Even just one idea

The speaker is Clay Shirky. He is observant, insightful, enthusiastic, and wonderfully erudite. And his argument is compelling.

In his presentation, he talks about the advantages (and disadvantages) that particular forms technology are beginning to offer for the fermentation and sharing of ideas. He frames it as an institutions vs collaboration.

The nub of his idea is that these technologies (these ways of collaborating) provide the opportunity to very easily contribute “even just one idea” that may improve a mission, task, or program; where before, that voice might not have “fit” into the traditional model of belonging to a designated group (read “committee”) formed to solve a problem or pursue a goal.

We see the inklings of it working within our own school with email, shared folders, blogs. Upon reflection, I see it especially in the evolving manner of my contributions to classrooms and district projects; “finding out” about an issue in shared meeting minutes, a forwarded website, a shared “tag;” and then offering up “at least one” service/idea/resource that might not otherwise have been provided.

I don’t think it’s the death of committees, but like Shirky I think that how we might cultivate solutions and richness for our many projects lies in the participation of all our stakeholders; now so easily summoned, linked, and included by embracing these new tools.

All we need to do is remember not to limit ourselves by relying on only the former models of “how to get things done.”