After the last NIACE event I wasn’t enthralled by the prospect of more of the same. Fortunately, me and Jon took away some valuable stuff linked to what we’re trying to do with We Share Stuff. Funny, really as what we’re doing is what most of the conference speakers seem to be hinting at. In an Adult Education sense, there seems to be two main issues. How do we train the teachers / tutors / deliverers in the ‘new’ technology and where is the money coming from? Herein lies the problem. Because it seems most of the providers out there have always stuck to the same methods, applied to the same funding streams, delivered the same content, ticking the same boxes and chasing the same targets. We’ve mentioned before how the Internet is disrupting traditional ways we learn things. Well, it’s also disrupting the way we teach and the way we fund the stuff too. There are many good examples of teaching / learning via new technology already out there. How we develop and define the networks where these examples can be shared by learners / teachers, is a key point. As these networks for learning / teaching develop, by their nature, they become more sociable and other stuff apart from learning / teaching, is shared. This is where the blurring of content / discussion happens, the whole ‘mash-up’ thing that is spawned by Internet noodling (I can’t think what this should be called!), doing its thing again. So suddenly we find these social / educational / community networks blending into something new and maybe raising the potential of funding from alternative streams… community, creative industry and educational etc.
My point is that the Internet is really shaking things up, and providers need to be tuned in to what is happening. From what I heard yesterday at the conference, i’m not sure how many providers really know what’s going on or how they can make the most from it.