Epic 2014 is a video I was introduced to more than a year ago. It is a summary of recent
happenings in the world of technology and media, and goes on to predict what happens by the year 2014. It is certainly just one view, that of the creators of the video, but it is quite thought provoking.
Check out the video here (http://mccd.udc.es/orihuela/epic/)
After viewing the video, return here, and post your thoughts (by clicking the comments link above, just underneath the title of this entry):
What types of things should we be doing in teaching and learning to prepare for such a future?
Thanks for participating in this mental exercise!
Comments
6 responses to “Epic 2014”
And we are worried about cloning? Google Epic will create a population which “thinks” the way they have determined it should think. We will never be allowed outside the box. The new iron curtain! Students need to learn the importance of having more than one source of information. The news media needs checks and balances the same way the government does. Monopolies should not exist in the communication world anymore than they should in the business world.
This reminds me of the novel 1984. I hate the idea of strangers knowing so much about my personal tastes for the sole purpose of trying to advertise to me. The media should modernize now and drop their biases or they will be consumed by internet media eventually.
My greatest concern after reading this is that our job as educators is going to have to focus, more than ever, on helping our children become expert critical and analytical thinkers. It’s going to be up to us to help them develop the “filter” inside their own minds as to what information is sound and correct, and what may appear to be “misconstrued” or “slightly inaccurate.” The idea of being told only what the “media” thinks we should be told is extremely un-nerving!
Having recently taken a class in media and communications where much thought went into how the current media is controlled by only a few large corporations, it’s certainly not absurd to think that the internet will be the future of all media and advertising (much more than it is now.) Many people (kids and adults alike) don’t realize how much the “news” is already filtered and chosen for us. I think the internet allows for much more freedom and variety in the news we are exposed to but, it also requires more knowledge and effort to weed out the “junk”.
This film is very thought provoking and scary. The way we receive our information daily has changed, for the good and the bad. I get most of my information from the Internet, both from Internet portals and from specific reliable sites. When I do pickup a paper, I feel that much of the information is “old”, in that I have already viewed it on the Web hours/days before.
I agree that big media companies need to change; the Internet will force their hands. We all have access to different forms of information instantly.
I see some upsides and downsides with certain companies knowing some of my personal information. The upside is that companies (and I hopefully) can tailor that information to my specific needs and wants. I can then start to receive what information I want, the way I want it and can then start “filtering out” some information that I do not want.
The downside is that some of the information that I want to keep private may leak out. That is not something that I want to see.
Fighting technology is not the answer though. It is here and knowing how to keep information private will require care on our part.
Mrs. Miller said:
…our job as educators is going to have to focus, more than ever, on helping our children become expert critical and analytical thinkers.
I really believe this is the biggest shift we have to make in terms of what we do in school. We no longer have control over what information students have access to. The Internet has put the control of information in the hands of everyone – where it should be. The downside is that without the skills to make sense of the information, our students will suffer. We have to focus on building those skills that will help them successfully navigate this new information landscape.