I am very pleased that my most recent book, “Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent: A New Ecology of Learning” (Jossey-Bass, Jan, 2010) was published in January. Writing the book has been a journey for me: changing me in the writing and changing the book as a result of the intellectual ferment created. I have come to understand this technological revolution as more  than a set of linked events with a cumulative widespread impact on almost every facet of our lives. Indeed, I now understand it as a new ecology, a new environment for information and intellectual activity which cannot be controlled by existing hierarchical structures, such as universities and governments. continue reading

On January 7-8, about 100 people, drawn from a wide variety of educational, technical, labor, non-profit, and business backgrounds, gathered at Cavallo Point, a conference center in Sausalito. Sponsored by the Lumina Foundation, the topic was “Envisioning the Future of Higher Education”. For this old warrior, it was a bright moment in time when principles and potential for the future of higher education were expressed clearly and honestly, without regard for whether they would go down easily with the traditional academy. continue reading

Two articles in today’s Chronicle (9/3/09) exemplify exactly how confused the academy is about online learning and the transformative impacts of the technological revolution on learning and higher education. First we read that professors are increasing their use of online learning even though they doubt its quality. The implication is that they are apparently reluctant participants driven by a necessity of someone else’s making. Then we are reminded that the University of Illinois is going to continue with the phase out of it Global Campus program, laying off the staff over the next 6-12 months and moving the currently independent structure back into the university in a more traditional relationship. continue reading

A co-worker recently shared with me this YouTube video:

Maybe you’ve already seen this clip (more than 3.8 million folks have viewed it … I admit to being a bit behind the times, technologically speaking). If you haven’t, then I encourage you to check it out. continue reading