Last night I bumped into Mark Lawler and Don Domes at a TAO event. Both played pivotal roles in my journey into education. While I wrote about Don's impact on me in the book, I didn't mention Mark in the story. But I should have.
Back in 2009, we were sitting together at a TAO board meeting. Mark was passionate about education and had been involved with TechStart for many years, a program designed to introduce computer science to students.
He leaned back in his chair and turned to me. "You know, Thompson," he began, "we need to go big or go home."
Immediately, in my gut, I knew he was right. If we were really to prepare students for the new creative economy, we needed to reimagine the entire learning experience. It wasn't about adding some new skills to the existing curriculum, it was going to require radical transformation – one guided by an Audacious Aspiration.