ASCOTech

Novel Approaches to Educational Technology: Lessons Learned from Steve Jobs James Kundart OD, MEd, FAAO

Optometric Education welcomes Dr. Kundart as the editor of ASCOTech. He is the Chairman of the Education- al Technology Special Interest Group for the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry. He is a researcher and author and an Associate Professor at the Pacific University College of Optometry.

t the American Academy cross-platform) and even DOS 6.22. more than market research. Despite of Optometry meeting last Yet I couldn’t help but notice the inno- the fact that there seemed to be no de- October in Boston, many of vative products that Apple developed, mand for it, he insisted that Apple pur- A us saw the glass walls of the particularly after Jobs’ triumphant re- sue a new, all-in-one computer, which Apple Store covered with Post-It note turn in 1997. eventually became the first Macintosh. dedications, and the sidewalk stacked As optometric educators, whether we While Xerox can be credited with in- with iPod cases and McIntosh fruit. use Macintosh, PC, or both, we can vention of the first graphical user in- Those who weren’t there perhaps saw benefit from reflecting on the following terface, it was Apple that was able to a similar outpouring of emotion on- six lessons that Jobs taught us. mass-manufacture and popularize it. social networks. Some were surprised This eventually gave us the Macintosh that these expressions of grief stretched Lesson #1: Market OS X, and led Microsoft to mimic it around the globe at the untimely loss Research Can Lead You with Windows. This benefitted us all of the co-founder and longtime CEO (except in the short term, DOS teach- of Apple, Steve Jobs. Backward, Not Forward ers like me). When his biography, Steve Jobs by Wal- Consumers, be they retail customers Another idea Jobs took from Xerox and ter Isaacson, went on sale, it outsold or optometry students, are often more made popular was the computer mouse. all other books printed in 2011, a par- comfortable with what they know than You couldn’t ask consumers what they ticularly remarkable achievement con- what they don’t. Imagination of how thought of a computer mouse back sidering it was rushed to publication things could be can fail the young and then; no one knew what they were. But in late October. Those who remember the old alike. Jobs knew this. In the ear- Jobs correctly intuited that end-users of Jobs from the Macintosh computer ly days of Apple Computer, the Apple technology wanted to use their hands may have wondered why so many felt II generated more than two-thirds of to manipulate technology, a truth that this way, particularly in a persistently the company’s profit. It’s hard to- be led Apple to the mouse as well as the Windows world. But whether one is an lieve that a circuit board and attached touch screens on iPhones and eventu- Apple or PC user, it is undeniable that keyboard was all it was. ally iPads. Jobs’ foresight and innovation changed If Jobs had surveyed his customer base The lesson that market research is over- the way we use computers, particularly back then, he would have only made rated can be applied to optometric edu- in the area of educational technology. the small stylistic changes in Apple’s cation. For example, I have noticed that Although I am recording these thoughts best-selling product, like improving the many of my students have a hard time on a Macintosh laptop, I wasn’t always keyboard and adding an internal (albeit weaning themselves off hard-copy pa- an Apple user. I was one in that fortu- floppy) disc drive. If market research per notes and exams. They aren’t asking nate first generation of students who had been important to Jobs, the sleek, for change. However, when given the came of age with the first personal stylish Apple IIc would have marked opportunity to go paperless for lectures computers in the 1980s, but I was a PC the end of a good run for the company, and exams, they discover the many user. In fact, before entering optomet- and it probably wouldn’t be with us to- benefits. For example, many can type ric education, I once taught Microsoft day. faster than they can write; many prefer applications (before they were available Fortunately, Jobs trusted his intuition the ergonomics of an upright computer

You can reach Dr. Kundart at (503) 352-2759 or [email protected]

