Reflecting on Day 1 of Purpos/ed
Wow! Whilst Andy Stewart and I, kickstarters of Purpos/ed, knew that there was a growing demand to increase the public space available for debating the purpose(s) of education, we didn’t really know just how much! Even doubling the 500 words challenge didn’t satisfy demand (there’s a reserve list here) and Andrés Espinoza Cara (@espinoza_cara) voluntarily started translating the Purpos/ed site into Spanish!
Awesome.
But this is just the beginning. We’re in it for the long-haul. Andy and I are currently busy setting up Purpos/ed as a co-operative, a form of organization that we feel suits its mission better than setting up as other forms of social enterprise (or, for that matter, a charity). We’ll be looking for founding members, therefore at some point in the future who will be able to help plan our first events. For now, we’ve got an exciting mix of well-known and enthusiastic bloggers who will be sharing their thoughts about what they believe to be the purpose of education. After yesterday’s inspiring call-to-action by Prof. Keri Facer today we’ve got Stephen Downes, who needs no introduction!
Finally, this isn’t about individuals, or even small groups. It’s about creating spheres of public debate about the purpose(s) of education. It’s not party-political but it is about power to the people.
It’s a bit like Big Society hits Twitter. David Cameron will be delighted. (tongue slightly in cheek)
I do like the idea of the Big Society, just not the way that the competitive funding arrangements pit community groups against one another.
But this is bigger than just the UK. :-)