Friday, July 04, 2008

Two perspectives of the flat world

This has been buzzing around in my head over the past few days threatening to blow a gasket in my brain. It relates to my oft voiced protests against claims of a flat world. I only wish I could draw! If there are any cartoonists out there who want to make a better job of it than I have done, please do (but please remember to link back here so I can admire the results).

The flat world, perspective 1:

The flat world, perspective 2:


'Nuff said?

7 comments:

Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher said...

I think this is very humorous and that you're right on the money here. It is not flat... yet. However, when it happens it is transformational. It will take time to get from here to there, but it is worth the effort.

Unknown said...

Love they way you have presented this. From New Zealand where I live, the 2nd diagram is the perspective I see a lot of.
Dorothy
Auckland, NZ

Michelle said...

Agreeing with 2nd perspective. I read an excerpt of a book that said the world is more spiked than flat right now (can't remember the book!). Thanks for posting!

Martina in AK said...

Interesting diagram...great food for thought...

Anonymous said...

Humour wasn't actually what I was going for.

I am deeply and sincerely concerned that the sides of the spikes (thanks @michelle) are getting ever higher and ever steeper. While we're bemoaning our 8MB connection speeds, there are teachers trying to teach without access to electricity, in schools with no running water, with kids who are reliant on the school feeding scheme for any sort of nourishment at all.

Yet we gather together in our connected enclaves, exclaim over our connectedness and come up with solutions and ideals that we expect will be greeted with open arms. We have no idea of the problems for which we're suggesting solutions. We fret about digital literacy, whereas an enormous proportion of the world's population lacks functional literacy.

And we're moving ahead ever faster, leaving them further and further behind.

What we don't seem to realise is what affects them affects us all.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful, You know karyn what we are heading for as we create these imbalances-disaster and civil war.

Read this I had goose bumps reading, many things make sense:

http://adishakti.org/mayan_end_times_prophecy_12-21-2012.htm

Really cute job, I will also learn this. I do sketch but on paper. Hugs

James BonTempo said...

It may not be much of a consolation, but there are some of us who are looking for appropriate solutions.

In fact, that's my job as the Learning Technology Advisor @ Jhpiego - looking for appropriate applications of technology (this really could be anything) to learning in limited-resource settings. A key part of that is spending time in these areas and working directly with local partners to develop solutions that work.

I just started my job about 6 months ago so I don't have too much to share in the way of outcomes (although we have been doing some great work in Ethiopia, almost completely implemented by local staff, faculty and multimedia partners). But I can assure you that I'm trying very hard to understand the realities of these environments and work with and learn from the people who know best.

BTW, your "erratic learning journey" seems in some ways akin to my "linearity of expectation" - it will hopefully lead to something in the end! :P