The Explorer's Wheel™

Spiral #1—May 22, 2013—July 22, 2103 (approximate)

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

The Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon (1474 – July 1521) is widely associated with his unsuccessful quest for the source of an illusive Fountain of Youth. Actually, his mission was credible but his point of focus far off the mark. Rather than prowling around what is now the state of Florida, he would have been better advised to look within, and to seek in his own mind a source of playful lifelong learning. For one of the axioms of modern neuroscience is neurons that are stimulated by curiosity, exuberance, and playfulness sprout new networks of other neurons, even into advanced old age.

The goal of the First Spiral is to test the waters by launching a mini- nine-week MOOC, a massive open online course based on The Explorer’s Wheel. The audience is people of any age who are passionate about new learning and discovery. Each week will be devoted to a different “realm” of the Explorer’s Wheel, beginning with central enso, depicting the Explorer’s Mind. Each segment will be introduced with a ten minute TED-like video from Julian Gresser and a Key Note Outline, amplified by the commentary, ideas, and discoveries of other Charter Explorers. Participating Explorers are invited to join in at any “port of call” (ie. realm segment). The basic text for the course is Piloting Through Chaos—The Explorer’s Mind (May, 2013 Bridge 21 Press).The proceedings will be published on the Blog page of www.explorerswheel.com and a special You Tube Explorer’s Channel. They can be used by any participant, with proper attribution to the originator, according to the terms and conditions of the Charter Agreement. The course will be free to all who register. If the First Voyage succeeds, the intention is to launch a recursive series of Spirals, ever deepening and enriched by the insights, discoveries, and stories of their predecessors.

Special features:

• Commentary in the form of blogs and videos by leading thinkers who comprise the Charter Explorers’ Network of Networks.
• Current Events—applications of the Explorers’ Platform to breaking current events.
• Negotiator’s Corner—applications of the Artful Negotiation model to cases-- real and fictional.
• Good News—daily bulletins and articles on “breaking” Good News from around the world.
• Internet Innovations—insights based on crowd sourcing for those interested in the secrets of “attention capital.”
• Updates on Other Explorers’ Wheels.
• Discovery Log—key insights and discoveries of the Participating Explorers.
• Stories—Adventures of the Participating Explorers.
• User-driven Innovation—participants’ ideas and suggestions which enhance any aspect of the course.
• Affiliate Marketing—early sponsors and affiliates of the course.
• Contacts and Resources—valuable links, personal contacts, and resources for participants.
• Final Assessment—Participants will be furnished with a Final Assessment of the First Voyage.
• “The Fountain of Youth—The First Voyage” is itself a prelude to a second MOOC, “Innovation Integration in the 21^st Century” conceived as the world’s first “bilateral MOOC” in cooperation between Case Western Reserve University and several leading Chinese universities.