Diffusion and Integration of Technology in Education Storyboard for Multimedia Presentation Lauren Dart Walden University Dr. Watson In partial fulfillment of the requirements for EDUC-7101 October 2, 2010

Need: What problem or need existed that gave rise to your innovation? Mimio began in 1997 with a singular philosophy: to make learning more engaging for students, with technology that makes it easier for teachers to do what they do best; teach (mimio, 2010). The creators of mimio realized that students were so focused on note-taking and were missing important instruction. They saw a need for an interactive and engaging technology tool to provide more authentic lessons for teachers and students. As mimio grew, numerous breakthrough innovations helped educators focus more on teaching and students concentrate more on learning (mimio. 2010). Thanks to the mimio system and mimio connect the amount of interactive authentic activities and lessons are endless, and now students stay more actively engaged in lessons.

Research: What research organization or people developed a solution to this problem or need? What were their findings? Who were the “lead thinkers” for this innovation, and how did they convince a manufacturer to produce it? As stated on their website, (2010), “ Mimio was born by way of some very creative thinkers at MIT” passion. Through their research, innovators found that students were so occupied taking notes, that they were not actively engaged as learners and were missing key concepts they needed to gain from the lesson. The first model of the mimio was called MimioCapture™ tracking system. However, as included on mimio’s website, the mimio brand grew quickly, and “numerous breakthrough innovations helped educators focus more on teaching and students concentrate more on learning.” This article included a study that involved 85 teachers and 170 classrooms. The study stated that one controlled group of teachers taught without the interactive mimio whiteboard, while the other group of teachers utilized the mimio in their daily instruction. The study indicated that using interactive whiteboards were associated with a 16% increase in achievement (Marzano, 2009).

Development: What problems did your innovation encounter in the development process? Who was the intended audience for your innovation? As with all technology tools, the mimio went through many trial periods with revisions to the original model. One of the significant problems during testing of the unit tended to be the suction cups letting loose occasionally. The newer version, mimioTeach, now has strong magnets to hold it more securely to the board. Some early users/testers also experienced an incompatibility between the Mimio and certain kinds of motion controlled lighting systems. The intended audience for the mimio were educators and students to help provide engaging interactive learning opportunities.

Commercialization: Describe the production, manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and distribution of your innovation. The major selling point of the mimio is the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of it. It is very easily portable and small in size. This also makes it less expensive in comparison to a large Smart Board. Marketing is very effective because as an educator I have seen them being utilized everywhere. They have been at educational conferences letting teachers try out their products, while also offering teachers and schools scholarships and amazing deals on the purchasing the system.

S-Curve As stated on their website, “Mimio began in 1997 with a singular philosophy: to make learning more engaging for students, with technology that makes it easier for teachers to do what they do best-teach.” Initially the innovators created the Mimio to help students obtain notes from class, drawings, formulas and such without having to write everything down. The innovator’s passion led to the creation of the MimioCapture™ tracking system. Then as Dr. Thornburg stated happens with innovations frequently, is the Mimio “hits its stride” and really started to advance. As the Mimio continued to grow, numerous other breakthrough innovations were developed to “help teachers focus more on teaching and students focus more on learning.” Today, the new DYMO|Mimio is a global leader in interactive teaching technologies. Throughout the years , as technology has changed so has the technology at Mimio.. Each year they make additions and revisions to their products based on suggestions and ideas from consumers who use the products. Before I started this research project, I thought some of the schools in our district were fairly advanced for having Mimios in classrooms. However, my research has showed me how much the Mimio system has advanced in just the year that it has been in my county’s classrooms. Now in 2010, the model that was first introduced to my counties’ classrooms isn’t being produced by Mimio any longer, because a new and improved MimioConnect model has replaced it.

