Change is inevitable. Technology changes at a very fast pace and has the capacity to assist with many different aspects of learning. We do not need to be in a classroom to learn or to collaborate with our peers. Technology has assisted by allowing us to communicate across distances and time zones. Education and the way in which it is delivered has also made many changes over the years and we continue to learn new ways to teach and evaluate learners’ progress. But is this considered innovation? While reviewing the readings, I really had not considered the difference between innovation and change.

Dron (2014) seems to suggest early on in the reading that a renewal of existing practices almost always takes place and this renewal is based on what is already existing within an organization or other institution. However, this brings up the question how can we truly innovate and make something completely new? I believe it is possible but it takes something bigger within an organization to promote it. Further on in the reading, Dron (2014) examines how technology can be used in a behaviourist/cognitivist, social/constructivist, and a connectivist approach to distance education. The differences in models struck me in terms of the ways in which technology is used for desired learning results. However, one of the connections that seemed to come up within these approaches was a need for each of these models to adapt and be more flexible over time.

This lead me to think about one of my previous experiences in an organization where innovation was actually part of the value proposition of the company. Employees were given time for personal development and were more than encouraged to design, create, and innovate. Time was actually set aside for these activities and it was built into the culture of the organization. As Dron (2014) suggests “such initiatives should not be separated from the rest of the organization, nor should they separate those who are innovating from those who perform more mundane work” (Dron, 2014, p.252). In retrospect, creativity was supported and encouraged. New ideas and completely new ways of performing certain activities were discussed and sometimes through trial and error were successful.

Since change is inevitable, it is important for organizations and institutions to have a clear strategy to support their employees and/or learners who are directly impacted by changes made within the company and/or institution. Technology is just one piece of that since it evolves at a very fast rate. A larger question that has come to my mind is how to promote a culture of innovation within an organization which fosters creativity among employees and learners alike?

References

Dron, J. (2014). Innovation and Change: Changing how we Change. In Zawacki-Richter, O. & T. Anderson (Eds.), Online distance education: Towards a research agenda. Athabasca, AB: AU Press.