Disruptive Innovation

Rural Communities Celebrate Diversity

 

Michael B. Horn is an academic, writer and generally brilliant guy who gave a talk at the Virtual Schools conference in Vancouver about Disruptive Innovation. His presentation was about how social or technological changes unexpectedly come along and cause existing systems to crash. He used models from the business world which were both illustrative and shocking.

 

I have written before about the newspaper industry and how the internet has almost completely undermined its model of operation. One of the main problems is that the newspaper companies are unable to let go of their attachment to the word “paper” and create a new model based on just “news”. This is perfect example of a disruptive technology and the difficulty that previously successful companies have adapting to the new reality.

 

Education as we know it has been around for a century, with very little structural change. But change is coming. We see most of the change happening at the upper levels with universities, colleges and high schools being forced to restructure around delivering courses via distance learning.  Rural students are perhaps the biggest winners in this new technology because, provided there is a relatively fast internet connection, any student can be connected to a vibrant and efficient learning program. This can be a two-edged sword for rural schools. In the future students could remain in their home community and participate in enriched distance learning at a small local high school, or that school might be shut down while distance learning instruction was provided to the student at home. The latter option would be limited but very cost-effective.

 

Around the province and around the continent distance learning is the fastest growing segment in education. And with continued refinements in methodology and technology it is poised to grow even faster. Fortunately for educators we are not faced with the immediate extinction that The Boston Globe is–a situation that has evolved in just a couple of years.  However, even primary education is likely to be radically changed in the next 10 years. Opportunities to provide rural students with cutting edge instruction will be easily within our reach. Our survival as teachers may depend on whether we are ready and able to take advantage of those opportunities.

VSS Vancouver Conference – Mind Expanding

You Can't Hide Your Head In The Water - Web 2.0 Is Here.

The Virtual Schools Society conference was mind expanding. At every session I saw people doing things with technology that I had never seen before. It was a combination of necessity, new software and grand imagination.

During a session with Steve Dotto, I watched as a wave of Twitter responses followed his presentation. The interaction elevated the experience to a level of community participation I have never witnessed. We became engaged in a shared dialog with Steve.

The conference was one of the most creative I have attended. Each presenter demonstrated a unique approach to the challenges of creating meaningful content using Web 2.0 tools. The techniques and pedagogy weren’t always refined, but all the sessions were thought-provoking. For most of my fellow participants the dominant question at the conference was: How can I use what this presenter is sharing in my own context?

The keynote presentations were fascinating and often used examples from industry to illustrate or make predictions about what was happening, and going to happen in education. A dominant theme of the conversation was that we have entered a new paradigm of social interaction. A paradigm where we the educators are obliged to find progressive ways to apply the new models to enhance student achievement. As a rural teacher I see these new changes in the educational landscape providing students with opportunities they have never had before. In one session I joined isolated kindergarten students from across northern BC and the Yukon as they interacted and shared stories using Elluminate. In another session I watched while high school students created and shared multimedia presentations. One group was situated in a classroom, while the other group was spread around the province. Technology had rendered distance insignificance.

The presentations at the VSS weren’t always flawless. But they showed a potential for solving the problems that have often prevented rural students from reaching their potential in the past. It was inspiring; now the work begins.