Connecting the Dots
When I was little, the very first part of my activity book I would complete was every connect-the-dots picture. According to Thomas Friedman, in his book, The World is Flat, “connecting the dots” in education is one of the primary ways we can help our country compete in the new age of globalization. Many students in the Yakima Valley have long faced the daunting choice of either attending a vocational/tech school or going to community college. However, in our flattening world, we can no longer settle for an either/or, and students now need a combination of both. Students need a variety in their education in order to “learn how to learn”, but they also need hands on training if we want to move toward closing the “funding …show more content…
Friedman advocates a well-rounded education, not just more education, to adapt to our evolving world of technology. Yakima can achieve this goal if the community pulls together to improve higher education. To start, Yakima Valley Community College (YVCC) could continue to offer their current courses, but for many of the classes, find local business firms who offer any type of services from engineering firms to dentists, who would be willing to sponsor a student to come learn and work part time at their facility. Students wouldn’t have to pay tuition if they chose one class per quarter to be an intern. There they could get hands on experience while still having access to the liberal education offered by YVCC. As Friedman puts it, they would be “learning how to learn” by learning both the traditional way in class, and getting practical application from passionate professionals in the field. They would also get diversity in their education, which is important according to Friedman. “If you spend your whole life in one silo, you will never have either the knowledge or mental agility to do the synthesis, connect the dots, which is usually where the next great breakthrough is found” (Friedman, 316). By participating in multiple intern programs, …show more content…
Although I started by learning basic tasks such as payroll, I eventually got to be a part of writing full business proposals. This was an exciting job for me because I got to help with the design of the proposal which included choosing and organizing pictures, graphics, fonts and color schemes. In doing this, I experienced what Friedman highlights is the importance of doing what you enjoy, “But I would guess that one way you nurture your right brain is by doing something you love to do – or at least you like to do – because you will bring something intangible to it, something out of your right brain, which cannot be easily repeated, automated, or outsourced” (Friedman, 323). I was able to do what I liked, while bringing something new to the proposals, and learning at the same
When I was little, the very first part of my activity book I would complete was every connect-the-dots picture. According to Thomas Friedman, in his book, The World is Flat, “connecting the dots” in education is one of the primary ways we can help our country compete in the new age of globalization. Many students in the Yakima Valley have long faced the daunting choice of either attending a vocational/tech school or going to community college. However, in our flattening world, we can no longer settle for an either/or, and students now need a combination of both. Students need a variety in their education in order to “learn how to learn”, but they also need hands on training if we want to move toward closing the “funding …show more content…
Friedman advocates a well-rounded education, not just more education, to adapt to our evolving world of technology. Yakima can achieve this goal if the community pulls together to improve higher education. To start, Yakima Valley Community College (YVCC) could continue to offer their current courses, but for many of the classes, find local business firms who offer any type of services from engineering firms to dentists, who would be willing to sponsor a student to come learn and work part time at their facility. Students wouldn’t have to pay tuition if they chose one class per quarter to be an intern. There they could get hands on experience while still having access to the liberal education offered by YVCC. As Friedman puts it, they would be “learning how to learn” by learning both the traditional way in class, and getting practical application from passionate professionals in the field. They would also get diversity in their education, which is important according to Friedman. “If you spend your whole life in one silo, you will never have either the knowledge or mental agility to do the synthesis, connect the dots, which is usually where the next great breakthrough is found” (Friedman, 316). By participating in multiple intern programs, …show more content…
Although I started by learning basic tasks such as payroll, I eventually got to be a part of writing full business proposals. This was an exciting job for me because I got to help with the design of the proposal which included choosing and organizing pictures, graphics, fonts and color schemes. In doing this, I experienced what Friedman highlights is the importance of doing what you enjoy, “But I would guess that one way you nurture your right brain is by doing something you love to do – or at least you like to do – because you will bring something intangible to it, something out of your right brain, which cannot be easily repeated, automated, or outsourced” (Friedman, 323). I was able to do what I liked, while bringing something new to the proposals, and learning at the same