Friday, February 06, 2009
the value of knowing how little you know
"If there is a silver lining to the economic downturn, which may stay with us for years, it is that the American government and its people will realize at last that a much higher level of education for all is an indispensable national goal. Everything from national security to the abolition of poverty is now contingent on education."
"Automation will continue its ferocious pace. So will international connectivity and competition. Texans will soon be using radiologists in Malaysia to read their X-rays and flying to Panama for heart surgery. But the billions of foreign workers breathing down our necks also represent a fantastic marketing opportunity. When they find us, we find them. Whether it’s English lessons, business advice, marriage counseling, medical diagnoses, plumbing tips or highly technical expertise, we can deliver our knowledge abroad over the Internet."
"We may still have the best university system, but it benefits only a minority. "
These are a few excerpts from a very interesting online discussion in the NYT on the role of education in economic reform. There is some commonality between the various opinions. The youth are hit hard. They are in debt, and figuring out how to pay off those loans without a secure job is a nightmare. Hell, I'll tell you its a nightmare even with a job. Tuition hikes can only keep going up. Open education will be a word we hear about more often as people figure out 'smart' ways to gain skills. Throwing more money at such a problem fixes nothing in the long term. Paradigm shifts require a blueprint, a contingency plan to go with that (probabilities direct the conduct of a wise man, a wise man once said),a torchbearer, patience, ability to swim against the tide without drowning, and a healthy dose of good luck. The vision for change is gaining some level of clarity. But the road ahead is long and hard. And we have reached a point of no-return. So we can only keep going.
'To know one's ignorance, is the best part of knowledge' Lao Tzu, The Tao, no. 71
"Automation will continue its ferocious pace. So will international connectivity and competition. Texans will soon be using radiologists in Malaysia to read their X-rays and flying to Panama for heart surgery. But the billions of foreign workers breathing down our necks also represent a fantastic marketing opportunity. When they find us, we find them. Whether it’s English lessons, business advice, marriage counseling, medical diagnoses, plumbing tips or highly technical expertise, we can deliver our knowledge abroad over the Internet."
"We may still have the best university system, but it benefits only a minority. "
These are a few excerpts from a very interesting online discussion in the NYT on the role of education in economic reform. There is some commonality between the various opinions. The youth are hit hard. They are in debt, and figuring out how to pay off those loans without a secure job is a nightmare. Hell, I'll tell you its a nightmare even with a job. Tuition hikes can only keep going up. Open education will be a word we hear about more often as people figure out 'smart' ways to gain skills. Throwing more money at such a problem fixes nothing in the long term. Paradigm shifts require a blueprint, a contingency plan to go with that (probabilities direct the conduct of a wise man, a wise man once said),a torchbearer, patience, ability to swim against the tide without drowning, and a healthy dose of good luck. The vision for change is gaining some level of clarity. But the road ahead is long and hard. And we have reached a point of no-return. So we can only keep going.
'To know one's ignorance, is the best part of knowledge' Lao Tzu, The Tao, no. 71
# posted by Alternate Vision : 1:06 PM
