For much of my life I have heard of the pending demise of movie theatres. First, it was the video tape, then DVDs and more recently it has been the explosion of online viewing options. So, who would go to the movie theater and pay $15 to watch a movie when they can watch one online anywhere they want. Well as we have learned, the answer is a lot of people. I am apparently one of the few people who has not seen Avengers: End Game. As of writing this, it has made over $2 billion in theatres! Not bad considering theatres were supposed to be relics of the past by now.
I think of the changes they have made in connection to the changes made in schools. I actually think we have some things in common. Throughout my teaching career, I have often heard from prophets of the future say that schools are going to go the way of the dinosaur – for many of the same reasons I have heard for movie theatres. In short, technology would make schools as we know them out-of-date.
So just how have schools and movie theatres evolved in the last few decades to be as relevant and important now as ever.
They are more than just about the content. Go to the movies, and the movie is just part of the experience. Movie theatres are full amusement complexes with food courts, arcades and a range of other activities. And schools and classes are more than just the course material. If schools were just teachers reading material and students copying material – this could be easily replaced, but they are engaging places where students connect with information. The course material is actually just a small part of what makes up school. So while you can replace the delivery method of school material – that does not replace school.
They both create experiences you cannot create at home through a screen. I grew up going to movie theatres that had small screens, not-so comfortable seats and your snack choice of 1. popcorn or 2. popcorn with butter . Go now, and you have seats that recline, 4D films, and theatres that are like your living room on steroids. Again, they built an experience that would not be possible anywhere else. And in schools, classes are inquiry focused and more personalized. We have moved away from the factory model that could easily be sent through computer wires to something that is far more connected. In the past, schools would sometimes operate in ways that could easily be automated, but no longer is that ever the case.
There is something about gathering together in the community. With both movies and learning, we sometimes underestimate the power of the shared experience. There is something about going with your friends to see a movie together – in an increasingly disconnected world, this is a common intersection. And similarly schools provide that community gathering place. While in many parts of our life we connect digitally, schools allow us to learn together and have shared experiences. And while the experiences are different than a generation ago – the importance of the shared experience is still as critical as it is today.
The comparison of the transformation of movie theatres and schools is not a perfect one. It is interesting to see how they have both managed to stay incredibly relevant. And while we can watch movies in so many ways now, or access learning anywhere or anytime, the institutions are still strong.
So no Avengers for me, but I will definitely be in line on December 19th for Star Wars!
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