Gone Fischin'

Did You Know? (version 1 and/or version 2) has now been seen by over 10 million people online. This is the post that went viral in February 2007. In November 2007 it was nominated for an Edublog award.

FYI, a new version of this presentation is now available:

• Did You Know? 2.0

Listen to this post!

[update: please see my comment below regarding permission rights to use this presentation; also, Karl says that the music is a mix of three tracks from The Last of the Mohicans]

Earlier this month I thanked Karl Fisch for his wonderful Did You Know? presentation. I've been playing around with a modified version of his original files and Karl has given me permission to make the new version available to folks. Here it is:

• YouTube movie (online)
• streaming Flash movie (online)

[Because of bandwidth issues, other versions are available here: QuickTime (.mov); Windows media streaming (.wmv); downloadable Flash movie (.swf); AVI video (.avi); and PowerPoint (.ppt) with accompanying audio file (.mp3).]

I shortened it to 6 minutes, 5 seconds by deleting the first few slides (which pertained to his school) and changing the remaining slide timings; added a slide on MySpace; and made a few formatting and wording changes. If you've never seen Karl's presentation before, you should read my post on the impacts it is making on folks in Minnesota and then watch it immediately. More fun from Karl is available on his Fischbowl presentations page. [update: you also might be interested in the other presentation materials I use along with Karl's video]

I'm using the presentation with a variety of different audiences: preservice teachers, district leadership and/or technology planning teams, doctoral students in colleges of education, other teachers and administrators, etc. As we all do so, let's keep in mind Karl's e-mail message to me:

I'm glad the presentation is making an impact - that was the idea, of course (although mostly for my own staff, I didn't know it would take on a life of its own!). I hope that the conversations it starts don't just stop at conversations, but actually translate into actions for our students.

Comments

[Karen Janowski]

1.

Scott,
Thank you for making it accessible in multi-formats. I, too, show or email it to everyone - teachers, my grad students, administrators, my family, etc.
It's powerful and makes an impact on all who view it and starts a needed conversation.

[Scott S. Floyd]

2.

You just saved me a lot of time. Thanks so much.

[Clay]

3.

Thanks for this. Have you enabled any of the links above to be embedded on other sites?

[Scott McLeod]

4.

Clay, sorry you lost me. What do you mean by "embedded on other sites?" You mean like you can do with YouTube? If so, nope. That might take someone more technologically sophisticated than myself. I'm not a coder... =)

[Kelly Christopherson]

5.

Thanks for posting these. I am going to pass them on to my admin group. I sure hope it starts a much needed conversation.

I often wonder, however, if we scare the living shift out of people with this kind of information so, instead of facing it, they are happy to bury their heads and do other things they feel are more important.

I think we need to talk about this, in a multitude of contexts. It is unfortunate that many people that I begin the conversation with are not really interested. They just don't see it as being "here"! Thank goodness for the blogosphere somedays!
Kelly

[Scott McLeod]

6.

Kelly, maybe your folks are digital refugees: http://tinyurl.com/2xp4vz

Here's what I know: any school district that refuses to prepare students for their technology-suffused, globally-interconnected future is making a deliberate decision to relegate at least some fraction of its students to second-class citizenry in the new global economy. You would think more educators would feel a moral imperative about this: http://tinyurl.com/glz2m

I know that this message is resonating pretty strongly with the people here with whom I talk (e.g., the Minneapolis Public Schools folks to whom I presented today). Sorry you're running into obstacles. Let's chat sometime about some leadership strategies that might help: www.scottmcleod.net/contact

[A Mercer]

7.

Here is another view that I heard today on Talk of the Nation http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7002481" -- from Kwame Anthony Appiah, author of Cosmopolitanism,professor of philosophy at Princeton University, that I found interesting:

"When people worry about our being taken over by China or India in the coming century, I have to tell them, that they simply don't have the resources, the intellectual resources, to challenge us for a very long time because they don't have the kind of university system we have."

I thought that Prensky was more on point. When I started in education, not that long ago (~10 years), the worry was that students would not have access to computers. Now, it seems like the kids are getting access, and are demanding that we follow them there.

I don't think it's a question of paper and pencil vs. computers. I've seen lousy, rote computer programs that drill and kill and teach the kids little in the realm of higher-level thinking, and good paper based thinking organizers. What are you asking, what kind of thinking are you setting up, what are you getting, that seems to be the key.

