Young Creatives

u12 Award of Distinction

Faced with the question “How could the school of the future look,” I suddenly had thousands of images in my head; super modern buildings, floating personalized touchscreens, digital textbooks … But then I thought, regardless of how modern and cool a school like that would be, there will always be someone who just doesn’t like school. Perhaps this is because every person is different and therefore needs a different kind of learning.

This is why my school of the future has an electronic device that adapts to each person. When the students sleep, they lie on an electronic cushion that automatically connects with their brain. Every night, the device teaches the students new material in a personalized manner. The students then review this material on their own when they are awake.
The device can also recognize the subjects and areas of knowledge in which the students still need help, and it attempts to find the best mode of learning for them. The goal of all of this is for school to be fun for everyone!
When kids have fun learning, their interest in learning will also be stimulated, and they will want to continue utilizing this kind of learning to make a better future for themselves. In the school of the future, the question will not be how one learns but rather what one can achieve with what one has learned!

Project Credits / Acknowledgements

BG & BRG Vienna III Boerhaavegasse

Biography

Matilde Irene Abarca Hernández (b. 2007) is in the sixth grade (arts program) of BG & BRG Vienna III Boerhaavegasse. She enjoys drawing, singing, and playing piano, and she loves school. Her favorite subjects are math and physics. Her goal is to draw hyperrealistic portraits. She was born in Colombia and has lived in Austria for six years.

Jurystatement

The assignment with this school project was: “Draw your vision of how school could look in 100 years.” Matilde Abarca Hernández tackled this theme with a radical subjectivity and in the process hit a nerve at its most sensitive spot. In her drawing, the dream of “learning in your sleep” becomes a Kafkaesque nightmare. The usefulness of drumming knowledge into students is not only questioned here; it is also reduced to surreal absurdity. The depth of thought, the hypnotic effect, the reduction to paper and pencil, and not least the assuredness and maturity of the execution causes one to marvel at what people are able to express even at such a young age.

Talent Talks

As a complementary international part of the category u19–create your world of the Prix Ars Electronica, jury member and moderator Conny Lee (AT) is talking with some of this years winners about their ideas, creativity and future visions.