Week 5 - Chapters 18 through 23

Chapter 18 discusses instructional design in business and industry. Give an example of rapid prototyping and discuss how this could be used in education.

At L-3 we did both the rapid prototyping that was evaluated and evolved into the final product (for training development) and the rapid prototyping that provided a mockup and framework of the final product to be flushed out more thoroughly later (for GUI’s demonstrated for the client).

Often in the library I am lucky enough to teach the same lessons over and over for a couple of days.  I can tweak what I need to between lessons to fix anything that I believe was unclear or did not come across to the students.  What I really should do is document the final lesson, what worked, and what didn’t, so I will have all that information for next year.

Chapter 19 discusses instructional design opportunities in military education and training environments. I had the opportunity to work two summers in Orlando on a faculty fellowship in the advanced distributed learning lab (ADL) discussed in the book and saw first hand some of the constraints placed on some of the tools that could be used for learning. Pretend you are hired as a consultant for the military. They want to use technology in its training, but electronic access is not always available. Using the Full Spectrum diagram, what alternatives could you suggest for a successful program?

Full Spectrum Design:  Average skill level, average rank/capability, for classroom, garrison/base, and deployed

I’m going to answer this from the Army’s perspective because I’m most familiar with that branch of service. 

In a classroom, you could do just about anything with training because you could have a 1:1 student to computer ratio.  Trainings could be completely online and interactive.

On post in the US, it’s pretty much the same as the classroom.

When deployed, if you’re on the Forward Operating Base (FOB), it’s usually a guy talking or a guy talking along with a PowerPoint.  If you want to go low tech, you could just go with the guy talking.  When my husband was in Baghdad the Army had a computer café, but most training that involved technology was a guy talking through a PowerPoint and a bunch of soldiers watching. 

When deployed, if you’re in a remote location, you probably have a radio, but would probably want most training to be conducted back on the FOB.  I don’t know that you would want a bunch of tech out there that could be picked up if a soldier got shot.  I know they have special access cards for military laptops, but I would want to err on the side of caution and not leave any security holes to be exploited.

Chapter 21 looks at radical educational change in P-12 settings. I visited the Chugach School District in Alaska and know Richard DeLorenzo very well. I can assure you that this change can occur in our schools. Review the Step-Up-To-Excellence methodology and the GSTE. Outline a staff development activity that will introduce both methodologies to your colleagues. 

Guidance System for Transforming Education (GSTE)

1.   Brainstorm our core values

2.   Determine some discrete events to support and enhance our core values.

3.   Determine what maintenance (continuous) events need to be established or used to encourage continuous improvement.

Step-Up-To-Excellence
This  really doesn't apply to my district.  We have 670 students in my school so comparing change in a 214 sudent district with student to staff ratios of 4 or 5 students to every student is a little rediculous.  I would love to redesign our district like Chugach, but state law and funding would have to change dramatically.  As it stands, we do not have "sufficient human, financial, and technical resources to launch systemic change..." listed on page 213.  Knowing your audience is an important part of staff development, and my colleagues would laugh me out of the room. 

My school has achieved dramatic improvement, but it was through BOY and MOY benchmark analysis and targeted tutoring.

Navigating through the ranks of a faculty member in higher education can be tricky. A good institution has support for its faculty and provides faculty development opportunities to grow and learn. Research three different university offices for faculty development. Answer the following questions for each office:

TAMU-Commerce, Commerce, TX

o    What are the different names used for faculty development?

Ethics, reporting fraud & abuse, FIRPA, sexual harassment, information security, training and everything else that is required system wide in the A&M system. 

o    What division is it under?

Human Resources

o    What services does it offer?

Required training, E-College training, and grant writing workshops.

o    How often are programs given and what specifically are they?

Every year or every 2 years dictated by the red tape.  Other trainings and workshops were provided as needed.

East Central University, Ada, OK

o    What are the different names used for faculty development?

New Faculty Orientation, Blackboard Training, and not much else.

o    What division is it under?

Library & Distance Education

o    What services does it offer?

Wimba training and grant writing workshops.

o    How often are programs given and what specifically are they?

As needed.  Blackboard training was offered every semester.

Northeast Texas Community College, Mt. Pleasant, TX

o    What are the different names used for faculty development?

Inservice

o    What division is it under?

Various departments take part, human resources, instructional component, and advising.

o    What services does it offer?

FIRPA training, help with instructional tech stuff, online course development.

o    How often are programs given and what specifically are they?

Pretty much just once a semester, with a few training sessions as needed for Blackboard and online course development.

FYI

Rally For Texas School Funding

Save Texas Schools Rally at the Capitol - March 12th, 12pm

http://www.savetxschools.org

Education Austin Rally at the Capitol - March 14th, 12pm

This Library E-Book Will Self-Destruct After 26 Check Outs

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/this_library_e-book_will_self-destruct_after_26_ch.php

You are what you read...http://youarewhatyouread.scholastic.com

Week 4 – Chapters 14 through 17

1.  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.

