Everyday as I walk through our halls, I am amazed at the way I see our students creating with technology; from using iPads for mind mapping and note taking in class, to inventing touch-screen products that are already headed to market.
 

We’ve reached the point in time when almost all the world’s under-18 year-olds in developed countries are digital natives; that means they can’t remember a time when the Internet and communications technology wasn’t a part of everyday life.

 

Even as we work to prepare students for this rapidly changing world, I am fascinated in turn by what we can learn from our digital natives. Recently, an international research firm surveyed children around the world about what they want from the next generation of computers. Click here.
  

Children envision a future when the lines between reality and their online worlds blur even more. They are looking for more active interface, and for computers that are more like humans than machines. Probably most importantly, they want to ensure that their online activities have some sort of real-world impact.
 

Creating tomorrow’s leaders who possess knowledge, as well as thoughtfulness and conscientious character, is what a 21st century school must endeavor to do. We do that at CA through the power of human connection--through the tutelage and investment that each teacher makes in the success of each student in the classroom. In my forthcoming November Highlights newsletter article, I’ll share more thoughts about why mentors matter, and why a computer is not enough.