The Real Disruptive Innovation - Presentation Slidedeck & Questions

I'll be presenting two sessions later this month (February 18th) at the Minnesota Online Educator's Association (MNOLA) conference. One of them is a session I call "The Real Disruptive Innovation" which questions whether Clayton Christensen, Mike Horn, and Curtis Johnson are right in their assessment that the disruptive innovation in education is individualized instruction. Or rather, whether it is the individualization done by the teacher or that done by the student through choice that is innovative and disruptive. I hope in this presentation to raise questions and spark discussion weaving in ideas of the theory of disruptive innovation in schools, the purpose of school, and how to build community and capitalize on student interests.

Here is my slide deck for this talk:



So, if families and students are not choosing online schooling for individualized learning, what are they choosing online schools for?

If the purpose a family or student chooses your school is something other than individualized instruction, should the school work to address this/these reasons?

If a student is choosing online schooling so they can let other interests take priority over school, how do you as a teacher draw upon those other priorities to improve the quality of that student's schooling?

What do you think? I would love to share your input at my presentation.

The Case for Charters, Part 4: Disruptive Innovation: Why Traditional Ed Is Ill-Suited For Change

This post is cross-posted at Change.org.

<---Go To Part Three

In 2003, Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen published a book called The Innovator's Dilema that eloquently explains how many good companies that produce good products fail. Christensen outlines two different types of innovation that have an effect on any industry: sustaining innovations and disruptive innovations.

Sustaining innovations are improvements in technology that enhance the quality of the product being offered. Disruptive innovations are innovations that result in alternative products that at first are inferior to the mainstream product but that, over time, and with the application of their own sustaining innovations, can develop into a better choice for the majority of customers.

Christensen gives the example of how discount retail stores such as Target, K-Mart, and Wal-Mart grew to overtake the department store. Before discount retail stores, most Americans shopped at such stores as Bloomingdales, Macy's, Marshal Fields, Yonkers, Dayton's. Today we see these companies dwindle, while we see the discount retailers thrive. The only company mentioned here that has survived in any appreciable way is Dayton's. Dayton's, at the early onset of discount retail, started Target as a subsidiary company. Target was allowed to run as its own separate company and in time grew to "eat the parent." In 2005 Dayton's was sold to Marshal Fields as a shell of a business leaving the Target Corporation effectively having "eaten the parent."

We see this scenario play out throughout nearly all industries. Today's newspapers are going through the same problem as they are losing subscribers to online news sources. The cell phone is making a significant dent in the telephone business as more and more customers find they don't really need their land lines. This saga goes on and on. In this vicious cycle, the only companies that survive are those who embrace change and allow the disruptive force to take over the company. Those who fight against it always fail or are marginalized. Christensen goes on to explain how large organizations are incapable of monumental change. That is why the only department store company to survive was Dayton's. Dayton's did not actually survive; its subsidiary did.

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In 2007 Christensen applied this theory to education in his book, Disrupting Class. In that book, he identifies individualized learning plans and student-centered learning as the disruptive force on our horizon. He also speculates that online learning is one of the major vehicles that allow this to happen. However, there are other vehicles that carry this innovation. Homeschooling is by nature individualized and has always captured a small percentage of our population. Some private schools, such as the Sudbury schools, can be included in this category. Unschooling captures a fair share of this market. Finally, charter schools by nature are disruptive innovations (at least those that take a student-centered and customized approach to curriculum).

The question is, "Do we want our traditional school systems to be more like Macy's, Dayton's, or Wal-Mart?" If we don't embrace school choice options (including district-sponsored charter schools), we will see our traditional public schools dwindle the same way Macy's and company have seen systematic closures of their department stores. In their place will likely be "big box" charters like KIPP and Green Dot that have a similar effect in public education as Wal-Mart has in business. If our public school districts sponsor their own charter schools and allow them enough autonomy to be independent, we have a much better chance of weathering this storm and coming out relatively unscathed.

