I glanced at the clock. Sh&*! It was 3:45pm on a routine work day and I had again fallen miserably short of accomplishing the tasks on my ‘to-do’ list.
I needed a change of scenery. I decided to meet my girlfriend for an after school snack at Panera before the evening PTA meeting at my school. I arrived about 20 minutes before our planned rendezvous with every intention to tap into Panera’s free Wifi. I found a secluded comfy chair near a window, and set up shop. Within 30 seconds, I was connected to their network and right back where I left off at school. Interestingly, I found myself more focused than I was at my job site and more productive, too.
I had never been to Panera before to eat or work, but somehow this scenario seemed eerily familiar. I then realized who I borrowed the idea from:
David Warlick writes…
“There is no way that we can predict the technologies, cultural and social characteristics, work environments and experiences, or learning opportunities that our children have to look forward to.
For Instance:
My wife is out of town today. I’ll go to Starbucks in about an hour and write, working on a new book. At lunch, I’ll pack up my computer and walk over to Panera Bread for a sandwich and then a few ours of programming (working on Son of Citation Machine) tapping into their free WiFi. Now how could I or my teachers have possibly predicted this kind of work environment in the 1950s and 60s.
So what we have to do is to create an irresistible void of possibilities for our curious and communicative students and say think, dream, wish, and describe.”
That gosh darn David Warlick. He always has a way of wrapping his head around a concept then spitting it out in ways that anyone (including me) can understand. His anecdote and assessment regarding changing work environments and learning opportunities is dead on. Work is becoming less of a destination, with more mobile workers and informal communication in less structured systems. In the world of email, the WWW, and instant and text messaging, it's never been easier to work remotely with people you never have met or businesses you've never visited.
In the 20 short minutes before my girlfriend arrived, on Panera’s wireless network, I was able to: 1) digitally analyze and work on my collection with Titlewave, 2) catch up on a backlog of email, 3) IM my brother (who’s also a librarian) for informal mentoring and moral support and 4) work on my magazine budget for 06-07.
Warlick talked about how no one could have predicted such working environments. I’m a relatively young guy, and I often catch myself wondering the same thing. What will it be like in 2025? How will all of our digital systems further advance? Enter Web 2.0. I also wonder what the impact will be on my position as a library media specialist. Enter Library 2.0.
More importantly, I am curious about changing work environments, and the impact it will have on how we educate our youth.
In what ways will schools equip themselves to support and educate the increasingly diverse needs of students?
Who will be the future leaders in education and why?
Photo borrowed with permission from FlickrJunkies photostream.
I’ve always loved the idea of Internet telephony. I first discovered a free web-based application called Dialpad in 1999 when I was a freshman at Syracuse University. I remember running out and buying a mic that very day so I could call the world from my 7th floor dorm room in Syracuse, NY. I also remember calling Mom to ask her to send $20 so I could recoup the money I spent on a microphone. Ahhh, I loved Dialpad.
