David Thornburg

David Thornburg is an award-winning futurist, author, and educational consultant whose clients range across the public and private sectors across the planet.

His razor-sharp focus on the fast-paced world of modern computing and communication media, project-based learning, 21st-century skills, and open-source software has placed him in constant demand as a keynote speaker and workshop leader for schools, foundations, and governments.

Thornburg was strongly influenced by the early work in space exploration and was the beneficiary of changes in the US educational system that promoted and developed an interest in STEM skills. He now is engaged in helping a new generation of students and their teachers infuse these skills through the mechanism of inquiry-driven project-based learning.

His educational philosophy is based on the idea that students learn best when they are constructors of their own knowledge. He also believes that students who are taught in ways that honor their learning styles retain the native engagement with learning with which they entered school. A central theme of his work is that we must prepare students for their future, not for our past. In addition to his work with technology, Thornburg also consults on the relationship between classroom design and learning.

A published author, Thornburg has written numerous books, including "Shift Control: Reflections on Education, Technology and the Lives of Today's Students," "Education in the Communication Age," and "From the Campfire to the Holodeck: Creating Engaging and Powerful 21st Century Learning Environments."

Thornburg splits his time between the United States and Brazil. His work in Brazil also is focused on education, and he has spoken at conferences and consulted for firms and educational institutions throughout that country.