Reflections

This semester had introduced me to the basics of design. When I walked into class the first day I knew absolutely nothing about instructional design, and though I have a very long way to go in my understanding of instructional design, I feel like I have learned a lot from this class.

1)You will never get it right the first time - When you are designing instruction you will always have to make changes and re-evaluate. That is part of the job. If you think your first draft is perfect, you probably aren't looking at it correctly and should have someone else offer feedback.

2) It is okay that you will never get it right the first time- I think great designers have embraced the idea that they are not failures if they have to change and re-do. Revision is a great learning process!

3) It doesn't matter what you think of your design, it only matters if it works- When I have been going through the design process I have been tempted at times to focus more on the look of the design, instead of if it really helps the learners. Successful designs focus less on packaging and more on great instruction.

4) Give yourself plenty of time to pay attention to the details- Details take so much time! To complete a project well, I think the best tool you can give yourself is sufficient time. If you feel like you don't have enough time for detail, then your design could really suffer.

5) Learn from others' bad designs- I think one of the most interesting topics in class was when we talked about bad design. There is so much bad design out there and it can help us avoid mistakes that have already been made. By learning from others mistakes we can be ahead of the game in making great instructional design.

I know I still have so much to learn, but I am grateful for the things I have learned in this class!

Online Learning at a Non-Profit

A friend of mine is a manager of educational development for a non-profit organization. The organization is designed to help minority entrepreneurs with their businesses. Recently, the organization has implemented an online learning management system.

Anyway, he was telling me that the students who are using the LMS to take their tests are scoring significantly higher than previous courses. One particular student mentioned how being able to take the test at his convenience was a main cause of why he did so well on the test. This caused me to think about the discussions we had in class about the effect of media on learning. Here it might seem logical to assume that the reason learners are receiving better grades when using the LMS to take their test might have something to do with the LMS itself. But when you investigate some of the reasons the students believe they did better, you realize it has little to do with the technology itself and more to do with what the technology allows you to do, in this case take it at your most convenient time. This idea of taking it at your most convenient time can be replicated without technology, in the form of testing centers.

Just another thing to think about.

Formula for Success

After spending so much time on our projects, what have you learned?

I have learned a great deal working on my design project. I think one of the most important lessons has been the more attention you pay to detail before putting pen to paper, the easier it will be once you begin designing. After you begin to design, the need to pay attention to detail does not diminish. For me, a person with very little patience for detail, it has been great in helping me start to develop a new and important skill.

I think I am also learning how to look at instruction from a different perspective. It is easy to focus on merely what needs to be taught and learned instead of, what will this look like to the learner? Will it make sense? Will it build upon previous knowledge? Have I presented it in a way that will allow for maximum success for the learners. This shift in view is key for designers. You can design the fanciest instruction in the world, but if it is not done with the learners in mind it will be worthless.

I think the Dick and Carey facilitated this shift in view. They created a model that allows for a lot of thought for the learner. While the Dick and Carey model might not be perfect ( I don't have any complaints), I believe that if followed correctly it can provide a formula for successful instruction.

Integrating Computers Part 2

In the article we read on Integrating Computers into schools, one concern raised that the use of computers might give student too much control over their learning experience or minimize the need for teachers. Two questions about this were brought up on the discussion board and I just wanted to further explore them on my blog.

The first question posed was whether or not computers were capable of allowing students too much control over their educational experience and second, was there such a thing as giving students too much control over their educational experience.

I will address the second question first. I think the answer of whether or not you can give learners too much control over their educational experience is dependent on what the goal of the learning is. If the goal of the class is to allow learners to learn about an undefined goal, just as long as they learn something, it is very unlikely you can give students too much control over their educational experience, because they are allowed to discover what things interest them and pursue knowledge in that area. This is of course assuming that they are in a educational environment where nothing they would discover or be exposed to was inappropriate. However, if the goal of the instruction was to understand fractions, it is possible to give learners to much control over their education, a balance of instruction and discovery learning is important. Learners might feel they understand a concept that they don't if they are not having to answer to an instructor. Feedback is critical.

As for the question of whether computers could ever provide learners with too much control over their learning experience, I think it depends on what society expects computers to do and how they expect learners to interact with computers. There are those who believe that in the future there will be very little need for actual instructors and software can be designed to instruct learners in a way that will negate the need for classroom instructors. While it might be possible for this to happen technologically speaking, I don't think it is a good idea. I think that the human factor is essential for most learning environments. I don't believe much in online degrees or online courses as a sole method of learning. I do believe they can contribute to the overall educational experience. But an ideal learning environment would also include instructors you meet with face to face.

Computer Technologies in Schools

We read in class a very interesting article on integrating computer technology into schools. The article lists several obstacles faced by schools in using technology. I feel like schools are in a tough place when it comes to using technology. When a new technology is developed that could possibly benefit education, they are thrown into the public education arena and are expected to be used. However, a lot of times these new technologies aren't being used, or are not being used fully. In several instances this is due to the fact that most teachers are not trained in how to incorporate these technologies in their classrooms. To use the technology would require a lot of training.