Problem:  The students don’t follow the taught protocol for re-shelving or not re-shelving books.

Root cause analysis: Ishikawa diagram

Non-instructional solutions:

• Buy more shelf markers to facilitate re-shelving
• Clarify protocol and state concisely in appropriately placed signage
• Mark shelves for where to place books to be re-shelved

2.  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. 

Electronic Performance Support Systems

Book definition:  “Electronic  systems that provided integrated access to (1) information, (2) advice, (3) learning experiences, and (4) tools to help someone perform a task with minimal support from others.

http://elearningtech.blogspot.com/2008/01/epss-and-eperformance.html definition: EPSS is most often used referring to “online job aids or a modified front-end to software systems.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_performance_support_systems Bezanson’s definiton: “A performance support system provides just-in-time, just enough training, information, tools, and help for users of a product or work environment, to enable optimum performance by those users when and where needed, thereby also enhancing the performance of the overall business.”

My definition: An electronic resource (such as the pillowelementary.pbworks.com wiki) that will provide needed information, as needed.

It’s difficult to have one comprehensive thing that will be able to manage all the aspects of what a company does.  Then you have to have someone with comprehensive knowledge of the company to maintain the thing.  I believe wikis make it easier for individuals to collaboratively manage and contribute to the knowledge pool of a company and may increase the use of EPPS.  One drawback would be controlling information that is proprietary to a department or sub-group of a company and not supposed to be accessible to others.

3.  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? 

We use benchmark tests to identify gaps in individual student learning.  It would be wonderful if the benchmark data would feed directly into a set of tutorials on what the student needs.  At TCEA I saw some vendors who claimed they had software that would do this, but it was all pretty pricey.  It was also geared toward district licensing and unavailable for individual classroom/instructor purchase.  If I had several classrooms with a computer for every student, it would be nice to pilot each company’s software to be able to quantify and compare the results.

4.  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? 

Personal informal learning

Amateur PI course – I took a community colleges course on becoming an amateur private investigator just because it looked like a cool course.  It was set up like a traditional lecture course.  I learned a ton and have used the knowledge from that course often. 

Toastmasters – I hate public speaking.  Toastmasters is a non-profit organization that provides a “work at your own pace” curriculum for becoming a better speaking in a social setting.  Everyone is an instructor and everyone is a learner in these meetings.  Those who are farther along help those of us who aren’t very far along in the manuals.

Professional informal learning

Making an Ethernet cable – I needed an Ethernet cable long enough to go across the cafeteria for literacy night.  When I was on the Fry’s website looking for a cable long enough, I saw that they had a kit with all the stuff (except the cable itself) to make custom Ethernet cables.  I bought the kit and a spool of cable and read the directions.  I’ve had to make a ton of cables since then and this has proven to be a valuable skill.

Library stuff – AISD has a library procedures wiki and an acquisitions wiki (Shannon’s Acquisiki) that I am always using when I need to know something.  They’re great because most of the time I can find out what I need to know without bothering anyone.  If there’s something that I need to know that’s not on the wiki, I can ask and then it will be on the wiki for others when they need the information.

Week 3 - Chapters 10 through 13

1.  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.

CIPP

• Context evaluation - what are the needs and objectives for the innovation (needs assessment) 
• Input evaluation - what resources will be used to develop and conduct the innovation
• Process evaluation - examine the ways in which an innovation is developed, implemented, and revised 
• Product evaluation - examine the success of the innovation and whether revisions should be made

Kirkpatrick

• Reaction - assess learners' attitudes toward their learning experience
• Learning - determine what has been learned
• Behavior - how has the learners' behavior changed based on the new knowledge
• Results - what are the results, including financial such as ROI

Flashlight Triad Model (http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/eval/eval_models.html)

• Overview and confronting the blob - brainstorm all elements of a lesson
• From blob to issue - based on the purpose of the evaluation, what parts of the blob are an issue to be resolved
• From issue to triad - for each issue what technology is available, what is the activity of the student, and the outcome
• From triad to data - what can be evaluated to generate data on the issue
• From data to next steps - based pm tje evaluation data, what needs to be done

Connoisseurship Evaluation (mentioned briefly on http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/eval/eval_models.html)

• Consult experts about issues and for feedback on innovations

The type of evaluation I use most often is connoisseurship evaluation.  When I have an instructional design issue, I ask other teachers around me what they believe I should do to improve my instruction.  I think I would only use CIPP, Kirkpatrick, and the Flashlight Triad Model if I had a ton of time on my hands or an instructional issue that could not be resolved in a quicker way.


2.  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?

Technological innovation - iPhone


Relative advantage - Cool (but pricey) phone with new capabilities such as apps, surfing the web, mapping, etc.


