The world in which we live, work and play has not physically become smaller and yet seems less distant and foreign as we cross borders and boundaries through technology, e-tools, social networking, blogs and podcasts. The world has become the global backyard for humankind as we learn from one another, collaborate, and communicate for work, socialization and cultural understanding. However, the challenges are more complex in a world of virtual leadership and learning particularly for adult learners. One only has to read Freidman's (2005)The World is Flat to understand that this connectedness has transcended every aspect of everyday life across the world without regard to distance, time, geography and language. Although one can certainly observe the efficiency and the effectiveness of technology integration, how learners interact in the current and a future world system will require educators and policy-makers to shift to new ways of teaching and to embed contemporary skills, attributes and qualities into content areas more deliberately than ever before.
Technology has changed how we negotiate every aspect of everyday life with the changes so dramatic and far-reaching that explaining this impact and consequences of just the past two decades is almost incomprehensible. Educational systems are cognizant that they must prepare students for 21st century learning but defining what skills, attitudes and qualities are necessary is still being discussed and debated at many levels. And, once there is some agreement on what the students should be able to know and to do, policy-makers and global leaders have to determine how educational systems will develop and implement those strategies that reinforce the defined skills, attributes and qualities.
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