The Road Ahead. William H Gates, III.

The Road Ahead
William H Gates, III.
New York: Viking, Penguin. 1995.

Why read it? Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, predicts the changes in the world that will happen because of the computer and the Internet. He is not far off: “There will be a day, not far distant, when you will be able to conduct business, study, explore the world and its cultures, call up any great entertainment, make friends, attend neighborhood markets and show pictures to distant relatives—without leaving your desk or armchair.”

Some sample ideas from the book: “Success is a lousy teacher.” We must learn to compete and cooperate at the same time. We cannot afford to let a competitor overtake us. It is not enough to have a unique product; it must be improved. Acknowledge mistakes and learn from them. No single mistake is fatal. Corporations can be reinvented.

The paper-based book, newspaper and magazine is more cost efficient than their digital counterparts. The computer will enable you to have all information related to a customer on the screen at the time the customer calls. The computer will enable talented people who never before had the tools to achieve their potential. What would have happened if Churchill had had word processing? Would his writing have been better, worse or the same?

Students today expect entertainment in school because of their experience with television.
In the future, with computers, testing will focus on what students need to learn rather than labeling them as failures. [“No Child Left Behind,” with its emphasis on high-stakes testing seems to have de-railed that goal. 2007. RayS.] Technology alone will not improve education. Nor will it change the nature of the problems that educators face: budget cuts, violence, drugs, high dropout rates, dangerous neighborhoods, teachers trying to survive rather than to teach. Technology will be a starting point or an aid for good teachers. Technology will focus education not on the institution but on the individual. The ultimate goal of education will not be achieving the diploma but in developing life-long learning. [RayS: The latter goal is often cited. Sounds good, but what does it mean?]

Quote: “The goal of education is learning how to adapt to change.”

[RayS: I think that Gates has given us much to think about.]