CH The Fun They Had

THE FUN THEY HAD by ISAAC ASIMOV
SUBJECT:- ENGLISH
CLASS:- IX
THE FUN THEY HAD by ISAAC ASIMOV
LEARNING THROUGH VIRTUAL CLASSROOM

COMPUTERS
SCHOOLS OF FUTURE
MOVING E-TEXT
ROBOTIC TEACHER
A ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
A
Isaac Asimov was born on 02 January 1920 in Petrovichi (Russia). He
immigrated with his family to the United States and became a bio-
chemistry professor while pursuing writing. He published his first novel,
Pebble in the Sky, in 1950. An immensely prolific author who penned nearly
500 books, he published influential sci-fi works like I, Robot and the
Foundation trilogy, as well as books in a variety of other genres. He died
in New York city on 06 April 1992.

Before to start chapter autor wants to know……..
What kind of school would you want

to have in the future?
How much will the computer be involved

in the future education ?
Will you feel more happy in a more

developed, high-tech society? Why or why
not ?
PRESENT (OLD) SCHOOL
CLASSROOMS
FUTURE SCHOOL CLASSROOMS
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PRESENT
(OLD) SCHOOL AND THE FUTURE
SCHOOL
 The basic difference between the Present
(Old) and the future Schools as follows:-
1. MATERIALS:-
 PRESENT SCHOOL:- Real book:-Printed on
papers; yellow; crinkly.
 FUTURE SCHOOL:- Tele-book:-E-book; on the

3. CLASSROOMS:-
 PRESENT SCHOOL:-Teaching in a building;
many students are taught the same thing
togtogeet
htherer..
 FUTURE SCHOOL:- In his or her own house;

needless to leave home; each kid could be
taught differently; the classes are always on at
4. HOMEWORK & TEST:-
 PRESENT SCHOOL:- Exam; Test; Paper
Writing; Essay Writing.
 FUTURE SCHOOL:- Write them out in a

computer by pressing the keys; them
put them on the slot.
2 . TEACHERS:-
 PRESENT SCHOOL:- Teacher:-a real man;
communication; emotional; not perfectly
ccorreo
rrecctt..
 FUTURE SCHOOL:- Robotic or

mechanical teacher; giving test after test; no
INTRODUCTION

Set in the year 2157, when children learn individually at home using a
mechanical teacher (robotic teacher), the story tells of an eleven-year-old Margie
Jones, whose neighbour Tommy finds a real book in the attic of his house. Isaac
Asimov depicts a school system which is independent of human teacher and
based on technical advance. In this system there are no human mistakes and it
is a perfect way to give every child the same knowledge and information as per
his level. But there are some disadvantages too. Human pupils do not learn like
a computer. I think learning has to be a kind of fun, otherwise the probability of
forgetting is higher. Studies have come to the result that you can learn things
better if you have fun while you are learning.

I N T R O D U C T I O N ….
 Another disadvantage is that there is no social , moral and
emotional development like at schools in past. Learning with friends
at school can be a motivation. At schools today, the pupils improve
their communication and their behavior in a group. In Asimov´s
future vision, there are no human teachers who can give moral
values to the children. Giving moral values is the duty of their
parents and teachers because a mechanical teacher cannot give
moral values.
CONTINUES…..
 I think the story "The Fun They Had" is very interesting.
It shows how the world could be in 2157 when

everybody owns a machine teacher. Isaac Asimov´s
representation of a non-desirable school of the future
gives you "food for thought" how school should be and
how much computers determine our lives. So in my
opinion it is an excellent story.
SUMMARY
The story takes us to the world of future where computers will play a major role in the
field of education. Books and schools as we know now will perhaps not exist.
The story opens with Margie writing in her diary about an old book that Tommy had
found. Margie was reminded of her grandfather who had once talked about his
grandfather who went to an actual school where the students were taught by human
teachers. Tommy was thirteen years old and Margie was of eleven. They found many
strange things in the book. One of the strangest things was that after reading the
However, Margie and Tommy lived in the future world, in the year 2157 where
education was completely computerized. They did not go to schools. Instead, they
had a special study room where a computer taught them. The computer teacher
was programmed and adjusted according to the needs of each child.
The pages of the book they found were yellow and crinkly. Margie and Tommy
found it funny to read the words that didn’t move like they moved on the screen.
When they turned back to the page before, it still had the same words on it.
SUMMARY……
Margie hated school. She was having problems with learning Geography from her
'mechanical teacher’. It was black, large and ugly with a big screen on which all the
lessons were shown and questions were asked, all in a special room in their own
house. It could also calculate the marks in no time. Margie hated the slot where
she had to insert her homework or test papers. Once the geography sector of her
mechanical teacher was graded too quick so that her marks got worse and worse.
The county inspector rebuilt it in one hour.
Both Tommy and Margie wondered at the book found. Margie also wondered how
much fun it would be studying in a school. Studying in a fun way, with other children
and that too from a human teacher who gave them homework and asked
questions. They had a special building, where the children went to study and they
learned the same thing if they were the same age.
The author’s message is one of warning against the dangers of computerized
homeschooling which will deprive children of the benefits of the personal
interactions between students and teachers, which help them develop social skills.
N ow a fe w q u e s t i o n s …
 1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
 2. What did Margie write in her diary?
 3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
 4. What are 3 things about the book did she find

strange?
 5. What do you think a telebook is?
 6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any

classmates?
 7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?

THANK YOU

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THE FUN THEY HAD by ISAAC ASIMOV

LEARNING THROUGH VIRTUAL CLASSROOM

in New York city on 06 April 1992.

What kind of school would you want

How much will the computer be involved

Will you feel more happy in a more

 FUTURE SCHOOL:- Tele-book:-E-book; on the

 FUTURE SCHOOL:- In his or her own house;

 FUTURE SCHOOL:- Write them out in a

 FUTURE SCHOOL:- Robotic or

mechanical teacher (robotic teacher), the story tells of an eleven-year-old Margie

Asimov depicts a school system which is independent of human teacher and

a computer. I think learning has to be a kind of fun, otherwise the probability of

better if you have fun while you are learning.

 Another disadvantage is that there is no social , moral and

emotional development like at schools in past. Learning with friends

at school can be a motivation. At schools today, the pupils improve

their communication and their behavior in a group. In Asimov´s

values to the children. Giving moral values is the duty of their

parents and teachers because a mechanical teacher cannot give

 I think the story "The Fun They Had" is very interesting.

It shows how the world could be in 2157 when

 1. How old are Margie and Tommy?

 2. What did Margie write in her diary?

 3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?

 4. What are 3 things about the book did she find

 5. What do you think a telebook is?

 6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any

 7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?

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