He claims that with just 2 days, he can set you up with your own Internet Business set to earn over $66,000 in eight months – and over $100,000 in a year.

The theory is based around the phenomenon of exponential growth, and there are numerous examples of people who have experienced it using effective viral marketing on The Internet.

Viral marketing, it seems, is key to the success of any Internet business. none of the big names online currently would be anything like as successful but for it.

So now, it seems, the whole world is trying to create  viral effects to grow their businesses with. Some are succeeding, but many more fail.

So what is it about The Freedom Class, and Tim Brocklehurst, that makes me think there could be something in learning about it this way?

Well, for one thing, the method of learning is intriguing. Tim is using something called “Action Learning” to conduct these classes. Action Learning is a way of learning something by ‘doing’ it.

On these classes, the participants will bring their own laptops and go through the process of uploading products for sale and giving them an affiliate back-end so that others can sell them too.

Then, they will be giving them a viral boost on the front-end using Tim’s own tried and tested viral software, MVS.

His users have had spectacular results with this membership site software. It brings together a wide array of tried and tested viral seeds, triggers and motivators to reach further and get more sign-ups than a normal site could on its own.

Another factor which is sure to help the success of participants, is the mastermind group formation.

Tim is issuing questionnaires to all participants from which a chart of their natural strengths and weaknesses can be drawn. He has identified 5 key skills which everyone possesses with varying degrees, but which are important for Internet Marketing success.

By partnering up with others on the course who have complementary skills, it seems reasonable to expect that useful teams will be made, which can work effectively and achieve more individually than they could on their own.

Overall, I like the sound of this course. For one thing, its good to see a recognised marketer getting out and showing us, rather than hiding behind the Internet. On the other hand, if you prefer to learn at home, then look out for The Freedom Class Home Action Pack once you have registered at the site.

For full details of dates and venues of The Freedom Classes go to this link:

Find out more about the Freedom Class

But, which Open Source Solutions and which stakeholders?

In their zeal for “all things Open Source,” advocates seem to hold a belief that all school district stakeholders will grab at the chance to have this free software. This attitude neglects the wisdom of basic marketing principles, i.e., Not everyone wants something, even if it is free.

Of course, nothing is free.

Teachers and students have to devote time to learning how to operate the free software, then, they have to learn how to apply the free software to their mission critical work..teaching and learning.

And, while they are learning the software and learning to apply it to teaching and learning tasks, they are not able to do or perform other learning tasks (Opportunity cost).

Then, other school district stakeholders already have a (maybe better) commercial application and do not want (or need) an open source solution.

Then, there are school districts (the smart ones) that have locked down the computers in their district, and the district’s IT Department staff have to install the software. If school districts are smart enough to do this, they are also smart enough to test all software, including Open Source software, and the testing takes time.

Besides this, there are campus principals who want to know exactly how any activity, including the use of free software, drives improved test scores. In some venues, a teacher that proposes an activity that lacks a high-stakes test justification is immediately suspect in the campus principal’s eyes. Teachers employed at these venues learn to justify every activity in terms of that activity’s impact on test scores…or, they don’t dare do the deed.

Other teachers have economic issues, lots of (or even one) children, or bills of their own; and they do not have a computer at home. And, they cannot spend extra time at school because the free after school daycare levies a severe financial penalty if they pick their children up late by even a few minutes. Depending on family size and pay grade, some teachers qualify for food stamps. (But, that is another issue.)

If you brainstorm, you could probably develop a list of dozens of groups of school district stakeholders that don’t want or don’t need Open Source Solutions.

So, which teachers and which students do Open Source advocates market Open Source Solutions to?

Answering this questions is what marketing is all about.

Marketing requires that we focus our efforts and attention on certain audiences. If we fail to focus, we spread our message so thinly that it lacks potency and persuasiveness.

So, we must choose who we want to reach with our marketing message, we must choose what benefits we want to communicate to that audience, and we must choose the most efficient means (affordable, functional, effective) to distribute that message.

