IDT New Directions

1. Select two of the following and reflect on how you would apply them in your current or future position in the IDT field.

• Networks or Web 2.0 technologies (Ch 31) - if interested in sound principles and major concerns to incorporate in using social media and various web tools/services, can be useful.
• Chapter 31 describes Web 2.0 as “a platform for a host of commercial, entertainment, and learning applications.” The best example I can think of would be an LMS, learning management system, called Edmodo. (There are a ton of LMSes.) Edmodo is an LMS that is commonly used in elementary schools. If you’re not familiar with LMSes, or Edmodo, it’s like a facebook for your classroom. The chapter discussed that privacy can be compromised. When you put what you’re teaching and what the students are discussing online, even though it’s ‘private’, your account can still be hacked. (Which has happened in the free version of Edmodo often, which is why my district doesn’t particularly promote it.) Another issue, which is something I deal with in my current position, is support. There is not enough support in my district to effectively promote web 2.0 applications. Blogs can be really scary to a teacher who is new to technology. Opening up students to the world wide web to share their learning experiences, if you don’t have that support or training or promotion. Teacher’s will not do it. However, Web 2.0 tools are important because they teach students how to become 21^st century learners. These are real world applications, that students will either learn safely in a school environment, or on their own, which can be scary.

• Rich media (Ch 32) - This is a required reading because one should know when rich media can be most beneficial and also be harmful, and all designers and teachers must balance sound cognition principles including cognitive overload. Combining this chapter with another rich media, such as game, virtual world, or web 2.0 can be very informative.
• In chapter 32, the textbook discussed that rich media can be overwhelming and almost drown out what the actual lesson is. I’ve sat in several professional developments, where I was so blown away by the cool platform that was used to teach the lesson, that I could not tell you what I was being taught. I was merely googling and playing with the website that was being utilized. Rich media can be so beneficial in a lesson, for example you can reach students with all kinds of learning styles by using just one lesson. (kinesthetic learners vs. visual vs. audio, etc!) Rich media is extremely useful, if the designer is using it to the TPACK standards, and not to just showboat the lesson. (TPACK is a model used to make sure that the technology aligns with the right pedagogy and curriculum, designing lessons can be like balancing a scale.) IE: Powerpoint can be a great tool, but if you put too many animations, sounds and transitions on it, it can be a little overwhelming and you lose your audience. As well as, standing and being “teacher centered” and not using the powerpoint to lead the discussion, can also be the wrong format for what you’re trying to teach. You really have to make sure that you are creating the lesson with the end result in mind. I find that sometimes we want our presentation to be so cool, that our lessons are technology driven rather than student driven. What is the audience supposed to take away? Is the technology enhancing student learning or distracting?

2. Select two chapters that you find most relevant or interesting. For the technologies you selected above, discuss how each of those two chapters can apply from this section.

These types of media can help all kinds of learners. They are aesthetically pleasing for the visual learner, they are audio for the auditory learner and they’re usually hands on applicable, which helps everyone! Students now come into classrooms being very tech-savvy, on one of my campuses those 1^st graders know more than their teacher! As educators, we have to make the audience see the real world application for their lesson. This is why moving in this technology driven direction is so important. Students need to acquire technology skills, but they also need to have the appropriate lesson taught to them. It’s a fine line to dance on, making the lessons technologically engaging, however also focusing on the TEKS and helping students pass a pen-and-paper standardized test.

Reiser, Robert V.; Dempsey, John V. Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (3^rd Edition). Pearson HE, Inc.

IDT Positions

Many of you already have a job in the field or in a related field; however, based on this week’s readings, you’ll reflect on where you are, where you want to go, and what you need to learn or do to get there. 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 (change jobs? obtain a promo, etc.).

Next, describe the kind of work that you want to do and the type of organization or institution in which you want to work. Based on these chapters, briefly describe what your strong competencies are and what areas you want/need to improve, and explain what you need to learn. Then, discuss how you will obtain the skills you need through this degree program (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?) 

