The Third Millennium Challenges to the knowledge
Builders of the Asia Pacific Region in 21st Century
I. Introduction
The knowledge builder of tomorrow has two
layered responsibility of building a technology driven
human infrastructure in an environment of excellence,
enriched by individual and community values nurtured
through centuries in a manner at a proportion that is
synchronized with the learner’s socio-cultural
orientation
Emerging realities that are rapidly making an impact on
educational scenario:
1. The learning continuum is fast becoming
borderless, embracing a lifelong dimension,
with an unprecedented pace of knowledge
acquisition.
2. In the new millennium, population growth is
fast-outpacing world’s capacity to provide
learning opportunities to individuals and
groups.
3. Recognition of prior learning, accreditation and
equivalency are approaches that are gaining
substantial focus
4. Work-specific and beyond the campus
strategies likewise deserve the educator’s
attention.
5. Distance education, open learning and other
flexible learning systems are now recognized
as having the capacity to provide access to life-
long education opportunities.
Note: in the above statements, technology is
considered as the primary artery of delivering
education.
A. The Asia Pacific Century
South East Asia and East Asia has faced
numerous challenges. It has faced the troubles brought
about by the World War II. Still, this region has made
unprecedented Economic growth over the past two
decades; the highest of course is South East Asia
 We are increasingly aware of an
interconnected world. Be it through
telecommunications, the World Wide Web or
trade and commerce.
 Asia Pacific is now a major are for market
expansion. Within the region, recent shifts
from centrally planned economies to those
driven by free market forces that has
prompted the developments of the transitional
market economies label.
Note: technology again, has made an impetus
that enabled these changes.
B. The Information Society
Points to ponder:
1. Globalization, through accelerated and
magnified technological development, is by
itself emergent phenomenon.
2. Alvin Toffer described the third wave
civilization as being the knowledge or
information economy.
3. Peter Drucker labeled the practitioners as
being knowledge workers.
It is evident from this that more and more people in the
world today make their living by generating,
processing, disseminating, and exchanging and/or
using information/s
C. The Knowledge Builders
The teacher in the information age should not
only be a transmitter of facts and figures, but rather a
guide to student’s quest for learning.
II. The emerging Education Landscape
In an increasingly sophisticated world where
information has various applications and
corresponding economic value, it may be well to
remind ourselves that information by itself, no matter
how painstakingly collected needs to be applied to a
specific human social concern for it to have meaning.
 Technology makes it possible to process
huge amounts of data and information and
share them with proper parties in a very short
period of time.
  Knowledge builders has the responsibility of
generating and moving information and share
them with proper parties in a very short period
of time.
 Implications of technology in shaping future
landscapes must be explored.
Issues and Concerns of ICT development and
Education.
1. The learning continuum is fast becoming
borderless, embracing a lifelong dimension,
with the pace of knowledge acquisition
described as unprecedented.
2. Population growth is fast outpacing the
world’s capacity to provide learning
opportunities to individuals and groups. Mass
participation in education needs to be
addressed by the education sector.
3. Recognition of prior learning, accreditation
and equivalency are approaches that are
gaining substantial focus.
4. Work specific and beyond the campus
strategies deserve the educator’s attention
5. Distance Education, open learning and other
flexible systems are now recognized as
having the capacity to provide access to
lifelong education opportunities.
III. Conclusion
Knowledge builders of the next
century has the pivotal role in the Asia Pacific
Region. Fulfilling two layered responsibility of
optimally applying technological innovations
to meet the requirements of education service
delivery in a dynamic situation obliges
educators to seek new models. This
challenge is heightened by the need to focus
technological concerns sustained human
social development, fully recognizant of Asia
Pacific context.
EDUCATORS AS GUARDIANS OF STANDARDS
Prior to Republic Act 7880 or the Fair and Equitable
Access to Education Act, “Palakasan and Sipsip
system” exist in the DepEd said the Former Senator
Mar Roxas. The thing exist even though there was a
high regard given by the International Community to
Filipinos as though there where “all” educated; this has
been a subject of envy to many.
However, there exist some worrysome signs
that Mar Roxas has pointed. Some of them are as
follows:
1. The Job Mismatch that has been faced by the
graduates of the Philippine school.
2. Many applicants failed when asked to write 1
or 2 paragraph essays or when given a test
comprehension.
3. The decline of rank of the country in the
International Math and Science test.
4. The transition rate from Grade level to grade
level. In that in every 100 that start in grade 1
only 66 finishes elementary and about 44 that
finished High School, only 18 was able to
finish the tertiary Level and so on.
Note that:
Officials and leaders of State Universities
along with other officials of the Education sector must
act as a guardians of dreams and custodians of hope.
We must also act as custodians of standards; we are
the ones who are supposed to guarantee that
somebody passes in any course in state universities
and colleges and be called an educated person. And
that the government must support us in this very
important task.
SOCIAL CHANGE: TRADITIONAL, MODERN AND
POST MODERN SOCIETIES
I. Social Change: Are the changes in social
pattern, including status or roles, social
stratification, and social institutions.
Things that brings changes:
1. Conflict
Inequality and conflict in a society produce
change. Karl Marx saw class conflict as the engine that
drives societies from one historical era to another.
2. Ideas moved into sociology on a wave of social criticism
since the spread of left-leaning politics in the 1960’s. It
Max Webber attributed social change to
has the following key arguments and postulates:
ideas. He said that people with charisma can use this
to change the world. Webber also highlighted the 1. In important respects, modernity has failed
importance of ideas by showing how religious beliefs
This is evident in today’s high
of early Protestants set the stage of industrial
poverty rates, as well as widespread sense
capitalism.
of financial insecurity.
3. Demography
2. The bright light of progress are fading
Population patterns or demography has also
been cited as a source of changes. As such, This stated more than centuries ago; a wide
migration that affects demography is another factors to range pessimism; almost half of the U.S. adults
consider in this for it promotes changes in a specific do not expect their children’s lives to be better
society in the form of exchange of ideas. This than their own.
phenomenon is very visible in the United States of
America where there is a continuous influx of people. 3. Science no longer holds answers
II. Traditional societies profile
Critics argued that science has not solved
Values: Homogeneous; scared character; few very old problems of mankind such as poor
subcultures and counter cultures health and even create bigger problems such as
pollution.
Norms: Great moral significance; little tolerance of
diversity 4. Cultural debates are intensifying
Time orientation: Present linked to past
Postmodernism, also characterized as post
Technology: Preindustrial; human and animal energy materialist era; in which more careers involve
working in symbols and in which issues such as
III. Modernity
social justice, state of the natural environment
This is a central concept of social change. and animal rights command more and more
This is a social pattern that results to modernization. public attention.
Sociologist include this catchall concept to all the social
patterns that where set in motion by industrial 5. Social institutions are changing
revolution.
In this modern era, postmodern family no
1. Has homogenous and secular character with longer conforms to any single patterns; on the
presence of subcultures and counter cultures. contrary, individuals are choosing among many
2. Has variable moral significance and has high new family forms.
tolerance to diversity.
3. Has industry and advanced energy sources.
4. Orientation toward future and growing
awareness of time

IV. Post Modernity

This refers to social pattern characteristics of post
industrial societies. It has been used for decades in
literary, philosophical, and even architectural circles. It