"The Future of Learning" Manifesto

UPDATE: Thanks to Hugh of Gaping Void [who did blog my draft, BTW] and a # of folks who I greatly respect (some friends and many I have never met) passing this 'manifesto' along to others in their networks, I want to say thank you. Additionally, I want to emphasize that this post is in no way meant to be complete resolution on an level.  One could certainly accuse it of being a tad 'preachy' at times, but that's probably a result of the excessive coffee that fueled the burst of morning typing.  Same with the mix of voices/points of view that would drive your high school English teacher a bit crazy. Second draft quarterbacking will definitely be an advantage to all (he smiles).  At best, it's a quest. A first draft of questions posed as statements to provoke myself to look deeper.  More questions than answers by a long shot.  Something that I'm going to re-visit, clean-up, edit, and use as a map for a future draft one day soon.  Ultimately, however, its real value lies in 3 areas:

1. Others like yourself creating their own "Future of Learning Manifesto" showing where these quickly scrawled rough draft ideas can lead when a range of passionate voices weigh in on the conversation.  Perhaps I need to pull together a Wiki to allow others to edit, mash-up, and give this early draft more substance over time.  A thought for the next few weeks.
2. Teachers creating their own manifestos -- the Maginot Line in their own teaching and learning lives -- which become part of their introduction to students, colleagues and the greater community alike.  And a passionate reminder to their inner calling that will keep them steady in the days ahead.
3. And best of all, when students themselves create their own "My Future of Learning Manifesto" calling card(s) that morph and mature and explore over time.  Allow them to put some stake in this compensatory and self-directed learning voyage.  Certainly a nice dovetail to their GPA's and other traditional learning definitions when they step out into the world on their own terms in a wildly evolving future.  And a potential guide for a future e-portfolio, as well.  And frankly, far better than anything I can offer as a shot across the conceptual bow.

Thanks.  And I greatly appreciate any feedback, questions, challenges,...and your help making my learning curve as steep as possible. Cheers, Christian

*****

"Manifesto" -- A public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions..." 

A "future of learning" manifesto...now, what would you do with that?  And ultimately, what would it matter?

Eminem reminds that you only got one shot, so in the spirit of my Motor City bass-pumping social poet, I'll toss this "The Future of Learning" Manifesto out to Hugh at Gaping Void, and see if it has sticky power.  If not -- no worries -- my blog archive will give it a hiding place to spend its later years basking in its own warm, soft, and comfy echo chamber.  UPDATE:  I just read in my RSS feed the day after I sent this to Hugh the following from his blog that he's not really spending time typing/reading emails. C'est la vie with a double sigh.  My timing is impeccable.  But more importantly, I'm dang curious what he did to cause his wrist to go all hay-wire...and when he'll be able to bar napkin cartoon sketch again -- far more important than what I sent him!  He wrote:

PS. I sprained my wrist. Very painful. Will be away from keyboard for a while. Please minimize the e-mails for now, thanks.

PPS. Yes, it was worth it.

[Note:  He has a wide range of manifestos from lawyers, people driving in Phoenix, end-users, and those who celebrate or notice holidays -- aka humans. UPDATE:  I was reminded by a very credible source that Hugh's call-to-manifesto-arms grew out of  the "J-Train minfesto" (yes, as in 'mini') written by John Dodds, of the scorching hot Making Marketing History blog, after one of his 'lively' meetings with Hugh.  Hugh has been collecting "manifestos" ever since.  And while you're at it, consider checking out Hugh's (in my mind, and other's, too) "How to Be Creative" , a classic in mind and that of many others, too.]

So, here goes.  Note: I sent Hugh an abbreviated version (to stay in the 500-word count boundary he requested -- probably the bold list itself would have been enough, but we'll see)  Additionally, DK has accused me (he smiles) of playing fast-n-loose with 2 voices, losing consistency.  My coy response is that in the future, the blur between learner and mentor will be very real.  And we'll all slip between the two.  Or, maybe I just lacked editing focus, DK!).

