21st Century Skills: How do we keep up?

Kids today are always connected to technology in one way or another.  If they're not texting on their cell phones, they are listening to music on their MP3 players, playing video games, or chatting on Facebook.  Although it can be scary as an adult to see such a reliance on technology by the younger generation, it is a sign of the innevitable flow of progress and we need to figure out how to keep up.  Kids today are facing jobs in their future that don't even exist yet due to the rapid pace of development.  In order to avoid becoming obsolete in a job market that will be constantly evolving,  they need to develop the 21st Century skills to problem solve, express themselves creatively, and think innovatively. Using technology to learn helps them by engaging them and providing experiences that they will be able to use to express themselves in such a future. Parents and teachers should recognize that children today need technology to be a part of their learning and developmental experiences for a successful future and capitalize on its availability.  At the same time, I think that there is something to be said about responsible use.  We need to ask ourselves how much is too much?  Do we want our children to be too reliant on artificial experiences that are controlled through technology at the sacrafice of true experience with all of its flaws and limitations?  What strategies can we use to measure what is a good balance between technological and traditional methods of learning and development? Even though I don't have concrete answers to these questions, I do know that technology can't replace caring and emotional attachment.  Whatever balance we try to strike, the key is  to develop caring relationships with the next generation to remind them that technology is not the only way to be connected.