New challenges - new directions

Few can dispute the evolutionary nature of technological developments. With an increasing range and synergy of innovative Web 2.0 applications, the digital world that arrives tommorrow includes a wealth of opportunities for the imaginative educator and anytime, anywhere learner.

Unfortunately, inspirational or creative ideas are not enough. In practice, barriers exist that put a brake on both the innovation and adoption of new technologies. In that sense, Web 2.0 is no different.

In his book "Crossing the Chasm", Geoffrey Moore present a marketing analysis on the behaviour of consumers in relation to technological products. He presents a model to describe the market penetration of new technologies and the kinds of consumers groups that participate within a product's life cycle. In brief, he identifies the following groups:

• Innovators (2%) - always in pusuit of new technology for its intrisic value
  
• Early adopters (15%) - "buy" into new technology concepts early in the product life cycle
  
• Early majority (34%) - relate to the new technology but have a sense of practicality
  
• Late majority (34%) - similar behaviour to the "early majority" but lack confidence with technology, waiting for established standards and then requiring a lot of support
  
• Laggards (15%) - those not interested or want anything to do with new technology (unless this is so well embedded in other products that it appears "non-existant").
  

Moore modified the model to introduce cracks between the various consumer groups, the largest between the "early adopters" and the "early majority". He describes this crack as the chasm - the barrier to cross before a technology product/innovation becomes widely adopted.

Within an educational context, such patterns of behaviour can also be seen. As in day-to-day life, this pattern is likely to vary between different age groups. For example, it is much more likely that younger people will "buy into" new technology concepts and products compared to their adult counterparts (parents, carers, teachers, etc).

There may well be as many educational innovators as there technology innovators - all trying to embrace the potential of new technological innovations to support effective teaching and promote personalised learning. For some this will be easier than others, it all will depend on the politics and decision-making processes within the educational organisations they can influence or work in.

Often, policy makers and leaders in governments and key educational organisations - large or small - are not able to respond to a fast moving agenda. In part this may reflect the perspectives of individuals but is also a feature of decision and ploicy making processes. Stephen Heppell elaborated on this phenomenon in "Heppell's Technology Cycle", a podcast he posted in September 2005. There are always opportunities but also threats to development.

Ideally, there should be no limits on creativity, particularly if this can lead to more effective and high quality educational learning experiences. The challenge is: How to keep pace with, adopt and embrace technological innovation? New challenges need new directions. In our increasingly digital world, we have to find a way to invest in new ideas and innovation - sooner rather than later.