Promises-NewOpportunities

Technological advances in the past three decades have lead to the creation of numerous new job opportunities in fields such as computer sciences and informational and computational sciences and shifts in employment opportunities related to advances in networking and collaborative working tools. It is the role of today’s educator to prepare students to be ready to meet the demands of society as technology continues to change the face of the global job market.

While there have been arguments claiming that emerging technology will displace jobs, the research does not support this claim and new professions and positions based on technological advances are rapidly appearing. Research by Michael Handel in 2003 while working as a consultant to SRI International, revealed that employment within the United States grew almost uninterrupted between 1948 and 2000. According to Handel, “During this period of rising productivity, mechanization, and computerization, total employment more than doubled from less than 60 million to more than 135 million, and there has been no obvious slackening of the pace in the past two decades, during which computers became much more common in the workplace" (Handel 2007).

In October of 2007, Microsoft released the results of a study done by International Data Corporation (IDC) which included economic studies of 82 countries and regions. The study predicted that global spending on IT over the next four years will create 7.1 million new jobs and 100,000 new businesses. According to the IDC, “The research predicts that in 2007 Microsoft-related activities are responsible for 14.7 million jobs from an IT industry total of 35.2 million people — 42 percent of total IT employment globally in 2007 — and more than $514 billion* in tax revenue worldwide.” [|(Microsoft Study)]

In order to prepare students for technology jobs of the future, they will need to be actively involved in the technology of today. Educational technology not only enhances and enriches the learning environment for students it also provides necessary exposure to the skills to rapidly acquire and apply new technological talents. Combining technology education techniques with exposure to work-related application creates a strong model for preparing students for their future in technology-oriented vocations. The National Education Technology Plan provided a compelling argument in support of this model with its overview of the work being done at High Tech High in San Diego:

High Tech High (HTH) in San Diego used a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant and funding from the San Diego technology business community to start a charter school from scratch. Since its launch in September 2000, the school has been an innovation leader in using technology and grounding learning in the “real world.” Student internships with area businesses are built into the schedule and students use technology to conduct biotechnology lab experiments, build robots and produce sophisticated school projects. Its 400 students are from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds and last year 100 percent of HTH seniors were accepted into college.” One hundred percent is a powerful testament to the value of creating technology-learning environments within today’s school system and incorporating practical experience to students within the business community.

But should education be solely about preparing students for work? Chris Lehmann, the founding principal of Philadelphia's Science Leadership Academy, feels that education is much more than creating future workers. "When I hear people say it's our job to create the twenty-first-century workforce, it scares the hell out of me. Our job is to create twenty-first-century citizens. We need workers, yes, but we also need scholars, activists, parents -- compassionate, engaged people. We're not reinventing schools to create a new version of a trade school. We're reinventing schools to help kids be adaptable in a world that is changing at a blinding rate" (Smith, 2007).

This ‘blinding rate’ that Lehmann references is spurred on by the rapid advancement of technology. Keeping technology a forefront in education will be essential for today’s students to be ready to meet the world of tomorrow. This point is made clearly by Karl Fisch in the original version of his “[|Did You Know]” presentation as he notes, “According to former Secretary of Education Richard Riley, the top 10 jobs that will be in demand in 2010 didn’t exist in 2004.” He continues to point out, “We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t yet been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”

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The promise of technology in education is that it is a key enabler in preparing students for future roles in society that have yet to be defined.


 * //Note: This section ties in closely with section 2.6 "Provides Skills for the Future". Should these each be discrete sections that refer to one another, or are they closely enough aligned that they can be merged? Thoughts? dwood// 8/16/08**