{"id":204,"date":"2024-09-09T21:05:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T00:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru295\/?p=204"},"modified":"2024-09-09T21:05:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T00:05:37","slug":"innovation-or-stagnation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru295\/innovation-or-stagnation\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovation or Stagnation?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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EdTech is not about doing things better. It\u2019s about doing BETTER THINGS.<\/p>\n– Unknown<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In chapters nine to eighteen of 25 Years of Ed Tech<\/em>, Martin Weller explores educational technology advancements from 2002 to 2011. In Weller’s earlier chapters, he highlights technologies that have come and gone or paved the way for what we use today. However, in these later chapters, he discusses technologies still in use more than two decades later with minimal changes. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In this article, I will highlight some of these technologies and discuss two lessons we can draw from Weller’s analysis: one that has shaped educational technology today and one that has yet to be fully embraced by the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a capability perspective, the emergence of new technologies has slowed since 2001. For example, in Weller\u2019s chapter on 2002 (2020, Chapter 9, 2002), he introduces the Learning Management System (LMS). Digital learning environments leverage and take place in this central hub, a critical focal point in digital learning environments today. He also examines the rise of blogs in 2003 (2020, Chapter 10, 2003), which decentralized publishing by allowing anyone to share their voice. It is still prominent today and is a critical source of gray literature and a way to build a digital identity and discover networks. Additionally, Weller explores open educational resources (2020, Chapter 11, 2004), which has become a key focus for many post-secondary institutions, including Royal Roads University, where I study learning and technology in 2024. While some technologies, such as personal learning environments and portfolios, are no longer mainstream, most of the technologies Weller discusses from 2002 to 2011 are still dominant in today’s ed tech landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the lag in adopting new technology capabilities, the education industry has seen significant changes in scalability and accessibility. Innovations like streaming platforms such as YouTube (Weller, 2021, Chapter 12, Video), internet-enabled phones like the iPhone, and high-speed internet have revolutionized how digital learning environments are accessed and utilized. These advancements have facilitated the transition to digital environments and paved the way for the ultimate test of digital environments, COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a matter of days, in some cases, overnight, the world shifted from the physical classroom to the digital learning environment. As Gibbs et al. (2021) discuss, the Learning Management System offered a “good enough” solution for this expedited transition in 2020; however, was this only because there was no other alternative? Gibbs et al. continued to analyze the LMS critically and questioned its existence and prominence in 2021. There appears to be a consensus that the LMS is not the right solution, so why is it still the go-to solution? They speculate that companies are vested in maintaining technological dominance, particularly as data becomes the new “gold” of the Web 2.0 era (Wellers, 2020, Chapter 13). An LMS’s prominence may also result from the education sector’s limited time and resources, which hinder its ability to reflect and advocate for change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weller’s insights, coupled with the realities of the education industry today, reveal two critical takeaways that highlight the field’s successes and ongoing challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 1<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From 1994 to 2001, a clear pattern emerged: mass technology adoption is driven by ease of use and simplicity. For future technologies, pedagogies, and standards to gain widespread adoption, they must prioritize simplicity and accessibility. This can be seen in the industry’s adoption of xAPI, a specification released in 2013 to collect student performance data independently of a learning management system. However, due to its complexity, relying on JavaScript Object Notation and predefined profiles, it has not yet gained the mass adoption needed to validate its potential as a data standard (Watershed, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 2<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The failure of metadata standards hindered the mass adoption of learning objects but paved the way for open educational resources (OER). Today, the education industry faces a similar challenge with the shift from proficiency-based learning to competency-based learning (CBL). CBL offers critical benefits like personalized learning, real-world skill development, and more precise feedback. However, much like the issues with metadata standards, debates over the definition of “competency” are slowing progress and hindering the industry’s move toward a more flexible, student-centred approach. If we are stuck in a perpetual cycle of debating terminology, the concept of CBL may pass us by. Not all is lost, though; perhaps the failure to adopt CBL will pave the way for a new methodology, much like metadata failure to adopt learning objects leads to open educational resources (OER) (Wellers, 2022, Chapter 11).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we reflect on the evolution of educational technology, it becomes clear that progress often hinges on simplicity, accessibility, and industry consensus. While advancements like the LMS and open educational resources have made significant contributions, challenges remain, particularly in addressing the needs of educators and students in more dynamic, personalized learning environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Allison Academy. (n.d.). Technology in education quotes<\/em>. Allison Academy. https:\/\/www.allisonacademy.com\/students\/education\/technology-in-education\/technology-in-education-quotes\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gibbs, L., Clarke Gray, B., & Kuhn, C. (2021, January 7). Between the chapters: The Learning Management System (LMS) [Audio podcast episode].<\/em> In M. Weller (Host), 25 years of ed tech. https:\/\/25years.opened.ca\/2021\/01\/07\/between-the-chapters-the-lms\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watershed. (2022, June 9). xAPI adoption rates 2022: The latest numbers and insights<\/em>. Watershed. https:\/\/www.watershedlrs.com\/blog\/product\/xapi-data-transformation\/xapi-adoption-rates-2022\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weller, M. (2020).\u00a025 years of ed tech<\/em>. Athabasca University Press.\u00a0https:\/\/read.aupress.ca\/read\/25-years-of-ed-tech\/section\/e69021f2-91b6-4ca4-9d0b-81d3e9748707<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EdTech is not about doing things better. It\u2019s about doing BETTER THINGS. – Unknown<\/p>\n

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