Invest in Education

To build digital skills, invest in education at all levels from preschool to K–12 to postsecondary to lifelong learning opportunities. What is needed is both the infrastructure (connectivity and computers) and well qualified teachers, with enough time for each student.

Comments

smith — 2010–06–17 22:15:47 EDT wrote

One of the ways that government already invests in education related to digital skills is through Community Access Program and especially the Community Access Program Youth Initiative. These programs should be enhanced and expanded, and see them as part of "education" broadly framed.

dsampson — 2010–06–21 08:51:28 EDT wrote

Investments can come in many forms. One investment may be to rethink some of the technical education to include critical thinking, analysis, and problem solving. For example, people rely too heavily on technical instructions to set up their home computer. This should be a round peg and square hole problem. We have removed the aspect of thinking. Refer to this URL for a good overview of some talks about reforming Education:

jaccalder — 2010–07–03 10:54:27 EDT wrote

I agree — when it comes to building digital skills and fostering innovation — start by investing in education. We are in a tricky time where schools as we know them today were designed for an industrial society. Our wonderful educators were also trained in that system and therefore have a trouble getting their heads around some of the changes possible or required. Investment in educational change is needed — we are bound by old funding formulas that feed the idea that schools need to follow along the same pattern as in generations before. You want change? Try supporting change from the top down — instead of making educators change within the strict constraints put on them by the industrial mentality.