[Scott McLeod]

8.

Alice, I agree with you. I'm not a global alarmist. We're still far in front of India and China on many fronts and I have a lot of faith in the American people to adapt as necessary. That said, we're not going to be the world's only superpower much longer and we need to recognize that other countries are starting to compete with us for global talent. We need to figure out what our new role is in this increasingly-capable global society where we have more and more partners working together in exciting and interesting ventures, hopefully for the good of all. In other words, we're going to have to get used to sharing the world stage. Some folks feel threatened by that. I think it's an exciting opportunity to gain and grow.

[Rich James]

9.

I really want to share these videos but I am reluctant to do so without a clear statement about terms of use. Would you please put a Creative Commons license on them?

[Rich James]

10.

Oops, now I see the CC on the side bar. Thanks!

[Steve Garrison]

11.

Scott, I really liked the music attached to Did you Know? Is it in public domain?
What is the name of the piece, band, etc.

[anonymous]

12.

Very powerful presentation. It is tempting to write it off as a bunch of statistics, but I am afraid it is all too real. I am amazed at the number of people who still do not think beyond national boundaries. I think we need a growing number of people who think of the whole planet, and not just of one nation or another.

When we think globally, we will think of what is good for the whole world, and not constantly try to exploit inequities in labor markets for the benefit of a few. If we persist in the belief that having inequities in labor markets is the only way to make money, then forces will arise that would attempt to _keep_ labor inequities in place. Some would say that is already happening.

If we want all societies to be economically viable and prosperous, it stands to reason that a society of 300M people will not forever be a dominant economy. Let's get over it, and start working on being the best 300M people that we can be. The belief that a small number of people can dominate the world is what has led to repression, war, and a lot of bloodshed. Let us find a different way.

[Kay Olds]

13.

I am a mathematics specialist for Region 5 Education Service Center in Beaumont, Texas.
How can I get permission to use your "Did you Know" streaming flash movie? I would like teachers to see why we MUST change the way we are teaching!!

Thank you,
Kay Olds
(409)923-5412
[email protected]

[Scott McLeod]

14.

Kay (and others),

The original presentation is by Karl Fisch, Director of Technology at Arapahoe High School in Colorado. With his permission I made the different versions available here. Karl's original (and his sources) are here:

http://tinyurl.com/23tumz

Check out Karl's other presentations too:

http://tinyurl.com/263st4

You might also be interested in some of the other materials I use when I present on this stuff:

http://tinyurl.com/2qxbbu

Karl has made all of his presentations freely available to anyone who wants to use them. You may use anything of mine too - please see my Creative Commons copyright notice in the lefthand navigation menu of this blog.

Have fun! Hope this stuff is useful!

[GR]

15.

I wonder how many MySpace accounts are used for multiple identities of the same person. Maybe used by predators or to accomodate the projection of a variety of personalities.

[Titania]

16.

Hello Scott,

Your wonderful presentation is making the rounds! I'm e-mailing from Bowen Island on the West Coast of Canada, to thank you for sharing this!

I too would love to know the composer of the powerful music you've used! I searched your page for this info to no avail.

Please respond! Thanks!

PS I have a hunch that technology and the need to keep up with it will soon be irrelevant. I am not sure what that looks like, but being the adaptable creatures we are, we can only begin to imagine what that will look like. With everything now disseminated regarding Quantum physics and the potential impact of our thoughts creating our reality, it behooves us to be intentional when we ponder our future.

[Sarah]

17.

Thank you! That presentation was amazing!

[LW]

18.

Hi Scott---

I plan on using this as an "opener" for my MGT seminar students in the spring. It will set the tone for the three-day event!

Thanks...

[/pd]

19.

Scott

thank your for the .mwv format -- this was a great .. I loved it.. thanks for all the efforts..!!

[Jacob Bohall]

20.

Its great to see something like this gaining popularity.

My personal mission in life is to be a catalyst for change in education.

A change that will allow the youth to spend their time discovering their passions, and therefore becoming empowered/inspired to act on those passions. I look forward to the day of the widespread supercomputers, because we can then stop focusing on education, and focus on solving the problems in the world. I know that it is impossible for every person to become a humanitarian, but it is possible for all individuals to be passionate in what they do.

