Google+Docs-+Attributes

**Attributes of Innovation **

 * Who would you expect to be (or who are) the innovators and early adopters in your field of work for the innovation you are exploring? What strategies are the most persuasive in convincing them to adopt the innovation? **

I work in a large urban school district (k-12). The innovators are those who do research in Ed. Tech. They take an innovation and use it for educational purposes. The early adopters are usually the administration of the school district. To convince them to adopt the innovation, I would use the relative advantage, compatibility and observability strategies. I must show that Google Docs has an advantage over the currently used office suite. The biggest advantage is that it is free, but it also allows for easy collaboration. Think of lesson plans that don't need to be turned in because the principal always has access (though teachers may not like this). Show that the current documents used in the district are compatible with Google Docs and that, in the case of student use, Google Docs works seamlessly with current curriculum aims. Finally explain how everything done in Google Docs is observable (when, who and how often).


 * Who do you think would be (or who are) the laggards in terms of rejecting the innovation? What strategies would be best to help move them toward adoption? **

The laggards would be the older teachers, or, "digital immigrants" in the school. These teachers rarely use email and cringe at any online applications we are required to use. They need a lot of help in understanding web-based applications. For these teachers, the best strategy would be complexity. Finding a way to make using google docs seem like a simple task. By providing them with hands-on training and follow up assistance, some may be willing to adopt. Also, by explaining the relative advantage to not having to worry about their work (many do not save or forget where files are) might be a selling point as well.


 * Which combination of perceived attributes would be best for helping your innovation meet critical mass in your industry? **

The best combination would be Relative advantage, observability, and compatibility. While complexity is important to the older teachers, they are the minority as the district is made up of mostly young professionals in their first 6 years of teaching. They want a program that saves them time and meets their needs while the district wants a program that saves them money and can have observable benefits.