Elaine+Week+8

The first slide depicts that I will choose a decentralized approach. Using a decentralized approach, college faculty from the English,  Fine Arts, and History departments will be offered an opportunity to participate in three pilot courses, which integrate the use of cell phones into the curricula. Care will be taken to choose faculty who embrace technology, show enthusiasm for the project, and show a willingness to integrate cell phones into the curriculum using research-based models. 

As shown by the previous S-Curve slide, cell phones have reached critical mass in the United States for individual usage. Moving from individual personal use to educational use is a logical next step in the cell phone diffusion process. Other educationally oriented countries other than the U.S., such as Japan, already use cell phones extensively in the classroom with success (Thorton & Houser, 2005, p. 217). Some bias toward cell phone usage as an educational tool exists in the U.S., which has caused the attainment of critical mass to move slowly. A suggestion for our institution to move toward critical mass within the confines of this proposal includes choosing highly respected college students as the first to adopt this mode of learning. The student body for this proposal includes those students taking Advanced Placement courses in English, history, and art. These students tend to exude highly desirable attitudes toward learning and innovation, making them ideal candidates for this cell phone integration proposal. Additionally, Rogers (2008) suggests offering incentives to enhance the attainment of critical mass (p. 361). Therefore, because the college already contracts with a cell phone carrier for personnel, a plan to coordinate with the carrier to offer student discounted rate plans for cell phones used in these courses as an incentive would be another avenue to pursue.

  The change agents identified for this proposal include the college's technology coordinator and the three pilot course faculty members. These faculty members will participate in a workshop indicating the need for cell phone integration, its pedagogical value, and research-based strategies for course implementation. The pilot courses faculty will form a cohort to exchange ideas, successes/failures, and any pertinent information regarding the implementation thoughout the semester. This cohort will work together to improve the integration model and make suggestions for further adoptive measures. Students will receive several opportunities to participate in cohort meetings to voice ideas for integration and indicate strengths and weaknesses of the program. Students will also receive opportunities to complete periodic surveys to collect data on the effectiveness of the program. Both students and faculty will receive an incentive to try the new pilot course. Students will receive a discounted rate on a cell phone plan while in the program that can continue for a period of six months to one year after completion. Students from low income will receive grant funding though the technology incentive grant to receive a cell phone to complete coursework. Instructors will receive recognition in the college newsletter and at semester meeting to encourage continued progress toward integration. The technology coordinator will work with Blackboard to amalgamate the cell phone app for Blackboard seamlessly. Students will be apprised of the other two courses offered in this format and offered first choice at registration.  References  Rogers, Everett, M. (2008). //Diffusion of innovations// (5th ed.). New York, NY: Free Press  Thornton, P., & Houser, C. (2005). Using mobile phones in English education in Japan. //Journal of Computer Assisted Learning//, 21(3), 217-228. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2005.00129.x