Optometric Education 70 Volume 37, Number 2 / Winter-Spring 2012 display over flat hard copy; and in this this seed change allowed the company them, if it’s too complicated to use, age of disappearing print media, they to tap into the future. they will gravitate to their much less all benefit from having a light, portable, Jobs wasn’t even afraid of abandoning powerful, but familiar, camera phone. digital version of their notes to take on the keyboard. It turns out that like the While privacy issues are paramount, I their external rotations. floppy disc drive that everyone thought understand their inclination. It’s hard to believe that the younger was essential at one time, once you It reminds me of the iPod Shuffle, a de- generation would have trouble adjust- abandon hardware that has outlived its vice so small and light they have even ing to change. After all, today’s students usefulness, there’s no going back. removed the display. You can skip a have taken their Optometry Admission How does this impact optometric edu- song, but you can’t see what’s on it, or Test on a computer and will soon take cation? From continuing education lec- even what’s playing. You have to listen. parts of their national board exams that turers using their iPads to deliver con- Shuffles are inexpensive, and the bat- way. However, we are creatures of habit, tent, to interns in our clinics inputting tery lasts a long time. You can choose and the more demands that are put on data into the electronic health record the color of the case, but otherwise, you our time, the more we tend to resort to without a keyboard, these devices do have limited options. familiar old habits. The same is true of more than save you a sore back haul- We’d do well to learn from this exam- students. They will not demand change, ing a heavy laptop around. They make ple. Sometimes when I replace a piece and there are no more early adopters computing fun. Optometric educa- of diagnostic equipment, instruct a pa- of technology among them than there tors need to recognize that if we want tient on a treatment plan, or even teach are among their teachers. So, while we students to continue working on our a student how I perform my refractions, need to pay heed to course and instruc- classes at home, we need our lessons I think of the principle of the superior- tor reviews the students take the time to to be compatible with a tablet digital ity of limited options. When designing fill out, when students bemoan learn- interface, or smaller. It may not be in and delivering lectures for the infor- ing new and clearly improved ways of our nature for most of us to embrace mation era, when we are increasingly learning, we need to remember that change, but remember, it’s not where moving from the “sage on the stage” to young and old alike do not generally the puck is. It’s where it will be. “the guide on the side,” we need to con- enjoy learning new tricks. stantly be aware that less is often more. Lesson #3: Technology Lesson #2: Innovate To Is Better With Limited Lesson #4: Print Media Where Things Are Going, Options Have Been Traded For Not Where They Are Now Desktop Publishing One of the few compromises Jobs made The greatest ice hockey player of all in the original Apple II was allowing Early Macintosh computers democra- time, Wayne Gretzky, is credited with those eight expansion slots that were tized desktop publishing and graphic saying “Skate to where the puck will be, so popular in the 1980s. The hollow design. While Windows computers not where it is.” Jobs knew how to ap- space that eventually led many of us to have largely caught up, Apple’s con- ply this principle to technological inno- have large computer towers on (or un- tributions under Jobs’ leadership can- vation. While at Apple and his startup der) our desks was a security blanket for not be overstated. Graphic design goes NeXT, he was famous for making tech- customization that many of us would beyond the eponymous profession to nological changes before it was clear never need. Jobs realized this, and he include what we optometric educators where technology was going. Eventu- vowed never to make that mistake again. create daily with our PowerPoint and ally, Apple products drove innovation – Soon, Apple products from the iMac to Keynote presentations. But has it im- they determined where the puck would the iPhone would become slimmer and pacted literacy among our students? be. You might say they became the sleeker, but did not have cases the con- puck. Examples abound. Many in education who remember sumer could open, or space inside to the world before digital connectivity It seems obvious in retrospect that monkey around. While this would pro- was ubiquitous can be quite displeased floppy discs would disappear, but when voke the ire of some consumers when when confronted with students who es- the first bond-blue iMac was released their rechargeable iPod battery needed chew traditional textbooks. While this in 1998 with a CD-ROM but without to be replaced, Jobs understood that in may be a trait of many who came of age a floppy drive, it surprised many. Less- general, the fewer options that we have, at the turn of the millennium, it is also often mentioned is the removal of the the fewer things that can go wrong with true that they are, as a rule, a very cre- parallel printer port, and its replace- technology. ative generation. ment with up-and-coming USB inter- Here’s an area in which students often faces. Apple did this because USB ports In other words, some have argued that teach us. While respecting HIPAA, what we’ve lost in reading literacy, we’ve were demonstrably better: they were they prefer to use their smartphones to smaller, had no pins to bend, and even gained in design and execution of cre- take pictures of ocular disease through ative projects. While I would not say allowed small peripherals to draw pow- the slit lamp. They find it simpler than er. Though printer manufacturers and students today are better at writing than taking their patients to the fundus cam- reading, I would say their grand rounds others had to scramble to make adap- eras with much higher resolution. Even tors for proprietary Apple peripherals, presentations are often more facile than when said camera is in the room with those assembled by seasoned