Section 7: New Directions for Instructional Design and Technology

1.    Distributed learning is any educational or training experience that uses different ways to foster learning. This includes technology.  Below are five examples of distrubuted learning.

• Online learning offers degree plans where students can take classes from any location as long as they have access to the internet.   Usually students use a textbook and computer.  The professor is available through a virtual classroom which is set up through the college.
• Corporate online learning can use an intranet to be used by the employees of the company.  This type of training can be done when needed instead of waiting for a class to be offered.  The companies manage this learning through learning management systems.  This allows the company to be able to check to see what their employeed have learned or can do. 
• There has been an increase in virtual universities.  These universities have an address but do not have a place for students to meet.  They rely on online resources such as;  libraries, professor offices, and bookstores.  Many virtual universities are gaining accreditation as institutes of higher learning.
• There are hybrids that offer limited menu of onsite courses that supplement the online presence.  This is where students meet occasionally and do the rest of their course work online.
• Free distributed learning can be found through personal websites with detailed information on different topics, research and reference tools, and chat rooms where people can informally learn from each other.

2.  When I have taken classes onsite, I usually have paper copies of learning activities and directions on how to complete activities. I have often wanted to refer back to similar activites or notes that I have read during my online classes.  However, once the class is over, I am locked out of it and no longer have them.  I have often thought that I wished I had the information so that I could reuse it but it is gone.  One way that the course could be redesigned is to have the students make a notebook folder on their computer to save the information so that it can be easily accessed once the course is over.

3.  Visual for instruction
This a page from a Web 2.0 tool called Photo Peach.  The visual describes how to add a title, captions and music to the Photo Peach slideshow.
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4.  Nanotechnology could be used with cell phones.  Cellphones could hold all of one's information including personal documents, medical records, recipes, job information, books, credit cards, etc.  It could do everything and IPAD could do and more.  This would allow people to carry all pertinent information with them in their pockets and never have to search any further than their cell phone. 

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5.  I can definetely see a positive side to both roads traveled.  In the past I would probably have chose the narrow road but I think now I would choose the broad and inclusive road.  I agree with this point of view because I see how fast our world is progressing and I feel that we need to keep up with it by finding innovation ways to move forward.  I feel that its is important to take many different views into account when making important decisions.  Sometimes we tend to be a little hesitant to try something new.  However, if we are slow to try things, we may end up missing out on opportunities.   We are in a time right now with the education budget where administrators have to be creative and try new things that we have not done before.  This is a good example showing that it is not a time to resist change.  I believe that change and innovative ideas are  needed to help resolve the issue.


Thank you Dr. McElhany for a great semester!  I have learned a lot in your class!

Section 6: Getting and IDT Position and Succeeding At It

1. I searched http://www.monster.com/ to search for jobs that interest me.  The following is what I found.

Macy's is hiring a manager for instructional design.  This Manager will be responsible for managing all aspects of design and development for training including supervision of Instructional Designers. Skills required include a B.A. Degree from a 4-year college or university; or one to two years' related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.  It also requires trainer certification, PMI certification, 1-2 years' supervisory experience preferred, experience with Instructional design, course design, training methodologies, preferred,  experience in courseware development, PMI, or adult education preferred, proficient understanding of PC equipment and applications, including MS Office applications must be detail oriented, assertive, professional, and able to partner with business partners in all department and facilities, must possess strong critical thinking and communication skills.   I have a four year degree from a university.  I am also detailed oriented and have some training in ID through college course work and teaching.  I have experience using MS Office as well.  I would have to obtain the certifications on the job which is allowed.  I feel like I would have to have more experience before I applied for this job.

Hire Ed Solutions is hiring an ID intern.  This position will be applying principles of ID and adult education, work with all levels in the organization, work as part of a positive,high performing team and interact with external vendors. Qualifications include some college, training and development experience, ability to apply principles of ID to learning content and experience with learning technology including author tools.   I have a B.S. degree and some coursework in ID.  I have the ability to apply principles of ID to learning content.  I have experience with technology and am a quick learner.   I feel that I would definitely have the required qualifications for this job.

