| The bathtub boasted crochet hooks, desperate highways, Wednesday nights, deformed lawyers, crimson suspenders, weevils, puppy dogs, sea cucumbers, life-enhancing measures, ten-penny nails, consultants, untested designs, dust devils, harp sharpeners, and several long lazy afternoons in midtown Manhattan, or was it? We leave the dig house at 6 a.m., just as the sun peeks out over the horizon and it is still relatively cool. As noted in her blog post, such experiences are not easy. The Internet has made it possible to learn as well as share one is learning in unique ways. I specifically chose to come to this field school not because of the exotic location, but because I seek to further understand the collaborative relationship between archaeologists and the Stole, the First Nations group who have inhabited the Fraser River Valley for thousands of years. In effect, the world is open. In addition, if they are ambitious, they might later submit that paper as a chapter in a collaboratively written wikibook or resource with others around the world. Friedman discussed a triple convergence that is in his words is turbo-charging this flattening process. A series of resources, examples, and research data is embedded in each one. How this Web of Learning is viewed from different regions of the world or educational sectors will become apparent from reading this book. I have given hundreds of talks during the past few years. I have seen the WE-ALL-LEARN trends repeated repeatedly in different cities, countries, and cultures. I felt it was time to limit such travel for a year or two and document what I have seen, read, and heard about in a few books. This book provides a big picture lens on what I have observed. Others will offer specifics on what instructors and learners can do about them. Jaw dropping moments when you have seemingly just stumbled upon the exact piece of news or data that you desired, as well as the more mundane occasions when the facts you find simply are that-facts you have found.
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