Friday, January 18, 2013

Futurework Two...

(Click Here to read Part One)

There was an epoch wherein the pursuit of a post K-12 education, or even a high school degree, might be career related. I'm old, so I remember the Board of Education throwing my fate to hired guns (aka counselors) who claimed to understand how humans will travel through time and what *my* personal vehicle should be. 

They determined my aptitudes through testing, scholastic achievement (none), whether or not we were cheerleaders, athletes, etc. With a loud, resounding kathunk, they attempted to staple our futures to a standard form, then we were off to the armed services, trade school/associate degree or college. Back in those days, and notwithstanding the price of even the most prestigious institutions, even a self-resourced college education was possible, even meaningful.

This was a temporary situation, even if it lasted 50(?) or more years. Robotics and extra-national capitalism eventually ate (and will continue to devour) manufacturing jobs for lunch while inflation increases faster than wages. And because the apparent unfettered distribution of wealth falls heavily in favor of those who *own* the robots, we live in a nation littered with underemployed, unemployed and untold millions who just gave up. 

Government and entrenched power pretends that American exceptionalism will continue, as if by magic, as if power hasn't been protecting it's own interests, as if government hasn't been squandering limited resources on guns instead of butter. Government and conscience-constrained, conscience-challenged corporations continue to *just say no to the middle class.*

To further complicate and/or suggest the necessity for a momentum shift, I propose that futurework will require indefinable skills (although, most certainly, to include high technical and mathematics acumen), set in an interminable future. With the possible exception of some trades, a new career term will be only a few years, not a lifetime. So if teachers intend to imbue students with skills necessary to survive in the new competitive work environment, are teachers willing to drink some of their own cool-aid, that is, re-tool their teaching habits when the need arises?

I humbly suggest that the *adults* who shape our education future consider this; many may guess, but no person alive actually knows, what computer and/or life and/or career skills will look like in five years, much less 20. But if trends portend the future, here are a few possibilities to consider before foisting old technology (like chalk, syllabus lectures and desktop computers) on today's students.

From the Harvard Business Review:
In a recent study, the Bureau of Labor statistics found that the average person... held eleven jobs between the ages of 18 and 46 — meaning a job-switch once every 2.5 years.


From my own Befeebled Brain...
Tablet and Smartphones are already the New Computer (at least for now, wearable computing is close): The move to tablets is not a race to the bottom, but rather a lateral shift to accommodate realistic user need. I applaud the shift, even though I resent the limited, useful life of my expensive, environmentally unfriendly computational hardware, currently about two-three years.

Touch, Voice, Eye Tracking, even *Thoughts* are the New Keyboard:
This might not be such a bad trend, except that (at best) the marginal keyboards on mobile devices have contributed to a new illiteracy, that is, substituting thoughtful, written text with IM slang, video and snapshots. While it's true that pictures can convey abstracted meaning, they're not a full time substitute for specificity or literacy. Which leads me to…


Voice and Pictures are the new Communications Mode:
Watch teenagers, they will not only be the first to use new modes, they might invent/re-purpose the new modes, Snapchat (new) and Instagram (supposedly trailing) being great examples. 2013 probably will not see the emergence of a more intelligent youth demographic. However, today's 3rd grader will have been raised from an early age with connected awareness, conventions and rapid change of technology driven reality. Watch out old folks, *these kids will rule.* Per the chatter of prior generations, "Be there or be square."


Next up: A curated, updated link garden to my favorite education discussions.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Please Stay Tuned: Futurework Revived...

Last summer I intended to publish a series of articles on American education, which I presumed had something to do with training young people to participate in futurework. I was on a roll, but only two of several articles had been published when the series was interrupted by the KDE site makeover. In the ensuing months damage control on the KDE site has been unable to resurrect my old posts, while the subject of educational technical innovation began popping up everywhere. And so I left my remaining words, links and research to die.

My intentions were revived after reading the December 19 edition of KDE, wherein educational innovation was being considered. I was frustrated by what I read, not because I disagree with innovation in principle, but because the decision makers, and the manner of their discussion, seemed to be, well, old.

(For those who previously consumed the futurework series, there is suggested herein a hint of plagiarism. And while that's true, I am plagiarizing myself, which I *think* is still acceptable.)

The concept of futurework sticks in my brain like an ear worm, it's the filter by which I view a spectacle of our foundering economy. Our nation, and an astonishing list of nation-competitors, are bound to technology as flesh is to blood, and much maligned US competitiveness depends on how a scarcity of revenue is invested. Because current, sputtering economics rewards only those at the top of an income pyramid (who invest and leave their taxes extra-nationally, thanks very much), I suggest that the 99% should *insist* on revenue redirection, not for charity, but for self-preservation. And the first re-direct, IMHO, is education funding.

Thomas Friedman suggested (several years ago, when gas was around $2/gal) that the US should impose real, significant gas taxes. He suggested that these additional revenues be pushed directly to education (without any exposure to  the *general fund*), both encouraging less dependence on combusting dinosaurs and promoting long-term US economic success.

Mr. Friedman didn't intend to fund a temporary gadgets solution or school militias. He suggested (and I agree) that teachers should achieve pay parity with, say, doctors, attorneys, et al, to attract the best and brightest. Once we have highly educated, motivated, science-believing, literate, well paid young people *creating the future* (as opposed to being subjects of a ruling class) other problems will be more likely to self-heal (like national stupidity).

I'll presume that most teachers aren't improving their technique just to keep a job, but rather they attempt to equip students with life and career skills (whatever a career is in 2013+). However, and even in the light of information enlightenment, many kids are still forced to suffer inconsistent, boring, pedantic, general purpose chalkboard lectures. While it's true that a teaching career has and may still span a lifetime, it's now also true that a traditional teacher's view of what *really* works must be overhauled and updated, particularly when change is forced by technology. Methods must evolve with the times and the times are a'changin'... *really fast.*

This post was carved in half, more later, please stay tuned...