Another new category? Maybe I am just to fanciful and excited about all the wonderful material I just spent hours exploring on the TED Ideas Worth Sharing site. I am beginning to realize that the filtering issues and budgetary concerns I have encountered in public education have turned me into a pragmatic user of technology. I tend to share only those technologies that are not filtered and I try to present technology strategies that are not too “off-the-beaten path” in the hope that some of my more traditional peers will “buy-in” to the material I am trying to share. But gosh darn it…pragmatic thinking did not put a man on the moon (yes, I admit…I do remember those televised first steps). So folks…yes…a new category! I will probably always be sensible in my approach to technology, but I also vow to be more farsighted as I blog about and share technologies and instructional strategies that will benefit our students as they prepare for a world we have yet to envision!

It is very possible that you have already viewed and heard about the Sixth Sense prototype wearable technology that has been developed by MIT. This video recording of a demo presented by MIT scientist Pattie Maes features a portable device that enables new interactions between the real world and the world of data. Take time to watch the video that hints at what we can expect in the future and keep in mind the device was developed PhD student, Pranav Mistry. This type of technology is bound to impact education and should nudge every educator to support and implement 21st Century Skills in their instruction NOW! In the future our students will have more data available at their fingertips (literally) than we can possibly imagine! I suspect this is just a snapshot into the future…the best is yet to come!