[EDLING:356] how to measure speech and reading instructional technology

[James Salsman]

Dear Edling-L:

I've been referred to this list by the Chief Technology Officer of the
Stanford School of Education.  I've recently developed a new product,
to teach speech and reading, and I'm having trouble measuring it.  Part
of the problem is that it runs on handheld computers, which none of the
elementary schools in my county have an organized approach to.  They
are inexpensive enough that some teachers and schools have purchased
them, but there is a lot of resistance at the district and county level
because of the fact that, for example, none of their old instructional
software titles will run on handheld systems.

I suppose it is only a matter of time before PC-compatibility comes to
the handheld, but in the mean time I am blocked from any organized,
meaningful measurement of my system, which is necessary to get it
approved for purchase.

I want to crack this chicken-and-egg problem, but I'm not having much
luck.  I could theoretically donate the 25-50 units that it would take
to get a statistically accurate measurement, but I can't afford that,
as my credit is maxed out, and the financiers these days seem unwilling
to support educational software, because the market is seen as an
inferior source of profits in this economic climate.

Any suggestions for how to bootstrap this evaluation would be most
appreciated.  There is more information at www.readsay.com and the new
product is available at www.readsay.com/pro.htm

Sincerely,
James Salsman
Mountain View, CA
650.793.0162
www.readsay.com

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