The World Is Flat
Similar to the bittersweet taste of drinking orange juice after brushing one’s teeth, The World Is Flat serves as an eye-opener. Friedman illustrates the flattening of the world by incorporating striking examples that connect with the reader.
Friedman applauds our strengths and cautions against complacency. An adaptive culture that nurtures imagination and hard work is the key to survival. What does this hold for education? Drawing from Friedman, my hope is that educators facilitate the merits of progressing one’s skill set with the talents of those in collaboration. By teaching students how to learn in an active, inquiry-based environment, we provide them the gift of innovative thought.
Some critics contend the book is alarmist or an instrument for corporate restructuring and/or dissolution. I maintain that change can be a positive provided a balance exists in the endeavor. Perhaps a reality check is in order? Or, simply, we must continue to advance as not to be gobbled up by the competition.
(1) “It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better start running.” 137I contemplate: Have I been sleeping through a technological pivot point, a watershed in history, a simmering power shift at the brink of boiling over? Have Americans become lackadaisical? Is our political and socioeconomic empire of influence destined to crumble without a proactive response? As an educator, will I meet the mark in preparing our youth?
(2) “It is this triple convergence – of new players, on a new playing field, developing new processes and habits for horizontal collaboration – that I believe is the most important force shaping global economics and politics in the early twenty-first
century.” 212
(3) “The Indians and Chinese are not racing us to the bottom. They are racing us to the top – and that is a good thing!” 271
(4) “In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears – and that is our problem.” 351
Friedman applauds our strengths and cautions against complacency. An adaptive culture that nurtures imagination and hard work is the key to survival. What does this hold for education? Drawing from Friedman, my hope is that educators facilitate the merits of progressing one’s skill set with the talents of those in collaboration. By teaching students how to learn in an active, inquiry-based environment, we provide them the gift of innovative thought.
Some critics contend the book is alarmist or an instrument for corporate restructuring and/or dissolution. I maintain that change can be a positive provided a balance exists in the endeavor. Perhaps a reality check is in order? Or, simply, we must continue to advance as not to be gobbled up by the competition.
posted by S. Cornils | 10:18 AM
2 Comments:
I do think it is funny how scared this book makes people. Americans are used to thinking of themselves as #1 and so we get scared that others are pushing us and maybe passing us. Yet, all we can do is extol the "virtues of capitalism" - which is based on the idea that competition is GOOD! I like to think of it like football. The first time the Broncos won the Super Bowl, we were the underdogs throughout the playoffs and it was amazingly cool when we won. The next year we pretty much dominated everyone and victory in the Super Bowl was a surprise to no one. Yet, which season was more satisfying? The competitive one, if you ask me!
If hard work is the key to maintaining our standing in the world, then we have to be careful not to do the work for our students. The constructivist approach is a great avenue for that.
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