We stand at a point where there is more technology than ever before. As a popular internet meme goes, "If someone from the 1950's appeared today, what would be the most difficult thing to explain to them about life today?", with the answer being, "I possess a device, in my pocket, that is capable of accessing the entirety of information known to man. I use it to look at pictures of cats and get in arguments with strangers" (http://memerial.net/6067-i-possess-a-device-in-my-pocket).
Technology now enables us to be in constant contact with each other and to have more access to information and entertainment than ever before, not to mention the ability to create our own entertainment in more ways than ever. A simple Youtube video can go viral, turning anyone into a famous or infamous celebrity (just ask Rachel Black). Students are putting more energy into designing their webpages and maintaining their Facebook statuses than they probably are to their studies. We face an ever aging body of teachers, some of whom started teaching long before technology in education became a prominent thing, and some of who are still teaching the same way they were ages ago. The factory model of one-size fits all education is no longer accurate and is ready to be gently ushered out the door.
Technology has the potential to transform education, if we make use of it. In the previous blog posts, you will find links to various issues, technologies, applications, and trends in education. I do not claim that any of these people or links hold the entirely right idea, but they help to paint a larger picture of the world that education is entering and becoming, and leave the decisions of what paths it shall follow to my fellow educations.
One final thought before you dig into these resources? Is educational technology a separate field in and of itself, or has it become such an integral factor that we should just call it it education? Judge for yourself.
(title image originally from: http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/7213)
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