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Innovation’s Missing Link

One emerging theme during the NCTI conference is the question not of innovation, but of our ability put it to work.

Jim Fruchterman, in his keynote, described an initiative in Bangladesh to launch Wi-Max (fast wireless Internet) countrywide over the next couple of years. Bangeledesh will have better Internet Access than Silicon Valley. Jim says that problem is not that we do not have the technology, it is a question of overcoming societal barriers.

During his talk, OSEP’s Lou Danielson identified a key issue in education technology field; making the connection between what we know and what actually happens in practice. The wide response to the US Department of Education’s study citing a lack of efficacy in education technology underscores the point that tools are useful only when used with “fidelity.”

Students, educators, vendors, and society at large have much at stake not just in the development of technology, but in its effective use. This need for students, who are being taught to think and act in a changing world, is clear. But for educators also, effective application of technology is vital — efficacy (as opposed to tools alone) in teaching is a central part of their job. Vendors have a financial interest in making sure there products are used successfully.

For assistive technology, and other education technologies, teacher training has been cited as a key challenge for making innovation effective. What are some other tough parts of getting innovation out of the lab and into the classroom and beyond? Share your thoughts, below.

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