During the interview Nader talked about Benjamin Franklin, who is one of his heroes. Nader said:
Franklin is the demonstration of the power of self-education. He came from nowhere—was curious, observant—and taught himself. With all the current talk about education, there was never any reference to self education, which, of course, is the only way to learn. Instead we have a bureaucratic process of education when self education should be the progenitor. Anyone who wants to teach their children should learn from the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin who once said "he was born too early and in the wrong century." Franklin was a diplomat, writer, negotiator, merchant, printer, publisher, inventor—all self taught.
Franklin is the demonstration of the power of self-education. He came from nowhere—was curious, observant—and taught himself. With all the current talk about education, there was never any reference to self education, which, of course, is the only way to learn. Instead we have a bureaucratic process of education when self education should be the progenitor. Anyone who wants to teach their children should learn from the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin who once said "he was born too early and in the wrong century." Franklin was a diplomat, writer, negotiator, merchant, printer, publisher, inventor—all self taught.
While we must continue to embrace all forms of education, it is most important to stress life-long learning and the value of having a curious mind.
The world of publishing is undergoing a revolution with new technologies and devices to provide accessibility to learning we would not have dreamed of just a few short years ago.
At the same time the value of great intellectual content is as important as ever. Now, though, we can imbed huge amounts of content through the use of technology and broadcast it instantly around the globe.
Devices like the iPad allow publishers to insert video, photos, audio clips, links to websites, blogs, you name it within and next to the written word. Unlike one dimensional e-readers such as Kindle and Nook, iPad type devices can provide a much richer experience. Within the next year or two there will be an incredible number of new products with even more capabilities. We are just scratching the surface.
While some my bemoan the transition from printed books to these multichannel electronic devices, we must embrace this new technology and use it to its utmost. After all, what would Benjamin Franklin do?
My bet is that ole Ben would be at the forefront of this new technology.
The world of publishing is undergoing a revolution with new technologies and devices to provide accessibility to learning we would not have dreamed of just a few short years ago.
At the same time the value of great intellectual content is as important as ever. Now, though, we can imbed huge amounts of content through the use of technology and broadcast it instantly around the globe.
Devices like the iPad allow publishers to insert video, photos, audio clips, links to websites, blogs, you name it within and next to the written word. Unlike one dimensional e-readers such as Kindle and Nook, iPad type devices can provide a much richer experience. Within the next year or two there will be an incredible number of new products with even more capabilities. We are just scratching the surface.
While some my bemoan the transition from printed books to these multichannel electronic devices, we must embrace this new technology and use it to its utmost. After all, what would Benjamin Franklin do?
My bet is that ole Ben would be at the forefront of this new technology.
