IFTF Ten-Year Forecast 2023—Changing the Register: Reimagining Learning

On June 1, the second episode of our free-to-the-public Ten-Year Forecast 2023 series will examine past and future pathways for learning. We’ll explore diverse perspectives from researchers, experts, and guests that point to radical new possibilities and approaches to learning in the coming decades. Our guests include:

• Jon Shelton, author of The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy, which challenges the myths around formal education and economic opportunity
• Jane McGonigal, IFTF research director and author of Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything, who will immerse attendees and participants in a 2033 future-of-learning scenario to build real-time foresight and imagination skills
• Christopher Cabaldon, IFTF's Mayor in Residence and currently the Representative for the State of California on the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education. Christopher will showcase a future vision of higher education that centers equity, community development, and climate adaptation.
• Robyn Ames-Woodyard, Assistant Vice President for Future Planning. Robyn Ames-Woodyard is responsible for leading CSULB's Beach 2030 project, an ambitious strategic planning effort that aims to unite the university as it readies for a decade of change. Robyn has over 21 years of management experience and has served CSULB in various roles since 1998, including as Assistant Vice President for Future Planning, her current position. Her previous experience as the Director of Parking and Operations and in roles in Staff Human Resources has provided her with extensive project management expertise and intimate knowledge of the campus community. Throughout Robyn's career at The Beach, she has been a dedicated member of many campus-wide committees to improve policies and processes, including the Beach 2030 strategic plan.
• Lonny Avi Brooks, Professor in Communication and Futures Studies, CSU East Bay, and Creative Director, AfroRithm Futures Group. Lonny J Avi Brooks, (PhD. in Communication, 2004, UC San Diego), is a Professor in Communication, Cal State University, East Bay, and co-executive producer of The Afrofuturist Podcast; co-author, Afrofuturism 2.0: the Rise of Astro-Blackness, lead editor, special issue “When is Wakanda?” (Journal of Futures Studies); co-organizer, Black Speculative Arts Movement; Co-Founder and Creative Director of the AfroRithm Futures Group (ARFG), imagining democratized futures as co-designer of the game Afro-Rithms From The Future.
• Wil Zemp, CEO Project Kitty Hawk. Wil Zemp is the chief executive officer of Project Kitty Hawk, a nonprofit ed-tech startup that will partner with UNC System institutions to serve adult learners. A strategist, team builder, and coach, Zemp brings together leaders in industry and education to build a stronger, more prolific workforce.

For learners, teachers, and administrators alike, our assumptions about what and how we learn are challenged today by changing economic realities, shifting cultural norms, and bewildering new technological capacities. And while the near term presents no shortage of uncertainties, the next decade promises an explosion of new learning pathways personalized to the specific needs and contexts of individuals and communities. At this session we’ll explore questions such as:

• How can schools and universities adapt to this future?
• How can we ensure our young people are being set up to thrive in the 2030s and beyond?

For more than two decades IFTF has been researching education and learning—from the entrenched business models surrounding public and private education, to the complex interplay between education and the larger economy and society. We hope you’ll join us for this 3-hour expansive and interactive exploration of the pitfalls and possibilities awaiting us on the ten year horizon.

Stay tuned for details about the expert speakers and special interactive demonstrations IFTF will present in this second event in the series.

For over five decades Institute for the Future (IFTF) has presented an annual Ten-Year Forecast on the urgent futures issues facing society and introducing new tools to support group foresight. If you a part of an IFTF Vantage Partner organization, please make sure to click "Reserve a Spot" and enter the promo code to reveal and select the IFTF Vantage Partner ticket type.

We will send updates and details about how to tune in for this IFTF Ten-Year Forecast program as the event approaches.