Saturday, October 12, 2013
Section 7: New Direction in Instructional Design and Technology
How I envision applying each of the following in my future position in the IDT field:
Distributed or e-Learning Environments
e-Learning is coming whether we like it or not. In fact many learning objects are becoming available and students seek and are able to find them for topics they have an interest for. I imagine leveraging e-learning to help my students become better learners. As the text mentions, rather than dictate exactly what the students will use to accomplish certain outcomes, I will try to grant the freedom to choose from a range of objects and tools that allow them to make meaningful connections (long term memory connections) with the information or concepts. I imagine that this will not be an easy task as students are trained and conditioned to be fed knowledge and content. Another benefit of using e-learning is that the classroom can extend beyond the confines of the school. Parents would have the opportunity to support the learning process if the game plan and options are available to them as well.
Reusable Design or Learning Objects
As a programmer I really connected with this chapter. The benefits of making a reusable object range from the usage to collaboration to sharing or distribution. The ability to connect to Web 2.0 communities allows these objects to extend their life and usefulness. One of the points in the text was that some objects might even be used for which it was not even intended. In fact a learning object might even come from a completely different source unrelated to education. For instance, Play-Doh was developed in the 1930's as a wallpaper cleaner but eventually made it's way into schools as a modeling compound.
I see myself being a user and a maker of learning objects. I am bewildered by the resistance of teachers who will record their own versions of content rather than using an object that works perfectly fine. Even if 10 percent of the object does not align with their pedagogy, that 10 percent could potentially be highlighted, or ignored. The time and effort savings along with an desired learning outcome for the students is what makes a learning object so valuable. Teachers are up against a formidable task of balancing time and energy. Learning objects will be my equalizer.
Using the correct learning object will be the challenge. The temptation to overuse or misuse an object concerns me especially if there is pressure from administration to use tools and technology that they think are appropriate. I like the old saying of if you always use a hammer, all your problems start looking like nails because it is a good reminder to recognize the task or objective and then find the right tool for the job.
Rich Media
I enjoyed the twist in this chapter about the use of Rich Media. I support a knowledge base tool at my job and all too often new users think they need to inundate the knowledge document with graphics, grahpics and more grahpics. I learned from experience that less is more. Bold, bullets and numbering is generally sufficient enough to document an answer to a common problem. If the document is difficult to read because of scrolling or the problem described in the text where the focus shifts from the text to the picture and presents information overload, then the purpose of the knowledge document is diminished.
I like the research that was provided for audio and text instructions. It helps me understand the reasons for delivery methods that will help the brain connect and remember with the information. I will definitely use rich media in my career and will consider the data and information in this chapter. Less is more, but I will also use the correct form of media for the learning outcome. There is a connection back into the learning object, as rich media is one category in that usig the right object is key to success.
One part of the chapter that surprised me and changed my thinking was the seductive details. I always thought that tidbits or ancillary details of a topic would intrigue the learner and help them engage the task. I now think that including those items are destructive to the primary objective. This is a bit disappointing on the surface, but after some consideration I imagine that after the students learn more effectively sans seductive information they will be ready to explore or extend their interest to the interesting facts and tidbits that we wanted to share as teachers. The seductive details would be like desert after a hearty meal which can be enjoyed much better with a clean palate.
Emerging Instructional Technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybernetics, Web 2.0, virtual worlds, electronic games, etc.
Incorporating emerging technologies into instruction is probably the most challenging of IDT. While some of these technologies have been around long enough for the education and business world to get a handle on, the book of "best practices" typically has not been written. A key to applying the technology is to understand how the tool can support the desired learning outcome.
A good application of Web 2.0 is seeking and discovering learning communities or making connections with students in other areas of the district, state or country. While there are challenges of privacy and support of the tools with the schools IT department, there are enough tools available to satisfy most objectives.
Electronic games can be applied to instruction by utilizing meaningful gaming environments. Environments that stretch the student and allow them to take risks as they seek the epic win. The students have probably experienced gaming as a motivation or skill and drill, but careful examination of the game or simulation can shift this paradigm to utilizing for meaningful, student centered learning.
Virtual worlds can afford students and teachers to view interactions a see things that they are not able to witness as a first person. I was just watching a news story where a virtual environment using a xbox camera painted the avatar that looked like the boy and mimicked his expressions so he was able to recognize how he was being viewed by other participants. As virtual worlds become more realistic, it will be easier to "play" scenarios in a safe environment. They will also be able to connect with different participants in remote locations to add different perspectives to the experience.
Distributed or e-Learning Environments
e-Learning is coming whether we like it or not. In fact many learning objects are becoming available and students seek and are able to find them for topics they have an interest for. I imagine leveraging e-learning to help my students become better learners. As the text mentions, rather than dictate exactly what the students will use to accomplish certain outcomes, I will try to grant the freedom to choose from a range of objects and tools that allow them to make meaningful connections (long term memory connections) with the information or concepts. I imagine that this will not be an easy task as students are trained and conditioned to be fed knowledge and content. Another benefit of using e-learning is that the classroom can extend beyond the confines of the school. Parents would have the opportunity to support the learning process if the game plan and options are available to them as well.
Reusable Design or Learning Objects
As a programmer I really connected with this chapter. The benefits of making a reusable object range from the usage to collaboration to sharing or distribution. The ability to connect to Web 2.0 communities allows these objects to extend their life and usefulness. One of the points in the text was that some objects might even be used for which it was not even intended. In fact a learning object might even come from a completely different source unrelated to education. For instance, Play-Doh was developed in the 1930's as a wallpaper cleaner but eventually made it's way into schools as a modeling compound.
I see myself being a user and a maker of learning objects. I am bewildered by the resistance of teachers who will record their own versions of content rather than using an object that works perfectly fine. Even if 10 percent of the object does not align with their pedagogy, that 10 percent could potentially be highlighted, or ignored. The time and effort savings along with an desired learning outcome for the students is what makes a learning object so valuable. Teachers are up against a formidable task of balancing time and energy. Learning objects will be my equalizer.
Using the correct learning object will be the challenge. The temptation to overuse or misuse an object concerns me especially if there is pressure from administration to use tools and technology that they think are appropriate. I like the old saying of if you always use a hammer, all your problems start looking like nails because it is a good reminder to recognize the task or objective and then find the right tool for the job.
Rich Media
I enjoyed the twist in this chapter about the use of Rich Media. I support a knowledge base tool at my job and all too often new users think they need to inundate the knowledge document with graphics, grahpics and more grahpics. I learned from experience that less is more. Bold, bullets and numbering is generally sufficient enough to document an answer to a common problem. If the document is difficult to read because of scrolling or the problem described in the text where the focus shifts from the text to the picture and presents information overload, then the purpose of the knowledge document is diminished.
I like the research that was provided for audio and text instructions. It helps me understand the reasons for delivery methods that will help the brain connect and remember with the information. I will definitely use rich media in my career and will consider the data and information in this chapter. Less is more, but I will also use the correct form of media for the learning outcome. There is a connection back into the learning object, as rich media is one category in that usig the right object is key to success.
