Our Canadian correspondent (well … Stephen Downes actually, but never spoil a good story for the sake of the truth … as they say) suggests an interesting idea.

Namely: “to consider the oft-repeated (especially by teachers) requirement for ‘training’ in new technology to be code for I don’t want to use this.“

Read Stephen’s post on this by clicking here.

Can this be true ?

Is offering training merely pandering to the procrastination and avoidance strategies of the unwilling ?

How many of the people we’ve trained have gone on to be enthusiastic, innovative users of our systems ?

How many of the enthusiastic, innovative users of our systems have needed us to train them ?

Should we be spending our time trying to spread the use of technology in learning and teaching, or should the push come from those teaching with it already ?

As learning technologists we often worry about preaching to the converted. Maybe that isn’t a bad thing. Perhaps it is the role of the already converted evangelists to spread the word and it is for us, the e-learning support officers, to pick up the job of facilitator ?

Is this a mild polemic ? 🙂

Your comments and insights would be welcome …