I believe providing all of these technologies to schools that don't know how to use them is a waste of resources and time. This is not to say that schools should not be provided new technologies regularly. But great thought and care should be spent on evaluating if the schools are prepared to utilize this technology. If not, what can be done to truly prepare them to use the technology. This I am sure would be a slow process. But I think if we are more efficient in the preparing of schools for technology, we won't have to play this catch up game once schools already have the technology and are unable to use it.

Blogs/Discussion Boards

This has been my first opportunity to blog. I have never blogged for fun or for school. As a teaching tool it feels to me like a hybrid of a journal and a class discussion. I think some positive aspects of blogging is that it allows for a deeper and longer discussion of topics without taking lecture time. People who feel uncomfortable speaking up in class have an outlet to share their ideas without the anxiety. I think some drawl backs of blogging is that a lot gets lost in translation. When I try to read someone's blog and then the comments people make about the blog and then the comments people make about the comments other people made about the blog I am often confused! I think sometimes blog discussions turn into group monologues, where everyone is just speaking and no one really listening.

In Richard E. Ferdig and Kaye D. Trammells' article entitled, "Content Delivery in the 'Blogosphere', the authors state that blogs are a great tool for social learning, as taught by Vygotsky. I can see their point. Blogs do provide students an opportunity to solidify their knowledge through social interaction. But I think blogs/discussion boards are only affective if they are well organized and the learner can see a coherent stream of discussion and ideas.

Web 2.0

I really enjoyed the video we watched in class on web 2.0. I felt the speaker had great ideas that had not occurred to me. I, like the television producer he talked about in the video, have always subconsciously thought of the internet and similar things as a fad and television as a mainstay, but he brought up a great point about it. Why would people continue to choose a media where they are acted upon, instead of a media they act upon and share, like on the web.

I have noticed that other forms of popular media are now being put on the internet. We can listen to radio stations on the internet, we can watch television on the internet, we watch movies on the internet. Really, if you just have a computer in your house and a high speed cable hook up, you really don't need any other technological device. You can even talk "on the phone" online, or attend school and business meetings.

Because of this tread, is it fair to say that the internet has been one of the most important technological developments in recent history? The most important?

Assessments

In chapter 8 of Dick & Carey, I was interested in what the authors had to say concerning learner assessments. The authors, maintain that while learners assessments are important and should be utilized, they should be done thoughtfully, as to not discourage learners who feel they didn't do well on the assessment. I couldn't agree more. As a student, when I had a quiz that was needlessly made overly difficult, I felt discouraged and afraid I would fail in the class. Though I never did actually fail in the class, I felt frustrated the whole semester! I believe I would have been much more successful and class would have been much more enjoyable had some teachers thoughtfully considered what the point of their assessments were. I am not arguing that assessments should not be challenging, but they should be manageable. I think every university has those teachers that start out the first class by saying, "don't expect to get an A on a test in my class". My question is why? Why wouldn't you write a test that your students can 100% succeed at? By following Dick & Carey's suggestions on how to create effective assessments, I believe Instructional Designers will help learners feel less anxiety and experience more success.

Media Influence on Learning.

With the assignment we were given this week of contributing to the debate of whether media influences learning, I thought back to the presentation given by last week's group. We were all broken into groups and supplied instructions on how to make a lotus flower. Some groups were given traditional forms of learning, others were given various forms of media. In regards to the debate we had, did the various forms of media influence the learning of that individual group? Though in the debate I argued for Clark, I can see Kozma's argument. Some groups came out with much nicer lotus flowers than the other groups. If this was not a result of the various forms of media and their influences, what was it a result of?

Age Old Questions

We have all had that teacher. The teacher who was so boring that his or her class still gives you nightmares. What went wrong in the classroom? They knew the material; they came prepared to class; and they even spent time on their lessons. None of this equaled a successful classroom experience for the learner. Why?!

Is this a question Instructional Design has an answer for? I mean, could Instructional Design help boring teachers become exciting? Is instruction enough, or does it really come down to some people lack of charisma? In that case, could we teach charisma? Are there skills we cannot teach teachers?

I for one believe there are skills we cannot teach; no matter how good our analysis. For instance, we cannot teach passion for teaching; we cannot teach patience for learners; nor can we teach a sincere caring for learners' success. We can fix overcrowded classrooms and how teachers format their lessons; but are these issues what really produce the most success? or are the most important issues also the most elusive issues for instructional designers?

Could anyone use an Instructional Design process to break down, package, and deliver charisma, passion, or caring?

Online Learning

The benefits of Online Learning are clear. A teacher and a student have access to limitless information and tools. I wonder, however, if there is a point where online learning ceases to be effective, sort of like the Law of Diminishing Returns? The more we utilize something, the less value we derive from it. In a given school day high schoolers have between 6-7 class periods. If all of the teachers utilized Online Learning all of the time would it have the same educational impact as if it was only used every once in awhile. Would it loses its novelty and its effectiveness? I ask myself the same questions when I look at schools and universities that only utilize online learning. Do students who use only online learning and those who use no online learning benefit has much as those who balance the two? My belief is that balance is key in education. We should utilize all tools and methods to form a balance curriculum. We don't want students to feel as if they can't learn without online learning, but we also want them to get what they can from it.

