Go Lean…Caribbean

Go Lean Commentary

Live, work and play…

These are three activities that we heavily focus on in the Caribbean. But with modernity, we have to now adjust to the new reality that some of these expressions may be digital as opposed to physical.

The below embedded article asserts that a round of new jobs are to be found in the executions for this digital world; this is becoming a new playground. This is a glimpse of industrial growth for the 21st Century; this is the sphere of Internet & Communications Technologies (ICT).

The book Go Lean…Caribbean recognizes the emergence of this new playground; it seeks to make the Caribbean homeland a better place to live, work and play. It makes the claim that innovation and economic growth can result from a progressive community ethos. The book defines this “community ethos” as the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of society; dominant assumptions of a people or period. The book thereafter recommends the ethos of Fostering Genius (Page 27), so as to not only consume this industry’s product offering, but facilitating development and production. The skills to participate in the art and science of this development may not apply to just everyone; it may be limited to a “gifted few”, a “talented tenth”. This is why all the other attendant functions must also be facilitated to engage this activity, such as Helping Entrepreneurship (Page 28), Promoting Intellectual Property (Page 29), Impacting Research and Development or R&D (Page 30) and Bridging the Digital Divide (Page 31).

The landscape for Animation and Game Design is not an easy one; there is heavy-lifting for all stakeholders (government, educators, entrepreneurs, and students). For the “champions” that endure and traverse the obstacles and deliver, they will reap what they sow: a slice of a US$332 Billion pie. Consider the story here, from an engaged Jamaica-focused blogger:

Title: Jamaica’s US$332 billion dollar Industry heralded in CXC’s Animation and Game Design
By: Blogger Lindsworth Deer; posted October 3, 2016; retrieved November 18, 2016 from: https://lindsworthdeer.wordpress.com/2016/10/03/cxcs-animation-and-game-design/

“Part of the thrust for CXC is that students should be able to leave school with some employable skills, so instead of leaving school and applying for a job, you can leave school and create jobs for yourselves and other people. This is where the world is going and part of CXC’s mandate is to assure the global human competitiveness of the Caribbean region” – Quotation from the Assistant Registrar, Public Information and Customer Service at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Cleveland Sam as he commented on the introduction of Animation and Video Game Design to CAPE.

2016 is going to be an amazing year for the Animation and Video Game Design Community in Jamaica.

This as the CXC (Caribbean Examination Council) is now introducing the Animation and Game Design as a subject (Gunn, 2016, September 8) for the CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination) Exams.

Launched on Saturday 12 March 2016 at the KingstOOn Festival in Jamaica (CXC, 2016, March 8), this course is set to be a blast. You can download the Animation and Game Design syllabus free from the CXC Website once you follow the procedure (Deer, 2015, November 18) to get a free syllabus.

The new subject will be made up of two (2) units:

• The Fundamentals of Animation and Game Design
• Interactive Design and Game Development

Modules that are a part of these Units are as follows:

• Understanding Animation
• Game Design
• Drawing and Layouts
• Story and Character Development

It’s also a part of the move towards e-Testing (Murdoch, 2016, August 13) by the CXC in January 2017 beginning with CSEC multiple choice (Paper 01) exams only. By 2018, all subjects (Spence, 2016, May 19) will be taken via e-Testing in all territories offering the exams.

The Exams for the subject will be administered online and has no written component, making them geared more towards Kinesthetic (Bucknell University, 2014) and Visual (Carleton University, 2012, May 15) learners and to a lesser extend Auditory and Tactile or Read/Write learners (Saint Leo University, 2015, August 4).

So far, CXC’s e-Testing bandwidth requirements seem a bit much for the small island of Antigua and Barbuda (Murdoch, 2016, September 20), prompting a delay in testing until the bandwidth available at High School is improved following the passing of their Telecommunication Bill 2016.

Jamaica will soon follow suit with e-Testing for CXC Exams.

Animation and Game Design – Making Jamaica a producer of original Animation and Video Game Content
Animation and Game Design is the second subject to go paperless and online since Digital Media, which was launched in 2013. Interestingly, the course will not require the training of new teachers, as Teachers of Visual Arts or IT (Information Technology) can basically use the syllabus and do workshops (The Jamaica Observer, 2016, September 11) to make the transition to teach the subject.

Animation and Game Design is part of a raft of new subjects that have been launched as far back as 2014.

