Empty Classroom

Group 1

2024-12-01T22:00:54Z

Vanessak:

Group 1

2024-12-01T22:00:49Z

Vanessak: /* Individual Narratives */

Group 1

2024-12-01T21:58:06Z

Vanessak:

2024-12-01T21:42:44Z

2024-12-01T21:38:02Z

Vanessak:

Gemma,

The time has come. This is my last letter to you. By now, you must feel overwhelmed by the harsh realities of 2040 and what is to come. Yet, I write to you to express that you, as an educator, are the bridge between what humanity needs and the effects technology has had on us. It is evident that the ones who once said, “Technology cannot replace teachers” were false, and it continues to be a problematic situation in time.

Many educators struggle to understand how and why technology has replaced their positions. Motivation is nearly extinct, morale is at an all-time low, and teachers no longer have that spark in their eyes that they once had. My heart breaks more and more every day as I watch teachers slowly walk into their classrooms, where they typically greet their students every day and see no one but their coworkers. For all individuals, the need for human connection is a crucial factor in maintaining mental health.

Now, think about the question as you read the remainder of what I have left to say, “What is the role of the teacher if technology does everything for you?”.

Here in 2040, the presence of technology has created a profound challenge for teachers. Although technology is an issue, the real challenge is human. The rise of mental health has taken a devastating toll on educators. I understand that all teachers do experience burnout, anxiety, and stress. However, what we face now is nothing like what we have previously encountered. It is important to remember that “teachers' psychological and mental health is of utmost importance as it indirectly affects the students they teach”(Agyapong et al., 2022). Without your efforts, willingness, and drive, the longevity of this profession will be at an all-time low.

You may ask yourself, “What can I do today to improve teachers' overall well-being and education as a whole?”. Well, I will provide you with three reasons that I believe will help spark the change that educators need in order to maintain a healthy well-being.

Three Changes to Improve Teachers’ Well-Being:

Create Professional Boundaries
As a teacher, you understand that saying “No” is often difficult. You either take on too many school teams or overlook too many after-school clubs, but you need to learn to prioritize your mental health. It is important to remember that burnout, “a stress-related problem for individuals who work in interpersonally oriented occupations” (Agyapong et al., 2022) does occur. If you begin to promote self-care, it will lead to fewer worries while you are educating students of the future.
Encourage Connection

In your classroom, students have their own issues that they may not share. They may be going through a hard time that you are unaware of. By creating check-ins with your students once a week, the students will gain your trust and want to talk to you more and more. Not only will this help your students, but you will feel refreshed and confident as you see your purpose in your position.

Create Support Systems:
Currently, hybrid learning does not promote support systems. Nor does it promote human connection and relationships. By creating support systems in your classroom and with other educators, teacher wellbeing would be reconnected and an enhancement of job satisfaction would occur.

Before I say my goodbyes, I will leave you with hope. Hope that you understand that your job is not replaceable. A machine or screen does not provide students with confidence, personal growth, and guidance – YOU do. Preserve with purpose through the difficult days that lay ahead. Remember, an educator’s wellbeing may change each day, but your actions today will shape the future generations to come.

Mission complete!

Messenger #346

Chantel - 3.4 Challenges for Teachers

2024-12-01T21:37:19Z

Vanessak: Created page with "Gemma, The time has come. This is my last letter to you. By now, you must feel overwhelmed by the harsh realities of 2040 and what is to come. Yet, I write to you to express that you, as an educator, are the bridge between what humanity needs and the effects technology has had on us. It is evident that the ones who once said, “Technology cannot replace teachers” were false, and it continues to be a problematic situation in time. Many educators struggle to understa..."

Gemma,

The time has come. This is my last letter to you. By now, you must feel overwhelmed by the harsh realities of 2040 and what is to come. Yet, I write to you to express that you, as an educator, are the bridge between what humanity needs and the effects technology has had on us. It is evident that the ones who once said, “Technology cannot replace teachers” were false, and it continues to be a problematic situation in time.

Many educators struggle to understand how and why technology has replaced their positions. Motivation is nearly extinct, morale is at an all-time low, and teachers no longer have that spark in their eyes that they once had. My heart breaks more and more every day as I watch teachers slowly walk into their classrooms, where they typically greet their students every day and see no one but their coworkers. For all individuals, the need for human connection is a crucial factor in maintaining mental health.

Now, think about the question as you read the remainder of what I have left to say, “What is the role of the teacher if technology does everything for you?”.

