Reaction to "The World is Flat"-
As I read this book, I definitely had a huge range of emotions. The first emotion, was one of shock. I was shocked at how quickly the world "flattened" (about one decade). Like Jessica pointed out in the meeting, I also remember barely using computers in high school. Really, I just used them for simple word processing, to now when I get on the Internet daily, email daily, and now blog. Fear was another emotion I felt. Fear as to how quickly the flattening seems to be changing the world that my daughter will one day enter. The competition for the next generation will be different and quite competitive as children from all nations essentially will be trying to get the same job. With this fear, also came the emotion of anxiety. I feel that there is an urgency to examine the way we teach and make sure we are pushing our students to "learn to learn", critically think, problem solve and have a strong work ethic. I truly feel that without these essential things, our students will not get and keep the jobs of the future. This then points the finger at me, the teacher. How am I going ensure that the students that enter my classroom leave with these essential abilities? What are some strategies that I can use in my classroom to create "self thinkers" that have the ability to use the resources in their world to find truths, expand their thinking and become innovators.