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"As scholarly as [it] is . . . this book about education happens to double as an optimistic, even thrilling, summer read." —The New York Times
A brilliant combination of science and its real-world application, Now You See It sheds light on one of the greatest problems of our historical moment: our schools and businesses are designed for the last century, not for a world in which technology has reshaped the way we think and learn. In this informed and optimistic work, Cathy N. Davidson takes us on a tour of the future of work and education, introducing us to visionaries whose groundbreaking ideas will soon affect every arena of our lives, from schools with curriculums built around video games to workplaces that use virtual environments to train employees.
Introduction: I'll Count-You Take Care of the Gorilla 1
Part 1 Distraction and Difference: The Keys to Attention and the Changing Brain
1 Learning from the Distraction Experts 23
2 Learning Ourselves 44
Part 2 The Kids Are All Right
3 Project Classroom Makeover 61
4 How We Measure 105
5 The Epic Win 132
Part 3 Work in the Future
6 The Changing Workplace 165
7 The Changing Worker 208
Part 4 The Brain You Change Yourself
8 You, Too, Can Program Your VCR (and Probably Should) 247
Conclusion: Now You See It 277
Acknowledgments 293
Appendix Twenty-first-Century Literacies-a Checklist 297
Notes 301
Index 331
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Posted September 17, 2011
It is sad and scary how far behind our education system is from our society's accelerating advancements. The longer we wait to make a change, the further behind we will get. Cathy Davidson writes a brilliant account of the necessity of our society to rethink our old and outdated methods and adapt our education system to coordinate and cooperate with our present society. Educators love the word "alignment," yet the system fails to align education with society. How ironic. Contrary to most works along these lines today, Davidson not only makes the point of the need to adjust education to catch up with society, but backs the point up with research, historical data, and even a breadth of diverse solutions to meet our diverse needs. This book should be required reading not only for all educators, but (and more importantly) for all politicians and school administrators. The education system is so overwhelmed by bureaucracy and individuals so far removed from the classroom that not only have they fogotten the the purpose of education, they are blind to its overwhelming failures. There is so much potential being wasted today that a total rethinking and restructuring is needed now more than ever -- or it will soon be too late.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 8, 2011
Great!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 30, 2011
A very interesting book based on the author's research and personal experience as head of interdisciplinary studies at Duke University. Without the annoying typos that are so dominant in every publication these days and using a vocabulary that allows the lay person to understand complicated neurological concepts without oversimplifying, this book is challenging and thought-provoking. For everyone interested in education at any level Dr. Davidson demonstrates the chasm between what is now known about how the brain works and how educational systems are structured. The neurological information is fascinating especially the "attention blindness" that is learned and can be unlearned. Also the iPod experiment at Duke University that was the experiential foundation for her correlation between brain research and pedagogy was fascinating. "The iPod experiment was an acknowledgement that the brain is, above all, interactive, that it selects, repeats, and mirrors, always, constantly, in complex interactions with the world," (p. 78) which is often at odds with an education system "based on giving premium value to expertise, specialization, and hierarchy...."(p.78) Learning this information and applying it in the classroom could make such a difference for all classroom participants in enhancing learning and taking responsibility. Alvin Toffler pointed out some time ago and Dr. Davidson reiterates that current educational structure reflects the industrial revolution and preparing people to work in factories, something few people do any more. The historical information about the development of American education is useful in understanding how we got to this point. The focus on preparing people to succeed in the world in which they actually exist, a digital, connected, interactive world instead of a text, expert world is enlightening. "At our most ambitious, we hoped to change the one-directional model of attention that has formed the twentieth-century classroom."(p. 77) Mistakes were made, new information was not initially understood, trial and error, working together became the model. Instead of mourning that things are different, the inspiration of this book is how to teach people to thrive in the world in which they live instead of succeed in a world that is fading. Attention blindness! What a concept applicable to all aspects of human existence. Read this book!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 16, 2012
Glitterstar-elders den
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Posted December 26, 2011
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Posted December 19, 2011
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Posted January 16, 2012
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Posted March 31, 2012
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Overview
"As scholarly as [it] is . . . this book about education happens to double as an optimistic, even thrilling, summer read." —The New York Times
A brilliant combination of science and its real-world application, Now You See It sheds light on one of the greatest problems of our historical moment: our schools and businesses are designed for the last century, not for a world in which technology has reshaped the way we think and learn. In this informed and optimistic work, Cathy N. ...