It’s 2034. Scotland is more divided than ever. In some schools, pupils are given the latest VR learning headset packed with the latest AI learning support from primary school, right through to when they leave. However, this is only the case in some schools – others are still using old-fashioned iPads and out of date equipment.
Some schools still don’t have very good WiFi coverage. Even if you were allowed to use your phone in schools, for some, there’s no point as there is never any WiFi signal.
As one teacher explained it:
“imagine you have two friends. One friend has the newest gaming console, fast internet, and all the latest games—they can play and learn anything they want online. Your other friend has an old video game system that sometimes doesn’t work, and their internet is so slow that even watching a simple video takes forever.”
In some schools, pupils get access to the latest AI learning support, with personal learning help – great for anyone who might have dyslexia, ADHD or autism. The AI helps support the learner, whichever way pupils prefer to learn. Everyone feels included. It also means the teachers have more time to spend with the pupils and support them face to face.
Those without the right kit, though, have a different experience. It is not even the right kit for many people: some schools, backed by parents, are wary of their children being too exposed to what they see as potentially damaging technology. As one Dad said:
“you just don’t know how it will affect them in the future. All this deep fake stuff that’s around in the virtual world. How are children supposed to know what’s real and what’s false any more? I think it will do more damage to a kid’s mental health than good.”
For others, though, in schools where teachers think pupils should use AI as much as possible, it’s a different story. As one Mum said, who is an Architect:
“nobody needs to know how to measure a triangle anymore. AI on my computer at work does all that for me. School should be much more about using AI to tap into the imagination. In what kind of houses might people want to live in the future? How can I design the house to better protect the environment?”
There is division all around. Schools and families with money and those without. Those schools with good access to WiFi and those without. Schools who use AI to include as many pupils as possible and those where you can feel excluded. Families who want their children to use AI and those who worry it could be damaging. Those who trust AI with their personal information and those who don’t trust it one bit.
It’s a subject that divides people in lots of ways!
Questions
- What did you like about your 2034 story and why?
- What did you dislike about your 2034 story and why?
- Imagine you went to school in this kind of future. Write down what you think going to school would be like for you.