Category Archives: Uncategorized

My ruthless Facebook purge of spring 2017

Today I commenced another round of Facebook cuts, and thought I should reflect on the why and how. As some of you know, I use Facebook daily.  Partly that’s to connect with people who don’t communicate with me any other … Continue reading →

Posted in technology, Uncategorized | 27 Comments

A day in the life of a futurist

People often ask what I do as an educational futurist.  As one answer I thought I’d share a kind of diary, to give a sense of the practical work and life. 6:30 am – rise later than usual, due to … Continue reading →

Posted in personal, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Improving a campus without growth: Matt Reed's excellent and difficult challenge

What if your college or university isn’t going to grow, and you can’t cut your way to sustainability?  What do you do then?  Community college dean and Inside Higher Ed commentator Matt Reed posed this hard challenge in a couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in future of education, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

An update on the staggering mass of student loan debt

How are Americans paying for higher education through student loans?  The New York Federal Reserve Bank offered an update this week. tl;dr version: student debt continues to rise. In detail: the total amount of student debt rose to more than … Continue reading →

Posted in future of education, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

When I consider how a friend's light is spent

I’ve known Bernie DeKoven for around twenty years.  If you don’t know him, Bernie is a guru of fun, a paladin of play.  He has devoted his life to playfulness, from developing games and practices on his own and also helping … Continue reading →

Posted in personal, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Still more American university cuts and mergers

As American colleges and universities work to fill up their fall classes, some are struggling to cope with low enrollment and financial pain.  Once more, our higher ed sector continues to be unhealthy.  Once again, the queen sacrifice is on … Continue reading →

Posted in research topics, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Is April Fool's 2017 when we pass peak prank?

It’s April Fool’s, and already sighs have arisen from across the United States.  Jokes, japes, pranks, and spoofs are in the air, and many people are grumbling in frustration rather than laughing in delight. I wonder if we’re experiencing a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

More on demographics: American white people's declining lifespan and what it means for education

Human lifespans have tended to rise over the past century.  That’s been a signal achievement of modernity, a combination of improved knowledge, health care, sanitation, and education.  But one American population has seen its lifespan decline since around 2000. Anne Case … Continue reading →

Posted in research topics, Uncategorized | Tagged | 4 Comments

Trump pours gas on the arts, humanities, sciences, and education, then asks Congress for a match

The Trump administration published its first budget (pdf), and it includes serious reducations to the arts, sciences, humanities, educational programs, and some financial aid. The cuts are widespread. Two major agencies, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for … Continue reading →

Posted in research topics, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

International ed tech and pedagogical projects: notes from INTED 2017

This past week I attended the INTED conference in Valencia, Spain.  After kicking things off with a keynote, I had the opportunity to participate in all sessions, which I appreciate. (That’s something I really like doing; I hate keynoters who … Continue reading →

Posted in education and technology, Uncategorized | Tagged | 5 Comments