Chad Branum

cbranum@coppellisd.com

EDT646 – Globalization

Assignment III

2/16/06

After completing assignment II, I felt that the same “Flatteners” table concept would also work well for this assignment to help visualize both the school organization and non-school organization “Flatteners” timeline. Because of this, I have included tables that outline Coppell ISD (school organization) timeline’s as they compare to Honeywell’s (non-school organization) timeline for the “Flatteners.” These timelines are shown below:

School Organization (Coppell ISD) Timeline - defined by Chad Branum

Flattener	Description	Timeframe
Flattener #1	When the Walls Came Down and the Windows Went Up	1992
Flattener #2	When Netscape Went Public	1996
Flattener #3	Work Flow Software	2001
Flattener #4	Open-Sourcing	2003
Flattener #5	Outsourcing	1996
Flattener #6	Offshoring	Never
Flattener #7	Supply-Chaining	1966
Flattener #8	Insourcing	2002
Flattener #9	In-forming	1998
Flattener #10	The Steriods	2003

Non-school Organization (Honeywell) Timeline – defined by Bob Misch

Flattener	Description	Timeframe
Flattener #1	When the Walls Came Down and the Windows Went Up	1990
Flattener #2	When Netscape Went Public	1996
Flattener #3	Work Flow Software	1998
Flattener #4	Open-Sourcing	2000
Flattener #5	Outsourcing	Early 1990s
Flattener #6	Offshoring	2001
Flattener #7	Supply-Chaining	Alternative form over its history
Flattener #8	Insourcing	2000
Flattener #9	In-forming	1996
Flattener #10	The Steriods	2002

Summary

I really enjoyed sitting back and comparing the school and non-school organizations and how they compare to each other. It has opened my eyes to some of the things that have been accomplished in a very short time. Since I have been the Executive Director of Technology for Coppell ISD for over 7 years, I was able to use my history and knowledge to create the timeline for the school organization (Coppell ISD). In addition to that, I interviewed Bob Misch, Technology Director for Honeywell, to gain insight on how a non-school organization (Honeywell) has followed the “flatteners” as defined by Friedman. For the most part, I believe that the timelines shown above were somewhat similar to each other with the exception of “work-flow software,” “outsourcing,” and “offshoring.” If you take a closer look at one of the three areas (“offshoring”), a school district would not ever participate in that type of process. That is why there is a difference in the timelines. The second area that differs is “outsourcing.” One of the reasons why the timeframes are different regarding this “flattener” is that Honeywell is a company that has had ventures all over the world. It was realized early on in their company that it was cheaper for them to “outsource” portions of their work to get the job done. Regarding Coppell ISD, I have always been a firm believer in maintaining your own infrastructure and products in house as much as possible. This allows your own workers to be the experts and respond to issues much quicker than if it was “outsourced.” Because of this, Coppell ISD has not really utilized “outsourcing” like a large company would. The third area that differs is the “work-flow software.” The primary reason why this is different, in my opinion, is because corporations were simply ahead of the curve in developing, integrating and utilizing these types of processes and procedures. Although large companies have been ahead of the educational environment, I hope that we can continue to catch up and enhance the type of synchronization and integration that we have already been able to implement in Coppell ISD.

Flattener Reflections

“When the Walls Came Down and the Windows Went Up”

As I reflect upon the first flattener (“When the Walls Came Down and the Windows Went Up”), Friedman states several reasons as to why the fall of the Berlin Wall was a good thing. Each of these items is shown below:

1. “The fall of the Berlin Wall help flatten free-market capitalism, unlock enormous pent-up energies for hundreds of millions of people in places like India, Brazil, China, and the former Soviet Empire.”
2. “It allowed us to think about the world differently – to see it as more of a seamless whole.”
3. “The fall of the wall did not just open the way for people to tap into one another’s knowledge pools. It also paved the way for the adoption of common standards.”

Friedman also states that there were several other major contributing factors that helped to put an end to this way of life during the same time period. “The diffusion of personal computers, fax machines, Windows, and dial-up modems connected to a global telephone network all came together in the late 1980s and early 1990s to create the basic platform that started the global information revolution.” What did this mean? It meant that for the first time, because of these new technologies, people had the ability to be more productive and in some instances, “connect” with people outside of their own little world by using dial-up modems, e-mail and the very first versions of the Internet.

