Discussion #2

 Constructivist believe that each individual constructs their own meanings and understandings of new knowledge based on individual experiences and evolved beliefs. Instructional design is based on allowing students to construct meanings and knowledge by engaging in design and invention tasks. Environments are defined and redesigned continually to accommodate an indiviuals' evolving needs. Collaborate and cooperative groups are encouraged to problem-solve situations. Instructors are merely facilitators that can offer the necessary support for the learner to manage their own learning needs. 


Objectivist believe that the external world is independent of the mind. The instruction involves developing methods to transmit meaning consistently and efficiently across learners. The environments are usually designed where a specialist in that area facilitate the acquisition of knowledge with emphasis placed on specific knowledge or skills with activities and tasks focused on the creation of a product. Programs are designed around the analysis of the content to be taught, the instructional setting itself, and the learners' prior knowledge. Instructional objectives are are identified, broken down in sequences, and criterion set for assessments that are necessary to measure acquisition of knowledge.


Contextualism maintains that whether one knows is somehow relative to context. It evolved primarily as a response to views that maintain that we have no knowledge of the world around us. Vygotsky (1978) called this the child-in-activity-in-context. This developmental stance also asserts that culture influences what people think about, what skills they obtain, when they can participate in certain activities, and who is allowed to do which activities. In this theory, teachers and students become active participants in the learning process. Learning environments utilize observation, collaboration, and scaffolding. Teachers also recognize the importance of increasing the students' culture awareness and adjust the instructional level based on the learners' response. 

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Behaviorists look at learning as an aspect of conditioning and will advocate a system of rewards and targets in education where as in the cognitive learning theory sees motivation as largely intrinsic.

Section 7: New Direction in Instructional Design and Technology

 New Direction in Instructional Design and Technology )

How you might apply each of the following in your current or future position in the IDT field:

• distributed or e-learning environments-
• reusable design or learning objects
• rich media
• emerging instructional technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cybernetics, Web 2.0, virtual worlds, electronic games, etc.
  
  
  I am currently a 5^th and 6^th grade science and social studies teacher at a small school district where all teachers wear many “hats” and spend lots of time trying to find ways to reach all of our students without having to spend financial resources allocated to other necessary purchases in the district. Many times we are meeting on our lunches discussing new ideas we want to try and getting feedback from our peers on how to improve the ideas. I have taken the interest in technology integration for our district. Many of the courses I am taking is for pure knowledge and do not apply to my curriculum and instruction degree. I earned my Master's almost totally though distributed or e-learning environments and hope that many middle and high schools start offering options for students through these types of instructional designs. My future plans for e-learning environments are to add a section to my current class website that includes reference websites, simulations, threaded discussions, and web videos that students and parents can access at anytime at school or at home. I started this year by sending a summer science program that gives students a short activity to complete at home each day to get ready for 5^th grade science this year. The students who completed the optional program received homework passes when they arrived for the new year. This next year I would like to include some of the e-learning activities to the summer program.

In my current position reusable design has become another goal I have set to accomplish before the next school year. In the past three years, we have changed curriculum’s for science twice and each time I have to start fresh developing lessons for both 5^th and 6^th grades. This summer I purchased a center based program that allows me to make small changes to materials in each center each week for students to compete at their own pace. There is a vocabulary exercise, literature connection, graphic organizer, hands-on activity, and a quiz that is placed at each station for the students to complete. This will be used along with the kits that I prepare that will be used for each unit taught. These kits include a master copy of all handouts and teacher directions, group lab materials, and assessments for each unit. In teaching science, re-usability is extremely important since majority of the time is spent setting up lab activities and cleaning it up to store for the next use.

As far as rich media goes, I plan on using simulations when lab activities are not feasible due to time or lack of materials and animations that are included with new digital textbooks we are receiving for the next year. Students also have access to digital audio lessons that I will assign and require students to take notes on before I teach the lesson in the class for activating prior knowledge. I will use rich media to enable effective instructional methods to promote learning.

