I learned _____ at EPCOT.

[figment1985]

I'm starting to learn that some of these threads are annoying as ****

 

[Tim G]

Or perhaps it's because EPCOT was meant to inspire someone to go out and learn or educate himself in hopes of a better future and to showcase some of the great accomplishments we have done as a species... and those who didn't clue into that may have just missed the point and called "Boring and educational" since they missed the "inspiration and challenge." EPCOT is not a university is not granting degrees, but it just may have inspired life and career decisions... :drevil:

Thank you sir,

The defence rests his case...

 

[maggiegrace1]

Epcot Rocks.....

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Perhaps. But the original question was, "What did you learn at Epcot". People say it's original mission was to educate. But to what degree did it actually educate people? No one has referred to it as "inspiretainment".

"To all who come to this place of joy, hope and friendship, welcome."

"Epcot Center is inspired by Walt Disney's creative genius. Here, human achievements are celebrated through imagination, the wonders of enterprise, and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all."
"May Epcot Center entertain, inform and inspire. And, above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to
shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere."'​

I guess it all depends on how you interpreted it. EPCOT always tried to inform, but that was never the draw. Was there a risk you would be educated, sure, but that would always take more effort on your part. Informing and inspiring was much more the point to me. Was there a good chance EPCOT was intended to educate? perhaps, but there never was a ton of content there. I think the educational aspect came from people attending. Since it sort of showed history and sort of showed new things, people cried "SCHOOL SCHOOL!" So, Epcot became educational moreso from the guests than intent. Again, I'm not trying to say it wasn't there in design; I'm merely saying it wasn't necessarily the focus over inspiration and education. ​

 

[dxwwf3]

Epcot82Guy is owning this thread, IMO.

 

[wannab@dis]

What I learned at Epcot is that the US is FULL of stupid people that dont want to learn about anything outside of feeding their faces and going around in loops.

Its not that Epcot didnt teach and inspire, its failure showed that the majority of Americans are shallow and unmotivated ... this is being proven - just watch TV and what do you see (Reality TV) .. look at our college graduates rates in the sciences and math ...

The problem starts at home with the parents.

Epcot Center wasnt a failure, the morals and attitudes of our families are the failure.

I knew something was wrong... and here I thought I spent my money on admission to have fun at a theme park.

I honestly don't think EPCOT was ever meant to be an "educational" experience beyond WDI utilizing history, technology and science in an attempt to entertain in a different way. It had its place, but it still suffered from the "all or nothing" syndrome. They needed more "fun" so they could keep the interest of the guests.

The changes at Epcot over the past several years have brought the fun to the forefront while keeping the educational aspects there, but a little more opaque. This has helped clear the "boring educational" aspect and create a fun and "edutainment" feeling.

Not everyone walks in the gate, looks at the plaque and decides they will make the most of the educational aspects of the park. They are there to have fun... any educational and learning is and should be, second to fun. If the guest has fun, they will want to return for another visit. That's a twofold success... more edutainment opportunities and also more profits. Let's keep in mind that Disney World is there to make money, not teach a science lesson.

 

[davinakb]

1. Land: how to grow Mickey shaped pumpkins (use a mold).
2. Space: how to work on my hand-eye coordination at Mission Control.
3. World Showcase:
   • Mexico, Canada, Norway, France: based on their historical films, they're still kickin' it 80s style.
   • Flowers are pretty. (Flower & Garden Festival)
   • You can drink and drive an ECV.
   • How to attend the maximum number of free beer and wine seminars during the Food & Wine festival--go on a weekday!

 

[surfsupdon]

As a young'n, World Showcase inspired me to learn about different countries and their people. Not just at Epcot and on vacation, but for school reports and general knowledge. I remember I wanted to be a geography teacher b/c of WS. I remember the reason I took up French in school, and not Spanish, was b/c of the pavilion at Epcot. I wanted to learn more than just the "essence" that was presented.

 

[cloudboy]

All that sounds great, but it still doesn't list anything specific that you learned from Epcot, which supports the OP's point.

:sigh. I guess maybe I am a little more pessimistic about the future now.

