Blog #3

Now things are getting excited.  As a preface to last weeks blog (to any of those that are following me now in breathless anticpation), I can now say that Craig Carter aka @phonesmartED is actually now fully jumped into the tweeting community.  Whoa!!! I know I am amazed too. Things have been going well.  I have even heard about a new company, followed them, they contacted me, had a phone call, and have already started building an alliance between ed entrepreneurs that I was not even close to having last blog entry.  Proof is in the pudding I guess.   [Sorry I know that was like 12 sentence fragments but I am trying my hardest to make my blogs as perfekt English as possible]  [Blogging on Thursday nights to Techno repeating "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" can have its academic draw back] I actually reference the above to touch on the passion behind the potential concept for the final paper.  Education technology is totally trending on my goal for after school.  It has taken a bit of a circuitous route to get to this point, but as they say you will become best at the cross section between whatever you feel you will be good at and what interests you...entrepreneurship plus education...sounds like a perfect fit.  (though I still have to prove myself on the entrepreneurship front). Personally, I look at mobile and tablet technology as a catalyst to change the education space.   "Craig you are a genius you just solved all our education problems!"  "Oh stop it, I would say!"  That is just it.  These are pieces of technology.  They are not answers.  But could they be a car towards answers? hmmmmm lets look at the metaphor ( I have never really made a cheesy metaphor like this before...maybe because I have never really blogged before) Tablets/mobile technology are a mode of academic transportation.  Many things though are involved in getting you to where you want to go, because just like cars do not drive themslves, technology does not teach kids themselves. Technology though is changing.   Lets see what some changes from my "pre" researched mind looks like 1) Software can more easily adapt to the individual user 2) These adaptations can more easily be communicated to the teacher 3) Hardware is cheaper and smaller 4) More teachers have "grown up" with technology 5) Software is cheaper 6) Software is developed more quickly.  The offerings are smaller and more adaptable to the market.  Potential to take down the education armada?! 7) Bring your own technology to SOME classrooms.  BYOT 8) Technology ban to SOME classrooms. 9) Social media learning...boy this is intersting and a paper could be written all on this.  Do 3rd graders need to be tweeting their responses to questions as much as 5 year olds should be on toddlers and tiaras...hmmmm I dont know if I can touch that one.     Okay so things are changing but what....how does this involve CUSTOMER INSIGHTS.  Craig are you bringing back "Carter Cash" to give to students to do their work in a digital format....hardy har har...no Technology is changing and the masses seem to be screaming "This will change education!"  But how?  I say, "why dont we let the customers decide."   Customers?! Yes customers!    Students and Teachers They are the ones creating the actual education.  They are the actual customers involved.  How do we use better insights to address their pain points.   But how do we expand further from there.  I think a more perfected study would involve the triangulation of 3 key sources and how they are approaching this allegedly revoltionary technology in the classroom.   The tech developers.  These could be geniuses, hackers, idea guys, successful people looking to "give back", young entrepreneurs, etc.  They have knowledge of modern day social media trends, technology nuances,  etc etc etc...but do they have the pedagogical understanding to maximize true academic growth. Education Academics.  (Prefacing side not Finance Academics and Investment Bankers value companies in different ways...hmmmm) Education academics are obviously at the forefront of pedagogical research, but do they understand the technology currently out there or the problems faced by real teachers.... Teachers and Educators.  Okay these are ones on the front lines working with the products created by techs and acamemics...but is it happening the best way possible.  Are the techs and academics creating products that truly maximize the high level thinking needed to get our students to the next level.   I think an understanding of these three main groups creates the potential for a compelling insight into how to create customer focused product.   I will leave you with an article. http://techland.time.com/2012/02/22/new-study-finds-ipads-in-the-classroom-boost-test-scores/ Studies are beginning to show the success of Ipads in the classroom.  What kind of success is it.  Will it really be able to push to true academic change?  Are we really making revolutionary products or are we reinventing the wheel?  Digital flash cards wont change anything....but what will?  We must find out because the technology is compelling, but how do we harness the potential for an academic explosion.