This passion will stimulate advancement across all sectors as the overall quality of life increases, thus inciting further humanitarian efforts to create equality in the standards of living on a global scale..etc..etc.. The Renaissance was the result of increased standard of living, can you imagine the equivalent of a Renaissance given future technology. I have to stop, or I'll write for days.

Bottom line. Love what you guys are doing. I'm currently 23, and in the process of establishing myself financially so I will have the freedom to pursue my passion. Till then, my passion fuels my fire. Keep up the good work, I will be posting links to this site over the web.

I stumbled upon this site by chance, and it has made my night. Thank You

[Jacob Bohall]

21.

Just wanted to clarify..
"because we can stop focusing on education" - I meant to say we can stop focusing on educating. I think as a race, we instinctually want to learn... (we want to learn how to talk, feed ourselves, dress ourselves, etc...) this is our nature. Unfortunately, the current methods of teaching alter that, and for 12-18 years, instead of wanting to learn, we want to get good grades, and for many people, this stunts that innate desire to learn. By creating an open system that allows youth to discover their passions, they will educate themselves... the "teachers" become the mentors, they are the heroes, the pioneers in the field of our passion. (ok..lol..)

[James Snyder]

22.

The only technology that can lead our schools forward now is called MOODLE.
Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free Open Source software package designed to help educators create effective online courses.
www.moodle.org

[Marilyn Curtis]

23.

This is absolutley brilliant. Thanks for putting this together and sharing it to create more awareness.

[William A Bain]

24.

Really enjoyed the presentation
Sent the link of to a whole bunch of people

Short Version
Have you considered embedding the .mp3 into the PowerPoint as opposed to linking? (It can be done, really, really.)

Long Version
The advantage of using the PowerPoint file over the other media is size. But you have to also download the .mp3 and put it in the same folder. (and right now the .mp3 has a different name than is referenced in the link in the PowerPoint) We were taught the only sound/music you can add has to be in a .wav format and cannot be very large and .wav tends to be large and bla, bla, bla … NOT TRUE.

http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/powerpointtips/f/sound_probs.htm
Instructions on both how to embed (not link) larger sound files (up to 50m) and how to “trick out” .mp3 to look like a .wav using a free ripper program.

When adding the sound, you will have to make the usual adjustments, start on the first screen, play all the way through the presentation, and loop from the beginning if necessary…

I did this to your presentation and the total size it just over 5.83meg.

Note: There may be limitations I am not aware of.

[Rebecca Newburn]

25.

Excellent presentation. Also thanks for your great posts. I've added links to both Karl's presentation and your blog to my site, Information Age Education.

[Sashi]

26.

What if God created man by planting a computer onto something similar to a human cell, and then started programming...

[Ira S Wolfe]

27.

Scott,
I first saw "did you know" while serving on a Workforce Investment Board panel for Career Night in Lancaster PA. It was phenomenal then....and came across it again today while doing some finishing touches to my book. Thanks for your generosity in sharing this with us. If you or any of your co-bloggers are interested in more facts and trends, you can view them at

www.perfectlaborstorm.com/facts.html

or request a free download of The Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 - it's the second edition of my book. The print version will hopefully be available by mid-summer but I wanted to make the e-book available right away. For anyone to receive a copy just email me or download from the site.

Ira S Wolfe
Again

[Sarah Stiles]

28.

Scott,
I'm writing from Tenerife, Spain where I am living right now - I am on leave from my position as a teacher specialist for the Office of Instructional Technology in Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Maryland. I just wanted to tell you that Karl's "didyouknow" presentation has been circulating around our district (and higher levels in MSDE) and is having quite an impact! I just used it in a technology leadership course for principals that I'm currently facilitating. The discussions that ensued were terrific. Thank you so much!

(I've also been sending it around the English speaking community here... my sons are enrolled in a British school here on the island.)

Regards,
Sarah Stiles

[Gabriel Schwartz]

29.

I found this video to be quite thought provoking, as a current student at the University of Rochester. It makes me hope that even though much of what I am learning will be outdated, that my skills and ability to learn will be able to allow me to function.
Thanks,
Gabriel Schwartz

[Mário Pires]

30.

I work in multimedia production in a food training center, can i make a translation of the slide show in portuguese ?

Thanks

[Scott McLeod]

31.

