TREND WATCHING TIPS-
Even though we're happy to provide you with more trends than you swing a stick at, it's equally important to hone your own trend watching skills. So let us share 1 of some tips and tricks with you; find out about the 'why' of trend spotting, the mindset required, the resources you need, the process of embedding them into your organization, and how to actually apply these trends. Good luck!
Know why you’re tracking trends……
Trend spotting can be fun. Makes you feel in the now and in the know. But that alone is not necessarily going to make you or your company more money. The way we see it, in a nutshell, is that tracking consumer trends is one way (and there are many ways!) to gain inspiration, helping you dream up profitable new goods, services and experiences for (and with) your customers. So trend watching should ultimately lead to profitable innovation.
Trend spotting as a profession has radically changed over the last five years or so. In a world that's now fully connected, where thousands of smart professionals and amateurs are not only spotting, observing, thinking and innovating, but also putting their findings online for all to see, deliciously valuable resources are up for grabs.
Sure, this avalanche of trends, insights and new business ideas may cause information overload, but there is definitely an exciting innovation overload, too. The only thing that separates YOU— passionate CEO, marketer, entrepreneur—from being in the know is the time devoted to absorbing these sources, if not adding to them yourself. The world truly is your oyster. And yet, when we ask professionals if and how they spot trends and, more importantly, how they apply those trends to their own brands, we're told they're still having a hard time getting a handle on the basics.
So let's quickly look at some definitions, misconceptions and practicalities before moving on to other tips:
WHAT IS A TRENd........?

How about: “A statistically significant change in performance of measured data which is unlikely to be due to a random variation in the process.” That won't get the creative juices going. So consider the following definition, which we came up with years ago and which still holds pretty well: A manifestation of something that has unlocked or newly serviced an existing (and hardly ever changing) consumer need,* desire, want, or value.
At the core of this statement is the assumption that human beings, and thus consumers, don't change that much. Their deep needs remain the same, yet can be unlocked or newly serviced. The 'unlockers' can be anything from changes in societal norms and values, to a breakthrough in technology, to a rise in prosperity.
Example? One of the core human needs is to be in control, or at least to have the illusion of being in control. No wonder then, that the online world is so addictive. After all, it firmly puts the individual in the driver's seat.
Just give it a try: apply the above definition to your daily spottings and observations of how consumers behave, and how that behaviour is forever changing, and you will find that many seemingly unconnected business success stories will start to make sense. Successful innovations often satisfy existing, dormant needs in new and attractive ways.

COMMON MISPERCEPTIONS :

It's hard to find two people who share the same language when it comes to trend watching. Here are a few common misperceptions. Not complete by far, so add your own:
Predicting next year's colours. Trend watching is about more than spotting the next colour, fabric or hot designer. Sure, black may be back, and miniskirts may re-conquer the catwalks in 2009, but the consumer arena is infinitely more complicated than that. In other words, fashion in all its variety, excitement, and pioneering business models is just another part of the world of consumer trends. In no way does it define consumer trends.
Gazing into a crystal ball. Trend watching isn't about 'hard-core' futurism, either. Better leave gazing into a crystal ball, predicting what's going to happen 15 to 20 years from now, to futurists and scenario planning departments. Trend watching is about observing and understanding what's already happening, the major and the minor, the mainstream and the fringe. In our case in the consumer and business arena.
Declaring the pizza cone an emerging consumer trend. We still get asked a million times about how to distinguish between trends and fads. A pizza cone is a fun product, but it won't dramatically change the consumer arena. At most, it's yet another manifestation that consumers want convenience no matter what. The latter is the trend. The product isn't.

