Footsteps to the future

The students receive images from the last century that represent visions of the future. In small groups of two or three, they discuss individual images about which of these visions of the future have become reality and which have not. They consider what reasons there could be for why technical developments can sometimes be predicted better and sometimes worse.

At the end of this teaching phase, the students imagine the respective images and explain what they discussed in the group.

The students work in pairs. You choose a topic that particularly interests you, e.g. school, mobility, health or leisure. They consider how lives could change through technical innovation in these areas. Both positive and negative aspects are recorded. For innovations that the students judge to be overwhelmingly positive, they create headlines that are as succinct as possible and relate to their place of residence or school. The headlines are formulated. The requirement here is that it should be summarized in a short sentence if possible.

First, the students are introduced to the idea of ​​artistic implementation in the form of footprints. They learn that they are to create an artwork called “Footprints to the Future” from their headlines. To show that the headline is set in the future and to provide a personal connection to its message, the headline should be dated on the student’s birthday in 2065.

In this phase of the lesson, the students work with a vector graphics program, e.g. inkscape. If students have never used this program before, just paste the text of their headline into the footprint. If you already have experience with the program, you can add additional design elements. Depending on your previous experience, you may need to use learning videos to explain how to work with the program.

The students learn that the laser cutter can cut, line engrave and surface engrave. We will discuss together which setting is best for the footprint. The students learn about the problem that certain problems can arise when cutting out writing, e.g. that when cutting the letter “O” only a hole is cut into the material. The students are explained how to operate the LAserutter and which safety requirements must be observed. The footprints designed by the students are then cut out using the Lassercutter.

The students lay out the footprints on the floor. First you read what is written on the footprints. Then everyone walks away from the footprints one by one. The author of the headline briefly explains how he came to his vision for the future. It is being discussed whether there could also be negative effects. The group votes on how likely they think the headline shown is. At the end the footprints are photographed. Alternatively, they can be attached to the wall or stuck to a carpet. This resulted in a work of art that could be exhibited at school.