1
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE (OER)
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence
Making sense
of the Future
A workshop for future-competent students
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
2
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence
OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE (OER)
“The future is a much better guide to the present �than the past. Be prepared, be ready to trade �everything you know about history [...] �for a single glimpse of its future.”1
— Kodwo Eshun (*1998),
British writer, in a futuristic novel
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
3
Agenda for today our Futures
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Agenda
B R E A K�
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
4
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence
20 minutes
Answer by� moving
Show your stance and impact towards digital futures!
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
5
Answer by moving
Intro
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Digitalisation is changing the futures �of our societies.
Processes of change in the world resulting from the use of computers and the internet.2
Plural, because there is not only one future, but numerous futures are conceivable.3
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
6
Answer by moving
One minute
Task: You have one minute to quietly reflect on:��In the year 2040, how will digitalisation have changed
Pay special attention to your feeling: �Does it feel positive or negative to think about this?
Individual work
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
7
Answer by moving
One minute
�Task:
Imagine yourself in a generation in the future,�in the year 2040. Do you think the world will be a better place thanks to digitalisation than the one we live in today - or do you imagine it will be a worse place?
Position yourself along the opinion line.
All together
Digitalisation makes the world�a better place
Digitalisation makes the world�a worse place
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
8
Task:
Imagine yourself in a generation in the future,�in the year 2040. �How do you see your personal agency in the digital world and your potential to influence social processes?
Position yourself along the opinion line.
Digitalisation makes the world�a better place
My ability to act is diminished by digitalisation.�I can’t influence things.
My ability to act is increased by digitalisation. �I can influence things.
Digitalisation makes the world�a worse place
All together
One minute
Answer by moving
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
9
Answer by moving
5 minutes
Task:
Find a partner who stands as far away from you as possible.
Ask each other the following questions:
Work in pairs
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
10
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence
45 minutes
Megatrends
Exploring signals�of change
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
11
Megatrends
Intro
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Megatrends =
slow, global, but far-reaching transformation processes that significantly influence economics, politics, ecology, mobility, and society.4
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
12
Megatrends
Intro
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Characteristics (exemplary): �
Climate change
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
13
Megatrends
Intro
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Characteristics (exemplary): �
Globalisation
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
14
Intro
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Overcoming gender stereotypes
Megatrends
Intro
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Characteristics (exemplary):�
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
15
Megatrend
Task:
Get together in three groups. Each group works at one table for 10 minutes and then switches.
At the group tables, you will find the graph on the left which enlists aspects of society that will be affected by the three megatrends (climate change, global networking and overcoming gender stereotypes).
On the respective worksheets, write down your ideas in bullet points on how the megatrend will affect the aspect of society in the future. Add to the ideas of the other groups.
Megatrends
3 x 10 minutes
Three groups
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
16
B R E A K
then …�
Agenda for today our Futures
Agenda
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
17
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Newspaper �from 2040
Think ahead �and write creatively
1.5 hours
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
18
Newspaper from 2040
Our classroom is now a newspaper editorial office �in the year 2040.�
We ask ourselves:
Our goal: Writing the news of the day for February 4th, 2040.
Intro
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
19
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
Newspapers have different “editorial teams”. These are groups of journalists who are responsible for a specific “department” (subject area).
For example, our editorial office could have the following “editorial teams”:
Newspaper from 2040
Intro
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
20
Task:
Join one of the following editorial teams. There should be roughly the same number of journalists working in all of the teams.
You now have one hour to write newspaper articles on various topics from your department. Discuss your topic ideas in the editorial teams and then decide which journalist is responsible for which article.
Newspaper from 2040
1 hour
In small groups
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
21
Requirements for the articles:
Newspaper from 2040
1 hour
In small groups
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
22
Thursday, February 4th, 2040
Present your news of the day!
Newspaper from 2040
Presentation of results
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de
23
15 minutes
MAKING SENSE OF THE FUTURE
“Anticipating the future is a skill that needs to be learnt and practised just like reading and writing.“6
“The future is a much better guide to the present than the past”7
Final reflections
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT INSTITUT FÜR INTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT · hiig.de