Article: YouTube: Did You Know?

Article 1: “Education, Technology, and Society”

YouTube: Did You Know? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7J_ereCiTo
Shift Happens wiki: http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/

I just finished viewing the Shift Happens video on YouTube. I have seen this before – or a version of it – but each time I see it, I am just blown away by the stats and facts presented. Some things I found most interesting:

1. 57% of teens are Internet creators – I would love to see a breakdown of what they are creating (myspace, webpages, music, etc.).

2. 8:10 people don’t know what a blog is… (I’m in the 20% who know now!)

3. 9:10 people don’t know what a wiki is… (me either, really)

4. There are more text messages in a day than there are people on Earth! I can believe this after traveling in Europe – over 5 years ago – and watching many Europeans text message everywhere they go.

5. The idea of ” mosquito ringtones” that adults cannot hear is a little frightening.

6. The idea that teachers are educating a workforce for jobs that don’t exist yet is a bit daunting. It’s so true, though. When I talk to my kids about what they plan to do, I am always quick to add that with the current rate of change in our society, they may be doing a job so unlike those of the jobs of their parents’ generation.

7. Nintendo spends more on technological research than the USA – scary thought!

8. I am sure that our kids are not being prepared for global communication and commerce. I think the adults that teach our kids (myself included, at times) are often so afraid of change, and so late to embrace it, that we are doing our kids a massive educational disservice. How to change this mentality, I’m not sure… but I think the change will happen whether we prepare for it, or not.

Overall, an interesting video – I think I will show it to my kids tomorrow and see what their reactions are. I’m curious to gather their opinions on the issue.