Week 5: Current Issues & New Directions

1. Section VIII addresses new directions and emerging technologies for IDT. Select three of the following and reflect on how you might apply them in your current or future position in the IDT field:

• distributed or e-learning environments
• reusable design or learning objects
• networks or Web 2.0 technologies
• rich media
• digital games or simulations
• virtual worlds

As I read through this section of the chapter, and reflected on the question, I felt that a lot of these could go hand-in-hand with one another. For example: having a virtual world in an e-learning environment would be a good way to incorporate those into the classroom/curriculum. Not only that, but a lot of digital games could be part of the virtual world or e-learning environments. They all could be incorporated into one whole. However, based off of my previous experience, and my future thoughts on how I would like to teach my lessons, I would have to reflect on the reusable design or learning objects, networks or Web 2.0 technologies, and the virtual worlds.

Reusable design or learning objects: I like to go online and look at examples and get ideas that relates to a certain topic that I am teaching. Once I have found that, most of the time I will tweak the information or activity that I have found to better fit my audience. According to the text, a good, reusable learning object would allow the developer to plug in different elements in the parts of the food web and to customize it for each ecosystem. Then, the developer could use the object in the course multiple times. Then, that same learning object could be used in other courses (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). All what that is saying is, the developer takes a specific design or learning object, and turns it into something else than can be used in other things. There are many different objects that are reused, such as quizzes, videos, games, web programs or interactive objects, and many others. So, in the past, I have taken something that I have found on Google or Pinterest, and just put my own spin to it. The finished project turned out to be a success. I like to reuse objects that I have found because as beginning teachers, it is kind of a cheat method of coming up with different things to go with a lesson. I will probably continue to reuse other objects that are popular with certain ages or grade levels in order to keep the students focused and engaged. I also learned about the guidelines and best practices for using the learning objects. I never knew the background of reusing learning objects or designs.

Networks or Web 2.0 technologies: There are many definitions of what exactly is Web 2.0 technology is or networks. However, I think they all end up meaning the same thing. The Google definition says that it is the second stage of development of the World Wide Web, characterized especially by the change from static web pages to dynamic or user-generated content and the growth of social media. Web 2.0 tools utilize individual and group contributions to create value. Web 2.0 applications grow in value as they are used by learners and teachers (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). I would like to use Web 2.0 or other networks as a method of getting my students more engaged with the world around them. I will want to allow the students to explore appropriate Web 2.0 technologies so that they become familiar with the different technologies and their uses/purposes. Since the Web 2.0 technologies offer so much (new opportunities for learners to take control of their learning, encourage expressive capability, more ways of working, and ways to attract an audience (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012)), it would be an effective move to make as a teacher. This leads to constructivist learning philosophies and pedagogies that focus on a lot of areas. I would try to use the Web 2.0 tools in almost every lesson in order for my students to gain those skills that comes with working with Web 2.0. I will probably provide a list of Web 2.0 tools that relate to the topic and then challenge my students to find an alternate tool that relates to the topic as well.

Virtual worlds: Virtual worlds are characterized by 3-D virtual environments that simulate real world objects and interactions and are available to multiple users simultaneously, on a global basis (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). A virtual world is going to be one of my favorite tools to use in the future with my students. I have heard of a lot of virtual world technologies that students really enjoy. I will try to find virtual worlds that goes with the lesson. There are lots of virtual worlds out there. One that I have heard of is an app that allows students to be part of the rainforest and zoos. Virtual worlds offer hands-on and real live experiences, which is good for students who probably aren’t able to get out much and explore the world around them. And that is why I would want to incorporate virtual worlds in my classroom, for the students who may not get the chance to go to the zoo or anything along those lines. I think a virtual world center station will be my plan in order to give the students time to play around and be part of a virtual world. I like the attributes that were mentioned on page 334 for virtual worlds (shared space online, visual representation, interaction with their surroundings, the world persists whether someone is online or not, and communities and groups are encouraged).

