That Awkward Age #edcmooc

I am at that awkward middle age of 50-something - too old for the kids' table and too young for the grownups' table.  The reason I say this is I love what is being served at the kids' table but I am the first to admit I am not a kid anymore and for me, the grownups' table is synonymous with those who are content with ordering the early bird special and not even interested in trying out a new place. It is a state of mind.

There are some who will tell you the awkward age is that between birth and death but I am here to tell you that we tail-end-of-the-boomers have it rough. Whereas the boomer generation was able to scoop the cream of employment opportunities from a frothy economy, my contemporaries were wearing diapers in the early 1960s and by the time we hit the pavement in search of jobs, we were fighting over the leftovers and heading into several waves of recession.  This is not to diminish the struggle of the Gen Xers or that of the Milleniums today. The fact is, the baby boom demographic herd lucked out by the mere fact of the decade in which they were born and a majority are now enjoying vested pension rights and healthy RRSPs (personal tax-free pension savings). 

Enough ranting about first world problems...I do have much for which to be grateful and I am especially excited about the infinite opportunities for learning and pleasure that exist by virtue of living in the internet age. I love hearing new music that others introduce to me through sites like 8 tracks and songza.  As far as social media, it seems that my generation is even more enamored of facebook than my children's generation; many 20-somethings are scornful of the facebook and twitter trend of posting the minutiae of daily life. As for me, I have delighted in finding and renewing old acquaintances. I remember the thrill of the first time I was able to text chat in real time with my sister, when I was living on another continent and phone calls were so expensive they were reserved for special occasions. I remember the nostalgia that gripped me when I first heard CBC radio live streaming while living abroad in South America for more 15 years. I used to tune in to the local Toronto broadcasts to hear the traffic reports in winter and as I looked out my window at the sun and bougainvillea, I marveled at this science fiction prediction come to pass. 

I loved science fiction as a teenager and I still have a very big soft spot for Star Trek (all the series, especially TNG, and the movies), Star Wars, the Matrix series and in particular, any sci-fi that deals with social commentary and not just blowing up space craft. Suggestions are welcome.  

Now I am working in adult education, managing programs that are delivered through traditional text and just starting to dip a toe into experiments like an online forum to interact with students. I am working on a certificate in studies on adult teaching and training and straining to catch up to the leaps and bounds that have taken place over the past few years in online teaching tools. I am hungry to taste that buffet but, despite my considerable motivation and the fact I am considered to be a little more tech-savvy than many of my contemporaries, I struggle to feel comfortable with the myriad of options. We adults of a certain age also want to enjoy this smorgasbord of opportunities to learn and connect with wonderful minds in far-off lands who can teach us and enrich our lives. I want to be part of that revolution and understand how to make it accessible to those who are also at that awkward age and who will never be as comfortable with this technology as our young digital natives.