Shift Happens

I recently watched the "Shift Happens" video that has been circulating on You Tube. This video is about globalization, consequences of our new information age and the apparent shift of world power that is currently taking place. The video is a compilation of facts and figures that make it simple to understand that as a nation and members of the world community we can either adapt to the changing times or be passed up by them. What does this mean in context to education? Why does it matter that over half of all four year olds have been on a computer or that all of India's college graduates, two million more than U.S graduates, speak English? How does the fact that people have instant access to information, media, friends, jobs etc.; effect future classrooms? It is the duty and responsibility of educators to make sure that their students are literate in this new technology not only so they can compete globally for jobs and resources but also so that they can connect with the rest of the world. Computer class is no longer a time for teachers to sit and check their e-mails while their students make yet another power point or play some repetitive computer game on fractions. Students have the chance to communicate with the world and learn the capabilities of what this new age of reason has to offer. It is the job of the teacher to expand the world of the child so that they can grow. I am so excited to learn about the capabilities of these new technologies and ways to learn and communicate. I am even more excited to apply this to the classroom.