Technology innovation and the invasive species analogy

Yong Zhao and Kenneth Frank in their article "Factors Affecting Technology Uses in Schools: An Ecological Perspective ¹ " make an interesting (albeit elaborate) case that technology innovation should be thought of as an invasive species in an ecosystem model.

The concept is that technology adoption is a dynamic process with adaptation on the part of the introduced technology and the systems and individuals who employ the technology. Whether introduced the invading species (technology) perishes or thrives depends on a) the attributes of the species 2) the conditions of the environment into which it is introduced. Zebra mussels have been so successful in their invasion of the Great Lakes because they have "wide environmental tolerance" and have mechanisms for rapid dispersal among other attributes.

This ecosystem perspective is helpful when considering technology innovation in K-12. Innovation is an interaction between the introduced innovation and the environment and organisms that populate it. To what extent do instructional technologies fill a niche and offer unique value to the instructional experience? How do host organizations and individuals change as the embrace or resist the innovation?

Four practical concepts emerge from this analogy:

1. Suitability - certain environments are more hospitable for innovations. If the "ecosystem" of the organization is under considerable dirress, it may not be an environment with the necessary conditions for success. In this formula, the characteristics of the innovation must be a good match or the conditions of the organizational environment.
2. Competition - innovations require resources. Multiple innovations may compete with one another and outstrip the environment's human or financial capacity necessary for the innovation to survive.
   
3. Adaptation - both the innovation and the host organization and organisms are changed by the introduction of an innovation. This evolution is ongoing; not static.
4. Interaction of species - or in this case the social relationships in schools. Social pressure or explicit expecations to use technology can have a strong positive or strong negative effect on computer use by teachers. The best way to get teachers to use technology for instrutional purpose is to provide time and support for experimentation, rather than highly structured professional development and mandates for use.
   

¹ American Educational Research Journal. Winter 2003. Vol 40, pp. 807-840