• Agricultural Science
• Tourism
• Entrepreneurship
• Performing Arts
• Physical Education and Sport

Effectively students will be learning a practical skill by the time they leave High School, which will make it easier for them to become entrepreneurs (Deer, 2016, May 6) in the budding Animation and Video Game Design Industry in Jamaica.

In the long run, it’ll also make Jamaica a producer of animated content instead of a consumer as pointed out by Assistant Registrar, Public Information and Customer Service at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Cleveland Sam, quote: “This is where the world is going and part of CXC’s mandate is to assure the global human competitiveness of the Caribbean region”.

Student Entrepreneurs – Animation and Video Game Design a US$332 billion dollars per annum Industry
These students, who can become animators and Game Designers straight out of high school, may even become producers of content for the Education Sector (Deer, 2014, October 20), tapping into the US$112 Billion Video Global Gaming Industry as Dr. Joseph Saulter had envisioned.

Potentially Jamaicans can also tap into the US$69 million of the US$220 billion annual Global Animation Industry over a five (5) year period (Deer, 2014, August 2) according to the World Bank.

That’s a total of US$332 billion dollars annually from both the Animation and Video Gaming industries combined up for grabs by student Animators and Video Game Designers. This potential means that a rethink of education may be necessary, especially as Animation and Video Games can be used effectively to teach Primary School Children (Deer, 2016, June 23) under the Tablets in School Program.

There is even evidence that Tablet usage, with the right type of content might be effective in jumpstarting the fine motor skills (Deer, 2016, October 2) of toddlers. Having fine motor skills is key towards developing Kinesthetic (Bucknell University, 2014) and Visual (Carleton University, 2012, May 15)learning in children.

This could make Animation and Video Games for Education is itself a rapidly growing area, especially if you can code apps in multiple languages (Deer, 2016, July 19), tapping into a global marketplace seeking Jamaican Animation and Video Game design content.

So the Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid is seeking to re-align the entire Education sector towards the idea of Animation and Video Game design playing a part in the Education Sector, quote: “The entire education training system has to be re-aligned to labour market demands, due to these emerging trends in terms of occupations. We have to reorganise our school training programme and curriculum in that regard”.

So re-align the Ministry of Education must, as Animation and Video Game Design is a US$332 billion dollars per annum low hanging fruit. That is, once you have the right equipment and software (Deer, 2013, September 3) to get your content produced, marketed and sold into the Global marketplace online!

Here’s the link:

Animation and Game Design syllabus

References:

1. BucknellUniversity. (2014). Kinesthetic Learning in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/jvt002/Docs/ASEE-2008b.pdf
2. CarletonUniversity. (2012, May 15). Why Use Media to Enhance Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/media/why.html
3. Deer, L. (2013, September 3).  Animation after Kingstoon – How to make a Video Game for PC, Smartphone and Tablet. Retrieved from http://mythoughtsontechnologyandjamaica.blogspot.com/2013/09/animation-after-kingstoon-how-to-make.html
4. Deer, L. (2014, August 2). Animation after KingstOON – World Bank Invests US$20 million in Jamaican Animation BPO Brother from another Mother with Great Expectations. Retrieved from  http://mythoughtsontechnologyandjamaica.blogspot.com/2014/08/animation-after-kingstoon-world-bank.html
5. Deer, L. (2014, October 20). Prof. Joseph Saulter’s Digital Game Design and Development Conference – US$112 Billion Video Gaming Industry may be Jamaicans Next BPO. Retrieved from http://mythoughtsontechnologyandjamaica.blogspot.com/2014/10/prof-joseph-saulters-digital-game.html
6. SaintLeoUniversity. (2015, August 4). The 3 Types of Learning Styles & How to Use Them for College Success. Retrieved from http://blog.centers.saintleo.edu/blog/the-3-types-of-learning-styles-how-to-use-them-for-college-success
7. Deer, L. (2015, November 18). How to download CSEC, CCSLC and CAPESyllabuses for Free from CXC. Retrieved from https://lindsworthdeer.wordpress.com/2015/11/18/how-to-download-csec-ccslc-and-cape-syllabuses-for-free-from-cxc/
8. CXC. (2016, March 8). CXC Launching CAPEAnimation and Game Design Syllabus. Retrieved from http://www.cxc.org/cxc-launching-cape-animation-and-game-design-syllabus/
9. Deer, L. (2016, May 6). How 9-y-o and Millennials in Jamaica are becoming CEO Entrepreneurs to avoid the Cubicle Rat Race. Retrieved from http://mythoughtsontechnologyandjamaica.blogspot.com/2016/05/millennials-CEO-Entrepreneurs.html
10. Spence, M. (2016, May 19). CXC to complete e-test phase in by 2018. Retrieved from http://www.caymanreporter.com/2016/05/19/cxc-to-complete-e-test-phase-in-by-2018/
11. Deer, L. (2016, June 23). Why Tablet in School Rollout in September 2016 means Contractors and Kinesthetic Content coming. Retrieved from http://mythoughtsontechnologyandjamaica.blogspot.com/2016/06/Tablet-in-School-Rollout-September-2016-Kinesthetic-Content.html
12. Deer, L. (2016, July 19). Why Coding in HTML and CSS3 and speaking Spanish needed in Jamaica. Retrieved from https://lindsworthdeer.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/coding-html-css3-spanish/
13. Murdoch, K. (2016, August 13).CXC to move to full e-marking and introduces e-testing. http://antiguaobserver.com/cxc-to-move-to-full-e-marking-and-introduces-e-testing/
14. Gunn, T. (2016, September 8). CAPEStudents to do Animation and Game Design. Retrieved from http://jis.gov.jm/cape-students-animation-game-design/
15. The Jamaica Observer. (2016, September 11). CAPE offers animation, game design. Retrieved from http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/career/CAPE-offers-animation–game-design_73483
16.  Murdoch, K. (2016, September 20). Minister promises increased bandwidth as CXC e-testing delayed. Retrieved from http://antiguaobserver.com/minister-promises-increased-bandwidth-as-cxc-e-testing-delayed/
17. Deer, L. (2016, October 2). University of London and King’s College London Research indicates toddlers love touchscreens. Retrieved from https://lindsworthdeer.wordpress.com/2016/10/02/toddlers-love-touchscreens/

