Week 4 Post

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.

Edward Eisner designed a model called the Connoisseurship Evaluation. This evaluation model requires that teaching is most effective when a program evaluated by a connoisseur of the profession for which they observe their practices and highlight or "illuminate" their successes. Meaning is constructed from experiences and teaching in small increments does not allow students to see the bigger picture in their learning. The "art of appreciation" as it is most frequently called requires a holistic approach to the evaluation of educational technology. Furthermore it is criticized because it gives the implication that evaluators are experts which can be highly miscalculated concept.

Robert Stakes countenance model is designed and relies heavily on standardized testing and formal assessment. This model was designed to evaluate all levels of curriculum: planned, enacted, and experienced.


As an educator I would use Eisner's model when evaluating a program that relies highly on teacher expertise and opinion. Such as the implementation of a new process where collaboration is necessary. When looking at a program that relies heavily on formal assessment such as implementation of the Explore program that is used by the designers of the SAT to help students determine their interests in careers I would probably use Stake's model.

Think about a technological innovation within your social system that was recently introduced (social system = place of work, home, etc.). Any innovation has what is known as perceived attributes - relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. Describe these attributes of the innovation and which of the attributes assisted and/or hindered adoption of the innovation. For example, was it not compatible with the existing beliefs of the system or was it overly complex to use or understand?

On our campus were have been seeking to implement a new system for the past four years that is an all inclusive innovation where teachers can post assignments accessible by the web, create blogs, discussion boards etc. It is very similar to ecollege or blackboard. Teachers are in the fourth year of the implementation and have not been successful at its implementation. The relative advantage is there because it can be accessed from any household by student, parent, and teacher. The compatibility is strong as it is Internet based. I believe this innovation fall short because it is very complex to create a simple property such as blog room or a discussion board. There multiple screens, complex sharing rights, and jargon that teachers who may have a low level proficiency do not understand. Therefore they simply choose not use it.


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. How will you use Situational Leadership to facilitate this project?

Recently I decided to do something different for professional development for my teachers. Our district has taken a heavy look at the implementation of technology in the classroom. In an effort to facilitate this I designed a professional development activity based on Marzano's 9 instructional strategies. Teachers, using the Flip video camera, would design lessons and film them to create a bank of instructional strategies that can viewed of examples of these strategies. In doing this I first modeled the strategies by filming and creating my own bank. I then brought in the technology to train the teacher of Flip Video use. Once all the teachers were trained they were asked to film their favorite lesson and create video.

Once they demonstrated competency in this area. I divided the teachers into groups to film their own strategies. By recognizing the maturity of my teachers I found this be a successful implementation because the end resulted in the teachers demonstrating their competency in using Flip video in other capacities of than just their professional development but also provided them with the flexibility of deciding how they would design their lessons to film.

Week 5

Chapter 14 discusses the concept of the 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 provide a non instructional solution to solve the problem.

Part of what I think makes education a very complicated line of work is that some problems presented are non-instructional but are approached in a very instructional way. For example,in our district we have so many programs to do so many tasks. Pinnacle for gradebook, Maximo for work orders, TEAMS for HR, scheduling, discipline, eduphoria for employee performance. Teachers who enter the district for the first time have to learn so many applications to perform various tasks. I believe a solution to this problem is to consolidate these programs and invest into Peoplesoft and invest in full time developers to manage these programs. This software developed by Oracle allows for data management to be specialized for the specific needs of the client. I believe that consolidation of these programs will save time and money in the long run.


Chapter 15 presents several definitions of electronic performance support systems. In addition to these definitions, locate a few more and indicate your preference explaining why you prefer it. Additionally, describe why you believe EPSS have not been widely used and if they are more likely be become more prevalent in the future.

Wikipedia desctibes an EPSS as any computer or software component that improves user performance. I believe this support system is not widely used because the resources and knowledge base within a company may be a financial burden. To run this system efficiently and effectively you have to programmers who can create an interface that is simple and user friendly for employees. Additionally, these programmers tend to become indispensable and irreplaceable which drives the cost of sustaining it. I believe that with continued development of electronic organizational managment more people will become interested in entering careers that are driven by this demand. Oracle and Cisco are now offering certification opportunities that are known to yield high salaries.

Knowledge management is the way we manage information, share that information, and use it. Organizations, such as schools, are full of information/data and we must organize that data in a way that we can make sense of it. We use data to make decisions and good data=good decision making. Identify a real or hypothetical problem in your line of work. How might a blended learning approach, including the use of a knowledge management system, be use to solve the problem?

