Archive for 'Education'

Reflecting on the July 4th weekend, I’m struck by how we traditionally use the holiday to commemorate our war heroes. While I have tremendous respect for those who serve in the military, 21st century citizenship needs to reframe the meaning of nationalism and civic pride as a commemoration of Peace, not War. In the ecology of the new millennium, War is, more than ever, a zero-sum game for all involved. We are beginning to understand that there are no longer ...

The U.S.’s low PISA scores do not represent a “sputnik moment” for U.S. education.  China’s high test scores mask the serious problem facing Chinese education: the lack of independence, critical thinking and innovation.  With all of our problems, the U.S. education system, and most importantly, our education culture, promotes new ideas, encourages competition, and rewards originality – concepts that are outside of the traditional Chinese focus on rote memorization and quantifiable skill sets.

I’ll share some personal experience in this ...

When American education is in crisis, policy makers and thought leaders roll out the STEM argument, that the science, technology, engineering and math curriculum needs to be emphasized as the cornerstone of American competitiveness in a world where Chinese students do lightening drills on the periodic table of the elements at age 4 (lol).

There is certainly no question that STEM education and STEM skills are a vital part of this country’s edge, but many educators would argue that STEM is ...

I spent the last 12 days of October in China as a guest of the Animaiton School at Communications University of China (C.U.C.), participating on the short film jury of their 4th annual AniWow International Student Film Festival, conducting a master class for students on the digital pipeline, and addressing a forum they organized on media education.

Additionally, they asked me to deliver a short speech at the opening ceremony of the Festival, and I ...

I’m heading to Columbus,OH to consult with the Chair and Faculty of the Media Studies Division at Columbus College of Art & Design.  Like many art schools, CCAD is energized and inspired by how Digital has opened up opportunities both creatively and professionally, and is very smartly devoting time and attention to staying at the leading edge of this wave.

CCAD’s president, Denny Griffith, recently offered a commentary in the Columbus Post Dispatch that summarizes perfectly the dilemma that many ...

It makes a lot of sense that colleges and universities are stepping up to help alumni during this downturn.  See the NYTimes article on this subject in the recent SundayStyles section.

Sure, times are tough, but this practice highlights another way in which the digital revolution has fundamentally changed the way we think about roles and identity in our society.

Gone are the days where the college graduate is viewed as the end product, the final iteration of ...