Sunlona.com

The word teaching was widely used in the educational community for centuries to identify the process of sharing knowledge. In the 21^st Century, the buzzword is facilitating and the individuals who are facilitating are referred to as facilitators.  The reason for the change in identity from teachers to facilitators might be because there is no monopoly on knowledge any more. In the old days teachers or professors held the key to learning, and they possessed more knowledge than the learners in the field of study.  The environment has changed, we have the ability to collect and store data, information, and knowledge in the electronic form that can be shared with the world 24 hours a day and 365 days year. The web technologies have broken the monopoly on the knowledge in all areas of our life including education. Individuals who are interested in sharing their views can share their view by posting on the Internet, and the information is instantly available to everyone around the world.  The world is turning into a collaborative learning community. An open source environment is becoming the key to the growth and development of the business and community.

In old days if you were sick, the doctor was the only one to explain what was wrong, and explain about the possible treatment, side effects, etc. In this age with the help of Internet resources, you will be able to learn about the sickness, and alternative treatment available for treating the illness before you visit the doctor. Similarly, a learner (student) before attending the class may review information on the topic using the Internet resources and may have the knowledge that would have been gained in the classroom. This raises the question about the role of the facilitator in the 21st Century in a classroom or any other learning environment. The role of the facilitator is to share knowledge with others and create an environment where one can learn and experience growth in learning. To be successful in sharing knowledge, the facilitators need to gather information from the changing environment, process and refine into knowledge, and share with the learners. Facilitating is an art that requires understanding the learners’ needs, and fulfilling their needs based on the goals of the learning. In this age, a facilitator is also a learner.  In a successful facilitation both learner and facilitator experience growth in learning. The success of facilitating is measured by both growth in learning of the learner and the facilitator.

bloger@sunlona.com

Our economy is not an automobile (car) and it cannot be jump started like an automobile. But, there is something we can learn from the way we used to jump-start our car in the past and how we jump-start today. In the old days when the automobile stalled, we would manually push to start the car. It was a labor -intensive process. Today we jump start the car using jumper cables, portable chargers, and designer chargers that meet the specification of the automobile manufacturer. The reason for the change is because the times have changed, most of the cars have automatic transmission, digital technology, and the process has changed from a manual push to a technology based process. If the economy was like a car, we could charge the economy with a stimulus plan and expect the economy to return to normal growth. The economy is more complex than a car and it is not a man made machine. Economists think they can solve the economic problems based on the theories and past economic experiences. The problem with that thinking is the environment is changing and the old theories and approaches are not enough to stimulate the new economy.

We learned a lot from the great depression of 1929 and we realized that the managing economy involves monetary policy, fiscal policy, and managing the financial health of the financial institutions. If we look at our economic policy, the Federal Reserve has maintained the discount rate to zero to loosen the credit and maintain the circulation of funds in our economy. The federal government has bailed out failing financial institutions to maintain confidence and availability of credit to businesses. The Government has also interjected billions in the economy by investing in our infrastructure. The question is why has our unemployment rate jumped to 10.2%.  The answer may depend on the economic school of thought and the assumptions that economists make in explaining the economic situation. The average American is not interested in a debate between the two schools of economic thought. They are interested in finding a well paying job that provides an income to support their family, a house to live without thinking of foreclosure, and credit to buy goods or services so that they enjoy life, and pay as they go.

The current economic policy can be best explained using the jump-start process of the car.  The car with an automatic transmission and digital technology has stalled, and we are trying to start the car by a manual push like we used to do in the past.  We have a new (digital) economy and we are trying the tools we have used in agricultural and industrial economies. First, we need to recognize that we are part of both global and digital economy. Second, the Federal Reserve needs to do whatever is needed to maintain liquidity in our economic system. Maintaining a zero discount rate has not brought the liquidity and access to credit for small businesses. The financial institutions are prospering; large investors and foreign investor have access to credit because of the Federal Reserve’s action. The Federal Reserve needs to understand the changing nature of business of financial institutions and do whatever is needed to make credit available to both small businesses and consumers. Third, the Government has invested in our country’s infrastructure thinking that it will stimulate our economy soon. It was a good investment; the problem is it will not stimulate the economy like old days.  These days the construction is more a technology based process. A construction project that required 1000 employees in old days can be accomplished today by little over 100 people. The raw materials and prefabricated materials are imported from other countries. The heavy equipment used may be leased from a foreign subsidiary. The trickle effect is going global from U.S. investments in infrastructure.  This economic thinking will take years for economic growth. The trickle down economic policy is from the past and will not solve our current problem.

To stimulate economic growth, we need to include behavioral economic, understand the role of digital technology in the economy, and recognize that our economic system has changed to micro-cell economic system. We have borrowed and invested billions of dollars and still were not able to build the consumer confidence. The consumer confidence is low; the number one concern of the public is the economy.

The average American is still thinking of the economy before going to bed and waking up in the morning. In a digital economy the focus of the economic policy should be on millions not on just few. Millions of people make the nation prosperous not few so called essential industries. Our economy is a micro-cell economy. In a micro-cell economy, the growth of the economy depends on the growth in micro economic cells. The growth of micro-cell depends on education, intellectual capital, monetary capital, digital technology, and communication. A trickle up approach is needed to stimulate a micro-cell economy rather than a trickle down approach.

Bloger@sunlona.com

We have lost a person who loved his country and cared about its people.  He was carrying the torch that was lit by his elder brothers President John Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy to serve the people. Ted Kennedy was a statesman, politician, legislator, and senator. As a statesman, he showed the world that he was one of a kind – The Kennedy. He was rich and famous, and could have lived a luxurious life, but choose to serve the people.  As a politician, he was not afraid to take risks by supporting issues that he strongly believed were in the best interest of the people. He was a leader, fighter, and a negotiator. As a legislator, his record of 46 years shows he was an affective legislator and that his legislative work has changed the lives of millions of Americans. It is a great loss for both the country and Kennedy family.

bloger@sunlona.com