All the talk about Heidegger and his message about people having control over their own destiny as a society made me think about the Disney movie Wall-e. For those of you that have not seen it this is the premise...The opening scene is New York (or some big city in America). There are no people, wildlife or plantlife, just dirt and garbage. (This is someone's idea of what the world will be like if we don't take care of it, I guess) The buildings are made of cubes of garbage. There is a little robot named Walle-e who is there cleaning all the piles of garbage. We find out later that the humans are all on a space ship orbitting the earth until it gets cleaned up enough for them to return. However, what was supposed to be a 5 year vacation for the human race has now been 700 years. The people are overwieght and live in motorized chairs and do absolutely nothing for themselves anymore. Technology has absolutely taken over their lives to the point where the robots have human traits. The auto pilot of the spaceship was actually making human decisions. To make a very long story short, the pilot of the spaceship realized it is the people that have to make massive changes to their lives in order to return to earth and he realizes that if they plant plants and take care of the land, they can sustain life on earth and so they return. Althought this is a Disney movie, it has a real message to the human race about making good decisions in order to sustain life on the planet. It also relates to Heidegger because it has the message of the saving power. When the people were faced with the end of the world, the pulled together to fight off the technology. A weird analogy, I know, but it's a fantastic message in the movie that happens to deal with exactly what we were talking about in terms of technology taking over and people having to make decisions to save society.
Secondly, just a question for discussion....I was listening to 94.3 yesterday morning on the way to school and the DJ explained this story: His daughter came home with math homework and asked for help. The DJ said he was willing and able to help her with multiplying fractions. However, once he started, he realized he had forgotten. He said that his teachers lied to him. They told him he would need this skill later in life and he realized that in the 20 some years he had never multiplied a fraction and that most of what he learned in school was pointless. He opened the phone lines to see what others thought. One called in and agreed that she had bought a scientific calculator for $150 and never used it. Another called in and said, "of course you haven't used math in 20 years, you're a radio DJ"!!!! Harsh. Anyway, what do you think about his statement?
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The parallel to Wall-E is a neat one, it is certainly in this theme. No doubt there are a number of films with this type of message. Using such a film in class would be a good way to start a conversation (legally, of course!). I wonder what other films might apply? mmmm I'll have to think about that - anyone?
ReplyDeleteYour second comment can probably be said about lots of content in our various curricula. As a former Pre-Calculus teacher (which I loved teaching!) I got that question a lot. While I always tried to have ways the math could be applied in various ways, the truth was my response "I don't know if you will ever need it", since I did not know what they would end up doing in life. In all honestly I agreed that they probably would not use it again. Of course, there are reasons to study things that go beyond having to use it directly in some way. A very interesting question. That is why I think we need to think about what formal education is for, reflect on what we are doing and why.
Regarding your second point, I tell my students they are not learning the material for themselves, instead they are learning for their children. I warn them that they too will have children that will someday come home and ask for help with their homework. Then I tell them it would be a sad world if three generations of one family refuses to or is unable to learn. It gets the point across very quickly.
ReplyDeleteHey Lana,
ReplyDeleteInteresting stuff. Have not seen Wall-e, nor do I know of another film like it. Some Disney art is thought provoking and can be used to make some important points about society. Disneyland itself says something about American culture and the celebration of itself. Interesting how at the end of Wall-e, everyone comes together to fight off technology. Sounds similar to today's green movement. I agree with what you say about Heidegger's saving power.
What Roman says about the children thing and helping with homework is a strategy I have also used. It can work, but that is clientele dependent.
I wonder if the can DJ tell time. Also, I wonder if he ever made the connection between saying quarter to three and one quarter of the hour before three, or 15 minutes out of 60 is a quarter of an hour. How many people actually make the connections between what is learned at school and the realities at home, like half cups of milk, or a ratio of 1:2 meaning one part coke for two parts of rye. My big challenge with fractions is understanding how some people just don't get it no matter how you try to represent it. It is a challenge to think about how to reveal a concept. I don't drink, but if I did, after some days at school I'd imagine the ratio of coke to rye to be 0:3.
