Critical Thinking Do forecasts come true? Amarillo College Library

The AC Library database Academic Search Complete contains an interesting periodical called The Futurist. Image used with permission by Jeff Cornish Business Manager, World Future Society

Writers for this periodical examine trends of all kinds and evaluate other forecasters’ ideas about what might happen and how it might change society or the family or the economy.

Assignment This assignment includes direct links to articles from The Futurist from about twenty years ago.

Assignment You will choose an article and find out if the forecast came true.

Steps printable version printable version 1.Choose an article on the last page. 2.Click the article title to open. The article is from the database. If you are off-campus you may be asked to enter your AC user name and password. It is the same one you use for your AC Online class and WebAdvisor. 3.The article summary page displays first. Click the link to PDF full text to open the whole article.

Steps 4. Read the whole article. 5.Find another article about the same topic published in the last two years. Use one of the BEST BET library databases at this site: AC Library Multi-subject databases.Multi-subject databases Hint: contact the Library if you need help or

Steps 6. After reading the old and new articles, do the following: a. Write the title of the older article you chose. b. Write a sentence summarizing one prediction from the article. (Note: Some of the articles make several predictions. Choose only one.)

Steps c. List the title of the recent article you found. Include the date it was published and the database you used. (Remember – it has to be from one of the AC Library databases, and the new article must have been published in the last two years.) d.Paraphrase in your own words what the article you found says about the forecast/prediction from the twenty year old article.

Steps e. Grade the accuracy of the first article on a scale of 1 (low accuracy) to 5 (excellent accuracy). f. Write two or three sentences about your observations, whatever they may be. g. Turn in or submit electronically to your instructor as directed.

1990’s articles Shopping in the information age Futurist, Nov/Dec 1992, Vol 26 Issue 6, 5 pages Patient, heal thyself Futurist, Jan/Feb 1992 Vol 26, Issue 1, 5 pages Future work Futurist, May/June 1991 Vol 25, Issue 3, 11pages Mind-reading computerMind-reading computer. Futurist, May/June 1992 Vol 26, Issue 3, 1/2 page The moon makes a comeback Futurist, Nov/Dec 1991 Vol 25 Issue 6, 1 page Transformation of dentistry Futurist, May/June 1992 Vol 26, Issue 3, 1/2 page Adding vision to telecommuting Futurist, May/June 1992 Vol 26, Issue 3, 3 pages