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Hi. Welcome to week one. First topic of conversation as we think about how we build a road map
for technology adoption change is that old reflection about who we are first before understanding
the environment in which we are going to act and interact and create change. So the first
topic that I've got us looking at is a little bit of self-study. And a very simple assessment
for you to take. It just asks you a few questions. It plots you along a fairly recognized or
established line from early adopter down to a more technology resistant person. The first
thing I want to say is with any of these kinds of simple queries, quizzes if you want, if
the shoe fits wear it and if the shoe doesn't fit reevaluate and trust your own instincts.
These are not particularly important validated kinds of assessments in any way but they may
help give you some ideas and some thinking about what kind of person you are in relationship
to technology. I'll note in the assignment that I come out as a fairly high technology
adopter, somebody who picks up technology early but yet at the same time I don't know
that that fits me completely. I have a Kindle with a couple hundred books on it, in fact.
But I'd be much happier with carrying around real books, paperbacks that I could read and
turn pages on. That doesn't mean that I prefer the technology over the more antiquated traditional
forms of a book but I'm also ready to recognize that with a lifestyle that involves a lot
of travel, having a Kindle is a lifesaver to be able to do that. So the question for
you really is what is your relationship with technology? Are you one of these people who's
going to stand in line to get the latest edition of an iPhone or some new technology? Or are
you somebody who's going to have to be coerced or invited and dragged along a bit reluctantly
into technology? The reason that this becomes such an important question is that when you
start thinking about how you engage a group of people, be it a business, be it university,
be it a k-12 school, you have to understand that your view of the world does not necessarily
represent their view of the world. By taking a look at where you are on this continuum,
my hope is that you'll understand that number one there is a continuum and that people are
different places along that. There are strategies that you can discern and embody to help focus
on those kinds of individuals. An example. If we take somebody who is a very early adopter,
somebody who is ready to jump on the newest technology. By and large the strategy for
getting them on board is to give them the technology and get out of the way. There's
no great miracle to that. You try to provide resources, try to create a scenario in which
they have to provide some feedback on their experience to the larger public and then get
out of the way and let them create and innovate and do. On the other hand, at the very opposite
end of the spectrum, somebody who's a strong technology reluctant you might want to think
about not investing too much energy or effort. Teaching in most cases doesn't require technology.
If you're engaged in this course, you probably believe that education can be improved, that
training can be improved by the use of technology in a discreet, intentional, well-thought out
manner. There are those who simply aren't going to embrace technology in any way, shape
or form. They're still struggling with email. What's your return on investment? If you invest
a lot of energy in trying to coax these people on board or get into a battle over trying
to force them on board what's your return on investment for that? The answer would appear
from around the world that the return on investment is very little. There's a lot of frustration
on your part, very little movement on their part. What you want to do is to take focus
on those who can be moved more easily. Build critical mass and let that move forward. In
order to really do that or understand that the question becomes where are you? what is
your position on the continuum and what's your natural assumption about the way other
people are going to see the world of technology? One of our greatest problems is that we come
in to a situation and not at a conscious level so much as a sub-conscious level that we come
in with the assumption that people are going to understand our view, agree with our view,
relate to our view and share that. The reality is of course that's not true. Then we run
into these people who pull you up short with your nicely laid plans your projects all laid
out. You've strategized how you're going to move your organization forward and then you
run into these roadblocks. You run into these roadblocks because people fundamentally aren't
seeing the situation or making the same set of assumptions that you are. What do we do
about that? We're going to work through that over the course of the next six weeks. For
this week, all you have to do is concentrate on Who are you? What's your relationship to
technology? What's your role engaging technology at the workplace? How did you end up there?
Was it an accident? Did yo intentionally seek to be in a linchpin technology role within
your organization? Was it thrust upon you? Are you yourself a reluctant technologist
or are you somebody who's jumped on board early and enthusiastically and is one of the
great cheerleaders in the organization? We will be providing more formal materials with
content and information to help inform you about this. This first week is a little bit
of self-discovery. I want you to go find your own readings which means you'll have to look
at a bunch of stuff, sort through it, make a decision about what kind of article or white
paper you're going to bring to the group. We're going to make sure that everybody's
first assignment which is really just bringing one article to the table is shared with everybody.
Then you'll have an opportunity within a discussion board to go ahead and talk and read some of
the articles that other people brought. Take a look at them and engage in a bit of discussion
around that. Your initial posting really is about what kind of institution or organization?
What's your role? How comfortable are you with technology? If you are indeed someone
who provides direct service through teaching how well integrated is technology in what
you do? Take a look at what other people have said and respond to them. I hope that it will
be a very interesting first week. Whether it's physician heal thyself or teacher teach
thyself I guess in this case it's learner know thyself. I hope that we'll have some
fun with a little bit of self-discovery this week. Workload should be a couple of hours
throughout the week. It's not very intensive. I can promise you that the workload will step
up in week two but let's get you off the ground kind of easy. It is my hope to find during
the first week a couple of common times when I'll be online via Blackboard Collaborate,
office hours if you will, or just an opportunity to chat about an idea. We'll see if we can
make that work. I hope you have a wonderful first week with this course. I look forward
to reading your work and interacting with a few of you. Take care.