| Popis: |
Welcome to the Journal's special issue on the new millennium! In 2001, we were privileged to have witnessed not only the turn of the century but also the dawn of a new millennium. In sharing that experience, we moved from our individual generational designations of Baby Boomer, Generation Y-er, and Generation X-er to being part of a world community with global possibilities. What does this unique moment in time mean for us? Will history note that we were a cornerstone generation grounding future change? Or that we were the generation on which evolving elements of the new century will balance themselves? We do not know nor can our most insightful, futuristic thinkers fully imagine how the future will develop. What we can do is reflect on the past and chart a course for the future. Collectively and individually, we have a responsibility to reflect, to envision, and to create a new global community and set our own course in that community. To fulfill our responsibility will require change. But who likes change? If the popular book Who Moved My Cheese?1 is an indication of our relationship with change, we must conclude that we do not like it much. At an early age, we learn the security of the familiar. Change, thus, becomes a necessary evil, something to be resisted, yet inevitable. When presented with alternatives, we prefer to have both the small as well as the significant components of our lives remain the same. An old friend, a well-known place, our old work jeans all bring an inner sense of stability and solidarity. Each is a safe spot in our psyche within which we find comfort, at least until disrupted by the demands of daily life. All around us it seems the world is changing. Despite our aversion, we are a world that embraces change. From our ultimate consumerism, to our throwaway products and our societal mobility, change has become integral to modern life. Alvin Toffler, who mesmerized a generation in the 70s with his book Future Shock,2 discussed the dizzying rate of change at that time and predicted its staggering increase. His ideas were indeed visionary, albeit without the benefit of consultation via instant messaging with friends, family, and colleagues. We have come to expect and accept weekly, hourly, even daily changes in our lives. We have built in systems for change in our lives and now have difficulty without them. Just look around. Can you see the fundamental elements of change infusing the educational environment? The nature of the learning environment is no longer confined to bricks and mortar. The basic tenet that learning occurs best when the students learn at the same time and in the same place has moved in a very short time from a universal belief to just one of several learning environment choices. So rapid was the change that few of us really foresaw that physical therapy would embrace distance education as a mechanism to transform the profession. Another important change is the way we think about the permanence of knowledge. Possibly most importantly, the nature of inquiry has changed to reflect the rapid rate of knowledge expansion and how we interact with that knowledge. Recently, knowing how to find information, interacting with information, and knowing what can be inferred from that information have become critical lifelong learning skills. These skills have taken their place in the academy and are considered by some the most important tools for students of the future. This transformation forms the basis for our professional transition to evidence-based practice. As classes grow, we recognize the multicultural, multigenerational body of learners who will define the near future. And as we grow as educators, we develop diverse methods to engage our new learners in rethinking basic concepts to adapt for a global community. A clear vision for their individual and their collective future will allow them to move confidently into that future. Whatever the vision, it is their unique transformation of the present that defines the future. … |
