Brain Botox
The TES on Friday published a story that builds on the work being done as part of BCH. Its title – a mildly scribed “Future Pupils may use ‘brain Botox’”.
At a glance, the article is quite alarmist: learners have a right to use smart drugs; teachers guilty of discrimination if they don’t ensure equal access to cognition enhancers; children holding all their digital profiles on memory sticks! But that’s just at a first glance.
What is so interesting about the paper upon which this is based is that its content causes an emotional response from the reader – and the TES article does just the same. This is because the possibilities offered by technological change can challenge the beliefs and values we hold about education.
The data and trends that this article builds from are about the possiblities of using smart drugs, of psyco-pharmaceuticals to enhance memory and performance etc. But it isn’t the possibility of these trends developing that causes such a reaction in the reader, after all, we already have Ritalin, Modafinil as well as a whole host of banned drugs for performance atheletes. The reaction comes from how these changes challenge or are challenged-by our views and beliefs about education.
The greatest strength of this article is that is sparks conversations and thought about possible futures – and it takes questions about the future of education into the wider educational community. In a previous post I presented some benefits for thinking about the future and the TES article is a great example of point 3: bringing about preferable futures. The paper highlights techno trends that are part of a possible, even a probable future – but the way in which we consider these technological possiblities and the ways in which we act now, go towards creating the preferable future that we want. So – if the TES article caused a gut reaction or the socio-tech paper caused a moment of reflection – consider the paper some more, share your thoughts on millionfutures or by commenting here.
For me the sentence “['smart' drugs] are expected to be common in schools within 20 years” is the one that concerns me – because it takes away the agency that I/we have to influence the way in these drugs are used in education – indeed the agency we have over any of these possible futures (positively and negatively).
There were a number of really interesting conversations at the FAN club event about cosmetic psycho-pharmacology and I’ll leave you with a question that was raised and left open. Where is the acceptable line between early morning coffee to help with concentration; vitamins to feel healthy; fish oils for learning, ritalin for specific learner groups, and the use of provigil and other ’smart drugs’?
