Don't Go Back to School - A Handbook for Learning Anything

228 Pages·2013·1.21 MB·English

by  Kio Stark

Don’t
Go Back
to School
A Handbook for Learning Anything
kio Stark
Front Matter 1

Additional Praise for Don’t Go Back to School
“In my daily life as a Columbia professor, I’m constantly trying to explain to
students why a passionate love for learning doesn’t necessarily translate into
doing graduate work in the humanities. I am incredibly grateful to Kio Stark
for this wonderful book that explains the matter much better than I could
myself. I intend to put it into the hands of everyone I know who wants to pursue
a life of learning but isn’t necessarily well suited for a life inside the academy.”
 — Jenny Davidson, author of The Magic Circle and
Breeding: A Partial History of the Eighteenth Century
“Kio Stark’s appreciation of real learning over formal education is particularly
inspiring at a moment when the cost of a decent grad school far exceeds the
lifetime salaries of the professionals it graduates. As a lifelong learner myself,
I don’t envy those who will never experience at least a few years in the safety
and camaraderie of a college campus — but thanks to this engaging book and
Stark’s enthusiasm, I have new faith in our ability to transcend the quads and
forge new academic frontiers.”
 — Douglas Rushkoff, author of Present Shock: When
Everything Happens Now
“The most important learning revolution today is not the open-sourcing of mas-
sive online courses by major universities — although that is certainly useful. The
most important learning revolution today is the kind of independent-yet-social
learning that digital media and networks afford. School — brick-and-mortar or
bits-and-bytes — is no longer the exclusive purveyor of learning. But technologies
and networks are only effective to the degree that people know how to use them.
That’s where Kio Stark’s Don’t Go Back To School is potentially more valuable
than any 100,000 student online course. Humans are natural learners and
school is not only not the sole gateway to learning, it often dulls and sedates our
natural thirst for learning. Through examples of successful independent learn-
ers, Stark gives us a practical and inspiring vision of how to go about learning
in an environment where co-learners, rich curricular materials, and abundant,
free, or inexpensive information and communication tools are available.”
 — Howard Rheingold, author of Net Smart: How to
Thrive Online and Smart Mobs
Don’t Go Back to School
Don’t Go Back to School
Don’t
Go Back
to School
Don’t
Go Back
to School
A Handbook for Learning Anything
kio Stark
Copyright © 2013 Kio Stark
All rights reserved.
Cover and book designed by Ian Crowther/Familiar Studio
Edited by Mandy Brown
Copyedited by Krista Stevens
Cover photo by David Gonsier
ISBN 978-0-9889490-2-7
DontGoBackToSchool.com
Greenglass Books
With support from Gus Rojo and Christopher Warnock
Photo credits
Quinn Norton, p. 24, © Jesse Vincent Christopher Bathgate, p. 96, © Christopher
Rita J. King, p. 30, © James Jorasch Bathgate
Brad Edmondson, p. 36, © Kristine Larsen Caterina Rindi, p. 104, © Troy Sandal
Dan Sinker, p. 40, © Janice Dillard Jeremy Cohen, p. 110, © Andreas Serna
Benjamen Walker, p. 48, © Dorothy Hong Simone Davalos, p. 116, © Scott Beale
Dorian Taylor, p. 54, © Julie Karey Harper Reed, p. 124, © OFA
Molly Danielsson, p. 58, © Mathew Lippincott David Mason, p. 136, © Jonathan Opp
Astra Taylor, p. 66, © Deborah DeGraffenreid Karen Barbarossa, p. 156, © Howard Pyle
Jim Munroe, p. 72, © Stephen Gregory Cory Doctorow, p. 162, © Paula Mariel Salischiker
Molly Crabapple, p. 80, © Julianne Berry
Ken Baumann, p. 86, © Jake Michaels Kio Stark, p. 213, © Bre Pettis
David Hirmes, p. 90, © David Hirmes
For Nika Stark Pettis