Group 2: Digital Overtake

Context

In the year 2049, education has shifted to become de-streamed within all of Ontario, specifically becoming digital.

After the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the government realised that they could save so more money by continuing to have education online. Therefore, the government decided to make learning solely online. However, due to parents protesting about no one being able to stay home from work to look after their children, the government decided to still keep school boards intact. Students would still come into the school building, however they would be on their digital devices (chrome books) during their class period to attend their online classes. There would be teachers (and people hired and trusted by each board) physically present within the classrooms to supervise. By the year 2035, there would be one teacher for every subject of every grade level. The lessons would take place online so every student in Ontario could attend the same class. Every student would receive the same type of assessment and could use digital technologies to complete them. Grading would be done by AI in order to ensure equal and fair practice. There will still be staff within the building for administrative aid and maintenance, but no teaching will be done by any of these staff within the building. Students have different class periods and schedules and go to different classrooms to attend each of their online classes. Post Secondary admissions would shift from only considering grades, to also including interviews with students in order to help select students who could demonstrate civic responsibility without the use of digital tools.

Educational Structure

In the year 2049, Ontario's educational system has changed, becoming completely digital and de-streamed. This change was made to save expenses in education while enabling faculty and students to adopt an AI-derived norm. This change was brought about by the COVID-19 epidemic of 2019, which compelled the government to look into the possibility of using online education as a more affordable option. Even though this is intended to be beneficial, there was a significant impact on the standard of education that students obtained through online learning. Parents worried about childcare opposed the idea to shift teaching online, but a compromise was struck to keep physical school buildings with monitored classes.

As the school building becomes a place where kids only come in to attend their online classes, they would still have their schedules and would rotate within different classrooms depending on what class they have. Therefore, they would have peers among them who attend the same classes as they do within the same room and would be learning the exact same lesson in the exact same way, however it would be done through their own individual devices. Lessons are delivered digitally, allowing for consistency and equitable access to education. The transition to online learning eliminates geographical and socioeconomic barriers, ensuring that every student in Ontario, regardless of their background, has equal opportunity to thrive academically. Digital technologies serve as the great equalizer, providing access to a wealth of educational resources and interactive tools, enriching the learning experience for all. Teachers and other staff would simply be in the building to “babysit” the students, as teachers often now say their job consists of. The challenges would arise with students with IEPs and other learning disabilities as there would be no differentiated learning instructions that cater to their specific needs and would be taught the exact same thing, the exact same way as mainstream students. Assessment is conducted using digital technologies, with AI employed to ensure fairness and impartiality in grading. This shift towards AI-driven assessment methods raises ethical concerns regarding algorithmic bias and fairness. Automated grading systems may mistakably preserve inequalities, favoring certain demographic groups or penalizing non-conventional forms of expression. The lack of human judgment and contextual understanding in assessment processes could lead to inaccuracies and injustices, undermining the credibility and validity of academic evaluations. In this case, students would get their grades most likely right away however would have little personalized feedback and conversations about why they got this grade and what they can do to better their individual self.

Although the benefits of individualized learning are widely publicized, some students may actually find their educational experience to be isolating and impersonal. Lack of possibilities for in-person connection and mentoring may impede social and emotional growth, resulting in feelings of alienation and disinterest in the educational process. This may even push them away from doing further education in the future, limiting the future doctors, lawyers, and engineers for their generations. Teachers in Ontario's digitalized, de-streamed educational environment must navigate a setting characterized by revolutionary changes and new challenges. Teachers stress about establishing a personal connection with their students, recognizing their unique needs, and giving meaningful feedback in a digital world when physical signs and interactions are restricted. Standardized testing would become the norm in this society of equality, and the only goal for every student would be to pass the next major test rather than to learn new things. Relying heavily on digital tools and platforms in education may limit students' ability to develop critical skills, such as problem-solving and creativity.

