The World is by Thomas Friedman

Global Views on Education and Technology

Book Talk What does it mean when we say “The World is Flat?”

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# 2 “Horizontalization” (companies and people now instantly communicate with other similar departments or companies to add value, creativity, or innovation to their products) This a change from the typical chain of command within a company.

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 Between , the USA experienced an increase in the workforce (from 11% to 17%) of foreign born people with bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering  In 2004, China was awarded 35 honors at the Intel Science Fair – more than any other country in Asia.  Federal funding for research in physical and mathematical sciences and engineering in the US declined 37% between  The National Science Board stated the scientific papers written by Americans have fallen 10% since 1992.

 The percentage of American papers published in the top Physics Journal (Physical Review) has fallen from 61% to 29% since The US share of patents has fallen 52% since  The National Foundation for American Policy showed 60% of the nation’s top science students and 65% of the top math students are children of recent immigrants.

For the first time in more than a century, the United States could be falling behind other countries in the areas of scientific discovery, innovation, and economic development.

Friedman states the US is in a “quiet crisis” because of the following concerns:  The Numbers Gap  The Ambition Gap  The Education Gap

 The amount of the educated workforce in the USA is no longer sufficient for the need  Demographically, the USA is surpassed by China and India

 Many Americans believe they are supposed to be given a high level job  Many foreign countries value productivity more than American countries

 The USA is not preparing students for the new types of jobs  Education has too many unfunded mandates

Educational Structure

Book Talk How are we preparing students to compete with other countries?

 Ireland Today is the richest country in the European Union second to Luxembourg  Turnaround began in the 1960’s when the country eliminated the fee for high school education  During the 1990’s free public college became available  However, by the mid-1980’s, Irish citizens were emigrating to other countries because of the lack of jobs

Ireland was successful because they were proactive in attracting companies back to Ireland. This created jobs for the Irish and emigration was no longer as necessary.

Globalization vs. Americanization

Book Talk What are your impressions of how the world views globalization?

 After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, American companies were in the position to globalize.  Other cultures viewed this as America attempting to take over the world.  Uploading (the ability to share information instantaneously) gave countries around the world the ability to share their culture globally.

HELP WANTED! In small groups, discuss how employment opportunities have changed over the past 20 years.

 Special Workers:  Special People like sports stars, movie actors, etc.  Specialized Workers:  Work cannot be outsourced  Skills in high demand and not fungible  Anchored Workers:  Tied to a specific location

Great Collaborators and Orchestrators Collaborating within and between companies Managers who can work in 24/7 supply chains Great Synthesizers Putting disparate and unusual things together Example: Search engines require mathematicians and marketing experts Great Explainers Ability to explain complex concepts with simplicity Great Leveragers Optimizing the interface between people and machines

Book Talk How do the concepts in the World is Flat affect education?

Strengths of the US Educational System

Book Talk What are the advantages and disadvantages of a flattening world?

Global Views on American Education

FINAL THOUGHTS

The World is Gayla Millwood, Jason Parker, Jennifer Putnam, Kelly Taylor by Thomas Friedman