One part of the chapter that surprised me and changed my thinking was the seductive details. I always thought that tidbits or ancillary details of a topic would intrigue the learner and help them engage the task. I now think that including those items are destructive to the primary objective. This is a bit disappointing on the surface, but after some consideration I imagine that after the students learn more effectively sans seductive information they will be ready to explore or extend their interest to the interesting facts and tidbits that we wanted to share as teachers. The seductive details would be like desert after a hearty meal which can be enjoyed much better with a clean palate.
Emerging Instructional Technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybernetics, Web 2.0, virtual worlds, electronic games, etc.
Incorporating emerging technologies into instruction is probably the most challenging of IDT. While some of these technologies have been around long enough for the education and business world to get a handle on, the book of "best practices" typically has not been written. A key to applying the technology is to understand how the tool can support the desired learning outcome.
A good application of Web 2.0 is seeking and discovering learning communities or making connections with students in other areas of the district, state or country. While there are challenges of privacy and support of the tools with the schools IT department, there are enough tools available to satisfy most objectives.
Electronic games can be applied to instruction by utilizing meaningful gaming environments. Environments that stretch the student and allow them to take risks as they seek the epic win. The students have probably experienced gaming as a motivation or skill and drill, but careful examination of the game or simulation can shift this paradigm to utilizing for meaningful, student centered learning.
Virtual worlds can afford students and teachers to view interactions a see things that they are not able to witness as a first person. I was just watching a news story where a virtual environment using a xbox camera painted the avatar that looked like the boy and mimicked his expressions so he was able to recognize how he was being viewed by other participants. As virtual worlds become more realistic, it will be easier to "play" scenarios in a safe environment. They will also be able to connect with different participants in remote locations to add different perspectives to the experience.
Monday, October 7, 2013
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?
I currently work as a systems analyst in a Information Technology department for a large company. I have 15 years of customer support experience and many of those years on a corporate help desk. The program I currently am working on is Education Technology because I have a great interest in technology. I get technology and the value that it can bring. I see gaps in our public education as school districts try to solve the puzzle of integrating technology into instruction. I expect to make an impact in this space as a long time technologist problem solver.
Next, describe the kind of work that you want to do and the type of organization or institution in which you want to work. Use the WorkMatrixTM 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?
Initially I want to join the public education P-12 arena. I have spent the past 4 years studying to be a teacher while working full time and I am ready and excited to share my experience and most importantly learn from that environment. I am open to a corporate training environment but I would like to have the experience of developing content and instructional methods to effectively teach.
I also want to study the field of education technology and help solve some of the problems that exist today. Technology seems to be fitted for a corporate and consumer environment, but to utilize technology in a education realm exposes a new set of problems. My experience in the classroom should give me a practical perspective so I can contribute meaningful solutions and discussion to the field.
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?
The skills that will help me achieve success in the above will relate to designing lessons or instructional units that engage students with the use of technology. So far the electives that I have taken seem to be helpful, but I realize that a constant search for new information and training is required. The skill or ability to learn is what I consider the best tool in the box. I will try to learn as much as I can with research because that will help me shape future opinions and prove new solutions.
I also will take some media design and was glad to see the suggestion in the book to have some experience with those types of system. I have a good foundation with using computers and programming with my current job, but to use software that specifically relates to the education realm will be helpful to know so I can focus more on content and not the process.
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 appreciate the lengthy list that was provided in the text. A couple of organizations that I would like to join as soon as economically possible would be ISTE and AECT. They both seem geared toward helping educators with regard to education and technology. From journal to standards to books as well as the conferences (which I am excited about planning to attend next year) the resources available are substantial.
I currently work as a systems analyst in a Information Technology department for a large company. I have 15 years of customer support experience and many of those years on a corporate help desk. The program I currently am working on is Education Technology because I have a great interest in technology. I get technology and the value that it can bring. I see gaps in our public education as school districts try to solve the puzzle of integrating technology into instruction. I expect to make an impact in this space as a long time technologist problem solver.
Next, describe the kind of work that you want to do and the type of organization or institution in which you want to work. Use the WorkMatrixTM 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?
Initially I want to join the public education P-12 arena. I have spent the past 4 years studying to be a teacher while working full time and I am ready and excited to share my experience and most importantly learn from that environment. I am open to a corporate training environment but I would like to have the experience of developing content and instructional methods to effectively teach.
I also want to study the field of education technology and help solve some of the problems that exist today. Technology seems to be fitted for a corporate and consumer environment, but to utilize technology in a education realm exposes a new set of problems. My experience in the classroom should give me a practical perspective so I can contribute meaningful solutions and discussion to the field.
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?
The skills that will help me achieve success in the above will relate to designing lessons or instructional units that engage students with the use of technology. So far the electives that I have taken seem to be helpful, but I realize that a constant search for new information and training is required. The skill or ability to learn is what I consider the best tool in the box. I will try to learn as much as I can with research because that will help me shape future opinions and prove new solutions.
I also will take some media design and was glad to see the suggestion in the book to have some experience with those types of system. I have a good foundation with using computers and programming with my current job, but to use software that specifically relates to the education realm will be helpful to know so I can focus more on content and not the process.
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 appreciate the lengthy list that was provided in the text. A couple of organizations that I would like to join as soon as economically possible would be ISTE and AECT. They both seem geared toward helping educators with regard to education and technology. From journal to standards to books as well as the conferences (which I am excited about planning to attend next year) the resources available are substantial.
Monday, September 30, 2013
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.
The three contexts that I will compare/contrast are Military Education and Training, Health Care Education and P-12 Technology Integration.
The Health Care industry has a culture similar to the Military in that education is an on the job prospect. Naturally there is extensive training that takes place before attaining a license to practice, but the training seems to come from those within the profession.
The P-12 Technology Integration culture is mostly about educating the students by using methods that are proven. Professionals in education are encouraged to continue personal education and will attend seminars, training sessions and online sessions which meet the CE requirements. The students are rapidly approaching if not surpassing the teachers with computer and device literacy which presents a new challenge for teachers. It seems that the teachers are catching up to integrate technology but it has not been too long ago that newer web sites and infrastructure have come of age. The challenge is how to evaluate the tools and technologies available to the classroom to encourage meaningful learning.
The health care industry will likely use multimedia solutions to be able to visualize parts of the body or things that are too small for the eye to see. Simulations, dummies and even actors are also part of the technology that might be used for this context.
The P-12 environment is mainly about the internet, software, computers and tablets and possibly devices. This context is mainly considering the typical classrooms, however other specialty classes such as technology, tv and radio media, and even choir/drama might use technology in ways it has not before. The use of the internet to leverage the social networks and collective information is becoming more and more part of the classroom.
Health care costs are rising and thus causing more pressure to reduce costs. The more complicated the "dummies" and other simulations, the more costly the training will become on the budgets.
Then explain how they are
similar or different from the IDT trends and issues in the context in which you work
I currently work in the business sector. Training is helpful, but not always considered a necessity. In the IT world, if there is a new product being supported, then comprehensive training is provided normally on the front end of the process and future team members may or may not be sent offsite for training. If they do, it will likely be off site unless enough participants are available onsite and it is cost effective.
