Gustin+Session+1+reflection

I really enjoyed the session last night. It is always interesting to hear people discuss issues and to see how other trainers present concepts. That helps me to improve my training. I also enjoyed listening to the people from across the country and around the world discuss the issues that educators face.

The video prompted a discussion that centered around competing with foreign workers for jobs. That is not surprising considering that those statistics are shocking to us in the United States. We have a heritage that involves masses of people moving here to achieve prosperity. The idea that jobs are leaving and the statistics that show more people in other countries that can perform our jobs is troubling. That is an important discussion to have, but there are also aspects of the video that tend to be lost.

Another point that I tend to focus less on is the idea that the students are already using these tools so we should. There is a great amount of value there but it often leads to an approach that confuses things. Student interest is important. If that is your standard, you will be disappointed because eventually the shine of any new classroom activity will fade unless you create an interest in the content rather than the tool. Take the way kids use technology now. They are doing the same things that every generation has tried to do with the technology that was available to them. They want to reach out, create attention, establish an identity, push the limits, and exercise independence. Any use of technology that is not achieving those goals will eventually loose its attraction. Create interest through the way that you teach (which should include these tools), not solely through the tools you employ.

One major point that is often lost when I show that video is that we have to prepare our students for a future that has tools that will change and evolve faster and faster. Ian Jukes and Ted McCain called it Dancing on Quicksand. The technology that we use to streamline our jobs and our lives are changing so quickly that we will have to learn to be more flexible and more innovative, in more collaborative environments with new tools and tools that have changed.

Another point is that we need to use web 2.0 or social networking technologies because they are currently changing our world, both professionally and personally. Will these tools be what our kids use in their future jobs? Probably not. Five years down the road, these tools may look and work a lot differently than they do now. Ten years down the road, today's tools may be all but forgotten, but the typical worker will almost certainly have to collaborate with other people, often people scattered around the globe. If our kids don't experience activities that require collaboration using today's tools appropriately, then how will they adapt to tomorrow's tools? "Appropriately," is a very important word in that statement because many of our kids are currently using social networking sites to collaborate in inappropriate ways. We all know that employers will search for information on prospective employees to check their character. This is done expecting to see negative behavior. If none is found, the prospective employee is moved forward to the next step of the process. I wonder what the impact would be if a student used their Myspace page to highlight community service work and important skills for the job market they intend to enter. Perhaps we should teach kids how to promote their character through the same tools that they often use to demonstrate poor character or lack of foresight. There will still be some kids that make bad decisions, but at least, they will have been shown the appropriate way to behave.