My current job title is Instructional Media Specialist. I am enrolled in the Educational Technology and Library Sciences Degree with School Librarian Certification. In my current role, I am responsible for instructional technology integration and support at three campuses as well as all the library responsibilities at those three campuses. I do have a paraprofessional who I monitor and evaluate, who helps the days I cannot be on campus. Another major responsibility of mine, is creating and implementing professional developments and trainings for teachers and staff at the district level. I really enjoy my job; however, I miss the student interaction. (I work more on the professional development and PLC side for multiple campuses.) I would love to be a school librarian and work hand in hand with teachers and interact more with students. Eventually, I would like to be a professor at a university and help teach future teachers or be a mentor teacher. I honestly do not know what or where I will be in the next 5 years, however I know that this is something I am currently enjoying and would like to pursue in a district that values more roles better. (What I mean by that is, if instructional technology and library sciences was valued, I wouldn’t have to do both jobs on 3 separate campuses all by myself.)

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? How will knowledge gained from these chapters apply to your career planning above and beyond what you are learning from your graduate study?

I was recently invited to join The National Society of Leadership and Success. This is an honors fraternity/society that focuses on building leaders and the community. So far, I have been invited to participate in group meetings that help you focus on your career building skills. This society has been very helpful for me, to realize my full potential and it also opens opportunities for me to attend keynote speakers and learn more about different fields. This has really been an honor to be a part of. I also, have been looking into more opportunities for high education, such as getting my administrative leadership certification from SMU. I’m not sure where my future career or plans will lead me, but I’m hoping to have enough experience to help support me in those goals.

I have also been involved in educational technology conferences including TCEA and ISTE. Going to these conferences has given me the opportunity to be a member in these organizations, only for the years that I went to conferences. However, I was able to take away some information and webinars that I do believe give me a leg up in my field.

Trends & Issues

      1.  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 2 of these 5 contexts and compare/contrast the IDT trends and issues. Then describe how knowledge of IDT trends and issues you captured from those two fields can better inform your work.

After reading the chapters, I decided to focus on the military and education environment, because both of these environments use instructional design for training and performance improvement. In education, we use instructional design to document, evaluate, and monitor student performance. The ‘how’ we do this is constantly changing, but I believe that we will always use instructional design to support our students. I enjoyed reading about the military instructional design, because I feel like I can really connect. Their design is focused on meeting a need. They do not waste time with training. They have ‘guiding documents’ that say what their objectives and goals are, which helps to direct their trainings. I think as teachers we can all relate to this, especially during evaluation season. The education field and military field share the same major concern, budgets. They both have procedures in place for how to order new and improved devices, but it is a rigorously long procedure. (In my district, you have to beg, plead, and get the principal to complain before your technology need is even noticed.) This is similar to the Marines, who struggle to get new technology in their department. As I’ve discussed in all my posts, I have been struggling with making trainings necessary, or seemingly necessary, and seeing that the military and education has to make sure to meet the needs of their trainees. This shows me I need to focus more on observations. What are teachers doing in class? What can I do to help? What will ‘lighten their load’? These questions can help direct my trainings, so that I can make sure I do not waste time.

      2.  Chapters in Section VI discuss global trends and issues in IDT. What have you learned from the selected chapter and how can/will it enhance your teaching? In a global and more connected society, we face unprecedented challenges that have implications for learning. How and can we prepare our youth to develop cultural sensitivity when working with people from the another (or your selected) region? Does our current education system, curriculum, and instructional practices help learners foster the skills necessary to tackle these issues? What can be done in your role?

The first thing that came to mind when I read about global trends, is that it is the teacher’s job to create 21^st century learners in his/her classroom. Through this, teachers are creating global citizens. I think we lose sight of that, because it’s not a tested TEKS, or because it’s not readily available. This is so sad, because students go without the necessary skill sets needed to be in a real world setting. Our teachers just aren’t prepared or given enough time to teach these necessary cultural skills. The first lesson that comes to mind when trying to develop cultural sensitivity through technology, would be to have students communicate with students around the world. This can be done through skype. Students could be connected to a classroom in China for example and discuss the different cultures, or students could just be email pen-pals to students all over the world and discuss the cultural differences. In my current role, I could address and research easy ways to create an environment of cultural sensitivity, as well as just being a role model in that field. Our students grasp a lot of what we teach, by just observing us.