STEM Implementation

I have not taken any steps to implement any of the high quality instruction we have learned about in our courses at my new campus.  Unfortunately this has been a very difficult professional year and I have not been as involved either at my campus or district.  This does not mean that I do not intend to become involved in the future, it is just that I am transitioning into a new campus and a new grade level.  My focus, as it has been chosen for me, is reading.  I have made my administrator aware of my education and my experience in science, however, I am better suited for reading implementation at the moment.  Hopefully as time passes by, I will be better able to also  contribute my science experience with my colleagues either at my campus or through the science department at the district level.

Globalization On A Level Field

According to Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat” speech at the MIT open courseware keynote address, the world has shifted from one that is controlled and dominated by corporations, to the individual (Friedman, 2008).  In his speech he delineates the progression of global economics and interconnectedness to the present.  We are not flat because now every individual, anywhere in the world has the power to create and share their product, idea, or service, without the intermediary corporation.  This has leveled the field at a global scale and simultaneously at an individual scale as well. 

What does this say to me as a teacher?

It tells me that I have my work cut out for me! Friedman’s speech, as it progressed, created a huge sense of panic.  We are not preparing students for the world that we have grown up in.  We are preparing students for a future world we have yet to even imagine! That is a very daunting task.  Our school systems are not prepared with the technology or the teacher knowledge to prepare our children for this next level of globalization.  The thought of what our work is to prepare these children for their future is terrifying.

However, as I calmed down, and ate my weight in chocolate, I realized that I cannot predict what the future will bring.  Then again, neither did Steve Jobs’, Bill Gates’, or Mark Zuckerberg’s teachers.  The thing that separates these three individuals from the rest of the world is that they were innovative thinkers.  As teachers that’s where the success of whether or not our children are prepared for this broad future, lies.  We have to create a group of individuals that are independent, higher order, thinkers.  We have to set the foundations for technology, for math, for science, along with the ability to think outside the box.  This will ensure that our students are successful in the future where the playing field is level.

Reference:

Friedman, T. (2008). MIT Milestone Celebration/Keynote Address.  Retrieved January 7, 2011 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcE2ufqtzyk