It is important to note that the introduction of new technologies is not to distract from the learning process but to enhance the learning environment. Web 2.0 tools such as Prezi presentations, podcasts, and blogs are only a couple of tools that I will use in my classroom. Our students are entering our rooms already knowing much about many of the social media uses for entertainment purposes but they are clueless to how to use these same tools as educational tools. It is our responsibility as educators to understand how to reach our “new” age students and teach them how to use all of the tools available to their benefit. Students must be taught how to responsibly use social media to problem solve and collaborate with others. Technology is here to stay and we need to try and keep up with the trend as much as possible or at least give our students to basic knowledge to find the correct tools to use when needed.  

Discussion 6

Section 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

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 employed at Boles Independent School District at the middle school as a 5^th and 6^th grade science and social studies teacher and 7^th & 8^th grade art teacher. I also will take on any other odd job at the district because I absolutely love where I work. I work concession stands, work the gates at volleyball games, and this year have taken the special interest in teaching anyone who is willing to listen and want to learn more about technology and how it can make your life easier on a daily basis both at home and at work. We only have one computer technician who only works part-time so many urgent issues take some time to get fixed. As a person who cannot stand down-time, I have learned how to solve many of my own problems and now more of my co-teachers are turning to me for help. Already this year I have taught 5^th through 8^th graders how to send and receive email using district Google accounts, how to create and share documents using Google Docs, how to set-up and use blogs, and have started helping students start their own e-portfolio. I am fortunate enough to have a principal who got me a substitute for several days and cleared my schedule to teach these classes all day long during a hour and a half sessions. I am currently enrolled in curriculum and instruction waiting for an opening in the doctoral program so I have decided to receive more training on technologies that may be of use with my students while I wait. I am not expecting to change positions when I finish either the educational technology program or curriculum and instruction program since I love where I am. Learning to me is a passion and I strive to seek out more knowledge for self-satisfaction. Eventually one day I may change my mind and I will have the necessary training to pursue whatever I choose.

Next, describe the kind of work that you want to do and the type at of organization or institution in which you want to work. Use the WorkMatrix^TM 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?

After completing the WorkMatrixTM my scores show that I desire first-level service or teaching and delivering training the most. My next highest score was on developing instruction since having to design instruction is not a high importance to me. The features that are the highest to me are high income growth and high promotion growth but no one feature was rated very high with high travel being almost none. I believe that I have found the educational sector to be the best fit for myself with public service being a close runner-up.

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?

Based on my results on the WorkMatrixTM, my learning for the career I want to be in will be never ending. I must continue to learn how to reach learners from all backgrounds and all learning types. I am always looking for new technology courses both at the institutional level and ones offered by local teachers' organizations and groups. Moving from traditional teaching methods to more authentic and hands-on learning have become my biggest concern at the present time. As a Texas teacher I am required to continue my training to renew my state certification every five years but personally I continue my learning not to satisfy my certification requirements but as a necessity to provide the best teaching skills as possible. I find myself not only taking those courses necessary to complete my program, but also ones that I am just interested in knowing more about. I have taken several elective courses in gifted and talented education, literacy, and classroom management that will help me reach my goal of understanding how to reach multiple populations.

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?

I believe that by joining teacher organizations now before I graduate is the best way to continue developing my skills as a teacher. I belong to several specialty groups in science and art, technology groups, and a master teachers' group that concentrates on teaching other educators how to build more authentic lessons that mirror the real-world in their classrooms or school communities. This is extremely beneficial not only to my career but also to making sure I have the most up to date information and training. I often seek the suggestions from more seasoned teachers and teachers from different content areas to see how I can bring variation into my classes. I know that I myself am unable to know everything myself, so seeking the expertise from others who are willing to share their knowledge and skills is the best way to gain necessary skills needed to ensure my students are receiving the best that I have to offer. Professional organizations tend to pool the knowledge and share strategies that have been proven to work in real-world settings. This is also the best option for getting a wealth of information in the most economical way.  

Discussion 5

Sections 5: Trends & 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.

Business and Industry:

Roles include sole designer, team member/leader, or designer as a consultant. As a sloe designer the span of controls is quite large and the overall success of the project is their responsibility. As a consultant, the role is to advise the leader and/or provide feedback. As a team member/ leader, teams are organized with specialist who work together to accomplish a specified organizational goal. Constraints include identifying the client, knowledge of ID process, project management versus instructional design, and legal issues and training. One of the biggest issues is reducing the time needed in training design and development. The training must deliver improved job performance using minimal loss of employee work time. At the same time, training must save time in its delivery by using technology to reduce time and costs and using more sophisticated evaluation techniques. Due to the rapid growth of internal operations beyond country boundaries, companies must design instruction for different cultures.