Here in 2040, the presence of technology has created a profound challenge for teachers. Although technology is an issue, the real challenge is human. The rise of mental health has taken a devastating toll on educators. I understand that all teachers do experience burnout, anxiety, and stress. However, what we face now is nothing like what we have previously encountered. It is important to remember that “teachers' psychological and mental health is of utmost importance as it indirectly affects the students they teach”(Agyapong et al., 2022). Without your efforts, willingness, and drive, the longevity of this profession will be at an all-time low.

You may ask yourself, “What can I do today to improve teachers' overall well-being and education as a whole?”. Well, I will provide you with three reasons that I believe will help spark the change that educators need in order to maintain a healthy well-being.

'''Three Changes to Improve Teachers’ Well-Being:
'''
'''Create Professional Boundaries
'''As a teacher, you understand that saying “No” is often difficult. You either take on too many school teams or overlook too many after-school clubs, but you need to learn to prioritize your mental health. It is important to remember that burnout, “a stress-related problem for individuals who work in interpersonally oriented occupations” (Agyapong et al., 2022) does occur. If you begin to promote self-care, it will lead to fewer worries while you are educating students of the future.
Encourage Connection

In your classroom, students have their own issues that they may not share. They may be going through a hard time that you are unaware of. By creating check-ins with your students once a week, the students will gain your trust and want to talk to you more and more. Not only will this help your students, but you will feel refreshed and confident as you see your purpose in your position.

'''Create Support Systems
'''Currently, hybrid learning does not promote support systems. Nor does it promote human connection and relationships. By creating support systems in your classroom and with other educators, teacher wellbeing would be reconnected and an enhancement of job satisfaction would occur.

Before I say my goodbyes, I will leave you with hope. Hope that you understand that your job is not replaceable. A machine or screen does not provide students with confidence, personal growth, and guidance – YOU do. Preserve with purpose through the difficult days that lay ahead. Remember, an educator’s wellbeing may change each day, but your actions today will shape the future generations to come.

Mission complete!

Messenger #346

Vanessa - 3.3 Hybrid learning

2024-12-01T21:35:53Z

Vanessak: Created page with "Gemma, I know it may be difficult to conceptualize the messages I bring to you. You must have so many questions, but I bring this information to you as a warning to allow you to pass this message on to your fellow colleagues and try to prevent such significant challenges. I come to you yet again to deliver a message about the concept of hybrid learning. As I previously shared, education is no longer held within the walls of a school. The concept of a classroom is someth..."

Gemma,

I know it may be difficult to conceptualize the messages I bring to you. You must have so many questions, but I bring this information to you as a warning to allow you to pass this message on to your fellow colleagues and try to prevent such significant challenges. I come to you yet again to deliver a message about the concept of hybrid learning. As I previously shared, education is no longer held within the walls of a school. The concept of a classroom is something we earn for as they are far from what they used to be.

Classrooms in 2024 were fun, inclusive, and collaborative environments for students and teachers to share experiences, ideas, knowledge and learn from one another. In 2040, teachers sit in empty classrooms as they open their computer screens to view the variety of boxes with various names displayed across the screen. Participation and collaboration is minute, exchange of knowledge and ideas is few and far between. Students have become robotic characters, with lack of creativity of their own. Cameras are turned off, volumes are lowered and answers are no longer original. Soft skills that students were once able to develop in classroom settings have faded. These skills were once an essential part of developing. From the wise words of (Harris, K., Rogers, G., 2008) “Soft skills have been defined by various authors as personal characteristics such as: work ethics, positive attitude, social grace, facility with language, friendliness, integrity, and the willingness to learn” (Bancino & Zevalkink, 2007; Coll & Zegwaard, 2006: Hmelo-Silver, 2007; Lewis, 2007; Lorenz, 2005; Lucci, 2005).

This model of learning was not always the ‘norm’. It began merely as a way of convenience. If the weather was poor, or if students were sick, they would be able to tune into the classroom from the comfort of their homes, through their computer screens. Slowly, this way of convenience became more popular and led to entirely virtual learning. You must be thinking, so what then has happened to the essential ‘soft skills’ that the classroom supports with students developing? They are lost. Students have no means to interact with one another and barely with the teacher any longer. The willingness to learn has decreased significantly as the forms of evaluations are inconsistent, social interaction is few and therefore building and recognizing personal characteristics has become a challenge for these young minds. Students have become accustomed to the controlled algorithms and digital softwares that determine their responses.