Applying all trends to all people: Don't fall for this one. One massive mistake both trend spotters and brands make all the time, is to assume or pretend that a certain consumer trend will affect or be embraced by ALL consumers. No. Remember, in life and in trends: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The above HSBC ad illustrates it well. Whatever catches your fancy while spotting and tracking trends, please remember that not everything applies to everyone, and that virtually every trend has its anti-trend.
Furthermore, the new doesn't always kill the old. E-commerce may be booming, but real world retail is far from dead. Has the latter changed? Sure. But take one look at excited shoppers and TRYSUMES spending hours in Apple's flagship store in New York and it becomes clear that both online and offline retail have many years of innovation and opportunity ahead of them. In trends, always try to figure out what the 'AND' is, not just the 'OR', and your trend (and opportunity) spotting skills will improve immensely.
Those who watch trends have to possess some rare kind of intuition. Not true. This isn't brain surgery, nor is it rocket science. Observing the world around you, with an open mind, is something many professionals have unlearned, but not something they aren't born with. If you want to spot trends, you can.

What's the future of marketing? How will we be advertising to consumers in five years or more?

Some of the marketing analysts response to this type of inquiry is to consider the effect digital technology is having on the growing proportion of consumers who adopt it, particularly regarding their media consumption and how this may affect marketing in specific industry sectors. By analyzing and assessing digital consumer trends, one can identify potential marketing opportunities and threats these present to different business arenas. Doing this helps reduce clients' anxieties. They can then begin to formulate strategies to embrace the opportunities and mitigate the threats.
In this column, I’ll outline that, which is researched by the analysts about some key digital technology effects on consumers all marketers should be aware of.
At Jupiter Research, some marketing analysts have identified seven emerging trends:

Individuals' interconnectivity is increasing:
The adoption of networked digital technology enables consumers to more easily and rapidly connect with each other, wherever and whenever, whether through email, IM, mobile messaging, or platforms such as eBay, Friends Reunited, and LinkedIn. Consumers increasingly connect, reconnect, trade, and share with likeminded people across time zones and geography. And they're doing so more quickly, more widely, more frequently, and in more volume than ever before. The spread of peer-to-peer communications and content extends and reinforces social networks and builds new virtual "communities."
· The information playing field is being leveled. Digital technology increases the ease and speed of content creation, access, and consumption. As a result, consumers are better informed and information is democratized. A growing percentage of consumers now instantly access a wider breadth and depth of news, opinion, and competitive company information. They conduct unbiased research to compare and contrast products and services. With more information comes more knowledge, and with more knowledge comes more power to the consumer.

Relevance filtering is growing. Digital content's fecundity and its growing abundance create a growing need for information management and relevance filtering as consumer struggle to find exactly what they want, when they want it. Consumers are spending more time searching for relevant information (a boon to search providers) and increasingly seek to have information aggregated and delivered (whether via email or RSS feeds). They block out irrelevant information with personalization, and unwanted or unsolicited commercial messages with ad- and email-blocking technology. Consumers need help managing digital information to avoid digital obesity.
· Niche aggregation is growing. Online content's abundance and diversity enables consumers to more easily participate and indulge in specialist interests and hobbies. They gather in niche communities of likeminded individuals, which results in homogeneous mass consumers fragmenting into an increasingly complex individuality. You need only to look at the Group areas of eBay's Community section for evidence.

Micropublished self-expression is blossoming. Digital media's open-source, interactive, interconnected nature enables consumers to increasingly express themselves in writing and create their own content, whether through discussion forums, message boards, feedback forms, voting platforms, personal photo galleries, or blogs. Growth of consumer-generated media allows consumers to look to their social networks for opinion, which leads to a personalization of authority. How often do we check an online consumer review before booking a table at an unknown restaurant?

The "prosumer" is rising. Online media's unique characteristics enable consumers to become increasingly involved in the creation of the products and services they purchase, shifting the balance of power from producer to consumer. Individuals are more involved in specifying, creating, and customizing their purchases to their requirements, as well as shaping their experiences and the communications they receive. Traditional mass-production and mass-marketing concepts are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

It's on-demand everything, everywhere. Growing digital technology ubiquity and the corresponding acceleration of business practices allow consumers to satisfy their needs faster, more easily, and with fewer barriers. Before, consumer purchases were restricted by time, geography, location, and physical store space. In the digital economy, buying is unlimited by these constrictions. Delivery trading allows near-instant gratification.Digital and online technology play an ever-greater, more central role in modern consumers' lives. Businesses can't afford to ignore these developments. In part two, I'll look at how marketers must address increasingly empowered, in-control digital consumers in the future.