Prior to acquiring a system we call SAS educational deicisions were made solely based on TAKS data. With the introduction of SAS we could acquire more personalized data about students. The best knowledge management system I have used to date within my line of work has been SAS. With this system I look every individual student and there history as it relates to assessment data and academic performance. With this system I can use the knowledge I have already acquired about CogAT, MAP, TAKS, Honors, Pre-AP and reapply in a new way that improves the instructional decisions I make about student,

This data allows me to make data driven decisions about students. An example would be whether or not a student needs to be scheduled in an additional blocked math class. Prior to this sytem students were scheduled in 90 minute blocked classes without assessing their actual abilities. Once these abilities could be ascertained we learned that some students had abilities and were not performing because they were overworked in a 90 minute block. By evaluating CogAT scoresm and Measured Academic Progress (MAP) growth data, I could feel comofortable placing students without only relying on TAKS data as a measure. This sytem allows me to see their growth from Kindergarten to 8th grade.


Describe the types of informal learning you have been exposed to in your adult life. What was the purpose? What was the experience like? Was it engaging? Social? What role did you play? What role did the instructor play?

I have always described my entire life to be a learning experience. I believe that you learn based on the relationships you have with people you interact with. I also believe that self-education is an important quality to have or develop in adulthood. I had a friend who specialized in endocrinology. Just by my association I have learned so much about the human body and can now identify certain things health wise that involve the endocrine system. I am in no way a doctor, however I am more in tune with developments and advances in medicine just by knowing her. I also have a tendancy to take on hobbies for the purpose of learning. In my church, they needed someone to run the PowerPoint or presentation tools for church service. By taking on this position I found myself going to workshops, learning about graphic design etc. The worhsip leader for my church mentored me and I was able to learn and master worship presentation to start it in another church. The most interesting thing about both of the situations was that I learned a lot because I was motivated which brought a certain satisfaction and enjoyment to my life.

Week 3 Post

I've shared Blog 3.docx

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• Blog 3.docx

Identify a specific learning goal and how you would incorporate two learning theories highlighted in Chapter 4 to achieve this goal.

Learning goal: To evaluate the concept of compromise as it relates to the Constitutional Convention

Schema Theory

Student will study the constitutional convention by learning about the event itself, key players and their philosophies of how they believed the constitution should designed. Students will use graphic organizers to process the information provided to them in their study packet.

Situated Learning Theory:

Student will participate in a real-time debate or “convention” regarding the new high school opening the following year. Students will decide on issues that will comprise the student handbook. This process will lead to a series of compromises that will actually be used in the construction of the handbook.

Find a reference (other than the book) that describes Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction. Then create a table or chart that compares and contrasts those events with the first principles described in chapter 7 and describe how you would apply each of the first principles to the goal you've developed from the first activity in this reflection.

Instructional Event	First Principles of Instuction
1. Gaining attention	Reception of patterns of neural impulses which allows for students to become engaged is how the first and second principle is applicable to this concept. Use of real world problems and events can set the stage for learning. Which occurs by activating prior knowledge and building on the knowledge that is already there.
2. Informing learner of the objective(s)
3. Stimulating recall of prerequisite learning
4. Presenting the stimulus material	Principles 3&4 should allow for demonstration and application of the new knowledge. It should be stimulating enough to the learner to maintain engagement which occurs when the learner is applying the knowledge in a meaningful way.
5. Providing learning guidance
6. Eliciting the performance	Principle 5 is important in that the student must find the learning relevant to them. By designing activities that allow the learner to connect mastery as demonstrated by performance should be evident.
7. Providing feedback about performance
8. Assessing performance
9. Enhancing retention and transfer

By creating a learning opportunity where students are actually invested such developing the student handbook for the new high school students will connect with the theory and concept of compromise as it relates to the constitution.

Principle	Activity
Learning is promoted when learners are engaged in solving real world problems.	The student handbook for the MacMillen high school must be developed and adhered to by all students.
Learning is promoted when existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge	The study of the historical convention of the constitutional convention will yield opportunities to how we should construct the MacMillan convention.
Learning is promoted when new knowledge is demonstrated to the learner.	We will study the elements of constitutional convention and determine how to proceed with design and arguments for the MacMillen convention.
Learning is promoted when new knowledge is applied by the learner.	The MacMillen convention will be conducted and debated by the students.
Learning is promoted when new knowledge is integrated into the learners world.	Students will vote on the compromises and arguments put forth and develop their own high school handbook.

Develop a new goal or using the one you've already developed, briefly describe how you might use the whole-task approach, scaffolding, and mathemagenic methods to help students learn to perform a task.