It is all so disappointing, the future students in 2040 appear to take the form of robots, hands-on learning, problem solving, adaptability and interaction no longer exists in the ways they once did. Students are clicking buttons and following digitized instructions rather than utilising human connection and personal experiences to guide their knowledge and understanding. So long as this virtual form of learning persists, what form of teaching teachers will assume? Will teachers also become robots who are forced to connect with students via algorithmic platforms and loose classroom settings or schools all together? It appears that we seem to be moving along this track, hence the reason I am bringing these warnings to you! We need to stop the persisting notions of technology & digital interfaces before they completely take over and human characters become obsolete!

Over and Out.

Messenger #346

Jessica - 3.2 Connection is Key for Learning in Indigenous Communities

2024-12-01T21:34:37Z

Vanessak: Created page with "Dear Gemma, I hope this letter finds you well. I apologize for the abrupt ways in which I must get them to you. I need to conceal my identity to protect the events in my timeline. Our mission is to share the tragic reality of what has happened within education in 2040 so that you can act now to prevent the same fate as us. We caution you to take action and circle back to the roots of education. A time educators in my world dream about. A time filled with genuine conne..."

Dear Gemma,

I hope this letter finds you well. I apologize for the abrupt ways in which I must get them to you. I need to conceal my identity to protect the events in my timeline.

Our mission is to share the tragic reality of what has happened within education in 2040 so that you can act now to prevent the same fate as us. We caution you to take action and circle back to the roots of education. A time educators in my world dream about. A time filled with genuine connection. A time that focussed on building relationships instead of building virtual applications to substitute the feeling of being in a close-knit tangible community. Only YOU can do that. You have the power to remind teachers of where we came from. Where we will return to when we leave our physical bodies. And what awaits them if they refuse to comply.

With all of our efforts in the past to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge into the curriculum, the complete control of technology has infiltrated our education system. I remember a time when holistic approaches to learning were embraced. Where Indigenous elders were of the most respected sources of knowledge. Where non-Indigenous peoples were eager to learn Indigenous histories and experiences. Grade eleven English no longer includes Indigenous texts and narratives. In fact, Indigenous Studies no longer exists in 2040 as Technological and Artificial Intelligence Studies have replaced it. Instead of teaching students to be empathetic, we are re-colonizing the minds of the youth and making robots right from the beginning. It has become a place where tools such as ChatGPT are answering and coming up with material to teach. Teachers have become technology facilitators and are fully relying on the transmission of lessons through applications rather than staying true to traditional learning.

I was able to find a source from your timeline that fully captures the importance of Indigenous Knowledge in the curriculum. In Indigenous Knowledge and the Story of the Bean by Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy and Emma Maughan (2009), it is evident that Indigenous Knowledge is vital in educational settings to encourage reflective and mutual learning environments. They use the analogy of knowledge as a verb or noun to distinguish the difference between the active communal learning spaces Indigenous Knowledge provides and the passive, rigid, technical nature of Western knowledge. Brayboy and Maughan (2009) explain how Indigenous Knowledge systems represent the verb as they are “rooted in the lived experiences of people; these experiences highlight the philosophies, beliefs, values, and educational processes of entire communities” (p. 3). Whereas Western knowledge systems are the noun in which educators treat knowledge as a commodity to possess, control, and regurgitate when instructed (Brayboy and Maughan, 2009, p. 12). Our world is simply that; a heightened Western knowledge system where students reiterate information through AI on command. They are not comprehending what is being taught and are therefore not truly learning.

We were born on this earth surrounded by life and loved ones. We need to come back to a world where knowledge is transferred properly through community-based learning. We need to start living what we are learning. How can we reconnect everything and everyone in the world without unplugging and disconnecting from what we know now? Gemma, you need to give your world a wake up call. They have to realize that if we forget about our roots, there will be no return from robotic teaching. As an educator, you must remind yourself that connection is key. Let the teachings of Indigenous knowledge guide you Gemma. Contextualize what is being learned and relate it to the lives of your students. Only then will you be able to ground yourself and revive the connection between you, your students, and the world.

Best of luck. The fate of education is in your hands.

Over and out.

