When it comes to the latest trends in education, the answer is the same in 2009 as it was in 1980. It’s all about technology.

Certainly, technology has dramatically changed since personal computers and the Internet have become an essential part of the workplace. And now more than ever, technology training is just as crucial to students as is language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Today’s students need to know not just how to find things on the Internet, but they should have a working knowledge of how to put together websites and blogs, how information is disseminated, and even how computers are built and taken apart.

Whole new fields have emerged in the technology fields, including telecommunications engineering, quality assurance, information technology, and web marketing consultation. Students must be aware of these fields and their implications. It’s now up to the learner which field to choose according to his/her interest. Telecommunication is the fast growing industry, with a very wide range of disciplines and subjects. From cell phones to social networking, telecommunications continues to shape the world economy. Quality Assurance is essential in every manufacturing organization to test the quality of a product. Quality Assurance is also valuable in customer assistance with increasingly complex products.
Information Technology encompasses many different fields, including computer sciences, setting up networks and servers, and computer repairs and maintenance. No matter how advanced our technology becomes, we will remain dependent on information technicians to keep our systems up and running.

In order to adapt to the fast changing world of technology, schools must update their curriculum to include technological subjects. Some innovative schools are integrating technology into the traditional subjects. For example, English teachers are assigning their students to do their book reports on a Power Point presentation. In social studies class, students could compare various online journals to measure different political biases.

Advocates of education must take note that the effective school of the future must include full access to the internet, laptops, and other technological devices. Without full access to the latest technology, students will fall behind and cannot be competitive in today’s rapidly changing marketplace.