After School: Inventing the Future
During the summer of 1890,
Thomas
Edison made plans to write a science fiction novel called Progress.
The title was a good one for Edison. As inventor of the light bulb, it's
not surprising that he looked forward to a bright future. In fact, he
had made a career out of making improvements in people's lives.
Activities
1 Just take a look at this list
of inventions:
1874 |
Multiplex transmission
By figuring out how to send many telegraph messages simultaneously
back and forth over a single wire, Edison opened the door to today's
world of online communication. |
1875 |
Mimeograph
A forerunner of the photocopier, computer printer, and fax machine,
Edison called his invention the "electric pen." |
1876 |
Research and development laboratory
At his "invention factory" in Menlo Park, New Jersey, Edison
proved his maxim that invention is "ninety percent perspiration
and only ten percent inspiration." |
1878 |
Microphone
With his carbon telephone transmitter Edison gave Alexander Graham
Bell's invention a human voice and created the basic tool for modern
voice communications. |
1878 |
Sound recording
The "talking machine" earned Edison the title, "The
Wizard of Menlo Park," and paved the way for today's recording
industry. |
1879 |
Electric light bulb
While he was perfecting this landmark invention, Edison also discovered
the basic principle that would lead to development of the vacuum tube,
the essential component in early radios, televisions, and computers. |
1882 |
Electric power system
We wouldn't be living in a wired world today without it. |
1891 |
Motion pictures
This invention made Edison the first movie mogul, producing hits like
The Great Train Robbery (1903) at his film studio in New Jersey. |
1900 |
Alkaline battery
He just kept going and going and going. . . |
Edison never finished his science fiction novel. He was better at making
progress than writing about it. But looking back at his accomplishments,
it's not hard to imagine what kind of story he had to tell. For more about
the science behind Thomas Edison’s achievements, and the impact
his work had, see the Thinkfinity partner-site Science Netlinks lesson
on Thomas
Edison for Kids.
2 Now take a look in the other
direction, at your future. What inventions since Edison's time are going
to change the way we live in the next century? What innovations still
to come are going to open up new worlds of possibility? Or does the future
seem a darker place from our vantage point than it did when Edison tried
to imagine it more than a hundred years ago?
To think about the “future” in a different context entirely,
check out the ReadWriteThink literature activity entitled: A
Poem of Possibilities: Thinking about the Future.
3 Use this chart to make plans
for your own science fiction novel. If you like, first look at this ReadWriteThink
handout for a definition
of science fiction. Talk with your family and friends about changes
they've experienced in all these aspects of our lives and trend-setting
developments they see today. Ask what innovations they foresee in each
category over the years to come. When you complete your research, come
up with a title for your novel that sums up your vision of the future,
as the word Progress did for Edison. Then write a paragraph describing
the world you see awaiting us in the years ahead.
Inventing
the Future |
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Changes Experienced
in the Past |
Today's Trend-Setting
Developments |
Innovations in Years to Come
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Communications
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Education |
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Energy |
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Finance |
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Food & Nutrition
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Government |
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Housing |
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Medicine |
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Social Organization
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Sports & Entertainment
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Transportation
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Other |
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If you would like to continue your inquiry into science fiction, the
Thinkfinity partner-site ReadWriteThink has a number of science fiction
reading recommendations for grade levels 6-8,
and for grade levels 9-12.
For more about Thomas Edison, and his contributions to science and technology,
Edsitement has a four-lesson unit entitled: Thomas
Edison’s Inventions in the 1900s and Today: From “New”
to You!
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