May 9, 2022 post, Updated 21 Dec, 2024.
In 2002, John Seely Brown, fellow of the American Association of Artificial Intelligence said that we were facing “exciting times“. We had lived through the rise (and fall) of the internet economy and the transformation of the entire ‘learning landscape’. Changes ranged from universities to the corporate world. It changed our understanding of knowledge, media, and information. The author explored emerging ‘technological drivers‘, and suggested that many aspects of education and learning would need a reset.
“.. we can be key participants in designing environments that enable us to distinguish what is important from what is incidental, the effective from the merely efficient, and most of all, knowledge from information.”
Fast forward two decades. Individuals and organizations are already aware of emerging technological drivers that affect learning programs, businesses, and a lot more. Design choices involving the use of, and the access to any kind of technology affect the livelihoods of people. Properly designed and tested, an improvement can enable us to develop better or different ideas, products and services. That is to say, changes that will help us grow.
We read about major investments in technology almost every day. Yet even with the best tech available, you may find yourself stuck. Are you applying outdated ‘learning’ methods in relation to the tech you are using? How does the content that you share relate to your audience today? What else is changing?
Learning and cultural traits
” … progress implies an idealized future, nostalgia presupposes a highly romanticized past”. (Eviatar Zerubavel, 2003).
A period of disturbances related to changes in a technological drive will lead to different stories about what happened. Often times, stories of human failure and catastrophe revert into great examples of survival, resilience, and even growth. Ground-breaking accomplishments have emerged out of necessity.
A learning ambient that fosters curiosity tends to favor mistakes. (Curiosity didn’t kill the cat, more likely it informed its options). Making mistakes and having the disposition to learn from them, as learning challenges, is what drives significant learning.
Learning challenges can’t be bought as a package and applied mechanically. They need to be seeded, nurtured as part of a learning system. Learners participate in the learning process and there will be lots of mistakes! Identifying the time frames and ‘maps’ involving diverse narratives and perspectives may come in handy.
Are you looking forward to learning challenges? How about improving your language skills with a coach? We’ll help you figure out which voice and range of words suits you. We’ll provide you with learning challenges that will guide you towards your goals.