Why I’m Blogging: A Blog Post

I’ve been blogging for a while. Which is why, when we recently relaunched my blog under the title “#Learning2030,” a few people asked me what was so different about it. So, at the risk of breaking the space–time continuum with some kind of weird infinite feedback loop—I decided to write a blog post about the new blog.

And it comes down to this: It’s not really “my” blog — #Learning2030 isn’t about me. It’s about the conversations that are happening right now, all around us, in businesses, in schools and in the halls of academia, about the future of learning as we approach the one-third mark of the 21st century.

We live in unique times. On the one hand, there has never been so much information at the fingertips of society in all of history. On the other hand, there has never been so much uncertainty about the future. We are—in Canada and the US, at least—experiencing record employment. Yet at the same time, workplaces are being disrupted all around us and people are understandably nervous.

That’s the context in which educators are trying to determine the best path forward for learning—and trying to separate the signal from the noise, so to speak, when it comes to emerging trends enabled by technology.

In speaking to a lot of our clients and friends, I realized that there aren’t a lot of places where that discussion is happening in a focused way. Issues like data privacy, the future world of work, the globalization of learning, access to education and the role of partnerships in learning are all topics worthy of attention, discussion and debate.

The thing is, though, I didn’t want the blog to simply reflect my views. I’ve always thought that one mark of leadership is being able to admit when you don’t have all the answers. And, by the way, ask anyone in my family and they’ll tell you straight up that I most certainly don’t have all the answers.

That’s why, in striving to lead the discussion, I thought it was critical to bring expert voices to the table.

So, in the weeks ahead, you’ll see a few posts by me, but you’ll also see posts where I interview leading thinkers and educators who have diverse and valuable insights into these topics. I always come away from my conversations with other people energized by their ideas, and I really wanted to replicate that experience in this blog, too.

That’s what I mean about #Learning2030 not really being “my” blog. It’s a place to bring together the people and ideas and discussions that impact all of us. It’s about having important conversations that matter locally and globally.

I really hope you enjoy the discussion. And please feel free to reach out to let me know how we’re doing or to suggest a topic that interests you.

And hopefully, no one breaks the space–time continuum.

Written by

John Baker CEO and Board Chair

John founded D2L in 1999, at the age of twenty-two, while attending the University of Waterloo. D2L is a global software company that believes learning is the foundation upon which all progress and achievement rests.

A strong believer in community involvement, John devotes both his personal and business efforts to supporting young entrepreneurs who are developing and applying technology to improve society worldwide.

He was appointed to the Governing Council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Member (Entrepreneurs’ Circle) of the Business Council of Canada, Business Higher Education Roundtable, Past Chair of the Board of Communitech, and is a board member of Canada’s National Ballet School.

John was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Ontario for Software and Technology), Young Alumni Achievement Medal from University of Waterloo, and Intrepid Entrepreneur of the Year in Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.

John graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honours B.A.Sc. in Systems Design Engineering, with First Class Honours and an option in Management Sciences.

Twitter: @JohnBakerD2L
LinkedIn: John Baker
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