The changes that a charter school can make cannot be practically implemented in a traditional school system. These changes are systemic and massive. Large systems are designed to resist change. In many ways this is good, it prevents wild bad ideas from wreaking havoc on the system; but it also breeds complacency and reinforces the status quo. Yes, unions are part of this problem but so are school boards, taxpayers, and administrators. At a certain point we need to start building a new house. That doesn't mean we have to move into it right away.

Animated Explanation of Disruptive Innovation in Education

No matter how much I drum the same warning signals there still seem to be people who have not heard them regarding school change and disruptive innovation. Therefore, I took the liberty of making the following video presentation (sort of inspired by Lee Lefever's "In Plain English" video series) illustrating the impact of school choice on school districts.


An Illustrated Explanation of Disruptive Innovation in Education from Carl Anderson on Vimeo.

Impact of Online Schools

• 8 students 5 years ago ----> more than 800 today and growing
• flexible for those who travel a lot
• at least 20 online schools in Minnesota

At this rate, what impact does/will online schools have on traditional public schools in the near future?

Budget Cuts, Disruptive Innovation, and a Solution for Public Schools

Two years ago, when my art teacher position at an alternative high school was looking like it was slated for the budget cut slating block, I started to grow concerned about the financial future of public education and what it means for the realities of the classroom. We have seen the cost of educating a child rise every year faster than the rate of funding for schools. As a result every year we see class sizes increase, more programs cut, and less money for classroom budgets. It was about that time that I was turned on to the concept of disruptive innovation in education made popular by the Harvard Business Professor Clayton Christensen.

That spring my art teacher position indeed was cut due to no fault of my own. When I started looking for work, uneasy about the future of our traditional public schools and unsure about the long-term stability of online or virtual schools I decided the most intelligent option was to diversify my professional activities. I took a full-time job as a technology integration specialist for a traditional brick and mortar school and a part-time position with an online charter school.

Over the past year I heard the same old budget issues raised at my full-time day job. There are warnings that programs might be cut and "extras" will need to be examined scrupulously before we spend the money on them. At the same time my online position was thriving. By the end of the year, evidently, my class numbers for the virtual school had grown to where my position was nearly full-time there as well. By fall of this year the virtual school had to split my position, giving a full-time position to the person they hired to take over my bustling classes. Then, just last week I saw that the Oregon branch of Connections Academy became the single largest high school in that state. What is going on here?

The cost of educating a child in an online setting is exponentially less than that of educating a child in a brick and mortar school. With a virtual school you don't have to pay for building expenses, one teacher can manage a lot more students because they don't have the same classroom management issues to deal with and most mundane tasks can be aggregated. Personalization of learning is much easier to do in the online school as well.

Now, not every student is equally suited for online learning. I strongly believe there is still a place for the consistent face to face interaction that brick and mortar school provide. To be successful online, a student must have the self-motivation to work through assignments and lessons without a teacher present and must have a positive support structure at home. Students who lack one or both of these things would benefit more from a learning environment where this kind of motivation can be provided.

My growing concern:

In every scenario I see, especially with the current economic crisis, doom is spelled for the fate of traditional educational settings. If we keep going the way we have been going students are going to leave to enroll in virtual schools and class sizes, programs deemed "non-essential" in the traditional school will be cut and those who teach "essential" courses will see enormous class sizes. Why don't we see a stronger push against virtual learning from our traditional schools? I think teachers are tired of fighting for increased funding, they don't see a solution to fight for, and many see the benefits virtual learning bring. The only argument against virtual schools that I hear over and over again is over a concern for lack of social interaction. But we need to examine and ask ourselves, "What are schools for?" There is the Jeffersonian idea that schools are supposed to prepare students to be members of our society and then there is the Hamiltonian idea that schools are to prepare students for their careers. Neither aim is greatly addressed with the issue of social interaction. And to address this issue, my online students know each other, they have friends, and their social groups outside of school more positively fulfill this role than brick and mortar schools ever did. So what about the fate of traditional schools?

