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While the world is currently experiencing immense technological, economic, political, and environmental change, I remain cautiously optimistic about the future. As I continue to work through the course readings, I keep returning to the question, “What happens to the learner?” Closely connected to that question is, “What happens to the educator?” While technology and AI will undoubtedly continue to transform education, the human need for connection suggests that relationships, mentorship, and community will remain central to meaningful learning experiences.
My emerging vision of education in 2035 aligns with Veletsianos et al.’s (2024) call for educational technology scholarship that is “imaginative,” hopeful, and centered on justice-oriented perspectives. Rather than viewing technology as something that will replace educators, I see it as a tool that can expand opportunities for learning while also introducing new challenges that require thoughtful educational design and strong digital literacy skills.
More specifically, middle school learners in 2035 will likely live in a world where technology is embedded in work, communication, and daily life. However, as Selwyn (2021) argues, educational technology should be valued not for efficiency alone but for its ability to genuinely support learning in ways that would otherwise not be possible. This perspective has shifted my thinking toward a future where successful educational technology is not defined by how much of it we use, but by how effectively it supports inclusion, accessibility, equity, and meaningful human learning.
Footnote: Copilot was used to refine the language in the final draft. All concepts and ideas are my own.
References:
Selwyn, N. (2021). Ed-tech within limits: Anticipating educational technology in times of environmental crisis. E-Learning and Digital Media, 18(5), 496-510. https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530211022951
Veletsianos, G., Houlden, S., Ross, J., Sakinah, A., & Dickson-Deane, C. (2024). Higher education futures at the intersection of justice, hope, and educational technology. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21, Article 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00475-0
Selwyn et al. (2020) paint, for me, a creepy and sad futuristic picture of a system of strain and drain of creative freedoms in which both educator and learners are all disconnect from each other. By the end of the 3rd vignette Laura and her students including Manus, Soraya, Isabelle, and Lin come alive as they connect and discuss Lord of the Flies with each other. It’s so ironic that William Golding’s (1954) themes of order, authority, and social breakdown mirror the vignette’s tightly controlled school. Your question is a good question, what DOES happen to the learner in 2035? And the answer you provide at the end: supportive, inclusive, accessible, equitable, and full of meaning…is full of hope.
Reference
Selwyn, N., Pangrazio, L., Nemorin, S., & Perrotta, C. (2020). What might the school of 2030 be like? An exercise in social science fiction. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 90-106.
Hi Jenn,
Your question “what happens to the learner?” really stayed with me. As a nurse who taught patients face-to-face for many years, I agree that relationships and trust are what make learning stick. Technology can share information, but it can’t always tell whether someone truly understands.
Your focus on middle schoolers also caught my attention, since my son is right around that age. He’s the dinosaur expert I wrote about in my blog post, and I worry about learners like him being measured by tools rather than known by the people teaching them.
I liked that you brought in Selwyn (2021). His idea of pairing ed-tech back to what’s truly ‘non-negotiable’ fits so well with your focus on connection. If middle schools in 2035 had to choose only a few essential uses of technology, which ones do you think would make the cut?
Hi Kelly,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I love that your son is a dinosaur expert! Learners like him remind us that curiosity, passion, and individuality are qualities that can be some of the most important drivers of meaningful learning. I have quite a few dinosaur enthusiasts in my multimedia club at school, so I can definitely relate.
Your question about the essential uses of technology in 2035 is such an interesting one, and one I could (and have) investigate for hours. If I had to identify a few non-negotiable uses, I think technology should help learners connect, create, and access opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable. Tools that support collaboration, amplify student voice, provide accessibility supports, and connect learners with people, ideas, and experiences beyond their classroom would make the cut for me. This aligns with Czerniewicz and Cronin’s (2023) vision of educational futures in which learning remains deeply connected to community and collective well-being, rather than becoming increasingly individualized or isolated. Beyond that, I believe tech tools that support critical, collaborative, and creative thinking, as well as social and emotional learning, will be the big areas of focus going forward. So while technologies are continually changing, I feel like the tools that help teachers get to know their students better and tools that help students connect more deeply with their learning will have earned their place in the classroom.
Hi Jenn,
My Activity 7 post leans more pessimistic than yours, but I think we share some of the same concerns.
When I was teaching software development, part of my job became figuring out whether students actually understood what they had produced. Some of their best learning still happened when they worked through problems together or talked through something they didn’t understand.
I like your point from Selwyn (2021) about valuing technology for more than just efficiency. I wonder whether making learning more efficient might also mean losing some interactions along the way.
How would a middle school teacher in 2035 know whether AI was genuinely helping students learn or just helping them finish their work faster?
Hi Craig,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I think your slightly more pessimistic view reflects some very real concerns about our current global climate and the direction technology is heading. While my post took a more optimistic view, I think our perspectives intersect more than they differ.
I agree with your teaching experience, in that some of the deepest learning happens when students wrestle with ideas together, explain their thinking, and work through challenges collaboratively. Where I might differ slightly is that I don’t think increased efficiency necessarily means fewer interactions. Ideally, it could allow us to move beyond routine tasks and create more opportunities for critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and meaningful discussion. In that sense, AI may shift the learning process rather than diminish it.
Your question about knowing whether AI is genuinely helping students learn or simply helping them complete work faster is one I grapple with often. As a middle school teacher, I’ve found that conversations about learning are often just as important as the work students produce. When students view AI as a tool to support their thinking rather than do the thinking for them, the results can be incredibly powerful. This aligns with Selwyn’s (2021) argument that educational technology should be valued for how it enhances meaningful learning experiences, not simply for increasing efficiency.
I also find myself returning to the idea discussed by Czerniewicz and Cronin (2023) that future learning should remain connected to community and collective well-being. For me, the real measure of an AI tool is if it helps them think more deeply, collaborate more effectively, and engage more meaningfully with the world around them. I find that most of my students respond well when I frame AI in that way. Of course, there’s always the occasional Grade 8 student who’s disengaged no matter what strategy I try. I’ve come to call it “The Grade 8 slump”!
Thanks for giving me another angle to think about.