I’ve always loved toys that fly. Kites, frisbees, aerobies, you name it. If it can move through the air, it’s my kinda toy. And here’s my latest piece of fun. A HoverDisc. You inject it with some helium, and this thing just goes for ages. I can spin it in mid-air, or gently float it across the room. Bliss.
So, how often do you play?? Is it a conscious choice on a regular basis, or does it become an incidental after-thought that just occasionally happens? Or maybe not ever at all.
I’m reading a book by Stuart Brown called “Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul”. This guy has some powerful points to make. Essentially, he’s maintaining that adults forget to play… and that this is not a good thing for ongoing brain development.
He further maintains that as we become adults, we feel guilty about play, and consider it as a ‘distraction’ from real work and life. And yet, if you watch small children running around a playground, and see the excitement on their faces, you’ll be easily reminded of the joy that it can give you.
So, what is play? Well, this guy clarifies some of the properties of play, and they include:
* Apparently purposeless (done for its own sake)
* Voluntary
* Inherent attraction
* Freedom from time
* Diminished consciousness of self
* Improvisational potential
* Continuation desire
All sounds great to me. I’m off to a park with my HoverDisk. When’s the next time you’ll be playing??!
Collective Intelligence??!
What’s goin’ on around here??! Is it really possible that the concept of collective consciousness is about to become an everyday reality??!! Could we soon see millions of people from all corners of the planet who are collaborating on solutions to planetary issues? Will we eventually become a united learning entity, fully engaged in inquiry on a range of social, scientific and educational issues? Get ready for the Collective Classroom.
The annual Horizon Report outlines some core possibilities on near-future applications to higher education (and, eventually, I believe, to other ed levels). Some neat stuff here. On the ‘near-horizon’ (less than one year to mainstream take-up), they discuss Grassroots Video and Collaboration Webs. On the mid-horizon (2 to 3 yrs), they list Mobile Broadband and Data Mashups, while Social Operating Systems and Collective Intelligence feature on the Far Horizon (4 to 5 yrs from now).
This concept of Collective Intelligence is really sparking me. Some points about it can be found here. I’m probably spinning too hard here, yet I believe that we’re seeing the early emergence of a valid everyday application of collective consciousness around the world. A Classroom of Collective Intelligence. Too far-fetched? Maybe. Maybe not.
The Collective Classroom could involve hundreds of millions of students being supported by millions of teachers. One day, I’ll have a go at drafting out more of the possible details of this concept. Admittedly, for now, it’s more in my heart than my head. A gut feeling. Yet I’ll bet that it happens sooner rather than later.
Have a look at this video. Four minutes of collaboration from musicians everywhere. Just imagine music / art / scientific experiments / philosophies / learning experiences being crafted in a similar manner.
And on a much more simple and lighter note (so to speak), check this piece of music out. Obviously, there is nothing new to connective ventures. What will become exhilarating will be the breadth and depth of these collaborations.