Did You Know???

*My initial reaction...
My first two reactions were "wow, I feel small and insignificant" and "wow, I better catch up technologically so I can be halfway behind".
*I know the Earth's population is expanding rapidly but I never knew saw the actual statistics. It is shocking and alarming to see how many people our planet needs to be able to support, both financially and physically.
*As a college freshman if someone told me I was preparing for job that did not exist yet, or that I was preparing to solve problems that did not exist, I would find that very discouraging and frightening. Two terms that came to my mind were: flexibility and adaptability (in terms of thinking and schooling). Today's graduates and teachers must posess both skills.
*How are these changes manifested in both my personal and professional life....
As an undergraduate here at MSU 8 years ago it was rare the a professor would ask for a paper/project be emailed and now it is rare to print out and hand it in! I did not have text messaging in college, no picture phone, and my home computer was huge, slow and unreliable. As a first year teacher in 2004, I did my attendance and gradebook by hand, now I use an online program for both. Also, my homework is posted online instead of just written on the chalkboard. Parents also email more often to check on student progress, instead of playing phone tag.
In my personal life, email and text messaging have become the primary form of communication with my friends. Any single friend I have has at least perused match.com for a potential suitor.
*What skills to students and teachers need to survive...
Both students AND teachers need to remain open minded and adaptable in terms of technology and problem solving. As a teacher I am trying hard NOT to become 'set in my ways' and not to be intimidated by trying out a new strategy or technology such as wiki's, or blogs, or making a mash up! At age 28, if I allow myself to shy away from learning new technology skills I will fall exponentially behind my students. I think in order to be a good teacher I must bring forth some technological skills to my students, even if it is only used occasionally in class. Computer literacy and problem solving skills are essential to the future of education.
*What challenges must we overcome...
I think we need to move slightly away from the standardized testing. These tests are inhibiting creativity and flexibility in the classroom. Which could be causing the lag in our students from those in other countries. Does Japan rely on standardized test scores?

*In conclusion, this is a great eye opening video. I puts into perspective the changes occuring in the world and how they need to be addressed in the educational field. The bottom line is that as educators we need to remain open to the idea that 'shift happens' and that we are doing a disservice to our students by using the same old lesson plans and materials year to year.