The effects of standardized testing may be harmful to students’ prospects. These exams frequently favor memorization over critical thinking, which limits students' capacity to develop necessary abilities. Furthermore, they might not take different learning styles into consideration, which could worsen educational inequalities. As a result, placing too much emphasis on standardized testing in this context might impede rather than help students intellectual and personal development. The socialization taught within lessons in the current day would not be a part of this form of education and therefore sooner or later students would become more ill-mannered as they would not have been taught any routine or social norms.

The interviews conducted to enroll students in post-secondary education would be events that students either fake being presentable in order to get accepted or will completely flop the interview overall as they would not be taught personally how to behave within a social setting. This may be the case as their only source of social norms and what to do in social settings would come from pop culture which usually displays going against the current social norms. The envisioned shift towards a digitalized, de-streamed education system in Ontario presents a complex landscape with both promising opportunities and formidable obstacles. Even while there are clear potential advantages, such improved accessibility and efficiency, it's important to recognize and deal with the serious problems and disadvantages that this educational paradigm brings with it.

School Cultural/Environment Structure

In the year 2049, the world had undergone a profound transformation in education. With the advancement of technology, traditional classrooms have become obsolete relics of the past. Education is now entirely online, and students attend classes through virtual platforms like Zoom. In this new world, each subject had only one teacher, responsible for educating students from all corners of the globe. The days of specialized educators were long gone, replaced by a system that prioritized convenience over quality.

Despite the convenience of online education, students found it difficult to stay engaged. The monotony of staring at a screen for hours on end, listening to the same teacher drone on, had sapped away everyone’s motivation. The school culture had evolved as well. Gone were the days of bustling cafeterias and after-school clubs. Instead, social interactions were confined to virtual chat rooms and online forums. The school life in the future had been reduced to a pixelated facade. Even the concept of homework had lost its significance. With only one teacher per subject, the workload had become overwhelming. Assignments piled up faster than students could complete them, leading to a sense of frustration and helplessness. Students rely heavily on social media and popular culture, such as songs, to shape their socialization and behaviour. Students navigate their social interactions based on what they observe online and in media. As a result, everyone has access to the internet at school and they mostly communicate through technology instead of face-to-face interaction. This phenomenon is also attributed to the school environment, which shapes the prevailing school culture.

The school environment buzzed with the constant hum of smartphones and tablets, as students eagerly checked their feeds between classes. Every corner of the campus had become a potential backdrop for the perfect Instagram post or TikTok video, with students vying for likes and followers like currency. The role of teachers and staff had evolved into little more than glorified babysitters. They simply supervised the students, ensuring they didn't get into too much trouble while they scrolled through their feeds. In the future school environment, students are expected to attend class in person in a building, but there are no teachers in the classroom. Instead, every student will be meeting their teacher via a virtual classroom. Each subject will only have one teacher. The school environment has become technology-based, with every teacher assisted by an AI assistant that helps them mark grades and provide feedback. There will be hall monitors to ensure students are in class and not wandering around. Hall monitors equipped with advanced surveillance technology ensured that students remained in their designated classrooms, minimizing distractions and maximizing learning time. Any attempt to wander was promptly detected and redirected, maintaining order within the school environment. Additionally, every student will be provided with tablets and devices at the start of the school year. They can keep the devices until university or when they switch to a new school board. They can also bring the devices home for homework and other educational purposes.

In conclusion, in the year 2049, the landscape of education was drastically reshaped by technological advancements. The shift towards online education through virtual platforms like Zoom has led to an era of convenience, yet at the cost of engagement and depth of learning. Social interactions moved from bustling cafeterias to virtual chat rooms, and the role of teachers evolved into mere supervisors. As the school environment embraced technology, socialization became increasingly influenced by internet trends and popular culture, shaping behaviour and interactions. Thus, the future of education stood at a crossroads, where the integration of technology and the preservation of authentic human connection would define the school culture of generations to come.

Government/Politics Structure

From a GDP viewpoint, Ontario is thriving in comparison to its other provinces. In the year 2030, a new party had formed and been selected to represent the province; The Independence Party of Canada (IPC). The IPC stood for neoliberal ideologies that privatized the economy. Ontario was in the midst of unaffordable housing, increased homelessness, rising food prices, a mental health epidemic, and declining public institutions such as healthcare and schools.

