The document analyzes emerging technologies used in education, specifically overhead projectors and document cameras. It discusses the history and evolution of each technology, interviews teachers about technology use, and examines six forces that drive technological change. The overhead projector allowed teachers to share materials with students but had issues like mess and expensive transparencies. The document camera provides similar functionality without those drawbacks. The decision maker for technology is the media specialist, and teachers are the end users. Neither technology falls clearly under categories like evolutionary, disruptive, or increasing returns.

1. Emerging Technologies
Sandra Logan
Walden University
EDUC 7108
Professor Thurmond

2. Obsolete Technology
Overhead Projector
- Allowed teachers to show
Text
Pictures to a large audience
Easier to write on than
Chalkboard
HOWEVER

3. Messy
Copier issues
Expensive Transparencies

4. Emerging Technology
Document Camera
Similar to the Overhead
Projector
• Convenient
• Easy to Use
• No more mess
• Melted transparencies
• Blinding light

5. Tetrad for Overhead Projector

6. Tetrad for Document Camera

7. Interviews
Who makes decisions about technology?
Who uses technology once it is bought?

8. Who is the decision maker in the
building?
• Sharon Russell
• Media Specialist

9. Who are the end users?
• Amanda Gilbert
• Teacher with 10 years experience

10. Who are the end users?
• Lauren Burhans
• Teacher with 2 years experience

11. Six Forces that Drive Technology
Evolutionary Technologies
“Technologies that evolve over time,
increasing their power exponentially.”
- Thornburg(2008)

12. Evolutionary Technology
The overhead projector does not fall into
this category. This technology is
developed by combining different
elements of previous technologies not
becoming more powerful.

13. Evolutionary Technology
The document camera is not evolutionary.
It is not technology that improves upon
itself as does products like the iPhone or
flash memory.

14. Six Forces that Drive Technology
Rhymes of History
“Technology that is a reminder of
something from the past.”
-Thornburg(2008)

15. Rhymes of History
The overhead projector is a reminder of film
strips and movie reels of the past. These
movie reels were used to share items to a
large audience in many areas from military
trainings to family vacations.

16. Rhymes of History
The document camera does fall under the
category of Rhymes of History. It is
reminiscent of using whiteboards, chalk
boards and other methods of displaying.

17. Six Forces that Drive Technology
Science Fiction
“Science Fiction often drives
technological ideas. Inventors may try
to replicate what they read about or
see.”

18. Science Fiction
• Overhead projectors were not driven by
science fiction movies which focused more
on space exploration and other
technologies. However, there may have
been similar overarching technologies that
mimic the idea of broadcasting a single
message to many people.

19. Science Fiction
The document camera has not been seen in
science fiction films or books. Science
Fiction Movies often focused on space
exploration or the far future.

20. Six Forces that Drive Technology
Disruptive Technology
“Technologies that disrupt a technology
that is on a evolutionary path.”
- Thornburg (2008)

21. Disruptive Technology
• The overhead projector is not disruptive
because it did not change the way
teachers delivered instruction in the
classroom. Instead, it made it easier to
share notes with students that using a
chalkboard or white board.

22. Disruptive Technology
• While the document camera does make
life in the classroom a little easier, it does
not change the way teachers deliver
instruction.

23. Six Forces that Drive Technology
Increasing Returns
“When two technologies hit the market at
the same time but one gets locked in
and the other becomes extinct.”
-Thornburg (2008)

24. Increasing Returns
• The overhead projector was not
introduced with any other competitors and
therefore was not made to increase
choice. The people who were interested in
the overhead projector were replacing
overhead projectors that they were
currently using.

25. Increasing Returns
• The document camera did not take off
while being introduced with something
else.

26. Six Forces that Drive Technology
Red Queens
When two technologies stand out
amongst their competitors.
-Thornburg (2008)

27. Red Queens
• The overhead project does not have any
fierce competitors that it needed to
compete with.

28. Red Queens
• The document camera (Elmo) does not
have any other technologies competing
with it. There may be separate brands but
there is no evidence that the any one of
these brands will outshine the other.

29. In Summary
Past
Present
Future