And, we must get away from the “Techie” tendency of describing features to this audience. School district stakeholders care less about software features than they care about whether the Feds list catsup as a vegetable in the school lunch (teachers don’t eat that swill unless they are desperate, or broke).

School district stakeholders care about benefits for themselves and they care about benefits for students. School distinct stakeholders care about value, value for themselves and for their students.

Features may relate to value, or they may not.

For example, I would not touch a seal skin parka, even if someone gave a new one to me for free.

The idea of baby seals clubbed in front of their distressed, helpless mothers and skinned alive bothers me; and, there is no need for such a coat here in south Texas. However, a neighbor might take the coat and sell it on eBay™.

Benefits are situational, i.e., a seal skin parka could be used about two or three days a year in this environment.

Value is relative, i.e., owning a seal skin object violates my moral principles. But my neighbor that takes the coat and makes a nice profit on eBay™ has other values.

Neither benefits or values are universal.

What delights one gander disgusts the other goose.

But, Open Source advocates seldom mention either values or benefits to teachers and students.

This is fine if the market for Open Source Solutions is “penny-poor” school district administrators who don’t have time to learn what Technology Integration is about. This is not fine if school district stakeholders at all levels (including teachers and students) are our target market.

Once we decide who our target market is, then we examine the features that Open Source provides, and convert these features into values and benefits.

For example, the Open Source Product, Compendium™ is the only dialog mapping software available. The software does not have any competitors. So, why wouldn’t everyone want it?

One feature is the ability to create a graphic representation of the various viewpoints of divergent stakeholders (or interested parties). Teachers and students will ask, “So?”

But if we convert this to a benefit that teachers value, we can say that “This easy to use software can help teach complex interactions in history, politics, and civics, current events and government by graphically displaying the complex issues involved by the various factions, decision-makers, interest groups and power brokers.

The difference is that features are “ho-hum, who but a techie cares?” While values, i.e., teaching and communicating complex topics in a more effective way, and benefits, i.e., simplifying the communication of complicated curriculum content sell the product.

This is the reason that a marketing appeal based upon the features of “cheap or free” fails to gain traction with teachers and students.

The problem with Open Source Solutions

One problem with Open Source Solutions is that they are “tools.”

And, only some teachers are interested, have enough time, or want to use tools to create new learning aids.

For example, one Open Source product is a software program that creates Websites. Great. The program functions adequately, although the Websites that are created lack professional quality, the sites are functional.

So, what is the problem?

The problem is that only a few teachers (maybe 10 to 20%) want to bother to create Websites. And, left to their own devices, teachers won’t even use the “paste content into their own template” products that some districts lease for each campus’ use.

Why would teachers not use a free program to create a classroom Website?

Maybe there is no direct relationship to increased student performance on high-stakes test and the Website that the teacher makes. Maybe it is the time commitment, i.e., if you make a Website, then parents, students and the campus principal expect that you are going to keep it updated. Who wants to go down that road?

Maybe the teacher is not comfortable with their writing ability. Maybe they have an after-school job to make ends meet, and cannot donate the extra time. Maybe…?

Maybe the Curriculum Specialist who believes that all teacher should learn and use HTML, the Principal who sees no relationship between HTML and improving test scores, the Open Source Advocate who believes that teacher should use WYSIWYG editors to create Web pages, and the Teacher who is already too busy should have their viewpoints (and self-interests) displayed using Compendium™ so that they can work out their differences (or at least understand where the other folks are coming from).

So, where does this leave Open Source advocates?

It leaves us deciding who we are going to market to, and what we are going to market.

We must answer these questions before we can form a hypothesis and test to determine if the target groups that we want to market to actually want our Open Source Solutions.

The problem is that “Open Source” is so broad that the term is like the term, “toothpaste.”

How would we market toothpaste?

Who knows? The concept is too wide and the market audience is too deep. Yes, everyone needs toothpaste (like everyone might need Open Source Solutions), but who needs what?

