cut and past from Seth Godin's post... ( ) inclusions are added by me..
and i'm sure most people could do a better job matching up words.. just want to get the point across..
______________
Goodbye to (the classroom) the office
(Desks) Factories used to be arranged in a straight line. That's because there was one (teacher) steam engine, and it turned a (lecture) shaft. All the (students) machines were set up (in rows) along the shaft, with a (grade) belt giving each of them (validity) power. The (classroom) office needed to be (lined up) right (in front of the) next to this (teacher) building, so (the teacher) management could monitor what was going on.
150 years later, why (sit in rows) go to work in an (classroom) office/plant/factory?
- That's where the (teachers) are.
- That's where the(books) items I need to work on are.
- The (teacher) boss needs to keep tabs on my (grades) productivity.
- There are important (lectures) meetings to (hear) go to.
- It's a source of (comfort - how we've always done it) energy.
- The people (that have always done it that way) I collaborate with all day are there.
- I need (to follow the rules) someplace to go.
But...
- If you have a (itouch, tool of choice) laptop, you probably have the (textbook) machine already, in your (hand) house.
- If you do work with a (cell/touch) keyboard and a mouse, the items you need to work on are (wherever you are) on your laptop, not in the (classroom) office.
- The boss can easily keep tabs on productivity digitally.
- How many (class sessions) meetings are important? If (we did school different) you didn't go, what would happen?
- You can get energy from people other than those in the same (room) company.
- Of the 100 people in your (classes) office, how many do you collaborate with daily?
- So go someplace (the library as hub). But it doesn't have to be to your (classroom) office.
If we were starting this whole (classroom) office thing today, it's inconceivable we'd pay the rent/time/commuting cost to get what we get. I think in ten years the (classroom) TV show 'the Office' will be seen as a quaint antique.
When you need to have a meeting, have a meeting. When you need to collaborate, collaborate. The rest of the time, do the work, wherever you like. (the school, esp the library should be the hub)
The gain in speed, productivity and happiness is massive. What's missing is #7... someplace to go. Once someone figures that part out, the (classroom) office is dead.
______________________
grazie Seth Godin.. for your daily words... for your books... for the people you bring together to do things that matter.
i believe k-12 needs face to face time, and 12+, at least the scientists/researchers need face to face lab time, but nothing like what's currently happening.
Rework, Jason Fried and his coauthor with the long name i can never remember...
David Heinemeier Hansson... say..
work (school) is the place we get the least done.
for school - maybe we do tons of stuff there.. but is it stuff that matters?
__________________________________________