I have always seen myself working with in the public or university school system, but after reading Chapter 18 in our Trends and Issues text by Reiser and Dempsey I thought it may be interesting to work with Technology based training delivery or even the globalization of training. I have always thought it was interesting to create lessons and use different applications and media to present or manipulate information. These two areas in the corporate world would be very similar, but working with employees instead of students. I see myself designing how the material or information will be presented. I do not see myself as a person that would want to analyze what exactly needs to be taught, I just want to find ways to teach it.
When approaching Chapter 22 I thought it would discuss those that design instruction, for example the SCOS, those that work with network structures and school technologies, and then those designing resources and assessments. I was surprised how different this chapter was. I never realized how much diversity there was for IT's that work with in the school system. I personally am interested in e-Learning. I see myself teaching and designing courses, assessment, communication tools, etc for e-Learning or distance education. I would especially like to be on an instructional strategies planning committee or with in the Multi-disciplinary Unit team as an Instructional Designer or Interactive multimedia designer.
I was intrigues by the section in chapter 21 about systemic change. Currently as a language Arts teacher I have seem a huge systemic change with the State's writing test assessment and implementation. I have been very interested to learn how the state decides when it is time to change testing and what steps they take in an attempt to improve assessment. As we become a country that craves data and statistics assessment will become more and more advance as years go by.
As I'm reading these chapters I kept thinking to myself, “I would have no idea how to do that..” There are many possibilities beyond the education system, but I do feel I need to gain expertise in the profession with in an environment that I feel comfortable with before branching out to other environments and work places. I am intrigued and would like to learn more about it however.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Instructional Media
When I first went to school for my undergrad I pictured my first Language Arts classroom very similar to my class when I was in 7th grade. We would read books, sit in circles and discuss the author's purpose. Computers would only be used for typing papers and perhaps some research.
My classroom today is very different. I often find myself finding different instructional media and creating lessons centered around using this new media. On a daily basis I use an Elmo which is basically a cool document camera. I use this media for lessons which are basically lecture and demonstration, but I have often allowed students to create their own lessons and use the Elmo to project their own notes, graphics, and demonstrations. The kids love to "play teacher."
When we read class novels I have students keep blogs instead of a reflection journals or a classroom discussion. I find that this allows students to work on writing and publishing as well as exploring literature. Discussions online I find are slower, but more organized and profound than a quick classroom seminar.
I have used chat rooms with my class as well. When students are discussing something they have read or are planning a project together they will often log onto a Meebo Chat room where I can see a written log of everything they discuss.
I have used blogging and chat rooms extensively in class because I find they are very similar to the types of discussion students can have face to face. This means it takes little time and training to use these medias.
In the future I would like to try using more multimedia programs and wikis where students can work on projects. Most of my class is project based learning or seminars. I use the media to help groups of students communicate and create products for presentation.
I have also been reading a lot about virtual realities such as Dr. Sugar mentioned Second Life. Some NC Virtual High School Teachers have been toying with this virtual reality to create classrooms online for students. I would love to know if anyone uses anything like this in their classroom today and what methods along with it?
My classroom today is very different. I often find myself finding different instructional media and creating lessons centered around using this new media. On a daily basis I use an Elmo which is basically a cool document camera. I use this media for lessons which are basically lecture and demonstration, but I have often allowed students to create their own lessons and use the Elmo to project their own notes, graphics, and demonstrations. The kids love to "play teacher."
When we read class novels I have students keep blogs instead of a reflection journals or a classroom discussion. I find that this allows students to work on writing and publishing as well as exploring literature. Discussions online I find are slower, but more organized and profound than a quick classroom seminar.
I have used chat rooms with my class as well. When students are discussing something they have read or are planning a project together they will often log onto a Meebo Chat room where I can see a written log of everything they discuss.
I have used blogging and chat rooms extensively in class because I find they are very similar to the types of discussion students can have face to face. This means it takes little time and training to use these medias.