There are children, teens and adults. Children might like sweet taste and cartoon figures on the tube, teens might like fresh breathe and music themes on the tube, adults might like whitening to counteract the coffee and cigarette smoke stains on their teeth, and senior citizens might like toothpaste for sensitive teeth or dentures.

Open Source is similar to this. Just promoting “Open Source” provides inadequate information for marketing.

The other problem with Open Source Solutions is that few school district stakeholders care where their tools come from, and fewer school district stakeholders believe that school district budgets are so week that products that drive instruction can’t be purchased.

This is also why the “free and cheap” argument for Open Source fails. School districts always have plenty of money to pay for products and services that actually improve teaching and learning.

This is where Open Source is “sullied with the same brush that tars “Technology Integration.”

There are little or no pieces of direct evidence that technology drives teaching and learning. So, “money is always short.” If there was a direct, proven, definitive, measurable connection between improved teaching, improved learning, improved test scores…the money would be there. In fact, lots of money would be available instantly.

How to Promote Open Source.. The Long-Term and the Short-Term Methods

The long-term method for promoting Open Source Solutions is to do our homework and find those direct connections where Open Source absolutely and “no doubt about it” improves teaching and learning. Then, we just measure the improvements, record and report the data, and let the results speak for themselves.

The short-term method is to not bother to promote Open Source Solutions because few school district stakeholders care whether the product is Open Source, anyway; but to create “must have” content that teacher and students absolutely demand once they find it. (On the Internet, “Content is King.”) But, we create this content with Open Source tools, and build some advantage into the product that require that Open Source products be used to take full advantage of the contents’ values and benefits.

For example, what if we built and entire K-12 curriculum, lesson plans, presentations, learning activities, pre and post-tests, supplemental materials using STAR Office™. The minor discrepancies in STAR Office™ would be enough that the materials wouldn’t work quite as well when run in the industry standard (Microsoft™ Office) product.

This strategy would be successful, except there are three difficulties.

1. The first difficulty is that whoever produced this content would recognize that the content was too valuable to give away for free
2. The second problem is that STAR Office™, although superior to its little brother, Open Office™ can’t do all the things that the “high-priced spread,” i.e., Microsoft™ Office can do. Teachers that already have a huge investment in time and research in their own materials and presentations would squawk that the Open Source product didn’t serve their needs
3. The third reality is that anyone that builds this extensive content would have to use the long-term method to test each and every component to determine what students benefit from the materials, under what instructional methods the materials are successful, what instructional risks are associated with the use of the materials, and which types of teachers and students are successful with the materials (and which types of teachers and students are unsuccessful with them)

So, really, there is only the long-term method.

Secondary Sources of Marketing Information

Secondary sources of information include demographic and psychograpic information, scientific studies, survey data, polls, specifications, published advertisements and public records.

But, secondary sources can be misleading.

For example, a study of the NECC 2007 catalog would seem to indicate substantial interest in Open Source Solutions. But, NECC stands for “National Educational Computing Conference.”

This means that the data from a computer conference for educators is skewed in favor of computers, software and technology. A more accurate survey to discover the interest of teachers might be to include conference programs for English teachers, math teachers, science teachers, social studies teachers, bilingual teachers, art teachers, music teachers, etc. Teachers for the Gifted and Talented and teachers for Special Education might also tend to skew interest upwards.

Another factor to consider might be that national conferences, because of travel expenses, tend to attract presenters and participants from the region near where the conference is presented. This tends to skew catalog data in unpredictable ways.

We might also guess that the people that present at and attend conferences are a self-selected class of harder-working, self-motivated, workaholics that are compelled to keep current, e.g., if they live far away from the conference site, or, if they have to pay their own way. On the other hand, those presenters and participants that live close by, or who attend at the expense of their employer might tend to be slackers and duty shirkers out for a few days off and a free ride. People from these groups might skew the data one way or the other.

Another factor to consider is that the kinds of presenters vary from region to region. Some conferences may allow lots of industry and vendor presentation, and other conferences may exclude such presentations because the organizers believe that the content presented by vendors is biased.

So What Should we do to Promote Open Source Solutions?

