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| The World is Flat (so stop complaining) by Thomas Friedman Page 190: In an interview with an Indian entrepreneur... Instead of complaining about outsourcing, Americans and Western Europeans would be better off thinking about how you can raise your bar and raise yourselves into doing something better. Americans have consistently led in innovation over the last century. Americans whining? We have never seen that before. People like me have learned a lot from Americans. We have learned to become a little more aggressive in the way we market ourselves. -- Rajesh Rao, founder of Dhruva Interactive, an interactive game company in Bangalore, India BIBBI Building International Bridges By Internet See a SAMPLE discussion Go to the FLAT Challenge for Middle School Students about THE WORLD IS FLAT |
| Poster for Liberty War Bonds (WW2) This web page was created to support the efforts of volunteers like Marla Ruzicka who raised money to "win the hearts and minds" of people who were unintended victims of conflict. The people in neighboring countries to conflict also have fears, which money raised by Democracy Bonds can reduce with education and communication. Let's bring people from the Middle East to the USA to see how we run our country. Then when they return they can speak from experience. The supermarket brought down the Berlin Wall as much as the arms race did. In East Berlin in 1986, grocery shelves had 6 versions of dry cereal and 4 brands of laundry soap. In West Berlin there was more choice: 45 cereals and 24 brands of soap. Let's show kids from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Iran and other countries that supermarkets are abundant and people in the USA tolerate each other. See People to People (the organization started by President Eisenhower) |
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| Booker T. Washington, school kids (1910) |
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| Building International Bridges by Internet -- Do you want to help build a safer future? BIBBI |
| Take the FLAT CHALLENGE -- How much do you know about the 10 forces behind outsourcing of jobs to CHINA and INDIA? And where is Bangalore anyway? |
| Take the FLAT CHALLENGE -- How much do you know about the 10 forces behind outsourcing of jobs? And where is Bangalore anyway? |
| HOME Visit India Visit China About Thomas Friedman FAQ Democracy Bonds Tasks Building Bridges (BIBBI) Contact us The FLAT Challenge How to earn a FLAT Certificate Gifted Children (LookForPatterns.com) VisualAndActive Letter to Congress (see below) Teacher's Lesson Plan: How to include Friedman's message ("The World Is Flat") in your curriculum |
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| Hands of a former slave. |
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| Print a bumper sticker CLICK HERE What did Thomas Friedman say on the Tim Russert Show in April 2005? |
| See videos about Building International Bridges and SAT Videos More interesting web sites www.Looking For Patterns.com www.BigPicture.org |
| See videos about DEMOCRACY BONDS More interesting web sites www.Looking For Patterns.com www.BigPicture.org |
| Teacher's Page Lesson Plans about the Flat World |
| Lesson Plan: Look at the "Flat World" theory across the curriculum Friedman’s style of argumentation is worth analyzing (English lit class) His claims can be analyzed in math and science classes… History class can look at the historical claims that he makes. Do you agree that Friedman’s talk can be taught across the curriculum? Exercise: “What parts of this school can be ‘outsourced’?” The entire math department (to be taught by video and over the internet by teachers in India…) TO: School administrator or teacher Did you receive the DVD regarding Thomas Friedman? (author of “The World is Flat”) -- if not, send an email message to analyst@comcast.net and I'll send you a copy... If so, please let me know your thoughts. Is his point of view too limited? Or does he make a valid point that most students in Western schools are perhaps too focused on Europe and the USA? What should a school add to its curriculum to make sure the students include “a flat world” in their outlook? I’d like to see your high school get ahead of the crowd on this issue. Sure, “outsourcing” is not the top issue for most parents. “How many students went to Ivy League”? I wonder if this would be a good exercise for students… Exercise: “What parts of an organization can be ‘outsourced’?” In particular, what employee’s function at the school could be outsourced? The entire math department (to be taught by video and over the internet by teachers in India…) ? Loss of jobs will be inevitable, and the recent “no” vote in France to the European constitution was in part to reject jobs for Turkish workers. French voters generally want to protect their way of life…. As do steel workers in the USA, etc. Friedman suggests that “retraining” is needed for workers who are forced out of work by outsourcing… but is that easily done? In the vocabulary of Thomas Friedman, students need to be more innovative and he mentioned stronger studies in science and engineering… but what are the places of artists, writers, administrators in a flat world? His remedy is too simple, I think. I can’t put my finger on it, but I know that we can’t make millions of scientists and engineers. What roles for innovation exist for other professions? Friedman claims that outsourcing will lead to more employment in China and India… and more innovation at home will create new industries. How real is this? How can jobs in manufacturing and accounting and telephone work be replaced easily? I think the answer is, “not easily.” I suggest that Friedman’s message might be required viewing twice a year (by teachers and students) until teachers and students can “perform their understanding” of his message. With every outsourced job, shouldn’t we be cheering? 1) someone in the third world is getting more work 2) someone in the West is getting challenged to grow and become innovative. 3) eventually the money sent overseas will return with a tourist visit or a purchase of a product made here. Should this “Pollyanna” vision be revised? Friedman’s optimism is based on his view that restricting trade backfires eventually. So how can changes be made efficiently and carefully? I hope you can weave this discussion into the minds of your high school students. If you need more copies of the Friedman interview, let me know. In fact, just tell me how many teachers are open-minded about the theme of “outsourcing” – I’ll make copies for each of them to keep and review and use in class. Friedman’s style of argumentation is worth analyzing (English lit class) and his claims can be analyzed in math and science classes… history class can look at the historical claims that he makes. Do you agree that Friedman’s talk can be taught across the curriculum? I can’t say that I applaud the loss of jobs, but I cheer people in India and China in trying to better their status. It’s hard to justify barriers against their success just because we want to protect jobs over here…. Steve McCrea analyst@comcast.net Box 30555 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33303 DemocracyBonds.com EXTRA CREDIT: Ask fast-processing students to visit the MARLA page and follow the directions on that page. |
| Print a bumper sticker CLICK HERE What did Thomas Friedman say on the Tim Russert Show in April 2005? |