Thinking about technology and the generation gap

When Mark and I were preparing for our multimedia presentation we decided that we wanted to hear what students thought about the education if we took school out of the equation.  Initially we were going to send the prompt out to students are working or have worked for us, mainly because they are readily accessible with contact information and such.  Then as we were talking we decided that posting to facebook might prove to be interesting, and so I posted.

As a first-generation college graduate who comes from a small farming town in western Colorado, I have many friends that have a very different perspective than my own (as I'm sure most of us do).  So when I created the note on my page I decided to not only post to my wall but also to tag some individuals who I thought would have a very different take on the abandonment of brick and mortar schools.

One such remark came from my mom who posted this statement:
"If technology continues at the rate it is currently moving, the teacher will be a robot, the students will have computers implanted in their hands and no one will communicate in person any longer!!! Smell like rotten eggs to me!! God help us all! I know that's not what you were looking for, sorry Sissy."


My first reaction was "Wow, thanks a lot Mom for the help and the support".  But as time has past, and my ego is a little less bruised, I think I can understand a little more where she is coming from.  My parents have had a computer since 1997 but are still learning how to log on to the internet, check email, and make on-line purchases.  Forget about downloading iTunes, linking up for a video chatting session (which would be amazing since they live so far away), or participating in interactive gaming.  


I do my best to help them, as I have been deemed the family computer expert because I know how to add attachments to emails, but since they are not using the technology everyday they forget everything they've learned as soon as I board the plane back to CA.  I'm not sure where I'm going with this line of thinking since I know plenty of 50 somethings (even 60, 70, and 80 somethings) that have jumped on the technology bandwagon with gusto.  I guess mostly I feel a little sad that my parents are being left out of a huge piece of what is going on in the world, and while they may be just fine with it, I can't help but feel like their missing out on something amazing. 

October camping trip in CO with Dad, Mom, Sister & Brother (not pictured)

Using technology we have

The timing of simulated learning couldn't have been better planned.  Mark and I were meeting last week and started talking about using the technology we already have available.  For years airplane pilots have been completing training in flight simulators.  What a perfect opportunity for them to learn flying techniques under various conditions without the worry of harm to others.  We obviously place a great deal of trust in the effectiveness of flight simulation training as we take to the air with the confidence that pilots are well-trained and prepared to react on a moments notice to shifts in wind patterns, mechanical problems, and hundreds of other scenarios that can occur mid-air.  Why then has it taken us so long to use simulation in classrooms as another educational tool?  The answer most assuredly begins with money, access, and equipment.  These are certainly large hurdles to get over, there has to be opportunities to use what we do have access to in order to provide another way for students to engage in the process of learning.

I've also been thinking a lot about the shift of citizenship from a local focus to more of a global one and the role that each of us plays on the world stage.  It seems that there is not one piece of society that, with the availability of information sharing, is not globally integrated.   I strongly believe that each of us has a responsibility to make the human condition better, but understanding role is quite a challenge.  In the assignments for this week, I was especially excited by earth album and real lives (through Educational Simulations Corporation).   Each of these tools were exciting and engaging and left me wanting to explore more, in fact I'm thinking about downloading the free trial of real lives.  What would be the outcome if 5th, 8th, 11th graders, college freshmen, company executives, educational leaders, politicians took on the role of a world community member that is "living" a different experience than their own? Could the impact be great enough to lead to change in economics, education, the way we conduct business, society on a whole?