How Teachers Adopt Technology Innovations

1. How Teachers Adopt Technology Innovations A School-wide Perspective

2. Research on innovation diffusion • Led by Everett Rogers • News of new tools travels by interpersonal connections.

3. His discovery: • Each person’s decision about whether to adopt a new tool is more dependent upon who shares the news of the tool than on how well the tools can actually assist the current non-user.

4. Technology Users • Fall into different categories: • Innovators • Early Adopters • Early Majority • Late Majority • Laggards

5. Innovators • Are change-agents • comprise 2.5% of the school • Easily understand and apply technical knowledge • Form friendships and communicate most often with other innovators • Can live with uncertainty

6. But, Innovators… • May not be either understood or respected by the majority of their colleagues. • Committed, self-starting, and rich in resources

7. Early Adopters • the next 13.5% of the district or school teachers • Are well-respected by their peers • More local viewpoint • Are “the teacher to check with” when a new approach is considered

8. Early Adopters • Whereas innovators are seen as a “breed apart,” early adopters are talented, but still “one of the folks.” • Hold a leadership position in school, due to the talent they exhibit in technology use. • Are: committed, interested, self-starting

9. Early Majority • 34% of the school population • Known for their very high frequency of interaction with colleagues. • Don’t often hold leadership positions in the school, either formally or informally

10. Early Majority • Primary role = provide connections between and among different interpersonal networks within the school system. • Follow with deliberate willingness • Their decision process is more often careful, conscious, and cautious than the innovators and early adopters.

11. Early Majority • Once an idea catches on with this group, it spreads rather quickly … due to the interaction this group exhibits.

12. Late Majority • the next 34% of the social system • Are: skeptical of new ideas, methods, and tools more cautious about trying an innovation • Have scarce resources compared to the previous groups have difficulty they do decide to adopt an innovation

13. Late Majority • For them to adopt an innovation, most of the uncertainty must be removed and • The norms for behavior and belief in the social system must also favor its adoption.

14. Laggards • Last 16% of a social system • Most traditional of all members of a social system • Their point of reference is the past; they remember the history and provide continuity in the social system. • Frequently interact with others like themselves.

15. Advice for working with the different groups

16. To work with Innovators: • Stay out of their way! • Keep them supplied with as many resources as possible. • Try to shield them from bureaucratic red tape and others’ jealousy. • Don’t force or coerce them to teach others, especially those who are less innovative in their approaches.

17. To work with Early Adopters • Don’t push! • Instead, offer to help them to explore rich, well-grounded, high-quality applications of innovations. • More than any group, this bunch will sell the innovation for you to their peers.

18. To work with the Early Majority • Encourage collaborative explorations and applications of new tools, ideas, and techniques. • Be patient! • Then, be fast to support once the innovation begins to spread.

19. How to work with the Late Majority • Will adopt an innovation when it’s commonly used, so it won’t be hard to work with them. • Don’t force, embarrass, or get frustrated with them. • Be sure they have the resources they see as essential in using the innovation. • Keep offering to help and one day, they will accept.

20. How to work with the Laggards • Use techniques similar to those offered for the Late Majority.