July 12, 2005

The World *is* Flat

I’m mid-way through Thomas Friedman’s excellent new audiobook The World is Flat. It provides a perfect example of why I love audio learning and why I think it is so important. Here are a couple of (somewhat different) reasons why I feel this way:

1. I would likely never read this book. It’s really long and I just don’t know if I would be able to find the time in the day to get through it. But I’ve been able to crank through the audio version pretty quickly. For instance, I was traveling on Sunday and was able to listen to a few hours while on the plane, waiting for the airport shuttle, etc. Normally that would be time spent being bored or reading crap like the Skymall magazine…

So the fact that I am able to “read” a book that I normally wouldn’t have and that I’ve learned a ton of new stuff and been exposed some very interesting ideas means a lot to me.

2. Friedman’s book makes one of the best cases I’ve seen in a long time for why education is so vitally important right now. The fact of the matter is that countries like China and India are quickly becoming global economic superpowers. These countries have legions of well-educated (and hungry!) youths and we’re already seeing many jobs shift eastward. Here’s a quote I came across today (link) that drives this point home:

“The work is getting done faster and better, Prestowitz argues, because Indians are not only hungrier than we are, but better educated. China, India, Japan and Europe all churn out more science and engineering degrees than we do. Worse — and downright embarrassing — is the state of American education. Globally, our 12th-graders rank only in the 10th percentile in math (that’s 10th percentile, not 10th). Our students also rank first in their assessment of their own performance: we’re not only poorly prepared, we have delusions of grandeur.”

Friedman discusses all of this in greater depth in his audiobook. I’m not one to bemoan the loss of “U.S. jobs” but at the same time I do think it’s important for people here in the United States to step up and realize what could happen if we don’t take continuing education (for everyone!) more seriously.

Education is more important than ever and we’ve got a generation of kids who often (unfortunately) shun books. The great equalizer might be audio and video learning. Children used to listening to their iPod and watching DVDs might find this to be a better and more enjoyable way to learn. That’s what we hope to help enable.

Pick up Friedman’s new book soon. It’s well worth a listen. I’ll promise to post a review here when I’m finished.