Messenger #346

Kimia - 3.1 The End of Meaningful Evaluation

2024-12-01T21:34:05Z

Vanessak: Created page with "Gemma, The information I bring for you must be dealt with in haste. I have told you about the downfall of in-person learning and the role of educators being reduced, but I did not tell you how. This letter will reveal to you the first way technology has taken over our once beautiful and intricate educational system, through the destruction of educational evaluations. Evaluations, once a tool to assess student learning, provide feedback for improvement, and guide stude..."

Gemma,

The information I bring for you must be dealt with in haste. I have told you about the downfall of in-person learning and the role of educators being reduced, but I did not tell you how. This letter will reveal to you the first way technology has taken over our once beautiful and intricate educational system, through the destruction of educational evaluations.

Evaluations, once a tool to assess student learning, provide feedback for improvement, and guide students to meet their educational goals, are now met with hollow data.

In 2024, evaluation is shaped by the blend of traditional assessment methods and holistic, personalized approaches such as self-assessment, peer feedback, and exams based on the individual learning needs of students. Educators were able to make evaluations an interactive and inclusive process by emphasizing the personal goals of each student, helping them keep track of their own development, and using evaluation as an extension of the learning journey. Students were actively participating in self-reflection and progress awareness. A holistic and personalized assessment system inspired students to apply the skills and knowledge learned in the classroom and independently towards their final evaluations, creating a safe learning environment for all.

Today, in the year 2040, things are not so simple. Evaluation is now an empty and soulless machine, deprived of any humanity or understanding. What was once a dynamic, personalized and holistic process is now an algorithm-driven nightmare. In my world, evaluation is haunted by three complex ideas: algorithmic traps on automated grading, self-assessment as counterproductive tools for autonomous learning, and the death of empathetic human connection in grading.

In 2040, online learning has initiated the rise of digital assessments such as quizzes, multiple-choice tests, and auto-graded assignments. These assessments were designed as efficient automated tools to be used for personalized grading, not for checking sincere understanding. It is clear an alternate agenda is hidden deep within this system, as cheating and algorithms take over. These new systems of evaluation encourage students to memorize, rather than to think critically, reducing their learning and assessments to data points, checkboxes and scores generated by algorithms. Here, grades no longer reflect a student’s true knowledge. With no supervision or accountability, students have become masters at cheating their way through evaluations from the comfort of their own homes. Regardless of effort, because of this new system, grades and evaluations become meaningless, and teachers are unable to distinguish between students who understand the material and students who simply know how to play the system. Today, a perfect score on a test does not mean understanding, rather it means the student has found a way to manipulate the digital system well enough to pass the algorithm's surveillance. With this advanced virtual method of learning and assessing, an algorithm spits out numbers while teachers have been reduced to evaluation organizers and cheating enablers, a shallow erosion of what once was a holistic, personalized, and fair drive for meaningful evaluation. For both students and teachers, nothing is truly earned.

What was once an opportunity for students to engage with teachers to reflect on their own learning and find ways for personal growth has vanished completely from this dystopian world. Today, without human interaction and in-person learning, students must complete self-assessments without any real guidance or true feedback from educators. Because of this, students are not able to effectively assess their learning or personal growth but rather must grade themselves blindly by checking boxes while filled with self-doubt. The advanced systems of 2040 do not prepare students with sustainable assessment skills (David Boud) to develop their ability to assess their learning. David Boud claims that “assessment that meets the needs of the present and prepares students to meet their own future learning needs” (Boud, 2000) is key to fostering lifelong learning, and teachers have a critical role in doing so (Boud, 2000). Effective self-assessment requires supportive feedback from teachers, which students are simply not receiving. Without feedback from an experienced educator, students are being misled by a new system that does not care for their learning. Evaluation at the institutional level has been completely abandoned, replaced by a counterproductive system that places educators far from the core of what education means. Teachers wait behind screens, biting their tongues from giving feedback, monitoring students as they falsely assess themselves.

Today - unlike in your time - teachers are avatars on a digital screen, never truly getting to know their students or building real relationships with them. Personal connection, the cornerstone of impactful education, is now a distant memory, lost among a sea of screens. In the past, teachers would roam around the classroom, whisper words of encouragement to their students, and even pat them on the shoulder. This new technological world has brought with it the death of empathy and compassion in learning and evaluation. Online, a teacher's feedback is often overlooked, comes too late, or is unseen, meanwhile, students feel isolated and alienated in their learning. The teacher’s role in the classroom is reduced to mere administrators of automated feedback and mechanically produced grades that lack personalized student connections or compassion. The meaningful connection once praised in education and evaluation is now forgotten and replaced by machines and empty bots.

