What is the shape of things to come?

Scarcella, Joseph A.

I'd like to once again thank each one of you for allowing me the opportunity to serve you and our great profession. As my term comes to a close, know that your ongoing efforts, commitment and leadership made a difference and will continue to make a difference for enhancing technology education and career and technical education nationally.

So then, "What will be the shape of things to come?" As the Association for Career and Technical Education seeks new ideas and ways to serve its members by its proposed reorganization, it is important that the Technology Education Division remain committed, work as a unified front and find ways to assist with the process so that avenues for making change are meaningful. While the future of the reorganization is unknown, I further urge each one of you to stretch yourself, wrestle with the idea of change, and seek new ways for improving what we do as an association and within the division. We must all recognize that maintaining status quo is not an option.

To help facilitate new ideas for change, one strategy might include applying knowledge-based principles for understanding organizational change; it is our responsibility as members. Your awareness of organizational trends and issues will clearly shape the direction, vision and mission of our profession now and into the future.

Further, I'd like to continue the dialogue for proposing pre-engineering education as one more career pathway within the technology education discipline. No matter your current position on the issue, it is very important that this issue be discussed, as opportunities for sharing broad and diverse opinions, perspectives and viewpoints are important for leading each of us toward a better understanding and informed position. I realize the issues and implications for pre-engineering education are complex, but I hope the division's leadership will lead the charge in some direction rather than be reactive to others' perspectives when addressing the issue. It seems natural that technology education courses lead to varying careers on the continuum of workforce education--from trade and industrial to technical to professional. All are important elements of the field, and all require varying degrees of preparation. Let's not overlook opportunities that might benefit our profession today and in the years to come.

Another critical issue is the importance of providing education that will result in student technological literacy. I believe everyone should be technologically literate. This encompasses both knowing--understanding of systems and processes as to how things work--and doing--being able to apply these systems--as well as understanding how technology affects our lives for good and/or evil). While understanding or knowing about technology may seem transparent to those outside the profession, the reality is that there exists a population that is lacking in the technological savvy necessary for making educated decisions related to technology at work or play, or in global citizenry daily.

Because technology education is still evolving, and its destiny is unknown, the profession must realize the role of the Association for Career and Technical Education. It can help provide direction for technology education through research, publications, annual conferences and leadership that address career and technical and academic issues related to workforce education. To this end, know that your personal involvement does make a difference and will help set the direction for the division's future. Our actions will have direct impact on a component of the division's mission: "to provide educational leadership in developing a competitive workforce, and more importantly, to instill the belief that technological literacy is essential for all to function as productive citizens of society."

I thank each of you for your support, friendship and leadership. It has been an honor working with you and for you.

Very Respectfully,

Joseph A. Scarcella, Ph.D.
TED President

ACTE vice presidents and committee members are responsible for Division and Region Report content. This report was prepared by Technology Education Division Vice President Joseph A. Scarcella, Ph.D.