The Bookfeed

At the start of the twentieth century, the artist Jean-Marc Côté along with other artists made drawings of what they thought life would be like at the start of the next century. This representation of 21st century schools is pretty dead on. I'm a teacher and I know.

All of the books actually do go into a little machine. Some kid, usually with freakish computational skills, working on behalf of the teacher (and making a lot of money), grinds the books into "content." The content plays through a device. The kids stare blankly, quietly, compliant and largely passive. This is 21st century education -- the ideal version of it anyway.

And the picture gets the teacher right too. Look at his rosy cheeks, successfully restrained exuberance. He appears studious and joyful.

Cote drew it over 100 years ago. It is the bookfeed. And like his underwater carriages and flying firemen, it doesn't work either. What I don't understand is (unlike the flying firemen) why anyone would think that the bookfeed would work -- or would want it to.

Welcome to the bookfeed.