[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf" height="800" width="800" /]

Click on the buttons across the top. Click the “NOW” button and watch the clock for a minute. How many people have been born and how many have died? Look at hoe much oil has been pumped out of the ground and how many hectares of forested land has been cleared.

Poodwaddle, who host this clock, say that the data comes from various official sources – including the World Health Organisation and the United Nations. While they don’t provide any verifiable information (that I could see) the graphical nature of this clock could be a useful way to start a discussion.

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For example, our news media is currently talking about Telecom NZ’s decision to relocate their call centre to Manilla, in the Phillipines. This is nothing unusual globally. Telecom claim that no New Zealanders will lose their jobs in this move as there will be openings in other departments. Kiwis have been outraged at this move, saying that a Kiwi company should support Kiwi workers. But are these the same people who have invested in Telecom and want to make a profit on their shares? Can we afford to have our cake and eat it?
We glibly talk about our children being ‘a gift for a world we will not see’ and about preparing them for ‘their future not ours’ but are we really setting them up as well as we can? Do we really understand the impact that China will have on the world in the next fifty years or are we still complaining about the quality of that set of headphones from the $2 Shop? We spend a lot of time talking about how kids today have different kinds of brains and how their thumbs have evolved so that they can text message more efficiently and get through the next level of game play.
We’re missing the point.

Children are different because the world is a different place. We need to get over our selves on that one and get informed. We need to investigate how our jobs are going to be impacted by the changes in the world and we need to settle in for a bumpy ride. As teachers we need to think beyond what we are teaching our students and the way that we are teaching. We need to look at preparing our society for global change.
We have a new draft curriculum document available in New Zealand. Page eight of that document states that,

“Education has a vital role to play in helping our young people to reach their individual potential and develop
the competencies they will need for further study, work, and lifelong learning. It is by developing these
competencies that they are equipped to participate fully in New Zealand society and contribute to the
growth of its economy. Education is the key to sustaining our nation’s development and to its successful
transformation into a knowledge-based society. Education empowers our young people to stand tall as New
Zealanders, seize opportunities, overcome obstacles, and make a difference.”

The new draft encourages schools to design and develop their own curriculum. They are encouraged to do so in consultation with their own community and with input from other schools. I say that we need also to get input from futures thinkers and from people with a global viewpoint. We don’t just want our kids to participate in New Zealand society, we want them to participate in the global society.

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In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

– Eric Hoffer

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