Smarter Than You Think

Smarter Than You Think by Clive Thompson doesn't come out until September 12, 2013. I was reading an excerpt, however, and found an interesting piece to consider. The book is all about the technology revolution--an exploration through social science about how emerging technologies change the world, how people react to those changes, and the culture shifts that follow. Every emerging technology has its supporters and its naysayers--the doomsday forecasters of inevitable apocalypse. This fact is true all the way back to the invention of paper. New technologies breed unfamiliar habits and behaviors, and therefore will always provoke negative reactions from people who--for whatever reason--an unwilling or unable to change.

Here's the quote that I enjoyed:

"Depending on which Victorian-age pundit you asked, the telegraph was either going to usher in a connected era of world peace or drown us in idiotic trivia. Neither was quite right, of course, yet neither was quite wrong. The one thing that both apocalyptics and utopians understand is that every new technology invisibly pushes us toward new forms of behavior while nudging us away from older, familiar ones."

My favorite part of this quote is the adaptability of that first sentence. Replace the word "telegraph" with any technology--TV, radio, smart phones, the internet--and the sentence is still true (minus Victorian-age). The implications of that are astonishing. We repeat the same discussions, arguments, and adaptation to technology with every emergence. We move forward; cultures change; people adapt. That is truly the way of the world.

So, how does this idea relate to teaching?

First, if we create learners who can only do things "the right way," they will be totally unprepared for the new wave of behaviors and culture that follows the next technological breakthrough. They will be the "apocalyptics" who dismiss the new technology, falling behind as the world changes around them. it is our job as educators to ensure that our students will be successful citizens in a technology-driven world. With technology doubling every two years, the next big thing is right around the corner.

Second, we help students develop their attitudes and mindsets from an early age. If we want to foster success, we need to encourage students to try new things, explore new ways of accomplishing things, and be flexible as the world changes so they can adapt. That means that as teachers, we need to do those things and model progressive values--constantly moving forward.

Finally, we need to teach history not only from the perspective of war, but from the perspective of change. The world changes. Emerging technologies change the world. It's vital that students reflect on changes in the past, imagine how those changes affected real people, and use that empathy to adapt to change in their own lives. Technology will continue to change the world, as it always has. It's just happening fast enough to really see it now. Lessons from the past can help students see the future as a positive, ever-changing, environment that they can both adapt to and help shift. Show students that history repeats itself, and teach them how to use that fact in their lives.

The world will always change--and the change is coming faster. Teachers play an invaluable role in the creation of a future society that can adapt and progress successfully with the cultural and behavioral changes technology creates.