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.