In today’s dystopian world, what once was an inclusive and holistic approach to evaluation has become a lifeless system of control. The humanity and creativity that once nourished educational institutions are now replaced by a student's ability to comply with digital instructions and algorithms. Now, evaluations are a representation of artificially produced grades and lack the human compassion needed for fair assessment. 2040 is a year of isolation and disconnection, a future where evaluation is a tool for dishonesty and injustice rather than a means for fostering educational growth. As technology facilitators, teachers have been stripped of their autonomy and forced into rigid and hollow systems devoid of meaning, forced to give students grades that fail to reflect true knowledge.

Gemma, so long as virtual learning continues to dictate education, the end of meaningful evaluation will continue. You must figure out a way to stop this. The future is in your hands…

Over and out.

Messenger #346

Group 1

2024-12-01T21:33:52Z

Vanessak: /* Individual Narratives */

Group 1

2024-12-01T21:33:19Z

Vanessak: /* Individual Narratives */

'''H.E.L.P Teaching in 2040: The Evolving Role of Educators in Toronto's Future Classrooms
'''
= Abstract =

In 2040, the primary mode of schooling follows a remote-learning format with heavy screen based learning from the comfort of the students home. This poses the question: what is the role of the teacher if students are receiving their knowledge from technology? This paper examines four key topics: evaluation methods, Indigenous knowledge and relationships, hybrid learning, and mental health challenges for teachers. It concludes that by the year 2040, the role of educators in Toronto will evolve into that of 'technology facilitators' rather than the holistic teachers we see today.

= Diary Entries =

'''Diary Entry 1'''

6 September 2022

Dear Diary,

Today is my first day of teachers college at Waterdown University! I am so excited! I am looking forward to making many new friends who share the same passion as me, teaching the children of the future! Can’t wait to see what the next two years have in store for me.

Wish me luck!

Gemma

'''Diary Entry 2'''

2 May 2024

Dear Diary,

Despite the job postings being released over a month ago, I have now come around to finally applying to my first real “big girl" job! After sitting at my computer for countless hours and almost a hundred applications later, I am hopeful that I will have the opportunity to uplift my students in my own classroom this upcoming September.

Talk to you when I hopefully have a full-time job! Wish me luck!

Gemma

'''Diary Entry 3'''

7 September 2024

Dear Diary,

I found journal entries from my grandmother and mother today. Wow, times have changed! For them, teachers were so strict and students were so disciplined! They never stepped a toe out of line, and they definitely didn't have phones in the classroom! No technology at all, unlike today.

Today, if I asked my students to take out a pen and paper, they would stare at me with blank faces! They all use their chrome books, and with many of the kids needing technology for individual education plans, it just works out that way - students need technology in the classroom. They have a hard time differentiating between classroom technology and personal technology like phones…I swear if I hear one more Tik Tok while I'm speaking I'm going to lose it! I can definitely see technology becoming a problem for youth in schools and society today..I mean they walk into class and instead of greeting their classmates face-to-face, they text each other “hi” on Snapchat instead! Crazy! I don’t get it… If we don’t put a stop to this, I can only imagine it getting worse. Students won’t even be able to speak confidently in-person to one another, or generate their own ideas without ChatGPT guiding them. They won’t even want to come to school if they’re learning more from their computers than from us teachers…Wow, that's scary! I really hope technology in the classroom does not continue to become a problem and I sure hope we can stop this trend. I imagine that in the future, students will be able to put their phones aside and responsibly use their technology in the classroom for educational purposes only.

Anyway, today is my first day as a full-time teacher. I've done long-term contracts before, but this is my first real job! Don’t get me wrong, my placements helped prepare me for this moment, however, having my own classroom sure is scary! I hope kids show up! I’m excited to meet them and inspire them to shape their lives for the better and make a difference!

Off I go! Wish me luck!

Gemma

'''Diary Entry 4'''

10 October 2024

Dear Diary,

I am writing to update you on my classroom experience so far! I am teaching grades 9 and 10 History and have been really enjoying it! My students are very actively engaged, building their soft skills in the classroom and making connections, it's a wonderful thing to see! It was hard getting them to put their phones down and chromebooks away, but I am so happy to be fostering such a safe, welcoming and lovely learning environment. Through my first couple of months of teaching, I have felt very empowered and hopeful for the future of teaching and learning. I’m still working on technology-time in the classroom. I’m trying to find a way to continue to use technological tools like Twine, Kahoot, and Padlet in world-building and classroom learning to give students autonomy and creativity. I hope I am back at Red Rose Public School again next year!

