Well, after a windy day down at Jan Juc near Torquay and watching surf lifesaving events with growing exhaustion, I was quite motivated to sit on my comfy sofa and read some more on the notion of flexibility and have found some interesting resources.
What intrigued me was the change in context in which flexibility has been discussed. Prior to about 1997/1998 the notion of flexibility was talked about in relation to open and distance learning. From 1998 onwards the context switches to significantly include online technologies, e-learning and flexible delivery. this may not be a new observation, but have always wondered about the way in which we use such terms and what determines or drives their usage. I asked the question do semantics really matter? I think discourse has it's place in critical analysis and certainly in this context it can be explored further.
Resources from the Distance Education clearinghouse might prove useful. As would the journal of Distance Education (ODLAA).
I think as society and culture changes and shifts focus, so too must the dialogues and discourses shift or as Richard Edwards (1997) comments, to be rewritten and reread. With this shifting and changing, so too do the power structures. Thus, I think we are seeing a great push for effective change management strategies as communtiies, institutions, businesses and governments attempt to articulate and cope with this change.
Much is address through economic rationalist glasses and this is problematic - we need to acknowledge more readily the cultural shifts which also impact the status quo.
Food for thought! Ciao.