Military:
The roles of the military have grown to include protecting and defending the freedom of our nation and others using technologically sophisticated, multifaceted, and integrated organizations with overwhelming number of responsibilities. Designers are faced with designers must understand culturally diversity of their clients and find ways to accommodate such various audiences. Using such complex networking and technologies also creates a problem when developing applications that are secure. The budget is also a concern when trying to accommodate an appropriate training solution and alternatives that both fit this needs of the organization while staying in line with strict allowed funding. The wide range of technology that support the military from very basic paper based training to the most complex programs also presents its own problems for designers. Finding training products that are adaptable to all environments wherever personnel is deployed. The most critical challenge is recruiting and retaining highly qualified people. In order to develop and support military members a focus on encouraging lifelong learning for those currently in the military and to also open new doors for those leaving the military is a priority.

P-12 education:
The major change that is described in the reading in P-12 education is the piecemeal change versus systemic change. Piecemeal change is when only or parts of a system are changed leaving the basic structure of the system intact while systematic change involves redesigning or transforming the whole system. The product of the change process is the transformed educational system while the process is the guidance to how to accomplish successful change in educational programs. The push is for more schools to move towards using an ecological systems approach to improvement.

Many of the issues and trends in each of these three areas have some similarities as my current career in middle school public education. In many ways in my current district, we as teachers play the role of consultants to programs that we may think are beneficial for our students. The diversity of the students is always changing and therefore the programs that we choose must fit the needs of various cultures and backgrounds of our students. One of the biggest similarities that schools face that are alike with these organizations is finding the "right" fit of program design while also meeting the tight budgets of public schools. The programs must deliver the biggest impact, to the majority of the population, while spending adequate time training, fall within budgets, and create an environment of continuous growth and lifelong learning. Schools still face the issue with finding and retaining highly qualified staff. Some of the differences include the environments that personnel and students will be receiving necessary training. Majority of the environments can be controlled to some extent and who receives specialized training is also a controllable variable. Although the environments are growing beyond our nations borders, the depth and breath of how cultures effect program designs is incomparable to that of the military and the health professions.

Discussion 4

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. 

Currently, our district is attempting to grow our use of technology with the use of mobile devices and the integration of Internet tablets. Our students were behind in the use of technology applications due to the lack of resources in family homes. The need for technology courses and training were little to none from grades five to twelve at the district. We received a grant last year in excess of $25,000 and only had a short period of time before our plans on how to use that money on technology was to be detailed and submitted to the grant committee. With this short deadline, we decided to purchase a class set of tablets and two new student computers for each classroom. The one detail we failed to consider was how the addition of so many mobile devices would effect our wireless network. We quickly found that if all of the teachers were using tablets at the same time, the network would crash and have to be reset. With only one technology specialist for the district, the issue seemed impossible to fix before year's end. We decided to deal with the issues we currently had by limiting assignments done at the same times not to overload the current system. At the close of the year, the technology specialist opened up more bandwidth to help carry the extra load when using mobile devices. The problem of growth in complexity was eventually solved by communicating our needs as teachers tried to add technology to their daily assignments. Another solution to the growth was to streamline the technology troubleshooting process by eliminating the extra steps to contact the secretary or principal to log and track before contacting the technology specialist. We are now able to contact technology support directly with specific issues in individual rooms when needed. We have also assigned a designated technology team leader to help with small issues that do not require the technology specialist. Already in the first couple of weeks of school, we have already seen an increase in use of mobile devices and a decrease in down time due to connection problems. 

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.

Performance support systems are those tools and resources, some instructional and some not, that are available at the time of need that are designed to address the performance needs of individual workers, a group, and/or an entire organization. In terms of electronic performance support systems, they are those systems that support workers by electronic means. All of these tools provide on-demand information, online help, and/or expert systems to improve performance in the workplace. In the case of the rapid growth of technology at our school, performance support systems would not have helped solve the problems we faced, were things that could not be solved through reference information, learning experiences, help tools, or any customized tools. All of the problems we faced were unforeseen problems that could only be solved by reworking our current Internet set-up and with only one technician at the district, he was the only one with access to solve system problems. 