What skills have we lost because of technology?

I graduated high school in 2003 and can already see significant differences in the technology I used in high school and the technology they are using now. It is amazing to see, but it makes me feel old. I think, "wow, these kids know so much more about technology than I do and they are only 15." My mom would always say that when she was in college the computers were huge and they had to use these punching cards...I have a hard time picturing an image. But she used typewriters to write papers and used the card catalog at the library. I would feel bad for her because it seemed like with the technology I had, writing a research paper was a lot easier. But is there a trade-off?

I wonder what skills she developed from her school experience that I didn't gain from mine because of the different technologies we had. Are there things I missed out on? Are there things kids are currently missing out on? Or were the things my mom went through insignificant inconveniences that we have solved with technology so that we can spend our time doing productive things. What do you think?

Audio

This week in class we heard a presentation on Audio tools and how they relate to learning. I discovered that for me, audio tools greatly enhance my learning. I love listening to things and learning by them. In high school my favorite lessons were when the teacher would play a song for us and ask us to analyze the lyrics or just lecture to us. I have never been one of those students that needed a lot of activities or games to learn the point of the lesson. I simply liked to sit and listen to what the teacher had to say. Now as an adult, I love listening to online lectures and podcasts. For me, audio educational tools have been very valuable.

We also discussed design goals. This gave me a clearer idea of what instructional design means. Some of the examples of poorly written goals were things I would have looked at and seen nothing wrong with them. But as we discussed them in class, I did see how vague and unclear most of them were. I am learning that having clear and well understood phrasing is essential to great design. The ability to write such clear goals is a skill that instructional designers develop through practice. This lesson helped me understand more clearly how I would answer someone who asked me what an instructional designer does. I think one response I can give on an aspect of instructional design is that they pay very close attention to detail!

The Education of Mark Twain

According to Smith and Ragan, education is "all experiences in which people learn." I could not agree more. I think the great American writer Mark Twain would also agree. He once said, " I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." Meaning that education was not simply something you obtained from a formal institution of learning, but rather from all aspects and experiences of life. In fact, maybe some of the MOST IMPORTANT learning experiences happen outside of the classroom. I can think of a million small events in my life where this has been true.

I was formally taught that it was important to balance my checkbook, but it wasn't until I had to pay the overdraft fee that the lesson truly sink in. This is not to say however, that the role of the classroom isn't an important part of our education. It was in the classroom where I was taught and learned to recognize my potential. It was there that I discovered what I was passionate about and what I "wanted to be when I grew up". I will never forget my high school history class and the various assignments my teacher would give me. Each assignment was thoughtful, educational and exciting. I don't know how she did it, but there wasn't a boring lesson in that class. Lessons were always done creatively, and always with our education in mind. Looking back, I might venture to say that that particular teacher might have been using a teaching method similar to the systematic design of instruction. She really seemed to look at a topic and how it would fit into the whole of our educational experience. I will always be grateful for what that class taught me. Thinking of that class makes me want to be that kind of teacher, one that sets goals, designs, develops and implements ideas, and most importantly is not afraid to reevalute whether what I did actually worked. I think human nature sometimes makes us hesitant to admit what we planned did not work well. But that kind of honestly only helps you refine you design so it can be the most effective as possible.

The great thing about education is that it happens everyday. The great thing about formal education is that it can be focused and narrowed to fit what you need to learn to achieve a goal. All aspects of education are important to humans becoming productive and well-rounded beings.

The Clock on the Wall

The great satricial writer Oscar Wilde once said, "I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about." As I attempt to write my very first blog for my very first IDET class, I feel as Mr. Wilde felt, I KNOW NOTHING. And in confessing I know nothing, I feel that I am open to learning everything. I am literally a blank canvas (hmmm, an example of a teaching metaphor).

So where do I go from here? What is the first step? I guess it is alway best to start at the beginning. The beginning for me would be to define the concepts of this major that I have chosen. INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY. When I tell people that I am studying IDET, their eyes glaze over and they feign interest. I believe this is because the words themselves sound boring. Instruction, design, education, technology. But when we really look at these words, disect them, analyze them, we discover that these words are inclusive of some of the most "exciting" developements our society has ever seen. Technology for example, has evolved since the beginning of man. It seems that some only see computer technology as technology, but to me technology is a tool or process that creates change. The wheel, fire, the printing press all changed the course of history. And on a smaller scale, hair brushes, spoons and socks changed the way we humans have done things. IN REALITY, WHAT COULD BE MORE FASCINATING THAN TECHNOLOGY! Last night, I got called out in class because I was looking at the clock ( haha thanks Professor) but clocks are amazing examples of technology. It is a process that measures the concept of time. I sometimes wonder if we as a society have begun to take technology for granted? I mean, before this blog I hadn't ever stopped to consider what technology has done for me personally.

I have never really written my thoughts down. So this blog assignment won't be intuitive for me. But I am excited to share and develope my thoughts here, in this way. Using this form of technology.