Managers like to know exactly what will be trained and they may decide to snip certain sections to reduce the amount of money spent to a trainer to be on-site. There is a deep desire to know exactly what will be delivered in training and if it seems that the manuals or online training can accomplish the same task, they will generally opt for the cheaper solution. Employees are expected to read up on changes in their field and know how to find answers to problems in an informal manner.
Technology in business education is generally using the existing tools (computer/internet/etc). In the case of attending training offsite, whatever the trainer provides will be the technology utilized.
The cost of training always relates to return on investment. If managers cannot see how they will gain from the training dollar, it will not typically be spent.
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.
The three contexts that I will compare/contrast are Military Education and Training, Health Care Education and P-12 Technology Integration.
Culture
I happen to have some experience with Military Training as I spent 3 years in the U.S. Navy. The trends and issues listed in the chapter were familiar with the environment remembered 20 years ago. The culture of the Navy was that training was very much part of the job. Although being part of the air wing where there was a day to day business as opposed to a combat type of job where the job is mainly training, we were expected to study on procedures and take on new jobs until we were familiar enough to train the next person coming into the shop. Procedures and Troubleshooting steps were well documented and we were rewarded for following the rules and order.The Health Care industry has a culture similar to the Military in that education is an on the job prospect. Naturally there is extensive training that takes place before attaining a license to practice, but the training seems to come from those within the profession.
The P-12 Technology Integration culture is mostly about educating the students by using methods that are proven. Professionals in education are encouraged to continue personal education and will attend seminars, training sessions and online sessions which meet the CE requirements. The students are rapidly approaching if not surpassing the teachers with computer and device literacy which presents a new challenge for teachers. It seems that the teachers are catching up to integrate technology but it has not been too long ago that newer web sites and infrastructure have come of age. The challenge is how to evaluate the tools and technologies available to the classroom to encourage meaningful learning.
Technology
The military will need a range of technology solutions depending on the situation. The situation might require a paper job aid or something as complex and expensive as a flight or fighting simulator.The health care industry will likely use multimedia solutions to be able to visualize parts of the body or things that are too small for the eye to see. Simulations, dummies and even actors are also part of the technology that might be used for this context.
The P-12 environment is mainly about the internet, software, computers and tablets and possibly devices. This context is mainly considering the typical classrooms, however other specialty classes such as technology, tv and radio media, and even choir/drama might use technology in ways it has not before. The use of the internet to leverage the social networks and collective information is becoming more and more part of the classroom.
Costs
The costs of ID for the military context is much like you would expect with governmental oversight. While it can be lucrative, it has it's own issues to deal with. Many trade off decisions must be made regarding low-tech to high-tech solutions for training. The scope of training can also be a factor, however the military tends to offset the training costs by creating train the trainer roles.Health care costs are rising and thus causing more pressure to reduce costs. The more complicated the "dummies" and other simulations, the more costly the training will become on the budgets.
Then explain how they are
similar or different from the IDT trends and issues in the context in which you work
I currently work in the business sector. Training is helpful, but not always considered a necessity. In the IT world, if there is a new product being supported, then comprehensive training is provided normally on the front end of the process and future team members may or may not be sent offsite for training. If they do, it will likely be off site unless enough participants are available onsite and it is cost effective.
Managers like to know exactly what will be trained and they may decide to snip certain sections to reduce the amount of money spent to a trainer to be on-site. There is a deep desire to know exactly what will be delivered in training and if it seems that the manuals or online training can accomplish the same task, they will generally opt for the cheaper solution. Employees are expected to read up on changes in their field and know how to find answers to problems in an informal manner.
Technology in business education is generally using the existing tools (computer/internet/etc). In the case of attending training offsite, whatever the trainer provides will be the technology utilized.
The cost of training always relates to return on investment. If managers cannot see how they will gain from the training dollar, it will not typically be spent.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Section 4: Human Performance Technology
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.
I work in a group that is split between Dallas Texas and Baguio, Philippines. Our group is responsible for several systems and each of us are primarily responsible for one of them. We have service requests that come to our group at all hours of the day and we are expected to work the basic requests for all of the systems. We spent a week training each other on our respective systems and covered the basics, but recently the tickets that come in are being passed to the primary for the system and not handled by the other group.
A couple of non-instructional solutions would be for the team lead Baguio to coach his team members as tickets come in to capture the requests and to understand the problem or request stated in each ticket. Capturing the request would be the first step in Documentation as either they will find the answer in the knowledge base or they will have a suitable problem statement to seed a new document when the appropriate answer is provided by the primary system owner.
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 work tools provided to the performers in a just in time manner. It can be in the form of software or systems, or it can be in the form of job aids or laminated materials. The main idea is that it provides direction and guidance for the person to complete a task or know what steps to take to do their work.
In the above case, a performance support system will help as the requests are infrequent but critical to offer support of the customer in a timely manner. It also has criticality for the counterparts to understand the systems and the requests that are made of the system in the event they need to take over support at a future date.
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?
We have documentation about our systems and we also have a ticketing system which contains actual requests in the customers own words. Granted, the customer does not always articulate exactly what they need but ironically, they typically ask for things very similar to each other, therefore, even their misstated request, captured, could be helpful. I believe that a knowledge base that contains customer request statements and general informational tasks which could point to a brief procedure, or complex procedure stored on a file share or sharepoint site would be the way to solve the problem. It could be collected as requests are reviewed and searched and if a pointer does not exist, it can be created in the workflow. The provider of the answer can fill in the gaps of the knowledge document as part of their workflow. It could very well be that the framed document is not needed because a different document provides the necessary information. In that case, the problem statement could be transferred to the existing document and the new document discarded. This method places knowledge management in the middle of the workflow and will provide an organic growth of useful information.
Chapter 17 describes types of informal learning. What informal learning experiences have you participated in at your organization? Could those informal learning experiences be shared with others? Could the knowledge gained in those settings be codified and managed? And should it be managed or should the informal experiences be replicated or broadened for others?
I work and breathe in an informal learning environment. In fact, I once had a coworker, who was considering moving to a new job in another company, smaller company in fact, that was willing to listen to me a second time about the benefits of our environment. The projects that are given to us along with the expectations to write them in sustainable, easy to use and manage interfaces, with technology and skills that were just above our current level are the opportunity of a lifetime. He chose the extra money and left and ultimately lost out on a gold mine of knowledge and experiences.
We not only have the projects but we have the latitude and expectation to work with each other and share our knowledge. We are expected to seek out solutions on the fabulous Web 2.0 and incorporate best practices in coding and usability that will work across multiple browsers. We stumble across many web sites that are helpful and some that are not so helpful. It is our collaboration that help us weed out the better solutions and our performance and skill continue to evolve.
Much of our knowledge is tacit. However we could take snippets of code and write up a summarization of what we know to date such as setting up a web site for authentication or to use twitter bootstrap to make it a bit easier for our counterparts in Baguio. It would depend on the information and the task.
Our boss currently asked our team in Baguio to seek out some .net training so they can develop a better understanding and skillset. However I do believe that we could help replicate some of the informal training experiences for them and be available for some frequent discussions about programming and projects that we benefit from in our cubical roundtables.
