Comments on: The Innovator’s Dilemma: Chapter 1

By: Lyle

Lyle — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:36:16 +0000

Tim-
Thanks for sharing this. My staff loves your blog and all of the tips it has to offer. I just htought I would share with you another site that we use…I think it is new but very good.
http://chatterbocs.blogspot.com

Have a great year!
Lyle

By: Dan OReilly

Dan OReilly — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:33:05 +0000

I agree, that online learning may be the “disruptive” change that will truly change the way education happens. However the resistance I have met in K12 learning is most people want online learning to be a sustained innovation rather than a disruptive one.
I see two distinct trends in on-line education. One, is that of sustaining innovation. These district look at online learning as a way to slightly expand what they already do. Maybe as a way to expand curriculum and offer more courses. I believe this shackling the technology and restraining if from reaching its potential. I have seen many districts that want to force it into the old way of doing things. If a student is interested in on-line courses they are made to go through a review in order for the district to determine if they will benefit. Some districts force their online kids to come in and sit in the media center or other classroom environment, this approach forces the on-line classroom into the traditional experience automatically negating any positive benefits to be derived from the on-line method of learning.
The second approach is the disruptive approach. These district recognized that there are students that will benefit from the on-line approach to learning as much as the expanded curriculum. The rapid growth we have seen in the homeschooling movement is evidence that students are ready for this type of change if schools can let go of traditional roles they have held. I believe we will see some schools even completely abandon the brick and mortar style learning. There will be some schools, and are already, that will save money, and give a better education to some students by abandoning long held believes and embracing the completely online experience.
Sorry, that was a long comment, went on more of a rant there than I intended.

By: Tracey

Tracey — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:59:50 +0000

First, I disagree with Tom–you can go more downscale than the public education as currently structured. In addition to online learning, homeschooling and very small decentralized school districts often considered “inferior”. And all interesting areas that could–if creative–be capitalized on and incorporated in mainstream schooling.

However, I have little faith “disruptive” change will occur in our education system. There are other significant factors that aren’t in play in schools as with the disk drive industry, like profit motive.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:21:30 +0000

I agree….I mentioned online learning at a meeting recently. It was a meeting about options for more student learning. I was just about gasped out of the room. They said online learning was ok for credit recovery and remedial work…but not for advanced or additional studies. I showed examples…but they weren’t buying in. One more example where the world is about 10 years ahead of average education and when they finally get on board, the world will be on to something else.

By: LaptopBags

LaptopBags — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:03:40 +0000

Interesting article. I look forward to reading the next installment.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:33:26 +0000

It seems to me that the act of writing itself was perhaps an inferior innovation in that you can’t ask the author questions directly – and yet, it still enabled “core ideas” of the author that were clear to be propogated more widely. And on to the scroll, the codex, the printing press, the internet, etc… Wider distribution always…

By: Tom Hoffman

Tom Hoffman — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:22:42 +0000

Public education is already as downscale as it could possibly be. We educate the poor, the disabled, learning or otherwise, immigrants, etc. Nobody can beat us on price at the low end of the market. There is no disruptive innovation as Christensen defines it coming in K-12 education.

There may be options that compete on quality or serving niche (but not downscale) options, but that’s a different phenomenon.

Also, I’d argue that document cameras are a distruptive innovation vis a vis smartboards and laptops.

By: E

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:25:42 +0000

You know…I had this three paragraph long response to this, but I’ll just simply say this: I agree with you, online technologies are flourishing and will continue to increase. Education better get on board or it will become irrelevant. Schools will become the newspapers of today and the dinosaurs of yesterday. Lead, follow or get out of the way. Only in this case, education should not follow – it should lead.