Age Is No Barrier To Innovation
I came across a promotional article of Bushmills Irish Whiskey named ‘The Age of Innovation’ in the July 09 issue of Wired Magazine’s UKedition. Especially the statement, ‘But age is no barrier to innovation’ caught my attention. Even though it sounds like an advertisement line, I couldn’t agree more with it.
According to their website, Bushmills 1608 is a unique blend of tradition and innovation. That can also be true for other companies that operate in an industry ruled by traditions, but would like to be innovative. Take educational institutions: They have been teaching the same way for centuries. With the years passing by, they have added OHPs (over-head projectors) and beamers to their classrooms, and they started giving email addresses to their students. These might be considered to be minor innovations, but they gave an additional value and made teaching and studying easier.
With Apple introducing iTunes U, institutions got the chance to blend tradition with innovation. Universities can stick to their old way of teaching, but students can innovate and create a new way of studying. As a student, I obviously still need to be attentive and, especially, awake during classes. But if I miss to write down something, or my notes are too messy to study with, I can get help from video and/or audio podcast created by the institution. And if I would happen to be a very organized and consequent class-goer, those podcasts can only improve my study-habits, which will most probably result in even better grades.
I am not trying to promote iTunes U here. Nonetheless, I feel that institutions can only benefit from that platform. It shows the willingness of that specific school to give more value to its courses and the openness to blend tradition with innovation. I cannot wait to find out if FFHS, the school I will be studying at to get my MSc in Innovation Management, will provide its students with these kind of podcasts.
