Course Capstone Video

Section 7: New Direction in Instructional Design and Technology

This section of the textbook addresses new directions and emerging technologies for IDT. For your final post, reflect on how you might apply each of the following in your current or future position in the IDT field:

• distributed or e-learning environments

As our text points out, the definitions of “e-learning” and the parameters by which we categorize types of e-learning are continually changing with the pace of technology. For this reason, I think it is best not to try to state specifically which kind of e-learning I hope to use in the future, but to rather focus on my goal. In my role as a school librarian, I hope to help other educators utilize e-learning resources to bring order to their lessons and foster authentic learning in their students. I would like to always keep sight of the fact that technology is not meant to replace instruction or be the instruction, but to bring order to what we do in class.

• reusable design or learning objects

As a school librarian in the future and as a teacher now, it is important for me to always be growing my “repository” of learning objects. In my current position, this is do for me to an extent in the form of our online curriculum planner. We have access to slideshows, short video clips and visual aids that are simple and reusable and relate to our subject. My goal in a school librarianship would be to grow a repository of learning objects for school wide us. Additionally, it would be a great opportunity to help individual teachers expand their own collections and make good decisions about what types of learning objects to include in their lesson planning.

• rich media

The compilation of a learning object “repository” would necessarily involve some of the planning addressed in Chapter 32. Having a diverse selection of learning objects or media would not be useful to instructors if those objects were not also curated with an eye toward learner-centered instructional design. I think in the school business we often fall victim to the problem of technology-centered lesson design. We are so excited to use new tech that we don’t stop to think if it truly encourages real learning. This can lead to the “paradox of technology” described in the text. We throw all kinds of wonderful rich media at our students now. More than ever in the past. But eventually, access to tech outstrips the students’ abilities to effectively synthesize the material presented.  To avoid this issue, I feel that one of my roles as a librarian would be to help teachers utilize school technology and resources in a way that addresses instructional modes and different media types, while also paying close attention to the methods of instruction being used.

•  emerging instructional technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cybernetics, Web 2.0, virtual worlds, electronic games, etc.

As the role of school librarian continues to morph, I hope to keep on top of helping my students and colleagues make the most of emerging technologies. In particular, Web 2.0 technology is one area where I could see so many opportunities for educational growth. The kids we teach now come to us already Web 2.0 “literate.” They use Facebook, Instagram and Vine as a normal part of their social interactions. I think using these as a foot in the door on the educational front is a wise move. It is likely that these types of technologies will continue to evolve and we will have to adjust our use of them in education accordingly. In addition to Web 2.0 platforms, virtual realities or electronic games can always be helpful if used in the right way. In the future I hope to help teachers provide their students with access to emerging technologies that are not only fun and relevant to them, but are also learner-centered and truly useful in cultivating an environment where real learning happens.

Week 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

This section of your textbook focuses on jobs in the profession of instructional design and technology: lessons and tips on how to get one and organizations that can support the job search and continued learning in the IDT field. Many of you already have a job in the field or in a related field; however, based on this week’s readings, you’ll reflect on where you are, where you want to go, and what you need to learn or do to get there.

Begin your post for this week with some background: what is your current job, what program are you enrolled in, what brings you to that program, and what do you expect when you graduate (change jobs? obtain a promotion?).

Currently, I am in my 6^th year of teaching 6^th grade Social Studies in Garland ISD. I love my job and enjoy working with my students every day. I am currently enrolled in the Educational Technology – Library Science program at TAMUC. I came to the program after being inspired by my mom (an elementary school librarian) to pursue a job in school libraries. When I graduate, I hope to stay within my current district and transfer to a position as a middle school or high school librarian.

Next, describe the kind of work that you want to do and the type of organization or institution in which you want to work. Use the WorkMatrixTM in the chapter titled “Getting a Job in Business and Industry” to help organize your thoughts. Do you most desire first, second, third, or fourth level service? Or would you rather design or develop instruction? What features of work are important to you? What economic sector do you want to work in?

I really do enjoy the public school setting and so I see myself continuing in that sort of organizational structure on the future. The WorkMatrix solidified my understanding of myself as a mostly-first level service provider. I feel there are some aspects of the third level that could apply to what I would like to do in my role as a school librarian. I think the job description of librarians will continue to change as technology becomes an increasingly essential aspect of education.

I believe that one of the features of work that are important to me is community. I would ultimately hope to find a position at a school where the role of the librarian both as a professional and as a technology facilitator is one that is respected. I feel like this would also help me to cultivate a school environment where teachers and librarians work as a team to design instruction and interactions with students that will help them grow as readers and learners in general.

