The writer Annie Dillard is often attributed with the quote: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” For Dillard, the beauty is in the details, and so is the learning. Social media and algorithms have led to the curation and proliferation of our best and most optimized moments, a form of personal propaganda that says, “We spend our days well, we spend our lives well,  do you have FOMO yet?” The impulse to document the meaningful moments of our lives is an important one, and yet, it is often lacking transparency, omitting the critical (and more meaning-rich) moments of growth, struggle, learning, work; in short, our process.

Evidence builds trust. Trust enables agency. And agency leads to true learning.

We believe that in this new age, it’s important to document these authentic moments, not just for yourself, but for those you wish to communicate with, collaborate with, demonstrate capabilities to, and for those we wish to inspire. In an age where it’s increasingly difficult to discern what’s real and what’s faked or enhanced, authentic evidence of “the how” is critical. Evidence builds trust. Trust enables agency. And agency leads to true learning.

The Beginnings of Portable Documentation: Why Evidence Will Shape Education's Future

Record keeping has been around for millennia. From early technologies like papyrus to stone tablets coated with wax, human civilizations have tried to keep a lasting record of our broader societies and cultures. The problem with many of these early technologies is that they were easy to adjust and doctor, wiping clean the slate in order to draft a new history. Although paper was invented by China well before it made its way to the West, Italy’s paper dominance began in 1264 and promptly found its way into a new package… the notebook. This innovation spurred an economic revolution on the backs of savvy merchants. Once written on paper, the accounting record couldn’t be changed, finally resulting in a lossless, portable technology. With this, for better or for worse, we were able to build rampant economies of scale and trade.

Read the full article about evidence in education by Mason Pashia and Aaron Schorn at Getting Smart.