The Imperative of DaVinci Institute’s Mission

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By Kyle Dahlem, Executive Director, DaVinci Institute

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank at the cutting edge of designing innovation policies and documenting how advances in technology are creating new opportunities to boost economic growth, issued The 2011 Global Rankings on Innovation and Competitiveness.

In that report, the U.S. ranked 10th on Higher Education attainment and a 4th overall rank.
The DaVinci Institute advocates for a statewide renaissance in innovation and creativity. Why is this important?

What are the imperatives?

  • 2014 College graduates will retire in approximately 70 years.
  • Less than 10 years ago, the ubiquitous Skype, Tweet, Twitter, Cloud, Tumblrs, blogs, podcasts, Android, etc., all had different definitions. Can one begin to imagine the next seven (7) decades?

Consider a sampling of headlines in recent publications to get a sense of the ever-evolving challenges for educators and education in general.

THE ROBOT ECONOMY: As rapid technological advances create more powerful robots, which jobs will be left behind? Time, Vol.182, No.11/2013

SOCIAL MEDIA: Now, even babies tweet. The Week, September 20, 2013, p. 17

THE ART OF LIVING: it may be no coincidence that so many creative types have long lives. New findings show how doing what you love can add years. Time, Vol. 182, No.13/2013

UP: Google is designing a fleet of solar-powered balloons circling earth to give billions of people internet access. Wired, September 2013, pg.

Or how about this:

MOTOROLA IS WORKING ON A PASSWORD PILL FOR ONCE A DAY AUTHENTICATION: Let’s get real. We have a password problem. So why not turn your entire body into an authentication device? Techland.time.com/2013/05/31

There is no question that in the midst of shrinking resources for higher education, the demands to prepare citizens for an ever changing world of work can be diminished.

What kind of skills do college graduates need for the 21st Century?

Much like the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the DaVinci Institute is advocating through a collaboration with both Oklahoma public and private higher education institutions to provide information, innovative tools and motivation to prepare Oklahoma students for the 21st Century.

IT’S AN IMPERATIVE!

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