Basics
- Project TitleFuture Quest Island - Networking and Mentoring - Mentoring for the Future
- ThemeCareers; Mentoring; Networking. General awareness for middle school students
- Submitted ByFuture Quest Island / Lori Cooney, Nancy Hurley, Jennifer Leonard
- OrganizationFuture Quest Island / UMass Institute for Community Inclusion
- Brief DescriptionOne of a series of short activities that get students thinking about how to learn about careers from other people. In this activity, students talk to a family adult or do on-line research about technology shifts and write a short dialogue.
Key Questions
- Key QuestionsHow do changes in technology affect people`s careers?
- Connections: How or why was this topic identified? Why is it meaningful?This is part of a series of activities on networking and mentoring, as part of the
development of social/emotional skills and
lifelong career navigation skills. - Family: Any opportunities to involve parent/guardians and other family members in this project?This is part of a series of activities on networking and mentoring, as part of the
development of social/emotional skills and
lifelong career navigation skills.
Units / Activities
- Step 1: interview family adult or online researchStudents work with a parent or other adult or use online research to write a list of technologies and innovations new in the past few decades.See activity sheet
- Step 2: In-class writing projectStudents write a dialog between two people reacting to the impact of a new technology or innovation on daily life.See activity sheet
- Step 3: Wrap up and reflectionEncourage students to share some of the points they discussed in Step 1. What are some of the new technologies and innovations that have affected work and daily life in the past few decades? Make the point that careers are affected by new technologies. For example, a computer programmer might learn certain programming techniques in school, but in future years, he or she will learn lots of brand new programs and techniques. Or, for example, a carpenter might have learned in school how to draw floorplans using paper and pencil, and later in his or her career, learned to use a computer drawing program. The more you welcome new techniques, the more you can learn and the more interesting your career will be.
Activity Sheets
- Mentoring for the Future
What kind of technology and innovations will we see in the future? How will new technology affect people’s lives and careers? Some of the best careers take shape when people are willing to learn new things and get jobs creating and using new technologies.
Step 1: Pre-writing: Work with a parent or other adult to make a list of technology and other innovations that are new in the past few decades. Or use web research to find out when some of the technology we use today was invented. Some examples are provided to get you started.
Technology or innovation When was it developed? (approx.) Supermarket check out scanners and bar codes 1970s Digital computerized animation for movies Step 2 - Write a dialog between two people. One person is nervous and worried about how the new technology will affect their daily life and work. The other person is excited about the new technology.
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