The clash of the generations has occurred throughout history– that each generation views the next as being different, of lacking in the values once held to be true, or as being more self-centered than generations before. The current debate, heard often through diverse media, on how increased access to technology and social media has created a generation that is more self-centered and narcissistic than those that came before, reminds me of a similar change that came with the advent of the Printing Press and the notion of authorship– for generations individuals would not claim authorship of their work– that a divine power produced the product; however, with increased access to the written word (through technologies) the ways that individuals understood themselves in relation to the creative process was altered– they began to claim individualistic authorship of creative works– they were becoming more “self-centered” or more “narcissistic” than the generations prior (arguably). Much in the same ways that those early “authors” signed their name to their written works, we are publishing images and information that is meant to portray aspects of our lives in ways that can be read as self-centered and self-serving. Yet, I would argue that this is simply a reframing and reimagining of the ways that we construct our places in the world. 

Certainly, our world has and will continue to dramatically change with the growth and spread of new technologies, we are transforming the ways that humans interact with one another and the world around them. Like other aspects of our lives, education is morphing and adapting to a world were digital citizenship has created new realities for ourselves as educators and for our students and their futures. Schools are adaptive spaces, where in order to effective and responsive learning to occur we will need to see developments and adaptive dimensions integrated into the curriculum, pedagogical approaches, and instructional environments, we will need to ensure that there is equitable access to technologies for all students, and that critical thinking and engagement are central rather than outdated benchmarks for learning and knowledge attainment.