Instructional Designer for K¹²is hiring someone to design, develop and deliver educational solutions.  Duties include conducting a needs assessment by interfacing works with customers and subject matter experts to identify technical training needs, develops proposals for instructional and/or performance strategies, recommends appropriate learning strategies, develops course outline using flowcharts, creates script and storyboards for various delivery methods including the Internet, Intranet, and CD-ROM, prepares learning courses and produces supporting documentation at each stage, designs and develops learning courses that support training needs, plans and coordinates efforts of design, media, and programming resources to complete the learning courses, validates, delivers, and evaluates the final training program and/or job performance product, edit lessons for instructional soundness, pace of presentation, age-appropriateness, consistency of tone and style and general readability, conducts audience analysis and task analysis, ensures that the courses meet the learning objectives and makes necessary adjustments, designs and develops performance measures, researches developments in the training industry including presentation aids, equipment, presentation techniques, adult learning methodology, and related topics.  Qualifications include B.A., 2-3 years computer based training and learning product development, computer skills.  I have a B.S. degree and I have some computer skills.  I would need to gain more experience with training and learning product development.

2.  I learned that I am in a profession that is very compatible to my skills.  I am an educator and nine of the seventeen jobs were some type of educator.  The only difference was they were post secondary teachers.  The assessment also suggested that  I would be good in administration or management.  I thought this was interesting.  I have never really considered being an administrator.  The two that I thought might be fun that is totally different from education is a forensic scientist technician and an airline pilot.   This assessment was fun to take to see what other professions I might be interested in.

3. 

Professional organization: Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD)

• Mission- "Leading Human Resource Development Through Research
• Cost of membership - one year $235.
• Publications -Journals:  Advances in Developing Human Resources, Human Resource Development International, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Human Resource Development Review
• Conferences and meetings -Conferences are held in Europe, Asia and the Americas
• Opportunities for professional development- This is limited to members only.

• Professional organizations: Austrasian Society for Computers in Learning Tertiary Eduction (ASCILITE)
  • Mission-A vibrant professional community of innovators, leaders and scholars engaged with the application of technology to enhance teaching and learning in higher education.
  • Cost of membership-Discounts for 3 year memberships available.  The executive manager must be contacted for more information. 
  • Publications- AJET is published by ascilite.
  • Conferences and meetings-Delegates attend workshops, peer reviewed paper presentations and poster sessions. The conference is also a time for members to network and socialize.
  • Opportunities for professional development-Services to members include webinars and regional events focused on topical elearning issues.

• Professional organizations: Distance Education Association of New Zealand (DEANZ)
• Mission-Committed to fostering growth, development, research and good practice in distance education, open learning and flexible delivery systems for educatioost of membership-NZ $60
• Publications-Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning
• Conferences and meetings-DEANZ conference.  It is held biannually.
• Opportunities for professional development-Online seminars are offered

• Professional publications: American Journal of Distance Education (AJDE)
• Focus/Goals of the journal-To disseminate information about research and scholarship in the Americas.
• Submission guidelines-Articles should be based on research
• Is this a peer reviewed journal? Yes
• Is the journal online?  Yes             

• Professional Publication:  Educational Researcher

• Focus/Goals of the journal- strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. 
• Is this a peer reviewed journal? Yes
• Is the journal online?  Yes
• The journals and organizations are a great resource to further my knowledge in my field. I was only familiar with the Educational Researcher journal.   When I worked for Region 10, I had to read an article about education and discuss it with my peers twice a year.  I chose articles from this journal.  I chose them on educational research that was relevant to my job.  One article I read was about teaching Braille.  It discussed using Grade 1 Braille compared to Grade 2 Braille. 

