Some of the things that stood out most to me:
-Computers are soon going to not only exceed the capabilities of the human brain, but eventually the human race! What could this mean for us as humans? Are we going to rely on computers for everything - information, household chores, homework? I think technology making our lives more efficient is a great thing, but when it rules our lives and leaves us dependent upon on it, it might not be so beneficial anymore.
-The facts about the 21-year-olds really struck me. I was just a 21 year-old last month before my birthday. In the 3 years that have passed between the making of this video and last August, how many more hours did my age group accrue in watching TV, talking on the phone, and logging in to the internet? Again, I'm uncomfortable at how much my life revolves around technology! These facts & figures made me want to grab a book and head outdoors to enjoy nature!
-100% of India's 2006 college graduates were fluent in speaking English. When is the U.S. going to wake up? We are one of the few countries that does not educate our students in more than one language from an early age. If only I had started Spanish in 1st or 2nd grade, I might have been fluent by now! I think language is one of the issues that our nation needs to begin focusing more on! Plus, the benefits of a bi-lingual education have shown that students often end up with greater control over both the primary and secondary languages, even more so with the primary than they would if that was the only one they studied (if this is still true from what I learned last fall). Es el tiempo, los Estados Unidos!
-The idea about our students entering career fields that don't even currently exist is both exciting and scary at the same time. How can we as teachers fully prepare our students to be successful in a job field that we know nothing about? I think the questions at the end are valid - what are schools doing to prepare students to be 21st thinkers and workers? This should be a question that all of us, especially as teachers, are asking. What can I do to help my students be better prepared to participate in a world that is growing and evolving exponentially?
-It's really incredible to reflect back on all of the changes that have taken place in my lifetime. I was born in 1988. When I was born, computers were sparse, cell phones were still unheard of in the general population, and the Internet was still just an idea being worked out. My parents had one landline telephone, one television and no computer. Now, today, we each have our own cell phone, our own television, and our own personal computer. This is crazy! The video touched on so many different things that have been created/expanded - eBay, MySpace, the English language, online dating, Google - the list goes on and on. It blows my mind to think that a world existed without these tools or these realities of ours. It's both mind-blowing and exciting at the same time, and I can only imagine all that is to come and what the content of a Did You Know? 5.0 video would include!
from: www.evolutionoftechnology.com
I found the "Did You Know 4.0" video and wanted to share the link in case anyone was interested - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8
ReplyDeleteAs a former L2 teacher I couldn't agree with you more. I speak only Spanish to my grandchildren, but know that when they attend elementary school here in Maryland, the language won't be reinforced because foreign language study doesn't start until middle school! By middle school I'd like to see them start Chinese or any other non-European language.
ReplyDeleteDr. Burgos