As you will quickly see, the goal of the Einstein program more generally is not "delivered education", but rather what we refer to as "sought knowledge". The emphasis is on approaches which seek to valorize the seeking process, and with it the independent and active involvement of the learner. There is thus a strong element of self-tuition behind each of the group’s programs, and this is opening up some exciting new roles for teachers, educators and parents which can usefully complement the more traditional educational delivery techniques.
It may at first glance appear that Einstein is primarily about technology, but that is not true. Einstein is above all about people and learning. About hard work, self-esteem and community. Einstein projects use technology as an instrument of change, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink the role of learning and education in our daily lives.
This site introduces several "first generation" Einstein projects. They are concrete, have been tested and proved in a number of school and other community contexts, and are available to be put to work immediately. Each project is, in effect, a learning system and is consciously designed as such. In each case we provide a detailed working outline and support system, raw materials really, which can be rethought and restructured by the participating schools and institutions in order to reflect best the specific conditions, opportunities and resources (human, technological and financial) of that place.
The first regional pilot program is presently being established to support the application of leading edge learning technologies and innovational organizational concepts in schools and other places of learning in the Spanish Basque Country. It is seen as a natural continuation and extension of the unprecedented and extraordinary collective learning experience that has been carried out in the Basque Country over the last twenty five years, which has resulted in the renewal of their once almost-lost national language. The program was officially announced as part of the recent International Symposium on Lifelong Learning in the Information Society that was called in Valladolid from 26-28 September under the aegis of the Forum International des Sciences Humaines and the European Commission (go HERE for details).
The first stage program that is described in these pages is perhaps best viewed as a first step in a much broader process. Thus, it is reasonable to expect that once a school or community group have run their own Resource Audit and then their first Global Lab program, new ideas and variants will begin to take shape for later stages. One of the goals of the Einstein program is to provide a mechanism whereby these new ideas and initiatives can be followed and shared with others who are interested in these approaches.
You may find it useful to think of Einstein as the proverbial grain of sand. In the wrong place, it will probably only scratch and irritate. But in the right environment, with the right kind of support, it can yield a real pearl. Which brings us to the heart of this whole venture: those people and groups who decide that they wish to work with and build on the ideas which are set out in these pages and programs. It is these partners, these individuals, schools and communities that we are trying to reach now and that are going to constitute the vital creative core of the program. The rest of us can only try to be of help as best we can.
In addition to working within the school and educational systems, a priority concern of Einstein is community and "public outreach" programs. These target and reach those individuals and groups who otherwise risk to be overlooked in the rapid push to an Information Society which, if we are not extremely vigilant, will otherwise lead us to a two-speed society of haves and have-nots (you may wish to go to the Information Society home page here for more background on this). Einstein is preparing to develop partnerships with other institutions and programs that aim to improve the learning skills, educational levels and self-esteem of unemployed youths and adults, the aged and handicapped, people in rural areas, prisoners, and others who are living ‘difficult transitional periods’ in a society which is undergoing accelerating and unsettling change (go to Next Steps: Near Term Concerns and Objectives for more on this).
All Einstein programs depend heavily on local volunteer support. The Global Lab component is part-funded by the US National Science Foundation. The Learning Without Frontiers program is wholly funded by UNESCO. All remaining activities require funding and support to move ahead. Specifically support is being sought to cover costs of the common Einstein operation, the regional programs (such as the present pilot in the Basque Country), and at the level of the schools and institutions directly concerned. If you have some ideas or are interested in providing funding or other forms of support for the program, you are invited to contact the Einstein program directly.
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