Introducing FOECast
On occasion, we’re all presented with opportunities which leave us no choice but to lend a hand (whether or not you act is another story). Late last year, the New Media Consortium (NMC) unexpectedly ceased operations, citing ‘Errors and Omissions’ by the CFO. This sudden shift to the existing landscape left an impending void that perked the ears of many leaders, including the respected researcher, writer, and futurist, Bryan Alexander (someone I now consider a true friend). Within mere moments of this news, Bryan (and others) were rallying troops in an effort to uncover and shape the educational possibilities of tomorrow. Impressively, in just two months time, there is now a project and global community (codename FOECast) well underway — read more about the project evolution. And while I’ve played a relatively small part, I hope this post (and the FOECast project broadly) can act as a catalyst for hope and change during a time when many of us are feeling more restricted and hopeless than ever before.
This coming week (February 26th-March 2nd), will be a design-thinking-inspired week of open ideation. Everyone and anyone interested in dreaming of a new future of education is invited to ideate, participate, and contribute.
Every day, a new question will be posed — for example, “What futuring methods would be best?” or “What needs did projects like Horizon or the OCLC horizon scans meet, that a new project should address?” Those questions will appear daily on Bryan’s blog, on the new FOECast.net website (which is where my efforts were concentrated), echoed on our growing Slack channel, and re-echoed across social media using the hashtag #FOECast.
Feel free to respond — asynchronously — through your own channels and networks, via comments here, on the FOECast site, on the week’s Google Doc, or preferably, a unique and personally satisfying mix of all of them.
There will also be a synchronous dimension via live videoconference events, scheduled throughout the week and across the clock. Those will be:
Monday, February 26, 10 am EST/3 pm GMT (Zoom link)
Wednesday, February 28, 7 pm EST/12 am GMT (Zoom link)
Thursday, March 1, 2 pm EST/7 pm GMT (Shindig link)
Every day, conversation and ideas will flow across these various venues. Tuesday through Friday, keep an eye on Bryan’s blog and at FOECast.net about progress, summations, quoting, and linking to responses. In addition, this Google Doc will aggregate more comments and ideas throughout the week.
That’s a lot going on in a few days so here’s a handy one-page guide, suitable for referencing, printing and distributing as needed.
That’s a little backstory and some of the How, so here’s a bit more about the all-important Why.
First, we want the process to be open and inclusive. That’s why we’re allowing for a full week of open/global ideation, so that everyone can find time to have their voice and opinion truly heard. That’s also why we’re not only shouting from the rooftops, but also inviting a number of targeted people to make the discussion broader and more representative. Finally, that’s why we’re combining an asynchronous approach with synchronous sessions scheduled around the clock — so that people from around the world can participate. Make no mistake, this is (and should be) an inclusive international effort.
Second, we’d like this to be creative and thoughtful. Five days is a good amount of time for people to let ideas “stretch out and ferment” (Bryan’s words, not mine).
Third, this is an experiment, and we’d like to see what we can collectively learn from it. It’s expected that some people will comment on the process (not just the inevitable need for products) as we go.
Please do join us for as much as you can. We are grateful for your input, starting right now. Fire up your questions and thoughts about the process in the comments, and feel free to get a head start on brainstorming.
A big thanks to Bryan and the many other members of the FOECast community who acted swiftly and helped this ideation week come together: Maya Georgieva, Tom Haymes, Jonathan Nalder, Phil Long, Ruben Puentedura, Ceredwyn Alexander, and more.
Let’s brainstorm and plan together!
Adapted from Bryan Alexanders original post
