Catching up or leading the way presentation

American Education in the Age of Globalization

Yong Zhao

Presentation by Charlie Bouchard

October, 2009

Chapter 1 – Recent Education Reform in the United States

Test scores as Indicators of Quality.

Primarily focused in math, reading, and science.

Standards and Accountability.

Creation and implementation of state standardized tests.

Closing the achievement gap.

Subgroups of the population

America and other countries

Chapter 2 – From the Missile Gap to the Learning Gap

1957 missile gap.

Fear as a Political Strategy

Government involvement in education as a result of feeling threatened by other countries.

Chapter 3 – Why America Hasn’t Lost Yet: Strengths of American

Education Diversity is accepted and encouraged.

Children are like popcorn

Asian countries are trying to emulate American education

Chapter 4 – Why China Isn’t a threat Yet: The Costs of High Scores China has cheap labor. Issue when other countries do

too. Not creating the innovation or technology.

Keju (605-1905) – Confucian morals, rigid essay writing, and reciting of classics.

Gaokao now the test in place. High stakes – Huge pressure. Cheating/Suicide.

High scores but low ability. No creativity.

The Challenges, Part I: Globalization

The death of distance. Flat World – Global Village.

Outsourcing, Offshoring

Educational Challenges: Helping our children secure jobs to provide for them and their

families. Businesses look at costs and quality. Why would businesses pay more if the quality is the same? Engineer in India -$7500 a year.

Helping our children be “globally competent”. Used to be required only of a few such as diplomats. Today, many workers need to interact with people who speak different languages, believe in different religions, and have different values.

Helping our students develop a sense of global citizenship. Appreciate interconnectedness, interdependence, social justice, and protecting the planet.

The Challenges, Part II: Technology

Second Life Playing is free. 15 million people

Employs 80 full-time people in offices in the real world.

Real Businesses in the Virtual World

At time of writing a 65,536 square meter region was $1000 with a $290 monthly fee to maintain. Gated Communities even exist.

29 million US in 2007.

Cities have virtual tours

Second Life Fashions for sale

Sell other things to other Avatars. Travel agencies.

Live concerts (12 per day avg) – streaming audio.

Art galleries

Learn a foreign language. Chinese Island operated by Michigan State University’s Confucius Institute.

75% of universities in England are developing or using Second Life.

Business meetings, attend church services or visit foreign embassies.

Second Life – Educational Possibilities

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOFU9oUF2HA

Play Money: Gold Farming

eSports: Professionals

Invisible Attacks: Cyber Wars and Cyber Terrorism

Estonia / Russia

2000 the I Love You virus affected 20 million users and caused billions in damage.

2001 the Code Red Worm infected millions of servers and caused 2.6 billion in damage.

2004 – 204 Billion cost to business from viruses and malware

2005 – Spam cost to business in Canada – 1.6 billion

Back Dorm Boys – Matt Harding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBlCtqsat-w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvE8iMbT1aQ

Jay Rosen – “The people formerly known as the audience”

Today, anyone can be a reporter, book author, news anchor or encyclopedia editor!

Challenges for Education The virtual world affects the physical world in every

way:

Psychological

Economic

Political

Social

In a lot of ways technology is like a foreign culture. We do not totally understand it but in any case we must interact with it.

Challenges for Education Zhao states that in education we are mostly using

technology to enhance what we normally do but are not teaching about the impacts of technology.

Example – the peasant who bought a steam engine in the early days of the industrial revolution to improve farming but not realizing that society would be forever changed and there was no going back.

Schools cannot ignore the virtual world and must face its challenges.

Challenges for Education 1. Our schools have been teaching students how to be successful

in an industrial economy in the physical world. Are schools teaching students the skills and knowledge to make a living in the virtual world?

Google founded in 1998 for $100,000 is now worth 23 billion.

The virtual world will become a significant source of jobs very soon.

Examples of jobs: Developers for metaverses such as Second Life, finding ways to defend against viruses, hackers, virtual terrorism, manage huge databases, customer service, pro gamers etc.

IT related professions will increase by 37% by 2016.

Challenges for Education 2. Are we preparing students to be competent citizens

who will live with the virtual world more and more?

What role will the internet etc play in things like elections in the future. What is the role of a competent citizen in this environment?

Online dating – 20 million visits/month. Revenue – 642 Billion in 2008.

Online shopping – 33 billion in sales in the 2007 holiday season.

Online educational courses.

The rest of the book Chapter 7 – What Knowledge is of Most Worth in the

Global and Digital Economy?

Chapter 8 – Global Competence and Digital Competence: The New Universal Knowledge and Skills

Chapter 9 – Catching Up or Keeping the Lead: The future of American Education