So… what to do about it? If you’re like me you probably think a lot about what you need to do to survive and hopefully thrive in a rapidly changing educational landscape.
Or if you don’t think about it you should…
You can hide for a while from the massive changes ahead for work, education, and play, but it’s better to do it on your own terms.
The answer, or at least, the answer for me, is this:
- think more like an entrepreneur in the weird world of education.
This means that you’re on the path to becoming an edupreneur. Yes, it’s a word.
Having your own education business is not a prerequisite to thinking like an entrepreneur. It doesn’t matter where you fit in the organisation, you can start thinking more like an entrepreneur.
How do you do this? It’s about changing your mindset for starters. And the simplest way to do that is to start using the some of the tools that entrepreneurs use to manage and do their work.
What kinds of tools am I talking about? You want use tools that enable you do these things:
- Use cloud-based technologies: Often we do need physical time in physical locations with physical learners. But what about your other work including admin tasks? Are you set up to do this from anywhere? Can you cut the chain to your desk? Can you cut the chain to your laptop? What tools do you need to do this?
- Seek customer feedback: This sounds basic. But what feedback do you get from your learners and others in your sphere of influence. How do you know that what you’re delivering is any good? Does your evaluation process give you any useful information?
- Iterate your education product: The best products, including education products have been through, and continue to go through countless iterations – that is, cycles of change and tweaking and improvement. This is where high quality feedback from your learners and others is critical if you want to rise above the plateau of mediocracy that plagues much of education. These innovation cycles can be small, but they are necessary if you want to create
- Develop and publish audio content: Can you create rich audio content for your learners? How do you feel about listening to the sound of your own voice? As a 21st century educator you need to feel comfortable with the sound of your own voice. Do you know how to record digital audio content? Have you ever listened to a podcast? Could you podcast chunks of your content? What tools do you need to do this?
- Develop and publish video content: Can you create rich video content for your learners that they can access anywhere anytime? Do you know how to record digital video content, edit it, and upload it to Youtube and other platforms? What tools do you need for this?
- Communicate without relying on Email: Email is horribly broken for most people who work in any kind of bureaucracy. What alternatives do you have to email for communications? Can you message your learners or your team? How do you broadcast key messages from your organisation? What about key messages from you personally? What’s the best platform? How can you engage your learners in a conversation outside of face-to-face interactions and email? Again, what tools do you need here?
Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 for each of the above… Any thoughts?
