I recently read a blog post on Blue Skunk Blog discussing the post 9+ things that will disappear in our lifetime. The original list was formulated by a Plinio Granado with added comments by Doug Johnson of Blue Skunk blog which I would like to discuss more later in this post. I was surprised at some of the items I was agreeing with on the original list- the post office, personal checks, land line telephones (I honestly have no idea why my parents keep ours-we screen our calls and most friends and family call us on our cell phones...).
Other items I am a bit skeptical of though... I am a proud owner of a Nook Tablet AND at least 100 physical books. I don't foresee the book disappearing off the face of the earth. I also don't see the death of television or the music industry in the near future; Unless they expect users to upload or stream new TV episodes regularly on their Netflix boxes or Roku devices, I don't see network television programming disappearing... How else am I supposed to watch new episodes of my favorite shows? While there are a great deal of people pirating music, many people (including myself) still buy music in compact disc or digital download. One of my friends was actually mocking me the other day when he was discussing buying a physical CD for someone instead of simply downloading it like I do.
I was rather enthused by the items on Doug Johnson's list for 9+ things he thought would disappear in our lifetime.
I love that he started off with book-only libraries and librarians. It's true. The library world is changing from an artifact-centric profession to an information creation, conversation, and knowledge center. I foresee myself working in an active, creative learning center and I relish at the opportunity!
I found the prediction of the disintegration of classrooms comprised of age-groupings interesting. As an educator, I wonder how we could better organize our students into effective learning environments. I am not sure I agree with matching students up by their IEP needs. Fellow educators, I would love some input!
I do enjoy the idea of teachers becoming technology experts. I will admit I knew very little concerning how to use technology in education graduating with my elementary education degree minus the minimal basics on how to use a SMART board and how to use an Elmo projector. Since embarking on my library journey, I have found so many techniques and tools to use in order to better help students learn in today's classrooms. (Which, by the way, I was relieved that public education did not make this list!)
One more thing I was relieved to find on this list was norm-referenced/ summative testing. We need to start focusing more on formative assessments.
I believe this is a lengthy discussion to be had. What do you think about the two proposed lists? What would you put on your list of things that will disappear in your own lifetime? Please provide your thoughts in the comments.
Hmmm, what a thought provoking article. I do believe the hard copy book might just disappear in our lifetime, but it is questionable due to how nostalgic our generation is to the paper-bound. Also, another reason it may not go out is the fact that studies of early childhood development show that exposure to the varying colors of a computer or TV screen is bad for children under the age of 6. For them, hard copy books is the best thing for them. So maybe those will stick around. But I for one hope that text books eventually go online. No one wants to carry those bricks around.
ReplyDeleteMusic: I don't think the author is taking into account all the good indie music out there that is self publishing on the internet. They aren't found on popular radio, but they come up with new and interesting music all the time. The music industry itself isn't going to die, like so many things it is simply going to change and evolve with the times.
TV: Yeah I see this falling. New shows are being streamed online as soon as they come out on air now for certain programs. Again...it's not so much disappearance but change. Huge change but change none the less and there are TV companies that are adapting to this. Streaming shows online might be the future, but I don't see this as a bad thing.
A friend of mine is a huge tech junkie. He is so looking forward to the day when everything is online. I'm...hesitant. I see the advantages but then I can't help but think of the issue of information preservation. As unlikely as it may seem that the entirety of the internet would collapse, the fact that everything is in an invisible bubble that we can't touch kind of makes me cringe. I feel there should be hardcopies of this stuff somewhere. Not everywhere but I don't think relying solely on technology is a good call. We need to have some kind of physical backup.
But the thought of having one device that has all my accounts and stuff on it is super tempting. There's an anime I watched once where people's computers were these glasses that projected a holographic image of their desktop in front of them. Now....THAT is cool!
I also hope textbooks go digital... I hate lugging them around! Thanks for sharing information about early childhood development and the effects that TV and computer screens can have on a young child.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of having one device with all of your accounts and stuff on it. That would be super convenient! What anime was that in out of curiosity?