I would begin by discussing the concept of compromise. What does it mean? Who do we compromise in our own lives? Have you ever seen your parents or adults compromise on an issue?

We would then discuss the elements of compromise as it relates to the constitution and how key players in framers of the constitution had to compromise to reach goals. Students will identify compromises and discern whether they thought they were good or bad compromises.

Students will then begin presenting arguments and debating elements of the student handbook for their new high school and put forth compromises that will be used to design the policies for their handbook.

You have been hired to design a course for a topic in your area of specialization. Using Table 9.2 as a template, what would you incorporate into each subcategory to motivate learners?

Use of Flip Video Cameras for Students
Attention
Perceptual Arousal	Adminisrators will use flip video film and present events during faculty meetings.
Inquiry Arousal	Teachers will view these videos at faculty meetings and have opportunities to present their own videos.
Variability	Teachers will be allowed to film classroom activities, student and teacher events.
Relevance
Goal Orientation	Teachers will be given time to get training before checking cameras out on their own.
Motive Matching	Teacher may choose at least three activities to which they will effectively implement the Flip Video in their classroom environment.
Familiarity	The videos can be tied to what the teachers are currently doing in their classroom.
Confidence
Learning Requirements	An introductory training of Flip Video will be conducted every three weeks for beginning, intermediate, and advanced learners.
Success Opportunities	Teachers will post their videos to Safari Montage a version of “YouTube” to show how they are using Flip Video.
Personal Control	Teachers will be asked to comment on other co-worker videos.
Satisfaction
Intrinsic Reinforcement	By filming successful teaching strategies and viewing positive comments on Safari teacher will experience an internal satisfaction.
Extrinsic Rewards	Teachers who effectively use this strategy in a meaningful way will be allowed to keep the Flip Video cameras as long as they are employed by the district. They will also be allowed to use for personal purposes.
Equity	Administrators will positively comment on videos that are posted and provide positive feedback in evaluations.

Finally, after completing these activities, discuss the benefits of engaging in design research.

The benefits of design research promotes deliberate ways for instructors to organize information so that it is useful to the learner. More often than not, we see so many courses that are designed for the learner to sit an get. Once that course is over the retention level of the learner significantly decreases. In order to effectively promote learning and ensure that the learner has mastered the information we must look at how we organize and design the instruction.

 

Google Docs makes it easy to create, store and share online documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Week 2

Reflect on the definitions the book has provided and develop your own definition as it relates to your work environment.

When reviewing the definitions of Instructional Technology it reinforced the true factor about technology itself, it is unpredictable. What we think our definition of technology may be today can change with the introduction of a new innovation or idea tomorrow. I do believe, that however, the introduction of the telephone and film has changed the facet of learning in every way by creating a platform for the exchange of information to become what it is in every way. When I think of my workplace I define instructional technology to be the implementation of various multi-sensory devices that facilitate the process


Next, study the Dick, Carey and Carey model of instructional design. Redesign the model excluding and/or adding components as needed. Describe how the model adheres to the six characteristics of instructional design and how it fits in your work environment relating to your definition of instructional design.


The first thing that I would add to this design that is not consistent with one of the elements of the six characteristics of instructional design is collaboration. As revision travels around the diagram as a fluid element that must be present in all phases since collaboration or teamwork is a term that is added as the sixth characteristic is team work. Additionally, I believe that the model adheres most to these characteristics. Predominately, the most important characteristic is number 4 and the diagram focuses on this by placing the importance of evaluation at the center.


And finally, in chapter 3, there is discussion on how the Internet and world wide web will have a major influence on the way instruction is delivered to learners. Based on what you know about these technological innovations combined with what you have read about the history of instructional films, television, the computer and more, discuss how technology is generally used in the field of education and how you foresee technology being used in the future in the following areas: K12 Education, Higher Education and Adult Education (continuing education). For example, think about how we are using the blog to capture learning in higher education. How could it be used in K12?

I believe that currently we are on the precipice of a breakthrough with instructional technology that will totally redesign the way we are teaching. However, instructional technology, currently, is being used as a means of acquiring information. With all the innovations that continue to move us forward I believe that instructional technology will no longer be a tool but a necessity. Functionality within the classroom will not exist without technology. The classroom will become a place where you not only use technology to acquire rather facilitate the learning process. Blogging is the most effective way to get students to reflect and think about what their learning. Synthesis is one of the highest levels of thinking a student can ascertain to. When we ask students to take what they have learned and synthesize it by blogging we are increasing the rigor of learning exponentially.