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Krypton Community College

Looking back on the Krypton project

More than 15,000 of you are still subscribed to this blog/newsletter, and I wanted to take a minute to update you on what I learned and what I've heard.

We launched four courses over the course of this project, and I'm really proud of each of them. I've been contacted by people around the world who invested the time to organize and participate in peer-to-peer learning sessions based on our curricula.

The challenge for me is that many people were hesitant to stand up and say, "I'm leading." We are indoctrinated from an early age to believe that we need a permit, a degree, some sort of authority to host and to assign and to connect. As a result, there were many people who asked me to lead, who wanted a centralized school experience, who wanted to video lectures and organized assistance.

Which is why I did my two Skillshare courses (entrepreneurship and marketing)…

But that wasn't why we built Krypton. It was designed to open doors, not to give instructions. It became clear that while we knew how to make a curriculum, we didn't have the resources to do the groundwork to create a cadre of teachers, to authorize them, support them and create a long line that would get us to a thriving peer-to-peer community.

For those of you that engaged in the courses and got something out of them, don't stop! Write your own. Find a thought leader you respect and seek out her best work online and in print. Why not?

Thanks to each of you for checking in on this project and for participating at whatever level worked for you. I think peer-to-peer learning is in its very first stages, and you'll be able to say you were there at the beginning.

"Go learn something," is a good thing to say during graduation season. Even better, "go teach something!"

Krypton Community College

Krypton Course 004: Sonia Simone and the modern art of copywriting

This course is practical and, for many of you, a stretch.

It's based on Copyblogger's free subscription materials, an overlooked gem online. Sonia has been writing for Copyblogger for a while, and her approach is insightful, generous and powerful.

The short version: If you do anything online, you're an online marketer, and online marketing is largely about the copy you write and how it resonates (and spreads).

As you get the materials for this course, you'll also be signed up for Copyblogger's materials, but they are good folks and you probably won't mind getting it–and it's easy to unsubscribe once you have the materials, if you choose.

CLICK HERE to download the latest version of the course, updated on January 7, 2014.

If this is the first thing you've read here, please subscribe to this blog! There's a button up top that says "subscribe". Or you can click here to do so. You might also want to read past posts to catch up with what this is all about.

Krypton Community College

Krypton Course 003: Gretchen Rubin on Happiness

[Updated on October 21, 2013, 8 pm]

Here's the second course, The Happiness Project.

There are two versions, you can download one or both and share them
with those enrolled in the course you're leading. They are in PDF format, and the files you download have web links throughout, making it easy to click to read the highlighted materials.

Download STUDENT edition

Download ORGANIZER edition

The organizer version is a slightly longer version, it includes notes
throughout that cue the leader on exercises and questions that can be
used during discussions.

This post will be updated if the course is updated, so feel free to check back here for the latest.

If this is the first thing you've read here, please subscribe to this
blog! There's a button up top that says "subscribe". Or you can click here to do so. You might also want to read past posts to catch up with what this is all about.

Both this course and Malcolm Gladwell's course include some material from their bestselling books, books that will add a lot of value to the course and the discussion.

Krypton Community College

Krypton Course 002: Malcolm Gladwell on The Sociology of Success

[Updated on October 21, 2013, 8 pm]

Here's the second course, The Sociology of Success: Culture and choice.

There are two versions, you can download one or both and share them
with those enrolled in the course you're leading. They are in PDF format, and the files you download have web links throughout, making it easy to click to read the highlighted materials.

Download the STUDENT edition

Download the ORGANIZER edition

The organizer version is a slightly longer version, it includes notes
throughout that cue the leader on exercises and questions that can be
used during discussions.

This post will be updated if the course is updated, so feel free to check back here for the latest.

If this is the first thing you've read here, please subscribe to this
blog! There's a button up top that says "subscribe". Or you can click here to do so. You might also want to read past posts to catch up with what this is all about.

Both this course and Gretchen Rubin's course include some material from their bestselling books, books that will add a lot of value to each.

Krypton Community College

Two new courses to choose from for next month (Gladwell and Rubin)

Happy #KryptonTuesday

Here's a look at two more courses, in time to either start a new group or pick which course you want your existing group to go through next month.

