Riffing on Relevance
(Picking up on just one theme in Jim’s recent post on open education, content and relevance)
I suspect that the continuing emergence of whole new tools, many of which perform the same functions as existing applications, comes from many sources: some people are just really into building new applications, companies are out to make money, egos strive to be seen and recognized, subtle differences that we might accept without reservation are features upon which someone else’s success may hinge…
But I think that as educational technologists in this particular time we face a real challenge in reconciling the feverish visions we must have to keep going with the technological reality that many of the things we dream about are basically possible. Even a decade ago, many of the things we wanted to do were dreams that we hoped (or assumed) could and would happen someday. The pioneers were working a few systems and making each one go beyond what many thought possible.
Things are a little different today. We have a wealth of small pieces that can go a long way toward achieving many of the dreams we once had. Not all of them, but there is a lot of room between current practices and the fences keeping the wild parts at bay. Thsoe solutions may not always be the prettiest and most elegant– they may not be 100% integrated and holistic with every aspect of our educational philosophy– but the benefits are there for the taking. We just have to adopt a “warts and all” approach, stop waiting for surety and perfection, and kiss a frog or two.
That’s one of the reasons that– whether WordPress is the most flexible system with the prettiest code or not– I love Jim’s approach. Take a tool that works (WPMU) and pimp it out with tools that get the job done. That’s not settling or giving up on innovation. There’s plenty of room for technological innovation in the interstitial spaces of any educational approach that involves social networks and the participatory web… and even more headroom for innovative practices and pedagogy, which is what we are all seeking.
So I agree, in general, that we need to focus on content and making use of the potential of what is there. Enough people will be compelled enough by other motivations to keep developing new applications that we won’t be missed. If anything, our strongest position to influence development in a way amenable to education isn’t through technical prowess, but through creating a significant demand for those features and affordances. There’s a reason that a business tool like Elluminate is now implementing educational features and striving to create and educational community at a great clip: demand.
At the same time, while I don’t see the need to re-create learning management systems, publication mechanisms, feed readers, etc… I do think that we should continue to push the mix-it-up, mashup, roll-your-own themes that Scott Leslie and others talk about and the class of applications that facilitate those creative acts. It’s the foundation of the PLE, which is what all of this is about, consciously or not.
September 29th, 2007 at 10:04 am
So, you don;t think I’m a raving lunatic
Wow, I’m relieved, more than that I am glad to hear that th technology may be there to push this stuff to the next level with what we already have. I am basically technically challenged, so I play and promote the least common denominator out of necessity, as much as enthusiasm,
What I am really thinking about after the Open Ed conference is the fact that a lor of people like yourself have already been imagining cheap, sustainable solutions for creating resources and active learning networks. After getting WPMu up and running, in large part from what I learned from all of you at NV2007, I kinda decided to concentrate on Nancy White’s idea of community building. Pick the tool, lives with the warts (as you say), but make sure students and faculty see the real possibilities of these tools. In all honesty, I have spent most of the last three weeks reading posts and comments on UMW Blogs, and replying and making communal connections. And guess what, I love it. It is a blast, and the technology is kinda just taking care of itself. It may break, but I’m sure it will be pretty easy to fix, and the system is easy enough that DTLT has not turned into a WordPress support shop. How can we argue with that kind of model. It costs us nothing, even if it fails.
Thanks for furthering my meager throught here Chris, see you in Vancouver
September 29th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
I just have to say, I love reading this interchange, following back to each person’s blog and filling a lovely Saturday night. It is technology, passion, love, persistence, stewardship and just damn fun!!
September 29th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Jim– I think you ARE pushing things to the next level! I also think we are blessed with a lot of headroom right now technologically… now is the time we get to put it to practice and you are leading that charge. There will always be people reinventing wheels, making new and better wheels, and grasping after teleportation… but in the meantime there is a lot of other work to be done that the pure technologists just can’t do! So, continue your quest for world domination
Nancy– you really inspired me at NV and I have many thoughts brewing around some of your recent talks and blogs posts, particularly the idea of “looking over your shoulder.” I mentioned it in response to something Gardner posted recently and it is an exact phrase/idea I have often talked about in a similar context. So much can be learned so quickly that way… and I often wish I could just let the people I am working with watch over my shoulder for a few hours/days/weeks so they would “get it.” But more than that it builds the trust that enables the faith that allows people to take those first steps into social networks, communities of practice and learning, knowing that it will lead to walking and then the exhilaration of running. It’s all tied together in a way that is generating some much-needed excitement…