Has the “Flat
World” Reached
Your School
District?
Panel
Howard Poole, Tracy DuBay, Robert Leneway,
Sharon Peterson, Charlotte Poole
Objectives
Participants will:
Learn about the ten technology-related forces
that shaped the coming of the Flat World
Have explained case studies and examples of
the Flat World as they related to K-12 schools,
technology support services/personnel, and
classroom teacher’s jobs/roles
Participate in a discussion on preparing for the
impact of the Flat World in their schools
Outline of Presentation
Introduction
Overview of Book (H. Poole-Peterson)
Personal Experiences (DuBay)
Culturequest (Leneway)
Other Books (C. 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, and other search engine services – Late
1990s
Flattener #10
The Steroids – Digital/Mobile technologies that allow
access so that other flatteners will work – Late 1990s
“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)
Three Dirty Little Secrets
“Numbers Gap”
(small number of college grads) is emerging
that will sap America’s prowess in science,
math, and engineering
Three Dirty Little Secrets
“Ambition Gap”
Where too many American young people have
grown up with plenty and with a sense of
entitlement. They too 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
Geopolitics and Globalism
“Where people have hope you have a middle
class.”
- Chinese Official
“Many people around the world live in the
twilight zone between the flat world and the
unflat world.”
- Friedman
Geopolitics and Globalism
“(The flat world) connects people to people much
faster than people and cultures can often prepare
themselves (for the changes)”
- Friedman
“(Because of demands for higher standards of living)
we are going to experience either a serious energy
shortage or worse, wars over energy, that would
have a profoundly unflattening effect on the
world.”
- Friedman
Geopolitics and Globalism
“(One of the most interesting dramas to watch in
international relations will be the interplay
between the traditional global threats (conflicts)
and the (need to support) emergent global supply
chains.”
- Friedman
Geopolitics and Globalism
“Infosystems versus Al-Qaeda – Who else (besides
successful businesses) use open-sourcing and
supply-chaining so imaginatively?”
- Friedman
“We can not live with nuclear terrorism. That would
unflatten the world permanently!”
- Friedman
DSM Plant Closing
in South Haven
Presentation Comments by Professor
Tracy DuBay regarding globalization’s
impact in southwest Michigan as part of
the discussion “Has the Flat World
Reach Your School District?”
MACUL Conference 2006
Quic kT i me™ and a
T IFF (Unc ompres s ed) dec ompres s or
are needed t o s ee thi s pi c ture.
CultureQuest - One Option for
Teachers (www.culturequest.us)
CultureQuest involves students and
teachers engaged in inquiry-based
classroom projects that explore other
peoples and cultures. Projects are
rooted in studentsﾕ questions and
interests and involve the focused,
intensive study of one or more aspects
of the art, music, history, literature,
religion, values, daily life,customs and
traditions of other cultures.
CultureQuest - One Option for
Teachers (www.culturequest.us)
Students’ completed work becomes part
of class websites, which may be
accessed at this site. CultureQuest
seeks to promote better understanding
and appreciation of other cultures,
strengthen inquiry, research and
literacy skills and provide students with
technology skills for the 21st century
Additional Book References on
Globalization - Charlotte Poole
Online References for
Presentation
http://homepages.
wmich.edu/~poole/
edt6460/friedman.h
tm 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!