I Have Seen The Light!

I am no techie. (I am not even sure I spelled the word correctly.) I am definitely not an early adopter. I bought my first computer in 1993 and didn’t get my next one until twelve years later. I once had to call the manufacturer with a tech question about my old computer and they had to search for some old guy (age 30?) in some back office who could figure out what I was talking about. I have no cell phone (I tried it but gave it up years ago), no iPod, no digital camera. I am not totally clueless, though, when it comes to technology. I do use email, search the internet, have a website, keep discovering more features of Blackboard, and I am blogging. I have been guilty, however, of lamenting over the inevitable downfall of civilization due to young people’s growing obsession with any electronic gadget that can be put to the ear.

But I have come to see the light! I have heard the call! I have gotten the message! All this new technology stuff is here to stay and is going to continue to develop at an ever faster pace. And it is changing the world and us.

My initial breakthrough occurred upon reading The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman. That book opened my eyes to how developments in technology are shaping the global economy and societal relationships. My latest revelation struck as I read Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson. What Richardson helped me see is how technology is reshaping how we think and the implications for education. I will explore in future entries what I discovered from my reading of Richardson. In the meantime, I recommend you read the book.

What I want to write about now is my concern. I am worried. I am worried about our students, our colleges, and our nation. I am concerned that we are preparing our students for a world that no longer exists. Current technological developments demand that we transform our paradigms of teaching, learning, literacy, working, writing, creating. If we want to serve our students, if we want our colleges to thrive, if we want America to remain vibrant, we all need to think in new ways. I am not talking about simply learning skills to use new technologies. We need to become aware of how those technologies are shaping how we think, learn, and interact. Without this awareness, we will unknowingly become victims of progress. I would rather we be in a position to take part in leading that progress.