Wish me luck!

Gemma

'''Diary Entry 5'''

8 December 2024

Dear Diary,

Today, the strangest thing happened to me. If I’m being honest, I had a gut feeling something was wrong, it was too quiet at school today, too still, but I chose to ignore it. I thought I must be out of my mind.

I was sitting at my desk after school grading papers when a hooded figure dressed in black appeared right before my eyes. He wasn't scary, but his energy was strong and determined. Yet for some reason, I knew he was on my side. As I reached my arm out to touch him, he disappeared into black dust. I ran out to see if anyone else saw him when at the corner of my eye I noticed something left on my desk. It was an envelope, with the letter E on it…

I’ll read the letter later tonight. I’m trying not to think about it right now…got to go back to work now!

Wish me luck!

Gemma

'''Diary Entry 6'''

Toronto, 2040

Dear Gemma,

We live in a world where every aspect of our lives is dominated by technology, constantly surrounded by the relentless hum of devices and pings of phones. Silence is drowned by the frequency waves of technology. The doom is that we are constantly connected, but have never been so isolated.

This may seem like a far and distant land from you, but we are not so different, you and I. In fact, we are very much alike. Both determined to make a change, dreaming of creating a world filled with human connection. Both taking the path less travelled to inspire youth, shape their love for learning, and help them build the confidence they need to navigate the world and discover their potential. For me, this dream has been swept away like ashes in the wind. You, however, can alter the course of history.

You might be wondering why you received this letter, who I am, and why you. In time, all your questions shall be answered, but I need something from you in the meantime. Pay close attention to what is about to be revealed to you, it shall become your guiding post.

Between 2024 and 2040, the role of technology continues to shape our economy as challenges continue to unfold. As AI advanced, so did remote-working, plummeting the economy, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The job market crashed, housing prices increased, and people grew anxious. They turned to the young generations for hope, but even they were stuck to their screens. Where diversity was once a main priority for a safe, inclusive and accessible learning environment, all identities have been reduced and blurred onto a virtual screen. Equity became hard to track, and with it came the downfall of accessible opportunities for growth.

In my world, educators have been reduced to nothing. We seek connection like it is a magical being from our imagination. A myth only to be spoken about in fond memory. Education, once a place for face-to-face learning has transformed into virtual worlds easily accessible from the bedroom. Lessons are streamed from various online platforms, assignments are submitted online with the click of a button, and social interaction is condensed into pixelated 5x5 boxes on a flat screen. Teachers have been reduced to nothing but technology facilitators rather than holistic educators, destroying the profession as we know it…

If you do not heed these warnings, this will be your future. If you do not put a stop to this now, if you dismiss addressing the uprising of technology in the classroom, this is how your role as an educator will look…

You have been warned. Over and out.

Messenger #346

= Individual Narratives =
[[Kimia - 3.1 The End of Meaningful Evaluation]]

Gemma,

The information I bring for you must be dealt with in haste. I have told you about the downfall of in-person learning and the role of educators being reduced, but I did not tell you how. This letter will reveal to you the first way technology has taken over our once beautiful and intricate educational system, through the destruction of educational evaluations.

Evaluations, once a tool to assess student learning, provide feedback for improvement, and guide students to meet their educational goals, are now met with hollow data.

In 2024, evaluation is shaped by the blend of traditional assessment methods and holistic, personalized approaches such as self-assessment, peer feedback, and exams based on the individual learning needs of students. Educators were able to make evaluations an interactive and inclusive process by emphasizing the personal goals of each student, helping them keep track of their own development, and using evaluation as an extension of the learning journey. Students were actively participating in self-reflection and progress awareness. A holistic and personalized assessment system inspired students to apply the skills and knowledge learned in the classroom and independently towards their final evaluations, creating a safe learning environment for all.

Today, in the year 2040, things are not so simple. Evaluation is now an empty and soulless machine, deprived of any humanity or understanding. What was once a dynamic, personalized and holistic process is now an algorithm-driven nightmare. In my world, evaluation is haunted by three complex ideas: algorithmic traps on automated grading, self-assessment as counterproductive tools for autonomous learning, and the death of empathetic human connection in grading.

