Today's Educational Dilemma

After reading Marc Prensky's, "Engage Me or Enrage Me, What Today's Learners Demand" I feel as though today's education is at an impasse. Certainly educators need to meet the student at his or her particular level, but will it ever be good enough? I also can't help but look at the kids' futures. Right now their social lives certainly revolve around what's new and knowing how to work the newest games, etc, so what will happen if their academic lives suddenly become a part of this virtual world? Yes, it will help them become more engaged. Yes, depending on the quality of virtual curriculum, they could be learning far more than we dream of. Yes, it would create excitement and enthusiasm in school. These are all positives for the here and now, but what happens when they're 30 and have a family and realize they have to get a job that requires sitting in an office, or calculating percentages for a large corporation? Will they be able to handle the mundane? Will they have learned that sometimes you just have to buck up and do what needs to be done, or will they still demand to be entertained in order to perform?

Aside from all these questions the article evoked, I do believe that it is the teacher's responsibility to engage children in active learning. A teacher should be willing to work hard at keeping the information relevant and applicable to the child's life. On the flip side, I also think that a teacher should be prepared for how far they might need to go in order to accomplish this daunting task, and also the repercussions.