Who’s scared? I am! Thinking about how much computers will be able to do in the near future is unsettling. I don’t like the thought of being replaced my machines, and I certainly don’t like not knowing how to prepare for it. We are experiencing severe unemployment rates in the United States. The possibility of more and more jobs being wiped out because computers can do the same thing for a lesser cost and in less time means that we are about to face an even higher unemployment count. And the idea that computers will take over the human race is an obvious scary thought as well.
On the other hand, the unknowingness is pretty exciting. (I know I have pretty extreme feelings about this!) Looking back in my lifetime, and the lifetime of my parents and grandparents shows how much can be accomplished with technology. We didn’t turn out so badly, did we? I don’t think we’ll ever be able to completely prepare for the future. As Americans, we’re always creating new, better, faster, more efficient ways of doing things. Our teachers prepared us as much as they could for the future they didn’t know about, and we are doing the same. I think our job as educators is to teach about the past, teach skills, and content that we think is worth knowing NOW. We can’t see into the future, so we will have to trust that when our students enter the workforce they, among their peers, will have the skills, motivation, and personality traits to explore the future.
The most important skills we can teach our students are to think critically, to research, to experiment, to see cause and effect, to explore, to communicate, to question, to strategize, and to be creative. These skills are timeless and help prepare us for any situation in any era.
As educators, we need to commit to learning the most about technology, and passing that information onto our students as we possibly can. We must commit to stay current, but not to say goodbye to all of the information, skills, and pieces of technology that we have used thus far. We can’t write off our pasts in hopes that the future will be better. Future creations will certainly be different, and will definitely bring about change. But we won’t know what’s BETTER until we experience it. Let’s commit to refrain from saying that our past has been a waste of time. The best we can do it learn from the past as we continue to move forward. How can we possibly expect more from ourselves?
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5 comments:
I agree strongly with you when you wrote that we must teach our students to think critically, experiment, analyze cause/effect relationships, explore, communicate, question and strategize. These are skills that will prepare our students to be life-long learners.
(By the way, how come your new blog entry never appears under the "Class Blogs" listing on the left side of our class' main blog page?)
I was wondering the same thing-- I thought it was just the way I viewed it since it's my page.... Barry, if you're reading this, any idea why??
In total agreeance with you, although, I'm honestly not scared... sure, the video sort of has that feeling like, "wow, I should be scared of this info!" but it's not that scary... you've been doing it all along!
Def. look to the past and continue to move into the future as well. I love that we're using blogs in this class, I use Wikis, Twitter and other New Literacies as they're called in the field with my peers. What's scary to me however is that so many schools cannot keep up with the technology because they do not have the funds.
I was observing today at a high school in an affluent suburb and honestly, that could have been my high school English room 10 years ago. No technology in the room!!
I totally agree with all of you that in some ways it scares my to think of what is going to happen in the future with the economy and unemployment, but it also excites me to learn about all the new technology and information I am going to get to learn and utilize.
I think that the people who will be willing to learn and adapt to this new way in life and be willing to change will be fine. The people who will fight it all the way will have more of a problem. What do you think?
P.S. you did not put all your info on Blogger.com I believe that's why it does not show up, but I can be wrong.
I believe 100% percent your idea about teachers being committed to learning. We are no longer the end all be all in the classroom, students have other outlets. Why not be apart?
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