Nine Shift

College drop outs to reform education

It's so embarrassing for education and educators.  First, they all use the inventions of the  students they bounced out of college  (podcasts, social networks,  iPod,  Macs, Windows, Blackberry).  Now those same college  drop outs are out to reform education - -  and they will succeed.

Here's an example,  via  NineShift fan Michael Arbow from an article in  The Globe & Mail, about  Canada's leading entrepreneur:, Mike Lazaridis:

Mr. Lazaridis is worried about the future, too, but not of union work. He's worried whether we'll have enough brains. "The number of PhDs the Chinese plan to graduate within the next 10 years is greater than the entire population of Canada," he says. He is a tall, soft-spoken man with a shock of snow-white hair. "We can't beat them on scale. We have to do it by smarts. The only way to get ahead of that tsunami is to invest in quality."

New Economy beating the Old Economy

Michael Arbow, a NineShifter who brought me to New Brunswick to speak earlier this spring, sends this great link and article about the new economy beating the old economy.  He writes: Looks like the 21st century is finally starting to win.

Here's the article from the Globe and Mail,  Canada's leading national newspaper.

This is one of the earliest reportings of the understanding that the old economy is in decline, the new economy on the rise. Thanks Michael for the link and article!

The Skilled Worker Shortage: and why

Interesting article in NY Times on the current skilled labor shortage in Iowa, and predictions for the near future:

"The state provides a small, advance view of what some economists predict will be a broader shortage of skilled workers in the next 20 or 30 years, as tens of millions of baby boomers retire from the workplace, and the economy produces more new jobs than workers. Potential consequences include slower economic growth and competitiveness, as well as higher wages for skilled workers and greater inequality.

Estimates of the national shortage run as high as 14 million skilled workers by 2020, according to widely cited projections by the labor economists Anthony P. Carnevale and Donna M. Desrochers."

Now here's why we have a growing problem of skilled workers: not enough college graduates. This is true of both boys and girls, but particularly of boys, of whom 2 million smart boys are kept out of college each year.  For more on our work on this issue, see http://www.ScientistShortage.com

Employers more likely to send workers home now

From NineShifter Jeff Kart in Michigan, an article in Grist:
"Employers across the country are offering workers the option to telecommute or work a four-day week to help cut down on fuel costs. Compressed work weeks are particularly attractive to employees who work in places without reliable mass transit -- especially since a 10-hour day can mean coming in early and leaving late enough to avoid rush hour traffic. As an added bonus, offices find that fewer employees on site means lessened energy costs. And allowing workers to cut down on commuting can also increase morale."

We have said that around 2010 employers will realize that telecommuters are more productive than office workers, and the current gas crisis is certainly helping move in that direction.  Thanks Jeff!

Thanks for a great NineShift week!

We had at least 1,000 visitors and 2,000 page views this week!
Thanks to the 28 people who made comments this week.
Comments are now over 700 lifetime.
Your involvement, comments and support make the NineShift blog a big success!

Gas hits $4 a gallon: time to celebrate!

Gas is now hitting $4 a gallon around the U.S.

There’s also been a rash of articles on alternative travel, including bikes, train ridership going up, carpooling, and much more. 

NineShift is celebrating. Higher gas prices help the growth of alternative travel, especially trains and light rail. People are driving less, combining trips, cutting back to just one car, riding bikes, walking, buying electric cars, carpooling, and taking the bus, train and light rail. Some are even moving out of the suburbs. Now tell us what you are doing. Make a comment now!

Home Offices Surge

Home offices ranked as the fourth most important feature in a new upscale home, just ahead of security. Here’s 3 more facts from a great NY Times story on home offices:

1. Some 7 in 10 Americans now have offices or designated workstations in their homes, a 112% increase since 2000, according to the American Home Furnishings Alliance.

2.  More than 28 million Americans now work from home at least part time.

3. Working from home has increased 10% from just the year before, and up 40% from 2002, according to the Dieringer Research Group, a marketing research company in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Do you have a home office? Does yours have a feature special to you? Are you jealous of Julie's home office?

Photo: Fireplace and Persian rug in NineShift co-author Julie Coates new customized home office. 

In historic decision, students no longer penalized for late work

In an historic education decision last month, the Toronto, Canada, schools will no longer punish students for late homework.  To repeat, Toronto schools will no longer punish students for late homework. 

Here's what administrator Karen Grose told Nine Shift: "Homework is not marked/evaluated--it is assessed to direct students in their learning goals. As it is not marked, there is no mark deduction for being late--rather progressive consequences (ie a range of supports to then help the student get it done). Assignments of course are evaluated. Again, if late a range of progressive consequences are applied.  After the large range of supports and progressive consequences, mark deduction could be used as a very last resort."

Why is it important not to penalize students for late work? Because grading in this century should be based on learning and knowledge, not behavior or neurology. Feel free to tell us your thoughts.   

New! Audio Presentations online

Our first online audio presentation! 
"The 100th Anniversary,"  a 7 minute audio with slides.
Find out about three great inventions of 100 years ago:  plastics, the Model T, and debt.
Then learn why each is obsolete today.  Click here for the audio.

Will the Web Close the Gender Pay Gap?

Just like 100 years ago, today’s transition from one economic age to a better one will help narrow the gender pay gap. But will it close the gap?

Women earn about 73% of men. There were steep advances in pay for women for most of the 20^th century. But the current 73% glass pay ceiling has not cracked for the past several decades.

The web will narrow the gender pay gap for these Nine Shift reasons: 1) when women work from home, they can spend more time with their family with less sacrifice to work. 2) when men work from home, they can spend more time with their family with less sacrifice to work. 3) women working from home, like men, will find a global knowledge workplace, where employers at a distance pay based on output, not office or gender politics.

Will the Internet close the gender pay gap? Tell us what you think.