"The Future of Learning" Manifesto (draft #1 -- 1.4.07) -- The shortened version:

1.  "Playing Small Does Not Serve the World."
2.  What Would Socrates Do?
3.  Nobody Cares if You Walked Up Hill Both Ways Barefoot in the Snow.
4.  Got Passion?  If Not, I'll Tell You What To Care About. 
5.  My Memory Is Only As Big As My Heart.  Otherwise, I'll Stick with Google
6.  Look it Up or Die.
7.  Collaboration Ain't About Holding Hands. It’s about Going Cool Places Fast.
8.  This Will Go Down on Your Permanent Record.
9.  It Ain't About the Technology.  It's About Being Inside the Story.
10.  Nobody Knows the Answer.  Get Comfy with the Questions.

*****

"The Future of Learning" Manifesto (draft #1 -- 1.4.07) -- The long version:

1.  "Playing Small  Does Not Serve the World."-- Your Brain is Your Brand.

Marianne Williamson wasn't being cheap with words.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  Or that we're simply being measured by small dreams. 

You've got one choice.  Play big or stay home.  Serve the world or be forgotten. 

Ultimately, you've got your heart and your brain.  Both can serve.  One will do so when nobody is watching.  The other is your brain.  It needs attention.  Give it fuel.  Make it stand out.  Be the brand that makes a difference.

2.  What Would Socrates Do?

If Socrates could Google, what questions would he have asked?

Am I being rhetorical?

Does it matter?

Ask Jeeves.

3.  Nobody Cares if You Walked Up Hill Both Ways Barefoot in the Snow and Could Diagram a Sentence.

I get it. You were a noble student of the highest caliber 'back in the day' before text messaging and cell phones and this wacky Internet business.  You were a fine speller, you kept your notebook neatly on your desk, and you always answered something "above average" with your hand politely raised in the air.  You memorized the multiplication tables all the way to 12, you studied Latin (and its sus scrofa domesticus-Latin brother), and you believed Sputnik was the cat's meow.  You had neat penmanship, you knew all the dates of all the battles and all the dead people, and you kept a glorious stash of index cards with obscure library resources neatly bound by a rubber band.

And if you're dead set on helping me master 'your past', please realize I'm going to need a nap.  And something to fidget with.  And a bus token to get to my job down at the buggy whip factory where I'll be standing at the front of the line.

Or, you can help me prepare for my future.  Your choice.

4.  Got Passion?  If Not, I'll Tell You What To Care About.

I have a right to bitch about this class only if I have a dream I can articulate and am willing to put my life on the line for it.  Otherwise, I might as well color between the lines, sit up straight, and take great notes.

And get out to recess on time.

Keep in mind, I may be young so I may have a hard time with that "r-tickle-a-shun" thing.  That's your job.  Give me the words.  Give me the tools.  Give me the examples.  And then get out of my way. 

But the second you see my passion start to go from curious lit match to smoke-jumper forest fire,  stop giving me handouts and worksheets and become my Jerry McGuire.

5.  My Memory Is Only As Big As My Heart.  Otherwise, I'll Stick with Google.

I could memorize your facts, but I got Google for that. 

Yeah, completely outsourced my entire "traditional fact memorization" protocol to this  upstart  search engine.   Yeah, like a library, 'cept that there ain't no dust and much, much bigger.  Yeah, it's not perfect, but I'm not going on Jeopardy, either.  Yeah, there isn't a librarian holding my hand, but then again I need answers now.  Not after a lecture on the Dewey Decimal thinga-ma-bob.

Sure, I'll do that memorize thing for you.  Just one catch.  Tell me a story.

Seriously.  Put away the chalk.  Get out from behind the podium.  Look me in the eyes.  Reach deep into my gut.  Massage my heart.   Get the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.  Get me to tell the flavor of clouds.  Tell me to close my eyes and go somewhere bold.