Compatibility - Since this was the first truly smart phone that pushed the envelope beyond the database-ness of a Blackberry, it did not
need to be compatible with much else.  Eveyone else was trying to catch up to it (the iPhone).  One physical incompatability is the tiny finger-pad keyboard that isn't compatible with my fingernails (I generally preferr stylus phones because I can use my nail as a stylus).


Complexity - The iPhone is much like a lot of other Apple stuff, either very intuitive or super easy once you are shown for the first time what to do.


Trialability  - You can go to a retail phone store that carries the iPhone and try it.  Otherwise it's pretty much impossible to try before you buy unless you have a friend with one.

Observability - Chances are you do have a friend with one.  iPhones are now everywhere, and it seems like everyone is developing their own app if they haven't already.


It seems to me that all the attributes are in the iPhone's corner except price, both for the phone and the data plan.  It is lightning fast compared to the other smart phones I've tried and has a ton more apps than the phones running Windows Mobile, and that will probably help the iPhone stay popular even after the initial coolness wears off.  I have not had the opportunity to compare the iPhone OS to the Android OS.

3.  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?

"Situational Leadership" deals with changing your leadership style to adapt to various situations and people being lead.  If I were creating professional development sessions, I would need to make sure there was somthing that would benefit everyone.  On our campus, there are 12 teachers with Innovation Stations, another 12 with ELMOs and projectors, and many with just an overhead projector. 


For the teachers with Innovation Stations, I would set up a series of discussions among the teachers where they can share how they use their Innovation Stations in every subject area. 


For teachers with ELMOs, I would have the teachers who use their ELMOs and feel they have information to share with other teachers to present their information.  Some of the teachers with ELMOs have only had them for a few months and may not realize their full potential. 


For the teachers with just overheads, I would organize professional development on how to set up computer centers in your classroom. 


All teachers would get a refresher on best practices when using the computer lab and how to use the shared network folders.  All teachers would also need a training on the wiki that is replacing the hardcopy teacher handbook. 

Week 2 - Chapters 4 through 9

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

Learning Goal:  Ordering “Everyone” call numbers

2 learning theories to achieve this goal:  

• Cognitive learning theory – explain to students why they would want to be able to order “Everyone” call numbers 
• Behavioral learning theory – praise students as they correctly order “Everyone” call numbers

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.

Other reference:  http://kcdevry.wikidot.com/theories-of-learning

This was a cool site for not only Gagné's Nine Events of Instruciton, but also a summary of other theories that I refer to often when talking to others about student needs, such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

Comparison of Gagné and First Principles:

Gagné	First Principles
Gain Attention	Activation - Question
Share Session Objectives	Created by learner?
Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning	Instigated by learner?
Deliver Content	Demonstration - See
Provide Guidance	No guidance?
Elicit Performance	Application - Do
Provide Feedback	Results of application are feedback?
Assess Performance	Self-assessment?
Enhance Retention and Transfer	Integration – Apply to life

  

“First principles” seems to be something that can be done more independently.  No teacher is assumed.  This does not necessarily negate Gagné’s steps, but does not explicitly require them.

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.

New Goal:  The students will be able to find books on the shelves that they want to check out. 

This is a whole-task goal, that I would teach in a scaffolded design.  First students learn to order books by call number.  Then they learn to look up a book in the online catalog, giving them a call number to find the book.  Then students learn to go to the shelves and find the book.  To make this learning task more mathemagenic, I could start out by teaching alphabetization used in a variety of situations such as class lists, then applying it to the author’s names in call numbers in the first step.

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?

Attention

Perceptual Arousal:  Have students write their names on sentence strips

Inquiry Arousal:  Students will wonder what the sentence strips are for.

Variability:  Try reverse alphabetical order or putting other things in order such as last names or favorite animals.

Relevance

Goal Orientation:  Students want to find specific books they request.

Motive Matching:  When students ask me to find books for them, I can provide this method up front for them to help themselves.

Familiarity:  Students want to find books every week in the library.

Confidence

Learning Requirements:  Scaffold in small steps so students don’t feel overwhelmed by the task of finding a book on the shelf.

Success Opportunities:  Once the student is able to find books on their own, they will have the opportunity to experience success every time they come to the library. 

Personal Control:  The learners will be going to the shelves themselves and finding the books, first with help, but then independently.

Satisfaction

Intrinsic Reinforcement:  Students will practice every week on their own when they come to the library.

Extrinsic Rewards:  Tangible book student wants to check out and read.

Equity:  I think the question in the book was misleading for this word.  Equity deals with helping all the students.  Will all the students feel that this accomplishment benefits them?  Yes.  All the students come to the library, and while they have different interests, each student will be helped in gaining the knowledge to find the books that interest each of them.  This skill is equally valuable to all students.

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

Lesson design research helps us create better learning experiences for our students.  As instructors, our goal is the best prepared, best educated students possible.  This includes teaching them to help themselves and teach themselves.  If they can find their own information, they can better educate themselves.  If we can find better ways to educate, we better achieve our goal.  Every student is different, and we have to find a way to reach each one.