What kind of effect did this particular flattener have on both Coppell ISD and Honeywell? From a combined perspective, this time period started to provide mechanisms for both the educational arena and the corporate world to have the ability to become more productive and to start considering new ways to better communicate with each other as well as between systems. As mentioned in the table above, Coppell ISD started to leverage the new technologies during this period around 1992. Obviously, this was on a more limited basis and was used primarily by staff members and administrators to “be more productive.” It was not until a few years later that the district started implementing computers on a larger scale throughout the district for students to use. This was really the start to understanding and exploring the various aspects of computer use along with considering new and unique ways to communicate and collaboration with staff and students. Regarding Honeywell, according to Bob Misch, they started taking advantage of the new technologies during this time period a couple of years before Coppell ISD. Bob mentioned that Honeywell started using personal computers around 1990 for the purpose of entering and compiling information for the various products that they manufactured. In addition to that, they started to use both fax machines and dial-up modems in order to better communicate and dial into various systems for monitoring and maintenance. It is interesting to note that both organizations were fairly close in when they started to use the new technologies in this time period. My initial thought would be that the non-school organization would have been well ahead of the curve.

“When Netscape Went Public”

Flattener number two, “When Netscape Went Public,” was a huge springboard to where we are today with our global society and our use of the Internet, Windows operating systems, PCs and open standards. It is hard to believe that the Internet has only been around for about 10 years. Obviously, there is more to the story during this time period than just the development of a web browser. You have to look at the development, advancement and maturation of the Windows operating system (Windows 95), implementation of fiber-optic cabling along with the growing dependence and use of PCs by both educational institutions as well as the corporate world. When you combine these factors along with the timing and creation of the web browser, you have just opened a huge door for individuals and corporations to collaborate and tap into a wealth of information from all over the world. Friedman states, “Once the PC-Windows revolution demonstrated to everyone the value of being able to digitize information and manipulate it on computers and word processors, and once the browser brought the Internet alive and made Web pages sing and dance and display, everyone wanted everything digitized as much as possible so they could send it to someone else down the Internet pipes.” I can just imagine the enthusiasm and brainstorming that occurred during this time. Regarding the timeframe in which the computer along with the use of the Internet started within Coppell ISD, it is hard to really define. The Technology Department along with certain administrators and teachers started actually using web-based resources around 1996. This certainly doesn’t mean that it was utilized across the district as a part of the instructional process, but it was introduced and the district started to see what it was about and what type of information was available to be reviewed and utilized. It was not until several years later that staff members started to leverage the Internet into their research practices and into daily instruction for the students. Regarding Honeywell, they also starting using web-based resources around 1996. The initial use of the Internet was much like Coppell ISD in the fact that they started out only having access to web-based information, but that soon changed as they realized that this type of access opened the door to start developing web-based applications that they could use internally within their environment to increase the access and collaboration amongst their employees. That is probably the biggest difference between the school and non-school organization. It is much easier for the corporate world to develop and implement product because their funding is so much greater and they have the resources to do it consistently. Overall, the Internet is a huge pool of information that is only going to become a bigger beast. I hope that all organizations realize the true benefit of web-based applications and resources. If we find a way to develop around this technology, it will open the door to so many more possibilities. As I stated in my first review of the “flatteners,” I am extremely interested in where the Internet is going and what the “Semantic Web” is all about. This will play a huge role in how educational institutions and the corporate environment use the Internet.

“Work Flow Software”

Flattener number three, “Work Flow Software,” is an interesting topic for me. The main reason is that I have been working with my school board (starting in 2001) to adopt what is called Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) standards for Coppell ISD. This means that our district would only purchase web-based applications that are SIF compliant. The beauty of the SIF standard is the fact that it is based upon XML and allows the interoperability of data amongst disparate systems. This ultimately provides the ability to “link” or “synchronize” information between disparate systems. Luckily, Coppell ISD has already implemented a Zone Integration Server (ZIS) along with SIF drivers for a few of our web-base applications as a part of the first phase of this integration. This has already provided a huge value to our staff, student and community members because it has provided real-time information that they have not had before. A good example of this is the integration between our student information system (Pentamation) and our student registration module. It has already made it easy for our parents to enroll their child and update information at any time. It has also made it easier for our staff members because they do not have to do the actual enrollment process for each student. So it has provided cost and time saving measures for multiple stakeholders. Regarding Honeywell, it appears that they started to develop and leverage “work flow software” at some point around 1998. According to Bob Misch, there have been many custom applications and processes that have been developed and put into place since this timeframe. Since they have many locations all over the country, I can certainly see where the implementation of “work-flow software” along with enhanced communication and web-based applications would greatly enhance their ability as a company to be more productive, creative and lead to tremendous cost-savings. As Friedman states, “when you add this unprecedented new level of people-to-people communication to all these Web-based application-to-application work flow programs, you end up with a whole new global platform for multiple forms of collaboration.” I hope that educational institutions have the ability, both fiscally and technically, to keep up with the Honeywell’s of the world. I am a strong proponent of open-standards along with increased integration and collaboration. I hope that my school district can continue to leverage the foundation that we have built and take it to the next level.