 

[lcsrig]

I learned that I want to drive at a real test track.

I learned that sitting with people you don't know can lead to interesting conversations.

I learned that people used to talk with their hands a long time ago, too.

I learned that 2 margaritas is all I need!

I learned that even a small Stave church can bring you peace.

I learned that American History can be interested when Mark Twain tells it.

I learned that Canada and Norway look really cold to someone from south LA.

I learned that my child loves EPCOT the most.

I learned that I enjoy learning!!

 

[diddy_mouse]

As a kid, I found all sorts of things interesting at EPCOT. But as I became an adult, I realized that there was so much more to the park. I discovered the original idea of the place and learned more about each pavillion I visited. World Showcase is something I look foward to on every single trip because I find something new about it each time.

Epcot is a pleasure to visit. Sure, the Magic Kingdom is where you want to go to escape reality and step into the realm of fantasy. But Epcot offers us a different perspective on the world that we know. It shows us that technology continues to evolve and that other cultures are things we should explore.

Epcot rocks... :sohappy:

 

[Buzzforprez]

Lots of things. Energy is valuable and limited so we need to conserve. The making of me, have a son so I must have picked up something there. Stress can be combatted but with my job I am still trying. GM makes good cars and that cop behind the sign will never catch a speeder. Oranges smell great!!!! but we won't have them in outer space. Verizon wont sponsor SSE yet my rates still go up each year. We are all globally connected. Mickey can scuba dive. Nemo and his friends taste great!:lol: (kidding) But I miss the breakfast pizza. Disney can grow stuff in almost nothing. We can kill a plant in a day. Also much of the food we eat there is also an attraction yet the prices keep going up. Vader can pronounce symbiosis and it sounds important to me. Dreamfinder kicks Monty Python's backside!!! Jesus juice is not offered at the concession stand outside of captain eo.:lol:

Seriously though.

Walt Disney can suffer all of the tragedies in his lifetime but still envision, guide, and create that which we know today. America was built on the dreams, tears and bloodshed of many, yet we do not fully appreciated that which we were entrusted. If only each of us were half as kind, caring, driven, compassionate, etc. as all of the people in the American Adventure the world would be a better place.

Yeah I learned a lot from Epcot, and hopefully my son will too.:sohappy:

 

[CThaddeus]

Based on the vast majority (nearly all) of the responses to your question, I think your point is definitely supported...and I agree. Even those who were trying to come up with actual examples didn't really come up with strong ones.

I'm not sure what people need to say here to prove the point to you that many of us learn/ed something from EPCOT. Sure, some in this post are making lames jokes about the whole thing, but maybe that's because the original poster was trying to do the same.
As mentioned in my earlier post, I learned something from every pavilion. If you think you need specific facts and figures, then I think you're expecting way too much. Those things were certainly given in many of the attractions (and for a time you could go to Guest Services and get pamphlets that had even more detailed information like all of the composers whose music were used in Spaceship Earth...such as that the final piece played on the descent was composed by Mozart. There's a fact for you. Happy now?). Maybe much I came away with was more along the lines of Trival Pursuit-type information, but it comes in useful to me when I least expect it.
I'm sorry, but if you came away with EPCOT and didn't think you learned a thing, you must have had your eyes, ears, and mind turned off all day.
I agree with the poster who mentioned the inspirational quality of the Park, too. It was attractions like Horizons, Spaceship Earth, and Journey Into Imagination that inspired me to believe that attractions could be so much more than just the fleeting thrills of Thunder Mountain and the like. It could entertain and TEACH, showing our world for what it was, what it is, and what it COULD BE.
But if you still really think you need more specific specifics (and if you really read what some of the others have posted, you wouldn't need them), let me know. I'm happy to continue to prove the original poster's so-called point wrong. I'm sure others on the site here would, too.

 

[v_misses_epcot]

There's a lot to learn at EPCOT. Guest just don't take the time to enjoy and really breathe in the rides and venues they offer.....seriously.

I work at innoventions. BIG DONKEY BUTT SIGNS everywhere discribing what the venues are and yet, they still come up to ask me "what all this is?"

