Future of Learning Top Reads for week of Feb 17 2020
“Americans Rank A Google Internship Over A Harvard Degree,” by Brandon Busteed, in Forbes
“When asked what they believe would be most helpful for a high school graduate to launch a career, Americans overwhelmingly recommend an internship at Google (60%) over a degree from Harvard (40%).”
Why does this matter to the future of learning?
The Job to Be Done appears to be, “Provide me with a credential that will ensure I get a good job.”
Those of us who cherish educational as the formation of thriving human beings may bristle at this, but when parents say (as the article points out) that they are more willing to invest $50,000 in a year at Google than a year at Harvard, we should pay attention.
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“Preparing for 2030: What Do the Next 10 Years Hold?” by Azeem Azhar, in Exponential View
[Note: each of these ten items is followed by 1-2 paragraphs of explanation in the article.]
Climate change will be the dominant narrative.
Our geopolitics will continue to fragment and this will result in more conflict.
In what we have generally thought of as the West, we’ll rethink the shape and purpose of our economies.
We’ll see the rise of new digital commons, economic institutions that are neither public- nor private- sector.
World trade will face a troika of headwinds [geotechnical pressure, environmental concerns, and technologies such as 3-d printing, coupled with renewable energy].
Cities will become relatively more important.
We’ll eat far less meat.
The big tech companies, particularly Facebook, Google and Amazon, will work aggressively to increase their footprint.
AI will be everywhere.
During the 2020s there will be a generational shift.
Why does this matter to the future of learning?
It is important to read the descriptions of each of these tectonic trends. Each of them carries massive implications for what, where, how, who—and, perhaps most important of all, why—we teach.
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“The Conversation Every Board Chair Should Have With a New Trustee,” by Tom Olverson, on the RG175 blog
Be ready to contribute, especially in my area of expertise.
Have enough self-awareness not to speak when I know little about the subject.
Ask questions; learn.
Best idea wins; don’t let my power as a trustee disrupt effective decision-making.
Help the head grow and learn; hold her accountable through effective growth-promoting evaluation.
Let the head lead; don’t interfere with her administration of the school.
Make the school a top priority in my charitable giving.
Understand that there will be times when my expertise will be used extensively and times when it will lay dormant.
Understand that my work is for the benefit of all the students, not just mine.
Maintain the confidentiality of the Board; the Board speaks as one.
Above all else, support the mission of the school and its capacity to live that mission in the future; practice good stewardship.
Why does this matter to the future of learning?
If you are a Trustee at a school, you need to read this entire dialogue.
If you are a Head of School, you should share this with the Chair of the Committee on Trustees (aka Governance Committee).
If you know someone who wants to be a school Trustee, please make sure they read this first.
Being a trustee means you are a fiduciary not only of the non-profit’s finances, but even more importantly of its mission. That means entering the role thinking about what is in the institution’s best interests not just now, but a full generation from now.
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