Technolandy

Day 185 (of 2025/26) year end reflections on metaphors of education: blockbuster/Netflix or malls/boutiques… the evolution needs to continue 

How we ‘gather’ has changed… but not as much as many think – I freely admit that I am corrupted… err influenced by some past experiences. I got to do a class in an asynchronous manner. I missed provincial exams (due to the sudden passing of my dad). I reflect on too many peers being excluded each year for reasons we (mostly) better understand – as a side conversation today highlighted the benefits (and still areas of growth) around understanding the to,e of trauma and neurologies impact learning environments. As someone was sharing how a ‘complaint’ was raised regarding whether or not ‘we’ hold kids to high expectations – I retorted of course we do, just not in a moment after a triggering event may have occurred and while some may wish for pub;if consequences as evidence to others of ‘what would happen’, I will prefer ‘others’ to see that I will always try to work with them with a framework of dignity and respect to help get brains back on track. Not always successful and not always honest a happen in five minutes, much like how changes in routine take time to see if they’ll make an impact – one day isn’t enough – I coach a minimum of 15 days for any one change – week one (this is curious stage), week two (are we really still doing this? stage) and then the start of week 3 = guess this is the new normal – albeit knowing 30 days is what it takes to stop/start a habit….

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Rant over. Metaphor review time:

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Blockbuster/Netflix – this year + I have noted that screens and AIfeel like ‘the disruption’ some of us have been waiting on since around 2004 (a couple books predicting the time for a change to education being (over)due… and I notice that ‘big education’ (us) seem to be more focused on banning and ignoring a significantly impactful tool/disruptor which feels like how Blockbuster once dismissed Netflix while focusing on floor layouts and adjustments to how they could continue to magnify the joy and value (and nostalgia) of what has been rather than what could be…

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Mall Mindset metaphor: I also look at shopping malls as being more like our school siloing of subjects – and note a significant decline in mall participation for a variety of factors.  Great for some, but not all. Boutique mindsets becoming en vogue. A skeptical eye on things made at scale and then disposed. The view on students using AI for their tasks only emphasizes to me how much of the day can be busy-work. We need to focus on learning that is relevant and meaningful. Acknowledge that some classes are going to have learners ‘going through the motions’ and that a focus on mandating attendance, participation (to me, lift vacs the hoodie and ask if this days work will be o the test), and a mandated final exam (which emphasizes that much of the years work is not to be valued if it can’t find real estate on the space of that summative test). Malls are full of nostalgia, but also not much relevance to many at all times. I don’t wanna spend more time at Sephora – can’t I check out the as seen on tv store while my kid checks out the latest fashion stuff?!?  Ooh same with science. Hated those courses. Learning how to learn with AI and screens, I can unpack and understand some neat scientific terms (as I unpacked a Gary Larson comic become a legitimate scientific term a few months back: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVpYFhOkYgP/?igsh=MWNwczV4OTE5aGkwZw==. That was a good rabbit hole 6o climb down!

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Maybe that is the common thread between both metaphors.

Blockbuster wasn’t doomed because people stopped wanting stories. Malls weren’t doomed because people stopped wanting to shop. The disruption came because people wanted more flexibility, more personalization, more relevance, and more agency over how they spent their time.

Education has always been about learning. The question is whether we are willing to adapt the structures around it.

I don’t think every school becomes Netflix. I don’t think every course becomes a boutique experience. There is still value in gathering together, in shared experiences, in community, and in learning alongside others. But if we spend all our energy defending the format instead of improving the experience, we risk becoming experts at preserving systems that fewer and fewer people find meaningful.

The evolution needs to continue.

Not because schools are failing. Not because teachers are failing. But because learners, technologies, communities, and our understanding of how people learn continue to change.

And history has a funny way of reminding us that nostalgia is not a strategy.