What learning goals or objectives could the technologies you selected help learners foster? Could the technology facilitate attainment of that learning goal better than traditional instruction? Why or why not?

I think any form of technology will help the learners retain information better than traditional instruction because the technology is a way to engage the students. The technologies that I have selected are hands-on for the most part. I believe students learn and keep information in better when they are doing hands-on activities and have visuals that back up a certain topic.

2. Section IX focuses on issues related to instructional design, rather than new technologies: professional ethics, diversity and accessibility, the nature of design, and providing instructional guidance. For each of the technologies you selected above, discuss what ethical issues using the technology might present. Does the technology enhance accessibility and accommodate diverse learning needs? How and/or can you design instruction using that technology? How much guidance would instruction with that technology require? What kinds of guidance would be necessary?

I don’t recall having any problems with the technologies that I have used. I have always been good about making sure I follow the guidelines and rules for using technology in the classroom or lessons. In the past, I always previewed whatever technology tool, such as video or images, that I would be using before presenting it to the class. If I was ever unsure, I would ask a more advanced teacher who would know better than I would. I think the rules and ethics of using technology is pretty understandable, and as teachers, we go over those rules so we know what to do and what not to do and also what is and isn’t appropriate. I believe the technologies I have chosen does fit the diverse learning needs because there is something for everyone to use and learn with. For each different learner, there is a special too for each learner. When I use technology I like to go over it with the class and ask questions or talk it over with the students so I know I touched every student’s learning need. I think the amount of guidance will depend on the technology and the grade/age level. With the younger ones, lots of guidance and a lot of explaining will probably be needed. Middle level students will probably need a little guidance because most of them are probably used to technology and can work their way around using technologies.

Sorry my blog is long, I tend to ramble on and on… =)

References

Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Defining the Field. In Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (pp. 1-34). Boston: Pearson.

Week 4: Trends and Issues in IDT

Part A. 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.

Trends and issues in the corporate (business and industry) design and development, there are many changes that are occurring constantly. There are constant growths and expansions between boundaries and countries. Instructional designers must address the issue of how to work cross-culturally, complete training design and development in less time, and ensure that training be delivered quickly while resulting in a positive impact on the profits of the corporation (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). Cross-cultural training design instruction is hard to do because the instruction has to fit the needs of the audience. When a person designs instruction for a cross-cultural audience, the designer has to be sure to identify the societal and leaner culture factors that are involved. This can be kind of hard because the instructional designer may not know much about some cultures, therefore the designers have to do their research, observations, and studies about other cultures and see that culture’s world from a different perspective. In this instructional design, the designers like to use the term “better, faster, cheaper” in order to accomplish a goal in the instructional design. In order to achieve this goal, the designers use four methods: rapid prototyping (the development of a working model-a demonstration of the actual thing); technology-based training delivery (can be either synchronous or asynchronous and provides different methods of understanding new technology); advanced evaluation techniques (a method used to check how effective a new method works); and the designer as a researcher (the person who collects data, research, observes, and reflects on the ending results).

Instructional design in the military has its ups and downs and can be hard at times. Over the years, the military has developed into stronger units due to the use of better technology, and more responsibilities. Instructional designers for the military may be asked to provide learning solutions that will support training and learning opportunities both at home and abroad (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). However, with all the new changes and responsibilities, comes issues and obstacles. Challenges that the instructional designer may face are international responsibilities of a national or multinational military force and new technologies. When it comes to the new technology, there has to be training for this new technology. Money and funding are also issues that an instructional designer of the military may face because with those new technology trainings, they have to be paid for. The money that is used in the military has to be used appropriately for the new technology and trainings. An instructional designer must be able to articulate carefully and accurately the cost of the training solution and provide alternative choices while keeping the project within budget (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012).

