Proposal: In an Open Design focused planet, do you think the classroom could turn into an innovation centre?
Imagine for a second if all innovations were by requirement open source. The computer you are working on, the car you drive, even the recipe for the bread you may be munching on. In such a world all students would have the potential to remix and remake their consumer goods, repair broken objects more easily, and ultimately have control over their world.
If this do you think it would be possible for the innovation centre to move from startups full of adults to kids? In effect, we could turn our very schools into the Open Ventures we have been discussing here. Well? What says ye?
Yes! Absolutely! But then, how do we avoid child labour? Would schools become sweat shops for innovative ideas that would be stolen from children without paying them for their ingenuity? Will someone be investing in them? Will the children start to create venture pitches? I am sorry that I am answering your question with more questions!
On the other hand, this is a way to get kids more interested in school because they are invested in the subject matter and everything would be improved do the interaction of many people.
It is certainly true that your ideas could become the reality if we are not careful. If I could dream, we would need to detach the concept of material gain from that of creating and innovating. As we continue to move into a more knowledge based society with automation taking over much of the menial stuff, perhaps it would be more feasible. Unlike a sweatshop, I see schools where the students have agency over what they are doing being more engaging and interesting for the students.
