In my upcoming book “Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization,” I make the case the virtual world is real in many ways while schools continue to view technology as simply a tool to improve the teaching of traditional subjects. I saw a CNN story about emerging jobs yesterday. Out of the 7 jobs, the fastest growing and highest paying job is simulation developers–those who create virtual worlds and objects. The expected growth rate is 38% and salary is $58,163.

Our schools need to prepare our students to live and work in the virtual. Here is more about the job from the CNN website.

“From entire virtual communities like Second Life to various online demonstration videos, simulations are becoming the way of the world. Be it pilots using in-flight simulators to prepare for high-risk situations; landscape architects using video reproduction to help clients envision proposed ideas and plans; or medical students diagnosing and treating virtual patients without risking a real person’s life, simulators are a new way for professionals in all industries to train, practice and prepare for exciting — and potentially dangerous — situations before they happen.”