Video Game's GAME..

Video games+Staff productivity+Motivation???... wt abt this?

Using video games to improve staff productivity and motivation...
During the current economic downturn using video games can be a good way to reward employees for reaching their goals or increasing their productivity, says a company that specializes in technology-based employee incentives. The gaming-at-work approach, it says, boosts motivation and productivity as workers compete to earn tokens and prizes.
In many offices, approved gaming in the workplace is limited to the receptionist's engagement in rounds of Minesweeper or Solitaire when the phone isn't ringing.
Admins may sneak off to Pogo during lunch, and the IT guys may stick around after hours for a game of Counter-Strike, but by and large video games have been no more a part of the typical company's culture than pinochle.
Things are slowly changing, however. A number of companies have found that using video games as a way to reward employees for reaching their goals or increasing their productivity can improve office productivity and morale. During the current economic downturn, rewards for overworked employees can be especially welcome.
Another practice whose popularity is growing is the use of video games as training tools. Numerous public safety and military organizations use video games to simulate field conditions. (For example, the battle simulator America's Army, developed by the U.S. Army, has become an enormously successful recruiting tool for the military.)
But you don't have to shoot Nazis to find value for games in the workplace: A company called Executive Command uses the strategy game Empire Earth II to teach managers how to improve their strategic thinking and work as part of a team.
At Regence Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Portland, Oregon, IT department members earn virtual "tokens" for performing certain activities: Resetting a user's password is worth 2 tokens. Implementing a cost-saving idea earns 30 tokens.
Employees can then "spend" these tokens to play quick, chance-based video games. The games are more akin to slot machines: Tokens are converted into points, which can be redeemed for prizes, including cash.

