In other words, it’s a bit off-putting as a rhetorical device. Does she have another quote you could use?

I’m very happy you’re doing this. It’ll be a terrific service.

I attended Open Ed and Drumbeat in Barcelona and Drumbeat
was the superior experience (although it seemed to fall apart
on the last day — sessions I attended seemed to be conversations
about how little sleep people had). No matter, it’ll be great to
be able to attend ALL of Drumbeat next time (I advocate Silicon
Valley).

I’ve been running a green building architecture school for many
years in the Bay Area and in recent years turning my attention to online
education. This has allowed me to create some alternatives that save everyone
a lot of time and money. Still trying to sort out the problems of certification
of student work. Not to mention accredited portable portfolio programs for
students who will also now be learning everything everywhere. No one at Open
Ed or Drumbeat seemed to have solutions, but they’re certainly working on them.

I’m also preparing a “Universal Green” education program to offer high
level skills and theory education on every aspect of green building world
wide — education that can be certified so students receive documented recognition
for what they learn — and all at no cost. Again a problem (opportunity)
that needs solving.

I might suggest that you identify key problems, issues, opportunities that
are emerging from all this and use the list as key tabs for your book.
(I’ve only read the text on this blog page and maybe you’ve already started
doing such.)

I also just attended “Big Ideas” (in education) at Half Moon Bay last week and it
was dynamite. Many of these same issues raised and widely discussed.
And I’ll be doing a talent search at the upcoming TEDxCalTech conference
to seek out conversations and commentary on education from that visionary crowd.

I’ll want to comment more and will keep in touch. Meanwhile, superb project.
You’re a doer. I loved DYI and I know you’ll create something significant here.

Fred A. Stitt, Architect
Director, San Francisco Institute of Architecture, http://www.sfia.net.
Director, Free Minds Institute (new, no web presence yet).

I second the motion that it should be more clear that universities have something to offer other than just industrial age learning procedures and boring ass lectures. Just think about the fact that universities offer infrastructure for learning and go from there – I’m thinking about the innovation that comes from the FREE and OPEN learning within these institutions, like Marie Curie having access to a lab or, to use an example which both pisses me off and also changed the world, Mark Zuckerberg being inspired by his social surroundings to come up with Facebook.

You are right, many formal learning institutions have their heads stuck in the sand. But you are making it sound as if they are not listening to us and what we are trying to tell them even a little. Like they have no interest in changing, but I think they WANT to change, they just lack the knowledge on HOW to get started and WHAT, concretely, needs to be done. That’s where we come in, to show them the light.

I’m not trying to be negative about your work so far, I just don’t want the book to slam the traditional infrastructure because we are going to need that space for our learning revolution.

Your writing style is supreme, great flow and nice metaphoric approach. You’re doing great, thank you.

1 question: if formal education has been vital in every civilization, what will informal education mean for future civilizations?

FWIW, everyone I talked to who attended both OpenEd and Drumbeat seemed to find Drumbeat a lot more…well, exciting, frankly. Part of that just comes with OER being a more mature movement, and yes, being more integrated with institutions as they currently exist. Not being employed by one, I tend to be naturally more interested in what’s coming next.

I find “we’re all about access and support” to be kind of hilarious as a blanket statement about universities. That’s certainly not how you’re perceived.

Maybe Universities are to learning as Lectures are to pedagogical modes: ONE tool in the toolbelt, but one that’s been far too dominant for far too long.

It would be useful to be more honest about drumbeat too. There was some good stuff went on, but it had a horrible tendency to ignore everything that is great about institutions as they currently exist. OpenEd was also in Barcelona at the same time… actual academic s talking about actual university practice and trying to make stuff work better. You know Universities? Those big things that release all that OER, and employ all the academics that make it? Probably worth a mention as a force for good.

Another thing with drumbeat was that it was a little bit of western California dropped into the middle of one of the roughest areas of Barcelona. Maybe a little bit of cultural awareness missing there, guys? And a big issue with online learning as well. If you don’t share the westernized, youth, internet culture then it’s not for you! Universities have often been quite bad at this too, but we’ve worked at it. These days we’re all about access and support.