Monday, October 10, 2016

Disruptive Technologies

I recently read about the concept of disruptive technologies. I was curious about the term after reading it in a research journal article. I have always thought of the term disruptive with negative connotation and meaning, something we don't like. I am a non-native English speaker and most of the time I understand the meaning of words from a different cultural perspective or I take words literally.
 Disruptions in our life, our environment, our plans, and the way we plan to do things are always perceived as negative events that come our way. Disruption defined as "the disturbance or problems that interrupt an event, activity, or process" (Google, 2016) follow within this category. When I saw the term disruptive technologies, I thought the researcher was going to talk about the way technology negatively impacts the learning process. However, as I kept reading it became clear that disruptive technologies are those that transform the way we have become accustomed to do things in an industry. Dictionary.com  offers a third definition of disruption: Business. A radical change in industry, business strategy, etc. especially involving the introduction of a new product or service that creates a new market: Globalization and the rapid advance of technology are major causes of business disruption (Dictionary. com, 2016). Even though the concept of disruptive technologies emerged mainly in the area of business, the field of education has been fertile ground for changes in the way we do things. Teaching and learning are no longer the same after the arrival of disruptive technologies. Te integration of iPads, phones, tablets, online learning, blended learning, distance education, and other assistive technologies have disrupted and changed the way we do things in education. 

As an educator of 20 plus year, I have seen first hand the way technology has changed my pedagogy and my teaching skills. The following digital story introduces the basic concept of disruptive technologies. 



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