the newest generation of SmartBoards. These massive devices allow students to work out their ideas while standing and is often used during peer-feedback sessions. The interface can run several different projects at a time, allowing multiple students to work on separate activities at once. A button on the styluses allows a small swipe-keyboard interface to appear, allowing students to use it for writing as well. Sophisticated AI's constantly check that the swiped word makes sense in the context of the writing and will highlight any it finds questionable and giving feedback on how to improve it. AI's are an integral part of the SmartBoards. Depending on the task, students can set the algorithms to review and provide feedback on their work, from grammar to perspective-drawing. Some teachers have taught algorithms to evaluate qualitative work as they would, but most choose not to do this as it is another way of putting a machine between them and their student in an already digitally-saturated world.