Futures Studies in education

What is "futures studies"? 

In short, it is an academic discipline concerned with tools, techniques, for:

• analyzing possible futures through trend analysis
• assessing probable futures through forecasting techniques
• pursuing and shaping preferred futures (through education, development of scenarios, activism, and strategy and policy formulation)

Happily, these ideas are very much aligned with the current emphasis on increasing critical thinking skills in our educational institutions, part of the "21st century skills" movement.

This is especially in trying to determine the short-term and long-term consequences of a set of decisions and actions.  Here are some other resources to consider to aid in professional development:

1. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_studies 
2. Futures in Education project - Wetpaint forum - http://foresighteducation.wetpaint.com
3. Map of future forces affecting education: A collaboration between the KnowledgeWorks Foundation in Cincinnati, OH, and the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, CA.
4. University of Houston: History of futures education - now at http://web.archive.org/web/20100416184226/http://tech.uh.edu/futureweb/fieldhist.html
5. LinkedIn group: