30 minutes past the deadline!

Uh oh! I am 30 minutes past the deadline with my blog! Well, I'll give it a shot anyway. It is nice to have our project finished! I really enjoyed seeing all the presentations and finding out what everybody else was busily working on during the semester. I was impressed with all the computer based design projects. I just found out that the local charter school just did a school dance and etiquette class for their students. I wish I would have known! It would have been a perfect opportunity to get some feedback on our design project! I got a call from this charter school on Monday informing me that they had reached my daughter's name on the waiting list. We are going to tour the school tomorrow to make sure it is something we want to do. I feel like interviewing the teachers and asking them what their learning theories are. Throughout this semester between the two classes, I think I really like constructivism!
I'm looking forward to a nice, stress free Christmas break. We'll be flying to Kentucky at the end of this week to spend two weeks with my husband's family.

Final Class Tonight

Wow! This semester has really gone by quickly. For our project we are supposed to write up what we have learned. I must say that I have learned a lot. I think the most interesting thing to me is how the different learning theories play into the design of instruction. Also, the design process is very methodical. At first, I was overwhelmed by the task we had in front of us. When I started to feel that way, I just had to remind myself to follow the steps provided. I found the textbook very helpful in that regard. To just read the textbook without a project in mind, I can see that it might be difficult and boring. I found that as I read each chapter with our project in mind, it gave me a very clear roadmap of where we were headed and what the next steps should be.
At the beginning of the semester I had doubts about my ability to design instruction without a teaching background. Now, I see that I can do it and that if I follow the steps I have learned, it will all turn out okay!

Just in Time...too late!

I got a kick out of tonight's article. We are finally on the home stretch for the whole design project thing and today we read an article about how to cut corners! Actually, I do see the rationale for doing Just in Time Design. I am glad we are learning the entire process though, without cutting corners, because these are valuable tools that we will need. I think I need to practice this many more times before I have it down, however. Then maybe someday when I feel like an expert, I will feel comfortable in finding ways to slim down process.
Something else I have been thinking about. I noticed at the beginning of chapter 9 that the authors encourage our first design project to be self-paced or self-taught. I know Dr. Monson mentioned that a few weeks ago, but by then it was too late for our project. Looking back on our project, I wonder how it would be put together if it were computer based instead of instructor led. I can see that you would need to rely more heavily on learning theories and sound design instead of relying more heavily on the instructor. Oh, well. I'm sure there will be many more opportunities to come!

Computers in the Schools

I found this week's reading very eye opening. I do not have an education background so I probably see things a bit differently than those who do. Computers in the schools? Why, of course! This article, along with the Clark/Kozma debate is really helping me see that technology is not always the answer. I would never have thought, though, that computers in the school could be detrimental. I happen to work in a school so I know that kids are really excited when it's time to go to "computers". I wonder though, why are they so excited? Is it all the wonderful things they will be learning? Or could it possibly be the games they'll play or just the time out of the classroom? My observation of kids on computers doing research is that they surf the web a lot and never really hunker down and read anything! They are skipping from page to page! My sixth grade son is in a 21st century classroom where they all have laptops, the teacher has the document reader, smartboard, microphone, etc. Today I asked him if having a laptop has helped him in the classroom. "Yes", he replied. But when I pressed him for reasons why, he really couldn't come up with any. "They help us type better, I guess." he finally said.
Not having an education background and being in this field does help me see how education technologists may not always have learning theories and such in mind when promoting their wares. They just want teachers to use their stuff.
I also think it's true that teachers don't have the time to really evaluate website, software, etc. I'm not a teacher and I am overwhelmed with all the stuff out there! Where do you begin and how do you determine what websites are worthwhile? A non-profit group to evaluate what is available sounds like a good idea to me!

Are you attracted to warm or cool?

In getting ready for our group's presentation I learned a lot about visuals that I didn't know before. The same design principles that exist for Instructional Design exist for art, advertising, web page design, poster boards, written documents, etc. I had a great time going through my pantry finding all the different items that use complementary colors on the front of the box. Both Golden Graham and Cheerios use purple and yellow as their main colors. They are direct opposites on the color wheel! Yellow is the main color because it exudes excitement! Buy me. I remember years ago I bought some baby bath for my colicky baby. I chose the Johnson's brand in the lavender bottle because it claimed to soothe fussy babies and better prepare them for bedtime. My baby was still fussy but I was sucked in by those cool, calming colors on the packaging!

