Not much has really changed, except one major difference; one transformational force is occuring.  Sure there are lots of new tools and toys out there, but how much different are they really?  Email, Instant Messages or Text Messages are not a whole lot different than a letter or a post card.  The mechanics and performances are very different, but they are still about sending a message.  When on considers what we are doing, rather than how we are doing it, things seem a bit less complex.  But what is that one major difference?

I saw it yesterday on two occasions.  First at the dentist, where all the data recording has migrated to computerized databases.  The complexity of the system has reached the point where my X-rays were taken using digital imaging technology rather than expensive film.  This reduced my visit bill from $350 to $200 with the X-ray service.  I observed what the dental staff were looking for in my results which were stored along with all the other data on the computer.  My dentist shared with me that the X-rays were now functioning at 25% the power used to expose film using this digital method.  So, we still took X-rays but the process was faster and heathier.  And the transformational magnified my X-ray on the screen and asked questions about how my teeth felt in specific parts of my mouth.  I was a participant in my diagnosis.  I felt empowered in a place where I've normally felt powerless.

Later that day, a colleague of mine from Weld RE-1 visited and we made an audio podcast.  Keith Ouweneel is the Director of Technology for the school district and prefers to podcast rather than type for his blog.  We spoke for about 30 minutes and he posted his podcast online as part of his method of communicating with his constituents.  While district administrators have always sought ways to communicate, the power of blogs, whether typed or podast, is that the audience can participate in the communication.  See Keith's site at http://www.digitalclassrooms.org/Home.html.

For me, this is the crux of the matter.  It is one thing to use technologies in new and exciting ways.  But if all that happens is people change the mechanics of how they do things they've always done, the impact is marginal.  But when the introduction of these technologies foments genuine participation, then we are truly transforming our work.  Think of the shift from consuming information to participating with information.  Think of the shift from passivity and powerless, to involvement and empowerment.  This is what the 21st Century is all about and this is the transformation that must take place for our schools to be places for 21st Century learning.