Današnja generacija mladih takozvana Z generacija, čijeg predstavnika imam u kući je poznata po zavisnosti od tehnologije ali i po preispitivanju svega i traženju bržeg i lakšeg načina rešavanja problema i sticanja znanja. Naravno koliko je škola neophodna, primeri ljudi koji su zaradili novac a da nisu završili fakultet, rad u korporacijama kao "trka pacova" i slično. Znanje je oduvek predstavljalo značajan izvor moći. Za one koji su to na vreme shvatali znanje je donosilo brojne koristi i zadovoljstva, kako materijalne tako i nematerijalne prirode. Sa druge strane, za one koji nisu shvatali i u potpunosti rezumeli značaj znanja, to jest pokušavali mnoge stvari da rešavaju sa neznanjem posledice bi tokom vremena bile velike, pa često i katastrofalne. Samo u ekonomskoj ili poslovnoj oblasti usled neznanja pravile su se različite i brojne greške, gubili poslovi, ostvarivali gubici, neuspesi i dešavao čitav niz drugih negativnih efekata. Bar kod nas u Srbiji za to imamo puno primera. U vremenu brzih i dinamičnih promena pitanje znanja dobija sve više na značaju. Sa jedne strane iz godine u godinu raste nivo znanja i povećava se količina informacija i podataka koje treba analizirati i sistematizovati. Dolazi do mnogih inovacija, novih pronalazaka, slobodno mogu reći sveopšte naučne i tehnološke revolucije. Sa druge strane, prosto smo "zatrpani" različitim informacijama i dezinformacijama, tehnološkim "čudima" što nam omogućava da se "na brzinu" informišemo oko mnogih dešavanja, što nam stvara privid da posedujemo znanje. Bez ikakve dileme svet u kome živimo dovodi do potreba kontinuiranog inoviranja znanja. Međutim, ono što je primetno je da se menjaju metodi i načini njegovog sticanja.

