Each of us stands to benefit from the comprehensive education of children in our districts, our counties, our states, our countries, and our world.  Technology continues to enhance global communication by bringing people closer together than ever before.  There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.  I recently read that brain wave technology, allowing people to manipulate machines simply by thinking, is already in use by some individuals who are otherwise unable to move or control the devices that afford them mobility, such as wheelchairs.  Could we soon be communicating telepathically by way of such technology?  How much more connected will we be in the years to come?

I remember seeing early models of mobile phones and being amazed.  Big clunky rectangular button-laden blocks in bags were sleek and modern; “car phones” with springy chords that plugged into lighter outlets were futuristic.  When I first saw a flip phone I thought it was a prop from Star Trek.  Now, if it’s not a touch screen, it seems as antiquated as a front-loading Beta Max or an eight-track tape player (both of which were truly “rad” in their time!).

Young people today expect to be able to contact one another with the touch of a button…a virtual button, regardless of global proximity.  We are living in time of hyper communication.  Our children must have the tools to collaborate with one another.  Incidentally, those tools extend well past the technology involved, and into capacity building for compassion, self-reflection, creativity, digital citizenship, and more.  To thrive in this world, our children must develop the ability to visualize meaningful connections with vast pools of their contemporaries.  They must develop the skills needed to perpetuate those connections, and the ability to visualize countless potential ends.  Then, they should feel comfortable extending those ends by understanding them simultaneously as beginnings, and/or pathways to continued progress.

The “i” in iPhone^® is arguably misplaced, as such devices are ushering our world every-increasingly into a “we” paradigm.  Our children are individually better off when they are collectively strong.  For these reasons, a focus on preparedness is essential.  I believe that as parents, educators, and citizens of this world, we should each consider becoming engaged in the early childhood education dialogue.  Who is responsible for designing pre-k learning programs?  How are those programs sustained?  How are they articulated to varied stakeholders?  What about access?  Are we each doing our part to make sure that children are provided with the necessities that will help them meet and exceed their potential as global citizens in training?  While I won’t claim to have a fully developed notion of what ideal birth to five learning looks like, I will contend that an open dialogue among all stakeholders is likely to enhance our understanding of it, and our ability to put/keep it in place.

If you feel so inclined, please comment with insights on early childhood learning, provide related hyperlinks, or contact me (@bergseyeview) and/or my research partners (Sara Delgado – @saradelg10 and Lisa Rheaume – @Rheaumi) on twitter using #EpreK.  We would love to hear from you as we seek to understand and impact this important area of study!

 

Dream Big. Work Hard. Be Well.