Innovation DramaTech Exercises – 10/07/2010
Innovation Dramatech Practice Exercise #1
Time Frame: Recent Future
The Location: The Dominican Republic
The Stakeholders: Ministry of Education, Minister, Staff, Dominican Government.
Your Innovation Proposal:
-Pilot Project: Provide laptops to every child on twenty five different K-12 schools
-Create an online national education website where students can access freeware and shareware educational games, their emails accounts (through a partnership with Google), and a safe environment in which to network with other students across the country (through a partnership with Facebook or another major social network provider).
-Install 250 “Hole-In-The-Wall” type kiosks across the country. More will be installed as the program continues with the goal of having hundreds across the Dominican Republic.
-Have a national competition where the best math students receive augmented reality devices, including “sixth sense” devices.
-Develop mobile learning software (There are as many cellular phones as there are people in the Dominican Republic) Mobile software development will originally focus on language teaching software.
-Partnership with Blizzard, Electronic Arts, or other major video game providers to provide games with education applicability at low costs to students across the country. (Not so sure about this)..
-Invest in a marketing initiative with the objective of developing local business partnerships and ensure the sustainability of the project through advertisement.
-The program will focus on teaching English to students, promoting innovation, reducing the digital divide, and preparing students for the increasingly globalized competitive economy of the 21st century.
Key Person Minister of Education Responded:
The program may be seen as foreign and we do not have the human capital to develop such a system. We are also wary of foreign influence and establishing a dependent relationship on foreign technology and equipments.
The program may also increase disparities between the rich and poor. Also, we cannot provide laptops to every child on the island. Why will some benefit, while the others continue to have no access to technology?
The country currently has a shortage or teachers, and the quality of education has been severely affected in a number of rural areas. Some areas have no electricity. How will computers help?
You Said:
Technology will increasingly play a role in the economy of nation-states. We need to reinvest the revenues generated through tourism in a way to promote development and eventually break away from the vicious cycle of dependency. Latin American countries, including the Dominican Republic can no longer be dependent on importing both technology and knowledge but the state must transform into a knowledge and innovation generating society.
While it is true that at first only a few will benefit, by introducing Kiosks and well as spending revenues on an innovative advertising campaign, the program hopes to grow at a rapid rate.
The program will also focus on promoting endogenous Dominican values as well as promoting national festivities. By using modern technology to develop with a “Dominican style”, the program hopes to obtain the support of the national population, particularly the support of the working class and parents.
The Key Person Seemed Satisfied, And Said: Your project is in line with the objectives of the administration of Leonel Fernandez. Key to your success will be to partner with the right group of individuals (cross pollinators, directors, anthropologists, architects, etc). Many talk the talk, but will you be able to succeed? Your project needs to be very specific in its proposal including a very detailed list of estimated costs. We had problems with corruption in the past, and the government wants to make sure that such problems are addressed before they develop. Please tell us more about your marketing ideas and how do you plan to promote endogenous values in a way in which they have not been promoted before? How exactly will you sell this program to the average Dominican? How many years will it take for your program to be sustainable?
You Turned To the Stakeholders and Told Them the Major Innovation Goal Implications of the Exchange: Our objective is to develop with a Dominican, “Quisqueya” style. For too long we have been in the shadow of other nations. We were a young developing country and it takes time before a country can develop the infrastructure and institutions that will allow it to flourish and succeed. Unfortunately, we are not there yet and part of the problem in achieving our goals has been the result of the short-term vision of previous development policies. In contrast, this program includes both short term and long term objectives.
The Dominican Republic is blessed with a tropical weather and beaches that the whole world envies, yet over the years, we have not truly invested on our human capital. Through this initiative and other programs that look towards tomorrow, perhaps we will be able to not only catch up with more developed countries, but to leapfrog them, to a future where not only our beaches but also our human capital is envied by the rest of the world.
Later, a Reviewer Watching the Innovation Drama Unfold Commented: While the program is very hopeful about the possibilities of truly changing the Dominican Republic and developing a future oriented society with an innovative economy, why should Dominicans believe that this program will succeed where others have failed? As Dominicans, we are used to empty words and broken promises. Perhaps something, even if minor, will change, yet most likely we will continue to spend our profits on bars and brothels every weekend and our public education system will continue to be a shame even within Latin America.
………………Page Break………………Innovation DramaTech Practice Exercise #2
Time Frame: The Recent Past (4 Years)
The Location: Gainesville, Florida
The Stakeholders: Dr. Rosa Brito, Alfonso Sintjago, Tania Sintjago, Rinaldo Sintjago.
Your Innovation Proposal: I am interested in working in Brazil. They have some very innovative education programs such as Bolsa Escola and the PT has also advocated major changes to the distribution of land in the agrarian sector. Brazil is also the largest economy in South America. In addition, visiting Brazil during the summer will allow me to learn Portuguese. Would it be possible to study there? I know you are interested in the changes that are taking place in Venezuela, but to be honest, the changes in Venezuela are very controversial. The animosity Hugo Chavez has instigated worsened inter-social class communications and relationships. Brazil, is also polarized, but to a lesser extent. What do you think? Would it be possible to change my area of research?
Key Person Dr. Rosa Brito Responded: I understand your concern, yet it is exactly because of the highly polarized and tense political environment that is taking place in Venezuela, that we need you to go there. A lot is being said, but most of what is published is either from government officials and partisans or from the opposition and its leadership. Having leftist roots, but coming from a University in the United States, you would be able to access information unavailable to others. When you applied to the University, we were very interested in your potential to research the current state of affairs of a reform taking place in Venezuela.