I'll remember anything you tell me.  Swear it.

6.  Look it Up or Die.

It's old skool but sometimes remind me to look it up.  Or die.

But don't stop there.  Don't pat yourself on the back quite yet.  I may be pretty quick on the Google or the Wikipedia, but I have no idea how to make sense of what I'm finding.  That's your job. 

Back in the day, if it was in a book, you taught me how to write down some copyright details on a note card.  But things got funny on the way to the Internet forum.  Facts don't just come in books anymore, and I need more than copyright details to help me make sense.

Are you teaching me to think?  Or just to take notes?

And one day when you're nowhere to be found and I got a kid with a fever and he's vomiting and its 3am and I got 15 minutes to figure this crazy thing out, I got Google.  And I need to know NOW what will keep my kid alive and what will instead send us over the edge.

Can you do that?  'Cause that's one part of my future and I won't have time for index cards.

7.  Collaboration Ain't About Holding Hands.  It's about Going Cool Places Fast.

How big is my classroom?  4 walls or the horizon line?

I need friends.  And fast. 

Don't get sucka-punched by all the 'flat' earth hype.  You're excited because someone in a foreign country leaves a comment on your blog.  Really?  Really?  Seriously?  Sure, it's sexy to suddenly be in cahoots with someone in Bangladesh and Minneapolis at one time, but I was born in that world 2.0 so I'm kinda used to it.  Yeah, I get that you were born before things got interesting, but your digital immigrant accent is making it hard for me to understand you, and harder for me to remain relevant.

And I'm kind of selfish when it comes to my future vs. your past. 

So, please stop making this so Friedman-esque and suggesting I need more math so my job isn't outsourced to Calcutta one day.  And I ain't got time for your geek blog-penpal moment, either.

What I need is a network.  And yesterday-fast. 

Are you helping me get networked?  Are you helping me become one talented hombre when it comes to partnerships and brainstorming with a team and finding talent when I need it and learning how to step up big as a leader and then slide seamlessly into the role of teammate and be the go-to guy on 20 projects at one time?   Are you helping me build and position my brand?  Are you helping me be relevant?  At all?

Are you making sure I'm going cool places?  And fast?

8.  This Will Go Down on Your Permanent Record.

You used to worry about the manilla folder.  Then things really got interesting.

Today you worry about filters and predators and firewalls and the MySpace boogeymen. 
Okay, I want to be safe. And I appreciate you wanting me to be safe. I just don't want to live in a locked box in the process.

So, maybe it's time we had a sit-down and talked about the 'how-to' strategy for social networking.  What?  Oh, I mean blogging.  What?  Yeah, like a diary. Sort of.

Instead of shutting off every virtual connection I have with the world once I step onto campus, why don't you teach me how to 'blog smart'?  Why don't you bring in some CEO's into the classroom to talk about the really 'great' kid they almost hired, until they Googled her and found those clever spring break shots from Padre Island?  Why don't you get a MySpace account and come see what I'm writing, even if it p***es me off at the moment?  Why don't you make me agile, rather than weak?

Oh, and why are you asking my teachers to deliver a world class education for the 21st century knowledge economy but you've censored every virtual tool they have at their disposal?  Frankly, I'm not sure why they give a damn.  I wouldn't if I were them. 

But then I'd be blogging my brains out at home after I punched out at the end of the school day. And then become a consultant and get 10x the pay from the same superintendent who hired me to come in and do a professional development day when "blogging" was trendy for 5 minutes.

9.  It Ain't About the Technology.  It's About the Story.

Laptops?  (Yawn)
Blogging? (Yawn)
PowerPoint? (Snore)
Multi-Media Center with a Starbucks 'coffee house' espresso shot in the backside? (Daring?  21st century school?  Yawn.)

