The material they need has been provided in their 3-ring binder and handouts. Numerous references have been provided in this blog and handout material.

Participants, as a member of a team, are to select a future trend that will have an impact on the Norfolk area in the future, say 5-10 or even 20 years.

Using the transformational learning skills they need to describe how they would approach getting their possible solutions implemented, why their solutions would be different from the mechanisms used in the past, what transformations skills are needed by the local leaders and the citizens to realize the implementation.

The trend should be scoped in such a way as to realize solutions at the local and regional level through the adoption of transformation learning skills. The use of references to support their ideas will be helpful.

The material should be organized is a manner that can presented to a group of community leaders that would have a stake in implementation.

]]> http://www.visioning2026.com/blog/post/leadership-norfolk-transformational-learning-process-project http://www.visioning2026.com/blog/post/leadership-norfolk-transformational-learning-process-project Community Transformation Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:11:12 EST What was the "Best News in 2007" as reported in published literature at the end of 2007 through
KurzweilAI.net Weekly Newsletter, 12/31/07.

What weak signals, trends, and connections can you suggest from these reports? How will these news items impact the Norfolk community in the future?

Also, please consider the following paper, 56 Top Trends Affecting Norfolk, presented by Marvin Cetron, in September 2006, as ideas for your process project. There are 56 trends identified by Visioning 2026 members that were evaluated by Mr. Cetron and their likely impact to the community and Northeast Nebraska.

Mark Hall

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Science's 2007 Breakthroughs of the Year
KurzweilAI.net Dec. 21, 2007
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Science recognized "Human Genetic Variation" as the 2007 Breakthrough of the Year, and detailed nine other of the year's most significant scientific accomplishments in its December 21 issue: - Cosmic rays' acceleration may come from passing by the magnetic fields around black holes. - Researchers determined the structure of the human...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7680&m=24788

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2008: your guide to the year in science
Popular Science December 2007
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IBM's 3-D chip stacks, "physmatics" (the blurry line between math and physics), and high-resolution imaging satellites will be part of 2008's biggest science stories, predicts Popular Science....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7720&m=24788

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Popular Science's Best of What's New 2007
Popular Science December 2007
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The first five-finger bionic grip, the world's most efficient solar panels, and a home 3-D printer are in the "Best of What's New 2007" list from Popular Science....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7719&m=24788

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Internet Opens Elite Colleges to All
Washington Post Dec. 29, 2007
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More than 100 universities worldwide, including Johns Hopkins, Tufts and Notre Dame, have joined MIT in a consortium of schools promoting their open courseware--college courses available online for free. MIT's OpenCourseWare's site gets more than 1 million hits per month, with translated versions getting 500,000 more. About 60 percent of users...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7717&m=24788

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The Year in Biotech
Technology Review Dec. 28, 2007
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Stem cells from skin, myriad microbes, and a $350,000 personal genome are among Technology Review's list of top biotech stories in...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7714&m=24788

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IDC serves up top 10 storage predictions for 2008
Computerworld Dec. 24, 2007
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Online storage services and solid-state disk drives are among IDC's top 10 storage predictions for 2008....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7712&m=24788

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2007: The year in technology
New Scientist Dec. 24, 2007
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Leech-like robots that crawl along the heart to deliver drugs, robots with a fish-like electrical sensing system, and boredom-detecting software are among the key new technologies featured in New Scientist magazine in 2007....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7711&m=24788

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2007: The year in biology and medicine
NewScientist.com news service Dec. 26, 2007
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Obesity research (including potential causes from genetics or viruses), the emergence of completely drug-resistant TB, other infectious diseases, and stem cells were among the big biology and medicine news stories covered by New Scientist in 2007....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7710&m=24788

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Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs of 2007
Wired News Dec. 27, 2007
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A transparent material as strong as steel, stem cells from a cloned Rhesus monkey, and smaller transistors made with new materials are among the top 10 scientific breakthroughs covered by Wired in 2007....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7707&m=24788

