90201 Luck and Presence

Luck and Presence

I have been lucky all my life. Years, some times decades before an industry took off I voted with my feet to get involved. Early 1950’s aerospace, 1960’s biotech, 1970’s PC software, and late1980’s broadband telecom and eLearning. But my soles are getting thin rolling rocks up the eLearning hill.

As a capstone my luck-joss-presence has served up a “hoot!”

In December the New York Times Interactive Playbook offered an opportunity to guess the winners with point spread for the 11 NFC playoff, championship and Super Bowl games. Being a non-athlete in both skill and interest I only put on pads for my freshman team in high school. But up for a challenge I picked the Steelers and Cardinals to win through. I arbitrarily picked the other matchups. After 10 games there are no 10-0 Playbook players and only five 9-1 players out of the 10,976 folks who played. I am one of the 9-1’ers and rank 3^rd. How’s that for beating 3330 to 1 odds!  My final pick in December was Cardinals by 2 in the Super Bowl. Let’s see if we can bring it home for Arizona!

http://projects.nytimes.com/nfl2009/bracket/36184529

This and That

Educational research is being shifted by the Obama administration from “scientifically based” to “development and innovation.” Education Week, January 28, 2009. “Scientifically based” methods work great in the physical sciences but without massive funding and many years over multiple parameters, work poorly and many times are misleading in the social sciences. With eLearning in the disruptive innovation phase, funding support should focus development and innovation.

Governor’s (K-12) Educational Advisory Group met in closed session on January 23^rd, 2009. Our Rick Ogston Exec. Director of Desert View Academy – Carpe Diem Collegiate High School (Yuma) was invited and carried the ball for eLearning. His comments were well received. Hopefully our new governor will consider eLearning both a pressing issue and innovation opportunity as her policy evolves. I understand that Karla Phillips is the new governor education advisor. Ms Phillips is well schooled on the benefits of eLearning over her many years as an advisor to the leadership of the House of Representatives.

Last Monday morning a legislator’s breakfast in my Sunnyslope community offered me an opportunity to talk with Rep. Sam Crump R of Anthem. He said he was working on cutting the $22.5 million that the 21^st Century Fund has to support of science based emerging enterprises (including eLearning). His rational is that the state could not pick winners or losers and should not favor certain industries. With all due respect I argued that science and technology is one area where a successful investment can be made by the experts. I stated that we all have to accept cuts in this troubled time and appreciated the tough job he has in the legislature. This morning I read that Sheriff Joe got an additional $1.6 million; K-12 education took a $113 million (1.6%) hit; Arizona Department of Education was jolted with an $8 million cut, and the $22.5 million was lifted from the Arizona’s 21^st Century Fund for technology based innovation.

This Luck and That Presence

So eLearning gets some boosts and takes a few hits. Let’s see how lucky our Cards are this evening. Then it’s back on the path putting one foot in front of the other. It works for the man carrying the football and the man on plow behind the mule.

But mark my words – by 2011 the upsurge in eLearning will start affecting all Arizona students. By 2018 half of learning will be supported by eLearning means. And by the end of the 21^st century Arizona may have …………………….a second Super Bowl victory.

Send me an email a decade from now, and let me know if I still got it!