The Long Tail A Framework for Technology Literacy

Monday, July 9, 2007 Introduction: A Brief History of Railroads Challenges –Inefficient –Expensive

Monday, July 9, 2007 Introduction: A Brief History of Railroads

Monday, July 9, 2007 Introduction: A Brief History of Railroads Solutions –Standardization –Collaboration Outcomes –Increased Distribution Channels –Efficiencies in Time and Cost

Monday, July 9, 2007 Introduction: A Brief History of Railroads Annual Travelers Destinations Standards-Enabled Railroad Distribution

Monday, July 9, 2007 Case Study: MP3.com

Monday, July 9, 2007 Exploration: Media Consumption in the Digital Age

Monday, July 9, 2007 Old Media Consumption Model Physical Barriers to Distribution (High Transportation and Storage Costs) Limited Selection Few-to-Many Distribution

Monday, July 9, 2007 Case Study: e-Cast

Monday, July 9, 2007 Case Study: e-Cast What Percent of Top 100,000 Tracks Are Played Each Month? –10% –20% –50% –Higher?

Monday, July 9, 2007 Case Study: Rhapsody

Monday, July 9, 2007 Case Study: Rhapsody What Percent of Rhapsody’s 100,000+ Songs Is Streamed at Least Once a Month? –100% Same for Top 200,000, 300,000, and 400,000 Songs! As fast as Rhapsody adds songs, there is an audience for the new tracks

Monday, July 9, 2007 Case Studies: iTunes and Podcasts

Monday, July 9, 2007 The Long Tail

Monday, July 9, 2007 Long Tail in Music

Monday, July 9, 2007 Long Tail in Books The Average Barnes & Noble carries 130,000 titles BN.com generates more revenue from book titles outside of its top 130,000 titles than in the top 130,000 books

Monday, July 9, 2007 Long Tail: Summary Digital Media Channels Eliminate Distribution Barriers and Increase Choices Cross-Referencing, Inquiry-Based Discovery, Peer-to-Peer, and Automated (AI) Selections Broaden Exposure to New Media (Many-to-Many, Not One-to-Many) Digital Distribution Drives Prices to Zero Make Everything Available (It’s Free!)

Monday, July 9, 2007 So What? Long Tail in Education Pre–Long-Tail Challenges Long Tail on Professional Development Long Tail on Professional Advancement Long Tail on Instruction Long Tail on Learning Applications

Monday, July 9, 2007 Pre–Long-Tail Challenges High Opportunity Cost High Cost of Research (Time and Expense) Fewer Resource Types and Sources

Monday, July 9, 2007 Long Tail on Professional Development Wide Array of Sources Improved Information Retrieval –Robust Search –Niche Search –“Pull” Technologies (e.g., RSS) –Intelligent, Social, and Contextual Search Reduction in Information Retrieval Time and Costs Reduced Opportunity Cost for Publishers

Monday, July 9, 2007 Long Tail on Professional Advancement Niche Professional Learning Communities Low-Cost and Ubiquitous Publishing Channels (Blogs, Podcasts, Wikis) Ease of Networking Broader, More Diverse Audiences Faster Distribution Longer (Chronological) Distribution

Monday, July 9, 2007 Long Tail on Instruction See Benefits of Long Tail in Professional Development Decentralized But Controlled Model (Peer-to-Peer) Speed in Research and Preparation

Monday, July 9, 2007 Long Tail on Learning Diversity of Sources and Choices Challenge of Discernment Real-World Information Retrieval Skills Faster, Cheaper, More Relevant Information Retrieval

Monday, July 9, 2007 Applications Teaching Digital Citizenship, Responsibility, and Ethics Historical Context for Learning (“Uphill Both Ways”) Comparative Exercises (Old Information Retrieval Models Versus New)

Monday, July 9, 2007 Questions?