Implementing Technology in Education: Recent Findings from Research and Evaluation Studies
Yes, of course,in this competitive world of business, not only business but in every thing , education plays a very important role in obtaining a recognition in the living country or either in the world. And that too in the era of technology how the education will be? its amazing... i just got this article in one of my friendly website i have published this to share this with u.... lets read this article, see how this reveals you the implementation of technology in education......
This article suggests the approach to implement technology based on the authors 25 years of experience in this area, plus the findings of studies related to technology implementation. The approach suggested emphasizes instructional and student needs first and then through planning integrates technology in ways that enhance and extend instructional and learning opportunities. This approach is currently being applied in the implementation of technologies tested as part of the CAETI program to transfer and adapt defense technologies to education.
A. Why is planning a critical element for successful technology implementation?
It has been repeatedly found that careful planning is a prerequisite for the effective implementation of technology and telecommunications in education and training. Lessons about planning for technology have made their way to national guidelines and programs. For example, the national education reform agendas encourage states to have incentives and direction for developing technology and NII application plans. Plans should 1) involve education stakeholders in their design; 2) be guided by education and training needs of learners; 3) specify clear objectives related to national and local education goals; and 4) incorporate technology applications and practices that have been tested for their educational benefits (NCC-TET, 1994).
Technology is rapidly emerging as an important component of teaching and learning and reform in American schools. However, technology is often promoted as the solution for improving learning before teaching and learning needs are even identified. In fact, research consistently shows that technology per se does not make school reform happen (Means, 1993). In order to effectively target technology to support teaching and learning it is necessary to engage in planning at the state, school district, school, and classroom level.
District and school-level planning
A study of the initial implementation of California's state funded technology programs found that technology was not becoming institutionalized because it was often treated as a separate component within the state's education infrastructure. It was initially funded as an "add- on" rather than being integrated into the curriculum and incorporated into the mainstream of instructional programs.
For example, technology applications initially did not appear in state or local district curriculum framework guidelines, were not part of the school improvement initiatives, and often were not considered in school level program evaluations. At the school level teachers were often not involved in decisions about technology applications. Even so, the study showed that technology had a positive impact on teaching and learning when teachers and principals worked together to plan how to focus technology use in the classroom on regular curriculum activities.
The effects were even greater when the development and implementation of a school plan were actively supported by the district (Cradler, 1991). A recent study compared the impact of technology implementation between schools that used varied levels of planning and staff involvement. The results clearly supported the need for careful planning with teacher involvement to produce commitment to sustained integration of technology into teaching. It went on to recommend the State continue to fund technology programs that require local planning rather than distribution of funds on an 'entitlement' basis (Ford, 1993).
Classroom Level Technology Planning
More recently, a major study on the teacher-application of telecommunications and internet resources (the Telemation Project) showed that the systematic approach to implementation was the key to success of the project (Far West Laboratory, 1995). Borrowing upon the findings of the Monterey and Cupertino Model Technology Schools Projects, the Telemation Project took the approach that teachers would only find telecommunications relevant if they had an opportunity to conceptualize and implement a classroom level project or plan for telecommunications use. This approach provided each teacher with a framework that defined the instructional strategies, curriculum objectives, student needs, and assessment strategies, for which the telecommunications resources could support. The result was that each teacher devised a Classroom Telecommunications Intervention Plan (C-TIP). Over 100 C-TIPs have been developed, implemented and are updated and shared with other teachers on line.
Presently the ARPA supported CAETI project is adapting the classroom level planning model with it's Technology Insertion Plans (TIP). This approach has each teacher develop a classroom level plan that focuses on DoDEA curriculum priorities, school level priorities, student needs, instructional resource needs, and expands teaching beyond what could normally be done with the existing text materials. Each plan includes specific applications of the technologies being beta tested through the ARPA-CAETI program.
For example, the Teachers Associate (TA) Technology was used by many of the TIPs as a tool to help the teacher manage and make instructional decisions. The TA links the teacher on demand to curriculum lessons, technology-based resources aligned with their curriculum, student information, schedules, and internet resources. The TIP provided the context or educational environment for using the TA. This planned approach and structure will be used when testing other ARPA technologies in the DoDEA schools.
In summary, systematic planning as an approach to technology implementation provides:
a rationale for the technology and related resources
the stakeholders get involved in the decision making process
a way to promote thinking about the most cost-effective uses of technology
assurance that technology applications are aligned with the curriculum
help in determining the specific training and assistance needs
assurance that existing resources are used in the plan
a needed vehicle for procuring funding