Yes. See the Creative Commons copyright notice on this web site. I know it's been translated into German...

Thanks for asking!

[John Newbern]

32.

The presentation is very interesting and thought provoking. I have been reading through the comments and other links referenced searching for sources for the mind-boggling statistics used in the presentation however I have been unable to find much (other than Dept. of Labor, etc.). Is there a list of references for these slides anywhere? Thanks so much..

[Firoz Shroff]

33.

Please guide me where I can find the powerpoint presentation by scott mcleod.
Thank you for your help.
Firoz Shroff

[Annick Draghi]

34.

Hi Scott, thank you so much for adapting the presentation for general use. My faculty and my grad students love it. It grabs their attention, and then I ask them, so what won't change? What can we emphasize when we prepare students to live and work in a rapidly changing global society?

[Gene (ee) Rathbun]

35.

Shift Happens points to the way the world is and the direction humanity is drifting. We will end up where we are headed just by drifting: no intent/counter-intent involved. It's just the drift.
Unless.
Unless we can generate a world that wasn't going to happen anyway. And then do it again. And again. And again, until we generate exponentially, an epidemic of worlds that weren't going to happen anyway.

[Richard Birdsall]

36.

Both Karl's original presentation and Scott's variation are breathtaking, the facts presented are mostly inaccurate or unverifiable. Researching the sources Karl offers I find only a handful of the data he uses is accurate. Fully two-thirds of the data he uses is wrong, simplified to the point of being misleading, or unverifiable.

Should we be pointing the way to the future with inaccurate information?

[Scott McLeod]

37.

Here's the note I just sent Richard:

Richard, thanks for the note. I appreciate your kind words as well as your diligence in tracking down source info. To his credit, Karl has been quite transparent about the strengths and shortcomings of his presentation and we have had lots of help identifying areas that need to be revised. We are working on a new version of Did You Know? that should resolve these issues. Stay tuned.

[Jay Tkachuk]

38.

Dear Scott,

We enjoyed the “Did you know; Shift Happens” video. It does a great job of delivering a message that we have been observing as the basis of our investment thesis for some time: the emergence of a truly global economy is a very strong force. In our own way, we here at US Global Investors have been doing what we can to open folks eyes to this Shift. When our investment team, led by Frank Holmes, appear on CNBC or other media outlets, they are often quizzed about facts and fiction with regard to the economic emergence of Chindia. We’re so impressed with your message that we would like to include the presentation in a blog kept by our CEO, Frank Talk at http://www.usfunds.com. Thank you for sharing your perspectives and work with us!

In addition, we’d like to invite you, your students, or any of your interested blog visitors to join us for a webcast: “The Rise of the Chinese Consumer”, scheduled for today, Thursday, June 7th at 4:30 EST. Here is the link:

http://www.usfunds.com/landingpages/chinese_consumer_II/

Sincerely yours,

Jay Tkachuk

[Rick Osmond]

39.

Hello,

Here are some facts that the uplifting Power Point didn't mention.
We are competing with China and India...and so is the rest of the world.
Did you know....
The world population is about 6.5 billion people.
China's population is 1.3 billion 23% of the entire world
India's population is 1.1 billion. 17% of the entire world
US population is 302 million. 4.5% of the entire world

Did you know...
China's population of children 1-19 300 million
India's population of children 1-19 400 million
Us Population of children 81 million
Every one of our children is competing against 5 from China or India.

They said that 28% of kids in china and india have a higher IQ than those kids in the US. No kidding. They have 23% more kids in those countries than in the US. That's just a numbers game. It doesn't mean India and China are smarter, they just have MORE kids! That's called probability. It's chapter 23 in the 4th grade math book.
The only way we can compete against India and China is if start discouraging celebacy. And I'm pretty sure that's not one of our standards.

OTHER FACTS NOT MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO
Scooby Doo's first name is Scoobert.

Thermometers were once filled with brandy.

Dirty snow melts faster than clean snow

Minnows have teeth in their throat

Louis Pasteur was a germophobe.

The average married woman in seventeenth-century America gave birth to thirteen children.

The "black box" in commercial airliners is actually orange

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies bathroom.

Have a great year!

[Tim Vail]

40.

