The BIG Question

So, what have I learned that has served me well throughout my life?  The answer to this question needs to be of a conceptual nature rather than a specific skill that I am proud of.  The skills that I learned, and learned well, in the past are not really serving me in today's technological climate.  But, the quagmire of skills have been combined to form the answer to the BIG question;  What should I learn?

Early on I learned how to navigate a computer.  I learned how to organize files.  I learned how to search the computer's hardrive and find things that I thought were gone forever.  I learned how to "defragment" the computer, keeping the machine healthy.  All of these things are no different from the things that anyone else my age learned about a computer.  At the time, the skills seemed to be compartamentalized, not really leading to a bigger purpose.  They did though.  According to Holly MacDonald's article, The Big Question, knowing how to categorize, organize and search are vital for adapting to the dynamic nature of technology.  Tools will continue to come and go. Knowing how to find what you want, organize what you want, and categorize what you have found is paramount for getting the most out of technology. 

As I said, tools will come and go with time.  The real concern is will you know how to get what you want even if the tool that you have used in the past is gone.  Having an open-mind and the persistence to try new things is perhaps the most beneficial skill that an educator can have in the 21st century.