Last year I was fortunate to travel to Asia (5 Countries, 12 Cities) touring best practices and next generation schools, workplaces and cities. Wow, was I blown away.  It became very apparent to me that the while the US won the "Industrial Age"...Asia is winning the "Information Age".  We very much need to move from an "Industrial Age Culture" to an "Information Age Spirit". And I agree with Thomas Friedman, Author of The World Is Flat, who said, "America today reminds me of our last Olympic basketball team - that lackadaisical group that brought home the bronze medal. We think that all we need to do is show up and everyone else will fold - because, after all, we're just competing with ourselves". See Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio?

Coming back to the US was really  a "time warp". Our Country is stuck in slow motion. We need to work quickly  to get our educational system (our business and our government) into and ready for  the 21st Century.  The US is far behind Asia in digital age literacy and skills...and I would suggest much more prepared for the next century.    When I returned from Asia, I told our kids, "You are not competing with the student down the hall, you are competing with 1.3 billion people in Asia that are hungry, willing to change and understand the power (knowledge) of the digital age".  If you don't believe me, why in China 59% of undergrads receive degrees in science and engineering; in Japan 66%, in Germany 36%; and in America, only 32%?  See The World is Flat.

The true need is a complete overhaul of the legacy educational "delivery system".  Billions of dollars are spent (wasted) on text books, which are dated the day they come off the printing press.  We hand our kids an "etcha sketch" (an old book) when they want a "playstation" (an internet learning device "ILD")". "Digital Enablement" is disruptive to educational delivery and becomes an enabler to move from "teachers teaching" to "students learning".  Web enablement transforms the role of the teacher from the "sage on the stage" paradigm to "guide on the side"....bringing best of breed information to the classroom in all subject matters, real time. Our kids are ready for it...all in the name of a new paradigm...the enabling of "engaged student learning".  See The Report of 21st Century Literacy Summit

Our 150 year old educational delivery system that was built for the" printing press", not the "internet".  There is a "Digital Disconnect" and Generation Gap between the "Digital Natives" (our kids) and the "Digital Immigrants (parents). I would suggest we have a "Digital and Information Literacy" crisis...read Marc Pransky's "Engage Me or Enrage Me" and  "Digital Natives and Digital immigrants".

State and Federal Governments lack a 21st Century vision, School Districts lack resources, schools sites lack tools or training...all leaving our children without the skill they will need to compete in the 21st Century and global competition.  See Barriers and  The Power Of the Internet For Learning.

The single most important thing we can do is to create an "engaging and empowering environment" where we transform "students having to learn" to "students wanting to learn".  So, what tools do we need to transform the legacy delivery model, to enable digital literacy, engaged student learning and leave our students (and teachers) the skill and tools they will need to compete in the 21st Century?  What do we need to transform delivery and engage students? Read No More Chalk.

The new delivery model needs 5 structural transition elements.   elements I call these "transitional elements"  "A thru E".  Applications (all students should have access to software applications), Broadband (all students should have affordable broadband in the homes), Curriculum (all curriculum and assessment should be web based, interactive, real time, multi media enhanced and relevant), Devices (Each student should have a transportable web enabled device and Education (digital literacy training for teachers and students).  A thru E is the infrastructure that will be required in 21st Century Schools and Districts. I am not dreaming...this is happening right here in globally recognized Lemon Grove School District. The initiative is called Lemon Link. The power of 6 billion connected PC's transforms the way we live, work and play.

Let me give you a real life example. Last year, and 8th grader at Correia learns entry level HTML Web Programming on the internet. How  By merely typing in "How to Program HTML" in Google. This same student meets with another student online...this student is India!  Using Skype's free voice over the internet and MSN Messenger to video conference, talk to each other and text message, these students collaborate on design and programming code.

The above example could be music, art, math or science! Has you student connect online for a "certified tutor" for live home homework help at Live Homework Help or to a online librarian 24/7 at Ask Now.  Have your student take advantage of the Web (Digital) Lockers now made available to all students at Dana, Correia and Point Loma High.  Are they going to Amazon to see what their peer group is are reading, using "blogs" collaborate with other students around the world or using Google Scholar for research?  What does the School of the Future look like?  See Technology Leads To Active Learning.  Dana was selected because of its progressive implementation of 21st century learning skills and literacy.

Change is going to take bold leadership, vision and communication...our leaders will need to be Digital Age Thinkers.  Most importantly, change is going to be driven by parents who want to be involved are going to need to take the time to invest in their thoughts and opinions...and it can't be based on what it was like when "we went to school". For things to change, parents are going to need to be passionate about learning about best practices, the global competitive challenges and what life will be like for our kids in the 21st century. See Partnership For 21st Century Learning Skills.

For video clips of best practices discussed above, see Video Clips.