“Open-Sourcing”

Flattener number four, “Open-Sourcing,” is all about “writing everything from their own software to their own operating systems to their own dictionary to their own recipe for cola – building always from the bottom up rather than accepting formats or content imposed by corporate hierarchies from the top down.” Basically, individuals have the ability to create “source code” and make it available online for free to other people to contribute to. Friedman states the fact that one of the main pioneers (Behlendorf) of “open-sourcing” was first exposed to this concept in 1989. Behlendorf didn’t really start writing source code for several years after that. This is a very interesting concept for me and I was only really first exposed to “open-sourcing” just a few years back. That was mainly due to one of my current network engineers that work for me in Coppell ISD. He is a big Linux person and has slowly discussed with me the many benefits and advantages that Linux has. After getting a better feel for the “open-source” value, I felt that it was important for us to explore what it could do for our school district. Because of this, we started to implement and leverage Linux for both DNS and DHCP a couple of years ago. Also, we currently use Novell products quite heavily across our network and even they are starting to leverage Linux. I am seeing a growing theme here and in talking with a lot of other school districts, they are starting to implement “open-source” software as well. A huge driving force behind this growing trend in education is the cost savings. Regarding Honeywell, the concept of “open-sourcing” has been around since roughly 2000. Programmers that work within the company have been able to create custom applications to meet various needs as they have come up as well as take advantage of Linux as Coppell ISD as on the network side. I can tell you that the one thing that both Coppell ISD and Honeywell has in common is the simple fact that we are starting to move all of our back-end systems to leverage “open-source” systems so that we can save money and enhance the overall performance of our applications. Also, I can very easily see that basic “open-source” applications, such as Open Office, that end-users use will become more main stream in the next few years as well. There is no doubt in my mind that “open-source” is going to play a large role in infrastructures for a very long time.

“Outsourcing”

Flattener number five, “Outsourcing,” is something I feel the United States should be concerned about. According to Friedman, “the Indian information technology [outsourcing] revolution began with General Electric coming over.” That is pretty scary to think about considering that occurred in the late 1980s. Additionally, the outsourcing concept started to move forward in 1994 when HealthScribe India created a company to provide medical transcription information for American doctors. However, what really started the outsourcing boom was a combination of the installation of fiber-optic cable around the world, Y2K computer crisis and e-commerce. Because of these events, it became quickly realized that “any service, call center, business support operation, or knowledge work that could be digitized could be sourced globally to the cheapest, smartest or most efficient provider.” Regarding when Coppell ISD starting using the concept of “outsourcing,” it actually began in the 1996 school year when the district actually hired former high school students to assist the Technology Department on a part-time basis to help maintain all of the desktop computers. It worked really well for a long time because you could get the job done really well and also maintain all of the desktop computers at half the cost. However, what was realized over time was the simple fact that the district really needed full-time employees that could dedicate a full 40 hours to their campuses on a weekly basis and establish a rapport with the staff members. Because of this, we transitioned away from the part-time labor about 3 years ago. Regarding Honeywell, they have been using the “outsourcing” concept for a while now (early-1990s). According to Bob Misch, it was realized early on that by “outsourcing” their tech force labor and support, the company could save quite a bit of money and put the focus on other endeavors that were important to them. They have been using IBM as the primary resource to support all of their systems all over the country. Overall, it is hard for me to say if I am a fan of the “outsourcing” concept. I guess it can be valuable to certain industries. However, there is a lot to be said about the personal relationship that you can build with your stakeholders if you utilize your own staff members to get the job done. I hope that our country is not hurting ourselves long-term by putting more and more of an emphasis on “outsourcing” to other countries just to save a buck.

“Offshoring”

Flattener number six, “Offshoring,” is described as “when a company takes one of its factories that is operating in Canton, Ohio, and moves the whole factory offshore to Canton, China. There, it produces the very same product in the very same way, only with cheaper labor, lower taxes, subsidized energy, and lower health-care costs.” This is a concept that has not been realized by Coppell ISD. Obviously, an educational institution is not in the business of “offshoring” anything. However, Honeywell has experienced this “flattener.” According to Bob Misch, Honeywell actually moved one of its factories over to Asia back in 2001. He believes that it was all about saving money for the company. Again, it is hard for me to accept the fact that we are taking away quality jobs from our own country and allowing individuals from other countries to grow and prosper. I feel that the amount of “outsourcing” and “offshoring” done by companies such as Honeywell should be looked at very carefully so that it doesn’t have tremendous long-term economic issues for our country.