I think I could easily see myself as a technology facilitator or a more traditional librarian at either a public or private school, so I hesitate to say that I would only consider working in the public sector. A private setting may pay less, but offer rewards in other ways.

Based on these intentions, explain what you need to learn. What skills and qualifications do you need? Will you obtain the skills you need in the required courses in your program? What electives might you need to take to help you develop skills specific to your aspirations?

While I feel fully qualified to operate as an educator in a school setting, I know there are other aspects of the job of librarian that I need to master.  For example, even modern librarians must know how to catalogue and build a collection that meets the needs of their particular institution.  I feel like the program at TAMUC fully addresses the expectations for librarians in the modern school setting. I feel confident that I will obtain all of these skills by the end of my graduate program. Since I would like to become a librarian that is not afraid of incorporating new technologies and platforms into my work, it would be great to take electives that focus on these aspects of the job.

Finally, what organizations would best support your continued learning after you graduate? Do you think you would benefit from joining those organizations before graduating? Explain why or why not?

Because I hope to be a technology-savvy library educator, I feel that organizations like ISTE and ITEA would be great options for me. I see no reason that these groups could no benefit me just as much before graduating as after. It is never to early or too late to surround ourselves with people and organizations that will encourage our growth and learning as educators and technology facilitators.

Section 5: Trends and Issues

Chapters in Section V identify trends and issues in IDT in various contexts: business & industry; military; health care education; P-12 education; and post-secondary education. Select at least 3 of these 5 contexts and compare/contrast the IDT trends and issues. Then explain how they are similar or different from the IDT trends and issues in the context in which you work.

Section V offers a look into the various applications of IDT in contexts other than my own. I am currently teaching my 6^th year at a public middle school in Texas, so seeing how the issues of unrelated industries parallel my own or are different from those in my field has been interesting. I have chosen to focus on issues facing the fields of the Military, Health Care Education, and Post-Secondary Education.

Military

Many issues face today’s modern militaries. Many of these issues mirror those that we face in the education of children. In addressing the needs of our respective audiences, we can taoilor our designs to have the most impact.

One major issue facing military trainers is “recognizing that ineffective instruction can have catastrophic consequences.”

This issue struck me as being very relevant to a public school educator, but for a different reason than it might be for a military instructional designer. The results of poor military training are a literal matter of life and death. People can lose their lives if not properly trained in the newest technologies. While my job is not always a matter of life and death, it is extremely important for my students’ futures. If I am not an effective facilitator of modern technologies and methods of learning, my students are not as prepared for the global job market they will face upon graduation. In this way, I feel that addressing our role as “trainers” in either context is essential. We must constantly evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of our instructional design, always with the future of our trainees in mind.

Also important to military training is “ training that addresses needs of the military and individual interests.”

This issue in IDT for military purposes is really relevant to all areas of training, in all fields. Human are incredibly diverse in their interests. If we fail to seek out new ways to engage the particular interests of individuals, we lose a great opportunity to create instructional design that is truly effective.

In the field of public education, we are constantly told to differentiate our instruction to reach all levels of learners. In doing this, we must also juggle the challenge of reaching our students by appealing to their personal interests. This can be a really challenging task at times, but in the end creates the most dynamic and effective learning environment. When we do this through the use of instructional technology, the returns are enhanced, and our students are engaged as well as being more prepared for their future work lives.

Health Care Education

As the text points out, health care education is a very broad field, encompassing more than just doctors and nurses. It has seen an increased promotion of problem-based learning, where students are encouraged to deal with actual clinical scenarios to increase their medical expertise. The implementation of proper instructional design is crucial in this area, and like the military can often be a matter of life or death.

In particular, the “convergence” of different modalities (computers, internet, and telecommunications systems) have led to a boom in the amount of knowledge and ease of research that is available to health science trainees. This is very similar to what has happened in the field of public education. The advent of the internet has put a great amount of pressure on both teachers and students to obtain and synthesize information.

In the same way, medical students are expected to utilize the wealth of information that has been made accessible to them. The text discusses this in the context of “knowledge and research.” Convergence allows a greater capacity for collaboration among colleagues and students in both the medical field and public education. We can, for example, use Skype and its screen share feature simultaneously to work with educators and students in another country in real time if we so desire. This places a great deal of importance on how we design instruction around technology. In both the medical education field and the public education field, it is important the make sure that students are not just using the technology, but really reaping all the benefits that such ease of access to information can bring. It also continues to place pressure on both students and educators to really utilize this access to continually grow in our knowledge and methods of research in our respective fields.

