The document discusses several "mad ideas" related to education, including creating a virtual department to educate students, focusing on student outcomes like creativity and problem solving, and allowing children to learn independently through open access to the internet without direct teaching. It also references projects like "holes in the wall" that showed children in India could learn on their own this way. The overall theme is that the current education system is outdated and new, "mad" ideas are needed to transform and improve it.

1. Burning Pencils, Sharpening Questions Mad Ideas, Risk Assessment, Lunatic Action and Sane Friends – Mad Idea # 7250 Anne Zarinnia LibraryTech 2010, Macalester College S t Paul, MN - March 18, 2010

2. CAVEAT EMPTOR Matches, a knife, a magnifying glass, string Wireless junk, Morse-code tappers, old rifles, various cartridges Sound travels through the body A .22 bullet travels over a mile – and you can make a gun Creative ways of making the light come on when Santa delivers the goods Ph.D. Discovery : U.S. is BOTH enabled AND HELD BACK by organizational structures, strictures and habits – SAME OLD reform efforts, SAME OLD matrix organization What do your pockets say about you?

3. Geographers – Scan! Consider solutions… DREAM UP MAD IDEAS

4. The Future of Universities Thepathlesspath http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2XekQnObxM , 2009 ACADEMIA FOR ALL – Mad Idea # 4351

5. 1995 - Wisconsin “MESS” School librarians – 50% >55 90 people on emergency licenses Preparation programs closed University faculty hard to replace Curriculum out-dated So… I called my colleague in Eau Claire…

6. A Virtual Department… 1997-1999 Whitewater / Eau Claire project – hybrid program offering access to licenses & degrees 1999 UWSSLEC (University of Wisconsin System School Library Education Consortium) Whitewater (HQ) Eau Claire Oshkosh Superior Madison CREATING - A NETWORK OF PROFESSORS – Mad Idea # 4352

7. … Of Wisconsin Faculty 1997-1999 Whitewater / Eau Claire project – hybrid program offering access to licenses & degrees SERVES STUDENTS NOT CURRENTLY REACHED

8. The “Mad Idea” - in Reality 2007 Shortages, stasis - A NEED FOR REDESIGN… UWSSLEC Student Locations 1997-2009

9. IMLS Laura Bush Scholarships 2010 Blue = applied Green – award UWSSLEC

10. NIMBLE – a definition Quick, light, or agile in movement or action Quick, clever, and acute in devising or understanding http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nimble

11. Technologically NIMBLE Understandings and knowledge - Habits of mind Curious, creative, innovative, problem solver - Attitudes Risk-taker, self remedy, continuous learner, constant change, confident, - Leadership Aware, skilled, expertise, critical assessment - not a magpie Professionally NIMBLE A? UWSSLEC/ UW SLIS Meeting , Madison SLIS, October 2009 Professionally NIMBLE

12. Beautiful Statistics Gapminder.org Gapminder World Gapminder USA For UK: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8070000/8070108.stm Hans Rosling www.gapminder.org

13. TWENTY FIRST CENTURY Student Outcomes Partnership for 21 st Century Skills 1. Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes 2. Learning and Innovation Skills Creativity and Innovation Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Communication & Collaboration 3. Information, Media and Technology Skills 4. Life and Career Skills

14. 2010 - Wisconsin “MESS” School finance The economy Globalization RESULT: LOSS OF POSITIONS Changing Demographics www.getfacts.wisc.edu/

15. Enrollment Projections K-12 Public School - 1994-2016 http://www.apl.wisc.edu/ Richelle Winkler & Sarah Kemp, 2008 Presentation to the 87th Wisconsin State Education Convention

16. Immediate Problem K-5 K-5 Public School - 2005-2016 www.apl.wisc.edu/ Richelle Winkler & Sarah Kemp, 2008 Presentation to the 87th Wisconsin State Education Convention

17. High School Diploma - ONLY www.getfacts.wisc.edu/ Applied Population Laboratory RESULT: LOSS OF STATE

18. International Emphasis on Innovation Entrepreneurship and Innovation Christian Science Monitor, Feb 21, 2010, p30 The Innovation Economy by Mark Trumbull

19. AALBORG – A European Community “University of Innovation” Not afraid to fail Diversity of perspective Real world experience Work in groups Project based SWIM – collaborative information search process TRIZ Contradictions Matrix – 40 principles “ Creativity, Innovation and the Use of Information,” Creativity, Innovation and the Use of Information – Aalborg University 2008 Carol Kuhlthau – Keynote Speaker

20. AALBORG: Education for Innovation Creativity – unlimited use of information Innovation – knowledge in use Project based curricula Diverse groups of students Local partnerships Innovation with the Hyper Library , (Rosenstand) Curriculum for Innovation

