Education for Government 2.0. Is It Enough?

I enjoyed participating in the Gov2.0 Expo Showcase last week and following the Twitter stream of the Gov2.0 Summit (a more detailed account will follow soon).  Now, with the video stream available, it feels like I was there although I am missing the experience of the face-to-face encounters. 

From personal experience of thinking and working to implement SocMed and other Web 2.0 technologies in government and government-like environments, I know that “It is easier to give communities tools than to give tools communities” (a memorable quote made by @lucian during the Gov2.0 Summit).  So, what is missing?

@Gwynnek pointed out that “education is the real focus re: the supply chain for #gov20. The tools (again!) are easy” (originally addressed to @krazykriz @bashley and then retwitted by @govwiki).  It is a good point that education is a very important factor.  My experience from the field has taught me that there are additional factors to consider. 

Web 2.0 brings new capabilities to the table in such a way that it changes the game plan in many cases by providing, for example, a multi-directional dialog- participation.  It also allows “non-experts” to do work that official experts have been doing all of those years.   This could have an important disrupting effect on the ways organizations and individuals go about doing things.  Thus, it can produce resistance from people and organizations who like to continue to do things the way they always done it.  To resolve such difficulties, one needs both education AND social and organizational work.  This is not simple, however.

This is the essence of my answer Tweet: “RT @govwiki: RT @gwynnek: @krazykriz @bashley education is the real focus re:supply chain 4 #gov20. The tools r ea.. EDUCATION CAN B LIMITED”

 

Comments

[twitter.com/bashley]

Thanks for keeping the conversation going on education and #gov20. This is one of many emergent strains of critical reflection which to my points toward our journey from giddiness to maturity.

The education, I believe, is not so much needed in the web20 realm. Instead, the shortfall lies in civics education, the study of public life in general and recognition of individual responsibilities to their communities.

In sum, I think #gov20 shortfalls are really preexisting external conditions merely finding yet another channel through which a much larger socio-cultural psychosis gets illuminated. A good example of that psychosis is (a)pathetic voter turnout rates.

Bob

[Dan Deakin]

Good points all around (as usual). At a grand view level I see education as the oil of the society's engine. For the economy to add value (GDP) there must be a significant amount of oil (education - in the labor pool) to continue to grow and maintain a healthy ballance. Web20 tools bring a velocity to the overall mix that we have never seen before. By connecting and relating information and ideas from the most powerful systems we have (our brain) we enable swift idea exchange and significant leverage.
Dan