Foreword

In my 16 years as a public school educator, split between the classroom and technology leadership, I've been at the forefront of integrating technology into teaching and learning. Despite the scaling of personal devices, internet access, and innovative software, I've observed that the core architecture of education remains unchanged. 

 

Stepping outside the education bubble, I have seen how innovative, novel technologies have been disrupting the rest of the world. Through these travels, I found many others who wish to explore the digital frontier, and I co-founded Ed3 DAO, a non-profit organization, that is focused on providing educators with the skills and understanding needed to keep up with our changing world.     

 

Along the way, I encountered Balaji Srinivasan's The Network State, a book challenging the very foundations of nation-state structures. In the book, Srinivasan posits that technology has enabled us to form new nations with highly aligned communities for collective action.  As I read, I was captivated by the parallels to education between the entrenched, century-old protocols of education and the potential for reimagining learning through the lens of technology.

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Over the last decade, I've been a sporadic writer, blogging on the intersection of education and technology.  The topics and messaging have evolved with my personal and professional learning journey, but I have always felt tension in trying to tie the topics together. The Network School is a culmination of my thinking and writing, tying together interests in project-based learning, blockchain, AI, leadership, and more. 

 

I decided to follow the lead of the Network State and pull this work together in a living e-book.  With the book still in progress, I wanted to release the first iteration of the Network School through some short-form content including a Preamble, visual representations, and the full Network School essay.  While the writing leans into the transformative potential of technology, it is designed to not be overly technical, translating the potential benefits of new technology for redeveloping the architecture of education. 

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The Network School ties together my personal experiences in public education, my work with Ed3 DAO, and my learning journey exploring the frontier of cutting-edge tech. It aims to challenge the status quo and reimagine the architecture of learning for the digital era. It is an invitation to join me in envisioning and building the future of education—a future where technology empowers, connects, and transforms the educational landscape, breaking free from the confines of the past to unlock the true potential of every learner.