Preparing the Next Generation of Innovators through Collaboration - Collaborative Technologies and Applications for Interactive Information Design - page 68

Chapter 5
Preparing the Next
Generation of Innovators
through Collaboration

Marjorie Darrah
West Virginia University, USA

Angela Dowling
Suncrest Middle School, USA

AbstrACt

Every country is challenged to stay competitive in the new global economy. The education system within
a country must play a pivotal role in ensuring the next generation is prepared to meet the challenges of
the 21 st Century workplace. Companies have realized that collaboration is a key competency that will
bring success in the global economy. It is necessary that teachers understand the needs of our changing
economy and incorporate methods to facilitate collaboration, communication, creativity, leadership,
responsibility, self-direction, and people skills. This challenge is a global issue and this chapter discusses
the steps the US is taking to ensure that its citizenry remains innovative, how the business community is
using collaboration to be competitive, the issues encountered in schools to meet challenges of the 21 st
Century, and positive evidence that the landscape of education is changing in response to the desperate
need to produce the next generation of innovators.

introduCtion projected to continue to grow throughout the next

ten years at a record setting pace. Of the ten occupa-
tions expected to have double-digit growth before
2014, five of these include science and technology:
network systems and data communications analysts,
database administrator, computer software engineer
and applications, medical scientist, and network and
computer systems administrators (Owens, 2006).
According to Thomas Owens (2006), editor of Busi-
ness 2.0 Magazine, the bad news about outsourcing
does not apply to the most creative and difficult

Innovation will be the single most important factor
in determining America's success through the 21 st
century. (Council on Competitiveness, 2005, p. 7)

Science and technology careers are the fastest grow-
ing career areas in the United States today and are