Teaching math and science, I often find it frustrating that these subjects, potentially so full of excitement, creativity and purpose, are often seen by students as dry and irrelevant. Part of the cause of this I believe to be the artificial nature of the tasks done in schools: they are limited in scope to make them manageable, and constructed to give a limited range of outcomes. Project based learning has excited me by working towards more complex tasks, but often these are also limited by the time and ability of students to complete all aspects of the project.

Reflecting on the work of other groups shows many people working on intricate projects of a similar nature: students, hobbyists, clubs, government agencies, charities, private businesses, all may have aligned purposes and goals. Historically, they often work in relative isolation from each other.

There is a tremendous opportunity for technology to help align these separate groups and achieve greater results. A key element will be shifting the overall directing of a project from a specific individual or group, to a shared community that exists in the distributed online ecosystem. Instead of one group being responsible for a project from beginning to end, multiple groups can contribute what they are able to, and the project can progress beyond the ability and time commitment of any individual. Open collaboration supports the organic growth and development of organizations virtually. Mobile technology removes the limits of geography in how these organizations interact, internally and externally.

I've spent my career working in education of various forms: English language teaching in Asia, working with adults in financial services, and recently as a math and science teacher in international schools.

The concept of life long learning is a powerful trend in modern education, but I believe truly integrative education requires the flip side as well: meaningful education tasks that are valuable beyond the objectives of a single course. When the lines between education, work and personal interest blur,  new opportunities are going to arrise.