You Said: Yes. I understand that in some ways I seem as an the ideal candidate, but as a Venezuelan student coming from the United States, I will likely not obtaining access to documents which would portray a controversial image of the government, and I would be taken around to various Potenkim villages around the country. They will definitely showcase their most successful programs to me as to portray themselves as more successful than they truly are. In addition, the crime rate in Venezuela makes researching uncomfortable. According to foreign affairs magazine, Caracas is currently the most dangerous city in the world. Venezuela’s “achievements” are in most instances little more than smoke and mirrors. Let’s say I go there. How valid will my study and the data resulting from it be? I am sure, they will not let me roam around and access controversial data. Will my thesis not be more than government propaganda? With limited access to data, how critical will I be able to be?
The Key Person Seemed Dissatisfied, And Said: The situation in Venezuela is not as “regulated” as you believe. Venezuela has maintained a high level of freedom of press, speech and assembly. Unlike traditional dictatorships, there are no gulags or disappearances. I am sure you will be surprised by what you find. Now if you go in there with such a critical attitude, it is likely that the access you have to information may be limited than if you went there with a positive attitude. Don’t transform your perceptions into a self-fulfilling prophesy! Be positive and I am sure you will find your participants receptive to both comprehensive and critical questions.
You Turned to the Stakeholders and Told Them the Major Goal Implications of the Exchange: Unfortunately, despite my desire to distance myself from a highly polarized environment and instead research in an area where individuals will be more likely to participate in my study, I may have no choice but to research a reform taking place in Venezuela. It is also likely, that I will focus on a topic similar to that that my advisor is interested on. I feel a bit frustrated, but we (my family) came to America to survive. This is just another hurdle. Hopefully in the future I will have the academic freedom that I desire, but for now, despite my ability to tweak some situations, I definitely need to follow the money and opportunity trail. I tried my best to argue my case, but she is adamant that I conduct my research in Venezuela. I will do so, but I will structure my research in a way that I will be able to research the topics that most interest me within the context of Venezuela.
A Reviewer Watching the Innovation Drama Unfold Commented: Is there ever true academic freedom? If there was a scale, academia would in most regards be one of the most traditional institutions for which to work for, and in some ways, one of the least flexible places. For the most part, professors are interested in other’s research only in as much as it relates to their own work. A student is but only a small part of the human capital of the university. If a student want to graduate on time and obtain a future letter of recommendation, (s)he better tow the line and pursue a research project that pleases both my advisor and the department chair. While this should not be the case, it is often the reality.
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Innovation DramaTech Practice Exercise #3
Time Frame: The Recent Past (1 Years)
The Location: Gainesville, Florida
The Stakeholders: Eleanor Lewis, And Alfonso Sintjago, Sintjago Family, Lewis Family.
Your Innovation Proposal: We should go to England! There I can focus on studying on my own and avoid paying any tuition. Some of the best computer programmers and most innovative individuals in the world are self-taught. We should leave this place, I am sure we will manage. Plus, England sounds a lot more interesting than America and you will be able to hang out with your friends in London. Formal education is too rigid and too expensive. Perhaps, by studying and working on projects on my own, I will be able to finally devote the time I need to promote the growth of free access to educational material on the internet like OpenCourseWare but promote the development of material in less spoken languages as well as to promote “brain gain” initiatives, where individuals who have migrated from their countries for a variety of reasons will be able to give back to their countries of origin and other developing countries not only money in the form of remittances but also give back part of their knowledge as “knowledge remittances”. We will not make much money, but who cares about that too much anyhow. It will certainly be more of an adventure…!
Key Person Eleanor Lewis Responded: Don’t be a fool Alfonso. What jobs have you held until now? Some were alright, but others were pretty mechanical, repetitive and boring. You kept complaining on a daily basis. Is that what you want to return to? Also, your family has been trying to migrate to America since 1998. To leave the United States now and simply migrate to England would really bother them. You know how your mother, your father, and brother want you to move closer to them, not further away. Just moving to a more distant city within the United States to study for a PhD will bother them a bit. Stay focus and do not get discouraged. We have no hidden stash of money available, but I am sure somehow things are going to work out. They have worked out until now haven’t they?
You Said: Yeah, it’s been alright so far. Something always happens. But then again, I am not going to place all my eggs in one basket. Aside from applying to various schools and looking for a job, I am also going to start thinking of what things would be like if we went to England. I know what I want, but there is more than one way to get there. Going to the UK will not be as bad as soon will say.
The Key Person Seemed Dissatisfied, And Said: Stop thinking about least likely scenarios. It is more likely that you will find some form of assistance and you will be able to start a PhD. I will then look for a job and together, as a team, we will work it out. No thinking about going to Great Britain! It is only a last resort. If we can’t make it here after trying through all means possible during this and the upcoming year, then maybe we can reevaluate this decision and our situation.
You Turned to the Stakeholders and Told Them the Major Goal Implications of the Exchange: While I am sure that either thru one scenario or another I will eventually succeed, when the whole family is part of the equation and the decision is taken for what is best for all the shareholders, the options rapidly diminish. Then, on these situations, it is important to sit down and explore how under the new scenario, more choices can be added. Knocking on all doors and persevering despite obstacles will likely enhance one’s opportunities for success.
A Reviewer Watching the Innovation Drama Unfold Commented: The team work you both displayed is encouraging. By nurturing a supportive, cooperative relationships where both of your openly express your opinions and think of your options as a team, you will both be more likely to find a way in which both of your personal objectives are fulfilled as well as your joint objectives. It is important to have alternatives, but it’s also important to remain focused on your original target and intentions.