I work in a group that is split between Dallas Texas and Baguio, Philippines. Our group is responsible for several systems and each of us are primarily responsible for one of them. We have service requests that come to our group at all hours of the day and we are expected to work the basic requests for all of the systems. We spent a week training each other on our respective systems and covered the basics, but recently the tickets that come in are being passed to the primary for the system and not handled by the other group.
A couple of non-instructional solutions would be for the team lead Baguio to coach his team members as tickets come in to capture the requests and to understand the problem or request stated in each ticket. Capturing the request would be the first step in Documentation as either they will find the answer in the knowledge base or they will have a suitable problem statement to seed a new document when the appropriate answer is provided by the primary system owner.
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 work tools provided to the performers in a just in time manner. It can be in the form of software or systems, or it can be in the form of job aids or laminated materials. The main idea is that it provides direction and guidance for the person to complete a task or know what steps to take to do their work.
In the above case, a performance support system will help as the requests are infrequent but critical to offer support of the customer in a timely manner. It also has criticality for the counterparts to understand the systems and the requests that are made of the system in the event they need to take over support at a future date.
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?
We have documentation about our systems and we also have a ticketing system which contains actual requests in the customers own words. Granted, the customer does not always articulate exactly what they need but ironically, they typically ask for things very similar to each other, therefore, even their misstated request, captured, could be helpful. I believe that a knowledge base that contains customer request statements and general informational tasks which could point to a brief procedure, or complex procedure stored on a file share or sharepoint site would be the way to solve the problem. It could be collected as requests are reviewed and searched and if a pointer does not exist, it can be created in the workflow. The provider of the answer can fill in the gaps of the knowledge document as part of their workflow. It could very well be that the framed document is not needed because a different document provides the necessary information. In that case, the problem statement could be transferred to the existing document and the new document discarded. This method places knowledge management in the middle of the workflow and will provide an organic growth of useful information.
Chapter 17 describes types of informal learning. What informal learning experiences have you participated in at your organization? Could those informal learning experiences be shared with others? Could the knowledge gained in those settings be codified and managed? And should it be managed or should the informal experiences be replicated or broadened for others?
I work and breathe in an informal learning environment. In fact, I once had a coworker, who was considering moving to a new job in another company, smaller company in fact, that was willing to listen to me a second time about the benefits of our environment. The projects that are given to us along with the expectations to write them in sustainable, easy to use and manage interfaces, with technology and skills that were just above our current level are the opportunity of a lifetime. He chose the extra money and left and ultimately lost out on a gold mine of knowledge and experiences.
We not only have the projects but we have the latitude and expectation to work with each other and share our knowledge. We are expected to seek out solutions on the fabulous Web 2.0 and incorporate best practices in coding and usability that will work across multiple browsers. We stumble across many web sites that are helpful and some that are not so helpful. It is our collaboration that help us weed out the better solutions and our performance and skill continue to evolve.
Much of our knowledge is tacit. However we could take snippets of code and write up a summarization of what we know to date such as setting up a web site for authentication or to use twitter bootstrap to make it a bit easier for our counterparts in Baguio. It would depend on the information and the task.
Our boss currently asked our team in Baguio to seek out some .net training so they can develop a better understanding and skillset. However I do believe that we could help replicate some of the informal training experiences for them and be available for some frequent discussions about programming and projects that we benefit from in our cubical roundtables.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Section 3: Evaluating, Implementing and Managing Instructional Programs and Projects
Chapter 10 discusses evaluation in instructional design and provides you with two evaluation models, the CIPP and Kirkpatrick models for evaluation. Search for at least two other models used for evaluation and summarize these models. Describe how you would use them to evaluate your instruction.
Goal Free Evaluation
This model was created by Nfichael Scriven in the 70's. The purpose of using this model is to capture intended as well as unintended outcomes of a project. As the title indicates, the idea is not to consider the goals or objectives of the program so that all aspects of the program can be considered. The focus will be on the effects of the program and not the goals so the ability to profile the needs of the "target population" is required and if there is positive impact on those needs, it will produce a postive evaluation.
It requires the evalutor have access to participants, data and have time to conduct the evaluation. It is qualitative and relies on interviews in an unstructured manner. The evalutor should have good knowledge of the subject and if they are not competent, it will be a major factor. The evaluator also needs to be free of bias so they can interpret the data for what it is.
I can see this model being helpful to evaluate my instruction with a perspective of the overall value of the content or process. There will be benefits that could be substantial that would go unnoticed and unappreciated if a evaluation of this type were not considered. While I am typically a numbers type of person, a qualitative evaluation model will help tell the rest of the story that justifies the use of the instruction design or at least certain elements that could be coupled with other design that produces better "numbers"
Tyler Model
In contrast to Goal Free Evaluation, the Tyler Model is all about the objectives. The goals need to be measurable for this method to be helpful. The main function of the evaluator is to identify a process to measure the goals and will design a way for the data to be collected. The information is given to the client and the evaluator is no longer in the process. The client will make their own judgments as to what the collected data tells them.
The ability to identify goals is critical and the process to collect data should be tested well. The output is only as good as the correct goals are expressed.
I can see this model as extremely helpful to know if the instructional design is meeting the "numbers". Perhaps there could be two evaluation models utilized to capture the quantitative and qualitative value of the design. I probably lean more to this model as it might be easier to place measuring devices and collect data to tell the story. However, the data could be interpreted in many different ways, and perhaps the qualitative method above would bring into focus how or why the objectives were met.
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. What else would be useful to know?
Cost and Time would be some factors to consider. In many of the evaluation models, the evaluators need to be experts or unbiased, which means not necessarily connected to the current situation. Time is money and expertise is money.
Who will review or assess the evaluation. Much like the Tyler Model, the interpretation is to be performed by the client. Is there support from management or administration to give due diligence to understand the data and take necessary actions.
What have been the outcomes of similar studies or evaluations? What elements have made them successful?
Chapter's 12 & 13 focus on project management and how to manage projects when resources are scarce. You have been assigned to develop a series of professional development sessions focusing on technology use in the classroom for teachers during a time of economic decline. How will you use Situational Leadership to facilitate this project and manage scarce resources?
Situational Leadership is a very practical way to manage and lead projects and people. The key behavior for a situational leader is to adapt to each of their team members according to what they need. What they need depends on their motivation and their competency. If they are Low Competent and Low Motivation, it will require more direction and follow up as well as investigation as to what will help the team member buy into the project. If if they have high motivation and low competency, then it is a matter of training and feedback to bring them up to speed. On the other side of the spectrum, we have high competency and low motivation, once it is understood what it will take to bring that person back into the tent, they will be very productive members of the team. Obviously the high motivation, high competency will be more of a monitoring interfacing role that the situational leader will use. Not all members of the team will stay in any given quadrant and it requires a strong knowledge of people skills and assessment skills to identify what actions to take.
Understanding each team members role is also critical to the programs success. Knowledge of the job and/or specific tasks is information that the leader needs to know.
Regarding scarcity of resources to develop a series of professional development courses, I would need to fully understand the scope and amount of resources that are available. I would assume that the need or demand is somewhat fixed, however, one can assume that we are talking about teachers who can be picky and critical and refuse to use something that is not up to their expectations. I would definitely try to understand what gaps or desires the teachers have and try to capture a large percentage of potential participants.
