Week One Reflections H807

In Block One of H07, we were encouraged to share our initial thoughts about innovation in elearning. There were several strands of discussion, one of which was 'what is the definition of innovation?'

I think we all agreed that innovation was about creating something new, but there were several debates 

1. Does a new idea/application have to be successful to qualify as an innovation?
2. Is a new use of a existing technology an innovation?
3. Can an application that is new to a person (although not new to the world) be counted as innovation?  

With my 'business' hat on, we tend to look on innovation is a very results oriented way; if an idea has no practical application, it tends to get dismissed out of turn. But as any successful innovator will tell you, it is the tries that don't work that get you to the point where you find a try that does work. So maybe the most helpful label would be to call an innovative idea that does not work an  'experiment' whereas the idea that does work gets the label of an innovation.

As for new uses of existing technology, that, in my mind is definitely an innovation. Technologies are simply tools, and finding new ways to use them opens up our understanding both of the subject being studied and of the potential of the tool. On both counts, that is definitely innovation.

If we take the definition of innovation as being to create new or to renew, the fact that an innovation is known to one group, does not mean in my mind that it is not innovative to a new audience. And as that new audience interacts with the innovation, they are very likely to create new meaning for themselves.

Without trying to summarise what I made of the activity, there are a number of points that have given me pause for thought.

The reference which Anita Houghton made to digital storytelling took me to an excellent paper. http://www.elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=articles&article=120-1 The author, Nalin Sharda, pointed out that digital technologies give learners access to incredible amounts of information, but that making sense of that information was more tricky. Simply using the electronic media to present (even more!) information does not guarantee learning, never mind superior learning. His solution of engaging learners in reading and/or creating digital stories that force them to investigate a subject, and engage with the material is an innovation that enhances learning. Sounds good to me, although I'm sure it's harder than it sounds. Sharda sums up the pedagogical challenge of elearning as follows: "E-learning systems that just transform the traditional educational content (for example, books or lecture notes) into digital media are not successful; because, e-learning content that presents only facts and figures can loose the learners attention more easily than a good lecturer, who can capture the learners' attention with personal charisma. With e-learning content, the lack of personal connection (with a real teacher) can be overcome by creating "educational stories" that embody good storytelling principles."
Nicholas Keene drew attention to the difficulty of getting colleagues who were not schooled in ICT on board with innovations. "I could name 10 professors who were hostile the varying degrees to incorporating technolouyg more into their teaching forevery 1 who was in favour." Nicholas Keene Post 36 in reply to 23 • 11 February 2011, 00:10

It is very clear that there has been an explosion in the use of technology in learning in some academic circles. This however is not reflected in business. Although all my clients are electronically wired for producing their product/service, I don't see the innovation in using technology to the degree that seems present in some academic circles. Most business leaders see elearning as a way to deliver training more easily and many assume that this will mean it is cheaper. Grasping that elearning presents a pedagogical challenge is not on many non academic radars;-)

One last thought. Nicholas also found that "My first introduction to e-learning in an HE environment was chaotic. "Nicholas Keene Post 47 in reply to 44 • 13 February 2011, 01:39 This is a very typical response to a disruptive technology - we are suddenly presented with a brand new tool and working out how to use it is always going to be a bit messy.It would be nice to think that its introduction could be more orderly, but my sense is that the chaos creates learning, and it is only then that we can create order;-)