Early Adopters and Laggards of the Mimio I expect the innovators and early adopters for the Mimio to be the educators that are currently using different technology tools in their classroom. It seems that every generation is more technologically savvy than the last therefore the early adopters probably will be the newer teachers. These new teachers also probably have had college classes pertaining to educational technology which would make them even more willing to be an early adopter of the Mimio. Rogers (1995) used the term "compatibility" in terms of an innovation being compatible with one's lifestyle. The early adopters will also be people who find the Mimio very compatible with their teaching style. There are a couple strategies that are most persuasive in getting teacher to adopt an innovation. One strategy is to show teachers how easy the Mimio will be to use in their classroom. Teachers are very busy and overwhelmed most of the time, therefore, showing how simple a tool will be to enhance their teaching will be most effective. Another effective strategy in persuading teachers is to give them the Mimio to try out, then have each new user have an “expert” partner who they can turn to for support. In my research I have learned that teachers strongly dislike getting a new innovative tool, but then not getting support after they’ve had it introduced. Having an expert person to help them out, will be extremely effective and beneficial in getting teachers to adopt an innovation. The laggards in terms of rejecting the innovation are more than likely going to be the older teachers because many have had less technology training and are less technology savvy. We had a second grade teacher last year who refused to try new innovations because she was comfortable and confident in the teaching tools she had been using for years, such as a slide projector from the 1960s. We eventually did get her to try the Elmo, by showing her it was much easier to use than the overhead she had been using for years. A strategy I would use to get her to use the Mimio, would be to have a one-on-one trial session. Rogers (1995) noted that there are five factors that affect the adoption rate of an innovation; relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. Out of those five factors, trialability is one of the most important with the laggards. Laggards need to be forced to try out tools like the Mimio and be shown how compatible and easy it is to use. If she was not ready for the trial session strategy, I would invite her students in and do a whole group lesson for both classes, while she observed, to show her how interactive her teaching can become. The best combination of perceived attributes that would be best in helping my innovation meet the critical mass in my industry would be compatibility and trialability. Teachers need to be shown that the Mimio is compatible what they are already doing in the classroom. Showing teachers how compatible a tool is with the teaching field will help them feel less stressed about the new Mimio, and they’ll be more willing to try it out in their classroom. Trialability is also an important attribute in helping the Mimio meet the critical mass of teachers. Teachers need to have training courses and support, but also need time to try the Mimio and experiment what it can do for them!

Centralized vs. Decentralized approach For the adoption of my innovation, Mimio, I believe that a decentralized approach would work best. In general, I think that the decentralized approach works best for most innovation adoptions that are introduced to the education field. Administrators and teachers are diffused more effectively through the horizontal networks of peers in an educational institution. Through these horizontal networks, informal evaluations can be done routinely and feedback can be reported to our Mimio representative so they can work with the national Mimio to made adjustments as needed. This decentralized approach will help the Mimio become the most user friendly technology tool in our classrooms. A change agent, or agent of change, is someone who intentionally or indirectly causes or accelerates social, cultural, or behavioral change. Rogers (2003) expounds on this definition with several key points (p. 27). Administrators and potentially the team leaders would be my recommendation as key agents in my school. Since my school has over 200 staff members, having an organized committee of key change agents would be essential so the adoption of the Mimio could be the most successful. ). Rogers also identifies “seven roles for the change agent in the process of introducing an innovation in a client system” (p. 369). The seven roles of a change agent can be used as a resource for the administrators, the recommended Mimio key agents in my organization. By using the seven roles of a change agent as a resource, my administrators can promote positive social change in my school. Our administrators can increase our interest in the Mimio and motivate us to use it by showing how it can revolutionize our field of teaching. The sixth role, “change agents may effectively stabilize new behavior through reinforcing messages to clients who have adopted, thus helping to “freeze” the new behavior” could also effect positive social change. The new behavior of our teachers effectively using the Mimio while the administrators help “freeze the behavior” will help us be more effective teachers and also cause many new technology “doors to open” with the help of the Mimio. The innovation I am proposing to the Board has already met the critical mass in society.

Need for the Mimio As the world of technology is advancing around us, classroom technology needs to advance right along with it. Our students are becoming more technology advanced every year therefore school districts need to research new interactive technology tools that can be used in the classroom to make learning more student-centered. There is a need right now for more interactive and fun teaching methods. “Media research confirms that what a learner does with media is more important than what a teacher does” (Fahy, 2008, p.171). Since the Mimio is very interactive, it makes learning student-centered. There is a need for the Mimio in our classrooms, because as the research shows learners need to do something with media, and that is exactly what Mimio provides; interactive and fun learning opportunities. What’s better is that the Mimio matched with its resource website, provides endless of easily accessible games and interactive activities. All the user has to do is create a free username and then search for any topic they are interested in. They will discover endless interactive games and activities created by teachers and administrators. Downloads are quick and edits can be made to any activity to make it suitable for your students. Teachers can also create and add their own activities to Schools around the world are experiencing interactive whiteboards such as the Mimio, and student-centered learning has soared through the use of this new technology tool. Schools who refuse to become interactive with the Mimio, or other interactive whiteboards, will find themselves “left in the dust” while students from surrounding schools are excelling in interactive technology learning experiences. Will our school be one to excel in providing interactive technology lessons for our students with the Mimio, or will we be one of the schools to be left in the dust?

References: Fahy, P.J., (2010). Characteristics of interactive online media. In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (2nd Ed.), pp Edmonton, AB: AU Press, Athabasca University. Rogers, E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations (4th ed.). New York: The Free Press. Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press. Marzano, R. J. (2009). Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards. Multiple Measures, 67, Marzano, R. J., & Haystead, M. (2009). Final report on the evaluation of the Promethean technology. Englewood, CO: Marzano Research Laboratory. mimio. (2010). Simply teaching. As retrieved from