The theme of this article aligns with the book Go Lean…Caribbean which calls for the elevation of Caribbean economics. The book asserts that the Caribbean region has been losing the battle of globalization and technology. The consequences of our defeat is the sacrifice of our most precious treasures, our people. The assessment of all 30 Caribbean member-states is that every community has lost human capital to the brain drain. Some communities, like Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have suffered with an abandonment rate of more than 50% and others have had no choice but to stand on the sideline and watch as more than 70% of college-educated citizens flee their homelands for foreign shores.

If there is a Caribbean champion in the field of Animation and Game Design, the expectation would be that he/she would take “his” talents to South Beach … or Southern California or Southern New York or Southern Canada or Southern England, etc. (This relates to the drama of basketball superstar LeBron James relocating from his beloved hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to the Caribbean Diasporic city of Miami, Florida in the Summer of 2010; see the anecdote and application in the Go Lean book Page 42).

Yes, there are both “push and pull” factors as to why these ones leave, but the destination countries, North America and Western Europe, may not be such ideal alternatives. Their middle-class is shrinking; everything has changed…everywhere! These communities are all struggling to sow-reap economic opportunities from ICT, in which size does not matter. Innovation does. Innovation, inspiration, creativity and software development. This can emerge from any corner of the globe: Silicon Valley or a Silicon Beach in the Caribbean. (As of late, China has become a center of activity for this Animation and Game Design industry). All that is needed is the community will; (community ethos). We can compete with them (China, North America, Europe, anyone) by reforming and transforming our Caribbean homeland to employ the community will.

Consideration for the Animation and Game Design industry is not just all about fantasy, there is a sober sense of reality as well; a US$332 Billion industry is sober enough. Video and electronic games – including for smart phones – are very popular among children and adults alike. See Appendix A below for a trailer for the movie “Angry Birds“,  which is based on the video game popular among children. Also see Appendix B for a glimpse of a popular game among adults, “Grand Theft Auto“.

The Go Lean book posits that there is a need to re-focus, re-boot, and optimize the engines of commerce so as to make the Caribbean a better place to live, work and play. Considering the foregoing article, there is the opportunity to create jobs in the industry space for Animation and Game Design. We  welcome the initiatives of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).

CXC is familiar to the Go Lean movement. In a previous blog-commentary, the Council’s role in fostering Math and Science competence (STEM) in the English-speaking Caribbean was examined. Now the focus is on fostering education for Animation and Game Design; this is one step further up the STEM/ICT food chain. This is where education and economics (jobs and entrepreneurship) converge.

