Page 5 - The Edge - Winter 2016
P. 5

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

                        BY JEREMY CALLES



                        Let’s Get Smarter with Your Amazing Smart Phone





           I want you to think of your Smart Phone, Clash of Clans app,  would be   lled with so many apps. I mean, you can literally   nd
        Net  ix, Smart TV or just a   at screen TV in gener al.  What do they  an app that does anything. Look at how they have evolved over the
        have in common with each other, and more importantly why am  past 5 to 10 years. Now step into my mind for a minute and see my
        I bringing it up?                                      vision. Careful!    ere is a lot of fast moving tra   c and I wouldn’t
           Well, we know that at some point we made it through the day  want you to get hurt.
        just   ne without any of this technology, but at some point we were   You’re at the podium presenting your budget and a Governing
        introduced and it was love at   rst sight. In some cases, it wasn’t  Board member asks, “How does our transportation spending
        healthy and maybe you lost an entire weekend watching every  compare to our transportation revenue?”  You whip out your super
        episode of “Lost” or “Breaking Bad.”                   smart phone (assumed name for the next generation),   ick the
           It took a  little  time,  but  you  found  a way to integrate this  screen and a report is displayed on the monitor that shows them
        technology into your life. You no longer call your best friend, who  the transportation revenue calculation and transportation expenses
        talks way too long, and ask for directions to that restaurant that  broken down by category. “Well how does that compare to other
        you both enjoyed a few months back.  Now you click on your  districts?” You click a couple buttons and that data is graphed
        Smart Phone and Google or Siri                            against the state, the Auditor General’s Peer Groups, and your
        give you turn-by-turn instructions,                        own custom peer group list.
        complete with traffic updates                                Imagine that the answer to any question you could possibly
        and an estimated time of arrival.                         be asked about your data, or similar data in other districts, is
        Technology has enhanced our lives,                        sitting in your pocket. What would you do for the ability to
        created e   ciencies, and frankly has                     look like a genius in front of your Board, co-workers, parents
        just gotten way too cool. So what’s                       and community, all by making a few clicks? What would you
        next?                                                     pay? Hold that thought.
           AASBO is expanding our                                    Now imagine that all of that   nancial data is tied to academic
        mobile app, so tell Angry Birds and                         outcomes. A thermometer is nice, it tells you the temperature,
        Candy Crush to make some room.                              but a forecaster lets you know the weather ahead of time and
        Audrey is all over social media                             is even more valuable. So imagine when you have an app that
        so tweet, like, comment and                                    will allow you to look at di  erent investment scenarios
        share, because we are out                                       and see how that will impact the academic performance
        there. However, I want to                                       of your students.
        talk to you about the New                                            e Smart Phone is a tool, and the limitations on what
        Data Collection Project.                                       apps can do is purely dependent on the imagination of the
        Remember when Smart                                            people who are designing them. AASBO has just picked
        Phones   rst came out?                                         up a new tool and formed a team that has imagination
        People said, “You                                              and talent. You can be there in the beginning and watch it
        have to get a smart                                            grow into this amazing tool that we can’t live without by
        phone!”  If you                                                                joining the Data Collection Project.
        were like me then                                                                       e price is shockingly low,
        your response was,                                                                     so join today and who
        “Calm  down,  this                                                                      knows – this may lead to
        flip phone calls                                                                          the invention of “Smart
        people just fine.”                                                                         Bills” being passed at
        You had no idea                                                                              the Legislature.
        how these phones








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