It’s None of My Business, But We Should Probably Modernize a Whole Bunch of Things Instead of Using Outdated Methods

The interpretation of what is meant when speaking of the concepts of space and time is very subjective depending on who you are asking. Some could say it in a very literal sense; space as the stars, the space between celestial bodies, the distance on a plain; time is the duration between two events, the unending forward motion of all things in existence, seconds ticking by on an omnipresent clock. Some say it in a more conceptual way; space as the distance between two hearts at war, the distance to which a soul holds itself apart from others; time as the numbing of pain the longer the heart has to heal, the inescapable fate of all living things as their primordial timer comes to an end.

McLuhan takes a rather interesting approach to his interpretation of space and time, saying, “We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march backwards into the future.” (73). His ideology behind space and time follows that of how we continue to focus on the past and the things that we could have done to change the past, while forcefully moving ourselves backwards into the future with only a minimal glance for what is to come.

When making my video, I chose to take the more literal route, following along the lines of McLuhan’s viewpoint with space and time.

Despite the obvious strange looks I received from some people, especially the folks sitting in their cars at the college avenue cross walk, I had a lot of fun filming this video. It began at three and a half minutes, and I edited it in IMovie to speed it up so it would be just above a minute in length.

While the title and description may be overall sarcastic, the message I am trying to make follows closely with what McLuhan was speaking of. In the video, I am walking backwards from my dorm room all the way to my class, recording the walk behind me while looking over my shoulder.

I wanted to perpetuate McLuhan’s concepts with the video I recorded. I marched towards a future, where new knowledge was to be learned, while facing what I had already passed, unwilling to embrace what was coming. I was reluctantly stepping into a new space in a new time with a closed mind, finding comfort in the past while readily rejecting the knowledge to be learned in the future.

This is often a reflection of modern society, where we continue to use outdated technology or methods that are not well adapted to today’s society. A prime example of this is the outdated educational system that has perpetuated the learning of humans as a species for generations.

You would expect to see a difference between the classroom of modern day compared to the classroom of 150 years ago, however, you would be sorely disappointed. Classrooms have barely changed, if at all, and the model for schooling has not changed in meaningful ways; sure, they don’t teach embroidery or house skills to girls or hunting and nature things to boys in primary education anymore, but they have traded those things for the core curriculum of modern schooling that is sorely outdated. Source

A 150 year old classroom.

Source

A modern college classroom

Source

One would believe that in 150 years the general look of a classroom would change over time to accommodate the ever evolving learning styles of students worldwide. One would be mistaken, however. Sure, the content of which students are learning has definitely evolved over time, as the wants and needs of society has evolved, but the method by which students learn has not changed. Students still sit in organized rows, facing front, to be lectured at by teacher(s) or professor(s) for several hours at a time, having to stay still, cover their mouth when they yawn, never sleep, take standardized tests based on memorized content. Source

These methods are severely outdated. With the introduction of technology into modern society, especially into regards of education, it has thrown a mild wrench into the system of the Old Methods, as well as caused anxiety and attention deficit issues to become much further pronounced in children growing up with tech. Technology, rather than being a nuisance, could be a huge asset to learning, and while its potential is just now starting to be reached through use in the classroom, there is still so much more to be done. Source

Technology could be used to capture and captivate students by making the learning experience far more interactive and efficient than ever before, maintaining attention while also giving student with further accommodations regarding learning disorders the extra help that they need. The overall layout of the classroom could be changed, allowing students more freedom to exist in a space and foster the desire to learn within themselves, rather than be trapped at a desk. Tests could also be more interactive, with students working together to solve the problems, using supplements from the textbook to help.

While the final point made prior to this may be problematic, I believe it is the right move because in the modern workforce we will be allowed resources and other people to bounce ideas off of, not solely sole things based on material that was memorized, and may not even be correct. It is also the best option based on the fact that many student have test anxiety, or ADD/ADHD, and that style of testing is not well suited to their learning needs. It is unrealistic to expect students of modern society to have to face those issues after school, so why make them face it in the first place?

In my video, I walked backwards to class, watching what was behind me in sparing glances thrown over my shoulder, while focusing on what I had already seen rather than what was coming. I, as well as McLuhan - and hopefully many others - believe that we should move passed the past, instead of looking into that rear view mirror, focus solely on what is to come. What has happened is done, and cannot be changed. Dwelling on it is a torture that is unfair for you to put yourself or anyone else through, and is wholly unhelpful to the development and growth of a society as a whole.

We need to take one last look at the past, learn from the actions, mistakes, and successes, then turn around and embrace the future, using the wisdom gained from the past to bring about a bright future for generations to come.