Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?

You must read the previous three posts for this one to make any sense, so if you have missed the last several installments of this blog, please take a moment to read those posts and then return to this one.

In Saturday's post, I spoke of three questions related to the use of technology that I asked of 614 Alabama principals in 1997. Those questions and the results are as follows:

Do you personally use:

1. Voice mail? 15% Yes 85% No
   
2. E-mail? 29% Yes 71% No
   
3. Word processing program? 75% Yes 25% No

Today, the use of all three is practically universal, and the changes have occurred within 12 years. My question is, "What changes in the use of smart phones are we likely to see in the next decade?"

My next question is, "As the use of smart phones as productivity tools rises among teachers and administrators, are we likely to see a different attitude towards student use of smart phones?"

We have a choice:

1. Hang on to the policies of the past.
2. Look into the future and shape policies that will help our students meet the demands of a changing world.

As a starting point, I would strongly suggest reading the accounts of a teacher who understands the potential. The blog post by Vicki Davis can be found here.

P.S. Thanks to Dr. Henry Clark for causing me to ask the questions 12 years ago which seemed so insignificant at the time. The contrast between then and now gives us some idea of the change we can expect over the next decade.