How about reviewing Open Source products, and providing a rating for each one. Then, only recommending the ones that are “ready for educational prime time.” Just because a product is released as Open Source does not mean that it is of high enough quality for us to recommend to teachers or students.

We can also check with teachers and student that are using Open Source Solutions to determine their level of satisfaction. This will reveal real problems, determine if those problems are user-generated or problems inherent in the Open Source product. We have to remember that most of the Open Source products were created for broader use than just education.

If we find out what is going wrong with the use of Open Source Solutions, then we can address true concerns and mitigate real risks. We can determine if our Solution Package must contain tutorials, professional development or step-by-step checklists (if the problem is a user-generated problem); or if the Open Source product just doesn’t measure up. (In some cases, we will be forced to recommend a commercial product, because no Open Source product measures up to educational standards for ease of use, usability or fullness of fit to instructional or learning processes.

We can also create a network of service providers and volunteers that will assist in the testing, planning, deployment, training, professional development, management and maintenance of Open Source products. It is “over eager” to believe that “low cost, cheap and free” solutions require less maintenance and support than commercial products that have high research and development budgets. Potential users (especially teachers and students) need to be informed of these issues when we recommend Open Source Solutions. And we need to provide this “full disclosure” before our potential users waste their time on less than adequate solutions.

Of course, this level of service and support sounds like we are providing a commercial product. But, that is the level of service that all school district stakeholders deserve. We must provide the best that the software and content industry has to offer, and we must ensure support for all aspects of the products that we recommend.

We must ensure that we address service and support issues when we make recommendations for Open Source Solutions because, anything less is “bad advertising” for our future marketing efforts. Nothing creates marketing obstacles and advertising challenges as fast (or are more difficult to overcome) as the negative word of mouth griping and wholesale complaining of people who try our solutions, and become angry, disgusted and bitter because our promises were not fulfilled.

Our best strategy is to ensure that all our recommendations are true and accurate, that all risks are mitigated (or, at last resort, revealed beforehand); and we must be sure that all implementations have the required level of professional development that makes the use of the solution positive and rewarding.

So, when we know exactly what advantages Open Source offers to school district stakeholders, and when we identify exactly who these stakeholders are, when we determine their needs, when we communicate the benefits of the products that we recommend, and when we support those products…then we are doing the marketing job that needs to be done.

This represents a lot more work than holding a “rah rah rally” for our solution, passing out the address to a free download, and leaving the scene with a feeling of confidence that we have done a good deed.

Great marketing will show us that we have a tremendous responsibility to match the tremendous opportunity that promoting Open Source Solutions presents.

Isn’t it time that Open Source advocates step up our marketing to meet the challenge of serving all school district stakeholders by providing tools that meet our highest teaching and learning standards?

Here is an outline that you can use to develop that plan.

Executive Summary

• Purpose

• Increase Student Learning
• Drive Instruction and Reform Education
• Streamline Teacher Productivity
• Provide Tools for Engaged, Hands-On, Project-Based Instruction
• Document Learning Progress for Each Student
• Provide Tools for Data-Driven Decisions Concerning Instruction
• Document Improved Teaching Performance from Each Teacher

• Increase Student Achievement
• Increase Test Scores
• Provide Learning Activities that Mirror the World of Work

• Collaborative
• Real-World Problem-Solving
• Decision-Making
• Project Team
• Real-World Issues
• Research and Report Writing
• Presentations

• Who are our “Clients”
• What are our “Clients’” needs?
• Education Case

• Benefits for Students
• Benefits for Teachers
• Benefits for the Learning Community

• Strategy
• Tactics
• Budgets
• Support

• Technical Support
• Professional Development
• Back End Programming

• Targets
• Development
• Action Items
• Management

• Data
• Case Studies
• Anecdotal Records
• Statistical Analysis
• Pre-/ Post & Control Group Experimental Designs

• What is our Message?