Danas nije previše popularno čitati knjige. Zašto bi neko to radio? Zašto bi se "smarao" i trošio dragoceno vreme? Dovoljno je da pronađete odgovarajuće internet izvore i da ti na par strana budete informisani o mnogo čemu. Na primer, prepričana knjige ili roman nekog klasika koja u originalu ima par stotina strana umesto da se čita desetak i više dana može da se saže i shvati šta se tamo dešava za nekih pola sata ili sat. Brzo, efikasno i efektno. Da li je to pravo znanje? Danas sve više, posebno među mladima je prisutan trend ne sticanja pravog sistematskog, analitičnog i specifičnog znanja, već upoznavanja, ili još gore prepoznavanja određenih fenomena ili termina. Dovoljno je ono da ono što nas interesuje potražimo na mobilnom telefonu, tabletu ili kompjuteru i da za par minuta dobijemo osnovne informacije. ChatGPT će da izbaci tekst o tome a verovatno bi i na ovu temu napisao bolji tekst od mene. Ili vrlo često je dovoljno da se ode na neku od društvenih mreža, forum ili nešto tako slično i da već sve "znaš" o čemu se tu radi. Ne mislim da je to preveliki problem za one oblasti u kojima nam treba informativno znanje koje nam nije potrebno za dubinsko obavljanje poslova. Komplikacije mogu nastati kada se problemi sa kojima se suočavamo postanu kompleksniji, kada zahtevaju visok nivo ekspertiza, stručnosti, interdisciplinarnosti i analitičnosti u rešavanju, a mi imamo pogrešan, da ga nazovem "brzinski" pristup sticanju znanja samo informativnog karaktera. Ima li hleba bez motike? Ima li znanja bez učenja? Da li u savremenom vremenu brzih promena, tehnološke revolucije, kratkih formi možemo steći potrebna znanja za uspešno poslovanje, rad, život? Ovo su samo neka od mnogih pitanja koja možemo postaviti kada pričamo o savremenim trendovima u obrazovanju. Bez ikakve dileme, klasični sistemi učenja uz "sveću i knjigu" su prevaziđeni. Savremena informaciona i telekomunikaciona tehnologija nam omogućava da mnogo brže, bolje, kvalitetnije i efikasnije učimo. Omogućava nam da mnogo lakše i brže dođemo do relevantnih izvora literature, bilo u formi knjiga, članaka, stručnih rasprava, različitih istraživanja i slično. Postoje mnoge veoma popularne i lako dostupne elektronske platforme za edukaciju. Sve više se razvija nova tehnološka oblast koja spaja savremene tehnologije i obrazovanja i koja se popularno naziva obrazovna ili edukativna tehnologija (eng. educational techology, ili skraćeno Ed-Tech). Da li današnje generacije manje uče? Ne bih mogao reći da današnje generacije manje uče. U stvari, to pitanje ne bi smelo nikako da se generalizuje. Sve zavisi od pojedinca, njegovog vaspitanja, stava i odnosa prema učenju. Ono što je definitivno jeste da se menjaju forme učenja. Tu veliku ulogu imaju nastavnici, počev od osnovne, preko srednje škole, pa sve do fakulteta. Njihova uloga je da učine sve da deca, budući studenti, eksperti zavole da uče, da im to ne bude teško, "smor", već radost. Mnogi misli da su mladi ljudi površni. Da žele laku i brzu zaradu. Ali, zar u svakoj generaciji i svim vremenima nismo imali takvih pojedinaca? Dovoljno je da se prisetimo društva iz osnovne i srednje škole i setićemo se nekoga takvog. Želja za brzom zaradom bez ulaganja u sebe i svoje obrazovanje je nešto što je svojstveno svim vremenima i svim generacijama. Pa ni današnje nisu izuzetak. Ali, neznanje košta. Evo, samo jednog prostog primera. U poslednjih par godina mnogi mladi ljudi su bili zaslepljeni jednom velikom inovacijom u oblasti finansija – kripto valutama i NFT. U periodu od par godina pojavio se veliki broj ovih inovacija o kojima se objektivno malo znalo, posebno u segmentu kako nastaju (kroz blockchain – najčešće) i koji se poslovni modeli nalaze iza njih. Cene nekih od kripto valuta i pogotovo NFT-ja su vrtoglavo rasle skoro iz dana u dan, meseca u mesec i sve je više bilo "kripto entuzijasta" koji su počeli da ostvaruju zavidnu zaradu. Naravno, misleći da će to večno da traje mnogi su se "zaigrali" i uložili velike novce, bez posedovanja elementarnih znanja iz oblasti finansija. Oni koji nisu imali dovoljno znanja i mudrosti skupo su to platili, posebno od trenutka kada je počela veća regulativa ove oblasti i "raskrinkavanje" mnogih šema prevara. Otuda, nemojte previše učiti iz brzih i lakih (instant) izvora, nego se dobro potrudite da celovito, sistematično i analitički istražite sve čime se bavite. Bez ikakve dileme znanje će i dalje biti moć u rukama pametnih.

Iako sve više tehnologija učestvuje u oblasti njegovog sticanja u formama velikih podataka (big data), mašinsko učenje i veštačke inteligencije ... kao i pojave Ed-Tech-a, uloga čoveka će uvek ostati dominantna. Zato verujte u sebe, verujte u znanje i volite da učite. Samo tako možete biti i ostati uspešni u onome što radite.

The current generation of young people, known as Generation Z, of which I have a representative in my home, is known for its dependence on technology for questioning everything and seeking faster and easier ways to solve problems and acquire knowledge.

Of course, the importance of education is unquestionable. However, there are examples of people who have earned money without completing college, and working in corporations is often likened to a "rat race," and so on.

Knowledge has always been a significant source of power. For those who realized this early on, knowledge brought numerous benefits and pleasures, both material and immaterial. On the other hand, for those who did not understand or fully grasp the importance of knowledge and tried to solve many things with ignorance, the consequences could be significant and often catastrophic over time.

In the economic or business field, various and numerous mistakes were made due to ignorance, jobs were lost, losses were incurred, failures occurred, and a whole series of other adverse effects. We have many examples of this in Serbia.

