Running Head: FVE PROJECT #2

FVE Project #2
Jessica Turpin
Post University

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FVE Project #2

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. This phrased has been uttered in reference to
most situations that one may encounter in their lifespan but how can this be accomplished? Why
should this be accomplished? The concept of futuring aims to answer those two questions and
exactly why they are particularly relevant in an educational context. Using futuring in an
educational context can create a more comprehensive learning environment by taking into
account what resources will be needed and what resources will be available resulting in more
successful students. What is futuring? Simply, futuring is an anticipatory decision-making
process that leads to planning and program development (Sobrero, 2004). It looks forward 10,
20, or 30 years, while planning looks ahead 1 to 4 years. Futuring is done in a series of steps.
There are seven steps all together but the focus this paper will be on steps one and three and how
they can benefit the participants in the IDEA program at Easter Seals Goodwill Industries and
education in general. Step one consists of scanning the environment and step three is the act of
creating scenarios based on the knowledge acquired from that scan.
With technology advancing at such a rapid rate, educational organizations have to keep
up with the times. New fields are being discovered and require a new crop of students to further
the study in them. In other educational environments students are coming out unprepared to
move on to the next step due to lack of adequate resources or overcrowding in classrooms that
dont provide enough individualized attention. These students will also need to have their
educational goals addressed. These are the students that will be referenced in this particular
future vision of education project. As costs for new technology increase and funds decrease, the
possibility of more of these students also increases. Steps need to be taken to make sure they
will have the proper resources to get them to the next stage in life, whether it be higher education

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or employment. The focus of the futuring for this population will be what the environment will
be like 10 years down the road for these students and what they need now to help them adapt as a
contributing member of society. The particular organization that this futuring paper will
consider is Easter Seals Goodwill Industries of New Haven, an organization whose mission is to
enhance employment, educational, social, and recreational opportunities for people with
disabilities and other challenges (n.a., 2016). Futuring may help fulfil the mission of enhancing
educational goals for this organization.
If the students timeline is plotted out in points A-Z on the alphabet point A, B, and C
would be the journey from elementary school, to grade school, to high school. When the student
gets stuck at point A or B and is expected to use only this knowledge to carry them through the
next twenty something years of their life, the educational system has failed. Futuring for these
students will involve making a plan to compensate for points B or C that were skipped so they
will be prepared for the points following. According to Hoyle (2007,p.7), the first assumption of
futuring is To affect the future, we must begin now!. When futuring for these students the first
step is to consider where the students want to be in 10 or 20 years. The answer is always
different but yet the same in that they all wish for advancement in either their education or career
goal. That is why they come to Easter Seals Goodwill Industries.
Scanning is done to analyze change. Changes in society, economy, technology, and any
other impacting force need to be observed and data collected. Scanning, if done properly by
someone familiar with studying change, can show the emergence of trends that need to be taken
into account when preparing for the future. A basic scan of the students in this educational
context show that society feels oppressed, economy is failing and funds are being cut, but
technology continues to advance. Scanning shows a steady progression of advancement in

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technology and decline in the quality of education received by the students encountered in the
IDEA program at Easter Seals Goodwill Industries. The students are getting less exposure to
technology due to limited funding leaving them ill prepared for the current state and future
applications of the technology that will be likely used in many professions in the future. The
drawback of scanning is that it cannot predict a plateau in change. However, for this particular
future vision of education project that is not a serious setback because it is focused on where the
student wants to be and not where the state of the economy, society, or technology will be.
Scenarios can be constructed from the results of the scanning. Based on the findings the
scenario predicted may be the best possible case or the worst or any combination in the middle.
The benefit of using this technique is that it will prepare the educator or institution for change by
having already put a plan in place to cope with it. It makes the transition time shorter because
preparations have already been made or planned for accordingly. The scenario constructed for
this paper is that 10 years into the future, technology will be not just common but the preferred
mode of communication in the workplace and educational environment and the students
encountering it will be prepared to face these challenges because they will have been given the
solid foundation on which to build further knowledge. To prepare for this and build that
foundation, the students need to learn the basics, starting with email and general search before
moving on to more elaborate program such as Microsoft office and online job applications. For
this to be accomplished, new programs to help the students learn at their own pace using
challenging but comprehendible material must be introduced as well as the use of such devices
on which they may be accessed. The drawback of using scenarios for futuring is that one cannot
take into account every possibility and may not have chosen the correct scenario to prepare for.

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Even if several scenarios were considered there is always the risk that none of them will be what
is actually encountered.
Technology is advancing and those without access to it are at a severe disadvantage.
Scanning shows us that students are feeling oppressed by limited opportunity due to a poor
education in a failing system. They are leaving their schools no better prepared for the future
than had they not gone at all. For them to have any real opportunity or chance at a successful life
they need to be provided with the same fundamental technological understanding and access.
The future will only continue to rely more and more on the application of such technology. By
addressing it now and providing the students with the proper programs through online education
that allows them to work at their own pace and access to various mobile technologies they will
be on even ground with their peers who received this education earlier and ready to actively
pursue their education and employment goals as capable, technology savvy individuals. Without
this opportunity the likeliness of financial struggle due to lack of education or computer and
technology skills is far more likely. As it has been said in the past, Give a man a fish, youve
fed him for a day, teach him to fish and he may feed himself (Many authors in many variations,
at many different times).

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References

Hoyle, J. (2007) Leadership and futuring, making visions happen. 2nd edition. p.20 Corwin Press,
Thousand Oaks, California.
Sobrero, P. (2004) The steps for futuring. Journal of Extension. 42(3) Retrieved from
http://www.joe.org/joe/2004june/comm2.php
n.a. (2016) Easter Seals Goodwill Industries, About us. Retrieved from
http://eastersealsgoodwill.org/about-us/administration/