• Pros and Cons
• Educational Case for Open Source
• Best Practices
• Risks

• Parameters where Open Source is Viable

Marketing Plan Narrative
Table of Contents
Needs Assessment

• Historical Analysis

• Educational Case for Technology Integration
• Educational Case for Open Source Solutions
• Professional Development
• Back End Processing
• Infrastructure

• Boxes and Wires
• Network
• Software
• Services

• SIF Compliance

Educational Software Analysis

• Inspiration™
• Inspiredata™

• Apache
• MySQL
• Postgres SQL
• PHP
• STAR Office™
• Audacity™
• Compendium™
• Plone™
• Media Wiki™

• Open Office
• FreeMind
• Joomla, Mambo
• Moodle
• PMWiki

• Microsoft™

• MS Office™
• MS Publisher™
• MS Project™
• MS SQL

• iLife Suite™

• Photoshop(TM
• DreamWeaver™
• Acrobat™

• Return on Investment
• Grants
• Foundations
• Donations
• Private-Public Partnerships

• Benefits for Students
• Benefits for Teachers
• Benefits for the Learning Community
• Instructional Best Practices

• Politics
• NCLB

Solutions

• Goals and Objectives

• Instructional Objectives
• Instructional Targets
• Professional Development Objectives
• Professional Development Targets

• Instructional
• Promotion
• Distribution
• Support
• Financial
• Other

• Educational Focus
• Best Practices
• Case Studies
• Data Collection

• Actual Costs
• Performance Analysis
• Implementation Analysis

Implementation

• Design
• Development
• Installation
• Management
• Upkeep
• Evaluation

Discussion

• Pros and Cons of Open Source Solutions
• Independent Variables
• Data Gathering and Database Tracking of Student Improvements
• Data Gathering and Database Tracking of Teacher Improvements

Summary

• Benefits of Open Source
• Areas where Open Source is not Competitive

Conclusion

In order to promote a product, even Open Source products, you need to have a plan.

You write that plan by asking questions, and recording your answers.

Here is a list of questions and concepts to think about as you market Open Source products:

1. Discover the hidden opportunity in every situation.
2. Engineer success into every innovation and improvement project.
3. Build projects with many ideas, lots of leeway and lots of contingency plans.
4. Adequately fund projects, and allow 10% to 20% (preferably 20% extra for unexpected challenges, and unplanned opportunities).
5. Understand that what you are doing is unique, just as the model program that you are imitating or copying was unique.
6. The more you can improve teaching or learning, the greater the odds that executive decision-makers will continue to support this project.
7. Connect with positive thinking, creative, can-do people for support in planning and management.
8. Always look for ways to improve, and for ways to measure the improvement.
9. Structure your proposals and offers so that all risk is taken away from the decision-maker. Make it easy for decision-makers to say, “Yes,” to your proposal.

Instructions

Here are some questions that you should answer before you market or implement Open Source Solution projects.

You have to know who your are marketing to, and you have to know what your marketing message is.

Of course, your marketing message should be targeted to the most painful needs that your clients have.

For education, our clients are teachers and students.

Here are the questions. Don’t leave any question unanswered. In fact, think of more questions to add to these.

The time you spend answering these questions will be returned to you, both in time that you didn’t waste and money that you didn’t squander.

