Imagine a
technological change that you would like to see with your school or one
that your school is trying to implement. This could be use of a
specific program, use of a specific piece of hardware (e.g.,
interactive white boards or document cameras), or something broader
(e.g., effective use of the Internet or effective use of technology in
general). Describe what positive impacts you hope that this innovation
will have on the students in your school. Why would a teacher want to
use this innovation.
Introduction to Technology Innovation Theory - February 17
Watch the introduction to technology and school change video
by February 17.
In the wiki below, pick one of the conditions (one that no
one or only one other person has worked on) and form an explanation of
it in your own words and an example of how it might apply to your
situation. Each page of the wiki is about a different condition. Start
early to get your first choice of conditions. Refer to all pages of the
wiki to get a better understanding of the eight conditions. Contribute
to wiki by February 19.
Relate the technology discussed in the "Initial Technology
Change Discussion" to Ely's Eight Conditions.
Interview three people in your school (interviews should be
5-10 minutes long). Ask them about each of Ely's Eight Conditions with
respect to that technological change. Describe the responses you got
and focus on what is missing and what is present in your school with
respect to Ely's Eight Conditions.
If you are not currently a teacher, you should interview up
to three teachers (one or two is OK if you have limited access to
teachers to interview). These teachers can be in schools with which you
have a relationship (e.g., you sub there), classmates from other
classes, or relatives who are teachers. If you have a strong
relationship with a school, you can link all your work in this class to
that school.
Post the results of your interview in the forum below by February 23 (commenting on others'
discussions is optional).
Surry Paper: Diffusion Theory, February 28-March 3
Watch this video by February
28:
After watching the video, write a brief paragraph about how
that innovation might be diffused. Consider what types of people might
be most likely to use it and what attributes of the innovation make it
more or less likely to be adopted. Respond by February 28
Listen to my audio overview by
February 29 Listen
(4:37)
In the forum below, describe your innovation (the one you
have used in earlier discussions or a new one if you decided to switch)
in terms of the five perceived attributes that Surry discusses.
Trialability (it can be tried out)
Observability (observable results)
Relative advantage (better than other innovations or the
status quo)
Complexity
Compatibility
Keep in mind that this is about how the potential users of
the innovation (mainly the teachers in your school) perceive the
innovation, not just about how you perceive it.
In response to your posting and at least two others,
discuss
how some of the difficulties of the attributes can be overcome.
Post your initial discussion by March 1
Post follow-ups to your post and others' by March 3
In the forum below, discuss the Instrumentalist vs.
Determinist view of technology.
Do you believe in an instrumentalist or determinist view
of
technology?
Does superior technology always win? Name an example from
your school and an example from life in general in which superior
technology did not win. Why do you think the "inferior" technology won?
(Optional) Respond to others.
Initial posting is due by March
3 and is likely to be in the range of 2-3 paragraphs.
Keep in mind that this document is rather old, but it
contains very valuable information (I still prefer version 2.0 to
versions 3.0 and 4.0 and not just because 2.0 is free). The details
about specific technologies have changed, but the planning process is
very important.
In the following forum, identify stakeholder groups that
you
would want involved in the planning process and identify (as
specifically as possible) who would help form the technology committee.
For example, you might say that you want a representative from the 5th
grade team, or you might have a specific person in mind from that team.
You might have specific people from the community that you would want
involved or specific businesses. Remember that community members are
less likely to be sitting at weekly or monthly meetings, but they can
be involved in other ways.
In one or two paragraphs, briefly
outline your broad vision for technology and learning in your school. A
vision is what you think things should look like in the next few years.
Think about how you would envision learning (specifically learning with
technology) to be different in 3-5 years. What would it look like? How
would people be behaving differently?
Next, be more specific. Think about the specific technology
you have been discussing during this class. Create a brief vision for
that particular technology. Imagine that almost everyone (or everyone)
in the school has adopted that technology in the way that you imagine.
What would that look like? How would people be behaving differently?
How would learning be different?
Note #1: many of you have already begun this in previous
forums (I commented a few times that something you wrote sounded like a
vision).
Note #2: This will be your
vision. The goal of the technology planning process will be to turn
that vision into reality, possibly by modifying the vision to create
something that many stakeholders share.
For your innovation, brainstorm some specific actions that
need to be completed. The goal is that if these actions are completed
successfully, it will bring you to your vision. You must consider the
following things for each action:
What is the specific action?
Who will do it?
When will it be completed?
How will it be assessed and by whom?
Note that this is just a preliminary list. When you form a
technology committee, you can present this as an example of what the
action steps of the plan will look like, but you should be open to
their input.
Identify one or two examples of good plans that are similar
to what you hope your "finished" plan will look like, including a brief
description of the positive features that you hope to emulate.
Some links to example plans can be found on the class Web site
You can search for others
The forum below is optional;
you will need this for your paper, but you do not have to share it in
the forum below