Has the “Flat
World” Reached
Your School
District?
Charlotte Poole
Diane Nye
Ren Baldwin
Howard Poole
Objectives
Participants will:
Learn about the ten forces that shaped the coming of
the Flat World
Explore Friedman’s ideas and answers to the impact of
the Flat World
Have explained case studies and examples of the Flat
World as they related to K-12 schools, media
specialists, and classroom teacher’s jobs/roles
Participate in a discussion on dealing with the
impact of the Flat World in schools
Outline of Presentation
Introduction
Overview of Book (C. Poole - D. Nye)
Discussion of Friedman’s ideas (R.
Baldwin)
Other Books (H. Poole)
Open Discussion
Ten Flatteners by Friedman
Flattener #1
When the (Berlin) Walls Came Down and the
Windows (Microsoft) Went Up – 11/9/1989
Flattener #2
When Netscape Went Public – Explosion of
Internet – 8/9/1995
Ten Flatteners by Friedman
Flattener #3
Work Flow Software – Applications Sharing
Data (Standards) – Mid-1990’s
Flattener #4
Open-Sourcing – Public Domain Software –
User Access Software - 1989
Ten Flatteners by Friedman
Flattener #5
Outsourcing – Having someone else do your
work at a reduced price – Late 1980s
Flattener #6
Off shoring – having someone overseas doing
your work at a reduce price – Higher quality 2001
Ten Flatteners by Friedman
Flattener #7
Supply-Chaining – Producing things and delivering
them ”just in time” for sale or manufacture - 1983
Flattener #8
Insourcing – Synchronizing and/or adding value and
services to the supply chain - 1996
Ten Flatteners by Friedman
Flattener #9
In-forming – providing individuals with information –
Google, Yahoo, eBay, YouTube, and other search
engine services – Late 1990s
Flattener #10
The Steroids – Digital (text messages, PODcasting,
Wikipedia, Wiki’s), mobile, and wireless technologies
that allow greater access so that flatteners will work –
Late 1990s - 2000’s
“Fungibility”
Work that can be easily
digitized and transferred
(transported) to lower-wage
locations (job skills and tasks
that others can perform at
lower costs/wages)
Fungibility Examples
Tax Preparation
Quick turn-a-round - work done
during non-business hours here
Fast Food Order Taking
Call Centers
Outbound sales
Inbound services (IT support,
locate luggage
On-line Tutoring
If you’re
one in a million
in China . . .
There are
1,300 people
just like you!!!
In India,
there are 1,100 people
just like you!
The 25% of the
population
in China with the
highest IQ’s . . .
Is greater than
the total population
of North America!!!!
In India,
it’s the top 28%.
Translation for teachers:
They have more honors kids
than we have kids!!
If you took every
single job in the U.S. today
and shipped it to China . . .
China would still have
a labor surplus!!!
The U.S. Department of Labor
estimates that today’s learner
will have 10-14 jobs . . .
By the age of 38!!!!
According to the
U.S. Department
of Labor . . .
1 out of 4 workers
today is working for a
company he has been
employed by for
less than one year!!!
More than 1 out of 2 workers
are working at their current job
for less than 5 years.
The top 10
in-demand jobs in 2010
didn’t exist in 2004.
Question for teachers:
How do we prepare
our students for 14 different
jobs
and several different
careers?
We are currently
preparing students for jobs
that don’t yet exist . . .
using technologies
that haven’t
been invented . . .
in order to solve
problems we don’t even
know are problems yet.
David Warlick – Connect Learning blog
Question for
Administrators?
How do we do this?
The U.S. is 20th in
the world in broadband
Internet penetration.
(Luxembourg just passed us.)
In 2002 alone
Nintendo invested more
than $140 million in
research and development.
The U.S. Federal Government
spent less than half
as much on
Research and Innovation.
To whom were these
questions addressed B.G.?
(Before Google)
Fact -the amount of new
technical information
is doubling every 2 years.
That means for a
student starting a
four-year technical
or college degree . . .
Half of what they
learn in their first year
of study will be outdated
by their third year
of study.
