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| I'm connected to people across the globe via Facebook |
With barriers of geography and language shattered by social media and tools like Google Translate, citizens around the world are able to communicate, connect, and collaborate like never before. As a result, I no longer think of people as Laurette from Oklahoma, Melissa from Canada, or Jean from Australia. Instead, I associate people with, as Angela Maiers has popularized, why it is that “You Matter” to me. With The Tower of Babel conquered and connections residing with people, rather than places, we have the remarkable, first-time-ever ability to connect with others who share our interests regardless of any boundaries that previously existed. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that 53 minutes into NBC’s Education Nation broadcast on Global Influence: What Can We Learn?, this tweet between Tom Whitby and I was showcased.
Unfortunately, our Race to the Top, Education Nation will likely fall further behind as other countries move ahead knowing that when we work together, rather than compete against one another, we can go further faster.
The Facebook conversation around the tweet is here
My recent visit to the Global Education Forum (GEF) in Spain, brought to life the benefits of global collaboration over competition in many ways. First, it was through my blog, that I connected with the organizers of GEF. It wasn’t until this century, when blogs became a tool to democratize the views of every person, that this global connection would have been possible.
Upon arrival in Madrid we were taken to see Tony Wagner’s 60-minute documentary about the much written on education system in Finland named ”The Finland Phenomenon: Inside the World’s most Surprising School System.“ As I watched the movie along side Tony Wagner himself, I was reminded of the Education Nation tweet and I knew this was a country we want learn from and collaborate with, not compete against. From the documentary, it was clear that in Finland, they want to be our global partners, not competitors, and invite in all those open to learning from and with them.
I want more »
Upon arrival in Madrid we were taken to see Tony Wagner’s 60-minute documentary about the much written on education system in Finland named ”The Finland Phenomenon: Inside the World’s most Surprising School System.“ As I watched the movie along side Tony Wagner himself, I was reminded of the Education Nation tweet and I knew this was a country we want learn from and collaborate with, not compete against. From the documentary, it was clear that in Finland, they want to be our global partners, not competitors, and invite in all those open to learning from and with them.