Books

Here are several examples of current books that may inform us about changes taking place in our society as we move into the 21st century. We cannot form a useful vision to guide us in developing a 21st century education if we do not understand the context of the world in which we live.

In groups of 3-4 choose one of these or select another for your reading circle that will help us learn what knowledge and skills are needed to live, work and play in these times. Before you choose one, look at a number of them that appeal to you and read the corresponding reviews. You may wish to follow the links to other books of similar content. This is not a complete list. Please keep us apprised of what you are learning and thinking about on the discussion board under the section "book circles". Understand that these are not in any particular order. Most are linked to Amazon to aid you in reviews and content before purchasing.

• 21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn by James Bellanca and Ron Brandt

• A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change by Douglas Thomas

• Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn by Cathy N. Davidson

• The Social Life of Information by John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid

• Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies By Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

• The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom By Yochai Benkler

• Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations By Clay Shirky

• Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives John Palfrey and Urs Gasser

• What Would Google Do? By Jeff Jarvis

• Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns By Clayton M. Christensen, Curtis W. Johnson, and Michael B. Horn

• The Big Switch: Rewiring the World from Edison to Google by Nicholas Carr

• A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age by Daniel Pink

• The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent by Richard Florida

• The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life by Richard Florida

• Five Regions of the Future by Barker and Erickson

• Get Back in the Box : Innovation from the Inside Out by Douglas Rushkoff