They want a new way for finding their role in a changing world. And they want a way to shape the new world. They are bored in our current classrooms. And their teachers are bored also. Today's students and teachers want to mark new trails and to be in learning environments where they can share their curiosities with other students and teachers.
Events are what people in a traditional community talk about.
The homecomings, the parades, the class and family reunions, the fireworks at the park on July 4th, the big snow storm two years ago, the big town meeting 5 years ago about trash collection, the free concert on the square last week, next week's block party, next year's celebration of the dedication of the new high school, these are the markers in the life of a community. This past fall, we produced a public three-week conversational Web event named Collaborate98 for the national Organization Development Network. It was focused on how virtual teams can increase the quality of collaboration in organizations. Nearly 500 people from more than 20 different countries participated. It was a huge success.