IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2016 - 32

NOAH
and the Floating School Network
by Teresa Bosch
How and where do you watch the equivalent of a 'film'?
Growing out of Kunlé Adeyemi's Floating School in real world Makoko, Noah of 2036 is the director of ˝The Floating School
Network. "Noah believes education is the way to develop and preserve the identity of the community. He teaches through
play and fun, organizing entertainment activities including movie screenings followed by commentary. The children emulate the
actors, music, and dance reflected in these films; the school uses these films as a model for developing each child's individual
talents. The students particularly love their role models, the new genre of "African Superheroes." Community members watch
movies in "Floating Theaters" and small showrooms. They continue consuming films individually using mobile technology. For
special occasions, they organize festivals, projections, and spectacles in open spaces with drones. Content comes from
Nollywood and the school itself.
How do you have a shared Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality experience?
The Floating School System is interconnected, with each school sharing knowledge with the others, as well as with the outside
world. They use augmented reality games daily in primary education. The students use their own mobile devices. Everyone has
wearable technology in their wetsuit uniforms. The children also develop their own curriculum with teachers, which encourages
children to engage with the maker movement. They utilize crowdfunding and sourcing to develop tech according to demand.
Children are also trained as human capital for Nollywood. They learn production, content development, acting, dance, and music.
They develop content for all devices-graphic novels, comics, games, and VR experiences. Makoko begins having famous locals,
producers, directors, musicians, actors, dancers, etc., who remain in contact with the community. They have families there, and
community ties are strong.
What tech is your character carrying on them every day?
The teachers access technology in the schools, but they will carry their personal devices on their bodies and in their clothes,
especially in the traditional Yoruba and Egun headwear. Clothing will continue to be distinct as a means for communicating identity.
The children will carry smart bracelets with personal information, GPS, weather alerts, and cameras to collect material for classes.
What is the smallest piece of tech that you own?
Every citizen will have an ID printed on their skin, a tattoo with bar codes in the palm of their hand or within their fingerprint. The
IDs match with the scanned federal archives. This will also serve as a gateway to the community of Makoko, closed to outsiders.
What is your favorite piece of tech?
Noah has a special computer with different screens. That computer interconnects him to the Floating School Network within
Makoko and with the entire communities of Floating Schools in the World. He feels a sense of power when monitoring the system.
How is it powered?
Each school will be powered by solar panels and water-driven turbines. The devices, computers, and tablets will be made of
graphene. Graphene's flexibility will be used in emerging technologies such as roll-up computers, heat sensitive clothing, and
flexible phones.
Teresa Bosch is an Associate Professor and Senior Researcher at Austral University and a Content Developer
in the entertainment industry. She is a Visiting Professor at Montevideo University, Uruguay and is currently a MA+P visiting
scholar in the School of Cinematic Arts at USC. tbosch@austral.edu.ar.
Figure 3. Teresa Bosch's character, Noah, and her answers to the six questions regarding the future of media in Makoko.

indicating membership and privileged access in
Makoko, which is now separate from mainland Lagos -
passcode transmitters and communicative tattoos are
used. Third, local repairmen and technology fabricators build their own scanning electron microscopes
for working at extremely small scales; and they also
set up and tap into ubiquitous drone networks for various purposes.
In terms of media and mobile devices, we uncovered several specific practices, along with a way of
rethinking the computer itself. For viewing AR, virtual
reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR), Makokoans
employ a mix of cheap or used goggles, contact lenses, and auditory implants, along with wearables
(including wrist or headbands, and watches with

retractable screens). This wide range of technology
coincides with financial viability, with Makokoans
using any technology they can afford - from the
cheaply recycled, to the latest and greatest. Clothing,
from uniforms to everyday outfits, include built-in
tech. Mobile phones were improved into modular systems driven by the "mother," housing the processor
for modular technology customized by the user, with
antennas woven into wearables to communicate
between various tech and the "mother." These connections are driven by very fast transmissions that help
decrease the size of all devices. Mobiles remain relevant for uses other than AR. The "computer" as such,
is only relevant in regards to working at "computer
scale," and scale in general is only relevant in terms of

IEEE Technology and Society Magazine

∕

DECember 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2016