Pro and Con on Thomas Friedman.I would respectfully disagree with Verb 1. disagree with - not be very easily digestible; "Spicy food disagrees with some people" hurt - give trouble or pain to; "This exercise will hurt your back" [Gary Stager's] analysis [of Thomas Friedman's latest book, The World is Flat, December 2005, p. 77]. I think that his summary is just as hysterical as the writing of Friedman. I found the book to be useful in the context of all of the other "pop" books that I read in trying to get a handle on where this society is headed and preparing for a different future. While I agree that much of the writing is "over the top" it is just another piece of the puzzle and is reflective of a persistent viewpoint. Books such as The Tipping Point The point in time in which a technology, procedure, service or philosophy has reached critical mass and becomes mainstream. See network effect. See also tip and ring. , Freakonomics, The Wisdom of Crowds, Thinking in the Future Tense future tense n. A verb tense expressing future time. Noun 1. future tense - a verb tense that expresses actions or states in the future future all bring additional information as we in education try to get a perspective on what is happening. You are correct that these books do not help change the practice in the classroom but they can help to reform the culture, create opportunities to bridge to the future from the past, and stimulate innovation. I found it fascinating. However, like much of what I read, I read it with a healthy skepticism--much like my high school English teacher taught me. Thomas R. Dase Superintendent Pleasant Valley School District Pleasant Valley School District is a school district in the west end of Monroe County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Enrollment for the district has reached around seven thousand students. Camarillo, California Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 57,077 at the 2000 census. A January 1, 2006 California Department of Finance estimate lists the population at 64,034. The Ventura Freeway (U.S. Route 101) is the city's primary thoroughfare. Thanks, Gary. I admire your boldness. I just came back from a writing trip in a nearby state where I found quite a few schools with The World Is Flat study groups underway. It is the fad of the year. John Norton Manager/Moderator Teacher Leaders Network Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in North Carolina and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), the oldest state-supported university in the United States. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 48,715. As of 2004 its estimated population was 52,440. |
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