Educating for the Future

While watching the Future Learning Documentary video I was impressed by the numerous innovative ideas presented by the interviewees. They advocated for the use of technology in the classroom including video games and iPads which is not a revolutionary idea itself but they called for a revolution of a different sort. A revolution in motivating students to learn, to present information within context, to blend learning and play, and to make the learning experience less rigid. I think these are all very valid suggestions and that technology can be a tool to help accomplish them. One observation that I really connected with was made by Sugata Mitra who suggests that a skill that students should be learning now to better prepare them for their future is the ability to conduct information research on-line. I think this is a very important skill not only in the forum of higher education but in one's private life in order to be better informed about the world.

Another video I watched was "Did you Know" which presented many interesting statistics about technology, its uses around the world and its role in both education and employment. These statistics and observations help to put the modern situation in historical perspective. The video raised many questions such as how technology has changed the job market and how this relates to educating today's youth. It made me think about how the United States can remain competitive with countries such as India and China who have such large populations. Something else I observed was that the video mentioned the vast quantity of information available through the internet and technology but nothing was said about the quality of this information. This brought to mind the Future Learning Documentary video and reinforced the need for students to learn how to perform on-line research. With so much information available students need to have the skills to determine what is the more reliable source.