Shift Happens

Watching this movie made me realize just how much things have changed and will continue to change during the upcoming years. It is mind blowing to think about just how much things have changed since 1995. I vaguely remember when my parents first got the Internet but I do not remember what like was like without it. It also makes me think of how hard it is for people to take a step backwards once they become accustomed to certain technologies. We started out using a land line but I have been using a cable modem for the past five years. On the rare occasion I run into a computer that runs on a land line I feel a lot like punching a hole through it because it is so slow. Also, if I am ever anywhere that I cannot access the Internet, I feel completely cut off from the world. I use it for so many things that it has become indispensable.
This movie also shows how many ways we can be connected throughout the world. Programs like MySpace and Facebook allow us to be in contact with those we would never be able to talk with otherwise.

Things have changed so much just in my lifetime and advances are happening constantly. I cannot imagine what the world will be like for my children. The computer I am typing on now will most likely be obsolete and they will wonder how I ever survived with this inferior technology. These changes bring about new jobs markets that we have never previously had and new majors are being created to train students in skills that have never before been needed.

As someone studying to be a high school teacher, it makes me realize how much the classroom I teach in will differ from the one I was taught in. Computer skills were luxury when I was younger but they are becoming necessity. Tomorrow's students must consider the skills needed for being proficient in computer usage as important as reading and math. It is a changing world and we must be prepared to change with it.