A reminder! You don't have to do the classes on Tuesdays, and you don't have to start at the beginning of a month. And of course, if you're just getting started, feel free to read the other posts in this series and even take (or retake) the first course, from your host, Seth Godin, if you like. The courses are posted here and you can do them when you like, not when they get posted. You can do one, then the next month, take on the other…

Don't forget, the courses are free, and are designed to be done in person, by a group, face to face. We've heard of groups as small as three and as big as fifteen working beautifully–there are more than 14,000 people signed up to lead Krypton courses so far.

For our next two, a choice. The course based on Malcolm's work heads into the ideas of habitus and sociology, covering things as diverse as heroism, poverty and, naturally, the tipping point.

The course based on Gretchen's work is a hands-on exploration of what makes you (and other people) happy.

Go ahead, vote, choose, and get started when it's good for you and your group. And if you're new to this, please, give it a try, start a group. Learn together.

Malcolm Gladwell on the Sociology of Success

Gretchen Rubin on Happiness

Krypton Community College

Halfway through the first course…

Actually, many groups started more recently–I'm hearing about groups at big corporations, among friends, and in cities and villages around the world. I hope you're finding the first Krypton curriculum worth the effort.

One thing that people are finding is that the personal interactions are transformative. While it's tempting to believe that online learning is the answer (and no, doing this on a Hangout is not the same as doing it in person), what's clear is that the social anxiety that comes from forming a group is precisely the same force that pushes every participant to bring her best effort to the class each week.

Learn together is more than a catchphrase. It's the truth–that's how we do our best work.

Also! I'll be announcing not one but two new courses next week. Your group can choose to do one or the other, and don't forget, the courses stay online forever, so you can do them when you like, in whatever order you like.

Thanks for being part of Krypton.

Krypton Community College

#KryptonTuesday is here

Go ahead and tweet your class, or, if you have a positive story to share about what's working, post it here in the comments, which I'll leave open for a while. [Comments now closed, thanks!] Keep making that ruckus…

I'm excited to hear what you're discovering!

Seth

Krypton Community College

#KryptonTuesday is next week

Just to get you started, a list of possible excuses for not organizing a class:

  • I don't know enough people
  • People won't come
  • I'm too busy
  • What right do I have to do this?
  • I don't know the material well enough
  • I don't have a good space to do it
  • Tuesday is bowling night
  • It's not proven, it might not work
  • I can do it next month
  • It's too much work
  • I should get paid
  • There are television shows to watch
  • My boss won't let me

And there's only one really good reason to go ahead and organize a class…

  • Because you can

It's an incredible privilege to teach, to connect, to provide a platform for learning to happen. When you step up and use this privilege, you raise the bar for people you care about.

It doesn't matter if you have the perfect group, or the perfect place, or the perfect credential. Perfect is the enemy of good. Start.

Today's the day to finalize your invites and to get started. It doesn't have to be Tuesday, but it does need to be imminent. Don't wait for your peers to start one. Go!

Krypton Community College

Approaching KryptonTuesday (and we have a narwhal)

October 1st is about two weeks away, and all the elements are in place for you to organize your first class meeting.

Shane put up a Meetup Everywhere in case you're seeking someone in your town to collaborate with.

The forum has dozens of posts as well.

Most of all, though, this is best done with friends, not strangers. Or friends of friends. Most people will see your invitation as a compliment…

Also! We have a narwhal. Congratulations and thanks to Tania and Marius for such a cool image. Here is is, feel free to commission your own t-shirts. And here's a Zazzle store if you want to buy a one off… I just got one in green. All my proceeds go to Acumen Fund.

Go Narwhals. We may not have a football team, but we have more than 12,000 campuses.Narwhal t shirt.001

Krypton Community College

Krypton Course 001: Seth Godin on shipping

[Updated on September 15, 2013, 6:30 am]

Here’s the first course, Go: How to Overcome Fear, Pick Yourself, & Start a Project that Matters.

There are two versions, you can download one or both and share them with those enrolled in the course you’re leading. They are in PDF format, and the files you download have web links throughout, making it easy to click to read the highlighted materials.

Download the Student version

Download the Organizer version

The organizer version is a slightly longer version, it includes notes throughout that cue the leader on exercises and questions that can be used during discussions.

This post will be updated if the course is updated, so feel free to check back here for the latest.

If this is the first thing you’ve read here, please subscribe to this blog! There’s a button up top that says “subscribe”. Or you can click here to do so. You might also want to read past posts to catch up with what this is all about.