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Education in a Changing World

In years past you had to have some years behind you so that you could talk about the good old days.  Conversations would start with statements like “Remember when…?”   Today when a conversation starts with those words it could be a young person talking about how they did things last year or last month vs. how they go about their day to day activities today.
   
Things are changing so fast!  How does this affect educating and training learners and what needs to be tracked and recorded?  Certainly, not the same as it was a decade ago.

 A recent solicitation stated “Use of ed tech is skyrocketing, students on campus tote several devices each, but service needs range from high tech (wifi, connected classroom) to mundane (rat in the cafeteria, dorm toilet won't flush). All those needs have to be logged, serviced, tracked, reported on - hence the high demands on the platform used”.  Opportunity for bigger, better and more technology abounds!

The tools that we use and the infrastructure that supports them are dynamic and keeping apprised of them will have an impact on the value delivered through our colleges and training organizations.  No matter how quickly activities, lifestyles, viewpoints and technologies change, there are some things that stay the same.

Inspiration and Education are required elements for true knowledge transfer.  Inspiration will always be key in education.  To inspire means to fill an individual with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.  What about education? According to WIKI, “Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, but learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational.” 

While Education and Inspiration might remain the cornerstone of teaching, the methodology of teaching is called pedagogy.  The methodology or the way we go about teaching and learning is changing and changing fast!  The tools used by learners, the tools used by teachers and the tools and technology to track and support them are all in a state of flux.

Knowledge transfer and educating learners when you get right down to it has many aspects that will not change.  Instruction delivered with passion and mission could trump the latest and greatest in technology when it comes to learning but the ability for educators and training organizations to keep up with the use of skyrocketing ed tech and the dynamic needs of learners will require both.
 

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