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? 

After dealing with a troubled and frustrating year of issues with our wireless network, the best knowledge that could have been collected would have been the exact times and locations in the building that were experiencing connectivity problems and also a direct communication tool that would pass specific problems directly to the technician. We have always called or notified the secretary or principal with any issues dealing with technology, then they relayed the message in their own perspective to the technician. This process not only was time consuming but the specifics to each problem was not relayed so that the technician could pin point our concerns or problems. At the end of the year, we created a committee to not only identify the problems we faced throughout the year as teachers that made our jobs harder but also the technology support team voiced their frustrations with the funneling of information that never seemed to be accurate or specific enough to completely solve the issues. At the end of the meeting, a decision had been made to call support staff directly with individual problems. Certain staff was identified that could solve minor issues quickly and if they were unable to troubleshoot the issue it would then move up the chain directly to the technician. Already in the first couple of weeks of school this year, we have continued to solve many issues using this plan. We have noticed quicker response times and a decrease in down time when dealing with connectivity issues. 

Discussion 3

The CIPP Evaluation model:

Context evaluation: the objective of context evaluation is to define the relevant context, identify the target population and assess its needs, identify oppor­tunities for addressing the needs, diagnose problems underlying the needs, and judge whether project goals are sufficiently respon­sive to the assessed needs through system analyses, surveys, document reviews, secondary data analyses, hearings, interviews, diagnostic tests, and the Delphi technique.

Input evaluation: main orienta­tion is to identify and assess cur­rent system capabilities, to search out and critically examine poten­tially relevant approaches, and to recommend alternative project strategies using inventorying and analyzing available human and material resources, proposed budgets and schedules, and recommended solution strategies and procedural designs.

Process evaluation: objectives include documenting the process and providing feedback regarding (a) the extent to which the planned activities are carried out and (b) whether adjustments or revisions of the plan are necessary using on-site observation, participant interviews, rating scales, questionnaires, records analysis, photographic records, case studies of partici­pants, focus groups, self-reflection sessions with staff members, and tracking of expenditures.

Product evaluation: the purpose is to measure, interpret, and judge a project’s outcomes by assessing their merit, worth, sig­nificance, and probity. Stufflebeam suggests that a combina­tion of techniques should be used to assess a comprehensive set of outcomes.

Kirkpatricks evaluation model:

The four steps of evaluation consist of:

• Step 1: Reaction - How well did the learners like the learning process?
• Step 2: Learning - What did they learn? (the extent to which the learners gain knowledge and skills)
• Step 3: Behavior - (What changes in job performance resulted from the learning process? (capability to perform the newly learned skills while on the job)
• Step 4: Results - What are the tangible results of the learning process in terms of reduced cost, improved quality, increased production, efficiency, etc.?

Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method:

Determines how well organizational initiative is working by comparing successful cases to unsuccessful cases. First, the programs the stakeholders must identify the program to be evaluated.  The organizations goals and how they are connected to the organization as a hole are identified. This determines what will be considered as a success in this organization. Next, participants are interviewed to identify best and worst cases which can be supplemented with performance records or any other information that may help locate success cases. This step is followed by an in-depth interview with success cases to gain detailed information necessary for documentation. Interviews with unsuccessful cases are also done to help identify barriers and suggestions of how to improve the program.

This evaluation model can be used to evaluate my instruction incorporating the use of technology and social networking in my science classes. With the push of technology integration in schools, I would like to compare the results from students who were successful on standardized testing compared to those who were not successful.  Those students who actively participate in discussions using class social media page both in responding to questions posed by the teacher and other students seemed to grasp more abstract concepts than those who were not able to hold meaningful conversations. Many students were able to find videos that explained difficult or hard to understand concepts that they could share with their classmates using the class webpage and email. I would also like to see how parent involvement played a role in the success of students.

Rossi’s five domain evaluation model:

This program attempts to identify an evaluation model that is tailored to fit local needs, resources, and type of program. First it identifies is there a need for this type of program? Second is the program developed with the idea that it should work if carried out as planned? Third, was the program implemented properly? Fourth, did the program have an impact on its intended target? And lastly, is the program cost effective?

