A Funny Unrelated Post For A Friday - The Death of the Media

I good friend and former colleague sent me an email that was one of the most brilliant parodies I have seen in a long time.  While my ideas in this blog revolve around reinventing education, the foundation of my ideas stems from years of analyzing consumer behavior and media consumption patterns.  And at the center of any reinvention of our education system, there must be recognition that today's consumers are wired differently, respond to different stimuli than previous generations, and are more tech savvy from being exposed to digital media at an increasingly early age.  So this 9 minute video is a very funny retrospective.  Large organizations always wait for the crisis to happen - successful companies are ones that lead change and "create the crisis."  Just take Pepsi, for example.  So enjoy the video.

A Broad Committment To Common Standards A Positive Development

I don't want to give all of you the impression that I'm critical of everything our education system tries to do organically is flawed.....

So in that vein, let me refer to an article in todays Education Week online that announces that 46 of the 50 states have committed to a common standards framework for math and English language arts.  Now while I would very much like to see the specific standards, it would appear that the process is not too dissimilar than what I proposed in my 4-part education reinvention plan.  Now Texas is one of the holdouts, and I can undersand why they haven't signed on.  I think that the Federal government should find a mechanism to reimburse them for whatever funds they say they've committed towards their own enhanced standards.  Now if Texas had a chance to sign onto to this plan before they committed funds, then unfortunately they're not entitled to a dime of federal dollars.  However, if the reverse occurred, then they have a very valid argument as they should not be held holding the bag on what they say is a $3 billion sunk cost.

I commend the Council of Chief State School Officers as well as the National Governor's Association for their efforts.  However, let me restate my original premise:  shouldn't this great step have occurred before we signed a $115 Billion Education Stimulus Bill?  And hopefully, this group realizes that the work isn't finished, as there are other "21st century skill areas" that need common standards.

But we're off to a promising start.

Highlights of The Week

It has come to my attention that the French Government has also embraced serious games.  This article from December 2008 discusses how France is hoping to incubate 20 serious game prototypes in 2009.  They have broken the grant up into two phases:  30,000 Euros for phase I and 150,000 Euros for phase II.  Northern France has chosen as a "region of excellence" by French government officials.  I wanted to mention this to show that South Korea is not the only venue encouraging the development of serious games.

Now back to reinventing education. As much as I'd prefer to not end the week with more disturbing research, I can't help but mention an article I saw in today's MDR email blast.  While I am taking the full 40 page report home to review thoroughly, how can this be?  How can we have an education system where only 8 of 50 states are providing disadvantaged students equitable access to even moderately proficient public education systems? This is truly amazing.  And worse yet, and I quote:  "as the nation celebrates the 55th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision, the study shows minority and low-income students have only half the opportunity to learn in our public schools as their White non-Latino peers."

I was just speaking to someone at lunch the other day and they talked to me about how we are becoming a "welfare state" because of the stimulus package.  I have one thing to say about all of this:  education is the equalizer, period.  An educated citizen is best able to climb up the social ladder.  We must do better.  Enough is enough, everyone.  When are the American people going to get on the same page and tell our government that it's time to do something to fix this?  Again I ask if we have a strategy in place for this $115 billion stimulus.  What is the plan to reform our education system?  I know that we're not on the same page......

BREAKING NEWS: Korea, not the United States, Is Leading the 21st Century Innovation In Education

I'm still in disbelief.  How can this be?

South Korea continues to astound me in their unwavering support of the use of games as an immersive communication platorm.  This article is true:  the Korean government will invest USD 64 Million in "serious games" through the year 2012.  And I quote:

Yu In-chon, minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “The functional game market is at an early stage, but the market is an emerging blue ocean. The government is going to give support to prompt private investment in that field.”

The 21st Century has seen the United States fall behind in innovation.  This is driven largely by its inability to evolve its education system to meet the challenges of a technology-driven world.  Now it is clear that other countries are taking the lead in driving change.

I have been saying for a long time that the game-based learning niche is a market waiting to be tapped.  South Korea figured that out first.  When will our government, and our investor community, follow suit?  A colleague of mine said it most succinctly:  "What do they know that we don't know"???

While you might not thnk the investment is "significant," that is not the issue here.  This is a bold step and a first-mover advantage now goes to South Korea.  I congratulate them on their courage. 

They just answered my previous post.

Who Will Be Courageous Enough To Seed Disruptive Innovation In K-12 Education?

We continue to fund the wrong ideas.....period.

I say this because the Dept. of Education continues to get it backwards.  Their recent budget demonstrates our continued emphasis largely on the "messenger," meaning the teacher (aka:  "professional development") and not the pedagogy.  Technology areas are continuing to be de-emphasized.  Doesn't the education industry realize that it's the software that drives the hardware?

Here is an article that caught my eye the other day.  A recent survey showed that a majority of parents are not letting the recession change their plans for their children's college education.  For the first time in three years, a majority of parents are putting their children's education ahead of their own "golden years."  But they "spun" the survey results.  If you look underneath the hood, less than half of all Americans in the survey said that"saving for college education more important than retirement savings."  Now there are other datapoints in the survey, but what lessons are we teaching our kids here?  And what does this say about our economic system and distribution of wealth, if the underlying premise is that Americans fear that a college education is "cost-prohibitive."  Ponder that for a while....

I'd also like to give recognition to one of the true evangelists in the "reinventing education" movement.  His name is Jim Brazell, and he was the keynote speaker at January's Florida Education Technology Conference ("FETC").  On one call alone with him, I came away convinced that Jim's ideas are very much on the right track, and my ideas synchronize quite well with his researched-based conclusions about how to implement fundamental change.  I think everyone should read this white paper.  In fact, just read page 1.  The ITIF found that the United States finished dead last (40 out of 40 countries) in their progress toward the new knowledge-based innovation economy in recent years.  When are we going to realize that without a common roadmap, we will continue to spend more money towards sub-optimal solutions.  Not until the American people scream at the top of their lungs, or until the 21st century jobs migrate to foreign countries will we finally "get it."  In ten years, the data will speak for itself, and we will continue to follow the typical path of being "reactive" instead of "proactive."  A superpower is just like a monopolist or market leader.  They don't see change coming.  Just look at RC Cola, Xerox, Smith Corona, Brother, Prince, AOL....the list goes on and on....

So who will be courageous enough to invest and give the teachers the content they are begging us to give them? 

I'm listening.