Technology Keeps Mobile Workers on Move

Home health nurse Connie Gardner uses a cellular phone, portable fax machine and pager to stay in touch with hospitals, doctors and her bosses as she zips around Jefferson and Franklin counties in her little red pickup.

Financial planner Gary Goldberg places his clients' orders for mutual funds and other investments from their kitchen tables.

Salesman Jim Jeter uses a cellular phone to conduct conference calls with Hewlett-Packard clients as he drives between appointments in eastern Missouri. His laptop computer stores information on clients and lets him prepare expense vouchers when he's away from the office.

Gardner, Goldberg and Jeter are examples of a growing trend in American business - the movement away from a fixed workplace to one workers can take with them from office to car to home.

Link Resources, a consulting firm for mobile and home office workers, says that more than 60 percent of all American companies have mobile workers. They include 16 million who work at home, 13 million who travel at least 20 percent of their time and 25 million who work almost exclusively outside the office.

The movement even has its own magazine, Mobile Office, a monthly guide to doing business on the road. The 5-year-old magazine has 140,000 subscribers.

Wireless phones, pagers, computers and other gadgets are feeding the move to the mobile or virtual office. The gadgets help mobile workers become more productive, reduce drive time and can even allow employers to shrink the office space they own or lease.

The gadgets cost money. But mobile workers say the cost can be kept down by shopping around and buying devices only as they're needed rather than all at once. The cost of going mobile can range from a few thousand dollars for a laptop and cellular phone to $30,000 or more for a fully equipped desk installed in a van.

The $30,000 figure sounds high, admits Rick Malloy, editor-in-chief of Mobile Office. But the costs of a fixed office add up quickly when you consider rent, furniture, utilities and long-distance bills. Many office-bound workers can have several hundred dollars in phone bills - rivaling some mobile workers' cellular bills.

Most mobile workers get by with equipment that fits in a briefcase - a laptop, cellular phone and pager, Malloy said. Many are now adding fax modems that allow the computer to send faxes and connect to the worker's home office, bulletin boards, even the Internet. Portable printers that weigh under a pound are popular, too, he said.

The most common mobile worker is a salesperson who meets customers face-to-face, either at the customer's office, home or a meeting place like a restaurant or airport. But more businesses are taking to the road for all or part of the work day.

St. Louisans involved in the virtual office movement include home health care nurses, state office workers, insurance adjusters, service technicians and real estate salespeople, to name just a few. Most have moved gradually from reporting to an office every day to coming in once a week or even less.

Nurse Gardner goes directly to patients' homes from her own home in Valley Park. She faxes her itinerary to her boss at Incarnate Word Hospital. Except for weekly meetings to discuss her caseload with co-workers and supervisors, she rarely stops by the hospital at Grand Boulevard and Interstate 44.

Gardner's truck cab is her office. She takes and makes calls there, sends and receives faxes from her patients' doctors or the hospital.

Incarnate Word provides cellular phones to several home health nurses, Gardner said. The phones give people working in remote areas more mobility, and they provide security for nurses who work in unstable neighborhoods.

If Gardner is visiting a patient for the first time, the hospital faxes her background information written by the referral coordinator.

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Coaches Help Teachers, Technology Fully Compute

With his cell phone stacked on top of an iPod Touch, a half- dozen memory cards hanging around his neck and two laptops slung over his shoulder, technology coach Mike Benko is ready to avert any technology disaster at North Hills Senior High School.

"If Mike as a coach were not here, there would be times where I would think (technology) was probably more trouble than it was worth," said Pat Milliken, a long-term substitute biology teacher and 28-year veteran of the district. "If you don't have technology going smoothly most of the time, you're going to give up and just go to plan B. It's been absolutely necessary to have a coach full-time working with us so we can give these kids this opportunity in the classroom."

Since 2006, the state Classrooms for the Future program has distributed more than $150 million to 543 high schools for laptops, interactive boards and other high-tech tools. School officials say that unless the state provides money for coaches to show teachers how to use the equipment and integrate it into curriculum, there's a danger the equipment won't be used effectively, if at all.

Budget cuts trimmed funding from an expected $45 million for 2009- 10 to $22 million. The program is scheduled to end June 30, 2010. The state Department of Education said it plans to request a one- year extension.

Each district receives $30,000 for one part-time technology coach. The state suggests that districts pool money and create full- time positions to share coaches, department spokeswoman Leah Harris said.

"We want to be able to hold the hands of those teachers (who don't know how to use technology) and walk them through different ideas," she said.

The number of teachers assigned to each coach varies by district - - in Penn Hills, for instance, coach Brian Brown works with more than 120 teachers, while Ryan Gevaudan, Carlynton's coach, works with 15 teachers.

The teachers require full-time attention, said Jeff Taylor, director of curriculum, assessment and technology for North Hills School District.

