Beginning his talk by asking his audience how many elements were in the periodic table, Tony Wagner uses the relative silence to make the point that knowledge is constantly expanding. What has served people in the past may be of much less use in the future.
"The world doesn't care what you know, but what you can do with what you know."
Twenty-first century literacies combine knowledge (of course), but stress competencies such as initiative, critical thinking and curiosity.
We'll certainly go along with that.
Wagner was recently appointed the first Innovation Education Fellow at the Technology & Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, and will speak at IdeaFestival 2012 on The Finland Phenomenon, taking a deeper look at the innovative and highly effective educational system that has that Nordic country at the top of many educational categories.
As for his periodic table question, every tentatively offered answer from the audience was wrong. Two more elements had been added the week of his presentation.
Stay curious.
Wayne