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2007: The Year in Energy
Technology Review Dec. 26, 2007
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Advanced biofuels, more-efficient vehicles, and solar power (using quantum dots and mimicking photosynthesis) top the most notable energy stories covered by Technology Review in 2007....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7704&m=24788

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2007: The Year in Hardware
Technology Review Dec. 26, 2007
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Touch screens, context-aware gadgets, autonomous vehicles, and brain-computer interfaces (controlling computer games, market research, facial recognition) were among the top hardware developments covered by Technology Review in 2007....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7703&m=24788

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The Top 10 New Organisms of 2007
Wired Magazine Dec. 26, 2007
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Organisms invented in 2007 include insulin-producing lettuce, yeast with poison-sensing rat genes, cancer-fighting Clostridium bacteria, artful fluorescent tadpoles and butanol-producing E. coli....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7702&m=24788

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The Year in Nanotech: Better batteries and supersticky glues are on the horizon
Technology Review Jan. 3, 2008
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Nanowires and nanotubes for generating and storing energy, new classes of materials that could render objects invisible, and non-stick or supersticky materials are a few of the nanotechnology items in Technology Review's "The Year in...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7734&m=24788

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The Year in Software
Technology Review Jan. 2, 2008
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New search technologies (such as speech recognition), cloud (web-based)computing, virtual worlds, self-expression, new social-networks features, and expanded mobile-phone services were Technology Review's key software developments of...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7725&m=24788

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A Few of Our Favorite Things: ScienceNOW's top stories of 2007
Science NOW Jan. 1, 2008
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Arguments that black holes do not exist and quantum mechanics research that finds an observer can change the behavior of light, even after it has been measured, are two of Science Now's top stories of 2007....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7731&m=24788

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National Nanotechnology Initiative releases new strategic plan
KurzweilAI.net Jan. 2, 2008
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The new 2007 NNI Strategic Plan for the work of the National Nanotechnology Initiative has been released, describing the vision, goals, and priorities of the NNI, high-impact application opportunities, and critical research needs....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7730&m=24788

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The Generational Divide in Copyright Morality
New York Times Dec. 20, 2007
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Today's college students don't find file-sharing wrong, according to one informal audience...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=7697&m=24788

In preparation for the January 2008 class we are providing some read ahead material to help with the future dialogue in class and your activities for selecting a process project and developing your outcome. The general topic for this year's class is, “How would you prepare Norfolk for the future that is emerging using transformational methods?”

As part of the class we'll be investigating weak signals, e.g., the current political campaign and how this may impact the future political process. Please take a couple minutes and read the following New York Times article by David Brooks, Jan. 4, 2008, The Two Earthquakes.

A more recent paper written by Rick Smyre, he introduces several new weak signals that should be considered as part of the class dialogue and your process project.

http://www.Visioning2026.com/docs/TL/COTF-WeakSignalsList-Jan'08.pdf

On a related note we've included several links to PDF files, the first being more lengthly and discussing Democracy in a Learning Mode, by Rick Symre.

http://www.Visioning2026.com/docs/TL/DEMOCRACY-IN-A-LEARNING-MODE.pdf

Other related reference material will be handed out in class and is included here.

“CONSIDERATION QUESTIONS”, When Designing a Process Project Framework

PROCESS PROJECTS OF TRANSFORMATION, KEY IDEAS TO CONSIDER, STEPS TO TAKE

What you'll find in this message

1. References to Transformational Learning
2. Testimonials
3. Futures Generative Dialogue
4. Weak Signals from the Past -- Future Trends Today

During the last class you were briefly introduced to future trends and why they are important to our future as a community and an individual. During the next class we'll introduce the concept of transformational learning and how it is different and more powerful from our traditional methods of learning.

1. We are including links to material to help prepare you for the journey. Please take some time to read through the material.

The first tutorial covers Transformational Learning -- Key Concepts and Questions, material (PDF formated) developed by Rich Smyre, President of Communities of the Future, over the course of many years.