I would balance the scope, time frame and amount of work with the number of resources available. Negotiation of the deliverables would be required so that we do not over promise and under deliver. Once we had our goals and objectives, I would set up some clear channels of communication via meetings and mailing lists. It would be clear where to store documents and we would establish and celebrate milestones.
Goal Free Evaluation
This model was created by Nfichael Scriven in the 70's. The purpose of using this model is to capture intended as well as unintended outcomes of a project. As the title indicates, the idea is not to consider the goals or objectives of the program so that all aspects of the program can be considered. The focus will be on the effects of the program and not the goals so the ability to profile the needs of the "target population" is required and if there is positive impact on those needs, it will produce a postive evaluation.
It requires the evalutor have access to participants, data and have time to conduct the evaluation. It is qualitative and relies on interviews in an unstructured manner. The evalutor should have good knowledge of the subject and if they are not competent, it will be a major factor. The evaluator also needs to be free of bias so they can interpret the data for what it is.
I can see this model being helpful to evaluate my instruction with a perspective of the overall value of the content or process. There will be benefits that could be substantial that would go unnoticed and unappreciated if a evaluation of this type were not considered. While I am typically a numbers type of person, a qualitative evaluation model will help tell the rest of the story that justifies the use of the instruction design or at least certain elements that could be coupled with other design that produces better "numbers"
Tyler Model
In contrast to Goal Free Evaluation, the Tyler Model is all about the objectives. The goals need to be measurable for this method to be helpful. The main function of the evaluator is to identify a process to measure the goals and will design a way for the data to be collected. The information is given to the client and the evaluator is no longer in the process. The client will make their own judgments as to what the collected data tells them.
The ability to identify goals is critical and the process to collect data should be tested well. The output is only as good as the correct goals are expressed.
I can see this model as extremely helpful to know if the instructional design is meeting the "numbers". Perhaps there could be two evaluation models utilized to capture the quantitative and qualitative value of the design. I probably lean more to this model as it might be easier to place measuring devices and collect data to tell the story. However, the data could be interpreted in many different ways, and perhaps the qualitative method above would bring into focus how or why the objectives were met.
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. What else would be useful to know?
Cost and Time would be some factors to consider. In many of the evaluation models, the evaluators need to be experts or unbiased, which means not necessarily connected to the current situation. Time is money and expertise is money.
Who will review or assess the evaluation. Much like the Tyler Model, the interpretation is to be performed by the client. Is there support from management or administration to give due diligence to understand the data and take necessary actions.
What have been the outcomes of similar studies or evaluations? What elements have made them successful?
Chapter's 12 & 13 focus on project management and how to manage projects when resources are scarce. You have been assigned to develop a series of professional development sessions focusing on technology use in the classroom for teachers during a time of economic decline. How will you use Situational Leadership to facilitate this project and manage scarce resources?
Situational Leadership is a very practical way to manage and lead projects and people. The key behavior for a situational leader is to adapt to each of their team members according to what they need. What they need depends on their motivation and their competency. If they are Low Competent and Low Motivation, it will require more direction and follow up as well as investigation as to what will help the team member buy into the project. If if they have high motivation and low competency, then it is a matter of training and feedback to bring them up to speed. On the other side of the spectrum, we have high competency and low motivation, once it is understood what it will take to bring that person back into the tent, they will be very productive members of the team. Obviously the high motivation, high competency will be more of a monitoring interfacing role that the situational leader will use. Not all members of the team will stay in any given quadrant and it requires a strong knowledge of people skills and assessment skills to identify what actions to take.
Understanding each team members role is also critical to the programs success. Knowledge of the job and/or specific tasks is information that the leader needs to know.
Regarding scarcity of resources to develop a series of professional development courses, I would need to fully understand the scope and amount of resources that are available. I would assume that the need or demand is somewhat fixed, however, one can assume that we are talking about teachers who can be picky and critical and refuse to use something that is not up to their expectations. I would definitely try to understand what gaps or desires the teachers have and try to capture a large percentage of potential participants.
I would balance the scope, time frame and amount of work with the number of resources available. Negotiation of the deliverables would be required so that we do not over promise and under deliver. Once we had our goals and objectives, I would set up some clear channels of communication via meetings and mailing lists. It would be clear where to store documents and we would establish and celebrate milestones.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Section 2: Theories and Models of Learning and Instruction
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?
The various instructional methods and theories have been developed to establish a guide or system to teach students new information. They all try to leverage the way we learn or and they are based on observable outcomes. The methods are much like philosophical truths which seem to be bullet proof for a large section of the population. However they all seem to fall short or fail to bring everyone under the same tent. Each method offers a glimpse into how our minds work such as Skinners behavioral method of reinforcement and feedback, or the CIP Theory of how we process, store and recall information. The methods may not apply to everyone as our brains are complex and the correlations of practice and acquisition does not necessarily indicate an absolute perspective of how we learn.
Based on what you’ve read about positivist and relativist epistemologies, as well as behaviorist and constructivist approaches, try to more fully describe a contextualist epistemology. How might it differ from either a relativist or positivist stance, and how might social constructivism differ from either behaviorist or radical constructivist approached to learning and instruction?
The contextualist epistemology will use connections that the student can make with their culture and artifacts. Culture being their set of social rules and traditions that give their environment meaning.
This is different from the radical constructivist who believe that knowledge does not have to come from real world experiences. With contextualism, the student will use what is known and understood in their environment to make a connection or construct new knowledge. The social constructivist will leverage a group or collaboration but the contextualist approach sees the group as part of the environment, but not solely the environment.
A postivist epistimology relies on empirical evidence and unless that evidence is in their environment, the student will have a hard time connecting with the information, particularly if they do not see a need to use it in the future.
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?
A constructivist approach to instruction and problem solving activities will facilitate the engagement of the student, whereas the type of engagement from a behaviorist might be more of checking for responses and guiding or directing the process of solving the problem. I can see a behaviorist showing one (or more) ways to work a problem, but clearly indicating to the student if they are doing it right. A constructivist will give the student more room, ask questions, and try to provide scaffolding if needed. The term used in the book is rather than be a "sage on the stage", be a "guide on the side".
The constructivist method will include allowing the student to choose their area to work on a particular problem and the approach they might want to take.
The motivation factor with the student could fall either way in both cases. I imagine that to a novice, a behaviorist approach might be welcomed and appreciated to a certain extent. However, if it does not transition to freeing the constraints of the student so they can consider different approaches then their motivation might wane. On the other hand, if they are given too much freedom and not enough support or feedback (perhaps questions to reflect on), their motivation to continue to engage and their desire to learn could easily be stiffled.
The various instructional methods and theories have been developed to establish a guide or system to teach students new information. They all try to leverage the way we learn or and they are based on observable outcomes. The methods are much like philosophical truths which seem to be bullet proof for a large section of the population. However they all seem to fall short or fail to bring everyone under the same tent. Each method offers a glimpse into how our minds work such as Skinners behavioral method of reinforcement and feedback, or the CIP Theory of how we process, store and recall information. The methods may not apply to everyone as our brains are complex and the correlations of practice and acquisition does not necessarily indicate an absolute perspective of how we learn.