In 2040, online learning has initiated the rise of digital assessments such as quizzes, multiple-choice tests, and auto-graded assignments. These assessments were designed as efficient automated tools to be used for personalized grading, not for checking sincere understanding. It is clear an alternate agenda is hidden deep within this system, as cheating and algorithms take over. These new systems of evaluation encourage students to memorize, rather than to think critically, reducing their learning and assessments to data points, checkboxes and scores generated by algorithms. Here, grades no longer reflect a student’s true knowledge. With no supervision or accountability, students have become masters at cheating their way through evaluations from the comfort of their own homes. Regardless of effort, because of this new system, grades and evaluations become meaningless, and teachers are unable to distinguish between students who understand the material and students who simply know how to play the system. Today, a perfect score on a test does not mean understanding, rather it means the student has found a way to manipulate the digital system well enough to pass the algorithm's surveillance. With this advanced virtual method of learning and assessing, an algorithm spits out numbers while teachers have been reduced to evaluation organizers and cheating enablers, a shallow erosion of what once was a holistic, personalized, and fair drive for meaningful evaluation. For both students and teachers, nothing is truly earned.

What was once an opportunity for students to engage with teachers to reflect on their own learning and find ways for personal growth has vanished completely from this dystopian world. Today, without human interaction and in-person learning, students must complete self-assessments without any real guidance or true feedback from educators. Because of this, students are not able to effectively assess their learning or personal growth but rather must grade themselves blindly by checking boxes while filled with self-doubt. The advanced systems of 2040 do not prepare students with sustainable assessment skills (David Boud) to develop their ability to assess their learning. David Boud claims that “assessment that meets the needs of the present and prepares students to meet their own future learning needs” (Boud, 2000) is key to fostering lifelong learning, and teachers have a critical role in doing so (Boud, 2000). Effective self-assessment requires supportive feedback from teachers, which students are simply not receiving. Without feedback from an experienced educator, students are being misled by a new system that does not care for their learning. Evaluation at the institutional level has been completely abandoned, replaced by a counterproductive system that places educators far from the core of what education means. Teachers wait behind screens, biting their tongues from giving feedback, monitoring students as they falsely assess themselves.

Today - unlike in your time - teachers are avatars on a digital screen, never truly getting to know their students or building real relationships with them. Personal connection, the cornerstone of impactful education, is now a distant memory, lost among a sea of screens. In the past, teachers would roam around the classroom, whisper words of encouragement to their students, and even pat them on the shoulder. This new technological world has brought with it the death of empathy and compassion in learning and evaluation. Online, a teacher's feedback is often overlooked, comes too late, or is unseen, meanwhile, students feel isolated and alienated in their learning. The teacher’s role in the classroom is reduced to mere administrators of automated feedback and mechanically produced grades that lack personalized student connections or compassion. The meaningful connection once praised in education and evaluation is now forgotten and replaced by machines and empty bots.

In today’s dystopian world, what once was an inclusive and holistic approach to evaluation has become a lifeless system of control. The humanity and creativity that once nourished educational institutions are now replaced by a student's ability to comply with digital instructions and algorithms. Now, evaluations are a representation of artificially produced grades and lack the human compassion needed for fair assessment. 2040 is a year of isolation and disconnection, a future where evaluation is a tool for dishonesty and injustice rather than a means for fostering educational growth. As technology facilitators, teachers have been stripped of their autonomy and forced into rigid and hollow systems devoid of meaning, forced to give students grades that fail to reflect true knowledge.

Gemma, so long as virtual learning continues to dictate education, the end of meaningful evaluation will continue. You must figure out a way to stop this. The future is in your hands…

Over and out.

Messenger #346

[[Jessica - 3.2 Connection is Key for Learning in Indigenous Communities]]

[[Vanessa - 3.3 Hybrid learning]]

[[Chantel - 3.4 Challenges for Teachers]]

= References =
Agyapong, B., Obuobi-Donkor, G., Burback, L., & Wei, Y. (2022). Stress, Burnout, Anxiety and Depression among Teachers: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710706

Boud, D. (2000). "Sustainable Assessment: Rethinking Assessment for the Learning Society"

Brayboy & Maughan (2009). Indigenous Knowledge and the Story of the Bean, Harvard Educational Review, 79(1).

Harris. S. Kara. Rogers. E. George., “Soft skills in the technology education classroom: What do students need?” The Technology Teacher (2008).

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