The Laws of Disruption

In his book The Laws of Disruption, Larry Downes states that "technology changes exponentially, but social, economic, and legal systems change incrementally."  This phenomenon has led to legal battles over copyright, patents, privacy etc.

If social, economic and legal systems change incrementally, educational systems evolve glacially.  This is not surprising.  After all, one of the primary functions of education is to preserve the knowledge, traditions and culture of society.  It is true, as astronaut Christa McAuliffe  proclaimed, teachers  "touch the future."  Yet, most of their work involves the past.

I remember reading once that schools teach only one subject...history.  Schools teach the history of mathematics, the history of literature, the history of science and so forth.  On reflection, this is a pretty valid observation.  In science and math, we ask our students to prove that which has already been proven.  We ask them to discover that which has already been discovered and we ask them to learn, that which is already known.

This is not a criticism.  This is what schools were created to do.  But at a time when most of the information in the world can be carried in your pocket; at a time when science is capable of manipulating the most fundamental aspects of nature and life; at a time when broadband and wireless networks triumph over time and space, can schools continue to function this way?

In 2008, Clayton Christensen wrote Disrupting Class.  It quickly became a must read for educators and Christensen and his co-author Michael Horn became much sought after speakers on the national educational conference circuit.  The book stirred an important discussion among educators, although a rather narrow one to my way of thinking.

It is my hope that Disruptive Reflections will expand the conversation on how schools can leverage disruptive innovations to prepare our students for a world that moves at the speed of light, a world that faces daunting problems and endless possibilities.  This blog will look at advances in science, engineering, business and technology and relate them to the changing needs of our students.

Join me in this conversation.  Look for new posts weekly.