In 2030, the IPC highlighted how the economy was to blame for these problems. The Ontario government had created these problems through mismanagement of public funds. Despite putting more money in these areas than ever before in its history, the situation continued to spiral. Therefore, the solution was to increase privatization, so that the province will gain more money overall, and success or failure in this neoliberal economy will be a result of the individuals’ merit.

Education was the IPC’s primary target. The IPC presented the pilot project of one teacher per subject for each grade. In 2023, the Ontario government had been spending $34.7 billion in education. By the time of the 2030 elections, it had increased by an approximate $600 million per year to a total of $40 billion . In the pre-election political debate, the IPC promised Ontario citizens that they would save them 40 billion per year which would then be reinvested to supporting infrastructures in society. Their platform was based on the ideology of meritocracy, and the equitable learning that remote learning and AI grading provided. The IPC won by a landslide.

The IPC selected highly qualified curriculum developers who had written a number of academic articles that listed the benefits of privatization. These curriculum developers ensured that the Ontario curriculum from K-12 would allow students to reach their full potential through usage of digital technology, and an equitable grading schema that utilized AI to grade. The AI was developed to grade based on having key words in students answers which would highlight their usage of the IPC ideology. The entire curriculum aimed to create responsible citizens by teaching them values of meritocracy. The curriculum encourages digital competencies, and as such the IPC has invested in accessible centres for using digital technologies called Digital Labs. These centres replace public libraries, as anyone can access laptops using their Digital Lab ID cards. These centres ensure that anyone can participate on social media, have access to news, and utilize the internet and apps needed to complete work or school work. This way, even if someone were too poor to afford a phone or computer, they would not be left behind by the digital divide.

While teacher unions were against the implementation of the pilot project, it received a lot of support from parents who just wanted their children to be successful in schools. However, in the year 2042 after over a decade of the system in place, graduates of this system began protesting against it, as they believe that it is actually being used in favour of the upper-class who have the connections and social capital to perform better in interviews, and receive better jobs than the majority of the population that has become completely digitally dependent. The IPC and its supporters who provide generous donations to the province, deny the accusations. They vouch that the current system is a reflection of meritocracy, and those who work hard will obtain the occupations they want.

Across the province students have a graduation rate of 90% regardless of class, gender, or race. These statistics are often cited in public speeches because it highlights how the current system has created a successful and equitable curriculum for secondary students. This change in schooling had a ripple effect on other elements in society, primarily the workforce.

The economy has had an increase in GDP. However, this is due to job creations in manufacturing and low-skill areas instead of unionized white-collar positions that have become extremely competitive. As students graduate high school, instead of developing critical thinking as the curriculum intends, they are digitally dependent on AI for completing school work. As such those who do not work hard to practice for interviews or know ahead of time the buzz word responses that the interviewers are looking for, consequently do not perform well and so they are unable to be admitted into post-secondary despite having near perfect averages in secondary schools. Current secondary school graduates have taken to protesting on the streets that despite their achievement in grade average, the system has made it even harder for students to enter post-secondary or have a chance at a secure job.

As the majority are stuck with the decision to either work in low paid, no benefits, and precarious conditions, or no job at all, there has consequently been an increase in crime and homelessness as some people do not think it is worth working super hard without the benefits being reflected. Meanwhile, many higher paid jobs are kept exclusive to the generations of upper-class as they require social capital not taught in secondary schools to perform in the interviews, and often learn skills from private tutors or attend private schools to prepare them in literacy, and mathematical skills without the use of AI, that are needed for post-secondary.

Ultimately, while the economy has increased thanks to neoliberal privatization, the overall living conditions for people have declined. The gap between rich and poor grows, and student graduating from secondary school do not have the knowledge needed to be successful in the current system.

Links to Individual Narratives

Kiran's Individual Narrative

Amy's Individual Narrative

Linda's Individual Narrative