Did You Know/Shift Happens

On the YouTube video Did You Know/Shift Happens found at http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/06/did-you-know-20.html, statistics are given that might astound you. When you look at where we were 20 years ago and where we are now, its mind boggling. The fact that by the time people are 21 years old, they have talked 10,000 hours on the phone is astounding. It’s hard to believe that the general public began using the Internet in 1995. It seems that the Internet has always been a part of our lives.

One fact in the video that stood out to me was that more than 70% of 4 year olds have used a computer. When my daughter was 3, she could already type many words on the computer without help, including her name. She knows where the enter key is and how to print what she has typed. The bottom line is that her relationship with technology has just begun. The world of information is at her fingertips and it’s my job to help her sift through it.

As educators, we need to know our audience. Where are they coming from? What is their point of view? We also need to understand where the world is headed and prepare our students not just to “cope”, but to succeed and be leaders in a world filled with technology.