a method for determining how to evaluate the impact and progress of the technology
a vehicle for communicating steps for others to follow adapting the plan
a process for coordination with other programs and projects
that the teaching addresses the needs of all learners
guidelines and a context for the insertion of new technologies
software developers with a definition of the technological needs of users
B. What are the basic steps for applying the planned approach to technology implementation?
The comprehensive studies of technology application over the past five years on the California Model Technology Schools Projects yielded findings that identified the critical components in school and classroom level technology use planning (Cradler, 1992). The remainder of this chapter describes the minimum components for an effective school level and classroom level technology plan. The planning process described below should be considered when developing, testing, implementing, and evaluating a school-based technology plan.
1. Convene a school or departmental planning committee. Identify the planning partners to include the teachers, a district office representative, parents, the principal, possible business partners, and a representative from the county office, regional agency, or department of education as appropriate. Most middle schools and high schools are organized by department and develop technology plans by department rather than school-wide. The decision to develop a school-wide versus a departmental plan is a function of the size and organization of the particular school. Effective projects continue to involve advisory groups in the planning as well as for ongoing support and monitoring of the project and revision of the plan when needed. Technology use planning should be part of existing local school planning procedures. This will help to ensure that technology will become integrated into the existing educational program.
2. Coordinate with existing school and district plans. Identify and review the existing school plans and guidelines for amending such plans. The School Technology Plan (STP) should become an integral part of the existing school plan already required by some programs such as School Improvement Plans (SIP). It has been found that technology plans are short lived if they are not integral to the overall plan and consequently considered a part of the overall school program. This suggests that educators should update the overall school plan to describe the use and coordination of existing as well as planned technology to support or expand the educational objectives of the plan.
The STP must be consistent with existing or anticipated district level educational and technology planning. Successful technology projects usually implement activities that support the district-wide mission and goals. District support is necessary to implement and continue with district resources after state funding is terminated (Cradler, 1993).
3. Identify student and school program needs. Review local needs assessment information, resource inventories, school performance and school accreditation reports, and other relevant information, to determine needs for restructuring or expansion with consideration of the application of technology. If time and resources permit, a needs survey should be conducted. The plan should identify the student and staff needs to be addressed by the plan. Needs should be documented by the school staff and be focused on discrepancies between existing and desired conditions for teaching and learning.
4. Identify available technology-based and support resources. Review the existing uses of technology and media resources at the school and their relationship to the goals and objectives of the existing or emerging school site plan. Existing and planned school and district resources to support the technology plan should be considered and described in the plan. Often plans are developed without consideration for the technology that already exists in the school or district. Also, plans sometimes budget for staff services that could be provided by the existing regional agencies or even the school district office.
In addition to local resources, become familiar with the existing state, regional, and national resources, such as those provided by regional support agencies and demonstration programs. It is critical that educators are aware of the resources and possible uses of technology before they engage in intensive planning.
5. Integrate the school-wide technology planning with the curriculum. The STP should describe how the use of technology will align with and expand district and state curriculum and instructional objectives. Technology should be viewed as a tool to expand opportunities for learning beyond what can already be provided.
A recent study to determine effective technology applications concludes that "any technology integration requires that teachers engage in rethinking, reshifting, and reshaping their curriculum" (Means, 1993). The planning process should provide the opportunity for educators to become aware of and discuss the possibilities for current and emerging technologies to expand and enhance teaching - it should allow teachers the opportunity to collaboratively construct new visions for teaching and learning.
6. Objectives and Activities. A plan should describe school-wide objectives with related activities that describe how technology applications directly relate to instruction, curriculum enhancement, and the school program. The objectives should be directly linked to the documented learner and teacher needs. Studies consistently show that plans which include clearly stated activities were more often used by staff as a guide for implementing technology. Clearly stated objectives make it possible to assess the level of implementation of the plan. After careful review of the instructional needs that can be met by the addition of technology, revise the objectives for the existing school plan, or add new objectives to incorporate the intended use of technology at the school site and in the targeted classrooms. The objectives for technology applications should be aligned with the district priorities and the district should support the school's objectives.
7. Classroom Level Technology Intervention. In addition to school or departmental objectives and activities, the STP should describe activities planned for each classroom. Research and experience shows that planning is most effective when it is extended to the classroom and describes what teachers do to implement their part of the plan. Linking planning to the classroom level ensures that teachers will have a clear vision of what they will do to implement their part of the STP.