Real-World Marketing Questions

1. What motivates the use of Open Source in school districts? Is the motivation for improving teaching and learning, for enhancing instruction and making changes? Or, is the motivation for less than ideal reasons such as “saving money?”
2. Where do the teachers and students that want to implement Open Source Solutions come from? What strategies, techniques, methods and resources will help them?
3. What keeps these teachers and students interested in Open Source Solutions? What payoffs do they expect? Can Open Source Solutions deliver in ways that fulfill these expectations?
4. What are the best methods of reaching teachers and students with the Open Source Solution message? What benefits must this message convey?
5. What marketing methods attract the most teachers and students? What percentage of new “clients” come from each method?
6. How do we test different methods of marketing to determine which method generates the most teacher and student interest?
7. How do we connect with teacher and students to communicate confidence in Open Source Solutions? How much information (how-to documents, case studies, tutorials) and how much follow-up do we need to convince teachers and students that Open Source Solutions offer viable options?
8. What kinds of teachers are more amenable to trusting Open Source Solutions? What teachers distrust Open Source Solutions?
9. Would our marketing be more effective in attracting new teachers and students, or, more effective in providing services and support to teachers and students that have already implemented Open Source Solutions?
10. What factors cause teachers and students to abandon Open Source Solutions in favor of other options?
11. Who else benefits from teachers and students implementing Open Source Solutions? (Family members, Community Members?)
12. How many suppliers, vendors, relatives of school district executives will loose money if school districts adopt Open Source Solutions? How might these special interests sabotage Open Source proposals?
13. What suppliers, vendor and relative of school district executives might become motivated to support proposals for Open Source Solutions if there were payoffs for them?
14. When teachers and students become advocates for Open Source Solutions, what messages to they convey?
15. How do we describe exactly what Open Source Solutions do, describe exactly what the benefits are; and most importantly, how do we measure instructional improvements and student outcomes that are directly tied to Open Source Solutions?
16. What philosophy of education directly relates to successful implementation of Open Source Solutions? For example, project-based, engaged learning; constructivist thinking, creative problem-solving of real-world problems, etc.)
17. When we have upgraded teachers’ and students’ attitudes, knowledge and skills through professional development and training, what other allied skills and applications have we equipped them for?
18. How will teachers and students change for the better by applying Open Source Solutions? What negatives can accrue to teachers and students from the implementation of Open Source Solutions?
19. What numbers of teaches and students opt for Open Source Solutions? Where are these individuals located? What demographics and psychographics differentiate these individuals?
20. What is the length of time that teachers and students stay with Open Source Solutions? Do these groups drop Open Source Solutions as soon as they find other employment, graduate or attend schools of higher education? What is the staying power of Open Source Solutions once teachers and students become familiar with the resources?
21. What about Open Source Solutions distinguish them from freeware and commercial solutions? Which of these distinguishing characteristics matter to teachers and students?
22. Does our Open Source marketing consistently repeat the main benefits to teachers and students in every communication that is made to each of these groups?
23. What mix of marketing will we use to reach greater numbers of teachers and students? How will these methods interrelate?
24. What do freeware and commercial solutions offer that Open Source Solutions don’t? How important to teachers and students are these advantages that are missing from Open Source Solutions?
25. What add on support, products or services do we offer to tip the scales in favor of Open Source over freeware and commercial solutions?
26. What are the greatest gaps in suitability, viability and ease of use that freeware and commercial solutions have, and how do we position Open Source Solutions to solve those needs?
27. What do teachers and students really want from Open Source Solutions? How do we know this to be so? Do teachers and students want Open Source Solutions at all?
28. Do teachers and students want to use Open Source Solutions exclusively, or do they want to use a mix of Open Source, freeware and commercial products? What steps can Open Source advocates take to tip the scales in favor of Open Source Solutions?
29. What does it cost to recruit each teacher and student into becoming Open Source users?
30. How many teachers and students, out of the total number of teachers and students, will we be able to recruit? How long will we be able to hold them as Open Source implementers?
31. How do we communicate to Open Source advocates that repeating the “free and cheap” mantras in selling the Open Source concept is detrimental to the Open Source movement in the long run?
32. What have been the biggest marketing successes of Open Source Solutions so far?
33. What is the biggest marketing challenge for Open Source Solutions? What makes this problem or issue so difficult to surmount? What would it take to eliminate this challenge?
34. In what ways could the barriers to Open Source Solutions be decreased or eliminated? What would decrease the risk of adopting Open Source Solutions for teachers and students? For IT Directors and It Staff? For Curriculum Specialists? For School District executive decision-makers?
35. What marketing methods do we use to keep in touch with Open Source Solution adopters? What methods do we use to gather instructional improvement and student outcome data that is directly attributable to Open Source Solutions?
36. Do we have a method for capturing testimonials from teachers and students that document the value and benefits of Open Source Solutions? Do we have a method in place for capturing case studies? For developing and communicating “Best Practices”? For developing tutorials and professional development?
37. Do we have a system in place to solicit referrals to teacher, students, IT Department and other users?
38. What were the results of attempting to reintroduce Open Source Solutions to teachers and students that had adopted these solutions, but now were not implementing them? What factors, benefits and services would convince these teaches and students to use Open Source Solutions again?
39. What ways can we work with service providers, suppliers, vendors, consultants and other Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to partner for joining Open Source and commercial solutions?
40. What methods do we use to communicate to teachers and students that our efforts at promoting Open Source Solutions are geared to help them? How do we overcome that perception that Open Source Solutions are…
    • Just for “Techies” and for people who like to play with computers
    • Too hard to use
    • Inferior products that the school district wants to “pawn off” on teachers and students to save money
41. What ways can we get teachers and students that have adopted at least one Open Source Solution to adopt more Open Source products and to become more heavily committed to multiple Open Source Solutions?
42. Can we barter our products, services, support or subject matter content for other products or services that will promote greater implementation of Open Source Solutions?
43. What kinds of guarantees can we provide to teachers and students to minimize the risk that these groups take in adopting untried, semi-compatible, non-standard solutions such as Open Source products?
44. How fast to adopters of Open Source Solutions drop off and quit using these solutions?
45. What are the most used Open Source Solutions, and what do these solutions offer that other Open Source products fail to provide?
46. Where do we recruit our best prospects for adopting Open Source Solutions? How much does it cost to capture the names of each one of these people? How much does it cost to keep in touch with each one of these people?
47. What ways can Open Source Solutions be differentiated from (and be seen as different) than the Technology Integration Movement? How can Open Source Solutions distance themselves from what teachers perceived to be an odious requirement (Technology Integration) that tended to interfere with quality (efficient and effective) instruction?

