New and better.

George Couros (@gcouros) defines innovation as something that is new AND better.  It’s a great and clear definition.  I was thinking about this definition this morning in terms of an individual educator.  Does something stop being innovative after the first time it exists?  Is it rendered as non-innovative to others thereafter?  Or is is possible that it can be as innovative for the next person because it is new and better to or for them?  I think so.

Twitter is an example.  Twitter probably isn’t viewed as particularly innovative anymore. However, when an educator decides to use it as way to enter a professional learning stream, to join a larger community of learners, to explore topics, to engage in rich conversations with other seekers….that is a new way to use twitter and certainly makes professional learning better.  The use of twitter in this regard is, by definition, innovative. When an educator makes the brave decision to venture out, create a twitter account, follow a hashtag, join a chat, add followers, tweet, and so on…for that educator the use of twitter is innovative.  It’s new to them and makes their professional learning better.

And it will for the next educator to try it as well.  And the next.  And in fact, the next.

Curious what others in the MOOC think.

#IMMOOC

 

Author: Jeff Nelson

Jeff Nelson Fife School District Assistant Superintendent:Teaching-Learning-Innovation 39 years as an educator. 16 years teacher 3 years assistant principal 12 years principal 8 years Assistant Superintendent BA, Washington State University MAEd, Washington State University Previous member of AWSP Legislative Committee Previous member of UW Tacoma PEAB, Administrative Certification Established and maintained Fife’s first website for 7 years Present work includes establishing the first Teaching/Learning/Innovation department in the Fife School District. Examples of responsibilities include: teacher/administrator professional development, assessment, TPEP, curriculum/materials review, 24 credit requirement, technology levy leadership, teacher/administrator bargaining. Initiatives underway in Fife, as a result of new TLI Department: AVID, OER, Curriculum and Materials reviews, Student Perception Pilot with CSTP, Google Expedition Cofounder of Educational Internet Communications, LLC. Marketed and sold one of the first online grade checking programs in the US. Consulted with Seattle Educational Internet Company for 2 years. jnelson@fifeschools.com twitter.com/jeffnelsonTLI

7 thoughts on “New and better.”

  1. I agree with you. Something that is new and different to me might not be innovative to you, whose been doing it for awhile. I think a critical element to that is that each person finds their purpose in the new thing. In your example of Twitter, it can innovative for different reasons to different people.

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  2. Great post, Jeff. I like the lens through which you are looking at the word “innovation” and the notion that Twitter itself may no longer fit the definition as it has become part of the cultural norm and seems ever present. It’s the use iterative use of the tool that is innovative – not the tool itself. Great thoughts!

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  5. Great thoughts Jeff! Finding our own ways to use tools helps us move from our point a to our point b, which is innovative. If more people can adopt this mindset we will continue to move education forward and increase the benefits we provide students.

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