May 30, 2007

High Tech Marketing in an English Class?

Hooper & Rieber's article, "Teaching with Technology," brought back fond and not so fond memories of my ten-year career in high-tech marketing. I remember reading and re-reading a book written by Geoffrey Moore: Crossing the Chasm. The premise of his book is that technology companies must "cross the chasm" to market high-tech wares to mainstream consumers. He details strategies companies should use to get their products from bleeding edge to middle America.

We, as teachers, as a stereotyped group, are on the other side of the chasm. While technology dribbles down to us, it arrives slowly, at best. Never, at worst. My classroom computer is still on Windows 98. It can't be upgraded. Microsoft Word crashes routinely. I used my classroom machine as a gradebook (STI) and for school open. I gave up using Word on it. I even gave up showing United Streaming content. Instead, I used my personal laptop for those things.

If we intend for teachers to begin crossing the chasm -- to use the kind of technology our students readily avail themselves of -- we must provide them the tools they need to do their jobs effectively. That hasn't yet happened.