Bono - Dreams, Doing and the Digital Age

I'm a big fan of U2 and Bono in particular. I've followed his work for almost 30 years. I love his thoughts, his faith and how they come out through his art. Here's a great quote from him that speaks to what I'm trying to do with my students:

"What turns me on about the digital age, what excited me personally, is that you have closed the gap between dreaming and doing. You see, it used to be that if you wanted to make a record of a song, you needed a studio and a producer. Now, you need a laptop."

Last summer I was on a mission trip with the youth group from my church. We were in a small city in West Virginia working with poor children. Of course, I had my iPad with me. I was showing an art program to some young girls and they were making pictures. These other kids came up and asked right away what they were playing.

Just like in school, when there's a computer nearby and five minutes to kill, most children see the computer as an entertainment device. Some see it as the tool that shortens the gap between dreaming and doing. I try to open their eyes to that possibility.

People tell me their kids are good with technology. Kids tell me they're good with technology. I like to ask one simple thing - what do they make with it?

No matter what it is you want to do with your time, digital technology is the tool that can help you do it better. If you want to play, sit and stare at mindless entertainment or just chat with friends, you can use technology to do it in ways that were never before imagined.

Whatever you want to do, you can do it big. 

Now more than ever the future belongs to those who want to dream.