The Content Trap by Bharat Anand

Written by a Professor at Harvard Business School, The Content Trap is subtitled “A Strategist’s Guide to Digital Change” and has been praised by thought leaders such as Seth Godin and Daniel Pink. Author Bharat Anand explores various industries, beginning with changes in newspaper and television media, to show how connections are now more important than content.

I was especially drawn to the chapters titled: “Education at a Crossroads” and “Education: What Lies Ahead.” There, Anand writes about the history and various models of online education, frankly describing an online lecture as the same old experience in a new medium.  He wisely points out, “When classroom teaching is at its best, the reason isn’t that it’s in person, but that it focuses on student learning.”  And then continues, 

“To focus on learning, you need to understand learners – their motivations, abilities, incentives and problems.  It’s surprising how easy it can be to ignore these things, and how little attention is usually paid to them.  Create the content, offer the best courses, make them accessible, and the rest will take care of itself: That’s exactly the Content Trap. ... effective learning is not just about content; it’s about purpose.  It’s about students taking ownership of what they need to learn.”

Anand was referring mainly to Higher Education, but I think those are ideas we may explore relative to education at the high school level in future Curriculum Council meetings at our school.  These are important ideas to discuss and act upon.  With respect to online education, Anand says, “we are still closer to the starting point than the finish line” and that certainly also applies to using the digital revolution to support creativity, imagination and courage in K-12 education. The Content Trap by Bharat Anand is lengthy (464 pages), but readers can choose relevant sections or consider pairing this book with selections from Nicholas Carr’s new title, Utopia is Creepy, for example.