GLOBAL SHIFTS IN EDUCATION ADDRESSED IN NEW VIDEO

PORTLAND, Ore. (July 4, 2007) ¡V An evolving social media project that centers on a new video titled ¡§Did You Know?¡¨ speaks to global shifts in education and the growing importance of preparing young people to thrive in a changing world.

XPLANE, a global consulting and design firm, developed a film version of the popular and powerful ¡§Did You Know?¡¨ presentation created by Karl Fisch, director of technology at Arapahoe Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo. The short film asks viewers to re-examine formal education as it¡¦s currently being experienced by students and get involved in conversations about the subject matter, either locally or globally.

The carefully researched and produced film, which can be found on: YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U and Google Video at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6165575734378530043 includes thought-provoking statistics and questions. For example, did you know…
„X If MySpace were a country it would be the eighth largest in the world.
„X The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today¡¦s workers will have 10 to 14 jobs by their 38th birthday.
„X Many of today¡¦s college majors ¡V such as nanotechnology and homeland security ¡V didn¡¦t exist 10 years ago.
„X In 10 years it is predicted that the number one English speaking country in the world will be China.

¡§We are currently preparing students for jobs and technologies that don¡¦t yet exist in order to solve problems we don¡¦t even know are problems yet,¡¨ the film states, before asking viewers to confront principals, teachers, school boards and elected representatives to ask them if they are doing everything they can to ensure their children become literate in the 21st century.

¡§Like millions of other people, we were moved by the original version of this presentation and its important message of a more agile approach to education,¡¨ said Aric Wood, president of XPLANE. ¡§Our talented design team was honored to partner with Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod to produce the new, visually enhanced version of this video.¡¨

Fisch put the original presentation together for an August 2006 faculty meeting and posted it to his blog (http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/). Scott McLeod, assistant professor of educational policy and administration at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, noticed the presentation and eventually worked with Fisch to update the material. The various forms of the presentation (the original was titled ¡§Shift Happens¡¨) have been viewed by millions of people around the globe.

Viewers who support the message are asked to send the video link to friends and colleagues. For more information or to join the conversation, visit http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com.

ABOUT XPLANE
Founded in 1993, XPLANE drives results for many of the world¡¦s leading corporations including Nike, Microsoft, Autodesk and BP by turning complex business issues into visual stories. XPLANE¡¦s multidisciplinary methodology is focused around information-driven communication and visual thinking. XPLANE team members offer clients unique and personalized service through diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, including journalism, consulting, technology, marketing, illustration, interaction and information design and architecture. XPLANE is based in Portland, Ore., with additional offices in St. Louis, Mo., and Madrid, Spain. For more information about XPLANE, visit www.xplane.com or call (800) 750-6467.

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