Hmmm - must have some tough days, Gary! Like you, I often thought I wish I could understand what is going on in the head of a kid who just can't 'get' a concept like fractions. Maybe we (as a general group) don't do a good enough job of relating concepts, like fractions, to everyday life? But, unless someone sees an immediate use, they often don't make the connection, and thus can't see it later in life? I wonder if the DJ needs a calculator to figure out a 15% tip?
ReplyDeleteLol! Right, Mike. The 15% remark reminds me of the time I bought a TV. It was 40% off. The clerk, knowing fractions well, gave me the TV for 40% of the actual price. Hey... even if my ratio was 0:3, I made no inference to the size of the portion! I said half cups of milk!
ReplyDeleteLana, I really liked your reference to Wall-E! When I thought more about it, I remembered about how the humans in the movie had completely become dependent on the computers, to the point where humans didn't even have to walk! Computers were feeding people, throwing out their trash, and even helped the humans get out of bed (from laying position to sitting position). They had computers/machines do EVERYTHING for them... sort of similar to Heidegger's idea of "standing reserve".
ReplyDeleteHi Lana, I think I will go out and rent Wall-E for myself and my daughter to watch. She is still a little too young for Heidegger.
ReplyDeleteAs for the math comment from the DJ, I agree with the last callers response. If I were a better writer I am sure I could argue that math is the foundation to all of technology and our modern world. Take for example, the engine. The engine was made possible because of differential equations. Before the math was developed, the engines keep oscillating and falling apart. The underlying brain of all computers is mathematics.
As for what our response should be when a kid asks us “When will we ever use this?” I look at it like this. I would never tell a student that he/she will never be a Doctor, a NHL player, or an astronaut. So I definitely do not tell them they will never use this math. I just tell them to keep an open mind, and do not limit yourself.
I have two biases. One for foundational studies and the second for math.
ReplyDeleteMy first degree was from a university which had curriculum designed for robots. It took 5 years for the average B.Sc degree and 6 years for the standard B.Eng degree where other universities took the standard 3 years (it was a university of technology - very technical). The premise-- that you need some science foundations in your life in order to succeed. So, we had two years of foundational studies where what you did had absolutely nothing to do with what you got into university for. So, in those foundational years we studied stuff like: Education, Economics, Technical drawing, computer programming, wood work, metal work, English language studies, business management and administration. Anything you can think of -- of any sort of profession under the earth. Those two years were intense. Today, I have a professional toolbox, a large and small drill for heavy duty drilling because I have had to built networks and needed to break through concrete, although I do not now do any hard technical work except my home refurb when needed. Today, I am taking a course in educational technology, and the educational concepts from yesteryears may be coming back although I am not an educator. Today, I can add the concepts of demand and supply to my understanding of cost and benefits, and price fluctuations, and stable economies although I never became an economist. Today, I can describe and draw a 3-D concept to a technician who needs to build an island in my kitchen although I was never a draughtsman or architect or give directions to my friends by drawing on a paper towel. Your DJ could add and subtract fractions when he pays over the counter on a budget. Divide and multiply when he checks his stock options online. Just because he doesnt whip out a calculator or pen and paper to add up does not mean those concepts are non existent.
My second bias is for maths. I eventually got a 5 year degree in Math/Computer Science/Statistics. Argh! My school describes it as a combined honor. Meaning 2 degrees in 1. But I have never had anyone recognise any one degree over the other. No one has actually referred to the actual subject of the degrees. All employers lump them together -- its a first degree. So, in actual fact, it is a wasted combination. Despite the fact, I, like Paul would argue that Maths is the foundation to all technology and the modern world. And right now, I do not regret the additional 2 years and would never see them as wasted. And I teach my daughters that if you could understand the word problems in maths you can actually understand english, logic, and the skills needed for the day to day world.