The end of jobs as we know them?

I just read Beyond Technology and it really reinforced to me the importance of changing how our education system operates. The article says that in the future, preexisting jobs, where tasks are laid out for you and you have a boss looking over your shoulder won't exist, at least in the numbers they do now. Employment will rather be self created, self directed and self marketed.

To me, this says that in order to teach our students to do well in the future job market, we need to teach our students to operate independently, without direction. Not exactly the current environment of our public schools. Students need more than instructions, they need experience, and our schools and teachers need to give them that experience.


In Minnesota, the New County School has implemented an innovative new approach to education. They have no classes, no teachers and no walls. The students are self directed, and set their own curriculum, and there are advisers on hand to help out when needed. The students can get up and interact with the other students whenever they wish to bounce ideas off of each other, collaborate, or just take a break from school work.

I hear from a lot of my peers that self motivation and direction is difficult for them, and it is for me too. I wonder if that is because we are not practiced at it?

Technology and youth bring about change in 2008

I don't want to get into politics on here, I'm passionate about the subject, but for me, this is not the place for it. I'll make another blog for that subject if I ever want to open that can of worms.

What I do want to say here is what a profound and effective impact technology and youth involvement had on the presidential election, particularly in Obama's favor. In fact, I think that part of the reason the younger generation was so involved, was because of the excellent use of technology on the democratic party's side.

Here's a rundown on what and how technology was used:

Text messaging: near instant notifications on who the VP nominee would be, and other important updates.

Emails (multiple times a day): Constant updates, counters and fact checks after the debates, eliciting donations of time and money, announcements of upcoming events including local debate parties, generating excitement among supporters.

Online phone banks: phone numbers and scripts to engage people in conversation about the election and the issues.

Facebook and other social networking sites: donating your status, student groups, displaying support for a candidate on your profile.

Even my Xbox 360 icon showed my support for Obama to other gamers, I could even download the debates through Xbox Live!

I'm sure there are a few other things that I'm forgetting, but the point is; this was the first campaign to use technology to mobilize and organize the grassroots, and it worked brilliantly. This is how campaigns will be run from now on, and any who resist will fail.

(Go Obama!)