To Infinity And Beyond!

In 1997, I was teaching 10^th-grade English.  I remember having a copy of “National Geographic.”  The cover story was about a robotic device that was deployed on Mars.  Sorry, the specifics of the device and its name escape me, but what I remember was that for the first time, pictures from the surface of Mars were published in something that was accessible to anyone who read “National Geographic.”  Even better, they published the special addition in 3-D!  Okay, by “3-D,” I mean the old red and blue version.  Those born . . . let’s say recently, probably don’t remember the days of “red and blue 3-D.”  Not so long ago, to make things appear 3-D, images were produced using red and blue images.  I won’t suggest I understand the technical specifics, but suffice it to say, when you wore cardboard glasses with one red and one blue lens, the image appear (with concentration and patients) to be 3 dimensional.  I remember sitting at my desk, looking at this magazine with my fashionable 3-D classes on, and being fascinated by the 3 dimensional images of Mars.  It was the most realistic encounter anyone could experience with another planet.  One of my students came into my classroom and asked me what I was looking at.  I told her, and then handed the glasses and magazine over to her.  She was enthralled!  I allowed her to take the magazine and glasses with her.  For weeks she carried those around.  After some time, I asked her, “Tia, why do you carry those around all of the time?”  She said, “Mr. Corcoran, I’ve never seen anything like this.  It makes me feel like I’m actually there, and that makes me want to learn everything there is to know about Mars.”  She then pulled out a folder she’d been keeping of research she’d done on Mars.  The red and blue, 3-D images of Mars were so interesting to her, she clamored to find every bit of information the school library had to offer.

Now – anyone who has ever felt the joy of teaching is feeling the same heart palpitations I did – I am.  Imagine that scenario today!  Long past are the days of the red and blue 3-D classes.  Imagine what information Tia would have had at her fingertips today!  She would have grabbed her cell phone or tablet and had more information, images, and videos about Mars than everything she could have found in the school library or Library of Congress in 1997!  The landscape of Mars probably hasn’t changed much since 1997, but the landscape of technology certainly has, and exponentially!

I share this memory to illustrate a point.  The availability of information has changed so dramatically since most of us started teaching that it is hard to fathom just how different the world of information is for our students.  Quite honestly, it’s overwhelming at times, but let’s not hide our heads in the sand.   Let’s take a deep breath and consider the advantages.  We have more opportunities to inspire our students than ever before.  The access and desire for access to information has never been greater.  In fact, CNN reported that in the last quarter of 2011, Apple sold 141,000 iPhones EACH DAY, and 171,000 iPads EACH DAY!  Wait.  Don’t read further just yet.  Go back to those numbers and let them sink in.  Now, think about what Tia said to me – “I’ve never seen anything like this.  It makes me feel like I’m actually there, and that makes me want to learn everything there is to know about . . . ”

Now if this doesn’t excite you, check your pulse!