As we think and act towards transforming education in the United States, it’s important to develop an understanding of education in other parts of the world. Our view is that we need to do this not simply with an eye towards how we can compete better, bit towards how we might think differently about education and move beyond a “catch-up” mentality.
The following clips (13 minutes each) are from 2 Million Minutes, a documentary film that looks at how students from different parts of the world spend the approximately 2 million minutes that makes up high school. What do you think about the film’s portrayal of American students?
2 Million Minutes Clip 1
2 Million Minutes Clip 2
You can find the above clips from 2 Million Minutes at:
Nobody knows with certainty what the future holds, but by contemplating the possibilities, we can be better prepared to shape a positive path. Ray Kurzweil, a respected inventor, author, and futurist, is well-known for his provocative vision of future in which humans and machines converge. In the brief video below, he discusses this vision and its implications.
What do you think? Even if Kurzweil is only partially right, what do the possibilities he raise mean for how we educate ourselves and our children for the future?
P.S. – If you are interested in the who question of where technology is taking us, you might also enjoy Robert Wright’s musings on Building One Big Brain – very much in line with the idea of the “neurosphere” introduced in Shift Ed.
In Shift Ed, we write about a number of ways in which the world has changed – and education hasn’t. Naturally, we aren’t the only ones focused on this topic. Even as David was writing many of the posts that would form the basis for The Shift Age, educators Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod posted [Read Full Post]
The only way to transform education is by making sure as many people as possible are aware, listening, and involved. Fortunately, we all now have access to tools that can help us communicate more easily than ever with people across town, across the country, and across the world. These, by the way, are some of [Read Full Post]