Thanks to Jay Abraham for many of these ideas.
Abraham, Jay (2000) Getting Everything you Can out of All you’ve Got. New York: Truman Talley
p. – 50 – 54.

Check this link to Cisco™ System’s online presentation, BizWiseTV: Transforming Education for the 21^st Century and decide for yourself.

Link to the presentation:

Link to the Cisco™ 21st Century Education Presentation

At any rate, the presentation is slick and professional, uses data and testimonials, focuses upon educational outcomes rather than Cisco™ products, and addresses cost issues in a matter of fact way that shows that school districts can surmount this obstacle. (The presentation shows that what school districts need is vision, focus, commitment. Expertise and Open Source Solutions are the easy part.)

More importantly, This Cisco™ presentation provides a model for the kind of marketing materials that Open Source advocates could develop.

Our marketing presentations could include:

• Video that focuses upon benefits of Open Source Solutions for teachers and students
• “Why we must change education” insights from higher education experts
• A validation of how Open Source Solutions increased student achievement in their districts (by one or more school district superintendents)
• Video showing engaged students using Open Source Solutions at school and at home
• “How Open Source Solutions” drive improved instruction and teacher effectiveness
• Testimonials from Real Users
• A panel discussion of the challenges that were overcome by an early adopter districts (with members from various stakeholder groups, i.e., teacher, principal, counselor, IT Department leader, curriculum specialist, superintendent, etc.)
• “How Open Source fits in” by a high-ranking business executive
• Support from any of our Teachers’ Unions

There are many more options that will communicate the benefits of Open Source Solutions, but, this list could be the start of a productive brainstorming session.

And, maybe the videos could be produced and edited with Open Source software.

Of course, the key is to be able to show real student improvement data where the improvement is the direct result of projects and programs that relied on Open Source Solutions. (No “could be,” “if only,” or “we believe” here; but real-world, honest, matter-of fact, instructional delivery and student outcome results.)

But, Cisco™ has developed a presentation model that we can use as a template. So, check out this presentation.

You will have to register to view the presentation, and the presentation can be viewed by Windows™ Media Player of Real™ Player.

This presentation is worth the time that you invest in viewing it.