US report sees perils to America’s tech future
January 9, 2012
The ability of the U.S. to compete globally is eroding, according to a federal report released Friday that described itself as a “call to arms.”
The report, which has a strong emphasis on technology, warns that “some elements of the U.S. economy are losing their competitive edge.” It points out, for instance, that the U.S. ran a trade surplus in “advanced technology products,” which includes biotechnology products, computers, semiconductors and robotics, until 2002. In 2010, however, the U.S. “ran an $81 billion trade deficit in this critically important sector.”
The report, titled the “The Competitiveness and Innovative Capacity of the United States,” was prepared by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
[ Computerworld ]
Comments (2)
by smb12321
It’s not just left or right brain studies. It’s the whole concept of education and especially, critical thinking. So much of what passes of education is repetitive junk. It seems citizens have joined politicians in thinking we can slide along without consequences. The 18th century approach – lecturing in front of a class and accessing skills by how well students regurgitate the talk – is dead in the water. The biggest obstacles – tradition and teacher’s unions. Depressing.
by iiimpact
Other than a complete overhall of our school system, America will continue to fall farther and farther behind. I remember going to Japan as a young child during my 3-month long summer vacations, and the majority of Japanese student would basically remain in school for the entire summer just so they wouldn’t fall behind (this was including grade school thru high school).
We should look into really changing our schools so that the subject manner is less heavily weighed on the left-brained analytical studies and exams and more both left and right brained. With computers automated more and more of left-brained tasks and basically jobs, people with skills that involve more creativity, looking at things holisitically, etc. basically what computer automation cannot achieve (yet), this is what will help America’s next generation of students and job seekers to remain competitive in the “flatting of the world.”