Technology integration in the school setting (P-12) is more common now than it has been because of all of the learning technology tools and apps. Instructional designers have aligned their efforts to help teachers meet the challenges of integrating new technologies into classroom instruction while maintaining the key focus of improving student learning (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). The instructional design process uses three types of development: system, product, and classroom. Systems development is used to create computer-assisted instruction embedded within an integrated learning system. The product development is used to create computer-based instructional products or educational software. The last instructional design development involves designing integration lessons for classroom implementation, which technology is used for a variety of roles. Technology is a major part of learning, but for all of the new technology out, comes the prices and funding for these programs and trainings.

Most of the trends and issues in all of these IDs had to do with money or funding of the new technology. I believe that is a big thing with most school districts. I see that with some new programs or software, only some teachers or classrooms are getting the new technology. I assume it is only because some teachers may need it and some don’t. Then again, the money could be the issue as well.

Part B. Chapters in Section VI discuss global trends and issues in IDT. As the world’s population grows exponentially, we face unprecedented challenges that have implications for learning. How and can we prepare our youth to address the problems of living in a world with 9 billion people when the earth’s resources cannot sustain that many? Does our current education system, curriculum, and instructional practices help learners foster the complex problem-solving skills necessary to tackle these issues? Are there methods and practices used in European and Asian countries that we should use here in the US? Why or why not? 

I think the youth can be helped to prepare them and address the problems of the world. The saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” is really true to me. Children learn as they grow and they copy what they see and hear. I think the main thing we need to do at any given time is educate and encourage the kids while they are young to do right and be right and really encourage them to make good choices. I think the education system can be a little better when it comes to teaching the students the things they need to know about the world. I think more world education and the things that are going on around them should be paid more attention to and talked about in the classroom, and some issues that go on in the world can be incorporated into the curriculum as a learning experience. I also believe that practices in Europe and Asia could be incorporated in things we do here in the US. That teaches the US about the different ways and cultures of other people in other countries. To me, that is a way to expand on cultural diversity.

References

Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Defining the Field. In Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (pp. 1-34). Boston: Pearson.

Week 3: Evaluating Programs & Human Performance Technology

• Chapters in Section III discuss evaluation in instructional design and provide you with three evaluation models: CIPP, Five-Domain, and Kirkpatrick’s Training Evaluation model. Search for at least two other models used for evaluation and summarize these models. Describe how you would use them to evaluate your instruction.

Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method deals with having to determine what works and what doesn’t work or what needs to be fixed in instruction. According to its founder, Robert Brinkerhoff, the success case method (SCM) “is a quick and simple process that combines analysis of extreme groups with case study and storytelling…to find out how well some organizational initiative is working (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). In order to determine what works, there would have to be a comparison between case studies that are similar that were successful and the ones that were not successful. There is a five step process in Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method. In step 1, you must work with stakeholders in order to determine what program is going to be observed and evaluated and what approach is going to be taken in order to make a plan a successful case study. An important thing in this step is coming up with a budget and time frame for the study. Everyone has to come to an agreement about everything in step 1 in order to be successful with the rest of the steps. In step 2, a visual impact model will be made that points out the goals, objectives, impacts, and outcomes that are expected along the way. In the 3^rd step, a research survey will be conducted. The survey will consist of the best and worst cases. Data from the surveys will be collected and analyzed to see what the surveyors had to say about some of the different cases that they found to be successful and unsuccessful for them. The 4^th step is to set up phone interviews with multiple success cases and a few unsuccessful cases. The purpose of the 4^th step is to gain detailed information necessary for documenting, with empirical evidence, the success case stories (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). During the interviews, it is best to make note of what was used that worked, what outcomes happened, what was the value, what other factors helped, and any suggestions. The last step is to write out what all information was found from the evaluations, data, and surveys.

