Section 7: New Directions in Instructional Design and Technology

E-learning environments

In order to apply an e-learning environment in my own position I searched the Internet for literature and examples of schools which have successfully applied them in their classrooms. The Adam Scott Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Peterborough, Canada implemented a program that combined cloud computing and portability by using Google apps and netbooks to support e-learning in the classroom. By using Google, educators and students created documents, presentations, spreadsheets, webpages, shared calendars, e-mail, etc. Students showed improvement in learner outcomes as well as student engagement. (Nevin, 2009)Personally, I have seen teachers at my school use Google apps because they are free, but also because they are easy to use across different platforms and devices and lend themselves to data collection and collaboration.  I have also noted an increase in tools such as Blogger, gmail and Googledocs in my college courses and less LMS tools. The greatest advantage of e-learning tools such as these is that they offer more than a platform (e.g., a learning management system) but provide a contextualized, meaningful experience for students. Learning is not limited by what links and learning objects the teacher provides (teacher-centered), instead an e-learning environment in which knowledge is synthesized in a real-world experience (student-centered).  A free LMS platform such as Moodle is a good tool for teachers because it could incorporate Google apps into a well-designed e-learning environment. My main concern is how a library will fit into an e-learning environment. I believe my focus should be in making sure students and families have access to my library catalog, databases and services to support learning, whether the links are within a Moodle course or the district website.

 

Learning Objects

I took from this chapter that learning objects should above all, achieve successful learning outcomes.  We should make good decisions and select relative learning objects because if we are not careful students can get caught up in an interactive game, flashy video or image and lose sight of what is trying to be taught. A way that I would like to use learning objects is in the form of short tutorials created with software such as Camtasia or Jing. I have created a couple of these videos in my grad courses and they are an easy way to create a reusable learning object that engages and helps students make connections to prior knowledge.   One problem I have with learning objects is organizing and classifying them in order to be able to use them again (it’s the librarian in me).  Teachers are using less of the library resources such as DVD’s CD’s and finding material on the Internet.  I believe what keeps some of them coming back is the fact that they can rely on the objects to physically be there – or if not, when it will be available.  The learning objects we collect to use in our curriculum, however get “lost” and we can’t remember which one of the ten thumb drives it is on. My goal is to use my classification and tagging skills to provide our campus with a repository that will organize these collective LO’s in one place such as Livebinders.

 

Rich Media

Rich media can enhance a lesson and improve learning, but this chapter suggests that one should be careful about when, how much and what kind of rich media is selected.  Teachers should recognize the learners’ memory capacity and prior knowledge before introducing rich media to a lesson.  The learners’ capacity to remember information has very little to do with learning styles, so all learners can benefit when images are used. I couldn’t help but think of all of the PowerPoints I have watched, filled with too much text and very little images.  When presenting new material to students, in the form of a video or animation, it is good to pause sometimes to give the students time to process and reflect. Reflecting on my experience as a librarian I have noticed that some students have an extremely difficult time transitioning from picture books to “chapter books” with no illustrations.  This chapter suggests because audio helps bring greater understanding than text alone and I can apply this in the library by making a point to read aloud as often as possible. When an emerging reader sees a book with endless words and no illustrations, panic sometimes sets in and the mind shuts down.  Book trailers have been a great way for me to “sell” novels and books to reluctant readers because they provide images, and limited text that the students can understand.

Emerging instructional technology

My experience with emerging technology is mainly with Web 2.0. I believe these tools should be integrated as much as possible because they reflect the experience of students outside of school in the way they socialize, interact and search for information.  For example, Edmodo is a great way to give students a Facebook-like social experience within a safe environment, and Glogster is a great alternative to Powerpoint. The issue we have at our school is the need for filters. Anderson states that by restricting the use of these tools forces “an unhealthy bifurcation between learning and education” (p.  305). It was explained to me that because of e-rate funding, our school must implement a filter that limits resources such as YouTube, blogs and photo-sharing sites.  As a result, I have searched for ways to help teachers find alternative resources that are not filtered, such as SchoolTube and providing steps for them to download YouTube videos at home. The need still remains for educators to integrate the informal learning students encounter out of school within the confines of the formal learning they experience in school. My goal is to search for good tools for teachers to use in class and continue to be an advocate for using this form of emerging technology at my school.

Nevin, R. (2009). Supporting 21st Century Learning through Google Apps. Teacher Librarian, 37(2), 35-38.

Section 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

My job is in education as a librarian and currently I am working at an elementary school, 3-5^th grade. I was hired four years ago, even though I did not have any library experience at the time; I did receive informal training from a mentor with 30+ years of library experience and received a good foundation of skills to build on. Two years ago the school district required me to become certified so I enrolled in the library certification program at TAMU-C. I chose this program because it was recommended to me by several people who work at Region 8, and the program being available online gave me the opportunity to fit grad school into my busy life. When I graduate I hope I can stay where I am now as the certified librarian for my school district because I love everything about my job, from promoting literacy to collaborating with teachers.

 

According to the WorkMatrixTM my job provides mostly First level service (teaching, delivering, and training), and Second level (training trainers). I teach information and research skills to students, and I also have presented technology training for library aides and teachers. I cannot say which I prefer the most, because both aspects of my job are rewarding and provide psychological income, which is just as important to me as economic income. As far as my priorities for work features, I would not like to have a job that requires a great deal of travel because of my small children and a geographical location that keeps me close to my family is also important to me.