Based on what you’ve read about positivist and relativist epistemologies, as well as behaviorist and constructivist approaches, try to more fully describe a contextualist epistemology. How might it differ from either a relativist or positivist stance, and how might social constructivism differ from either behaviorist or radical constructivist approached to learning and instruction?
The contextualist epistemology will use connections that the student can make with their culture and artifacts. Culture being their set of social rules and traditions that give their environment meaning.
This is different from the radical constructivist who believe that knowledge does not have to come from real world experiences. With contextualism, the student will use what is known and understood in their environment to make a connection or construct new knowledge. The social constructivist will leverage a group or collaboration but the contextualist approach sees the group as part of the environment, but not solely the environment.
A postivist epistimology relies on empirical evidence and unless that evidence is in their environment, the student will have a hard time connecting with the information, particularly if they do not see a need to use it in the future.
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?
A constructivist approach to instruction and problem solving activities will facilitate the engagement of the student, whereas the type of engagement from a behaviorist might be more of checking for responses and guiding or directing the process of solving the problem. I can see a behaviorist showing one (or more) ways to work a problem, but clearly indicating to the student if they are doing it right. A constructivist will give the student more room, ask questions, and try to provide scaffolding if needed. The term used in the book is rather than be a "sage on the stage", be a "guide on the side".
The constructivist method will include allowing the student to choose their area to work on a particular problem and the approach they might want to take.
The motivation factor with the student could fall either way in both cases. I imagine that to a novice, a behaviorist approach might be welcomed and appreciated to a certain extent. However, if it does not transition to freeing the constraints of the student so they can consider different approaches then their motivation might wane. On the other hand, if they are given too much freedom and not enough support or feedback (perhaps questions to reflect on), their motivation to continue to engage and their desire to learn could easily be stiffled.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Section 1: Defining the Field
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?
It stands to reason that the definition of instructional technology has changed over the years. We tend to pidgeon hole or associate types of technology labels and as new tech comes out the attached label is outgrown. I think it also has to do with an evolution as to how to apply or use the technology to design instruction to leverage its benefits. Technology has caused us to think differently along the way. New paradigms are formed which allow us to advance our thinking and use of technology to make better technology. Incidentally our understanding of better is also adjusted or modified as time and changes go forward.
I am very new to the teaching field and my idea of instructional design and technology is rooted in the experience of teacher preparation classes. I have 20 years of working with technology and I constantly learn through the use of computers and programs so my definition of instructional design and technology is as basic as using technology such as computers, internet, games, models and simulations to provide a perspective that shape a students understanding and knowledge.
I can easily buy into the two definitions used in the textbook as it seems to include a nice structure and is open enough to include almost anything, not just technology to improve learning and performance. In a recent class, I recall a statement that was made regarding the decision not to use technology for a specific reason is just as applicable as using technology for the sake of using it.
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.
The instruction that comes to mind is a classroom management class I took a couple of years ago. We were assigned groups and tasked with presenting a chapter in the book to the rest of the students. We were also assigned a particular week and it was up to us to determine how we present the information. Most of the groups created a powerpoint with handouts and that seemed to be the expectation. We complied with the expectation. Comparing it to the six characteristics, I will assess if it met the target with some notes on each item.
I can see now that we could have met and devised a better method for teaching the class our chapter. Perhaps have them do something similar during the hour, or even flip the classroom. A better design would be to provide some clearer objectives, provide a rubric and to emphasize using engaging methods of instruction that was discussed and encouraged in the many classes in the teacher development program.
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?The first three chapters of your book define the IDT (Instructional Design and Technology) field and provide a history of how it has evolved over time. In your blog post for this week, reflect on the following:
I can see the logic of not including the teacher, chalkboard and textbook as instructional media based on the premise that those are primary in the instruction. They all relate directly to the teacher who is the guide. As the guide chooses to use other items, they are defined as instructional media. I could easily agree with this premise, however we would have to substitute the chalkboard with the dry-erase board and the textbook with the ebook in some cases. This might just be where the logic breaks down a bit but so long as those methods are the primary methods, the definition makes sense. I would wonder if the tablet becomes the primary tool of the teacher if that too would be excluded years from now?
It seems the purpose of instructional design is to carefully use the appropriate media to accomplish the objectives and goals of engaging and teaching students. To state that it is to always use media would be focusing on the wrong target. The end might always contain some form of media because of the richness and value it has in the learning process but the goal should definitely be the learning process.
I enjoyed reading through the ADDIE process and clearly see the value of the diagram above. While the process appears to be cyclic, it allows for evaluation at any stage and a redirection to any part of the process as needed. I like to evaluate and use formative assessment wherever possible to check if I am on the right track or if I need to adjust. I love feedback and this model clearly shows how integral evaluation is to the process.
It stands to reason that the definition of instructional technology has changed over the years. We tend to pidgeon hole or associate types of technology labels and as new tech comes out the attached label is outgrown. I think it also has to do with an evolution as to how to apply or use the technology to design instruction to leverage its benefits. Technology has caused us to think differently along the way. New paradigms are formed which allow us to advance our thinking and use of technology to make better technology. Incidentally our understanding of better is also adjusted or modified as time and changes go forward.
I am very new to the teaching field and my idea of instructional design and technology is rooted in the experience of teacher preparation classes. I have 20 years of working with technology and I constantly learn through the use of computers and programs so my definition of instructional design and technology is as basic as using technology such as computers, internet, games, models and simulations to provide a perspective that shape a students understanding and knowledge.
I can easily buy into the two definitions used in the textbook as it seems to include a nice structure and is open enough to include almost anything, not just technology to improve learning and performance. In a recent class, I recall a statement that was made regarding the decision not to use technology for a specific reason is just as applicable as using technology for the sake of using it.
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.
The instruction that comes to mind is a classroom management class I took a couple of years ago. We were assigned groups and tasked with presenting a chapter in the book to the rest of the students. We were also assigned a particular week and it was up to us to determine how we present the information. Most of the groups created a powerpoint with handouts and that seemed to be the expectation. We complied with the expectation. Comparing it to the six characteristics, I will assess if it met the target with some notes on each item.
- Instructional design is student centered.
It was definitely student centered as the teacher left it to us to learn and develop the content that we would summarize and share with the class. - Instructional design is goal oriented.
We had the goal of highlighting the main points of the text and presenting the information to our classmates. - Instructional design focuses on meaningful performance.I think this characteristic was a little shy in our situation. I think the bar was a little bit low because as we as presenters learned from the process, our production of the information was not the best model for presenting the information to the class.
- Instructional design assumes outcomes can be meas-ured in a reliable and valid way. This was also short as it was unclear how we were being measured. It seemed that if we got through the hour class and gave them a handout, we met the objective. It was tough to know if we had a positive effect on our students.
- Instructional design is empirical,iterative,and self- correcting. I have little knowledge or evidence that this method is fixed from semester to semester. I did hear that the course was getting re-worked, but I am not sure if this part was modified. Without a de-briefing and reflection of how we performed or if the students got what they needed, I find it difficult to see if this characteristic was met.