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Narrowing Technology's Gender Gap

Tina Bitton and Natalie Wood are thoroughly modern women: well- educated, career minded, and entrepreneurial.

They may also turn out to be pioneers. Each is likely to take part in a first-of-its-kind project to narrow a yawning gender gap that has made America's newest industry, technology, look much like its older ones: owned and operated by men.

Ms. Bitton and Ms. Wood are part of a small stampede of women technologists applying to be part of the so-called Women's Technology Cluster, which will open its doors here in early January. The cluster is the first of its kind in the nation and will operate on the principle that when fledgling enterprises operate cheek by jowl, they share ideas, information, and resources. In short, they build the kinds of relationships and "networks" that are well established for men, but not women. The project is regarded as a particularly focused and innovative attempt to end the dearth of women leaders in technology and generate the type of big-time commercial successes that have so far largely eluded women in the booming technology field. And the objective goes beyond simply changing the gender profile of the technology sector. It includes inculcating a new philosophy. Companies accepted in this new technology center must agree to devote at least 2 percent of their equity to a fund that will invest in the community, a noteworthy promise of social commitment within an industry often criticized for being stingy and self-centered. "What we're trying to do is give women an opportunity to participate in the wealth-creating process of the technology boom. At the same time, we want to educate entrepreneurs about what it means to have wealth and to reinvest in their community," says Catherine Muther, founder of the Women's Technology Cluster. Ms. Muther embodies both objectives. In 1994, she shared in the enormous wealth generated by Cisco Systems of Santa Clara, Calif., by cashing in a bundle of stock options and walking away from a top executive marketing position. She used $3 million of the proceeds to establish the Three Guineas Fund, named after the book by Virginia Woolf and dedicated to school and workplace opportunities for girls and women. The Women's Technology Cluster is the foundation's newest venture. The cluster, which will house 20 or 25 firms, is built on a model that has a proven track record. Across the country, clusters and so- called incubators have sprouted in recent years to help entrepreneurs in a common field work side by side. They save money through economies of scale and allow otherwise isolated entrepreneurs to tap into established networks of mentors. Cluster provides valuable networks James Robbins has established seven such business clusters, all focused on technology, across California and is developing the women's cluster for Muther.

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Technology LawAlliance Working with Webroot

TECHNOLOGY Law Alliance has been appointed to Webroot's global legal panel, for advising on technology law matters. Webroot is an award winning technology organisation, delivering next-generation endpoint security and threat intelligence services, to protect businesses and individuals around the globe. Its smarter approach harnesses the power of Cloud Computing-based collective threat intelligence, derived from millions of real-world devices, to stop threats in real time, and help secure the connected world. Webroot's industry leading SecureAnywhere(r) endpoint solutions and BrightCloud(r) Threat Intelligence Services, protect millions of devices across businesses, home users, and the Internet of Things.

Megan Shields, Associate General Counsel for Webroot, comments: "As a leading technology service provider, we wanted to work with a market leading technology law firm, which is why we have appointed Technology Law Alliance to work closely with our global in-house legal team." She continues: "It is Technology Law Alliance's unique skillset and expertise, which makes them a complementary and ideal choice for our global organisation. Our senior in-house legal team, has a strong background, as well as insights gained from working in a cutting edge industry. When we need additional assistance, we want the ability to reach out to senior technology practitioners who are experts in their field, and who can work as part of our team. This is what we have found with Technology Law Alliance."

Webroot is a world class example of the use of Cloud Computing to maximise benefits to businesses and consumers. It is not surprising therefore, that some of the worldwide leading network and security vendors rely upon Webroot's BrightCloud services, which underscores the accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of the intelligence that backs its Web Security Service.

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Technology for Technology's Sake? Lessons, Teaching Can Get Lost in Schools' Computer Race

Mark Mueller still shakes his head over the time his school bought $2,000 computers to help students do math drills.

At the time, the Libertyville teacher says, Highland Middle School had perfectly good machines that did the same thing, but for a whole lot less money.

"To use a $2,000 computer to do something that already was being done on a $200 machine wasn't very cost-effective," he said. "You could have gotten 10 of those machines and had the kids do the same thing."

Mueller underscores an increasingly common belief among suburban educators: That before school officials pour big bucks into technology, they need to step back and consider what the equipment will be used for.

In other words, how can computers improve learning?

Jeffrey L. Hunt, the planetarium director at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, recently wrote a dissertation on how school districts prepare technology plans.

Hunt studied the practices of three large Illinois districts and found that, too often, technology "plans" read like shopping lists: too much emphasis on buying hardware, too little thought given to specific goals.

"They mainly focus on hardware - computers, networks. ... They didn't focus very much on how students learn. Their main focus was on buying equipment," he said.

