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Book Introduction
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| Preface to the
new international edition |
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An invitation from
China to the rest of the world
When Chinese parents line up
to buy 251,000 copies of a book in one day - and 7 million copies in 23 weeks - you know
publishing history is being made.
But The Learning Revolution is much more than a best-selling book. It
is a catalyst to change the way you think, live, learn, work, teach and act.
It is certainly doing that in the world's oldest civilization, where it
has become the centerpiece for a national debate on how 1.3 billion people can best
prepare for the 21st century.
The co-authors' message is simple, graphic - and of overwhelming importance:
 We live at the start of history's most
profound revolution.
We now know how to store all humanity's combined
knowledge and wisdom, and make it instantly available to almost anyone on earth.
We need a learning revolution to match the
revolution in instant communication - and that revolution is well under way.
Every family, school
or business can take advantage of this new age of networked intelligence.
This book shows how.
Already its impact has also been as striking as its presentation:
The Chinese-language edition is on track to sell 10 million copies in well
under a year - since the co-authors first appeared on our television screens in
December 1998 in a half-hour national program.
Around 30,000 copies of an earlier edition have been sold in Sweden. More
than 25,000 Swedes have flocked to co-author Jeannette Vos's seminars and workshops. Other
international innovators in education have followed.
In New Zealand, the original book went through three editions in the first
five months. In a nation of 3.5 million people, 27,000 copies have been sold: equal to 2.3
million copies in the United States.
Many companies around the world have responded to the book's message by
ordering copies for their staff.
In our company, we've gone even further. Clever is China's biggest
educational software company. We were so impressed with the first edition of The Learning Revolution, we arranged to become sole Chinese distributor.
Since that decision was made the book's impact has been phenomenal.
The reason is not hard to discern.
The Learning Revolution summarizes research from a wide range of
disciplines. It synthesizes that into a new theory of learning and a learning society. It
reports succinctly how that knowledge is already bringing about revolutionary
breakthroughs in learning, education, business and families.
It also presents its findings crisply and clearly so that anyone can read it
easily and understand. Its unique layout helps that process.
Since those earlier editions appeared in 1993 and 1994, the world has changed
dramatically. And this completely updated edition explores how breakthroughs in
electronic, multimedia technology can produce learning miracles, particularly when linked
to the latest brain research.
Some may thus say that this new international edition applies more to
advanced economies: those which can afford the latest home computers and Internet
connections.
I think the opposite. The
Learning Revolution shows how even
poor countries can use these technologies, and many other new and old learning methods, to
bypass the industrial revolution and leap directly into new era of networked intelligence.
We therefore issue a sincere invitation to citizens, parents, teachers and
students around the world: to join us to make that future happen.
Song Chaodi, Founder and President,
Clever Software Group Company,
Beijing, China
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