If you are an American, born and raised and educated in American schools, AND you think you are creative (which you probably are) you can thank your parents and your teachers and AMERICA. America, in spite of all you hear and read about, still is the richest, most creative country in the world-by a long shot.
But are we globally competative?
If you want to maufacture and export the most toys? Then no....that would be China. But I thought we wanted to compete with China?
Check out http://www.worldmapper.org/ to see for yourself how the US stacks up against its fiercest competitors and global rivals.
I just got back from attending the 2008 Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference in Nashua, NH, and Dr. Yong Zhao, from MSU, was the keynote speaker on Wednesday. He was good. Very good.
Technology has redefined talent. If you don't believe me, how do you explain someone selling an authentic Michigan Maple Leaf on ebay?? Better yet, how do you explain someone buying it?
How do you explain Chines goldfarming? Oh, yes, let's compete with China. Isn't that what good test scores will get us? Ask American teens what gold farming is and it is old news. This documentary was on MTV in 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho5Yxe6UVv4
And how do you explain the fact that our BIG 3 automakers are seriously living in pre historic times when compared to Toyota, Honda and Nissan. I think we need some young talent running the show in Detroit. Granted, Henry Ford did invent the automobile, but technology has redifined the talent needed to manufacture automobiles. The assembly line is dead.
Our kids are moving from being consumers of multimedia to producers and creators of that same multimedia. How else can you explain youtube? Kids create the media they want to watch. Would you rather hire someone or work with someone who knows how to memorize facts and write fast or click fast, or someone who knows how to collaborate, create a storyboard, manilpulate video equipment, edit video and audio, and share his creation with the world? Or perhaps someone who can solve a multi layered problem never seen before? Or someone who can invent a new solution or device to solve a global problem or fill a global need?
Technology has redefined talent. But does it help raise test scores?
According to a study released in April, 2007, classrooms who used software scored no better on tests than classrooms that only had teachers. So what is the message? That relatively inexpensive software can perform as well as a classroom teacher....
Technology redefines a whole new category of disabled individuals..those who can and those who can't. Those who look good on HDTV and those that don't. Before television, looks didn't matter, right?
So do we want to go back to teaching facts and skills in isolation, and challenging students to be the best? Russia is moving ahead of the US (1950's). We need to keep up with Japan (1970's). We must be competative with China! And India!(1990's). There is absolutely no correlation between Math and Science test scores and the global economy and creativity as measured by the number of registered patents. Read Daniel Pink's "A Whole New Mind" if you don't believe me...http://www.danpink.com/wnm.html
Dr. Yong Zhao can say it best; Download this podcast and be enlightened!
http://nlcommunities.com/communities/alannovember/archive/2007/11/21/156147.aspx
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