The Monterey Model Technology Schools Project with the assistance of Educational Support Systems, devised a school-and classroom-based planning model known as the Classroom Intervention Plan (CIP) to ensure classroom linkage to the school plan (Cradler, 1989). The CIP is currently a working plan developed by teachers to target the use of technology toward the attainment of clearly defined classroom-based student and staff objectives. Special forms were devised for recording the classroom planning information. As mentioned earlier, the CIP planning process was adapted for the ARPA CAETI project and is called a Technology Insertion Plan (TIP). The TIP forms were computerized and incorporated into the Teachers Associate (described earlier). The TIP technology prompts the teacher and links the teacher to resources needed to develop the TIP.
The classroom planning steps address:
1. Student needs and related instructional priorities and needs
2. Classroom-specific instructional activities to meet the needs
3. Technology-based applications to support the instructional activities
4. Individualized staff development for the teacher
5. Classroom-specific performance-based assessment methods
6. Hardware, connectivity, software, and other resources needed
7. School management commitment to ensure that the time and resources needed to successfully implement the CIP are provided for the teacher
8. Specific budget needed for the teacher to implement the plan
Evaluations consistently found that the classroom planning process:
increased teacher commitment
sustained increased levels of technology use
improved coordination of resources for the project
focused resources on the educational needs of students
helped teachers determine what technology to implement
provided a way for teachers to communicate about the project to other educators and to
parents
The ideal and effective school plan should be a composite of classroom plans designed to accomplish school-wide objectives. School planning that does not engage and produce classroom plans often results in school plans that are filed away and not used. Part of the school planning process must involve assisting teachers to conceptualize and develop their classroom technology plans. For details on how to design and implement school planning readers are encouraged to obtain Destination Tomorrow, An Atlas of Technology Use in Education, produced by the Monterey Model Technology Schools Project (see the Resources Section ).
8. Staff Development. The STP should describe the staff development and follow-up assistance necessary for successful implementation of planned activities. The STP staff development activities should largely be based on the CIP-determined staff development activities. As teachers develop their classroom level plans the school-level staff development program can be designed.
It must directly support the activities indicated in the classroom plans. Available staff development days made possible by school improvement programs funded by the state or federal programs and school development plans should be allocated to support the implementation of the STP. Research continues to show that staff development matched to the needs of the teacher is a critical factor for the success of any project.
9. Prepare an Evaluation Plan. The STP should provide a general description of the process for evaluating the project. The process should include procedures for monitoring, implementing, collecting information of student outcomes, and assessing the effects on teaching and instructional practices. Make every effort to incorporate evaluation methods that are consistent with the assessment program already utilized in the school, department, and district should be incorporated. Many schools are adapting and devising performance-based assessment methods that mirror the instructional tasks. For additional information on performance-based assessments, contact the California Assessment Collaborative (CAC) and consult the Educator's Guide for Evaluating Educational Technology Programs. Evaluation provides the necessary information to help convince a future funding agency that the project or plan is worth additional funding. Ongoing evaluation fine-tunes a program and guides any 'midcourse' corrections to keep the project on target and within stated objectives.
10. Develop a STP Budget and funding strategy. Identify adequate funding for the plan and involve the school and district administration developing the STP budget. The STP should provide a budget that includes sufficient funding to provide release time for teachers to implement the plan and participate in needed in service training. The budget should describe all sources of funding ranging from the general school budget to any special grants or donations. The study showed that the least effective plans were those that did not allow enough funding for staff development and release time. Decide whether the potential technology use justifies the development of a grant application for outside funding. If the plan and its needs are clearly documented, and local resources are lacking, consider applying for private or public grant funding. There are many sources of funding often are overlooked. For example, many businesses are interested in forming partnerships with schools and districts to support their application of technology in the classroom. Such business should be identified early in the planning process when resources are being identified.
11. Implement, monitor, and revise the plan. When the plan is implemented, the school site council or planning committee should provide support and monitoring of the project as it is implemented. The STP should be viewed and treated as a part of the overall school plan and be implemented, monitored, and evaluated within the context of the existing school-based program or plan. The evaluation and assessment information should be used for making mid-course corrections and to report progress to the committee, school and district staff, and other stakeholders for the project.
Within the context of the school plan, work with the committee to make necessary adjustments to the STP that are suggested by the evaluation. Planning should be an active and ongoing process. The planning committee must provide the support and advocacy needed to maintain the interest and enthusiasm of those involved in implementing the plan. Progress of the school and classroom-level technology plans should be documented and systematically reported to the board and used as justification for requesting funding from the district, the state or other sources.
