it's not a question of if we go open, but when

This weekend I read OPEN: How We'll Work, Live and Learn In The Future by David Price.

Here’s the publicity blurb:

What makes a global corporation give away its prized intellectual property?  Why are Ivy League universities allowing anyone to take their courses for free?  What drives a farmer in rural Africa to share his secrets with his competitors?  A collection of hactivists, hobbyists, forum-users and maverick leaders are leading a quiet but unstoppable revolution.  They are sharing everything they know, and turning knowledge into action in ways that were unimaginable even a decade ago.  Driven by technology, and shaped by common values, going ‘open’ has transformed the way we live.  Going open is also confronting our formal institutions by turning conventional wisdom on its head.  Give away what you used to sell.  Work where and when you choose to. Take kids out of school, so they can learn.  Faced with an irreversible shift in our social lives, it’s not so much a question of if our workplaces, schools and colleges go open, but when.

Packed with illustration and advice, this entertaining read by learning futurist, David Price, argues that ‘open’ is not only affecting how we are choosing to live, but that it’s going to be the difference between success and failure in the future.

I loved it!

I was just having a conversation this week about the emergence of open, transparent education. When discussing a local private school, I gave the model of TED talks or MOOCs: just because we can watch awesome lectures online for free, that doesn't devalue the cost of being in the room. Why wouldn't private primary and secondary schools 'open' their lectures online? If anything, an awesome lecture would inspire me to get my child in that room.

David Price's optimistic book, OPEN explains the unstoppable revolution of going open.





I highlighted more of the book than not. I'll need to read it a second time as I want to fully absorb his thoughtful commentary. 

It's everything I have observed in my children's learning and in my own learning. We all have our own personal learning networks, hashtags we follow and contribute to, classes we have taken online, youtube channels we subscribe to, and blogs we write. 

The book itself was recommended to me by the head of school at The British International School in Budapest, and my favorite educator at Munich International School in Starnberg. 

Even as I write this post, I have my kindle open to the notes I've taken, my iPad beside me to research more thoughts, and several tabs on my laptop open to videos and supporting materials. 

We are all entrepreneurial learners… hacking what's available, recombining and curating information with unlimited possibilities. I am so excited to see what new types of institutions form as workplaces and schools become open.

How will you participate in your learning? How will you teach?



You need to read this book if you care about education, or work, or governance, or the economy, or the future.