A point of consideration; Relate this to Robert Kaplan's vision of what globalization will mean outside of education. I fear information outside of knowledge fails to deliver wisdom and only begets conflict. The internet can only provide data. Teachers must impose knowledge and encourage the application of knowledge to create wise and just leaders of tomorrow. Teach them how to turn data into knowledge and set them on the course to wisdom. Data is just data.

[Jebs House]

41.

I'm not sure what the hold-up is... maybe they have re-thought their stance on how this is going to actually make the company any money. Or perhaps their lawyers pointed out the liability of providing agents a platform to stick their feet in their mouth. Whatever it is, it's hardly something I'd claim as being "Well done".
www.jebshouse.com

[hileler]

42.

Hi Scott, thank you so much for adapting the presentation for general use. My faculty and my grad students love it. It grabs their attention, and then I ask them, so what won't change? What can we emphasize when we prepare students to live and work in a rapidly changing global society?

[Birtanem]

43.

When we think globally, we will think of what is good for the whole world, and not constantly try to exploit inequities in labor markets for the benefit of a few. If we persist in the belief that having inequities in labor markets is the only way to make money, then forces will arise that would attempt to _keep_ labor inequities in place. Some would say that is already happening.
Thanks

[video]

44.

by creating an open system that allows youth to discover their passions, they will educate themselves... the "teachers" become the mentors, they are the heroes, the pioneers in the field of our passion.:D thanks

[kız oyunları]

45.

I work in multimedia production in a food training center, can i make a translation of the slide show in portuguese ?

[John Redford]

46.

Suggest link to seo friendly and free general web directory.
Thank you!

http://www.br3games.com

[Daniel McHugh]

47.

I'm always on the look out for tidbits as this "Did You Know". You may also want to check out another video/presentation that looks at statistics in a very similar way. It's called Miniature Earth (http://www.miniature-earth.com/)
Instead of making the world seem bigger it changes the conversation up and talks about a world of 100 people with today’s demographics, it’s very thought provoking. I like to think of it as the page that poses the question:
"If our life/world where manageable what would I do?"

[seo orange county]

48.

This information is very helpful. Keep posting.Will certainly try doing that myself. Your post/article really helped.

Ann Torres

[Rebecca Lee]

49.

Hi
Firstly, thank you for this fantastic presentation. I would love to use it/adapt it for a presentation to employers, connected to the launch of the new 14-19 school diploma's. However, I cannot seem to find it in a power point format and when I click on the link above it asks me for a pass word. I have also struggled to get the music files. Could you please, please, please send my a ppt version and the music. I really think not only educational bodies understand the rate at which the world in changing, but also employers.
Thanking you in advance
R.Lee. Greater Manchester.Uk

[Scott McLeod]

50.

Rebecca: See http://snipurl.com/didyouknowversions

[orange county seo]

51.

Well, this is a very valuable post. Thanks for the information you provided. It would be great if got more post like this. I appreciate it. I will share it with other and ask more people to come and view your post here. Good Job!!!

-faith-

[Reference]

52.

This is just what I was looking for. Thanks Scott

[Ted Nesbitt]

53.

Dear Mr. McLeod: I posted the video version of "Did You Know?" at the Facebook Group called West Virginia Info Depot -- a group devoted to education and technology in the state of West Virginia. Facebook received a copyright violation complaint and removed the video. They are requesting some kind of verification that I have permission to post the video, which has drawn a lot of attention in our technologically deprived state. I read the Creative Commons statement, and now I am asking for your permission to post the video, with credit given to you and Karl Fisch. Thank you for considering my request. Ted Nesbitt, Librarian, West Liberty State College, West Virginia

[Scott McLeod]

54.

Ted, yes, of course you can post to Facebook. Creative Commons license and all that...

http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/Copyright

[Jameson]

55.

It's a great rhetorical devise, however, do you integrate history into education of one's interaction with the now-that-is-the-future (and ever extending/expanding selves)? Humans interacting with technology is as old as the concept "human," along with fear associated with an extended body-concept. There are many great accessible and theoretical texts that can integrate media studies in education without the feeling that "this is all new to the modern individual." It's a new set of problems, yet the problem itself has existed since signified/abstract communication (speech), writing, modes of mobility, printing press, electronics (radio), etc... and there are precedents for approaches.

Otherwise, good starting point for a discussion.

[celebrity movie archive]

56.

I want go for a fishing too.