People are still people

I thought the Shift Happens video managed to acheive its goal of raising awareness about global change and the fantastic rate at which innovation and information technology are advancing. Still, I think that the increase in information is not necesarrily the most important aspect that we need to focus on. Yes, more information is being transmitted, but that doesn't mean its all essential information. MySpace is not essential information. It's a method of entertainment and social networking that happens to use a tool called the internet, that didn't exist a few decades ago. What I am trying to say is that while more information is going around the world, I think that for the most part, people are still people.

What educators need to do it focus on teaching kids how to think and learn, as well as how to work effectively with others towards a goal. It would be good to use up-to-date technology as a way of building skills in this, but on the other hand if you teach someone how to learn, they can learn anything they need to after that. Regardless of how much information technology takes off, nothing is going to ever replace a kind word, a hug, a friendly gesture. The most influential people will not be those with the most information or the most technological skill, but those who can inspire and motivate others to acheive a goal. Educators should be preparing students to be leaders, and to seek goals that are worthy of acheiving and that will benefit our world.

Mills is basically right!

Unlike pluralists, C Wright Mills argues that the government has become increasingly cetralized. While states used to have more autonomy and participated in a true federation of states, power is now highly centralized and federalized. I think this is evident in the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act. This was a federal legislation regarding education, a task traditionally left for the States to manage. In this case, mandates were placed regarding education. The federal government will withdraw their financial support from school systems that do not implement the changes required by NCLB. This is exacerbated by the fact that the high rate of federal income tax means that state governments do not have a high enough tax base that they can use to fund large initiatives without the help of the federal government. The net effect is a type of coersion that aptly illustrates Mills' point.
Mills also argues for a power elite that runs our country. I think that this power elite consists of the elected government officials as well as the large corporations and business men who support them and on whom officials rely for financial support for thie re-election campaigns. Campaign finance reform including greater accountability for funding sources, better methods of disemminating real campaign information at a low cost (i.e. subsidized, unbiased TV stations), and other reforms could help move our country from oligarchy to democracy!