December 7, 2005
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Topic: The world (and education) are flat
Thomas Friedman of the New York Times has been writing extensively on the notion that the world is becoming economically and intellectually flatter. While the economics are harder to detect by the average eye, it is clear as day that the internet and the sharing of knowledge and the building of virtual learning communities, has flattened the world such that virtually anyone with access to a computer can learn about virtually any topic they wish.
So…what does this seemless sharing of knowledge mean for the future of society?
Simply look at what it did to music. First, with Napster, we saw people gaining access to music in an unprecedented way. Extensive and free access to all kinds of music and other media, such as movies and tv shows. Napster shook-up the industry, and now we have further technology with I-pods, that allow people to carry their extensive media collections in the smallest of formats. The legal and business aspects of these new technologies are still sorting themselves out, but in the end, the costs and ease of access to media have flattened across the globe.
Now, let’s turn our attention back to knowledge. In a world where people can access extensive amounts of information, can store and carry this information, and can engage in conversation with a wide-range of people from all corners of the globe regarding information, it’s hard to not imagine educational institutions, notably those of higher education, experiencing some of the same tensions that are being felt by other forms of media.
For example, reports have come out that less people are going to the movies today, because prices of movies are high, and because access to home entertainment is cheap and readily available. The same goes for CD’s…unless you’re really into having a CD collection full of the manufactured CD’s, you’re going to spend just a few dollars to build a collection full of burned cd’s with your messy handwriting on them.
And finally…education. An article in today’s student newspaper at Washington University in St. Louis, reveals how students can gain access to their lectures online. Schools like Duke and Stanford have encouraged professors to use podcasts, whereby students can download lectures onto their I-pods, and Duke gave out 1600 20GB I-pods to incoming freshman this year.
What does all this mean? This means that a 13yr. old with access to the internet and an I-pod, can begin to gain an Ivy League education for free! For those of you who have seen the movie Good Will Hunting (if you haven’t…you absolute must rent it!), the character played by Matt Damon demonstrated this very thing. While working as a janitor at MIT, he simply read lots of the same books that are read by academics, and he worked on the same math and physics problems that were given to students. As the famous saying goes, he paid $1.50 in late fees for the same education students paid however many thousands of dollars for!
Comments (12)
It’s all about that piece of paper, isnt it? oh, and we need to get together, but I guess we both know that. LOL
the future of society though is compounded upon both access to that information and also the economic ability to have access to that information as well…
it’s amazing, eh? but having access to that sort of thing (which i LOVE) definately means we have a responsibility to get to know the world around us and beyond what we know, eh?
i still didn’t see what your opinion of all of this was…what do YOU think about all of this?
thanks for your post on my site…what do i think about the situation? I think high school grads should forgo going to college, and instead spend those 4yrs and however many dollars they would be spending on a college degree, and instead spend some of that time and money travelling, exploring the world, volunteering, trying out a couple of jobs, reading a lot, and figuring out what they want to learn, and figure out how to go ahead and learn those things.
Then…when all their peers have graduated college with their shiny degrees (yes…i have one, and oh how it shines), you do the comparison. Financially…the student who doesn’t go to college will likely have found work and have saved up several thousand dollars, maybe even put some away in a retirement account, while their peers are likely going to struggle to pay off debt. The student who skipped college will be more mature, having had all sorts of different experiences, and having learned to appreciate learning for its own sake, not for the sake of a professor, of a grade, etc. The student will also have spent 4 years figuring out some very important questions, such as, “what kind of work do i want to do to make a living?” and “where do i want to live?” while those who went to college will likely spend their first few years after college struggling to adjust to life outside of their college bubble. Your thoughts…
ryc: thanks for your response!
I see what you are saying, and can agree to some extent with what you have said. However, for some people, college is really the only option. I myself am on college on full tuition scholarship given by a foundation that gives merit based scholarships to inner city kids. My parents could not POSSIBLY afford college, and since there was no money for college to begin with, taking a gap year would mean working and not travelling. I intend on taking a GAP year when I graduate (maybe join the Peace Corps), but for some people, college is their first experience to see the world outside of what they know, especially people from lower socioeconomic status, and I speak from experience. Through college some of these people can even study abroad.
For those kids who I think you are referring to, I agree that if they have the funds to go to college, they should instead opt for volunteering and travelling, and seriously getting to know the world outside of their norms. But it is obviously a relative case-surely, I would probably tell the inner city child, go to college. There is so much one can learn.
peace
thanks for your post on my site…what do i think about the situation? I think high school grads should forgo going to college, and instead spend those 4yrs and however many dollars they would be spending on a college degree, and instead spend some of that time and money travelling, exploring the world, volunteering, trying out a couple of jobs, reading a lot, and figuring out what they want to learn, and figure out how to go ahead and learn those things.
Then…when all their peers have graduated college with their shiny degrees (yes…i have one, and oh how it shines), you do the comparison. Financially…the student who doesn’t go to college will likely have found work and have saved up several thousand dollars, maybe even put some away in a retirement account, while their peers are likely going to struggle to pay off debt. The student who skipped college will be more mature, having had all sorts of different experiences, and having learned to appreciate learning for its own sake, not for the sake of a professor, of a grade, etc. The student will also have spent 4 years figuring out some very important questions, such as, “what kind of work do i want to do to make a living?” and “where do i want to live?” while those who went to college will likely spend their first few years after college struggling to adjust to life outside of their college bubble. Your thoughts…
<–natie speaker of Spanish (phew!) and on my fourth language!
I definately like your page and what you have to say…keep it up! You’ll be seeing me around more often =o)
bye!!
its funny how easy it is for students to find information on jsut about anything via web access… technology has really surpassed our expectations, but i still feel books and one on one combat with knowledge is still very important. ct
hey dan…I sent you an email. my email is morillos@lafayette.edu
see ya!
i just came across your site and thought this is an interesting topic. i am a big advocate for eduation and higher learning. college to me is not an option. i do believe that travelling and getting to know the world and other society is important but success does not always come by chance. there is a lot of competition out there and that shiny piece of paper may be the edge that one needs. i think a person has to look at what they think success is–making lots of money? having lots of experiences? fame? it is all dependent on what a person is trying to do. you used the movie good will hunting as an example–i pose the question back to you–if a janitor sits in on classes and reads all the texts and has gained knowledge and he wants to be a doctor, lawyer (or whatever)–without that degree–is it time wasted then? he/she will never be able to sit and take the boards/bar. education may be the only “ticket” out for some individuals.
hey,
thanks for the post…and i 100% agree with your views. I actually clarified that on someone elses site. I think the diploma is necessary in most cases. It’s certainly necessary, as you point out, to get the necessary certifications and degrees required for being a doctor, lawyer, teacher, accountant, social worker, psychologist, etc.
I think the relationships between degrees, knowledge, and jobs is important to think about. So many students today are getting degrees in business. Of all the professions I’ve listed, a business degree is one that really doesn’t require any formal education or certification. That’s why there are so many successful businessmen, entreupreneurs, and tech people who never finished college (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Ray Croc w/ McDonalds, Dave Thomas w/ Wendy’s……)
Journalism is another interesting profession. In some cases, people say the less formal education you receive on the topic, the less subjected you are to having some of your individual style stripped away. Not sure how necessary a degree in that is to crack into that field.
That’s why this is the best time in the world to be homeschooling, which needs another name because in no way is about sitting alone at home. How about “smorgasbord schooling,” “community schooling,” “library schooling.” I don’t know — anything that conveys that it doesn’t require paying thousands of dollars to sit for years in classrooms collecting meaningless grades. I think I need to watch Good Will Hunting again.