Thinking about the "no us" (learning technologists) in Japan

Malcolm's discussion of the lack of learning technologists, or a learning technology infrastructure, in Japan allows for an interesting thought experiment.   What would we do differently if we were starting from scratch?  If we did not have the legacy structures, organization, equipment, systems, etc. - but we realized that educational technology was an important discipline that needed to be nurtured.

Some thoughts:

• Ideology trumps both hierarchy and structure:  If I were starting fresh with educational technology I'd build the departments around an ideology - stressing active learning, social learning, constructivism etc. etc.   Get the discussions, goals and visions around a shared ideology first - build the structure later. 

• Minimize investments in internally run big applications, systems, hardware etc.  Wherever possible, rent rather then buy, using consumer tech/services, live in the cloud.  Prioritize light weight, agile, and "connectable" applications over feature rich, educational specific tools.  Rent commodity services (e-mail, storage, etc.) - spend resources, time, and mindshare on the innovative edge.

• Do not build ed. tech. divisions to support or mimic lecture/faculty centered classrooms - but start with a premise of that looks beyond the course to the learner.

• Target specific courses to 're-engineer' and "re-develop' - such as large introductory courses, statistics, etc. etc. - ones that are particularly amenable to the levers of technology.  Measure the outcomes from the start to justify and shape greater investment.

In short, Japan has an opportunity to follow a different path then we have in building their educational technology infrastructure, organizations and systems.   

Appreciate the chance to learn about another system - and am curious about the learning tech situation in other contexts.

Comments

[Jeff Bohrer]

Interesting list. I especially like the last recommendation, and I might add something broader such as "Maintain familiarity with research about learning".