4.  If I were responsible for identifing the domains, competencies and performance statements for a performance technologist, they would include the Certified Performance Technologist designation that is based on the individual's work in relation to the ten standards and code of ethics.    I would choose this because I would know that they possessed appropriate skills in performance improvement and training for the particular job.  This type of certification would also ensure the PT practitioner was reputable and dedicated to improvement through professional development.

Section 5: Trends and Issues in Various Settings

1. Rapid prototyping is using a workable model of the final product to help guide the development of it or shells that show the final appearance of a project.  One example of this is a building model.  Our church has a model of what the new church will look like and the area that it will take up.  This is an example of rapid prototyping.  This model is used to show how many people it will hold.  It also allows for people to point out any concerns/problems they foresee about the building before it is built.   One way rapid prototyping can be used in education is to have a model assessment to help create a summative assessment.  For example, our district gives us an assessment to give after each Math unit.  We use this as a model.   After we have finished reviewing it, usually it changes quite a bit.  We usually change the wording to match what we want to assess.   Sometimes we add or delete problems.  This model gives us  starting point and saves time.  By the end of the process we have a really good assessment for our students.
2. If I were a consultant working for the military, I would try incorporate technology in the different environments as much as possible.  Of course, the easiest place to do this would be the classroom.  I would use the best technology for learning the skills when the students were in the classroom training.  The base would be an environment for the students to get more hands on training and a place that could simulated to best represent the environment they are learning about.  Some technology could be used here then they could practice what they learned on the base.  The environment where they were deployed may or may not have access to technology.  If there is access, students could learn the skill and practice it in the environment.  However, if it was an environment of combat out in the dessert, they would have to rely on alternatives such as paper and pencil or hands on informal training.   An example of this might be how to operate a vehicle such as a tank.  Another example would be learning how to operate a type of gun.   Although technology may be the best type of training, one would have to use whatever means is available in that situation.  This is where one will have to be flexible and make it work!
3. Teachers will be introduced to the Step Up To Excellence methodology and GSTE by writing a five step improvement plan on how they can make a change to improve their school.  They would be given the steps for each model and descriptions.  Then they would be broken up into groups according to each step.  Each group would be responsible for writing a plan and giving examples for their step.  Once they had completed their section, they would share the description for each step and their vision for their part.  This would allow each group to become familiar with one part of the process and others would learn from them.  I am a true believer that we internalize more once we have studied it and discussed it.  I would facilitate the staff development and ask questions to guide new learning.   

Outline of Staff Development:
1.  Introduce Step Up To Excellence and GSTE
2.  Break staff into groups
3.  Give each group information about their section.
4.  Staff reads part
5.  Staff brainstorms ideas and records them on chart paper
6.  Share results
7. Facilitate learning


4.   The following are University offices for faculty development: for more information visit the websites below.

Harvard University http://www.faculty.harvard.edu/

• It is named Faculty Development and Diversity
• This department is under Central Administration and is the office of senior vice provest
• Provides leaership and oversight for faculty affairs
• They meet anywhere from once a month to four times a month.  Some of the programs offered include:  Academic Uses of Social Media:  Exploring 21st century communications, Junior Faculty Lunch, Book Publishing Advice, From Dissertation to Book

Azusa Pacific University  http://www.apu.edu/facultydevelopment/

• It is named Office of Faculty Development
• It is under the office of provest
• The Office of Faculty Development provides professional development opportunities for a faculty in the areas of teaching, learning, and scholarship
• Regular workshops, panel discussions and seminars are held regularly throughout the year

Drexel University http://www.drexel.edu/fde/Faculty%20Resources.html

• It is named the Office of Faculty Development and Equity
• It is under the office of provest
• This office creates a supportive and diverse environment for over 1,000 scholars who comprise Drexel's faculty
• Seminars and workshops are offered every few months.  There are also online resources that can be accessed by the faculty

