Differences in the Middle: Friedman and Kajder

“Girls, finish your homework—people in China and India are starving for your jobs”: Friedman’s advice to his daughter’s is more than accurate—it’s scary (277). As we move from the world of Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 it is not only our jobs that our becoming at risk, but future jobs as well. To be frank, the middle class is changing. As Friedman states, “In Globalization 3.0, individuals have to think globally to… survive” (276). Honestly, “think[ing] globally” have never been a strong factor of mine unless I was dreaming up a never-going-to-happen trip to Europe; still, my globally is quite different than Friedman’s. So I found myself asking “How can I think globally and get involved in Web 3.0 without actually being thrown into the rampaging fight for jobs across the nations?” My answer led me back to his advice to his children, and caused me to do some homework of my own.

As I was reading Friedman, I honestly felt the middle class was disappearing completely. Luckily (I think) it is merely changing (or so he says). So we change with it. After all, as future teachers we are subject to change; we can’t be expected to stick with one curriculum or lesson plan our entire educational career. Let’s integrate Web 3.0 into the mix. But how? This is where I get stuck. I like to pretend I’m technology savvy. I’m not. Technology spites me. The motherboard on my laptop fried a couple weeks ago and is currently being replaced (thank goodness for warranties). So, if I’m not technology savvy, how can I prepare my students to enter a world where they are competing with people in other nations for jobs, that frankly, the United States (in my opinion) seems to be falling behind in preparing us for? As you can see I have more questions than answers currently, and hopefully I will answer a few… no guarantees.

I’ve created a lot of questions in my mind; the primary ones being “How do we incorporate Web 3.0 into our classrooms” and “How can I prepare my students to enter a world where they are competing with people in other nations for jobs, when I have very limited knowledge of how Web 3.0—and technology— work?” To start, Friedman proposes the idea of “untouchables,” explaining how these “are people whose jobs cannot be outsourced, digitalized, or automated” (278). In other words: become an untouchable no matter what you have to do! Friedman continues to say there are “three broad categories” of untouchables: the “special of specialized,” the “’localized, and ‘anchored,’” and the “old middle” (280). I feel, right now, that as educators we fall into the “old middle” untouchables: we could, theoretically, be replaced; our jobs which were once “nonfungible,” will be taught to students on the Web by the time Web 7.0 rolls around. Regardless, we have to realize that we are currently molding our students into one of these three categories of untouchables (nonfungible jobs) or in a newer category focused around Web 3.0 and a “new middle” class. It’s my opinion that most of them will fall into the “localized/anchored” or the “old middle” category, finding jobs that have to be done in a certain area and require certain know-how, or finding jobs that can eventually move from being nonfungible to fungible. These students will attend the four-year colleges and find their comfort zones. Those that don’t fall into these categories, will surpass even us; they are the “special or specialized” or the “new middle.”

How do we get them on their way? Sara B. Kajder’s article, “Bringing the Outside In: Visual Ways to Engage Reluctant Readers,” can center teachers on ideas of how they can focus their students around a subject. This is exactly what educators need to understand, which in turn, will help us (as teachers) lead our students into the world of Web 3.0.

Kadjer’s article begins with a story of a reluctant student, Trapper, who can’t see, to write in class. Outside of class, Trapper was a powerful writer; he wrote for a cyberzine about Mountain Bikes. As teacher’s we have to bring out-of-class activities to class. This includes writing that students actively partake (and are interested in). Interest oriented. This leads back to Friedman and who we are molding our students into. Learners need to “tap into powerful communication tools to tell their story… powerfully” (Kajder x). In other words, let students do the things we, as educators, ask of them in a way they already know. If we provide them with several interests, especially ones they understand (the Web, iTunes, YouTube… anything that can come from Web 2.0), our students will have a better chance at finding a spot in the Web 3.0 world. This includes the job market.

Furthermore, by having students actively participate in the classrooms, we are creating mock-work situations that could benefit them later in life. Friendman refers to “The New Middlers” in Chapter 6 and what the “help wanted” sign of Web 3.0 looks like. The examples he gives are similar to activities, exercises, and participations classes already use; each “help wanted” sign could apply indirectly to classroom conduct and lessons. For example, the first “help wanted” sign—“Great Collaborators and Orchestrators”—is a great comparison for group work in classroom. Granted the group work we do in classes is less intense than the collaborating Friedman is discussing, but the concept is similar. Students work as a team, and generally one of two will stand out as “leaders” (or orchestrators) within the group. Sure, it is simplistic compared to the idea Friedman puts forth for Web 3.0, but for our students it’s a start.

In closing, Kajder’s article states “Too often we take to heart the saying ‘the medium is the message.’ We cannot let technology be the message. It is there to enhance the message and make it easier to deliver’” (Kajder x). How true. Technology, the medium, is not the message but rather the messenger. Still, while it may not be the message, technology (and Web 3.0) is just as important as the message it helps our students to deliver. Our students need to be able to express their messages with a comfortable messenger, which for most is the Web and technology, a medium they are already comfortable with. With this in mind, as educators we need to provide our students with the opportunity to do express themselves, use technology, and, eventually, enter into the Web 3.0 world.