Update: This article was last updated on 4th June 2024 to reflect the accuracy and up-to-date information on the page.
Creators take action; Consumers simply observe.
With the rapid growth of technology, especially in areas of automation and AI, the future belongs to creators. Computers will replace those without creating capacities. We are already losing mechanical and repetitive jobs to automation.
So how can we prepare our kids to navigate this ever-evolving technology-driven jungle?
A consumer mindset tends towards input while a creator mindset focuses on output.
We should provide an ecosystem that encourages thinking, observation, problem identification, and solution finding. People with an active mindset are creators, while consumers have a passive mindset.
To raise creators and innovators of tomorrow, we need to first get some facts out of the way. The reality is that we are all geared to become complete consumers. Why? Because most of our kids spend the majority of their time consuming both media and products. They rarely indulge in the design thinking process, aside from compulsory activities and subjects in their curriculum, which makes creative endeavors almost a mechanical formality.
Our education systems further dampen the creative impulse by keeping “learning” and “play” as two completely unrelated portions of a kid’s life. Well, learning and play should never be mutually exclusive.
There are always two sides to every coin. Kids can either become absorbed in technology and media without any productive results or they can use these tools and end up creating something that touches millions of lives.
The passive nature of traditional learning
Learning in classrooms has always been a predominantly passive activity, wherein students simply “receive” the lessons being spoken or displayed. Learning modules that push kids to explore their passions and develop related skill sets can give kids the power to be imaginative and adventurous creators.
Beyond the Classroom: Inspiring Innovation
This learning goes beyond the classroom as well. The kind of content our kids consume doesn’t do any good for them if they aren’t being inspired to innovate or explore what they like afterward. The future belongs to creators whether they will be content creators or inventors of apps and gadgets, or new scientific experiments and discoveries, creativity will be more valuable than ever.
The Role of Visionary Educators in Promoting STEM
This is part of the reason why here in the United States STEM is being carried and encouraged by dedicated and visionary teachers and parents alike.
The Slow Progress of Mainstreaming STEM
While steps are being taken to make STEM more mainstream in US classrooms, the progress has been a bit slow so far.
Recommended Reading: Top 12 Current Trends For Kids (2024 Guide)
Beyond Technology: Experiential Learning in STEM
STEM isn’t just a matter of bringing the latest technologies to the classroom, it goes beyond that. STEM is meant to introduce an entirely new model of learning. The one that focuses on and rewards experiential learning rather than conceptual rote learning has been the norm so far.
The Need for a Stronger Educational Framework
We need a stronger framework in our country’s education system to make STEM more pervasive. That is the only way it can be scaled in the future. For now, many small start-ups and organizations are trying to bring STEM learning into households with their unique products and services.
Encouraging Creation Through Technology
With easy access to technology and tools for creation, kids can easily be encouraged to move from being consumers to creators. Kids can make e-books with book creation apps, they can code, they can 3-D print tools and computers, and they can even design and explore digital art.
Empowering Kids to Be Creative
With this, kids are empowered to explore different ways of expression and take creative risks and thus, creators are born. Technology and media are powerful, but creativity is stronger. Combine all three, and our kids have a recipe for success.
The Future
A majority of our young kids today will end up working jobs that don’t even exist in today’s world. Such is the uncertainty and swiftness of technology and automation. Even many jobs that exist in today’s app-driven hyper-social world didn’t exist a decade ago. This trend will only continue to grow, and it makes more parental sense to help our youngsters learn to be creators and innovators, rather than simply consume passively. Creating doesn’t just help your kid learn better, it is a huge value addition to their skill set in today’s world, as you already know media and technology are here to stay.
Moonpreneur is on a mission to disrupt traditional education and future-proof the next generation with holistic learning solutions. Its Innovator Program is building tomorrow’s workforce by training students in AI/ML, Robotics, Coding, IoT, and Apps, enabling entrepreneurship through experiential learning.
What is the difference between creator mindset and consumer mindset?
A creator mindset focuses on producing and innovating, while a consumer mindset emphasizes acquiring and using products or content created by others.