Comments on: 2020 Vision

By: Mr. Powell’s Class » Blog Archive » 2020 Vision: What do you think?

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:11:35 +0000

[...] I discovered Karl Fisch’s video while visiting Will Richardson’s blog. Next September’s kindergarteners will be the class of 2020. Wow! A couple of his ideas seem plausible. I chuckled regarding some of his ideas surrounding Google and Microsoft aquiring companies from various industries. [...]

By: T-Notes » 2020 Vision: a Utopian dream?

T-Notes » 2020 Vision: a Utopian dream? — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:02:39 +0000

[...] I discovered Karl Fisch’s video while visiting Will Richardson’s blog. Next September’s kindergarteners will be the class of 2020. Wow! [...]

By: Along the Way » Working in Both Worlds

Along the Way » Working in Both Worlds — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 05:49:08 +0000

[...] I really like my new Intel mac. One of the first things I did when I got it was to install Parallels, so I could run Windows when I needed it. This evening, I was so glad to be able to use it. I was reading Will Richardson’s post, 2020 Vision, about Karl Fisch’s new video by the same name. Will commented on the creativity that Karl uses to convey his message about how we will be using tools for education in the future. I eagerly clicked to see the video, but I was disappointed that only the audio came through on my MacBook Pro. No problem. I just copied the link and fired up Windows XP through Parallels. I was able to see the video and blog about it on the Mac side, all at the same time. Tools make learning happen. I was glad to see this newest creation. I still show Karl’s Did You Know presentation whenever possible. It’s a great way to get the conversation going. [...]

By: Chris Champion

Chris Champion — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 19:33:52 +0000

It’s on Google Video too:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7281108124087435381

By: Karl Fisch

Karl Fisch — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 17:08:10 +0000

I think that’s the first time anyone has ever called me optimistic. Please don’t tell anyone, I have a well-deserved glass-is-half-empty reputation to uphold.

Sorry about the codec thing, I didn’t even think about it. My school district went all Dell all the time about 5 years ago, so I didn’t even think about testing it on a Mac. (My Mac at home is still a G3 All In One running OS 9 – trying to hold off until the next version of OS X before buying a new one). I created it in Photo Story 3 (trying to get more comfortable using it since we have lots of students using it now for projects), and the only option for exporting is in Windows Media Format. I’m guessing it requires the codecs for Windows Media Player 10+ to play it. But I uploaded it to Google Video (upon request) yesterday, which is in Flash format, and then I added a Quicktime version to the post as well this morning. So hopefully that will help most folks view it.

I agree that it had a little too much Google in it. As I said in the post, I kept wanting to find more time (and ideas) to make it better, but finally gave up and just went with what I had. But I think it does bring up, much like the EPIC video did, the possibility that Google will become the next Microsoft – generally not very well-liked and everyone concerned about how much information they have about us.

As far as whether it’s too utopian or that things could never happen that fast, there’s a good chance that’s correct. But I also think there’s a chance that change could happen even faster. I think it’s in Ray Kurzweil’s book that he talks about how we always overestimate technological change in the short term, but that we vastly underestimate technological change in the long term. With 2020 being 13 years out, I think it fits nicely in the gray area in between short term and long term.

But I also want to reiterate that the point of the post was not the actual predictions, but to get folks talking about what things might look like. I think we can probably all agree that things will look different in 2020, and that the technology will probably be amazing by 2006 standards. So, if that’s the case, even if we don’t know exactly what it looks like, shouldn’t we be doing our best to plan and prepare for it? To think about how schools can best meet the needs of our students who will be living and working in 2020 and beyond? And that starts with conversation – which it appears as though the post provoked (although I don’t know yet if it has in my own building, which is kind of ironic).

Will, I’m glad you liked the title. It does kind of have a ring to it, but I’m pretty sure it can’t be trademarked (but if I’m wrong about that, somebody please let me know!). I wonder if it could serve as kind of a “focus question” for some of our thinking/conversation? If multiple folks created their own “2020 Vision,” that could spur a lot of debate . . .

By: Colleen

Colleen — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:05:29 +0000

I found the video to be of great interest, not just from the perspectives of journalism, but also from the perspective of education.
After reading the latest piece from the NY Times regarding NCLB – “What it Takes to Make a Student” – I find the two predictions of our future frightening. One looks at the world of possibilities through technology while the other looks at the world of possibilities, or lack there of, through public education. What I find frightening about both is that we -yes we the general public consumer – have the power to have a positive influence on both – yet we seem to sit idle and watch as others create our future for us. Whether we are talking about a creation of cyber space opportunities or the creation of an educational system that will enable all learners to learn, we need to be well informed of the impact both will have on our future and the future of the generations to follow. In either case, we must embrace technology and learn about the advantages and dangers associated with it. This learning should take place in schools; yet, many school infrastructures are blocked from sites that could help our learners. So I ask, if schools are not permitted to use the technology, where will our children learn it? Our reality is changing daily as big business competes for consumers – so too will our “school reality” as Charter Schools and business compete for our “brain power.”
Change happens with us or without us. I am excited to look at new possibilities and I am hungry for our school systems to catch up!

By: Simón A. Ruiz

Simón A. Ruiz — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:06:42 +0000

The codec isn’t installed on my computer, which is running Windows XP, so I’m excluded as well. Too bad I’m not in charge of the updates on this box. I hope we won’t still be having this problem in 2020.

By: Marysol

Marysol — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:37:33 +0000

Very interesting, but I cringed at the thought that I will soon be constantly oogled by google. However, I wouldn’t mind a GCAR right now with gas prices soaring again after the elections.

By: Kyle Brumbaugh

Kyle Brumbaugh — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 20:40:39 +0000

Wow!
I like it… because what it does is gets the conversation going. I doubt that all of these things will come to pass, but there is enough here that is plausible that most people will look at this and start thinking about what really will happen and I think that is Karl’s point. (motivation)

Political and social barriers aside, the change we WILL see over the next several years is going to be exponential. Do we have the right people in the right spots? I doubt it, but with anything new there will always someone willing to take the lead and move forward regardless of the political or social climate. Perhaps President Obama will be the one to take the lead?

By: Will Richardson

Will Richardson — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:16:36 +0000

Yeah…I wasn’t gonna mention that codec thing, but no matter what I tried, I couldn’t get that thing to work on my MacBook. Bummer.

By: Mike P

Mike P — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:37:45 +0000

Why not?

By: Al

Al — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:20:51 +0000

A lovely utopian vision, but he forgot to account for the years of clean-up we have ahead of us educationally dealing with the after-effects of NCLB (once almighty Google manages to get that over-turned too).
Forgive my pessimism…I like the ideas and find them fascinating and would love to be part of that world. It could just never happen that fast. Politics prohibits such rapid growth.

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:11:26 +0000

So in 2020 we’ll still be using proprietary Windows codecs that won’t play on any non-Microsoft system, not even in Windows Media Player for Mac?

Say it ain’t so!

By: Tom Hoffman

Tom Hoffman — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:49:41 +0000

You need a link to Karl’s blog.

By: Chris Champion

Chris Champion — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:19:34 +0000

Fisch’s vision is certainly interesting – despite the fact that it is nearly an ad for Google (will Google become “Big Brother”?).

I particularly like the Robert Kennedy quote “Some men see things as they are and say ‘why?’, I dream things that never were and say ‘why not?’”