Patton’s Utilization-Focused Evaluation (U-FE) was discovered by Michael Patton in the 1970s. The purpose of U-FE is to ensure that evaluation processes and findings get used. U-FE is “evaluation done for and with specific intended users for specific, intended uses (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). There are nine steps that should be used in the process and if the evaluation is not used with all the steps, then it is useless. The first step is to conduct a readiness assessment. Second, identify the primary intended users and develop a working relationship with them. Third, conduct a situational analysis. Fourth, identify the primary intended uses. Fifth, focus on the evaluation. Sixth, design the evaluation. Seventh, collect, analyze, and interpret the evaluation data. Eighth, continually facilitate evaluation use. Lastly, the ninth step is to conduct a metaevaluation - an evaluation of the evaluation. An evaluation that is not used in an organization serves no purpose.

Both of the methods, in my opinion, are beneficial to the classroom because it provides everyone to be a part of the process and the implementing of the evaluation models that will be used in their environment.

• 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. Should return on investment and management of resources also be considered in evaluations of instructional programs? What other measures should/could be considered?

If I understood this question correctly, investments and managing resources plays a big part of the evaluations of instructional programs. I think that most of the time, districts buy things that they think the schools need and don’t really give it as much thought as they probably should or they don’t look at all of the fine print before agreeing to buy something. If a program proves to be highly effective, then the district should present it to the teachers and if there is a majority of the teachers who want to implement the evaluation programs, then the district should then consider it and do the research on it. Once the district buys new programs, there should definitely be more trainings available or more training manuals. I’m speaking off what I hear teachers around me complain about. If the teachers get new programs, and don’t know how to use them, then they won’t, and then that is just wasted money. I also think that if the schools adopt new programs, they should somehow, somewhere be implemented in the curriculum to see how they are being used.

• Section IV focuses on human performance, performance support systems, knowledge management systems, and the concept of informal learning. Not all problems in learning and/or performance require an instructional one. Many times a non-instructional approach is a more appropriate solution. Identify a performance problem in your area of work and identify non-instructional solutions that may help solve the problem. Would better performance support systems, knowledge management systems, or opportunities for informal learning solve the problem?

I work as a classroom assistant in the special education department (not really the teacher) in a high school setting. I have been working on average with class sizes of no more than 12 in a class. All of the students in the classes are low. There may be a couple that are high level for a class or some that are high level but in the low level category, if that makes sense. A lot of the times, when you have a group of low students, they tend to have bad behavior. That was the case in these classes. In these classes, the teachers gave them work assignments that were easy enough for them to complete for an easy grade. Whenever there was a behavior issue, the student got a threat to go to their Assistant Principal or get a referral. In the department I work in, they didn’t really focus on things like solving the problem because of the type of students and backgrounds they had, unfortunately.

References

Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Defining the Field. In Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (pp. 1-34). Boston: Pearson.

Week 2: Section 2-Themes and Models of Learning and Instruction

• 1.     Epistemology (the study of what and how we come to know) is discussed in multiple chapters in this section. Distinguish epistemology from instructional methods or theories. What are the differences between theories, methods, or models of learning and epistemologies or underlying beliefs about ways of knowing?

Epistemology had me looking so confused when I first saw the word. I had no idea what it meant, and never heard of it until this unit. I first Googled the word to get an idea of what it meant before reading the chapters. Googles definition says, “the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope. Epistemology is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion.” So, from that definition, in my words, epistemology means to be able to know what is fact and what is opinion. Epistemology deals with knowledge of what we know and how we came to know something. The instructional methods are what and how the teachers believe the students are best taught, based off of the tools and ideas that they have used. The instructional methods also deal with how the lesson, unit, or information is given to the students/learners. Teachers use different instructional methods and tools/materials to reach their students, and all methods may serve a certain purpose, depending on the type of students that a teacher has, because we know all students learn differently. A theory is a thought or idea that has been proven factual through research and experiments and also proves positive results. There are many learning theories that all have been a way of learning and each theory has been researched, used, corrected to come up with the specific idea of learning. These theories include the behavioral learning theory, cognitive information processing theory, schema theory, situated learning, the Gagne’s Theory of Instruction, and the constructivist theory. The models of learning are the methods, guidelines, or outlines that teachers use as a “map” to make sure they cover every learning area.

