The NOSE

Developing an IT Innovation Strategy

I lead a discussion tomorrow on "Developing an IT Innovation Strategy" at the 7th Annual Minnesota IT Symposium. Here's the blurb.

"In a dynamic and global market, innovation will increasingly become the core determinant of the success or failure of firms. Two questions underlie the development of an innovation strategy within a firm or organization. The first concerns the sources of innovation. The second concerns the sustainability of innovation over time.

Our discussion will focus on developing an IT innovation strategy. In particular, we will consider the processes that must be place in an organization to stimulate and sustain innovation. We will also consider the unique challenges facing IT in enabling organizational innovation. The framework for the discussion will draw upon the latest research on innovation from MIT."

Leopard

I couldn't wait. Went to the Apple store last Saturday to get Leopard. It's pretty cool. I am an IT guy who still doesn't take backups serious for my personal machines. I know. I know. Time Machine alone is worth the price of admission. It's the first thing I set up with Leopard.

Emergency Notification Resources

I have started a page identifying resources ("Emergency Notification Resources") for those interested in implementing Emergency Notification Systems, particularly at educational institutions. Eventually I will move the page to a Wiki.

Emergency Notification Systems

I led a focus group today at the ACUTA (Association for Communication Technology Professionals in Higher Education) Conference on Emergency Notification Systems. Virginia Tech was a wake-up call for many institutions and there is a great deal of interest in this topic.

I will work up my Keynote slides and post them soon.

Sun's Project Darkstar and the Next Generation Learning Platform

Last week I had the opportunity to meet Sun's Chief Gaming Officer Chris Melissinos. Over lunch and at a panel discussion at St. Paul College (recently recognized as a Sun Center of Excellence) we had a wide ranging conversation about the future of educational technology, gaming, and internet culture. The event was graciously hosted by Warren Sheaffer of St. Paul College and Robert Reagan of Sun Microsystems.

Why am I so interested in gaming? I believe that the next generation learning platform will see a convergence of three elements: virtual worlds, gaming, and learning management systems. Gaming will become an essential part of learning and Sun's Project Darkstar is quickly emerging as the leading open source contender in this space. Wonderland, which sits on top of Darkstar, is Sun's equivalent of Second Life. Many of us are experimenting in Second Life but the future of education in Virtual Worlds, especially once we factor in the needs of the enterprise, will more likely go in the direction of environments such as Darkstar+Wonderland. (If you want to know about the potential of research collaboration in these types of spaces, check out Sun's MPK20.)

The current LMS, which we are all familiar with, will need to evolve from the currently bloated monolithic crapware to a true Learning Management Operating System (LMOS). The learning platform of the future will need a substrate that performs the mundane but essential bookkeeping functions such as authentication, authorization, and integration with backend systems. The LMOS should look more like the linux kernel: a lean, mean traffic cop that sits below the application layer and mediates access to common services.

Is there a Blackboard killer on the horizon? Yes. Forces such as Project Darkstar are gaining momentum in the education galaxy. Learning management systems that are not open source friendly or patent friendly will increasingly be at risk.