Looking Into the Future

Consider the following quote from this article.

"The critical gear we carry on the research trail into the future is our mindset, one of exploration, of investigation, of accepting new ways of doing new things. Those who become entrenched in the past, those who say, "This is the way we've always done it," will find that their gear is too heavy.
The literature on change describes levels of initiation and acceptance of innovations. As I see it, educators are divided into at least four groups, quite similar to what one experiences on the trail: the forerunners, the trailblazers, who innovate; those who come along and build on what others do; the middle ground who try what the first two groups find out; and those who lag behind, saying, "This will never work; it's just a passing fad." As we negotiate the wilderness trails ahead, accepting and adjusting to paradigm shifts in teaching and learning will become the survival tools for education's future"

Which of the 4 groups are you in? Are you comfortable in that group or what group do you want to be in? What will you do to get there?

I feel right now placed in the middle ground. I feel open to trying new things but I'm not quite to the point of being a trailblazer or forerunner quite yet. As technology advances it will be used more often and in a variety of settings. I think that my being open to trying new things will benefit my practice in the technology area. I don't think everyone needs to be a forerunner, but I think no educator should lag behind. I hope during my degree journey and continued practice with reflection I can begin to build on not only what others do but what I do. I hope to continue seeking out new ideas in teaching by reading blogs, articles and having discussions with other educators. I plan to get feed back on ideas when possible from other teachers and from students. Yes, students. One of the best discussions I've been part of was in my Orientation to Education class where the professor brought in a high school student. It was an open forum where we college students asked the high school student questions. I learned a lot that day including the valuable opinion of a student.