To be successful today and into the future we all KNOW everyone needs 21st century skills. But why? What concrete examples lead me to believe “my” job needs global awareness? Financial literacy? Why do I need communication and collaboration skills as a janitor? What is the purpose of learning creativity and innovation skills when all I do is answer the phone?

So my question to you is: Why should a <insert title here> have to acquire 21st century skills?

Titles may include: Custodian, Grounds Keeper, Secretary, Programmer, Videographer, Helpdesk Support, Program Coordinators, Directors, Therapists, Technicians, etc.

To me, it is not a matter of title but a way of thinking. We can move from convergent thinking to divergent thinking about the everyday way we do our job. With knowledge of 21st century skills we can think of different more effective ways to do our jobs in a manner suitable for this generation.

Image by http://www.flickr.com/people/jakecaptive/
Used under direction of Creative Commons Licensing.

My Christmas wish list starts with…

“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
~Apple Think Different Campaign

Think Different – Wikipedia Entry

Can you change the world? ~jme

Reading “First In, Last Out”, from John Salka. Something that stuck with me was this quote:

“At the end of the day, you can only hold yourself responsible for the kind of [person] you become.”

You have complete reign of yourself. The good, the bad and the ugly. There you have it.

What kind of person do you want to be at the end of the day? What matters most to you? Prove it!

This is a series of articles on how and which technologies you might use to support the eight individual intelligences as defined in Dr. Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Here is a sequential outline of the articles:

•  Introduction
• Word Smart (linguistic intelligence)
• Number Smart (logical-mathematical intelligence)
• Picture Smart (spatial intelligence)
• Body Smart (kinesthetic intelligence)
• Music Smart (musical intelligence)
• People Smart (interpersonal intelligence)
• Self Smart (intrapersonal intelligence)
• Nature Smart (naturalistic intelligence)

Your comments, thoughts and ideas are encouraged! Thank you – Jason

I attended the NDE Adult Ed Conference in Kearney yesterday and enjoyed listening to Dr. Mosig from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Dr. Mosig spoke on the topic Stress Management. One of the handouts he gave us was this simple quote:

If you were to fall to your death from a very great height, it would be a shame not to enjoy the view as you fell, or to appreciate the wind in your hair, or the warmth of the sun on your face.

-Ngakpa Chogyam Rinpoche

Dr. Mosig did a nice job of explaining how, really, we are all headed to our death at some point. Why not enjoy the ride while we can?

Today is one of those days in history that really affected me. It’s one of those days I know exactly where I was and what I was doing when announced our nation was under attack. It was a Tuesday and we had a scheduled LAN Managers meeting at the ESU that day. As soon as word  was out that we were under attack, we had the TV’s in the building tuned in to CNN to watch the horror and devastation of that fateful day.

So eight years has passed and I reflect upon why this event impacted me and what has stuck with me that changes the way I think, interact and carry out my life on a daily basis. When I think about this day, I realize how fragile life is and how easily, in the blink of an eye, our whole lives can change by the actions of another. Changed by the actions of hatred and fanatical ideology. Thousands of people died that day and thousands more are dying even today as a result.

I visited the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon this summer and it was one of the most moving places I have ever been. The power I felt by just standing in the garden was amazing. Being able to see and feel the people in the plane and the people in the building who gave their lives on that day was an experience I just can’t describe in words.

So what have I been able to take away from this tragic event?

• Live every day like it’s your last.
• Wake up in the morning and thank your God for what you have.
• There are bad people out there but don’t let fear of what could or has happened control your life.
• Our government isn’t always right or have our best interest at heart.
• We have too much bureaucracy.
• In spite of the last two statements, we are damn lucky to be Americans.