Wonderful Future
presents:

Education Revolution

We've gone from TV with 3 channels to over 500 channels and now we've added YouTube with literally millions of options. Various newspapers, bookstores and post offices are closing as new media step in to replace the old. The point here is more options. Many more options than ever before.

But what about schools? Public schools used to be the only game in town. Now, there are more kinds of schools and more non-school options appearing every day. We're not replacing education with 'the internet,' but instead we are adding a multitude of choices unimaginable even a few years ago, involving new ways for adults and young people to learn and grow together.

After decades of children sitting at desks, we're ready to try something new.

This isn't 'the future' anymore. This is happening right now.

Video recordings of our first panel discussions are now up. Have a look!

Check out these links before attending:
Ken Robinson explains how we got here.
Richard Louv is inviting children out into nature.
Mike Rowe, of TV's 'Dirty Jobs' invites us to reconnect with skilled hands-on work
One example: Sewing schools are opening up all over the place.
And finally, Clayton Christensen sheds some light on how change can happen.

=== Come join our discussions! ===

Format:
- short presentations by moderator and invited panel members
- questions & answer
- open discussion.

Dates, times & topics:

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - 7 to 9 PM - Educational Alternatives (to public schools)
Panelists:
- Mikel Matisoo of the Sudbury Valley School
- Kim McMaken-Marsh of the Lexington Montessori School

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 - 7 to 9 PM - Learning Resources (beyond schools)
Panelists:
- Gui Cavalcanti of the Artisan's Asylum
- Norm McLeod of Arlington Community Media, Inc.
- Mike Bergman of Prospect Hill Forge
- Maureen Carey of Cambridge, Mass. - Home Learning

Location:
Robbins Library Community Room (downstairs, take the elevator at the left in the main lobby, push the LLR button)
700 Mass. Ave.
Arlington, MA 02476
781-316-3200
Note: As the library itself closes at 9:00 sharp, the formal portion of the meeting will end around 8:45 PM and we must clear the room by 9.

Cost: All events are FREE

RSVP: Not required (seating is first come, first served). To RSVP if you wish, please see our page on Meetup.com

Directions via T: Take the 67, 77, 79 or 350 bus to Arlington Center. Warning: check bus schedules for your return trip after 9 PM; the last run of the 67 is 8:14 PM; the 79 is 9:37 PM; the 350 is 10:49 PM, according to the MBTA web site. Follow directions for car or bicycle or walking.

Directions via car, bicycle or walking: Proceed to the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Route 60 (Pleasant / Mystic Streets), then northwest on Massachusetts Avenue one block to Peg Spengler Way (formerly Library Way), which runs between the library and the Unitarian Universalist Church. Enter the library at the main entrance on Peg Spengler Way. Go straight in past the circulation desk to the rotunda, then enter the elevator on the left and press the LLR button to go down one floor to the Community Room.

Parking: There is a small lot behind the library and another at the end of Peg Spengler way, next to the Robbins House. There is more parking along Mass. Ave., and behind the buildings on Mass. Ave. across from the library (via David Lamson Way or Water Street). Also, there is parking in the Russell Common parking lot, with entrances from Mystic Street and Chestnut Street. You do not have to purchase a parking permit after 6 PM.
Note: Parking may be difficult because of other activities in Arlington Center on Tuesday nights, so you might want to arrive early in order to find a space.

Questions: Call Glenn Koenig at 781-646-7708 or send email to video (at) openeyesvideo (dot) com

Publicity: Please tell all your friends about these events! Download a copy of the poster here.

* * *

Report on Part 1: October 4th - We had about 20 people attending. The meeting went well and a number of people wrote that they liked the presentations. A recording was made for cable TV and web cast. Check acmi.tv for schedule, channels, and web stream.

* * *

This event is the first in a proposed series called "After the Override"

The inspiration for this started in early June 2011. At that time, the Town of Arlington, Massachusetts held an election with a single question on the ballot, a property tax increase of 6.5 million dollars. The results are here.

Prior to the election, town officials promised not to ask for another increase for three years if this measure passed. Well, the measure passed, alright, but by less than 7% this time, and, considering the unstable state of the economy, the next vote could easily be defeated. But without more increases in taxes, how will the town balance its budgets?

Or, ... is that even the question? Isn't the question this: How will we who live in the town provide what we need for each other? Such things as safety, education, libraries, roads and trash? We can't pretend that the solutions of the past will still work in the future. Similar questions are being asked in other towns nearby and beyond.

"After the Override" is intended to be a series of public discussions where we will take a step back to look at how the world is changing around us and how we might think more "outside the government box" when it comes to how we live in our town.

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