The Future of Technology: How Close Are We to Living Like the Jetsons?

The Jetsons predicted many of the technologies we use today, such as video calls, smart watches, and flying cars. This blog post explores how The Jetsons influenced our ideas about the future of technology.

When I was a kid one of my favorite cartoons was The Jetsons. Maybe it was about the future possibilities of flying cars? Or was it about the video calls or smart watches with video, a la Inspector Gadget? No, I'm pretty sure it was Rosie the robot maid. Sassy, but a great housekeeper and conversationalist. 

Forget Roomba, I'm still waiting for my very own Rosie to be available!

When I was in Middle School my History teacher showed us a video about the future. I was fascinated. The home had an indoor gym with all these gadgets that could measure heart rate, body temperature and calories burnt. We were all like, "yeah, right!" The mom called her son via intercom to tell him to get ready for dinner. She told him that it would be ready in three minutes. The kid then proceeded to go around his gadget-filled home counting down to the three-minute meal that would be waiting for him. By the time he got to the kitchen there was this big spread (I can't remember exactly what it was, sorry). And again, all of us students, in unison, "yeah, right!" The last scene was guests arriving and the parents inviting them to sit down to watch a video of their latest vacation. They actually had a home theater! This excited us kids the most. When the dad brought out a video camera and popped out the VHS from it, then popped it into the VHS player, again, we were like, "yeah, right!" And why not, since we were watching this film on one of those reel-to reel projectors?

Disneyland used to have this attraction, the Carousel of Progress, that showed the evolution of technology shown through the lens of a kitchen. It went from having a pot-bellied, coal/wood burning stove to a gadget-filled kitchen, complete with a microwave and a computerized refrigerator that reminded the inhabitants of the groceries that would be needed soon. I was mezmerized. I just watched the video and I don't remember the flat screen TV or the VR stuff - then again, it was 50 years ago when I visited that attraction!

Why is it that I could accept what I saw on the Jetsons and at Disneyland, but had a hard time believing the film that my History teacher showed us? By the way, thank you, Mr. Anderson. Perhaps because the film was being presented as factual and the other two had fantasy imbedded into their narratives? Ahh, the future of gadgets! Perhaps we will eventually be able to keep up with the Jetsons!

In my opinion, The Jetsons did a great job of predicting the future of technology. They showed us a world where we had flying cars, robot maids, and video calls. Today, many of these technologies are commonplace.

But what about the future of education? How is edtech being used to shape the future of learning? Did you know that many of the technologies that we use in education today were predicted by The Jetsons? Do you want to know how The Jetsons' vision of the future is shaping the way we learn today?

I'd like to recommend an article that explores this question in more detail. The article is called "12 Cool Technologies “The Jetsons” Predicted For 2062 That We Have Right Now," and it can be found at https://www.emergingedtech.com/2019/11/10-cool-technologies-the-jetsons-predicted-for-2062-that-we-have-right-now/

The article discusses how The Jetsons predicted many of the technologies that are now being used in education. It also explores how Edtech is helping to make education more personalized, engaging, and effective.

I hope you'll check out the article. It's a great read and it will give you a lot to think about.

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