America's Moment: Creating Opportunity in the Connected Age Kindle Edition

Good but not great.
Describes the rise of the networked economy.
Describes few new models to address this.
This is an important change which this book reaffirms is happening and will impact all.

Throughout history humans have often worried that new technology would cause undesirable disruption and the loss of jobs. The truth, however, is that technological advances have increased productivity and expanded economic opportunity. Ever since mechanical looms were introduced in Europe in the early 19th century causing widespread alarm to Ned Ludd and his followers, neo-Luddites have greeted each successive wave of innovation with fear. But the overwhelming evidence shows not only that industries are transformed by technological innovation but so too is society and, in most cases, for the better.

These advances didn’t come along simply by happenstance. They occurred because America put its mind to reworking its systems. We took chances and overcame our fear of the changes needed for society to move forward.

These transformations are described in each chapter of America’s Moment, a forward-thinking book produced under the auspices of the Markle Foundation and members of its Rework America initiative, led by Zoë Baird. This blueprint links the important and deliberate actions of our forebears to the challenges facing us today.

More importantly, the book provides dozens of concrete examples of how innovative people are creating new paths to the future in education and the workforce. With these case studies, gathered by the members of Rework America, the book highlights enormous opportunities we have to emerge a stronger nation.

There’s been so much talk these days about innovation that it’s easy for such an American-owned concept to lose its true meaning. When I researched the digital revolution for a recent book, I focused on specific examples of how innovation actually occurred in the real world. I wanted to show how the most imaginative innovators of our time turned ideas into reality. The examples and the prescriptions offered in America’s Moment reflect the DNA of some of our greatest innovations.

America’s Moment sees a nation harnessing the immense power of that global network to propel research and development and rapid collaboration around our greatest strengths. For the American Dream to survive, we must share talent and truly integrate the power of our networked world to make a generation of workers ready for the challenges ahead.

The backbone of this important book’s prescription for America’s next great leap is to be found in the power of education. Its recommendations go far beyond mere reform. We have to reimagine education without the barriers that hold so many back today.

One key finding — reflected too in some of the important leaps of the Digital Revolution — is the value of human interaction to enhance education. Through our networked reality, this human contact can be embedded in education software that distills and extends it, giving us the best of both worlds. Education navigators can coach and guide many more learners to academic success. Democratization of learning through resources such as Khan Academy can open doors to millions locked out of the educational system today.

Each chapter of America’s Moment closes with a concrete list of actions needed for our nation to create opportunity in the connected age. In addition to education, it tackles worker mobility, accessing the global economy, research and development and much more.

For our nation to power through our next great revolution, we need to reinvent America as an innovation hub. We need to work every advantage possible. We need to recognize that education is the greatest talent engine we possess and use collaboration to multiply those talents. We must take calculated risks together that will lay the groundwork for our emergence as a stronger, more resilient nation.

Taken together, this wise book is a roadmap for restoring the American Dream. It brings a clear-eyed view of the challenges we face, and offers a powerful dose of hope for our future.

"America's Moment: Creating Opportunity in the Connected Age" argues that our country is "in the early stages of an economic revolution." This revolution is so transformative, the authoring Markle Foundation finds, that paradigms used for decades to shape economic, employment, and educational strategies need serious redefinition. If this challenge seems breathtaking in scope, that is indeed the case. So it is impressive that the 50-person Rework America committee created by Markle to foster national dialogue on this subject has proceeded with such discipline. As a result, the first fruit of its labors, "America's Moment," is both lucid and successful in sorting out the elements of a practical path forward. The book is optimistic throughout, and its primary emphasis, especially regarding achievements already in place, is often on private sector initiatives. However, roles for government action at both the federal and local level are also explicitly addressed. Thus, as candidates for the presidency and other offices seek to redefine the American dream, the publication of this book could not be more timely.

"America's Moment" opens with broad historical context and then defines four broad themes that will be developed throughout the book: the nature of the current economic revolution, the impact of globalized networks, the localization of some work and initiatives, and the empowerment of individual workers. Following this introduction, four chapters follow with a corporate focus that addresses America's productive competitiveness on a world stage, while a succeeding two take up the challenge of creating a labor force better matched to the needs of a transformed economy. Each chapter moves from a general statement of the challenge discussed, to a presentation of statistical data, case studies, resumes of academic, institutional, and government studies, and calls to action.

Especially compelling are the many case studies with which the book is studded. For example, chapter 8, "Prepare for the Life You Want," tells the story of how Arizona State University has re-imagined the role of a major research school and created an entire online degree program. (It is ASU with which Howard Schultz, co-chair of the Rework America initiative, has partnered to provide Starbucks employees online degree studies.) Then there is the growing practice, pursued in both academic and government settings, of analyzing vast bodies of data like the census to gain new insights. The book does a fine job describing the potential of such studies as well as their main findings.

And, of course, there is a conclusion, but with the substantive chapters already providing bottom-line recommendations, some of its thunder has been stolen. In this regard, i wish in particular that the theme of forming alliances, both vertical and horizontal, to achieve optimal results, had been further developed. The concluding chapter does reference work done in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Baltimore, that reflects a more energized approach to local governance and exploitation of networked systems. But few details are provided regarding the manner in which alliances were formed in these cities to press forward in a world of multiple possibilities. Chapter 8 emphasized the importance of navigators in helping individuals work their way through complex educational systems. In a similar manner, institutions, both private and public, will also need help navigating the great diversity and richness of opportunities identified in "America's Moment."