#IMMOOC: Do, or Do not. There is no “try” – Yoda

First Attempts In Learning…

A recurring theme that I’ve been noticing, here in the IMMOOC, in my Leadership & Educational Technology (M.Ed course), and from Jad Abumrad (ISTE’s keynote speaker from last June’s conference) is the value of failure.  Jad Abumrad, founder of Radiolab, talked about his early work with a bit of nostalgia and chagrin; he claimed it sucked.  Those were his words.  I also heard the same ideas expressed in last night’s IMMOOC.

As educators, we create content.  When a resource cannot be found for our students, instead of using something imperfect, we often make it ourselves.  When we offer to give presentations to our colleagues at PD events, or in webinars, we mentally debrief afterwards and count the ways we can improve.  Plus, the conference feedback helps in that regard.  Reflecting on a process, critically, leads to the betterment of it.

 I am not a firm believer in “embracing failure”, but I do believe that it is crucial to understand that failure is often a part of truly powerful learning.  — George Couros

I don’t think we should just accept a failure as is.  Dissect it. Prod it.  Poke around.  What can I do differently?  How can I make this (material, presentation, etc) work? Or maybe, is there an alternative that would work better?  You only truly fail when you do nothing.  I heard it said somewhere that “inaction is the antithesis of success” – I don’t know who said it first, but I agree.

Leaders with an innovator’s mindset provide the conditions that enable educators to take risks, to advance learning, and to learn from failure.