Section 4: Human Performance Technology

1.  I am an educator.  Completing homework practice can sometimes be a problem even though it is necessary to improve performance.  I feel one of the most important non instructional solutions to this problem is motivation.    Students are motivated when they have incentives.  In my class, students have to record their reading on a reading log each night.  They receive positive praise and a sticker for doing their homework.  They also have an additional chart for extra reading.  They can complete the chart and return it for a treasure.  It is amazing to see how many students return it when there is an incentive for them.  Another time during the year when I see an increase in student reading at home is  when we do the Six Flag's Reading Program in the Spring.  Students have to read a certain amount of minutes and they receive a free Six Flag's ticket.  Students are very excited and motivated to do additional reading for this program.    Motivation is a great way to improve student performance.

2.  Electronic Performance Support Systems were inititally viewed as a system that would provide the following:  information, advice, learning experiences and tools to help people do new tasks as independent as possible. 


E Learning is another example of an EPSS.  It is learning that is transferred from computers and networks.  An example of this is our online class.  We can instantly learn from each other and get questions answered to help us learn.  I prefer this type of EPSS.  The most important is convenience.  It gives the learner an opportunity to learn from home.  For some, this may be their only opportunity to take classes.  They may live too far from a University.  Another positive factor is the flexibility.  One can fit their learning into a hectic schedule and work any time of the day.  This class would not be possible for me take otherwise.  I have three active children and work full time. This type of learning makes it possible for me to learn and gain professional growth when I can. 


Another example of an EPSS can be used to run a small business.  I had a family member who sold products for a company.  She was able to learn how and run her business independently from her home computer. 


I believe EPSS has not been widely used due to the unknown cost and employer's resisting change.  I do believe that more will become more prevalent in the future as employers learn the benefits of EPSS.  One benefit is that workers can get instant answers on how to perform a task.  This will help them be more time efficient.  It also gives the employee instant support and doesn't leave them second guessing themselves.  I believe more use EPSS is in our near future.


3.  Sometimes in any job, there can be an abundance of information to keep up with.  Today more than ever, it is important to have a grasp of knowledge management.  Technology is a great way to help with this.  As an educator, we have a lot of information to manage.  Managing our job includes planning instruction, assessing students, communicating with parents.  One important aspect of our job is assessment and organizing it.  We have all kinds of assessment but one dilemma can be organizing and using it. We assess our students using the TPRI (Texas Reading Primary Inventory) three times a year.  We use this data to drive the instruction for our students.  We could use a blended learning approach to learn how to better use our reading data to teach.  The district could do a computer based training to address the entire district to review how they would like us to use the data (see video below for example).  Then we could still meet with our campus testing coordinator in person to answer/clarify any campus questions.  This would be a blended approach.  We could use a database to store our information.  This would help us to better use our assessments to guide instruction.

4.  Informal learning is learning that naturally occurs.  One experience that comes to my mind is parenting.  I am the type of person that likes to be prepared.  When doing something new, I like to know exactly what to expect and have a plan.  Well every first time parent knows that there is no way to formally learn how to be a parent.   You can read books but it just doesn't cover it all.  :) When I was a young mother, I used to do a lot of informal learning about parenting.  I did it in social settings with other young mothers and I also seeked information from experienced mothers as information was needed.  It was very engaging because I was very interested.  As a parent, you want to be the very best parent you can be so the information is very important to you.


I also engage in informal learning every day at work.  Lunch is a time that I collaborate with my peers and gain knowledge.  Sometimes it is a new way to teach a lesson.  Other times I learn how to do a new procedure or my colleagues show me how to do something  with technology.  Recently, I was shown how an interactive white board is used.  I will be receiving one in the spring so I was very eager to see how to use it.  Informal learning is where most of my knowledge has come from.   I think that we tend to remember our informal learning more because we are usually interested and engaged in it since it is in an informal environment.  It is usually hands on which is the best way to learn!

