As technology evolves, living patterns change – and vice versa. These types of changes affect a range of social factors.
Your mom starts using Facebook and has more opportunities to see photos of the grandchildren, but perhaps seems less likely to call or physically stop by in return. Smartphones and GPS devices mean that fewer people buy maps or stop and ask for directions.
And so on.
As ‘things’ change, new ‘things’ become valuable. New currencies surface – and new currencies provide new opportunities for exchange.
see all 6 Technology Integration Ideas for Any Content Area and Grade Level
business idea
What if—in the pursuit of learning—hobby, expertise, and original thinking were the currency? What if you traded one idea for another?
What kind of impact might this have on not only the engagement and responsiveness of learners, but more importantly, how community members interact with each other?
How can this model be incorporated into a formal learning environment?
And perhaps most importantly, how does this approach disrupt traditional power sets in learning environments? How do equal conditions empower all learning participants?
I don’t know This isn’t a practical idea—just thinking out loud.
What if ideas—creativity, especially knowledge, divergent thinking, synthesizing existing ideas into new materials and forms, etc.—were a more formal currency. As it is, they need to be transformed into sustainable and compelling business models.
That doesn’t sound like our best thinking as a culture, does it?