Media or Method?

This past week we had a great debate on media or method. Clark doesn't believe that media has any influence on learning. While I agree that the correct method must be chosen and then delivered with the proper medium, (whether it be instructor, video, or audio, etc.) I think Clark needs to at least admit that media does influence learning. I think the proper media can enhance, make easier, make more meaningful, make more memorable or otherwise influence learning. Maybe media doesn't carry with it its own learning theory, but it does have an impact on learning. Can't you give Kozma at least that? I think of the napkin folding exercise that we did in class. We all learned to make a paper flower but those of us with video instruction did so faster than those with text only. While reading the articles about this, I sometimes got the feeling that those two just wanted to argue and be right! Technology exists and it's pretty cool. Used properly, by pairing it with a great method, learning does occur.

Back On Track

With the fall break, I forgot all about the blog! It's been so long since I have been in school that I forgot how wonderful breaks can be. I could stay up later, watch what I wanted on TV and read whatever I wanted without the looming pressure to stay up on my studies! But, all good things must come to an end here I am!
It is a relief to have the analysis document completed and find out that we are on the right track. I am looking forward to the next phase of our project as we figure out how exactly we want to instruct our audience. It seems like this will be the fun part of designing!

Changing Times

In this week's reading, the Molenda article pointed out that for businesses to be successful, training must affect the bottom line. Training is no longer seen as a support or staff function. It also pointed out that training is no longer performed for "activities" but for "impact." When I graduated from college in Organizational Behavior and began work as a training designer, I know that a lot of the training that I designed and delivered was done for the sake of activity. It almost seemed that the "soft skills" training that I was delivering was a little break from the day to day production demands of the employees. That is not to say that the training wasn't beneficial for the individual. I believe it was. It was a lot of fuzzy stuff like communication skills and supervisory skills. I recall that many of our discussions in class around the application of what they were learning was often times related to their relationships outside of work. The communication skills training was helping them talk to their teenagers at home more than each other.
The training was well received by the employees but noticably absent was upper management. It was difficult to expect employees to model behavior that their bosses had no knowledge of. While a few employees probably used their training to confront difficult people or "be a better boss", there was no assessment of skills learned or follow-up of any kind. I think it was more of an opportunity to get off the production line and have a free lunch.

Theories

I found this week's reading on different kinds of learning theories to be very interesting. Although it appears that there are various "camps" for each learning theory, it seems to me that each has its own value. While Behaviorism seems very rudimentary and reactive, it has its place in learning objectives that require recalling facts or learning automatic procedures. In helping kids learn their multiplication facts it is known that kids just need to memorize them in order to recall them quickly. The behaviorist learning theory would best apply to learning this skill. The flashcard would act as a cue or stimulus and the correct answer would be the response. Until memorization occurs, students must rely on another method to come up with the answers to math facts. I suppose that is where the cognitive theory would come into play. Learners would take previous knowledge (ie: addition) and organize it to relate to new information. For example, in order to get the answer to 4x3, students would take what they already know (4+4+4=12) and apply it to get that 4x3=12. While constructivism is very new to me, I suppose the constructivist view would give students real life opportunities that require to use multiplication without being implicitly taught the concepts behind it.

GREAT!

The pieces are beginning to fall into place and I think I'm beginning to understand Instructructional Design. I am the kind of person, that when I get an idea, I just kind of go crazy with it. I brainstorm, make notes, jot down ideas and pretty much run around like a chicken with my head cut off. What I am really appreciating about ID is the systematic process that it forces me to stay in. Without it, I would be so excited about an idea that I would want to do this and this and oh, I can't forget to put this in!! And in the end I have a muddled mess! While I was very intimidated about our BIG PROJECT in the beginning, I am now getting excited about it because I can see that I do have the knowledge and tools to do it! I also appreciate that the model can be used for virtually any time of Instructional Design.

When my friends and neighbors ask me with that frowny look on their face, "So, how is school?" It's like they are expecting me to moan and groan! I just smile and say GREAT!

