Dispruptive Power

The disruptive power of Second Life is on the downturn of the bell curve, which means it has lost power and is on the downhill slide.  Like so many technologies the initial hype and excitement create a buzz.  If the buzz is not sustained by what the target market needs and wants then the peak of disruption begins the downward slope.  According to Au, Second Life has lost steam because it failed to pay attention to what the application was being used for. Linden Lab claimed that SL was not a game, but the overwhelming majority of users used it as a game(Au, 2013).  According to Christensen a disruptive technology does something that industry leaders are already doing, but a an affordable price.  For example, the personal computer was a disruptive technology for the mainframe computer  (Christensen, 2008).   In the case of Second Life it could have disruptive power for education if it provides an inexpensive application that can be used as an educational tool.  It also has to be less time consuming to be useful in the classroom.  Companies overshoot what consumers can use (Christensen, 2002).
Blended learning is a disruptive technology interrupts the business model of curriculum supplies of textbooks, paper, and the brick and motor schools. Blended learning allows learning to be developed online without textbooks by using digital resources, which are supply unlimited access to education at little or no cost. The blended learning environment is a sustaining technology.

MIT Video - The Innovation Economy: How Technology Is Transforming Existing Industries and Creating New Ones

References:

Au, Wagner (2013). Second Life turns 10: what it did wrong and why it may have its secod life. Retrieved from: https://gigaom.com/2013/06/23/second-life-turns-10-what-it-did-wrong-and-why-it-will-have-its-own-second-life/

Christensen, C. (2002). The innovation economy: How technology is transforming existing industries and creating new ones [Video]. Retrieved fromhttp://video.mit.edu/watch/the-innovation-economy-how-technology-is-transforming-existing-industries-and-creating-new-ones-9844/

Christensen, Clayton (2008). Disrupting Class:  How disruptive innovation will change the way the world learns.  New York, NY. McGraw Hill.

Commented to:

Cottrell Davis

Robin Lemire