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
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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Thanks Amy!
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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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Thank you Daniel!
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Thank you for sharing. Sometimes reading how others have made sense of something helps me make sense. As a result, I pulled a line from your post for my reflection. 🙂 http://mondormusings.blogspot.ca/2016/10/characteristics-of-innovators-mindset.html
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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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Thanks Alex!
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