🚀 go-pugleaf

Greetings...

As I was saying...

(or rather, you may remember last Friday's draft
which I inadvertently sent)


With the current AECT remodeling, and how it could
best serve its both its mission and membership, I would
like to agitate for a optional organizational paradigm for
consideration.  It is based upon these assumptions and
factors (and probably reflects my ignorance of current
efforts and their subtleties):

1)  there is still need for an umbrella organization
whose technical focus is not limited by media type,
and which primary focus remains the pedagogical
applications;

2)  competition for our organization comes from
organizations with narrower foci by media type
(and these too may pass)

3)  in this time of catharsis for AECT, the membership will
be less willing to travel to national conventions on the old
model

4)  the same membership, or individuals with similar interests,
are willing to travel to, and need, regional/local conferences
which can be co-sponsored or supported by the national org
(e.g. http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/symposia)

5)  growth for the AECT membership will come from local rather
than national efforts, and current established membership
will be an invaluable resource

6)  a dynamic structure of intermediate, supporting regional
organizations may be the way to grow the national organization

7)  local groups needn't all follow the "state affiliate model"
and could experiment with other types of organization, and
compliments the local chapter provision built into AECT at present

8)  support for local groups has the advantage of promoting
flexibility of association and experimentation with many
organizations--adapting and tying into their missions--and
could have implications for regional and national organizational
development.

        In my work with the local chapter of AECT, I have been quite
disappointed by the lack of support, and presence, of the national
organization.  Copies of AECT brochures, or TechTrends, or
whatever were not provided; regional coordinators invisible or
not responsive.  And this was in the "good" years...

I recognize the value and need for a national organization
that tries to validate technological trends, lead curriculum
development and research, and serve as clearing house for all
of the above.  When I suggest "new paradigm" for AECT, it is
more to recognize 1 - 8 above.

One immediate application would be to revamp the print
orientation of TechTrends to a mediated, searchable index of
research which truly leads our organization into the 21st Century,
based upon the solid work of the 20th...

To embrace a dynamic, multilingual index would truly internationalize
our organization.  (And when I refer to multilingual, I do not just
refer to European character sets.)  However, these efforts will always
originate on the "local" or institutional level.

As we/you review our organizational structure, and reflect upon
what purposes its components carry, and how we allocate scarce
resources, I hope they reflect the above.

joe landsberger

p.s.:  that "scholarly journal" that encouraged me to send the
draft was published (print!) in record time, and I apologize again
for sending out such a dysfunctional document.