Resources From The World Is ... Author and E-Learning Professor Curtis J. Bonk

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1. 11/9/89: The Berlin Wall came down 2
2. 8/9/95: The company, Netscape, went public 3
3. Work Flow Software (e
4. g., PayPal and eBay) 4
5. Open-Sourcing (self-organizing collaborative communities; Mosaic, Apache, Wikipedia, Linux, Mozilla/Firefox, ) 5. Outsourcing (e
6. g., the Y2K problem) 6. Offshoring (e
7. g., China, Mexico, Thailand) 7
8. Supply-Chaining (e.g., Wal-Mart) 8
9. Insourcing (UPS fixing Toshiba laptops) 9. In-forming (e
10. g., Google, Yahoo!, MSN Web Search) 10
11. The Steroids: Digital, Mobile, Personal, and Virtual (e.g., wireless, file sharing, VoIP, video camera in phone)

Many of the above trends and events impact us on a daily if not hourly basis. The new technologies of collaboration offer each of us opportunities for personal expression, enterprise, and interaction that were not possible a few short years ago. Many of these technology trends Friedman highlights, including increasing use of wireless, mobile, collaborative, and virtual learning, are accelerating change in the world of education. That is the premise of this book, in fact. However, many are different. The triple convergence that I have seen relate to piping to access the Internet, pages of Web-based content, and a participatory learning culture wherein anyone can add to or share a learning event with someone else. These are indeed interesting times in which to live, especially for those in the education sphere.

Friedman is not the only one with metaphors to describe the business world. Richard Florida, Professor of Business and Creativity at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, takes a more sociological view in looking at creativity and innovation in cities and geographic regions of the world. He contends that the world is more spiky than it is flat. What this means is that not everyone is equally benefitting from the new technologies. Instead, there are innovation and creativity hubs that tend to rest in certain cities, countries, and geographic regions of the world. It is here that a talent pool accumulates and significant financial resources and facilities for start-up ventures reside. Boston, San Francisco, Bangalore, and Seoul are among such places, to name a few. From such a viewpoint, if we understand what makes such cities successful in becoming economic development powerhouses, we can perhaps help other less well developed areas move in such directions. This could be among the top global challenges of the twentieth century. So must we simply decide between a more flat or a more spikey world? Can both coexist? In many ways, they are end results of a more complex process. High quality education must precede innovative business processes and success stories and ultimately economic development. And today that educational world is increasingly open. We see it in the phrases "open source software," "open educational resources," and "open standards." Some people are started to argue that this shift also one frees up resources for mass human participation, creative expression, and innovation. With each announcement of a new learning portal or free set of online courses, countless learning doors are being opened.