Breaking the 'mad cycle'

Like hamsters on a wheel, school officials chase the most up-to-date equipment. But given technology's rapid and constant evolution, catching up is impossible.

Hunt calls it the "mad cycle of obsolescence - 'My equipment is obsolete, and I need to replace it.' "

Instead, before they pump more money into Bill Gates' pockets, school officials need to figure out what they want to accomplish, Hunt said.

Do we want computers to produce better readers, writers and mathematicians? Do we want them to teach kids to find, organize, analyze and present information? Will computers teach our students to solve problems?

"When the focus is on the goals rather than the hardware, we start to look at technology differently," Hunt said.

John Baier, a teacher at Glenbard South High School near Glen Ellyn, said he uses computers to teach physics. The key to his success has been planning how the equipment will be used before buying it.

"If you try to do it without planning it out, you have no clue what you're doing," he said.

Some educators seem to want to use technology for technology's sake. Baier says that's a big no-no. He compares it to buying a car with fancy options that the driver doesn't need.

Human beings, not technology, should determine what gets taught in the classroom, he said.

"What I'm getting fits the curriculum," he said. "I do not change the curriculum to fit the technology because that means the technology is driving the curriculum. ... You want the people to drive the technology."

Martha Stone Wiske, co-director of the Educational Technology Center at Harvard University, said schools sometimes knuckle under to pressure from parents and members of the business community who believe glitzy machines are needed to give kids computer "experience."

"Business people on advisory committees exert a lot of techno-phillic pressure without being real clear about what the technology will do," she said.

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Technology's Presence Grows at Museums

Rising computer sales and soaring Internet usage are just a hint of the public's growing interest in technology.

Indeed, the march of technology has become such a powerful force in society that entire museums are now being founded to help explain it. One is the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif., which opened last fall at a cost of $96 million.

"We are a museum that's focused solely on technology and how it changes every aspect of the way we live, work, play and learn," said Kris Covarrubias, spokeswoman for the museum, which is nicknamed The Tech.

"People are seeing that the technology touches so many different parts of their lives," she said. "Our goal is to be an educational organization that inspires the innovator in everyone."

Having an entire technology museum is nice. But in most places in the United States, that mission falls well within the reach of more traditional science museums.

And many have been seizing the opportunity.

In Boston, for example, the Museum of Science announced in April that it was joining forces with The Computer Museum.

"When The Computer Museum was founded in 1979, the computer was still a novelty to many people. Today, computing is part of everyday life, and it's important that we now act to broaden the reach and impact of our award-winning exhibits and programs," Computer Museum Chairman Larry Weber said.

"In joining forces with the Museum of Science, we are creating an organization that will provide Boston-area residents and visitors with a broader understanding of the worlds of science and technology, as they continue to converge into the next century."

A current Museum of Science exhibit, called "Messages," explores the world of communications in part by including the example of the Internet and its World Wide Web. "Our mission is science and technology," said Brian Worobey, a museum vice president. "We're helping people see the relevance of science and technology to them and their ability to see the world."

The combination of science museums and technology has a lot to offer.

For adults and children, there's the fun of learning about exciting new developments in computers and telecommunications.

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Technology Blueprint School Board Expected to Approve 5-Year Road Map

At tonight's School Board meeting, the board is expected to approve a proposed five-year strategic plan developed to serve as a road map for where the school system should be in terms of technology.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. in the auditorium at the School Board Administration Building at 1701 Prudential Drive.

The plan establishes a goal of placing four computers, a printer and a teacher's laptop in every classroom. The plan was developed over a two-year period with input from parents, educators and community leaders.

The school system would need roughly $240 million to implement the entire plan, said Scott Futrell, executive director for technology. Currently there is about $47 million set aside for technology needs. The school system's total budget is about $1.2 billion.

"The plan is a road map," Futrell said. "It sets the vision for where funding resources should be placed. It will change because technology always changes, but it creates the road we need to follow."

The policy guides the school system through dealing with infrastructure, equity and access, curriculum, professional development, technological support and the use of business and community partnerships.

While the majority of the policy focuses on establishing a vision, it includes an operational plan that is currently being implemented and should be finished in 2001.

The plan focuses on five areas:

Implement technology in all standard high schools.

Equip Frank H. Peterson and A. Philip Randolph academies of technology and Raines High School with additional technology to support the vocational programs.

Provide high quality technology support to science teachers.

Provide Internet access to every school and implement e-mail to all principals.

Provide the maintenance and support for the above initiatives.

When complete, all high school classrooms will have four computers and teachers will receive a laptop, Futrell said. And each high school will have a T1 line, a high-speed data line that allows quick access to the Internet. Raines High School is the only one to have this technology.

Superintendent John Fryer said it was time to shift technology focus to the high schools. Emphasis had been on low-performing elementary and middle schools that received low scores on statewide exams.

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