Doomsday Scenario:

1. We are seeing more and more foreclosures on homes, taxes on which are the source of public school funding.
2. Housing crisis, coupled with the subsequent economic meltdown means very little money for schools.
3. Only Language Arts, Science, Math, and Social Studies are left after cut backs.
4. Class sizes are in the 50+ students per teacher.
5. Schools forced into 4 day week to save on transportation and heating.
6. Students have to supply their own textbooks.
7. No extra curricular activities.
8. No field trips.
9. Teachers have to work more years before they can retire.
10. With 50+ students in one class, the only manageable teaching strategy is lecture hall style direct instruction.
11. Meanwhile, while class sizes are still at 50+ in the virtual school, each student's lessons are personalized and easy for the teacher to manage.
12. With fewer costs associated with online education there is money for extras such as field trips and extra curricular activities.

So, what is the answer:

1. Let virtual schools grow and become the new mainstream schools.
2. Traditional public schools need to transform and become more like our alternative schools or area learning centers.
3. We need to abandon the bell schedule and view our teachers not as people who teach classes but as expert resources within the organization.
4. Student learning needs to be personalized. This can be done by assigning students an adviser who works with the student to develop a learning plan.
5. Part of this plan could be taking core, specialty, or advanced classes online.
6. Invest in face to face course offerings that are done better in person than online (art, theater, dance, music, physical education, industrial technology, etc.).
7. Teachers who do not teach courses described in #6 split their time between advising and teaching online.
8. Only probationary students (those who fall behind) need to show up every day. For the rest, school is a place they go for some classes or to use the school's resources.
   

• By cutting the arts, physical education, industrial technology, and extra curricular programs we are eliminating from our brick and mortar schools what they do best! All other content areas are better served by virtual schools.

• The survival of our traditional schools depends on a merger between the virtual school and the traditional school and an investment in the very programs everyone is cutting.

What needs to happen:

• State Education policy has to be revised either to state that all students can be served by an ALC or traditional schools can offer classes as project-based so they are not held down by seat-time requirements that are outdated and tied to the antiquated notion that we need to prepare students to punch a clock.
• Training in distance learning pedagogy needs to be required of all pre-service teachers and all teachers whose license is up for renewal.

RSS Feeds for Teachers

I just finished stage one in a grand experiment. I set up Bloglines accounts for every teacher in our district. Prior to handing them over I preloaded them with feeds in four categories: News, Education News, Technology Integration, and Content Area Feeds. I have been using Bloglines since this summer and have found it to be an absolute essential part of my day. Using Bloglines, or any other RSS aggregator, I have found my capacity to process large quantities of information has greatly increased. I have also found it to be an essential component in establishing an online learning community between other bloggers both in the education realm and out. I believe this tool will save teachers time, keep them informed on latest trends, and give many of them the same opportunity to connect with other educators to share ideas and form collaborations. I also see this tool becoming essential down the line. As more and more of our teachers take to blogs, wikis, and other web 2.0 media for student projects and assignments a tool like this will allow teachers to easily monitor, manage, and assess student work.

I am wondering if there are any other school districts out there that have tried a simmilar initiative with their teaching staff. Listed below are some of the feeds I included on these pages. Of course, I am always looking for suggestions that could be added to this list.


RSS Feeds by Topic and Content Area:

News:
CNN
Star Tribune
Pioneer Press
KTTC(local news)
The Republican Eagle (local news)
Postbulletin (local sports)
Pawprints (School Newspaper)

Education News:
Education Week News and Information
Teacher Magazine News and Information
Edweek
This Week in Education

Education Technology:
2cents (David Warlick's blog)
Dangerously Irrelevant (Scott McLeod's blog)
Techno Constructivist (my blog)
Moving at the Speed of Creativity (Wesley Fryer's blog)
One Trick Pony (Bernie Dodge's blog)
Weblogg-Ed (Will Richardson's blog)
Cool Cat Teacher (Vicki A. Davis' blog)
THE FISCHBOWL (Karl Fisch's blog)
Remote Access (Clarence Fisher's blog)
Education with Technology (Harry G. Tuttle's blog)
The Infinite Thinking Machine
Crucial Thought (Christopher Craft's blog)
Alan November Weblog
Kathy Schrock's blog
Marc Prensky's blog
Resource Shelf
Blogging Pedagogy: Computer Writing and Research Lab University of Texas at Austin