22. Saltire - Information Commons Asked the students: “ What would make your work easier…” – Working together, Conversations – ALL information in one location – Combine art, design, light, computers, family furniture Result: 97% occupancy Jan Howden , 2006 Glasgow Caledonian

23. Flexible spaces Movable Inflatable Office

24. Only in India?

25. Salad Bar

26. Innovation Unlimited!

28. US Lags in Elementary Education Importance of education in the early years Remoteness Educational level of parents School finance Groups of children (6-12 years old in groups of 4 or so), given unrestricted and unsupervised access to the Internet can learn almost anything on their own. It doesn't matter who or where they are. We know this from 20 years of research, standing on the shoulders of Aurobindo, Piaget, Vygotsky and Montessori. Barefoot in the Head, Sunday, July 12, 2009 http://sugatam.blogspot.com/ – Mad Idea # 4353 This kind of learning is activated by questions, not answers.

29. Gylemuir Elementary School Edinburgh Central Education Resources

30. “ EXPLORATORIUM” “ an inquiry approach that engages the inquisitive energy children bring to learning – “ Nine Thousand Straws Jean Sausele Knodt

31. Charlotte-Mecklenberg Public Library This collection of photos, available on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Teen Website at www.libraryloft.org , showcases teen events at Library branches throughout Mecklenburg County.

32. Sugata Mitra: Future of universities There is no need for classes with hundreds The university will be about research and assessment… “ If you say you are an engineer… …come for a month and prove it.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs9B0di3CmI – Mad Idea # 4355

33. JISC/ BL GOOGLE GENERATION “ Information skills are needed more than ever and at a higher level if people are to really avail themselves of the benefits of an information society.” “ Emerging research findings from the US points to the fact that these skills need to be inculcated during the formative years of childhood: by university or college it is too late to reverse engineer deeply ingrained habits, notably an uncritical trust in branded search engines to deliver quick fixes. This will require concerted action between libraries, schools and parents.” “ CONFIDENCE LEVEL: HIGH (AND THE STAKES ARE ENORMOUS)” Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future , 2008, p32 This study was commissioned by the British Library and JISC.

34. Children Learn Without Teachers Sugata Mitra: Hole-in-the-wall PROJECT, TED talk http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v =lVkIALoYiA4 Sugata Mitra: NULL HYPOTHESIS “ Tamil children with no teachers and who know no English cannot learn biotechnology on their own.” Pre- Post Test: Biogenetics from England’s GCSE exam ( General Certificate of Secondary Education )

35. Lankes and the New Librarianship Fundamental purpose of librarians: To improve society through knowledge creation Education to bootstrap society out of poverty Support for the remote and underserved Help innovate and engage in entrepreneurship Actions not stuff “New Librarianship”–Slides, Audio, and Screencast of R. David Lankes Keynote @ Charleston Conference, Nov. 2009 “… a view of a new librarianship, one focused on knowledge and action instead of artifacts and collection” – Mad Idea # 4357

36. American “Holes in the Wall” We need EVERYONE Our CHILDREN especially in K-5 now ARE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY What MAD ideas have you had? The future is NOW!

37. HOW? “ Cook up” MAD ideas Entertain unusual notions and views Ignore the structures that separate us Actively engage in: Thank you

38. CONTACT Anne Zarinnia, Ph.D. Dept. Education Foundations, Chair University of Wisconsin – Whitewater [email_address]

39. Additional References UWSSLEC: www.uwsslec.org British Library: http://www.bl.uk/ JISC Google Generation downloads from University College, London: http:// www.ucl.ac.uk/infostudies/research/ciber/downloads / Intute http://www.intute.ac.uk/ (created by a consortium of seven universities to help students find useful information on the web) Wisconsin Applied Population Laboratory Presentations related to demographics and education ( http://www.apl.wisc.edu/briefsreports.html#presentations) Richelle Winkler & Sarah Kemp. Wisconsin’s Public School Enrollment Past, Present, & Future. Presentation to the 87th Wisconsin State Education Convention January 24, 2008 Interactive data mapping demographics www.getfacts.wisc.edu/ Carol Kuhlthau, Professor II Emerita, Rutgers ( http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/ ) Interactive TRIZ Contradictions Matrix ( http://triz40.com/ ) Sugata Mitra Hole-in-the-Wall TED Talk (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/sugata_mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves.html) SWIM training modules http:// www. swim info.dk/pdf/hyperlibrary.pdf Photo: Ring of Brodgar, Orkney (Photo by Zarinnia)

40. TRIZ40 Contradictions Matrix http://www.innovation-triz.com/TRIZ40/