Closing Thoughts

Several themes have permeated throughout this project. Most importantly, the idea of how critical 21st Century online knowledge is to our future forcefully resonates through this piece. . The ways in which educators previously taught students may not be enough at this point. Technology is here and is growing at an unprecedented and rapid pace. Whether they live in Africa or the United States, students must be able to effectively communicate and work on a global scale. If they are unable to achieve this mission do, students will be unprepared for future career opportunities. The people in charge of educating students must therefore be given the resources, training and patience in order for them to continue to assist students and prepare them for future academic careers, some of which have yet to be created. At the same time, it is imperative for educators and parents to understand that at this point, the young may know more than the more “seasoned” individual in terms of technology and online knowledge. Although Collins and Halverson (2009) state…”that for technology to make real inroads in instruction, the student to computer ratio in schools has to be 1:1. (p.37), if knowledge regarding technology and how students currently communicate and retrieve information does not trickle to everyone involved in educating our youth, the digital divide (both generation and socioeconomic) will still be prevalent. That scenario will definitely jeopardize the future of our 21st Century learners.