C. Besides the planning approach, what are some other important and more general considerations to take when implementing technology?
Experience shows that when doing technology planning several factors must be constantly considered. These are derived largely from the documented experiences of the model technology schools in California.
Teachers must have a reason to use the technology; it is important to promote teacher-development of projects or plans were teachers can apply technology to meet particular instructional and student needs identified within such projects or plans.
Curricula must drive technology; technology should not dictate curricula.
Check out what other schools have done-both successes and failures. Seeing a system in use makes it easier to envision in your own school, an you can learn from the mistakes of others. This is the reason that the Model Technology are and important resource. Many states and businesses support model technology schools as resources for planning.
Don't accept materials or hardware that do not fit with the curriculum and technology plans. Haphazard acquisitions or computers here and there will not bring the school up-to-date technologically. Technology involves interfacing with other classrooms, libraries and networks.
Training teachers is critical and ongoing. Set aside time and money for formal training classes as well as opportunities for teachers to discuss discoveries or problems with their colleagues. Training should account for at least one third of the budget allocated for the educational technology program or initiative.
Technology planning is never-ending. A technology plan cannot be developed and the technology committee then disbanded. As the project is implemented, as technology changes, as the school grows, the plan must change.
The technology plan must include maintenance, trouble-shooting and network management.
Acquiring technology is not a matter of plugging in a computer. It will affect all aspects of the school culture, from architecture to interpersonal relations. Include the whole picture in your plan and training program.
Technology requires community support and involvement. Money, inkind services, and training must come from all parts of the community and will cross traditional boundaries.
Administrative support and involvement is critical to the successful integration of technology; Studies constantly show that the commitment and interest of the principal is the most critical factor for successful implementation of any school innovation-especially technology.
D. How is the planning approach relevant at the State and National level?
Planning for technology use has become the emphasis at the state and national levels. The reason for planning at these levels is similar to the local level. National planning is necessary to ensure that technology programs among the various Federal agencies is coordinated. For example, it has been found that many of the programs initiated by the Departments of Education, Commerce, Defense, NASA, NSF, and others overlap with almost identical objectives. It has also been found that Federal technology initiatives do not take into consideration the support of National Education Goals. Other issues include duplicative administration of grants programs, fragmented evaluations of national programs, and general lack of coherence within and between Federal agencies with respect to technology. Another problem is that the Federal programs sometimes duplicate various state efforts to plan and implement technology in education and training. School districts are sometimes confused with state and federal guidelines and grant programs that seem to do the same thing with separate sets of bureaucratic requirements.
E. What can be done at the National Level to provide effective and planned implementation of technology across the country?
In the past two years Federal legislation was introduced to establish a National Educational Technology Plan. This plan would be developed by the recently established U.S. Office of Educational Technology. S. 1040 (Bingaman, Cochran, Kennedy) initiated legislation later to become part of the Improving Americas Schools Act, that would mandate this plan and would authorize funding for programs that would support implementation of the national plan. These programs all involve planning. The Technology Challenge Grants require education agencies to work with business partners to develop detailed plans for the innovative development and testing of technologies that would clearly increases opportunities for learning that supports the National Education Standards. The Regional Technology Centers would help states develop and implement state and local district plans that integrate technology and telecommunications into the state educational improvement goals. Goals 2000 requires all states to develop State Technology Plans that support their Goals 2000 Improvement Plans. The common theme among all of the programs is the planned approach that include evaluation that holds the programs accountable for meeting the objectives set forth in these plans.
While these planned programs are important, it was still necessary to better coordinate and leverage the technology resources and investments across the various Federal programs. The White House initiated a program that would bring together the 10 major Federal agencies so that educational technology initiatives could coordinated. A high level committee established the Interagency Technology Office (ITO). This office is staffed by at least one representative from each of the Federal agencies to include Education, Defense, Commerce, NASA, NSF, Labor, and others. It will work closely with the U.S. Office of Educational Technology to design and implement the U.S. Educational Technology Plan in a coordinated fashion. A major potential of this office is the enabling of DOD and its contractors to work with educational in the collaborative utilization and adaptation of defense-developed training technologies to support education. Education, alone cannot scratch the surface when it comes to the technological capability of the DOD. This synergistic relationship can help build technology in education and can help DOD build technology that expands technology beyond training and into the higher order decision making demanded of military officials and planners. Other Federal resources that can support state and local technology integration include the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), the Eisenhower Math/Science Clearinghouse and the ERIC Clearinghouses providing electronic access to important information to support technology planning. The Regional Education Laboratories and Centers also serve as clearinghouses to support planning and research related to technology integration.