How about we stop talking all giddy-like about the technology.  For us, it's not about the box.  Not even about the iPod in pink or black.   And it's definitely not about the email (psst:  we don't email 'cept when old people need help).

It's about the conversation.   The ricochet of words.  The energy.  The fact that its happening right here right now and it ain't coming back.

You tell me to turn off the game.  Because you're staring at the box.  I can't turn off the game.  Because the game ain't in the box.

So, stop making technology such a big deal.  You want laptops. I got a cell phone.  And you still don't get it.

'cause no matter what you spend your money and professional development time on, for us it's about being inside the game, inside the story, in real-time. 

Everything else is over-priced and ready for recycling.

10.  Nobody Knows the Answer.  Get Comfy with the Questions.

If you're so smart, why are you asking me to give you the answers?

More importantly, are you teaching me how to ask great questions? 

How to be Socrates?  And the guys who actually code Google by asking the questions nobody else dreamed of?

I can tell you an answer.  But my future isn't going to care for what I memorized.  It's only going to care if I can adapt.

Are you ready to help me?

And can I trust you to help me get there?

*****

Gulp.  And so ends draft #1 of "The Future of Learning" Manifesto. 

I'd rather this go get some wiki-editing love from brighter people than I, rather than to be accepted as 'relevant' on its own.  Any criticism or cheap shots or deification (he smirks) of this list would be a bad use of everyone's time.

Instead, add to it.  Mash it up.  Be Michelangelo and chip off enough of the rock to let the angel fly free.  And teach me a thing or two in the process!

 

Comments

[DK]

Sweet - "How big is my classroom? 4 walls or the horizon line?" - that's a keeper and can be adopted in any situation not just the classroom...

The only suggestions I would make is to make it clear at the beginning whose 'voice' it is in? Sometimes slips from the educator to the educatee - great stuff though!

[Christian]

Thanks for the feedback, DK!

Why 2 voices: Future allows everyone to be learner/mentor at once. That’s my argument (he smiles).

Cheers, C

[John Pederson]

DAMN.

This made me sit up and think really, really hard.

I'm a noted sucker for manifestos.
I want to have hugh macleod's baby, alas, i'm male

best thing i've found on the net for a really, really long time

[John Pederson]

Ok. Even better than the first time I read it.

Most important thing I've read on the Internet in 10 years.

And that there Internet is only +10.

[Christian]

John,

I’m just a bit – understatement – humbled by your first comment. Far more humbled by the second comment.

The coffee was focusing my energy earlier today after I had read Hugh’s last manifesto post. Beyond that, it was typed in a mad rush and only edited to fit his word count filter. Beyond that, it’s a very rough 1st draft…and at best is meant to be a spark for others – like yourself (hint) – to follow suit with more thoughtful and measured and edited and articulate manifestos of your own, or adding to what I did but taking it up a notch.

Someone earlier mentioned I should have added “Learn: By Any Means Necessary” which was something I’ve been saying more and more in other posts. Perhaps that’s the working title of it all. A thought.

Again, I’m humbled. Thank you. You have a great eye and blog sensibility, so I’m really flattered.

Cheers,
Christian

[Kelly Dumont]

Isn't part of the point that the voices should become indistinguishable.

[Christian]

Kelly – Absolutely.

As an ex-English teacher, DK’s challenge was good for me to hear. I was not technically consistent…and if I was ‘grading’ my manifesto as I used to grade the work of my kids, I’d have down-graded this. But then again, ‘learning’ is not owned just by the student…and so I’m comfortable letting the voice-slide remain.

But you said it best, it should ultimately be indistinguishable.

Thanks for leaving the comment.

Cheers…and I enjoyed discovering your site tonight, as well.

Christian

[Don]

Well written and very thoughtful. Thank you very much.

[steve ladan]

11. I know as much as you do.

What 'wisdom of age'? What generation gap? These days, I know and think as much as you do. So don't worry if you can't get what I'm seeing, or if you can't tell where I'm going. I'm seeing farther than you are because I'm standing on your shoulders.

