Co-opting the creative revolution: "Digital technology is providing people with the tools to produce and share content like never before, and it is set to throw the relationship between them and institutions into turmoil, say experts."
Comment: Traditional organizations see something unnerving (toxic?) about the loose coupling and connection-based approaches to information, creativity and content management. The most substantial future debate (and has been ongoing in computing since day one) is centralization and decentralization. I don't think it's and either/or debate (though it is being framed as such by both sides). Both approaches are needed, depending on intended tasks/outcomes. The concpet of learning management systems (LMS) is a good example of this debate. Certain aspects of learning should be centralized (particularly enrolment), and others should be decentralized (interaction, content exploration, learner-created content (blogs, wikis), etc.). The problem arises when LMS vendors try to centralize processes (namely learning itself) that are best served in a decentralized model. Media is currently experiencing the impact of poorly judging the nature of this debate. Reduced consumer trust, dropping ratings/subscriptions, and newer technologies are altering the landscape. It's disturbing that many educators seem unwilling to acknowledge the same trends unfolding in the learning sphere.