In the future I would like to try using more multimedia programs and wikis where students can work on projects. Most of my class is project based learning or seminars. I use the media to help groups of students communicate and create products for presentation.
I have also been reading a lot about virtual realities such as Dr. Sugar mentioned Second Life. Some NC Virtual High School Teachers have been toying with this virtual reality to create classrooms online for students. I would love to know if anyone uses anything like this in their classroom today and what methods along with it?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Using ISD and ADDIE models
The variety of Instructional System Design models, I believe, is a reflection of the broad range of instructional systems that can be created by this type of design process. This could be both a weakness and a strength. While it is favorable to have some flexibility when using a design model, it may become an overwhelming task trying to selecting a model appropriate for your given task. While looking at the ADDIE models supplied in the EDTC6010 lesson I felt that those models that required more reflection, analyzes, and evaluation would be better suited for designing a large system or unit lesson. Smaller task would only require the minimal steps in the ADDIE model.
In my first year of teaching I often designed lessons that were isolated in themselves, meeting objectives quickly, and not linking to other activities. Now I tend to plan larger units that require students to meet multiple objectives in order to complete a product or assignment. These larger units lend themselves better to ADDIE models. I do find that I do not use as many evaluation stages as many models recommend, but this is replaced with informal assessment of the students and the "thinking on my feet modifications" that take place in a teacher's classroom on a daily basis.
One example of this would be my next classroom project. Prior to this assignment I have had all my students create a piece of writing where I was able to evaluate the gaps my students have in their writing organization and ability to support an idea. I then used the SCOS to make a list of objectives that I would like to have my students meet. After doing some research about the resources available to my students and classroom I created a lesson that require students to research different issues in the world, identify the problem, predict the future if the problem continues, and create a plan to implement and fix the problem. I know using the ADDIE I must first decide what strategies and methods I will use to introduce the objectives and create learning behaviors. I plan on first modeling how to identify the problem, predict the future, and create a plan to fix the issue. This will be done collaboratively with my students. After, I will show public announcement that follow the same steps. In groups students will have to complete these steps collaboratively, demonstrating their understanding of the steps. For a final product and assessment students will create a multimedia presentation communicating their group's findings.
As you can see I first analyzed the needs of my students and compared them to the required learning objectives suggested by the State. I also analyzed the resources and materials accessible to my classroom.
I then designed my lesson based on what learning objectives I wanted to cover and a project based learning method.
To evaluate students at the end of the project the students will be required to present a final product creating a summarize assessment of their grasp of the objectives, but during the course of the project informal formative assessment will take place.
In my first year of teaching I often designed lessons that were isolated in themselves, meeting objectives quickly, and not linking to other activities. Now I tend to plan larger units that require students to meet multiple objectives in order to complete a product or assignment. These larger units lend themselves better to ADDIE models. I do find that I do not use as many evaluation stages as many models recommend, but this is replaced with informal assessment of the students and the "thinking on my feet modifications" that take place in a teacher's classroom on a daily basis.
One example of this would be my next classroom project. Prior to this assignment I have had all my students create a piece of writing where I was able to evaluate the gaps my students have in their writing organization and ability to support an idea. I then used the SCOS to make a list of objectives that I would like to have my students meet. After doing some research about the resources available to my students and classroom I created a lesson that require students to research different issues in the world, identify the problem, predict the future if the problem continues, and create a plan to implement and fix the problem. I know using the ADDIE I must first decide what strategies and methods I will use to introduce the objectives and create learning behaviors. I plan on first modeling how to identify the problem, predict the future, and create a plan to fix the issue. This will be done collaboratively with my students. After, I will show public announcement that follow the same steps. In groups students will have to complete these steps collaboratively, demonstrating their understanding of the steps. For a final product and assessment students will create a multimedia presentation communicating their group's findings.
As you can see I first analyzed the needs of my students and compared them to the required learning objectives suggested by the State. I also analyzed the resources and materials accessible to my classroom.
I then designed my lesson based on what learning objectives I wanted to cover and a project based learning method.