In an era of rapid and dynamic change, the question of knowledge becomes increasingly important. On the one hand, the level of knowledge and the amount of information and data that need to be analyzed and systematized are increasing yearly. This leads to many innovations, discoveries, and what can be described as general scientific and technological revolutions.

On the other hand, we are inundated with various information and disinformation, technological "wonders" that allow us to quickly inform ourselves about many events, creating the illusion that we possess knowledge.

Without a doubt, the world we live in requires continuous knowledge innovation. However, what is noticeable is that the methods and ways of acquiring knowledge are changing.

 

Today, reading books is not very popular. Why would anyone do that? Why would someone bother and waste precious time? It is enough to find suitable internet sources and be informed about many things in a few pages. For example, summarizing a book or a classic novel that initially has hundreds of pages, instead of reading it for ten or more days, can be condensed and understood in half an hour or an hour. Fast, efficient, and effective. Is that actual knowledge?

Today, there is a growing trend, especially among young people, of not acquiring real systematic, analytical, and specific knowledge but merely acquainting themselves or, even worse, recognizing certain phenomena or terms.

It is enough to search for what interests us on a mobile phone, tablet, or computer and get basic information in a few minutes. ChatGPT will provide information on the topic, and it could write a better text on this subject than I can. It is often enough to go to a social media platform, forum, or something similar, and you already "know" what's happening.

This is not a significant problem for areas where we need informational knowledge not required for in-depth job performance. Complications can arise when the problems we face become more complex, require a high level of expertise, professionalism, interdisciplinary and analytical thinking in solving them, and we have a wrong, so to speak, "quick" approach to acquiring only informative knowledge.

Is there bread without a hoe? Is there knowledge without learning? Can we acquire the necessary knowledge for successful business, work, and life in the modern age of rapid changes, technological revolutions, and short forms?

These are just some of the many questions that can be raised when discussing contemporary trends in education. Undoubtedly, traditional learning systems with "candle and book" are outdated. Modern information and telecommunication technology allow us to learn much faster, better, more qualitatively, and more efficiently.

It allows us to access relevant literature sources in books, articles, expert discussions, various research and more easily and quickly.

There are many viral and easily accessible electronic education platforms. A new technological field is emerging that combines modern technology and education and is popularly called educational technology or Ed-Tech.

Do today's generations learn less? I couldn't say that today's generations know less. This question should not be generalized in any way. It all depends on the individual, upbringing, attitude, and approach to learning. What is definite is that the forms of learning are changing. Teachers play a significant role from primary school to high school and college. Their role is to make children, future students, and experts love learning so it is not burdensome or tedious but joyful.

Many people think that young people are superficial and want quick and easy earnings. But didn't we have such individuals in every generation and at all times?

Remember our society in elementary and high school, and you will remember someone like that. The desire for quick earnings without investing in oneself and one's education is characteristic of all times and all generations.

In recent years, many young people have been dazzled by a significant innovation in finance - cryptocurrencies and NFTs. In just a few years, there have been many of these innovations about which very little was known objectively, especially regarding how they are created (often through blockchain) and their business models.

The prices of some cryptocurrencies, especially NFTs, have skyrocketed almost daily, month to month, and there were more and more "crypto enthusiasts" who began to make significant profits. Of course, thinking that this would last forever, many got carried away and invested large sums without possessing even the most basic knowledge in the field of finance.

Those who lacked sufficient knowledge and wisdom paid a high price, especially when greater regulation in this area began, and many fraudulent schemes were exposed.

Therefore, do not rely too much on quick and easy (instant) sources of information; instead, make a concerted effort to thoroughly, systematically, and analytically research everything you engage in.

Without a doubt, knowledge will continue to be power in the hands of the intelligent.

Even though technology increasingly plays a role in acquiring knowledge in big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, as well as the emergence of Ed-Tech, the role of humans will always remain dominant. So believe in yourself, believe in knowledge, and love to learn. Only in this way can you be successful in what you do.