Section 3 Evaluating,Implementing and Managing Instructional Programs and Projects

1.   The ADDIE model  which is used by instructional designers and training developers includes five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation.  The analysis phase identifies the learner's background knowledge, learning environment and sets goals.  The design phase is basically lesson planning.  During the development phase the materials are created for the lesson.  This is where technology is integrated and designed for the lesson.  Throughout the implementation phase, procedures for training the facilitators and the learners are designed.  This is also where the equipment is accounted for.  If they need books, tools, software, etc., they make sure they have it and it is in working mode. This evaluation phase includes formative and summative evaluations.  Formative is present during each part of the ADDIE model.  The summative evaluation consists of tests designed for domain specific criterion-related referenced items and provides opportunities for feedback from the users.

This model is similar to how I plan my lessons and evaluate them. I am continuously using formative evaluations from my student such as data analysis to drive my instruction.  I also gather feedback from my students to gauge the type of activities to plan.  As educators we know that for learners to learn, it has to be meaningful and interesting to our audiences.   One of the Summative evaluations given in Kindergarten is the TPRI (Texas Primary Reading Inventory).  This evaluation assesses reading skills.

 References

• Molenda, Michael (May/June 2003). "In Search of the Elusive ADDIE Model". Performance improvement 42 (5): 34–37.  Amended version available at the author's web site at Indiana University (Bloomington).
• Strickland, A.W (2006). "ADDIE". Idaho State University College of Education, Science, Math & Technology Education. http://ed.isu.edu/addie/index.html. Retrieved 2006-06-29.Analysis Phase

Smith and Ragan use a Summative Evaluation model which includes the following phases:  determine goals of evaluation, select indicators of success, select orientation of evaluation, select design of evaluation, design evaluation measures, collect data, analyze data and report results.

I would use this type of evaluation if I taught TAKS grades.   This type of Summative Evaluation reminded me of the simulation tests and TAKS tests we give in the older grades.  This is an evaluation that the state uses to evaluate the students success in a grade and to see if the students are prepared for the next grade.

2.  One of the technological innovation that was recommended in my district several years ago was doing a distant lesson with another classroom.  We were asked to do at least one a year.  This innovation was not institutionalized.  I did a lesson with another teacher across the district.   However, I have not done one since.  The idea was that we would eventually do more of these lessons.  I believe two of the reasons that this innovation did not succeed was due to time and lack of training on using the equipment.  It did take more time to prepare the lesson and discuss it with the other teacher.  I also did not take the time to be trained on how to use the equipment.  Our lesson did have a glitch and we had to rely on the librarian to help us.   I do think it was a great opportunity for my students to see the peers in another school and have the chance to learn from another teacher.

3.   If I was assigned to develop a series of professional development sessions focusing on technology for classroom teachers, I would try to learn about my audience.  I would need to know how much already know or don't know about the technology being taught.  Then I would probably develop different levels or phases of staff development.  Two levels should cover the audience if it was broken into beginners and intermediate.  Since resources are scarce, I would ask administrators if their experienced technology teachers could help facilitate the staff development. 

Section 2

Section 2

• I teach kindergarten so I have decided to for my learning objective to decode and blend letter sounds together to make words.

I feel that the schema theory could be used for this lesson. Students would need to identify and produce letter sounds before they could do this objective. This is part of the schema theory. They would use information (letter sounds) from their long term memory to say the sounds and blend them together. The students would also be able to use automation when looking at the letters/sounds they already know. This would free their working memory and allow their memory to decode the words using sounds.

B.F. Skinner’s behavioral learning theory could also be used to teach the objective. His theory believes that the behavior of the learner with its environmental antecedents and consequences affect learning. This would be observed during the lesson. If students correctly decoded and blended the words, the teacher would smile and nod her head. However, if it was not correct, the teacher would say “let’s try it again”, and point to the letters. This would signal to the students if they were correct or needed to try again.
　

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Why Let Our Students Blog?

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