“Supply-Chaining”

Flattener number seven, “Supply-Chaining,” is described as “a method of collaborating horizontally – among suppliers, retailers, and customers – to create value.” This type of concept is a little different when you consider it in the educational environment. For example, a principal at a specific campus has an idea on how to implement something more effectively in the classrooms at their campus. This would require that the principal shares this idea with his/her staff members, possibly during a staff development exercise. The next step would be possibly for team leaders to share their own thoughts and ideas about how to properly introduce the concept directly into their instruction with other teachers. Once that has been developed, the teacher would then integrate those ideas into their actual classroom instruction. This type of collaboration ultimately enhances the students overall educational experience and creates value. The result is that collaboration has taken place between the principal, teacher, and students. This is a form of “collaborating horizontally.” This type of process has been going since Coppell ISD has been established back in 1966. Regarding Honeywell, they have been around since 1927 when they merged with Minneapolis Heat Regulator Company to form the Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company. They started selling its products around the world through distributors like Yamatake Trading Company in Japan. In addition to that, it slowly acquired distributors in Chile, Panama, Trinidad, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa. This is different from a true “supply-chain” retailer like Wal-Mart who has many stores across the country. Honeywell have been in the business of merging with other companies to provide various products and do not have “supply-chain” outlets like Wal-Mart does. Also, Honeywell has shifted its focus over their history. They started out in the clock business and have put out various products such as aeronautical equipment, thermostat and gyroscopes. Since then, they have been involved with information systems as well as enhancing its position in aerospace engineering. While it is not a true “supply-chain” company, it has been involved with providing product and value in many areas since its foundation in 1927. I guess that you can call it an alternative form of providing value to its customers.

“Insourcing”

Flattener number eight, “Insourcing,” is described by Friedman as “a whole new form of collaboration and creating value horizontally, made possible by the flat world and flattening it even more. It is the process of synchronizing your whole company and its interaction with both customers and suppliers. After reading this particular “flattener,” the only thing that I can think of that Coppell ISD has done with the “insourcing” concept is the fact that we introduced a CISD portal framework back in 2002 to all staff and community members. This portal framework is similar to the GoWMU portal and was intended to provide content, interaction and collaboration along with providing a mechanism to access information that is important to all staff and community members. In my mind, this is a form of the “insourcing” concept because it provided a process to synchronize information and allow better communication and interaction with community and staff members. But it is definitely not like a UPS type of system that integrates world-wide. Regarding Honeywell, they have not achieved the level of seamless integration like a UPS has at this point, but they have had a history of working with many distributors overseas and around the country. According to Bob Misch, Honeywell has taken the time to enhance their systems over the past few years to better communicate and integrate with its suppliers and customers.

“In-forming”

Flattener number nine, “In-forming,” is describer by Friedman as “the individual’s personal analog to open-sourcing, insourcing, supply-chaining, and offshoring. Informing is the ability to build and deploy your own personal supply chain.” It is truly amazing to consider the impact that the various search engines such as Google, Yahoo! And MSN Web Search has had on our society. Think about having the ability to basically tap into a huge knowledge base and being able to pull information that is important to you 24/7 and in many different languages. You are basically “searching for knowledge.” After reading this particular flattener, what I am getting from this concept is that “in-forming” is about having a mechanism that has the ability to collaborate in order to provide an idea, information or product very quickly. As I mentioned before, Coppell ISD really started using web-based resources around 1998 and have also implemented a portal-based solution back in 2002. Regarding Honeywell, they started utilizing web-based resources back in 1996. Both organizations have been using the process of “in-forming” for a little while now. It is amazing to consider how far our society has come and it is scary to think about all of the information that we have access to from around the world with just the click of a mouse! There are no boundaries in cyberspace.

“The Steriods”

Flattener number ten, “The Steriods,” is described by Friedman as “certain new technologies that are amplifying and turbocharging all the other flatteners. They are taking all the forms of collaboration and making it possible to do each and every one of them in a way that is digital, mobile, virtual, and personal.” A good example that applies to Coppell ISD is the integration of PDA devices into our school district. Starting back in 2003, Coppell ISD started purchasing Palm Tungsten E devices along with a PDA software package in order to integrate with our student management system. In addition to that, we have implemented a wireless network into each of our campus locations to create a more collaborative and unique learning environment for them. This has also allowed us to start integrating the PDA devices into our wireless network in order to gain access to network information on the fly. Regarding Honeywell, they have actually been using wireless portable devices (Symbol) for about 4 years now. This has allowed them to monitor and track their inventory as it comes through their warehouses. This has also lead to cost savings and a more streamlined process for their company.