These are a few of the new attempts to provide for a National educational technology infrastructure that is coordinated, efficient, and responsive the needs of the states. There are many obstacles facing this effort such as uncertain budget to implement this planned national effort.
F. What can be done at the State Level to provide effective and planned implementation of technology in the school districts and regional agencies?
Most of the states have developed technology plans or telecommunications infrastructure plans. A recent review of the plans shows that often they are not implemented. This is most often due to the lack of funding combined with the state level leadership needed to make such plans living and working documents that educators and policy makers actually take seriously. California developed a state plan in 1992, that was only partially implemented. This plan was never sufficiently funded. Legislation was enacted to support this plan in part. The realization that California is now 51st among the states in terms of the ratio of students to computers has caused a recent surge of interest and action by the state to start taking planning seriously. Now the Governor has increased the States educational technology budget by $15 million. However, some of the uses of this fund, such as the refurbishing and donating of used computers, are not viewed as consistent with the earlier technology plan. The point is that without strong leadership, a state (or the Federal Government), or the school, cannot implement a technology plan. However, without a plan or road map, the leadership for technology implementation can easily lead the schools into using technologies that are inappropriate for the instructional and learning needs of the students.
Other state level actions for technology planning are to encourage school districts and consortia when applying for Federal grants such as the Goals 2000 Subgrants, to integrate technology into these projects and programs. Also states should build technology into their state curriculum frameworks and instructional materials adoption process. State assessment systems should consider the application of technology in teaching and learning as part of the learning assessment task inventory. When states conduct local site reviews of their sponsored programs and initiatives they should develop and apply criteria and indicators that incorporate the appropriate instructional uses of technology. States should also establish Interagency Technology Offices that coordinate and leverage telecommunications resources within the state. States should take seriously their Goals 2000 state planning opportunities in that funding is provided to support this planning process.
The authors of this document have developed state planning guidelines now being used by several states to inform development of their Goals 2000 State Technology Plans. These guidelines incorporate many of the planning steps mentioned in this document at the state level along with a comprehensive set of guidelines and checklists to facilitate development of state technology plans.
G. Summary and Recommendations
The recommended implementation approach for integrating or inserting technology must focus on comprehensive planning that involves all of the stakeholders. Critical factors include establishing a vision for the plan, utilizing existing and emerging resources, basing technology decisions on curriculum and instructional needs, focusing on student needs, and providing for local staff development and follow-up assistance. This chapter provides a detailed and research-based model for technology use planning that should be considered. The approach for implementing technology emphasizes a series of operational steps for integrating technology into the existing instructional program which include:1) establishing a stakeholder planning committee, 2) coordinating with existing plans, 3) identification of student and program needs, 4)identification of available resources to support the plan, 5) curriculum integration, 6) establishing goals and objectives, 7)developing related classroom-based plans, 8) staff development, 9) evaluation, 10) budget and funding strategies, and 11) implementation strategies.
It must be emphasized that school and district plans can only be implemented if teachers are developing and implementing classroom plans or projects that directly support the objectives of the school and district technology plans. The document also discusses the planning approach at the state and national levels. The overall recommendations for the basic approach suggested for educational technology planners, developers, and implementers are:
Involve educators in the development of individualized instructional applications of technology as part of the overall school level planning process.
Ensure that local insertion of technology is driven by the curricular and instructional needs of the school site.
Coordinate all technology insertion with the existing national, state, school district, and school level educational reform priorities.
Ensure that evaluation of the approaches used in technology implementation are evaluated and that evaluation be used to inform improvements in the program.
Developers of technology-based resources must conduct alpha and beta testing at school sites within the context of the school and classroom instructional plans.
States should develop and implement technology plans that leverage and coordinate technology-based resources within and between state agencies in ways that pool and target such resources to support the local implementation of technology.
Federal government should develop a national technology plan that coordinates Federal agency resources to help build the capacity of states to develop, fund, and implement their own technology plans.
At the federal, state, and local levels, planners and implementers must be proactive about procuring new, and leveraging existing funding and resources to actually implement plans and to recognize that plans are necessary pre-requisites to obtaining funding and resources.
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