‘We are going to make history today..’ Steve Jobs said, looking straight at me (as well as 5,000 other people). An incredible buzz had filled the auditorium and when Steve Jobs walked onto the stage, everyone erupted in applause. Some had waited outside for several hours and everyone knew that a big new product was to be unveiled. 

As I write this I am sitting outside the main exhibition hall at MacWorld in San Francisco, having just listened to the keynote address by Apple CEO and IT visionary Steve Jobs. What brought me here you ask? Well, the beginning of my trip has been a break from a really busy year – a chance to ‘reset’ for the challenges ahead. My attendance at MacWorld is based on two main motivations. Firstly, it is a worldwide IT event in which many of the latest technologies are being demonstrated and discussed. The expo is a chance to network with many software and hardware vendors, find out about new products and hear from leading educators from across the globe. Secondly, the Mac platform is one which I have little experience with.  This is a great opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of this platform.

 For me, it all comes down to ‘tunnel-vision’ – and trying not to have it. Many of us have our favorite software packages, and in a broader sense, we often categorise each other with labels such as ‘open source people’ or ‘Mac people’. In this rapidly changing field, none of us can really afford to favour one technology to the exclusion of all others. Who knows what technology we will be using in 10 years time? As well as this, who knows what skills our students will need to move forward? Does this mean that each of us needs to be a ‘jack of all trades’? Well, I don’t believe so – even if it were possible. However, I believe that we should all try to be as open minded as possible – in the hope that our students will be the same. Being here has caused made me to reflect on the changing face of the IT industry and the challenges this presents for us as educators.  Not only do we have the task of implementing new curriculum initiatives, but we have the bigger challenge of attracting students to our study and promoting IT career pathways. Making this challenge even more daunting is the constantly changing landscape of technology, the needs of students and those of industry.