When asked recently how he would like his
room redecorated Jr Dude responded with a resounding shout for a “Lego room”
I
have to admit I was expecting something more along the line of Angry Birds etc
but hey Lego would be cool. In fact Lego was an awesome response, Lego….the
epitome of colourful, innovative and imaginative creation. Plans were quickly
afoot to transform the outdated Pixar CARS look into a room fit for an 8 year
old boy. New bed with plenty storage, colourful walls (including one with Blackboard
and chalk), Evolution of Lego Man and Lego brick decals, ah yes this was fun,
this was creative and this was all done with minimal fuss, pain and confusion.
It was also incredibly well received. “Nothing
like what I expected” “Awesome” “Wait till my friends see it”
There is
little that can dent the smile on two happy parents when you get that kind of
response :-)
Fly forward to Christmas day. I was excited
(as always) at the prospect of tackling the box of Lego that appeared in my
stocking but I also looked across the room with envious eyes at the
collection of Lego boxes amassed by Jr Dude. Although happy and content with my
Captain America/ Avengers kit I couldn’t help but hope that my skills would be
employed as a contractor to work on the slightly larger scale projects waiting to
go ahead once the attention focused on Tablet, Telescope, Ghost Hunt and Air
Craft Carrier etc had began to wane…….and wane it did..........supported by the fact the
battery had drained from the Samsung Galaxy Tab. "Daaaaaaaad……..Can you help me
with my Lego?"
No need to ask twice, and we opened box
number one, this contained a 4x4, motor cycle trailer, two motor cycles and
riders all conveniently placed in separate itemised and numbered bags. Each bag
was carefully opened to avoid volcanic eruption-esque explosion of blocks and
wheels and laid in neat piles on the floor.
From here we
selected the instruction manuals and began the task of interpreting the
pictures to build as per specifications brick by brick, section by section and
piece by piece. Once completed we stepped back and marvelled at our creations
before launching into the resulting movie sequence which usually involved a
chase scene of French Connection Gene Hackman proportions and a Hollywood style
crash and explosion. There was one problem though, and it got me to thinking,
as I do.
This wasn’t our creation. What has happened
to LEGO?
To any self respecting 8 year old this is
Lego, you buy a box off the shelf depending on the flavour off the month, Star
Wars, Harry Potter or Avengers etc. You take it home, open the box, it tells you
what to make and you follow the easy steps and can be playing with the
completed product in a short space of time. What then follows is the box and
instructions are cast into the bin and the said constructions remain (mostly)
as the toy on the box.
Flash back to my own childhood and I
remember getting a box of Lego. This box consisted of a wide range of bricks
and probably had a picture of a boat, plane or house on the front. AWESOME
!!!!! This wasn’t a box of Lego bricks this was a box of imagination. You emptied the box in a pile in the middle of the room risking the most painful late night injury know to humankind and built.......you just built, what you wanted, how you wanted it and in any order you wanted it. No need to start with joining the body of Lego man to his legs before adding head and choice of wig......oh no, I could do that at a later date, hey it's Zombie season, who says he needs a head?
I created and invented. The blocks let me think for myself, innovate and really fire my imagination. Ask anyone I know and they will tell you about my obsession about how in learning today we need to deconstruct, break things down to individual components and allow the ability for the individual to rebuild and suit their own needs.
There is no doubt that Lego still rules but a little bit of love has gone out of it and although you can still buy the boxes of random bricks what would kids prefer? that or a £700 Lego Deathstar?
So as I thinked and thunked and thonked it led me to another thought about changing ways. There is a phrase I hear way too much lately and that is Learning is Changing. The top advocates use another over coined phrase to convince us by citing the fact "we live in an ever expanding digital world" and how we take information onboard faster and slicker with learning at our fingertips but lets be honest, Learning isn't changing. The way it is marketed is changing to match the options and availability of it. Look at any directory that drops onto your desk and see what they offer. The other day I got one that boasted over 2000 courses and 1500 eLearning modules. To squeeze this all in they offer multiple ways to gain access to that content. Short on time and want to do something on your coffee break? try our short espresso range. Can't get away from the office? We'll come to you. Can't come to you? Try our online range. Hate the lack of tutor? How about online with a tutor at the end of the phone.......hey did someone say phone? Have you tried our app?
The learning doesn't change.
Okay, so what about Lego? Perhaps it was thought it had to change because we felt our kids are growing up too fast but by doing so we have taken a little bit of fun and imagination out of the box that makes them kids in the first place. Learning is exploratory and the biggest win is when you discover something you never knew before, like when you first demonstrate that your Lego car does work (despite some fundamental aerodynamic flaws). Having the freedom to learn create and innovate in a way that suits you is key to ensuring we fully embed what we learn. The only guide for the Lego should say, "it's not what you need to build, you just need to build" Ultimately it doesn't matter if it looks exactly like the Deathstar, in fact I reckon the empire had only put a coat of primer on it before it's destruction so it's your job to finish it in red, yellow and blue bricks.
Learning doesn't change and like Lego the process should always end with look at what I achieved.
That Learning Dude @LearningXDude
So as I thinked and thunked and thonked it led me to another thought about changing ways. There is a phrase I hear way too much lately and that is Learning is Changing. The top advocates use another over coined phrase to convince us by citing the fact "we live in an ever expanding digital world" and how we take information onboard faster and slicker with learning at our fingertips but lets be honest, Learning isn't changing. The way it is marketed is changing to match the options and availability of it. Look at any directory that drops onto your desk and see what they offer. The other day I got one that boasted over 2000 courses and 1500 eLearning modules. To squeeze this all in they offer multiple ways to gain access to that content. Short on time and want to do something on your coffee break? try our short espresso range. Can't get away from the office? We'll come to you. Can't come to you? Try our online range. Hate the lack of tutor? How about online with a tutor at the end of the phone.......hey did someone say phone? Have you tried our app?
The learning doesn't change.
Okay, so what about Lego? Perhaps it was thought it had to change because we felt our kids are growing up too fast but by doing so we have taken a little bit of fun and imagination out of the box that makes them kids in the first place. Learning is exploratory and the biggest win is when you discover something you never knew before, like when you first demonstrate that your Lego car does work (despite some fundamental aerodynamic flaws). Having the freedom to learn create and innovate in a way that suits you is key to ensuring we fully embed what we learn. The only guide for the Lego should say, "it's not what you need to build, you just need to build" Ultimately it doesn't matter if it looks exactly like the Deathstar, in fact I reckon the empire had only put a coat of primer on it before it's destruction so it's your job to finish it in red, yellow and blue bricks.
Learning doesn't change and like Lego the process should always end with look at what I achieved.
That Learning Dude @LearningXDude
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