Thing #5, School 2.0 are we ready?

I'm well aware that the internet is an integral part of children's lives today. The generations that we will be teaching are not going to know what it's like to not have all the information they could ever want at the tip of their fingers or what it's like to not have instant communication with everyone that they know. Times are changing faster than I could have ever imagined. Everyday the idea of Web 2.0 is becoming more and more prevalent. I get that the world wide web itself has not changed but how it is being used had changed so significantly that it can be difficult to keep up. As a future teacher, it is important for myself and all teachers to stay up to date with what is going on. How many of us had teachers when we were younger that we considered old and out of touch with the "now" that we would ignore their ideas? If teachers want to stay relevant to students we have to keep up with what is going on and even try to stay ahead.
My generation is the one that is caught almost in between worlds. We did not grow up with everyone having cell phones and computers, but the older we got the more people we knew began getting all of the new technologies. We remember how rare it was for someone to have a cellphone at school. I remember being one of the few friends with a cellphone, than suddenly I was behind the times because my phone didn't come with texting. With as fast as new ideas and technologies come out it is easy for anyone who isn't paying attention to fall behind what is going on now.
Who knows what kind of new technology will be out or will come out when I start teaching. Technology changes so quickly and can be helpful or detrimental to our cause as teachers. Children are use to having everything happen quickly, having all the information they could need practically just a click away, and with all the stuff they are bombarded with through TV, the internet, and their phones it can be very hard to keep their attention to what is truly important their education.
Schools will have to do their best to keep up with the latest technology and how to use it. More pressure will be placed on teachers to be able to utilize whatever new technology is brought in. School 2.0 and what it will mean for us is going to vary depending on where, what, and who we are teaching. It is clear to me that this is not something that can be avoided. Schools will not be able to hold off on trying to stay up to date or they will lose their ability to keep students interested. I know a big problem is always financing for new technology, but this isn't something that can be avoided. New technology can and will be a great asset for teachers and schools to stay in the know of the current generation. Schools may not be ready for all the new stuff that is being thrown at them. Yet, we can't avoid it.