 

My undergraduate degree was graphic design so after college I worked in this field for several years before becoming a teacher, even though the technology I used back then is now embarrassingly antiquated. Designing and developing instruction therefore is interesting to me, but I would need some training in current media production tools for e-learning and interactive multi-media. Out of all the sectors listed, business and industry is the area which I have the least experience. Because of my education background, I can identify with the aspects of instructional design such as defining goals and formative/summative evaluation, but I would need to take an elective such as Designing & Evaluating Instruction in order to obtain a better grasp of the instructional design process for work-based learning. Meanwhile, to stay successful in my job which I love, I need to attend workshops and professional development, stay current on research and emerging technology, and join professional organizations in order to stay current on issues in my field.

The following hypothetical “’experience” chart was posted on the RapidE-Learning blog created by Tom Kuhlman who is a blogger for Articuate e-learning software.

 

 

 

I am currently a member of the Texas Library Association (TxLA) and was able to attend the 2011 conference in Austin, and I look forward to attending the 2013 Fort Worth convention. There are many advantages for a Texas librarian to attend a conference such as this, for example by attending sessions on library advocacy I was able to promote the value of libraries in our district as well as ways to improve much needed funding.



Chapter 28 mentions many professional organizations in IDT and each one is geared toward different sectors. The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is for individuals who want to improve instruction through technology and a benefit of being a member for me as a librarian would be topics concerning information literacy. The website lists these topics of interest in the School Media and Technology division:

• Digital Citizenship
• Professional Development
• Achieving excellence in the Information Age
• Studies on School Media
• Collaboration

 

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) also promotes the effective use of technology in education for PK-12 educators.  This organization is an advocate for educators to policy makers regarding educational technology and digital age learning.  ISTE is also responsible for developing the NETS (National Education Technology Standards) which measure proficiency and set goals for what educators and students should be doing with technology in education. I plan to join the Texas Computer Educational Association (TCEA) which is affiliated with ISTE. TCEA hosts a yearly convention and exposition, this year in Austin.  Members also get access to free webinars and training.  It is to my advantage to join these professional organizations because they will help me learn better ways to integrate technology and be an advocate for my program.

Section 5: Trends and Issues in Various Settings

The chapters in this section identify trends and issues with instructional design and technology in a variety of settings: military, health care, P-12, higher education, and around the world. In this week’s blog post, tell which setting you are working in or intend to work in. Then identify one thing that you learned from reading about each of the other settings and explain how that concept, idea, or approach could be adapted to your setting.

My area of work is in P-12 as an elementary librarian for the past four years and before that, ten years as an art teacher. Recently when I completed my LIS courses, passed the test, and completed the majority of my technology coursework, my administration decided to give me the responsibility of District Librarian. I am excited about my new role, but I am also apprehensive about how I will manage the other three libraries as well as my own.  Besides being a media specialist, I also collaborate with teachers on my campus to integrate technology and other resources into the curriculum. Fortunately the library aides on the other three campuses have been patient and understanding with me as I learn how to juggle all of my responsibilities. This week’s reading has been one of my favorites, because it has forced me to think about what happens beyond my P-12 domain. As an educator I believe that is exactly what we need to do because we are supposed to be preparing students for life after P-12 and our instruction should reflect what students will experience in their future careers. 

The chapter about ID in business and industry states, “demands for increased efficiency, lower training budgets and globalized instruction are stimulating the evolution of instruction design” (pg. 184). As a provider of resources for my district, I would like to follow the business and industry’s focus on identifying the learners’ societal and cultural factors. In the library this means having a collection of materials that appeals to the various cultures represented in our district. Another implication for P-12 is the focus on needs assessment before instruction begins. Identifying and researching the cultural factors that require differentiated instruction will help create a better instructional intervention.  

 

The military presents a different type of instructional design scenario than P-12 because of the pervasiveness of training in the military’s day-to-day activities (p. 190). The example on pg. 194 describes a facility in which service-members train in a replicated city to experience and practice actual humanitarian and peacekeeping situations. This can be applied to P-12 by employing contextual teaching methods in the classroom.  A  3^rd grade social studies teacher could help her students make more connections during an economics unit if she uses real-world situations that the students are accustomed to, for example the students become entrepreneurs by creating their own business-babysitting, etc.- to apply the concepts of earning, spending, saving and budgeting.

 

 

Duplicating the practices of health care educators, especially the recent trend of Evidence-based learning would be beneficial in P-12 education.  Instructional designers for health care must help prepare professionals who will be able to make life-and-death judgments; consequently the movement of evidence-based-learning requires medical students to make decisions based on a systematic analysis of empirical research to find the best possible solution.  This method is incorporated in such a way that students become accustomed to consulting information sources so they will continue to do so in practice (p. 200). The movement of EBL in medicine reminds me of the need for educators to teach 21^st century skills at a time when students need it the most. A teaching method like EBS in education should emphasize identifying, locating and evaluating information found on the internet and should be a requirement for students as early as elementary school.

After reading the chapter about trends in higher education around the world, I see a greater need for P-12 educators to incorporate aspects of distant ed into their instruction. Students need to be prepared for this type of instruction and modeling aspects of online education in the lower grades will help prepare them for education after high school, for example, requiring students to post responses in blogs and social media. The section written by Brenda Litchfield was also insightful for my field of work: “I find out what (faculty) considers to be the most important goals and objectives for their courses and then help them design, develop, and implement strategies and activities that will keep their students’ attention and increase learning” (p. 224). My new role as district librarian should reflect her philosophy of being an innovator for my campus and district.