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The researchers found that information workers whose strong e-mail networks allow them to receive new information sooner than their peers — or to receive more pieces of new information — are likely to be more productive than their less well-connected counterparts. Workers who are “information hubs” complete more projects in a given period of time and thus generate more revenue for their firm.

"Thinking is now distributed," he said, "across minds, tools and media, groups of people, and space and time." It is important, he shared, for people to be fluent in new technologies and literacies because more and more jobs are disappearing that require classical knowledge.

Web 2.0, Dede noted, is "centered around Web-based communities, where the central theme is to facilitate creativity, collaboration, and sharing." It is an environment where knowledge is gained through bottom-up, individual methods, rather than top-down, traditional forms. "Web 2.0," he said, "is a major paradigm shift in the way people think."

In a world where learners are being shaped by the things they do outside of the classroom, he said, how do we prepare students for careers that do not exist yet and that will be driven by these very same methods of learning?

Meeting the intellectual and creative challenges of the 21st century demands using every ounce of creativity available. That means building and sustaining a creative environment for yourself, your employees and your family. As a knowledge worker, you need time to think. To innovate. To experience. To create. And you can’t do it in offices designed for a bygone era, loaded with stress, distractions and interruptions. The same goes for neighborhoods. That’s why environment is more important than ever, on all fronts.