In the past, science fiction writers envisioned a world overrun with technology, where humans did little more than exist. You may wonder, as I often do, where our flying cars and transportation devices are. However, when looking at the rapid advancement of technology it appears our world has changed in the blink of an eye. In my lifetime alone, I have seen so many innovations it is mind boggling. I can only imagine how my parents must feel. For the most part my children and the students I work with do not know what is like to live in a world without personal computers, cell phones, and hand-held devices. In the future, their world will be driven by even more technology.
My experience working in the schools has enabled me to see that promoting technology integration is not always an easy sell. I am fortunate to have the candor of my colleagues as they share with me their reasoning behind not using it. I do understand their issues with it and am empathetic to their needs. Still I believe that behind all of this resistance is a small spark of hope that all of this change is not really happening or that it will come to a standstill. In the protective bubble of our classroom it is very easy to be lulled into this sense. That is why it is imperative to keep abreast of what is being developed by scientists and researchers. In order to provide the best education for our students we need to be cognizant of what they will need to be a productive adult in our society and actually enable them to use these tools as they learn. It is no longer about a basic set of technology skills but a different way of thinking. Their technology use is an extension of self, not just a means to an end.
I think it is easier to illustrate this shift through two short videos that demonstrate emerging technologies and what is currently in development. This does not even encompass all that is out there. If you are interested in what is possible at this time you may want to do some further research (or Google) nanotechnology, invisibility cloaks, teleportation devices, and the physics of both Star Trek and Star Wars. Institutions such as Duke University and MIT are currently working on researching how to make “science fiction” based ideas a reality. I hope that this inspires you to try something new in your classroom.
Sixth Sense Technology: Has already been created, if you go to his website through MIT it gives you directions for building your own.