- Instructional design typically is a team effort.I know our presentation was a team effort in so much that we split up the sections and summarized our part. I am not sure if our task was developed as a team or by the instructor only.
I can see now that we could have met and devised a better method for teaching the class our chapter. Perhaps have them do something similar during the hour, or even flip the classroom. A better design would be to provide some clearer objectives, provide a rubric and to emphasize using engaging methods of instruction that was discussed and encouraged in the many classes in the teacher development program.
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?The first three chapters of your book define the IDT (Instructional Design and Technology) field and provide a history of how it has evolved over time. In your blog post for this week, reflect on the following:
It seems the purpose of instructional design is to carefully use the appropriate media to accomplish the objectives and goals of engaging and teaching students. To state that it is to always use media would be focusing on the wrong target. The end might always contain some form of media because of the richness and value it has in the learning process but the goal should definitely be the learning process.
I enjoyed reading through the ADDIE process and clearly see the value of the diagram above. While the process appears to be cyclic, it allows for evaluation at any stage and a redirection to any part of the process as needed. I like to evaluate and use formative assessment wherever possible to check if I am on the right track or if I need to adjust. I love feedback and this model clearly shows how integral evaluation is to the process.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Play Tech 4 - More Creativity Tools
Math Creativity Tools - Evaluation
There are several tools or manipulatives that I discovered this week. They are virtual in nature which requires a computer, but the benefits are worth the effort.
How High (Link)
This tool allows students to predict how the contents in one size container would fill up the other container. I like this tool because it really drives home the concept of the 3rd dimension which eludes so many middle school'ers. Everyone that looks at the challenge can form an opinion and test if their choice was correct. This can be done without the use of water and various sized containers. It also has different sized bases.
The students will have to do the math to have more accurate predictions and they'll also benefit from recognizing how "eyeballing" a solution is not as accurate as they think. (more on eyeballing later)
What I dislike about the tool is that it does not allow for user input for different problems. They are canned problems. While I didnt see a patter or loop in the problems, this might indicate that there are enough problems programmed that the kids will not exhaust it's usefulness.
Eyeballing (Link)
I enjoy this tool because it drives home the value in accurate measurement and calculation. The student tries to place the spot, or square in the location to complete the type of shape depicted and described in the title. It records their guess accuracy and the time it took to finish each shape. It also shows a scale of other guesses.
What I like is that it presents an appealing challenge to the student. The task is easy to recognize and the statistics indicate to the student how well they did among other guessers which can lead to conversations of statistics.
What I dislike about the program is that it's too simple. It's about a 10 minute exercise and wrap up and it's not something we can program with custom challenges.
Probability, Statistics, and Plots (Selected for further reflection)
Another set of tools from the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives are Coin Toss, BoxPlot and ScatterPlot While they all can stand on their own, they all possess some similar benefits so I'll combine them.
Coin Toss is often the first examples to explain probability. This tool allows the action of flipping the coin to be generated by the computer. What I like is that the tool simulates the process with the speed of the computer and the slowness of the human. Whether you choose 100, 1000, or 9999 coin flips it processes the coin flips and charts the outcomes in about 10 seconds. It uses the magic of the computer, but does not make it unbelievable that the coin is not being flipped in successive times.
Box Plot is another tool that students have to conceptualize rather than discover practically It's a lot of work to create data sets and to plot them. Often they get caught up in the process and miss the beauty of the "forest". What I like is that it comes with 3 data sets programmed and it allows the user to enter their own data. It performs the calculations automatically which can be a down side, but it serves the benefit of seeing the data in a graphical format quickly.
What I like about the 3 tools is that it provides great examples and explanation with a icon labeled Parent/Teacher at the top of each page. It also has a link to the standards for the grade level for easy reference. It also has instructions to help if it's needed.
These three objects fit within the TPACK model because it addresses the 3 areas of Content, Pedagogy and Technology. Regarding content, it provides the framework and information regarding Data Analysis and Probability. Pedagogy is addressed because the students interact with the manipulative and the provided question prompts to guide their learning. Technology is not a mere substitute because of the dynamic nature of the data table and automatic graphing. The tool doesn't stand in the way of learning as paper and pencil might.
Will the students learn the standards using these tools?
Absolutely! Below are the standards for grades 6-8:- formulate questions, design studies, and collect data about a characteristic shared by two populations or different characteristics within one population;
- select, create, and use appropriate graphical representations of data, including histograms, box plots, and scatterplots.
While each tool has questions and even extension questions to guide their learning, I would also provide some additional scenarios and/or data sets that they would need to determine which graphs or visual representations to use with the data.
What are some other ways the students might use the tools?
Perhaps they might use the tool to display a data set they develop and take a screen capture for a blog posting to illustrate how a prediction was proven.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Play Tech 3 - Creativity Tools
Tools of creativity is what I explored this week. The three tools were glogster, scribble map and voicethread.
Likes: creative, has many shapes, images, can import various types of content. It's certainly a mash able type of page.
Dislikes: external glogs can be quite crude. It has the appearance of myspace which pages are often hard to read visually and with content.
Likes: Uses legitimate map (google), overlays objects or tags to make the map/image your own. facebook login for easy of use
Dislikes: I wish it had a way to export or view the scribble map in an iframe like google allows. This would allow to add to other web pages without saving as an image.
Likes: It accepts voice, graphics and text for input. They can add items, pictures and video to share what they found or created and reflect.
Dislikes: I couldnt tell if it prevents viewing the other respondents until they post something. This would help keep them from slipping into group think.
I really enjoyed the Scribble Map tool the most. I can easily see how this creativity tool can fit right in the center of the TCPK model. From a content prospective, the students need to learn about scale factors and maps use this concept quite well. They can measure the distance of points on a map and then translate that to a distance in real life using ratio calculations. Regarding pedagogy, this activity can be very kinestetic which appeals to many of the students. They are able to use a map that relates to their every day life and using a printed version of the map and some string, they can identify if their calculations are reasonable. The technology aspect of this is that the google maps, which is merely a substitute for a printed map can extend it's usefulness by zooming the scale factor and by the use of labels, and other shapes to indicate the path or connection between the two points.
Other ways that this tool could be used is to have the students drop some of the other shapes on the map to identify a radius from a single point. They can calculate the area that their school or house might take up. They can also identify which shapes are being used for 3 dimensional objects. They can also be asked to find and and tag a list of shapes that might be used by famous landmarks.
New tools are constantly being developed on the internet. With the dawning of HTML 5 and other web technology, user inter-activeness with a web page or tablet application can enhance the learning experience for the students. While drill and practice tools have their place, they are further down the blooms taxonomy which do not encourage or drive the students outside of their comfort zone to analyze or evaluate what they have learned. Tutorials and instructional games do not allow the student to interact and prove what they really know or how it might connect. So they may know the facts, but not understand how to use the facts. A creative task and tool enables this assessment.
Glogster - online poster maker.
When you think of Glogster, think of a graphic blog. This tool allows users to put various objects on a "poster" to give a message, or tell a story. It's not just plain text with a occasional graphic sprinkled in.
The nice thing about this is that it has pre-made shapes and objects, such as pictures and it also allows the user to import their own created objects to place on the poster. Video or audio can be incorporated. It seems to have a lot of traffic and usage as there were many glogs to search through and discover.