The second document, Transformation Learning -- Core Competencies and Evaluative Methods for Specific Outcomes, is a start at the "how to" begin the journey.

2. You might ask why is this new learning method important to me? We've included two testimonials that will help make the connection.
Riding the Winds of Change with Transformational Thinking
My Transformation Learning Journey

3. A term that will come up during the next six months of Leadership Norfolk is Futures Generative Dialogue. We are planting the seed now as it will take some time for this concept to germinate, grow and bloom in your understanding and practice.

Futures Generative Dialogue -- Background of Understanding

One of the most important Communities of the Future (COTF) skills for community transformation is the ability to create an environment for "futures generative dialogue" and to be able to facilitate it. To this end, it is important that a process/transformative leader to understand the differences between debate, dialogue, generative dialogue and "futures generative dialogue. Debate is connected to the traditional idea that there is one truth for any issue. Dialogue creates differences as a result of diverse people listening to each other. Generative dialogue sets a goal to develop innovation and new ideas. Futures generative dialogue adds the element of "dialogue within a futures context" that ensures that new ideas and innovations are transformative and not just rearranging or updating old approaches.

"Futures generative dialogue" will become increasingly important for our communities and our economy as the need for continuous innovation evolves. Until individuals and organizations in our communities become familiar with future trends and their potential impact, many ideas thought appropriate actually will be increasingly obsolete.

The following elements are important to the needs of "futures generative dialogue:"

Direct Elements:

a) Is the dialogue with an individual or group?
b) If a group, what is the size of the group?
c) Is an outcome required? If so within what timeframe?
d) Are you familiar and competent with the methods and techniques of "futures generative dialogue?"

Indirect Elements:

a) The need for a large knowledge base and passion for learning.
b) The need to adjust to a changing situation?
c) Has the context of the "fgd" changed?
d) How to take advantage of outcomes of "fgd."

4. During the last class you were briefly introduced to future trends. We continue to ask ourselves is this a trend or a fad. Typically there are several factors involved in establishing a trend, they may commonally be called weak signals The following list of weak signals and the related connections may be considered as mechanism for detecting those future trends. What weak signals can you identify that may become a trend in the future?

Weak Signals From the Past

1) CB radios and Bag Phones evolved to Cell Phones: supported by cellular standards, batteries, microprocessor.
2) Interactive games such as Pong evolved to multi-player virtual reality games: supported by new gaming industry, microprocessor, video card technology, Internet.
3) Hybrid crops evolved to genetically modified crops: supported DNA research, minimal tillage practices, reduced equipment reqts, improved moisture control.
4) Medical information accessability and billing: supported by HIPA standards, cryptography, Internet, electronic claims submission, use of PDA for patient information.
5) Use of plastics in everyday activities: supported by chemical structural engineering using CAD and plastic injected molding tools, tougher mileage standards for vehicles.
6) Growth in alternative fuels: supported by rising fuel prices, unstable supplies and world demands, MTBE contamination
7) Advertising and marketing using non-traditional methods: Internet, web sites, blogs, satellite radio,
8) E-commerce and small business growth: supported by Internet, web site standards, people with less time, youth endorses on-line purchasing, eBay, Paypal.
9) Credit card usage: communications and security standards
10) Open heart surgery, replacement of organs, tissue regrowth: supported by anti rejection drugs, improve surgery tools and techiques
11) Digital media replacing printed books (world book reference material changes): digital technology standards, Internet distribution, wikipedia publishing

Check out the site here

"In the years ahead new wireless technologies will appear in a plethora of devices, much as computer chips did in the second half of the 20th century."

"For all the excitement, it will be a while before machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and sensor networks become ubiquitous. Although the technology exists, different approaches do not as yet work well together. Unlike computer software, which can be deployed with a few mouse-clicks, each system still needs to be tailor-made. And the melding of communications and computing brings together two industries and engineering cultures that are generally at odds, slowing progress. Moreover, the business models to justify the time and cost of adding wireless services are embryonic."
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9032088&fsrc=nwlehfree

With more standards being developed to support M2M operations our communitycan be on forefront of building a creative and vibrant culture.  Now can you see us evolving into a Borg like society depicted in modern Star Trek series? :-))

 Mark Hall

You can learn more about the conference by visiting www.2enlightenment.com

I am looking forward to many comments from the attendees of the conference and thier impressions of the experience.