Overcoming Opposition

I've had some a ha! moments during this week's reading. I am now beginning to understand more about the process that Instructional Designers must go through to create a truly useful and effective solution. Not having much exposure to industries that employ or utilize Instructional Designers, I can see how much of a true expert you would need to be in order to remain credible as a designer. I can see that a downfall for a designer would be when a corporate mandate orders that training be developed and delivered without allowing the designer to complete the necessary steps to determine if training is necessary at all. I can see that in a perfect world instructional designers would be able to utilize all aspects of their education, training and expertise to solve a problem from start to finish, utilizing all the necessary tools we have been given. However, the article "Five Views of the Field" helped me to realize that there are some ill conceived notions about Instructional Design that when examined closely, are definitely not the designer's fault. Often times a designer, in order to remain true to his/her craft, needs to fight for what he/she believes to be the best solution in the face of opposition that actually may be coming from a client or management. These are the very individuals requesting a designer's services to begin with. This gives me some things to think about.

My Teenager's Biggest Complaint

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have heard these words coming from the mouth of my eldest child. "I don't know why we have to do this! I am never going to use this again in my life!" He is usually referring to Math. My son questions every motive and method that his Algebra or Geometry teacher employs! My son is a bright kid and completely capable of doing the work. It is infuriating to him that a teacher may be wasting his time, teaching him something that he will never use again! "But you will use it again someday when you get a job," I explain. "Oh, no, I won't! I'll make sure I never get a job that requires Algebra!" And so it goes at our house.

In this week's reading I discovered something that I think may really help my kid. What if someone explained to him exactly how and why he might use Algebra in real life. Teenagers think they know everything so they need to be shown real examples of how something is going to benefit them. If more teachers would employ Backward Design, I think there would be less arguments about homework between teenagers and their parents. In Chapter 1 of Understanding by Design the author states "Answering the "why?" and "so what?" questions that older students always ask (or want to), and doing so in concrete terms as the focus of curriculum planning, is thus the essence of understanding by design. What is difficult for many teachers to see (but easier for students to feel!) is that, without such explicit and transparent priorities, many students find day-to-day work confusing and frustrating."


That describes my son! Confused and frustrated! I think my son would not be so resistant to Math if he understood exactly how, when, where and why he would use what he is learning. Thus, if teachers thought more about teaching how and why their students will use what they are learning and less about covering the material in the book, my life would be a lot easier!

An Unwanted Education

I just started graduate school and my first assignment was to start a blog. I like blogs. I like happy blogs about cooking or scrapbooking or the mundane things other people do each day. I never thought my first entry in a blog would be sad. The morning after my first class, I received a phone call at about 8:15 a.m. I was getting my children out the door for school and wondered who would be calling. A quick glance at the caller id told me it was my sister. She lives in Phoenix. The minute she said my name, I knew there was something terribly wrong. My brain wanted to reject the words she was saying. "Something horrible has happened. Mark is dead." No! Once those words are said, they can't be taken back. Hope for a miracle or a recovery or a mistake or whatever are gone when those words are said. Mark, her husband of 17 years, was killed when he lost control of the motor scooter he was riding and crashed into a tree. We talked and cried. My heart was breaking for her.
Later that night as I tried to digest the assigned reading for my new class, my thoughts kept returning to her. "We will use the term education very broadly to describe all experiences in which people learn. Many of these experiences are unplanned, incidental, and informal." (Smith and Ragan) My mind wanted to add "Many of these experiences are cruel, heartbreaking, and unimaginable." My sister was definitely gaining an unwanted education. What is she supposed to learn? How to live without him? How to raise two children alone? How to run his business? As we talked and cried together, there was one thing that she kept asking over and over. "What am I going to do? What am I going to do?"
How do I answer that question? It was a question that was at the same time both rhetorical and begging an answer. Is there an instructional design module anywhere that gives instruction on what to do the day after your husband dies? Of course not. She couldn't decide whether to take a shower or sweep off the back porch. How does she begin planning a funeral and facing all the other challenges that have just begun to come her way? That is where the teachers comes in. "...the term teaching refers to those learning experiences that are facilitated by a human being." A human being who has experienced it and lived it and lived through it. Someone to walk her through the steps and give her encouragement along the way. Isn't that what teachers do?