And for the guest that do read the signs above the area where you have to push six buttons AT THE SAME TIME to make the area overload, they end up
walking around pushing each button.....how is that AT THE SAME TIME?

Same goes when I'm at character exit over at character connections and they ask me (when the sign is right in front of their faces,) is this the way to get in???? :brick:


So don't give us this BS that you didn't learn anything at EPCOT, because there's just plently to learn, it's up to you if you want to learn anything while on vacation. =/

Don't like Epcot, don't go. End of Story =D

What did I learn at epcot??

That everything is meant to be climbed on.
Ropes mean "go under"
exit signs mean "enter"


and of course, signs aren't needed.

I also learned that our costumes are made out of polyester XD!!
I learned about the communication through time,
how energy started,
how cars are tested,
how tv's are tested,
how plastics are made,
what each country is about
there are 12, 945 hidden mickeys on the TIPBOARD information screen.
I learned (while taking the spaceship earth tour,) that the planitarium cost one million dollars =D Yeah, the ball that makes the stars....1 million dollars!!:drevil:

so on and so forth....yadda yadda yadda.....

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Seriously though.

Walt Disney can suffer all of the tragedies in his lifetime but still envision, guide, and create that which we know today. America was built on the dreams, tears and bloodshed of many, yet we do not fully appreciated that which we were entrusted. If only each of us were half as kind, caring, driven, compassionate, etc. as all of the people in the American Adventure the world would be a better place.

Yeah I learned a lot from Epcot, and hopefully my son will too.:sohappy:

Ain't that the truth! I love the argument that Epcot wasn't 100% accurate (a valid concern, but...). While they did their best to be accurate, the story was always number one. The whole park was a celebration of what we have done and what we can do. It's a we as a country, a species, and an "individual" simultaneously. AA is one of the best examples of that: a celebration of how our great nation has come to be. All of the WS attractions showcase the good, the fun, and the easily understandable to highlight just a couple of the great achievements of culture.

It boils down to the argument about "escaping reality". MK is great, and it appeals (or at least used to) to the fantasies of every child 8 - 80. But, Epcot had something more: it took reality and turned it into a fantasy. I was able to escape reality without leaving it but, more importantly, to look for the best in it. That's something our country has lost recently, and I wish we could reclaim it. There are some wonderful, amazing things happening everyday, but it seems more and more difficult to see that. To have a place that was fully grounded in "reality" but presented it in a way that inspired hope, optimism, and responsibility sparks a pretty darn good feeling. Maybe that's not entertaining, but I'd be willing to shell out the cash for that high any day over a Mickey-laden marketing fest or a few doses of Prozac. :lol:

 

[v_misses_epcot]

Innoventions used to be good at this, but since then has completely lost its focus and is now merely a Disney games test ground.

Those sound like fighting words to me sir!!! *wears her innoventions vest proudly*


Innoventions east has the following educational things (it's up to you if you want to take the time to learn them)

1. Fantastic Plastic Works: Learn the many uses of believe it or not PLASTIC XD....

2. The house of innoventions: Learn about the inventions of tomorrow (in some cases, everyone now has a tv inside their tubs)

3. Oppurtunity City: Learn about running your own business.

4. Test the Limits Lab: Learn about how underwriters laboratory tests out items before sent out into the market.

Innoventions West

1. Where's the fire!!?? AN AWESOME GAME about finding the hazards inside a house....if that's not educational, I don't know what is seriously.

2. Play it safe: Kids learn about fire safety and what to do incase of a fire!! Our presenters are very well trained to help kids learn about fire safety....
We had a child today that came up to us at play it safe to thank us because last year she was in an apartment fire and because of what she remembered at PLAY IT SAFE, she was able to get out with minor burns...NOW THAT'S POWERFUL!!

3. And we have The Great American Farm!! Where we learn how farms are helping us each day

Sooooo yeah, IBM is the videogame breeding grounds....but even their tiny section for children is very very educational....Games about counting and coloring and what not.....Sooo nooo nooo noooo Innoventions is still very good. We have to pry kids away at 7:00 when it's closing time.

Parents thank me a lot for having this for their children. All I hear all day long is how children love this place.... I love my work. I play with children all day long..