Post Secondary Education

In this section of the text, the focus shifts from describing issues in particular fields to more of a “vignette” look at specific anecdotes. What I gleaned from this section is that college level educators, and instructional technology designers in particular, are expected to focus more on effective delivery of e-learning rather than specific pedagogy. This is a very different approach than that of k-12 teachers. Our focus is usually pedagogy first, technology second. I think in the long run, this makes more sense. At the post-secondary level, students should be expected to take the lead in their own learning.

The issues facing post secondary instructional designers are similar to those facing designers in the military and K-12 education. Modern ideas about learning demand that we not only evaluate learning delivery for its effectiveness in conveying information, but also address the interests and learning styles of the students.

Conclusion

Overall, it is not difficult to identify similar issues and trends present in all of these fields. Ultimately, each is concerned with addressing the ultimate goals of the industry while promoting student learning and cultivating a trainee pool that will successfully carry out the “mission” of each field.

Week 4: Human Performance Technology

Not all problems in learning and/or performance require an instructional solution. Many times a non-instructional approach is a more appropriate solution. This week's reading and reflection focuses on human performance, performance support systems, knowledge management systems, and the concept of informal learning.

Chapter 14 discusses the concept and evolution of human performance improvement. Several sections of chapter 14 present a variety of non-instructional solutions to performance problems. Identify a performance problem in your area of work and identify non-instructional solutions that may help solve the problem.

One performance problem many teachers encounter with students is in helping students learn independently with the teacher as facilitator, rather than the sole source of information. One way to achieve independent student learning is to train the students to use tools that will give them the access they need to locate and assimilate important content information on their own.

Knowledge management is one way to alleviate the problem of student access. As our course text points out, the amount of information that is available to students is overwhelming. They cannot sift through it alone. To that end, “direct, well-managed, and reliable access to content is essential.” (Reiser and Dempsey, 2011, p. 167.)

Chapter 15 presents performance support systems. Define performance support systems and explain how a performance support system might (or might not) help solve the problem you identified above.

The text defines performance support as “a system that provides performers with varying levels of access to support information and tools at the moment of need.” (Reiser and Dempsey, 2011, p. 155.)

An example of how you might put this system into action in a classroom is simple to imagine. If, say, I ask my students to do research on famous Supreme Court cases, I could provide a multitude of internet resources for them. It would be especially helpful to compile them into one list. In that way, the students (“performers”) have access to both support tools (my list) and information (the various internet research sources.)

Chapter 16 explains knowledge management: the way we manage information, share that information, and use it to solve organization problems. Organizations, such as schools, accumulate a great deal information/data, which must be organized in a way that we can make sense of it in order to use for making decisions. What knowledge would help solve the problem you identified above and how would that knowledge need to be collected and managed to help facilitate problem solving?

One thing that I have seen implemented before is to assess students to see what their learning style is. This is done early in the year with a quick survey the students complete in their homeroom class. The data could then be compiled into a document that organizes the students into categories. These categories (kinesthetic learners, auditory learners, etc) could then be used to place students into learning groups to complete the project I mentioned above. Having students work with others who learn differently would bring dynamism to their projects. 

Chapter 17 describes types of informal learning. What informal learning experiences have you participated in at your organization? Could those informal learning experiences be shared with others? Could the knowledge gained in those settings be codified and managed? And should it be managed or should the informal experiences be replicated or broadened for others?

 I had the opportunity to experience informal learning first hand this summer when our school administrators enrolled our entire faculty in a ropes team building course. At first, we didn’t see the point of this type of “training,” but it became much clearer as we did each activity. Each assignment was designed to show us our problem-solving and learning styles and to teach us how to apply that knowledge to issues within our classrooms and among faculty members. Obviously, this learning could be easily shared with others and often is. I think there are ways the information we obtained could be codified and managed. If we wanted to, it would be easy for us to come up with a set of “norms” or goals based on the things we learned at the course. Whether it could be codified is not a question. Whether it should be is debatable. I feel that type of experiential learning need not be so closely managed and quantified. The learning achieved during the activities are often more easily absorbed and understood when specifically approached in an unstructured manner.

Week 3: Evaluating, Implementing and Managing Instructional Programs and Projects

Chapter 10 discusses evaluation in instructional design and provides you with two evaluation models, the CIPP and Kirkpatrick models for evaluation. Search for at least two other models used for evaluation and summarize these models. Describe how you would use them to evaluate your instruction.

