Facilitating change in ed tech
Several years ago I decided I knew what our field was about:
- Designing good instruction and related resources to help people learn and perform on the job
- Helping people make use of the learning tools and resources available to them.
In short, helping people design and use learning tools and resources.
Easy to say, harder to do!
Because it takes so much work and time, the design part takes up lots of room in our graduate curriculum - learning theory, instructional models, development tools, etc. But the using part needs attention too.
Along these lines I invite all students in my two classes to read the following paper:
Dan Surry and Don Ely, Adoption, Diffusion, Implementation, and Institutionalization of Educational Technology
This was a draft chapter in the first edition of Dempsey & Reiser's Trends and Issues in IDT book. The concepts are just as valid today, and they relate our roles of change agents within our organizations. The chapters appears in the second edition as well.
Two videos are also recommended:
Who Moved My Cheese Part 1
Who Moved My Cheese Part 2
The Surry-Ely paper outlines Everett Rogers' model of diffusion of innovations; that's the best-known model for change and technology. I'd be very interested in your response to these ideas - especially how the change ideas relate to your leadership role in your school or business. Do you find similar profiles of people, from innovators and early adopters to more reluctant or resistant users? Do you find similar motivations or incentives for people to engage in change? What works best in your organization, to help people make positive change?
Labels: adoption diffusion change IDT
posted by Brent G. Wilson @ 12:48 PM
9 Comments
9 Comments:
Brent
Thanks for the article on "Facilitating Change in Education". I think it is very important to remain flexible in education because education is constantly changing and swinging back, which can be challenging at times. However,I believe that people are willing to make changes when they can see benefits to changing, which is why its important to assess the situation and get buy-in before proceeding.
The "Who moved my cheese" videos were great! The behaviors are typical.
When my son and I finished watching the videos "Who took my Cheese" he asked "Why do you need to write about it, it is just fun!"
Yes the ideas in the video are pretty simple but right on. I know staff at our building that fall into all of those different roles. It makes it so difficult to be an agent of change when you have to many "hemmers". I can work with haws and for sure the mice, but the hemmers are a big challenge for all of us.
Dan Slurry and Don Ely's article, although much of a dryer cheese, will help me better articulate one piece of my opportunity overview assignment.
Brent - great post! I chose to answer it with my own blog entry. Hope you don't mind!
K
Interesting, complex brain versus analytical or proactive vr. reative thinking. Great little movie to get you thinking. We all have our cheeze in life... most want the comfortable lifestyle where there is plenty of cheeze to go around. I the videos do a great job of showing how people think and learn with their decision, whether it be in school as a student or by making life decisions. Great story, with a good thought provoking concept. Yes, people can learn and change from their mistakes. I guess that it what the journey is all about.
'Who moved my cheese?' is a great activity to do if you supervise a team. I have several collegues who have used it in team meetings to illustrate roles...the ones we fall into, and the ones we want to be.
Thnaks for the video form.
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