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Current Time.
Compulsory education became common in many countries at the beginning of the 20th century. This global initiative aimed to reduce social disparity and balance the educational differences between rural and urban areas. Modern society structured the school system and curriculum based on what was required at the time, using the knowledge and resources available then.
Fast forward to today, about a century later, and this world is entirely different from what it was. Innovation and technological developments have transformed our lives beyond recognition. Within a century, technological progress has exceeded any other revolution in history in a much shorter time.
Looking at humanity as a group, it seems that we learn and progress faster than ever before. If we take the development of reading and writing as an example, they were once the domain of the nobility and rulers, while the ordinary people did not bridge the gap until the state or leadership initiated a comprehensive change. But today, we live in a completely different era from any past technological development that was initially reserved for the wealthy or the royal class.
Today, homeless people have smartphones, and they know how to operate them. A smartphone is practically a computer, and they know how to use it. More than that, some even understand digital payment systems and know how to use them. If you walk the streets of San Francisco, you can see homeless people performing or just asking for donations. People can donate in the old-fashioned way by giving them cash or even via Venmo, a mobile payment service. They have a flyer where you can scan their code and donate money digitally.
In other words, the knowledge gap has also narrowed to some extent between the poorest stratum, which represents the homeless population, and the higher stratum of society. Today, the lowest stratum in society is able to operate a smartphone and, therefore, also a tablet or a computer. Let’s not forget that technical mastery of using a smartphone does not necessarily indicate a high level of digital literacy or a critical understanding of information. Still, their starting point is much higher than the starting point of illiterates a century or more ago.
Do not get me wrong. Society still has a vast knowledge gap, and low and middle-class kids, as well as minority groups, are impacted by it even today. However, this is a high-level intuitive perspective, and from this lens, smartphones are the enablers that have narrowed the knowledge gap for the lower class of society and can narrow this gap even more.
It seems that the smartphone or computer is the new zero point of the world, like paper in the analog world. From this zero point in the digital world, we must invent new practices for reading, writing, and navigating a reality where knowledge constantly shifts. What we just read may change in five minutes, an hour, or a year, or we may discover that it is entirely the opposite of what we initially understood.
That is why we need to develop a method for reading in the digital world, a way to assess different types of information sources that support each kind of data and a system for tracking changes in the information we consume when it has been completely altered.
Schools need to change. The academy needs to change. Anything that relies on knowledge in motion needs to change. Smartphones can bridge the current gaps in knowledge in society. However, we need to find a structured way to do this, similar to the school curriculum. Only now, it would be for the general public of all ages who need to acquire knowledge in various areas.
Sometime during COVID-19, I dreamed of being a teacher in a Sunday school where I had a weekly class of 20-minute online sessions, and the homework was partially implementing things we learned in class in the real world. That Sunday school was complementary to traditional systems, not an alternative, because the pupils, as human beings, still need companionship and human interaction. However, we spend a massive part of our lives in front of a computer, and that is our reality.
Back then, I thought it was just a dream, and the pandemic had influenced it. But maybe there is more to it, and we need to structure schools in a hybrid way that helps kids deal with constant change.
It is difficult to see this clearly in today’s chaos, but the only way to change the system is from the outside. The system is structured in such a way that it is impossible to make internal changes.
To read the episodes they talk about, click the links:
* The Liat Portal Method for Reading: A New Way to Read Online
* The Truth About Online Reading: What You’re Getting Wrong
* The Liat Show Podcast: If You Can’t Trust Schools, How Do You Trust Information?
* WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION! WE DON'T NEED NO THOUGHT CONTROL!
* Abolishing the Department of Education: From Fictional Tales to Today's Headlines
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In this journey, I weave together episodes from my life with the rich tapestry of Israeli culture through music, food, arts, entrepreneurship, and more. I write over the weekends and evenings and publish these episodes as they unfold, almost like a live performance.
Each episode is part of a set focused on a specific topic, though sometimes I release standalone episodes. A set is released over several days to make it easier for you to read during your busy workday. If one episode catches your attention, make sure to read the entire set to get the whole picture. Although these episodes are released in sets, you can read the entire newsletter from the beginning, as it flows smoothly, like music to your ears - or, in this case, your eyes.
The Liat Show is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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