optom- Optometric Education 71 Volume 37, Number 2 / Winter-Spring 2012 etric physicians who are not educators. run with the invention of the iPhone. the knees if you did what he consid- And have you seen the review packets Now in its fourth incarnation (with a ered substandard work. He believed they put together from their class notes fifth eagerly anticipated on the hori- that if you allowed B-level players on and freely share? It makes you wonder zon), the iPhone combined a telecom- the team, they would drag the A-level how the NBEO prep courses are able to munications device with not just a players down. sell what they have to offer in this col- high-quality camera but a robust MP3 You have to admire where this philoso- laborative age. player, usable calendar and e-mail de- phy got Apple. When the plastic screen An unforeseen challenge of the creative vice. True, it costs more than other on the prototype for the first iPhone age is one that concerns many educa- smart phones, but by now it is obvious that Jobs was carrying around in his tors: intellectual property. This concern that many find the cost worth it. Why? pocket for weeks became scratched, he leaves us in a rather conflicted position. Many remember when a digital calen- demanded that the rollout be stopped On one hand, many teachers regularly dar and address book were kept on a until a durable glass screen could be cite the Fair Use law when they educate Palm Pilot, and phones, music players found, manufactured, cut and shipped. their students with limited use of copy- and cameras were separate devices. It It turned out Corning Glass of New righted material. On the other hand, wasn’t that long ago when your music York had a patent for nearly unbreak- we are often very protective of our own collection took up a whole wall of your able “Gorilla Glass” that was invented intellectual property, despite the Opto- house, and your calculator and travel in the 1960s but never found an appli- metric Oath that we will “share infor- alarm were separate appliances. cation until the iPhone. Jobs convinced mation cordially and unselfishly with Like the pre-iPhone era, the optometric Corning to retool a factory in Kentucky my fellow optometrists and other pro- exam room has become cluttered, and and ramp up production of all the Go- fessionals for the benefit of patients and our latest gadgets like scanning laser rilla Glass they could make. And in the advancement of human knowledge ophthalmoscopes cost tens of thousands eight short months, they delivered. and welfare.” How can we reconcile of dollars. No solo practitioner can af- Jobs’ famous “reality distortion field” these contradictory principles? ford to own the diagnostic equipment had a way of convincing those around With the invention of iTunes, Jobs was that seems to be necessary to meet the him that what was thought to be im- in the center of this debate. He was emerging standard of care. Yet the op- possible was in fact possible. Very few eventually able to succeed where no one tometrist with a retinoscope and BIO people possess this gift. Yet it’s human else had when he successfully negotiated can still address more chief complaints nature to underestimate our poten- with all the record companies to include for the average patient arguably better tial. As optometric educators, we are their music catalogs for sale on iTunes, than the same doctor can with only an charged with inspiring the optometrists in order to counter online piracy. Now, optical coherence tomographer. To a of tomorrow to achieve all that they iTunes allows both Windows PC and great degree, it can be argued that the can, often more than they themselves Macintosh users to legally download equipment our students buy (and haul believe they can. around to various clinics and rotations) and own audio and video content of all We have to remember how stressful op- sorts, including video podcasts of opto- can often be used to address as many chief complaints as the much more ex- tometry school can be. Many students metric education on iTunes University. have never faced the massive credit Mine are up there. pensive rooms full of equipment the schools provide. While we all know loads, lab schedules and practice re- Of course, digital democratization cuts that we need cutting-edge special test- quirements that we rightfully expect of both ways. Just as digital photography ing ability for the care of our most chal- them. While all of the schools and col- has made imaging available and afford- lenging patients, the equipment we all leges recruit students they believe will able to us all, and legal digital music has purchased as students tends to get used succeed and be an asset to our profes- freed us from being hostage to buying on most everyone our interns see. sion, there are times when even the best an entire album to own one good song, students become homesick, are disap- we cannot always protect our intellec- As we move toward digital phoropters pointed by a poor proficiency score tual property as we would like. For my and beyond, it’s worthwhile to ask our- or midterm exam performance, or are part, I have chosen to video podcast selves how many devices we need, and taken off guard by a particularly chal- using classroom capture technology plan accordingly. From a patient’s point lenging patient encounter. of view, it may be fewer than we think. and offer it to all on a public iTunes U At times like these, we need to remem- channel using a Creative Commons, Lesson #6: Those Who Say ber that we optometric educators are, non-commercial, no-derivatives license. like Jobs, the bigger-than-life person- My students appreciate it. It Can’t Be Done Should Stop Interfering With ality the students need to lean on for Lesson #5: Fewer Versatile encouragement, inspiration and, some- Those Who Are Doing It times, the tough love that teachers need Devices Are Better Than By all accounts, Jobs was no saint. He to exhibit to bring out the best in their Many had an abrasive personality and, while students. In this way, Jobs’ legacy can Jobs and the company he helped found he could be charming, he also had an be a lesson for all of us. and run for most of his life hit a home uncanny knack of cutting you off at

Optometric Education 72 Volume 37, Number 2 / Winter-Spring 2012