Technical Knowledge
is predicted to double
every 72 hours by 2010!
Three Dirty Little Secrets
“Numbers Gap”
(small number of college
grads) are emerging that will
sap America’s prowess in
science, math, and engineering
Three Dirty Little Secrets
“Ambition Gap”
Where as many American
young people have grown up
with plenty and with a sense of
entitlement, they lack a feeling
of needing to work hard to attain
a better standard of living.
Three Dirty Little Secrets
“Education Gap”
Because we’ve got to find
ways to stimulate more of our
young children to do better in
science and math
“Compassionate Flatism”
A national commitment to change things
Categories of action include:
• LEADERSHIP – Political, governmental, and
industrial leaders explaining impact of globalization
• MUSCLES – Lifetime employability via portable
benefits and opportunities for lifelong learning
“Compassionate Flatism”
A national commitment to change things
Categories of action include:
• SOCIAL ACTIVISM – Collaboration between
transnational companies and
individuals/communities seeking
social/environmental solutions
• PARENTING – A new generation of parents
administering “tough love” to their children
Rules for Coping with
Globalization
#1 – When the world goes flat (School
Districts) should reach for a shovel and dig
inside themselves (for answers)
#2 – The small shall act big – (School
Districts) should be quick to take advantage
of new tools (technologies) for
collaboration
Rules for Coping with
Globalization
#3 – The big shall act small – (School Districts)
should learn how to act small to allow
individuals to enable themselves to act big
#4 – Best (School Districts) will be the best
collaborators because the world is too
complex for one single firm (school) to be
able to master the challenges
Rules for Coping with
Globalization
#5 – Best (School Districts) will be the ones
that do a regular “self examination” and
share the findings with their shareholders
#6 – Best (School Districts) will outsource to
innovate faster and more cheaply to grow
larger, expand market, hire more specialists,
provide better services
Rules for Coping with
Globalization
#7 – Outsourcing will be used by the social
idealists (School Districts) to combine
business decisions and social activism
INSOURCING JOBS
6.5 MILLION JOBS IN US ARE BEING
PAID FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES
2.5 MILLION JOBS IN MICHIGAN ARE
INSOURCED FROM OTHER
COUNTRIES
1.27 MILLION, OR ABOUT 50%, ARE
MANUFACTURING JOBS
OFFSHORE TUTORING
MANY TUTORING SERVICES ARE BEING
OFFER VIA THE INTERNET FROM
OFFSHORE SITES
OFFSHORE TUTORING IS EXPECTED TO
GROW IN COMING YEARS
OFFSHORE TEACHING IS JUST BEGINNING
AND IS ALSO EXPECTED TO GROW
OFFSHORE MEDIA SERVICES
THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO
EXPECT THAT OFFSHORE MEDIA
SERVICES WILL NOT OCCUR IN THE
IMMEDIATE FUTURE
THE “AWARE” MEDIA SPECIALIST
WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE
NEW SERVICES.
Additional Book References
on Globalization
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/show
s/2006/01/23/PM200601236.html
Additional Book References
on Globalization
Take This Job and Ship It: How
Corporate Greed and Brain-Dead
Politics Are Selling Out America by
Byron Dorgan,
Democratic Senator
From North Dakota
MAJOR POINTS
IMCOMPETENT LEADERSHIP IN
WASHINGTON
CORPORATE GREED
DISHONEST GOVERNEMENT AND
CORPORATE LEADERS
FAILURE TO SUPPORT MIDDLE CLASS
WORKERS
WHILE TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING,
OTHER ITEMS ABOVE ARE MORE
IMPORTANT
Online References
for Presentation
http://homepages.
wmich.edu/~poole/
MAME2006/ or
Contact
Poole@wmich.edu
What are Your Questions?????
Let us hear what you think about
Globalization and Schools in Michigan?
Will globalization impact you as a teacher,
administrator, or technology support staff?
Are your School Districts ready to confront
the impact of globalization?
Will your job change because of
globalization?
Thanks for Coming!!!
Have a good day and enjoy
the rest of the conference!