Nick Donofrio

Rare is the occasion when a guest speaker actually changes your mind about something. Nick Donofrio, the esteemed speaker who visited New Paltz last week, gave a riveting talk about innovation in the 21st century. His credentials were lengthy and he seemed like a smart guy, but this man's passion and clarity really sold his point. The classrooms of today, not to mention the business world, are operating under an old and obsolete model that turns a blind eye towards technology. Innovation is much more than clever change conjured up in the mind on some sleepless night, for change is always occurring even in this very second of suddenness. Innovation exceeds the changes wrought by chance or time, bringing forth a deliberate advancement to raise standards of living. Nick made many great points about focusing not so much on the troubles of our own time but on the possibilities of the future. The future for technology and education is wide open and continues to grow with each passing day. The talk was rather enlightening, yet many walked out of that auditorium with more questions than probable answers. The great task of incorporating technology into education, and the world at large for that matter, lays before us and now we must decide what to make of it. Will this nation continue to hold on to those lingering vestiges of the past or will a collaborative and open setting prevail? I haven't the answer but there is one thing I do know: unless we adapt and innovate to cope with the changing realities of the business and educational world, this nation will soon be left behind as others embrace technology in the 21st century.