Another model of design and evaluation I have encountered before is the ADDIE model.  The acronym that comprises the name of this model comes from its five phases: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. Evaluation is not the entire design model, but is incorporated within its framework at every step. This is important to note, because it forces the designer to really take stock of whether their instruction is going to be effective when completely implemented. This model is very generic and serves as the basis for many other design models. It can be customized to fit many ages and stages of learning and instruction.

I would use the ADDIE model exactly as it is designed. The purpose of the model is to step back an evaluate our instructional planning at each step of the process. This is essentially what all good educators should be doing anyway. This insures that each student will benefit as much as possible from our instructional designs.

The ADDIE Model:

A second model of instructional design that I focused on was the Bates' ACTIONS model. ACTIONS is an acronym that stands for Access, Costs, Teaching (& Learning,) Interactivity, Organizational Issues, Novelty, and Speed. This model specifically deals with how to choose effective technology for classroom use. By using this model, teachers can evaluate new or proposed technologies to determine whether they will serve all students in a classroom setting. Access looks at whether the technology is easy to use and appropriate for a particular group of students. Costs is used to determine technology cost per student and whether there are more economic alternatives. The Teaching and Learning aspect of this model aims to pinpoint the exact learning or objectives that are to be fulfilled by the technology. Interactivity looks at what features a particular piece of technology can offer in a classroom environment. Organizational Issues deals with any possible barriers to being able to use the technology effectively in a particular district or classroom. Novelty assesses whether the technology offers new capabilities and to what extent students will find it engaging and new. Finally, Speed evaluates how fast products can be changed or distributed using the technology.

I think this model would be an excellent means of deciding what tools to use in a classroom. It seem that more questions are addressed with this model. It would be important, however, to still keep sight of the overall learning objective when evaluating any new technology for the classroom.

The ACTIONS Model: 

Reflect on what other questions that instructional design evaluation should address besides whether the instructional design leads to comparable amounts of learning and learner satisfaction as traditional methods. What else would be useful to know?

I believe that one of the most important questions to consider when dealing with the real world application of models and theories is cost-effectiveness. In a perfect world, teachers could try out one kind of technology and evaluate its effectiveness mid-implementation. We live in the real world, however, and should therefore make an effort to evaluate new technology and instructional design ideas objectively before we spend the money to implement them in our schools. It has been my experience that school administrators and districts will invest funds in new technologies and programs without consulting teachers beforehand. This, of course, leads to the realization later that the chosen products were not the best choices for the school.

Additionally, when evaluating cost effectiveness, it is important to not lose sight of whether new tech or programs are actually needed at all. Many districts now implement BYOD (bring your own device) initiatives to solve the problem of cost. This can be a great alternative to investing precious funds into unknown technologies.

Another thing to consider when evaluating design and technology is whether the product or plan provides students with an underlying real-world skill that can help them be more prepared for the job market later in life. Using Instagram to compile a visual report is cool, but will an employer someday need an employee who can use Instagram well? Most likely not. I think it is always a good idea to teach kids technology work skills while also teaching them the content objectives. Kill two educational birds with one stone!

Chapter's 12 & 13 focus on project management and how to manage projects when resources are scarce. You have been assigned to develop a series of professional development sessions focusing on technology use in the classroom for teachers during a time of economic decline. How will you use Situational Leadership to facilitate this project and manage scarce resources?

One of the points I gleaned from this section is the kind of “save for a rainy day” philosophy. Like I mentioned above, I have seen instances where school administrators will invest in new technology and resources without ample input from the teachers who will be expected to make the tech useful and worth the investment. This, I think, would be an example of how not to embody situational leadership. It would be better instead to very carefully analyze what teachers say they want and what they say they would actually use. Even in times of economic plenty, a district or school should tread very very carefully and deliberately when implementing new technology. The text emphasizes choosing resources wisely. A very careful approach to selecting technology for the classroom should begin with the people who will use it the most outside of students, namely teachers.

Also, to achieve a “bias toward scarcity” as the text advises, we should focus on existing resources or new ways to implement old technology. Many districts are achieving this with the use of BYOD (bring your own device) initiatives where students may use their own tech tools in the classroom. You could get around the problem of accessibility (not every student can afford a smartphone) by grouping students. You could also research companies who will donate older model hardware for educational use. In general, I think dealing with scarcity requires a great deal of creativity and positive thinking. We must create new ways to use old technology and think in a positive manner about the resources we do have.