It is now 2007, and Hadleyville has grown to about 25,000 from the village it was in Will Kane's time. The state economy that is dependent on agriculture has gone through a recession, and the effects have been:  decreased retail sales and local plant reductions-in-force.  A significant manufacturer has begun to reduce its employees, intends to "outsource" work and reallocate jobs to production facilities it owns in other countries.  THe leadership of Hadleyville has tried unsuccessfully to create a source of incentive financing from a local sales tax, but has been defeated on seral occasions by a small, but vocal and effective opposition group.  The opposition group has continually undermined the municipal and Chamber of Commerce leaders with the citizens of Hadleyville.

You are a Leadership Hadleyville team that has been asked by civic leaders to devise sucessful strategies to create economic development (increase in 'quality' jobs in Hadleyville).  Among the options for consideration is another effort to pass the incentive financing program that the opposition defeated (LB 840 as example).

1) Assume that the opposition will be unimpressed that you soon will graduate from Leadership Hadleyville, and that they will attack you as vociferously as they have the municipal government and Chamber.

2) Have your team organize itself to develop a strategic plan that manages the opposition that will not abate, persuades the citizens of Hadleyville to support the financial incentive program.

3) Whatever the outcome, survive whe your plan and implementation are finished

1) Energy - changing from fossil fuels to hydrogen and alternate fuels
   ex: Anything into Oil
        What is the Hydrogen Economy?
  Quote: As Jeremy Rifikin postulates in his book The Hydrogen Economy :  “A decentralized, hydrogen-energy regime offers the hope, at least, of connecting the unconnected and empowering the powerless. When that happens, we could entertain the very real possibility of "reglobalization," this time from the bottom up, and with everyone participating in the process.”

2) The Limits of Representative Democracy - Representative Democracy confronts the challenges of accelerating change.

3)   Global Warming - We face an increase of 2.5 degrees F to 10.5 degrees F over the next 100 years.

4)   New Diseases - Unknown viruses and resistant bacteria are emerging.

5)   Changing Demographics - The differential aging and youth of the world population creates an economic and social time bomb.

6) Reduction in Biodiversity - 1/2 of existing species could be lost in the next fifty years.

7) Technological Singularity - We are approaching a moment when runaway advances outstrip human comprehension and all our knowledge and experience becomes useless as a guidepost to the future.

8) Cognitive Complexity and Continuous Innovation - Real time change requires a new way of thinking and seeing connections as the world becomes increasingly complex.

9) Clashing Civilizations and Terrorism - The confrontation of Islamic and Western cultures will create an environment of mutual anger, distrust and even hate unless new types of bridges are built.

10) Three Economies in Churn -     We are in a thirty-year transition from an Industrial Economy to a Creative Knowledge Economy to an Electronic Web/Network Economy.

11) National Boarders May Disappear - As poverty confronts economic affluence, communications connect and travel expands, immigration will overpower the capacity of borders to control human migration.

12) Artificial Intelligence Emerges - The concept of what it means to be human will change as a result of the rise of artificial intelligence, biotechnology and nanotechnology.

Jennifer

Here's where that reference is listed, just click on the "Watch" hyperlink.
http://www.booktv.org/General/index.asp?segID=7515&schedID=463&category=In+Depth\

How can I help transform our education system to integrate more of this inventor type of thinking? What economic development activities can I help foster to prepare our community for these transformational changes?  What access points do I have from outside our community that can help transform our community into incorporating leading edge technologies? What capacities do we have locally, e.g.,  inexpensive electical, broadband, water, etc. resources that would support these technological trends forecasted by Ray Kurzweil?

Mark