I would use this in schools who are looking at moving towards digital editions of textbooks and supplemental resources for their districts. We all have experienced the budget cuts and are now faced with the problem of finding print textbooks that are currently aligned with objectives and standards at our perspective grade levels. There is a great need for materials that support the content that should be taught at each grade level to pass standardized testing and assessments. The digital programs are usually updated regularly to meet the needs of the consumers without the need to purchase new books each year so as the standards change, the e-textbooks should be up to date. Given the teacher resources to support student learning, digital textbooks or supplemental resources should be able to fill in the gaps where current textbooks and print resources are lacking. Of course our intended targets would be our students that we are teaching in our classrooms. The major judgment for many administrators would be if the products are cost effective. The costs of printed books now exceeds the initial cost of digital resources, which supports the cost effectiveness of this type of resource.

3. At the district I teach at I have been assigned the duty of developing a series of professional development sessions focusing on technology in the classroom. Our district has purchased iPads for the teachers and a set of 12 tablets for each classroom for this implementation but other resources are scarce making this task a little difficult. Currently I have asked for ideas from other teachers on technology resources or programs that they have seen or heard of that I can test or research to see if it would be a possibility for us. I have also asked for a list of concerns or needs from my team members for their classes that must be included in this training. I plan on trying to first motivate my team to “buy” into the idea of using technology in their classrooms to benefit the students. By introducing simple to implement tools like email and blogs first, teachers will begin to feel more comfortable using technology daily. I will create dates that we will slowly add a new technology into the classroom using the tools we have already without having to purchase any additional materials. I will set aside individual time to meet with each teacher to make sure they are comfortable with the new technology before they are expected to introduce it to their students. Daily communication and feedback will also be a requirement for determining how both the students and the teachers are accepting the new programs. By carefully planning and communicating the needs of all my team members, I will be better able to find materials that we can use in our classes using the materials we currently have to minimize costs and necessary materials when introducing technology into our current curriculum. 

Reading Week 1

In my definition, I would have to include any device or techniques that create students interests in learning using multi-media applications. The techniques include planning, organizing, and development of programs that have been proven to increase positive student outcomes and learning. In 1970, two definitions were developed by the US government. The first included media which can be used for instructional purposes alongside the teacher, textbook, and blackboard. The second definition states it is a systematic way of designing, carrying out, and evaluating based on research to bring about more effective instructional. The newest definition included the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by using and managing appropriate technological processes and research. My personal definition continues to evolve and change as I learn more about teaching strategies that include the new technologies that are steadily changing on a daily basis. 

Many times I have the best intentions when developing lessons that I think are perfect in its design but after completing the unit I reflect and realize that all things have not been considered. I usually include activities that are all centered on the students. I give them so input in their own learning and how they would prefer to receive their information. I usually start with the overall student goals or expectations for each lesson the work backwards making sure the end is realized. Many times I think that the design focuses on meaningful performance or projects but I sometimes am more interested and excited about the performance that the students. I realize that giving students several options to present their learning also gives them control over their own learning. Students are able to choose performances that showcase their learning in which mode best suites their learning style. Using rubrics have also been a new addition too many of my lessons has cleared up how students are measured. Students are able to see what must be accomplished in order to receive the desired grade. I usually steer away from team projects that in assignments that are to be completed outside the classroom that has a major impact on students grades. I should develop assignments that promote students working together and collaborating through various forms of communication devices such as email, google docs shared, telephone, and video conferencing. 

I would consider teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks all forms of instructional media. Instructional media is defined as any physical mean of which instruction is presented to learners. Instructional media should be incorporated into instruction but only if it is appropriate and beneficial to the learner. Including technology into lessons just to say a student used the computer to complete an assignment is not sufficient anymore with the ever changing and advancing world. Instructional technology has come a long way since 1970 when it was simply media which is used alongside the teacher to the most current definition which is heavily influenced by technological advances in design, development, and utilization in learning. The definitions have grown in length but as technology continued to change over time so did the definitions. The newest definition also included the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources. The biggest implication to instruction should be placed on using and managing appropriate technologies in the classroom.

The ADDIE model represents all parts of how to design instruction. Each step is related to the next and not more important than the next. They all are working towards the overall goal of evaluating what the learner knows. The outer circle is continuous and always acting with each other to ensure proper instructional design.