H I T - Hokanson’s Instructional Technology

SMARTboard feeds:
SMARTboard chat
SMARTboard Lessons Podcast
Teachers Love SMARTboards

Technology (not necessarily education):
Slashdot
Gizmodo

Science Feeds:
Wiley Interscience
National Center for Science Education
Steven Spangler

Music Feeds:
MENC
The International Journal of Music Education
Music Education News
Research Studies in Music Education recent issues
Music and Education blog
Music Education Magic (free sheet music)
Music, Technology and Education: Mustech.net

Admin Feeds:
Principal's Policy Blog

English:
The Open Classroom: Using technology, transparency, and discussion to transform education (Tom McHale's blog)
Ask the English Teacher (Crawford Kilian's blog)
WatsonCommon (Christopher Watson's blog)
The Open Classroom (Jo McLeay's blog)
Gardner Writes (Gardner Campbell's blog)

Social Studies:

World History Blog
IB Geography
Google Earth Blog
My Wonderful World Blog
socialstudies.org: Professional Development
Random Observations for Students of Economics(Greg Mankiw's Blog)
Econlog

Art:
The Art History Newsletter

smARThistory
Art Teacher's Guide to the Internet
Art 304
Art Ed + Web 2.0 + Technology Blog
Eye Level (Smithsonian)
Off Center (Walker Art Museum)
Art Teacher Forum
Art News Blog
ArTechTivity
PhotoshopBlog.net
The Photoshop Roadmap Blog

Math:
Mathematics Weblog
Math-Blog
Mister Teacher
Math Playground - Teaching in a Tech Savy World
Mathematics Education Blog

PE
Peaceful Playgrounds
Get Your Blog in Shape
Fizzikal: PE Sport and Physical Activity in Scotland
The Assistive Technology Blog
European Physical Education Review current issue
NAKPEHE.org

Spec. Ed.
Special Education Law Blog
SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER in WASHINGTON DC

Elementary:
marlyn's blog
EPGAGA

Susan Patrick: Community of Interest Discussion: Virtual Schools and 21st-Century Skills - notes

Susan Patrick, North American Council for Online Learning
North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) Website
TIES Wiki

The big trend is we see schools moving more toward a blended model of online and traditional learning.

The % of classrooms where professors are in front of students giving a lecture is 3% at MIT.

What is driving this is the need to access information databases.

We are creating a bigger disparity than ever (digital equity). We need to find more ways to get technology to the students and involve them in blended instruction.

50% of high school courses offered online are AP.

Algebra I is the most requested course. (credit recovery)

Credit recovery is in huge demand for those students who are struggling (I have noticed this recently in how many course management system companies have contacted me wanting to sell our district their services).

The latest SLOAN report states that 1 in 5 students take an online course.

If students are going to do this in college they need exposure to it in high school.

"I'm so sick of it. I know I am smart enough to graduate. But I have to go through these metal detectors....Online instruction was the only thing that kept me in school."

The Gates Foundation Silent Epidemic Study - first study that really looks at dropouts
88% of our dropouts had passing grades
Most felt frustrated, disenfranchised, unchallenged.
Recommendations: need more personalized instruction, need more rigor and relevance

We are not focusing enough on the gifted kids!

We are having the wrong discussion by aiming at the middle. Other countries are focusing on their gifted.

Because of the flexibility of online instruction we are seeing teachers who have left the profession for one reason or another coming back. Online is also giving teachers the flexibility to work part-time in the evenings to supplement their full-time teaching jobs (I am a perfect example of this).

One of the problems we have is figuring out how to give students the absolute best education with the funds we have.

When we talk about the future we are talking about 2 years from now.

Our teacher training programs are not teaching teachers how to teach online. They need to because they are missing the boat.

We will soon enter a teacher shortage like we have never seen before. We will not be able to deal with this problem without online learning.

Last year Georgia only graduated on new physics teacher. This is not uncommon nationwide.

They are coming out with national online teaching standards.