A New Era

If you are reading this, chances are, you have already graduated from high school or on your way to that milestone in your life. For those of us who have already completed that portion of our life, you have experienced the traditional type of learning environment that most people have experience throughout the the 20th century. For the better part of the 1900s, education has not evolved much until the latter part of the century. Textbooks have been the main resource of information for students and a source of reference for most educators for decades. Even chalk boards are still being used in many 21st century classrooms; but the only replacement for such antique items are whiteboards. Standardized testing for all students has been the only way students were tested for competency and schools were tested for accountability. It wasn't until recently, around the 1990's or so, that computers have been placed in the schools, via computer labs. A very small percentage of schools nationwide have computers available to students on a 1:1 ratio. Many schools today only have access to computer labs where the ratio is approximately 25:1. All-in-all, public education today has not evolved by a long shot. Many parents are not familiar with the high-tech educational software available for their children to utilized and many are still stuck in the traditional type of learning that they are very much used to.  

Adaptation is key in this ever-evolving society we live in. Large businesses are becoming more hi-tech. The need for a blue collar workforce is rapidly diminishing due to the automation. A highly technologically skilled workforce is needed to operate high tech equipment used in many industries. The jobs that are available today require a different set of skills that were unheard of as little as twenty years ago. Students of today need to tap into these skills, and it is primarily up to the school systems to help them reach their potential. Every student is different, therefore, schools should not be a one-size-fits-all type of environment.

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