--
Hope it makes any sense. XD

[Christian]

Steve,

Really appreciate that you took the time to comment – and push the list of 10 to 11! Good stuff that. From the traditional view of student and teacher – I’m assuming 11 is written in the voice of the student – this is turn-it-upside-down stuff. And opens up endless opportunities.

Additionally, appreciate your working with your recent post by riffing off of ‘the Bass Player’ (his post was a response to a challenge of mine a ways back) by looking at a specific context of a specific country. Very wisely done!

Again, thanks for the comment.

Cheers,
Christian

[David Jakes]

Wow. This absolutely rocks.

[Kelly Christopherson]

AWE! That's my first response. AWE! I think this not only fits students but anyone who is trying to move others who are stuck in "the past" Because my shoulders get sore after a while, maybe we could switch places so I can see the new landscape, if just for a moment. To work at this together, not as a contest or a right/wrong but as a mutual acceptance of humanity trying to "go where no humans have gone before." Realizing that there is a place for more than one view, that not all youth are here but we should want them to move in this direction and that, as adults, maybe we need to refocus what we are doing so that we are able to take part in the journey instead of checking to make sure everyone has clean underwear!
Kelly

[John Pederson]

I passed this around in my office this morning.

This afternoon, a colleague walked in.. "You have to read this."

:)

[Scott McLeod]

Very nice. FYI, I reformatted it a bit so I can use it in some presentations I'm giving this month.

http://scottmcleod.typepad.com/dangerouslyirrelevant/2007/01/future_of_learn.html

Thanks for this great resource!

[hugh macleod]

Hmmmm... it seems that I've blogged you. Or maybe that was just a rumor...

[Thomas Clifford]

Brilliant.

For sure, I'll be sharing this with those who question everything I do.

Thomas R. Clifford

[Scott Kosman]

Definitely one of the best things I've read in regards to education in quite a while. I almost got riled up reading it, thinking back to my college days and how many things I wish my school and professors had done differently. Maybe I wouldn't look back on most of my formal "education" as a waste of many thousands of dollars.

[Sara]

Powerful vision! Congrats. I do caution its use outside of the education field. To me, it is too much to be used in every "learning" setting. Example - if I followed your manfesto to learn at my job, I would have been out on my rear within a couple of months. Those old farts that walked uphill both ways have knowledge on these processes I am only going to get by listening to them and having time of my own to experience things. Not by reinventing the wheel and reprimanding them for not learning technology fast enough. That is why my company hires whippersnappers like me; to deal with the technology in a smart way.

However, I do find your words useful. I do wonder about "kids these days" sometimes and how they think and really, I should be considering myself on of the kids, as young as I am. Nice draft!

[Kathy Sierra]

Wow -- this is wonderful! Thanks so much, Christian.
I'm so glad Hugh pointed to it.

[Tom Asacker]

Very well said Christian. Kudos!

[Michael]

I love reading the short manifestos on Hugh's site, but I have to say, this one was MUCH better in the longer version. Excellent work!

[Christian]

So many thoughts running through my head, but they all start with, Man, thank you! Truly humbled by the response(s), both critical and supportive and curious.

The draft of the manifesto was a rapid-fire draft that was created as a challenge to myself, and hardly vetted or edited. Sent it to Hugh on a lark. Figured, what the hell.

I do hope that it'll spark others -- teachers and students primarily -- to create their own, and teach me a thing or two! Truly.

***

And some specific thoughts to a few of you who left comments after my last response:

Sara: Sara – Thank you for taking time to leave the comment, and to add a layer of appropriate challenge to the issue of age/experience/wisdom. I have no thoughts of erasing the relevance/need of turning to our older colleagues/mentors; I wouldn’t be where I am without many! But this is the first time in our history that the youngest generation has more wisdom/insight/knowledge about the prevailing ‘tools’ of the day, and that changes everything. And frankly it’s the first time that the young do not need – en masse – to be ‘company men’ and do their time and climb the ladder before creating their own opportunities. But for me, it’s not about age – it’s about being both learner and mentor at all times no matter the age. And collaboration/creativity!