• 2.   Reflect on whether your stance is primarily positivist, relativist, or contextualist. Then, identify an instance when your perspective or stance as a learner conflicted with that of your instructor. Describe the conflict that you experienced and analyze whether opposing epistemic stances may have been at the heart of the conflict.

I believe my stance would be more positivist, even though I may have a bit of all stances here and there. Positivism is a philosophical theory stating that positive knowledge is based on natural phenomena and their properties and relations. Thus, information derived from sensory experience, interpreted through reason and logic, forms the exclusive source of all authoritative knowledge. In my opinion, having a stance of positivism means that a person believes what they know from experience, observations, and it is more than just an opinion or one sided. When designing instruction, I tend to try certain guidelines or principles to my instructions so that I can ensure that there is some objective truth to reach the students. I can recall many teachers that I have had who were more of a mixture of relativism and contextualism. I even work with some teachers who are the same way. I never confronted these teachers, but I wish now that I would have. These teachers believe that students should learn the same way and follow the same learning procedure. With my position now, the students that I work with, I have to alter their learning experience in order to help them understand the instruction given from the teacher. I think the teachers may just be stuck in their ways and feel that once before they tried a certain method or idea. When they realized it worked for most students, then they figured it would be alright to keep using the same exact thing. I just think these people don’t like change.

• 3.   Differing epistemic stances lead to differing approaches to learning and instruction, and ultimately to problem-solving. Explain differences in problem-solving when approached from behaviorist and constructivist perspectives. How do the approaches differ in both the nature of the problem to be solved and in facilitating the problem solving process? Finally, what effect might these differences have on learner motivation?

According to the text, “Skinner’s belief that learning can be understood, explained, and predicted entirely on the basis of observable events, namely, the behavior of the learner along with its environmental antecedents and consequences…the consequences of a behavior determine whether it is repeated and if it is learned” ( (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). The teachers in a behaviorist approach design instruction that involves immediate feedback. Also these approaches use observations before and after the problem and look for improvement or a different outcome than before. The behaviorist approach objectives are more set up by the teacher and focus more on behavior objectives. In the constructivist approach, the students’ objectives are more high level, complex learning goals. A key point from this approach is that “individuals do not all learn the same things from instruction.” The students are more in control of their own goals in this approach and also reflect on their own learning. Constructivism deals with the real world issues and solving problems that deals with the world, and the learners come to a conclusion on their own. In this approach it is more student-centered because these learning environments can and do differ greatly in the amount and kind of instructional support that is provided for the learner (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012).

In the behaviorist approach, the learner has more feedback to get to a conclusion. Whereas, in the constructivist approach, the learner has little guidance to reach a solution. I think each approach will have an effect on the learner, just depending on who the learner is and how they learn. I think that since the constructivist is more student-centered, it will allow the student to be more open and confident on his/her thoughts and thinking process. With the behaviorist process, the students are looking to solve a problem to reach a certain goal, so their thinking process isn’t as open as in a constructivist approach. However, if the learner’s thinking process is off in the behaviorist approach, the teacher guides their thinking to reach a solution. Both approaches build on the thinking process, though, so they are both effective for the thinking process and solving problems.

References

Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Defining the Field. In Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (pp. 1-34). Boston: Pearson.

Week 1, Section 1: Defining the Field

1. How do the definitions in the first chapter compare to your own definition of instructional or educational technology?  What experiences or other influences have shaped your definition? How has your definition changed from examining the definitions in the first chapter of this book?

