James L. Morrison (morrison@unc.edu)
Tue, 6 Jul 1999 15:49:19 -0400
From: "James L. Morrison" <morrison@unc.edu> Subject: May-June Issue of On the Horizon Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 15:49:19 -0400
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Below is a description of the May-June 1999 issue of On the Horizon, which
is now available online at http://horizon.unc.edu/horizon/online/html/7/3/
On the Horizon On-Line is a strategic planning publication published in
print form by Jossey-Bass publications and published under contract in
online form by UNC-Chapel Hill on its Horizon Web page.
Please forward this announcement to colleagues who can benefit from a
print and Web-based periodical that focuses on signals of change on the
horizon that can affect educational organizations.
You may be in an organization with an institutional online subscription
(http://horizon.unc.edu/horizon/subscribe.asp). If you are not, ask your
librarian to request a 60-day trial subscription, which will allow
everyone in your organization to have access to OTH On-Line without
logging on (your e-mail IP address does this automatically).
----------------------------------------
ON THE HORIZON: The Strategic Planning Resource for Education
Professionals
IN THIS ISSUE
I Dream of Jini: Everything Goes Online in the Twenty-first Century
by Dennis Govoni
"I have a dream," Govoni declares, "that in the future, any device that
can be networked will be networked. I'm not talking about the usual
suspects such as desktops, servers, routers, switches, and the like. I'm
thinking about common everyday items . . . our appliances, our houses,
even our cars." Govoni identifies four forces that are driving the
development of network technology, which will require sophisticated
administrative products to support it. One such product is Jini. Developed
in the summer of 1998, Jini allows hardware and software to be
automatically identified to a network; consequently, clients can easily
locate and use these hardware and software services. Govoni predicts that
Jini will not only help network everything from your toaster to your
sprinkler system, but also significantly contribute to the growth of
virtual universities. How does it work? Find out from Govoni in this
month's lead article.
Telecommunications and the Future: An Interview with Sally M. Johnstone
by James L. Morrison
Morrison interviews Johnstone, head of the Western Cooperative for
Educational Telecommunications, about information technology tools and
their impact on higher education. Johnstone cites five IT products in
development--including display screens small enough to fit on the
dashboard of a car and low orbital satellite systems--and explains how
they will change education as we know it. She warns, however, that the
benefits of these IT tools will be available only to colleges and
universities that are willing to "restructure" their entire educational
enterprises.
Trends and Events: Social
In Search of True Empowerment: Risk Leadership Theory
by Curtis L. Brungardt and C. B. Crawford
Brungardt and Crawford contend that, in most organizations, the "true
change agents" are lower-level, energetic employees rather than recognized
leaders; the latter, however, often squash change if it threatens their
power. The result is that too many organizations--including institutions
of higher education--are not evolving productively and have poor long-term
growth potential. The authors suggest that lower- and middle-level
employees in education adopt Risk Leadership Theory for the sake of their
institutions. The Risk Leadership Model encourages subordinate workers to
confront and challenge authority and to assume responsibility for
transformative institutional change. Think these acts might get the
rank-and-file fired? Brungardt and Crawford argue that, regardless, "it's
up to the troops to seize power for the collective good of the
organization."
Trends and Events: Technological
Implanted Microchips
by Michael Massey
In August 1998, Kevin Warwick, director of cybernetics at the University
of Reading (UK), had a microchip implanted into his left arm. He
programmed the device to open doors, run baths, chill wine, and have his
computer recognize and speak to him. What does all this have to do with
the average citizen? According to Warwick, more practical and noble human
engineering applications will soon be on the market. Massey elaborates the
potential of biochips to enable paraplegics to walk again and teach
infants their ABCs. However, he also uses Neal Stephenson's 1995 book The
Diamond Age to suggest that every technology--including the biochip--can
have adverse affects on the society that embraces it.
Trends and Events: Economic
Emotional Intelligence and the Emergence of a New Professionalism
by Michael D. Kull
Kull examines the writings of Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional
Intelligence (1995) and Working with Emotional Intelligence (1998).
Goleman argues that employees who want to make a difference in their
organizations need more than technical and academic competencies; they
must have the interpersonal ability to understand others and to respond
appropriately to them in any given situation. Three large companies agree.
At Ford, Seimens, and Lucent Technologies, managers expect employees to
display the hallmarks of emotional intelligence: communication and
leadership skills, openness to change, and the ability to learn through
listening. Kull elaborates on how the new validation of emotional
intelligence will affect modern educators and educational systems.
Trends and Events: Political
Educational Policy, Public Understanding, and Citizenship
by Laurence R. Marcus
Marcus reports that, although education is among the highest concerns of
American voters, the media's coverage of education-related political
events is minimal. When a state legislature passes a policy that affects
public universities, or when a school board votes on a controversial
issue, newspapers provide coverage. "However," Marcus laments, "analysis
of the actions of elected and appointed bodies and the investigative
reporting that heretofore has prompted actions by such groups are not
nearly what they used to be." Will the result be public apathy about the
political decisions that determine our educational future?
Tools
The Wearable Internet
by Bernard Glassman
After testing two devices that put the Internet in his pocket--the
Motorola PageWriter 2000 and the Research in Motion (RIM) Motorola PageWriter 2000 and the Research in Motion (RIM) Inter@active 950
pager--Glassman reports that they "are not created equal." He compares the
services, costs, and convenience of these hot products. Read "The Wearable
Internet" to find out which one he recommends and what it can do for
educators.
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