Kelly, David and John -- Again, thank you! Pretty amazed by your reactions. Glad you found something that resonated. John, I was intrigued by the debate at the WoW site where you also shared it. Learned a lot; good criticism by 2 of your colleagues, in particular. Thank the group for teaching me some things as well, even if from afar!

Scott -- I often think about the 'investment' I made in college and how I'd have grown as a student if I was starting now with the tools and connections that exist in this 2.0 world we live in. Thank you for your comment and enthusiastic response.

Thomas -- Already left a comment at your site. Loved finding out what you send your days doing -- great stuff, and I just subscribed to the feed.

Kathy -- To say I'm honored that you took time to swing by here is an understatement; consider your writing/perspective to be some of the most vital/provocative/telling that I run into anywhere on the Net these days. Truly. I'm glad that Hugh's posting of the draft manifesto allowed this connection. Most of all, thanks for pushing my thinking on a daily basis!

Tom -- Loved discovering your writing, your book, your site. Lots to explore in the coming days/weeks! Thank you for taking time to stop by and being so generous!

Michael -- Thanks for taking time to read the longer version, and for your kind feedback! Truly appreciated.

[Ian H.]

While thought provoking, I'm not entirely convinced of the manifesto's accuracy - my students are still in awe of "the box", be it our laptop lab or the SmartBoard in my classroom.

I think the bigger challenge for us as educators is to get the students to explore the mechanisms of technology - so many of them are content to simply use them, until something goes wrong, and then they are out of their depth because they do not understand the processes behind the tools they are using so casually.

As a teacher of a technology class, my biggest difficulty is getting students to the point where they understand how and why they can do something (even with PowerPoint).

Also, while I agree with your point about rote memorization and Google, there is something to be said for learning something so in depth that you can instantly recall the facts about it. I'm not so concerned my History students remember the dates of the French Revolution, but if they can't even tell me what types of governments were involved, we have a problem.

You have some compelling logic in points 1, 7 and 8 which I will have to think about further.

Thanks for the read.

[bookwyrmish]

Bravo! I really want to make a series of posters and put them up at my school. Each poster could have a large print of the "short form" and then, when people get up close, they would be able to read the longer form in fine print beneath. At the middle school level, and in my school, the language and the grammar would have to be retooled. Would I have your permission?

Making separate posters would make it possible to see it as more of a conversation, and different points of view would be fine. The posters could even be shaped as thought balloons. I see a display board taking shape! I could invite my middle schoolers to add their own voices...

I've really enjoyed finding this site, via Dangerously Irrelevant, and reading the comments here and following the links. I'm relatively new to blogging, and this has been a great way to find more reading (sighs with a smile). I hope I'm not violating blog etiquette here by commenting on someone's comment, so forgive me and let me know if the following wasn't proper: I'm ruminating a lot, lately, about Ian's desire to have students understand the mechanisms of technology ... I'm afraid that was easy for my father's generation, when the local hardware store carried tv and radio tubes and tech-savvy people like my dad could build their own. My father would never have tried to open the box of the vcr player he got later in life, however, and half of his generation were unable to understand the programming rather than just follow the step by step instructions--and failing this,they usually wound up getting their children and grandchildren to program their recorders to tape shows for them. Now, I AM showing my students how to open the boxes and trying to teach them to understand the concepts of file trees and directories--while I am reading that, in 5 years, most of our tech will be a small, personal hand-held device that is a mashup of cell phone, palm, video, and laptops. Factory sealed and disposable. Yech!

Thanks for this grand conversation. Pax.

[Danny]

Please view the trailer to my film.