Communications of the ACM
The World Is Changing: Will Education Change With It?
Credit: Fine Step
Faster computers, social networks like Facebook, and nanotechnology are changing not only the tech sector, but also society, in fundamentally new ways. As a result, educators must prepare the next generation to interact fully with this technologically evolving world. Given that the curriculum in the K-12 world has not drastically changed in America in recent years, it may be harder than it sounds for America to develop new and innovative STEM education initiatives.
It~s hard to ignore the broader context in which computer science is emerging as more important than ever before. Supercomputers are able to process more computations than ever before. At the same time, Facebook is becoming one of the largest statistical databases in the world, with simple actions such as "likes" transformed into pieces of data. Mathematicians can analyze the plethora of information and see patterns of choices that will impact economical, political, and cultural decisions in substantial ways. Many companies are already mining this data set and are using the information to develop major business initiatives.
What will happen if we just continue with our status quo? It is possible to pull our current system into a 21st-century context. The key is a shift into what could be called the 4 Cs: critical, creative, collaborative, and compassionate thinking. The STEM fields demands these skills and provide one of the best learning environments for the development of these skills. Students need to learn the capability to explore, analyze, innovate, and lead in new arenas such as social media or scientific research. The STEM world is creating exponential growth and demand. Who will be prepared to step into these careers and opportunities? If we want U.S. students to be among those who do, we must continue to support STEM initiatives and establish more educational avenues for our young people to become equipped and prepared to meet the ever-growing challenges and possibilities.
From U.S.News & World Report
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