          1. My initial thoughts and ideas of what instructional or educational technology is, is when the district, schools, and teachers provide the students with various methods and tools to help better their learning experiences. The students are provided with technology as a visual aid tool for a more hands-on approach to learning. Technology can be incorporated into as many subjects as possible because with the different technology tools that are available, it makes learning more exciting and more interesting for the students. Google defines educational technology as the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources. According to the text, there has been an evolution of names and definitions to what we know now as instructional technology. The text describes instructional technology as the use of instructional media, such as film, pictures, and lantern slides, that is presented to the learners. During the 1960s and 1970s, people in the education field started to think instructional technology was viewed more as a process. According to Finn (1960), instructional technology should be viewed as a way of looking as instructional problems and examining feasible solutions to those problems. And Lumsdaine (1964), indicated that educational technology could be thought of as the application of science to instructional practices (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). As time/years went on, more research was done and more educators came forward with what they thought the term meant, and eventually came up with new, more in depth definitions that included different learning theories and more up to date technology. In 2008, the AECT committee came up with a definition that sums up all of the previous definitions from over the years that many people have used. The definition I presented at first, “Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological process and resources,” is the latest definition that we associate with in the school systems. To me, I was on the right path as to knowing what educational and instructional technology was overall. However, I learned that there were many definitions a long time ago and it took a lot of research and professionals to get to the definition we know now. My definition hasn’t changed from one thing to another, I just was able to build more on to what I knew from all of the background information.

2. Next, think of a lesson or unit of instruction that you have developed. Or if you haven’t ever taught or developed instruction, think of one that you have received. How does that lesson adhere or fail to adhere to the six characteristics of instructional design? How would you redesign it to better adhere to the six characteristics.

          2. I did a lesson while I was student teaching with 4^th graders. Most of my lessons dealt with grammar rules and punctuation. I normally did my lessons the same way: I would introduce the lesson, give a small lecture, a small lecture with video/interactive (and sometimes an interactive review of the lesson/topic), then followed by a hands-on (group) activity, and then finish off with an independent work assignment. I believe for the most, my lessons followed the six characteristics of instructional design. My lessons were focused more on what the students got out of the lessons and what they did or did not understand. The goals I set for the classes were majority met by the students and the teacher (me). The performance that I looked for was engagement, paying attention, asking questions, and on task, which I got that every time. I assumed that the students would have a better understanding of certain grammar and punctuation rules by the end of the lesson from the different methods of instructions that I gave them, and then I would check for understanding by the independent work. I would have liked to incorporate more interactive and self-correcting tools than I used. If a student asked me a question, I would ask them what they were thinking and why and then guide them to an answer. I don’t understand what it means by team effort, exactly, but I probably could have improved in that area. Most of my lessons were done by me, and at the end, I got critiqued by mentors and principals for their feedback. So, if I had to redo the lessons, I would add in more interactive tools and more members for support of guidance.

3. In the 3rd chapter, Reiser distinguishes instructional media from instructional design, excluding teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks from the definition of instructional media. Why? Would you consider teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks instructional media? Is the purpose of instructional design to incorporate media into instruction?

          3. I think Reiser excluded teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks from instructional media because every physical means of instructional delivery, from the live instructor to the textbook to the computer and so on, would be classified as an instructional medium…and the three primary means of instruction prior to the twentieth century-the teacher, chalkboard, and textbook-have been categorized separately from other media ((Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). Instructional design focuses on a set of guidelines or process to meet the learning goals and needs of the learner. Instructional media is a part of the instructional design and can be used as a tool in the instructional design. Teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks, in this case, aren’t the types of visual aids the students use as a method of learning and they are so common from way back when we thought of school from decades/centuries ago, that’s what we thought about. When I first hear instructional media, I would not consider teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks as instructional media because of the times we are in now, chalkboards and textbooks aren’t really used anymore unless a textbook is online. Teachers don’t lecture as much, they use visual aids as instructional videos and more. I don’t think the whole purpose of instructional design is for incorporating media into instruction, but it should be a tool or guideline for instruction. Instruction, to me, should have a rubric, and one of the guidelines should be to include some type of media into the lesson.

Reference:

Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Defining the Field. In Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (pp. 1-34). Boston: Pearson.