To evaluate students at the end of the project the students will be required to present a final product creating a summarize assessment of their grasp of the objectives, but during the course of the project informal formative assessment will take place.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Learners
People learn in a variety or ways. In my undergrad we talked a lot about Blooms taxonomy and different learning styles, but after teaching I have seen that it takes many different styles of teaching with many different teaching methods to fully reach the majority of students in a classroom. In my classroom I concentrate on presenting material in many different ways, which relates to cogitative theory. I am also very concerned with having students discover and interact with topics before I actually teach them anything. I don't know if this is true constructional learning, but I have found that creating an interest in the topic by pulling out students questions prior to a lesson helps them create a context with the material before the lesson even begins. Lastly I repeat, repeat, and repeat vocab, definitions, expectations, and any important objects hence using the behaviorism theory of education. I find that students recognize that students retain information after they have said or done it a thousand times. In the past I felt that constructional learning was going to be the basis of my teaching style, but I find myself more in a partnership between all there, especially behaviorism and cognitivism.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Do I have to get a job?
I took a look at many of the organization web sites, but found few jobs that would allow people to work from anywhere in the country or in North Carolina. One of the reasons I went into this field was to enjoy the flexibility that technology would allow me. On Monster.com I found many jobs that related more to the corporate world, but allowed IT's to work in a variety of locations. Many insurance and financial groups are looking for Instructional Technology Consultants to design client and staff instructional material as well as interactive client software that would allow consumers to directly control their investments from home. As a public school teacher, I often forget how IT opens the door of opportunities outside of school.
One job I thought looked interesting just because I was familiar with the company was a Instruction Technology Consultant for Walgreens.
This job does require five years of experience in instruction design, but many times they will count school as experience. I thought this job looked interesting because they are looking for people to develop learning modules and quick referencing materials for staff and pharmacist. It appears that one would have to be able to travel to many locations for this one, but e-learning would be a large part.
Lately when ever I go anywhere or while I'm surfing online and I read something or watch something that is instructional I wonder what went into creating this. For example last week I took my last PADI scuba diving class and I thought, “Wouldn't it be cool to work with PADI to create an interactive e-learning environment for students, instead of watching all these videos from the 80's?”
I am not saying I want to leave the public schools now. I love the potential I will have with in the school systems. After receiving a degree in Instructional Technology I want to work in the schools first. Once gaining experience I think it would be interesting to work for a company designing instructional materials. I am specifically interested in e-learning opportunities.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
What is IT?
I am a classroom teacher and have had little to do with Instructional Technology until I started working in a school. I often crossed paths with our schools IT Technician and began to ask, "Who is that person with the laptop?" "What exactly is her job?" "How can I get to sit in my office all day?" It wasn't until I actually met someone in the IT field that I became interested in learning more about it. I have always loved using computers to teach. Its how I prefer to learn myself. I just didn't realize there was a whole field of study concerned with engaging students and providing information electronically.
From observation, IT deals with everything from working with hardware such as computers, wireless mice, and smart boards, to providing training, troubleshooting, and resources to help a school or company stay operable. The IT technician at our school previously spent most of her time ensuring the security of teacher and administrator data and monitoring the safety of students. Now I have seen our "techie" play more of a teach-the-teacher role by providing workshops about the benefits of using blogs in our classroom and creating wikis instead of book reports.
I believe that Instructional Technology covers the broad use of technology, especially the Internet, to enhance a learner's engagement, assessment, and collaborative communication.
From observation, IT deals with everything from working with hardware such as computers, wireless mice, and smart boards, to providing training, troubleshooting, and resources to help a school or company stay operable. The IT technician at our school previously spent most of her time ensuring the security of teacher and administrator data and monitoring the safety of students. Now I have seen our "techie" play more of a teach-the-teacher role by providing workshops about the benefits of using blogs in our classroom and creating wikis instead of book reports.
I believe that Instructional Technology covers the broad use of technology, especially the Internet, to enhance a learner's engagement, assessment, and collaborative communication.
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