The document discusses how the future is often imagined based on existing paradigms but hints of the future can come from surprising places like pop culture, subcultures, and new technologies. It questions where people are learning the most today and how the skills needed for the future can be developed, noting that learning often happens without meaning to, such as through social play and games which develop competencies around language, self-management, and relating to others. An example is given of an online game that provides opportunities to build these skills.

1. “The best way
to predict the
future is to
invent it.”
- Alan Kay

2. The future
seldom looks
like we
expect it to…

3. Or hope…

5. The future is often
imagined within
existing
paradigms…

8. And yes, the
future is written
in the present…

9. But hints often
come from
surprising
corners…
Pop culture…

10. Sub-culture…

11. Technological
innovations…

12. Early
adoption…

13. Apparently
bad
ideas…

14. Perhaps just
before their
time…

15. So what
does our
present
say about
our future?

17. Where
are
people
learning
the most?

18. The face
of work is
changing

19. Knowledge
workers…

20. What
skills
do we
need?
How
do we
learn
them?

21. What about
schools?

24. The OECD Competencies
 Managing Self
 Relating to Others
 Belonging (Participating and
Contributing)
 Using Knowledge and Information
 Using Language/Symbols and Texts

25. Key questions…
 What technologies/trends in our
present should we pay attention to?
 Where is learning happening?
 Where are kids/people developing
the compentencies?
 Where/how could they develop
these competencies, either formally
or informally?

26. An example…
We most
often learn
without
meaning
to…

27. Social play is
particularly
good for
learning…

28. Even single
player games
are often
played
cooperatively

29. Because
games have
always been
primarily
social…

30. Collateral
learning…

31. City of Heroes: A massively
multiplayer online game (MMOG)

32. Key competencies: language/symbols and texts, relating to others

33. Key competencies: relating to others/managing self

34. Key competencies: managing information, language, symbols, text

35. Key competencies: Belonging/contributing, language, symbols, text

36. Let’s Imagine!