Frank in China and Utica College panel discussion

The Regional Read is now officially over but the conversation and the personal impact of globalization continue-case in point: my son Frank is returning today from his second trip to China in 2 months. Evan, who also has his first engineering position also traveled to China this past month for the first time. They have each been in their jobs less than six months. Local goes global. There is something astounding to me as the mother of both of these young men, (and perhaps because of my perspective of things as they relate to my age) that both grew up in the tiny rural communities of Bouckville and Hamilton in central New York, both went on to become nationally ranked amateur snowboarders (even by doing their early riding at Toggenberg), finished college and now, as engineers in their first jobs are traveling to a country that, when I was growing up was mysterious and forbidden.

We are by no means well-off-just plain middle class people and Frank and Evan are now world travelers and working in a mult-cultural environment and economic sphere that was beyond our wildest imaginings when I put them on the schoolbus the very first time in our teeny little house in Bouckville.

We talk so much about the negative impacts of globalization in the Mohawk Valley and yet there are so many opportunities for young people. Technology and globalization with its many conflicting issues as raised in Friedman's and McKibben's work provide many of these.

I saw Will Richardson speak at the stimulating Leatherstocking conference for area school librarian teachers today. His call for the need for changes in education and the learning process as well as those of Thomas Friedman and John Sealy Brown at his keynote speech at the Colgate University Library dedication last month must be heeded...and soon...if we are to survive as a culture and economy in the United States. Check out Will's wikis related to education and learning.

http://weblogged.wikispaces.com/

http://willrichardson.wikispaces.com/

There is so much good that the United States stands for: primarily the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It seems that recent erosion of the vision of true democracy and freedom and the unbelievably rapid changes that technology has wrought are placing huge roadblocks in the progress we are making in the education of our young people.

I think our Regional Read here in central New York on Keeping our Balance in a Flat World opened the gates to discussion about the topics of globalization in our community. Our panel discussion was a great success thanks to the amazing efforts and commitment to our neighbors, Utica College. Here is a picture of our jointly sponsored panel discussion. Once the video is edited we'll stream it from a number of sites.

I don't believe that success and progress need take the form of rampant consumerism, but can rather be thoughtful and mindful and benefit each individual with regard to their health, living conditions, purpose, talents and human rights.