The nice thing about this is that it has pre-made shapes and objects, such as pictures and it also allows the user to import their own created objects to place on the poster. Video or audio can be incorporated. It seems to have a lot of traffic and usage as there were many glogs to search through and discover.
Likes: creative, has many shapes, images, can import various types of content. It's certainly a mash able type of page.
Dislikes: external glogs can be quite crude. It has the appearance of myspace which pages are often hard to read visually and with content.
Scribble Map - google map editor
Scribble Map allows the user to overlay text, shapes, images and pictures to existing google maps. Maps can be used in a variety of subjects and this tool extends the maps usefulness in the learning environment. It allows a hands on connection with the map in a way that wasn't afforded before.
Dislikes: I wish it had a way to export or view the scribble map in an iframe like google allows. This would allow to add to other web pages without saving as an image.
Voicethread - a discussion board on steroids
A thread can be created and responses can be in the form of text, voice or video. This enhancement to online interaction is a great way for the respondents to show their creativity or demonstrate knowledge in the discussion. Likes: It accepts voice, graphics and text for input. They can add items, pictures and video to share what they found or created and reflect.
Dislikes: I couldnt tell if it prevents viewing the other respondents until they post something. This would help keep them from slipping into group think.
I really enjoyed the Scribble Map tool the most. I can easily see how this creativity tool can fit right in the center of the TCPK model. From a content prospective, the students need to learn about scale factors and maps use this concept quite well. They can measure the distance of points on a map and then translate that to a distance in real life using ratio calculations. Regarding pedagogy, this activity can be very kinestetic which appeals to many of the students. They are able to use a map that relates to their every day life and using a printed version of the map and some string, they can identify if their calculations are reasonable. The technology aspect of this is that the google maps, which is merely a substitute for a printed map can extend it's usefulness by zooming the scale factor and by the use of labels, and other shapes to indicate the path or connection between the two points.
Other ways that this tool could be used is to have the students drop some of the other shapes on the map to identify a radius from a single point. They can calculate the area that their school or house might take up. They can also identify which shapes are being used for 3 dimensional objects. They can also be asked to find and and tag a list of shapes that might be used by famous landmarks.
New tools are constantly being developed on the internet. With the dawning of HTML 5 and other web technology, user inter-activeness with a web page or tablet application can enhance the learning experience for the students. While drill and practice tools have their place, they are further down the blooms taxonomy which do not encourage or drive the students outside of their comfort zone to analyze or evaluate what they have learned. Tutorials and instructional games do not allow the student to interact and prove what they really know or how it might connect. So they may know the facts, but not understand how to use the facts. A creative task and tool enables this assessment.
Play Tech 2 - ePortfolios
Finding a solution to build a ePortfolio is quite a challenge. The many solutions available range from free to expensive and some that are discussed are even exclusive to districts and/or states. I explored weebly, wiki pages and google sites.
Exploring
Google sites, a free solution, requires a firm knowledge of formatting and layout. There are some templates that can be used to help with the look and feel of the site, but google seems to have a typical look and feel that says "I'm google". I was hoping for something more suggestive for the types of artifacts so until I get a better handle on what I would normally post, I will look for dedicated eportfolio hosting services.
Wiki pages are very much in the same camp. Once you learn the navigation tags it's easy for the user to move between the pages. I am not a big fan of the wiki style and find it a bit cumbersome to add and edit items.
Affordances
I enjoyed weebly because it had components which allows the user to move types of artifacts into the page and it was easy to upload the information. The navigation was easy to set up and I could see how to extend or expand the site into sub categories. I added a lesson plan I created for a class on variables and expressions. http://mathiam.weebly.com It did not take long and I saw where I could easily add text to explain/describe/reflect on each artifact. I could easily see how to upload video which is a very popular and handy item to use since most phones have HD video on them. Adding pictures, photo galleries will lend itself well to describing or connecting content to concepts or ideas that are shared.
It even has a mobile version of the site which makes it SUPER easy for smartphone browsing but it did not display my pdf file or the image for my Expressions and Equations tab. I am not sure why that didnt come through; perhaps it's too soon for mobile? I could switch to Web View on my phone and see most of it.
Since Weebly is designed for building portfolio's the user can spend less time on HTML coding or design and more time on collecting, selecting, reflecting and connecting.
What I didnt like about weebly is the cost to add pro items such as video. Granted they need to be paid for their site and that is part of their model.
Student ePortfolios
If I were to have students create a ePortfolio, I would likely use something that was VERY structured. Granted, I would want them to be creative, but I realize that creativity is pretty far up Blooms Taxonomy. While I recognize that students can be quite creative and I wouldn't want to deter that in any way, it would be more important that they understand what they need to store, how they can store it. Within the framework of a hosting site it should offer the flexibility so they can make it their own space.
One affordance that might make it difficult is the visibility to the world which might not be so inviting to parents. I remember seeing one site that allowed teachers to make sub folios for their students which gave her the login and password for each student for distribution. This would be a big plus for managing the process of setting them up and for accessing them.
A tough question to wrangle with is the intermingling of their school accounts/life and their personal or private accounts/life. Colleges deal with this very issue by setting policies to not use personal accounts or emails to communicate via email. I imagine this would be something to consider with younger students.
Play Tech 1 - Use of Blogs in Math
Having students write about math is something I've considered before. In a book I recently read, "the fundamental 5" suggested that students who do not write or reflect on math struggle to rise upward on blooms taxonomy. It suggested to have the students reflect on their learning in topics or courses beyond the language arts.
Many times students are asked to think about experiences or seek out math related examples in real life and a blog posting can serve as a way to document and share their findings. It also requires the students to describe what they found out in a way that others might understand. This can be a challenge for most, particularly if they are a little weak on the content or procedure.
One exercise in particular is for them to find right angles or triangles in various areas. They might be charged with finding 3 or 4 different environments where a right angle is applied. They could also identify how they would know that the angle is 90 degrees. Pictures could be taken and uploaded as proof and they would have to explain in a paragraph what is in the picture.
One of the challenges to having students use this method is to make sure they know what is required for posting. A use of a rubric and some examples can help. Another approach might be to ease them into answering questions or prompts and providing them constructive feedback so they can better understand what is expected of them.
I found a web site called kidblogs.org which makes hosting the blog site rather easy. It doesn't require a gmail account for blogger.com and it's designed for the educator and student. It even has a app for a smartphone to allow for easy review and assessment. It might be possible that the school would include blogging as a "corporate tool" provided to education organizations as they do with gmail and google docs. At which point, the login would come with their school account.
The blog can also be used to post summaries of content and provide links and extensions of lessons. It would also be a way to communicate with parents so they can help engage their learning, or at least support it.
Some obstacles with the tool is access to a computer or internet. Although this is becoming a lesser problem with the proliferation of smart phones and internet in the homes. With some creativity this problem can be mitigated with time in the classroom or library. There might also be a concern about students being "published" on the internet. Posting by only using their first name or by hiding the link from search engines (if possible) can guard the privacy of the students. I imagine full transparency of the project and documented actions that are taken to manage this concern should be used.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)