The book Go Lean… Caribbean, serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the technocratic Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU) with the charter to facilitate jobs in the region. The book posits that ICT can be a great equalizer for the Caribbean to better compete with the rest of the world, relating the experiences of Japan – the #3 global economy – who have competed successfully with great strategies and technocratic execution despite being a small country of only 120+ million people. This modeling of Japan, and other successful communities, aligns with this CU charter; as defined by these 3 prime directives:

• Optimization of economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion and create 2.2 million new jobs.
• Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic.
• Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines.

Early in the Go Lean book, the responsibility to create jobs was identified as an important function for the CU with these pronouncements in the Declaration of Interdependence (Pages 14):

xxvi.  Whereas the Caribbean region must have new jobs to empower the engines of the economy and create the income sources for prosperity, and encourage the next generation to forge their dreams right at home, the Federation must therefore foster the development of new industries, like that of ship-building, automobile manufacturing, prefabricated housing, frozen foods, pipelines, call centers, and the prison industrial complex. In addition, the Federation must invigorate the enterprises related to existing industries tourism, fisheries and lotteries – impacting the region with more jobs.

xxvii. Whereas the region has endured a spectator status during the Industrial Revolution, we cannot stand on the sidelines of this new economy, the Information Revolution. Rather, the Federation must embrace all the tenets of Internet Communications Technology (ICT) to serve as an equalizing element in competition with the rest of the world. The Federation must bridge the digital divide and promote the community ethos that research/development is valuable and must be promoted and incentivized for adoption.

xxviii. Whereas intellectual property can easily traverse national borders, the rights and privileges of intellectual property must be respected at home and abroad. The Federation must install protections to ensure that no abuse of these rights go with impunity, and to ensure that foreign authorities enforce the rights of the intellectual property registered in our region.

xxx.  Whereas the effects of globalization can be felt in every aspect of Caribbean life, from the acquisition of food and clothing, to the ubiquity of ICT, the region cannot only consume, it is imperative that our lands also produce and add to the international community, even if doing so requires some sacrifice and subsidy.

According to the foregoing article, Animation and Game Design is emerging in the Caribbean. The regional educational institutions (schools and testing agencies) have recognized the need to foster development in this industry space.

The Go Lean roadmap goes further. We assert that the 42 million people of the Caribbean region can become better consumers of this industry and promoters too. We need some attendant functions, like banking support (with an electronic payment scheme) and infrastructure governance. In addition to the book, previously Go Lean blog-commentaries detailed benefits, issues and challenges of a comprehensive ICT strategy. See this sample here of previous blog-commentaries:

This CU/Go Lean roadmap posits that the Caribbean must incubate a software development industry – for games and other functionality – thereby forging entrepreneurial incentives and facilitating the infrastructure upgrades so that software innovations – including Animation and Game Design – can thrive.

This means a lot for the community, not just the direct designer-programmer jobs, but the indirect ones as well. The Go Lean book detailed the principle of job multipliers, how certain industries are better than others for generating multiple indirect jobs down the line for each direct job on a company’s payroll. Industries relating to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics/Medicine) and ICT fields have demonstrated high job-multiplier rates of 3.0 to 4.1 factors (Page 260).

The Go Lean… Caribbean book details the creation of 2.2 million new jobs for the Caribbean region, many embracing ICT skill-sets. How? By adoption of certain community ethos, plus the executions of key strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies. The following is a sample from the book:

So the CU/Go Lean roadmap calls for fostering job-creating developments, incentivizing many high-tech start-ups and incubating viable companies. This plan is to create 2.2 million new jobs; but from where? Previous blog-commentaries detailed options … as follows:

The primary ingredient for this roadmap’s success  recipe must be Caribbean people. This means we need to foster and incite participation for our young people into STEM fields “early and often”. A second ingredient will be the support of the community – the “community will” – while not everyone will be a direct participant, everyone will be impacted. We must encourage and spur any future “achiever”. This is a consistent theme in the Go Lean book, that one person can make a difference.

The Caribbean can be the best address on the planet, with solutions for our deficiencies – like jobs. Let’s get started, by leaning-in to the turn-by-turn directions of the Go Lean roadmap.

Yes, we can make our homeland a better place to live, work and play. 🙂

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

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Appendix A VIDEO – The Angry Birds Movie – Official Theatrical Trailer – https://youtu.be/QRmKa7vvct4

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Appendix B VIDEO – Grand Theft Auto V: The Official Launch Trailer – https://youtu.be/hBvMSP7cI-Q