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Introduction
to the Book
Chapter 1:
Introduction to Problem Solving
Chapter 2:
Overview of Resources in Problem Solving
Chapter 3:
Intelligence as Resource
Chapter 4: Tools
as Resource
Chapter 5:
Accumulated Knowledge as Resource
Chapter 6:
Education and Training as Resource
Chapter 7: A
Computer System
Chapter 8:
Personal Productivity Tools
Chapter 9:
Computer Programming
Chapter 10
Summary
of Key Ideas
Activities
and Self-Assessment
References and
Resources
Search Engine in Lieu of
Index
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Chapter 10: Final Remarks
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The focus of this book is on gaining increased expertise
in problem-solving domains that interest you. In many
domains, the computer is now a routine aid to problem
solving; that is, it has become a cost-effective and
versatile resource. Thus, you are faced with the problem
[[situation]] of deciding what you will
learn about using computers.
Summary of Key
Ideas
This book has covered a number of key ideas about problem
solving and the roles of computers in problem solving. Here
are a few of them:
- Your time is a limiting factor.
- You can spend learning-time before you encounter a
problem. Here the idea is learning to learn, acquiring
a broad base of knowledge, and laying the foundation
for "just in time" learning.
- You can spend learning-time when you encounter a
problem. This is "just in time" learning.
- You can learn as you solve problems. Experts tend
to expand their horizons in this manner. They
deliberately seek out difficult problems and use them
as a vehicle to expand their expertise. They are
reflective and mindful. This is an effective way to
combine problem-solving time and learning-time.
- [[Throughout my professional career, I
have found that preparing for teaching classes,
presenting talks, and doing workshops has been a
useful aid to learning. Moreover, I have found that
writing has been a very useful aid to learning.
Writing is a reflective practice.]]
- You have many and varied talents and potentials. Some
of these are summarized in the theory of multiple
intelligences developed by Howard Gardner. Robert
Sternberg provides a somewhat different definition of
intelligence, and David Perkins provides still another
analysis of intelligence. All of these definitions
support the idea that you can improve your ability to
perform in an intelligent manner. However, it takes time,
hard work, and persistence to develop [[and
maintain]]your talents.
- As you learn, pay attention to transfer of learning.
The low-road/high-road theory of transfer may provide you
with a useful starting point. Metacognition, mindfulness,
and reflexiveness are essential. Intrinsic motivation and
ownership of the learning task can be a big help; thus,
you may want to concentrate your learning efforts in
domains that really interest you.
- A computer system is a rapidly changing and rapidly
improving tool. This rapid pace of change will continue
for many more years. Time invested in learning to use a
computer as an aid to problem solving will be repaid over
and over again in the future. You will be investing this
time in a tool that will become more and more
powerful.
- In many ways, we are just at the beginning of the
Information Age. More and more information is being
digitized. We have more and more connectivity, such as
having access to the Information Superhighway. We have
more and more computing power that can be used to process
digitized information to help solve problems and
accomplish tasks. This suggests that if you are not
already a comfortable user of computers and the
Information Superhighway, you should give careful
consideration to becoming one.
- Most people are far behind the frontiers of
state-of-the-art usage of computer tools in their domains
of expertise. Their pace of learning is slower than the
pace of change of computer technology within their
domains. That is, most people are falling further behind.
This suggests that a paradigm shift is needed; knowledge
workers need to spend more of their time learning and
helping their colleagues learn. This also suggests that
in domains where the computer is an especially useful
tool, many young students can quickly surpass their
elders.
- [[This situation is especially true for
teachers at the K-12 level. The nature of such
teaching jobs is that they are time intensive, leaving
relatively little time for scholarly reading and
trying out "deep" new ideas. All teachers learn on the
job. But, relatively few are learning Information and
Communications Technology at a level that meets
contemporary standards, such as those developed by the
International Society
for Technology in Education (ISTE). My personal recommendation is that teachers need to enhance their on-the-job learning opportunities, so that more "learning by doing" occurs.]]
- Most real-world problems are interdisciplinary. That
is, they cut across traditional disciplines and
traditional domains. This creates an interesting
difficulty for students. By dint of many years of hard
work, you can develop a high level of expertise in one or
two domains. You will then be good at solving a wide
range of problems that occur in these domains. However,
you will be quite restricted in solving most problems,
since most problems cut across a number of different
disciplines.
Alternatively, you can elect to pursue the domain of
interdisciplinary problem solving. An expert in this
domain is good at facilitating the assembly and use of
the range of resources needed to solve problems that cut
across traditional domains and traditional disciplines.
This domain of expertise requires a broad range of
knowledge, ability to learn quickly, good communication
skills, and good ability to work with a wide range of
people. And, of course, the computer is one of the tools
that helps glue these many and varied abilities
together.
- The term "intelligent digital connectivity"
summarizes ideas from personal and group productivity
tools, the Information Superhighway, the digitization of
many different kinds of information, and the computer as
a powerful tool. Intelligent digital connectivity is
changing the way that business and industry work
(Peters, 1994).
It is making it possible for people located throughout
the world to work together on a specific problem. Teams
are quickly assembled, they accomplish their task, and
are then disbanded. This "just in time" assembling of
human resources is the [[a]] wave of the
future.
- Intelligent digital connectivity has spawned the idea
of [[knowledge
and]] distributed intelligence. A system
consisting of people, computers with artificial
intelligence, intelligent networks, and groupware is a
powerful aid to solving problems and accomplishing tasks.
Each of the components of such a system is improving over
time--some much more rapidly than others. For example,
the human component improves through education and
experience in working in such a distributed intelligence
problem-solving environment. Such progress is slow
relative to the rate of improvements in the speed and
power of computer hardware and computer networks.
Businesses throughout the world are increasing their
awareness of the ideas in the preceding list. Increasingly,
a business identifies a problem, assembles a team of people
to work on the problem, and then disburses the team when the
problem has been solved. Team members may be located
throughout the world, connected by the Information
Superhighway. Some of the team members may be regular
employees of the business, but others may be independent
contractors who have a high level of expertise in the domain
of the problem. Individual members of the team may have to
learn a great deal about the specific problem in a short
time.
This model of problem solving is one in which there is
worldwide competition for expertise. It is a model of
worldwide competition for the most precious resource--the
time and energy of creatively intelligent experts. You can
improve your competitive position by learning to make
effective use of the ideas covered in this book.
Activities
and Self-Assessment
- Analyze your strengths and weaknesses as a
domain-specific problem solver and as an
interdisciplinary problem solver. As you continue to
pursue education and a career, are you focusing on one
specific domain? If so, does this domain fit well with
your strengths? Alternatively, if your focus is
interdisciplinary, in what ways are you building on your
specific strengths and interests? [[Note that
teaching, even it is within a narrow domain, is an
interdisciplinary activity. Similarly, communicating with
your peers is an interdisciplinary
activity.]]
- Analyze your current and future job potential from
the viewpoint of continued rapid progress in worldwide
intelligent digital connectivity and in distributed
intelligence.
- Think about some of the ideas that you have
encountered in this book. Make a list of some of the
ideas that seem most relevant to you. Pay particular
attention to your reflexiveness, high-road transfer of
learning, and distributed intelligence. Analyze your
list. What are you doing to make use of the ideas on your
list?
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