ETEC 561- Section 1 Blog

Definition Reflection (book quotes are taken from Reiser and Dempsey, 2007)
   I found the first sentence of the Section 1 Overview to be a little misleading..."This section of the book is designed to give you a clear picture...of the field...{of} instructional design and technology".  For someone from a non-technology background, the first time I read chapter one I became nothing but more overwhelmed with the fairly unfamiliar terminology and complicated definitions that at first glance seem to all mean basically the same thing. 
   Another closer look at the chapter allowed me to see that as time passed and technology and society have progressed, the definition of instructional design and technology has evolved from one that simply addressed the physical aspects of technology into one that encompasses everything from the physical instructional media which provide the student with a multitude of resources to the application of "instructional and non- instructional processes and resources intended to improve learning".
   As I reread I believe that I understand more clearly that with each successive definition, the defining process has been continually refined by adopting bits and pieces from earlier definitions and merging them with new, ever changing ideas and progressions of technology.
   Having said this, as an 'old school' English teacher that is now a Library Science student, I prefer the term educational technology as opposed to instructional design and technology.  My own definition is something more like this.
             Educational technology is the practice of incorporating current technology into the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of meaningful individualized learning enriched by promoting the vast resources of the school library. 
   Since beginning my graduate work for library certification, I have learned that a librarian is no longer a librarian.  One is now known as a media specialist.  The media center (or library) has, from its first days, been a center for enriching the standard curriculum through educational technology.  Media specialists (librarians) have always dealt with educational media like reel-to-reel films, audiobooks, DVD's, and now ebooks.  Many libraries are becoming less book oriented and more electronic or technology centered.  Media specialists are charged with the task of continually updating the latest information as well as its delivery method to the patron while fighting ever shrinking budgets.

Model for Instructional Design
   Even though I haven't been in the classroom in several years, I have assisted some of the Anna ISD faculty in assessing student performance on the TAKS test and designing tutorials for students who are in need of improvement.  In doing this, I have used an instructional model very similar to the Dick, Carey, and Carey model.  The one I am familiar with looks more like this.

(My picture is much smaller than I anticipated so my model is also listed below)

Assess --Initial Evaluation--Analyze Data--Design Goals--Develop Tutorial--Implement Tutorial--Second Evaluation==
                                                                                                                                    Summative Evaluation

   If you can make it out on my picture, there is a repetitive revision involving the analyze, design, develop, implement, and second evaluation phases.  The model as I use it is learner centered in that each individual student is given his/her own goal depending on performance on the initial evaluation.  Whether it is with the individual student's use of Study Island, TAKS Prep, or personalized tutorial work, the student is his/her own instructional leader while the tutorial teacher is merely a facilitator/monitor.  It is a goal oriented model in that specific and general goals are designated for each student.  This may begin to sound like a boring tutorial, but with the use of several different software programs, students do not simply regurgitate information they have learned.  Instead, they apply their knowledge to 'game' problems/situations which makes studying much more meaningful and engaging.  In my tutorial example, rising benchmark scores and a final TAKS test score are definitely measurable.   I believe my model is self-correcting in that there is continual revision during the entire process.  The work I have done using my model typically involves an assistant principal, teacher, student and often a counselor and parents.

Technology in Education

   Technology in education is steadily growing and evolving.  I cringe to admit that my experience with technology in my education amounted to watching educational VHS tapes played on a TV or learning to type and do simple word processing on a computer. Now however, I routinely witness students designing software or applying business skills in an interactive mock business.  My elementary age children are learning to navigate the Internet and do research or find answers to their never ending questions all by themselves.  Whenever I asked a question of my parents, the answer was always, "Go look it up in the encyclopedia."  And yes, the set took up the whole shelf.  Now students have instant access to science dictionaries, detailed encyclopedias, and  high quality informative websites over every imaginable topic right at their finger tips.  The Promethean Boards in every classroom at Anna ISD allows teachers to share interactive software with the entire class at once.   Parent Portal is a wonderful new resource for parents to access the student's grades and progress.

   I see an increase of interactive cyber classrooms for K12 learners.  Imagine learning about space from an astronaut who is circling the earth while teaching or learning about the Civil War from guide walking around at Gettysburg.  With wildly different schedules, some parents just cannot physically make it to the school for a meeting during school hours.  Some parents that want to be involved in their child's education do not even live near Texas.   So, I see a future with more communication between school personnel and parents and dissemination of information using features like Skype, Facebook, and Twitter.

  Higher education and adult education can be accessed by a wider array of people with the use of online courses.  Those that would not be able to pursue degrees and training at colleges and vocational technology schools because of distance, time, and monetary restrictions are now able to continue their education from home or nearby public internet access points.  I am a prime example of this scenario.  With three young children and other responsibilities, there is no way I could come to Commerce to take classes even once a week.  Also, with the use of a webcam, online forums and interactive sites dedicated to a particular subject are indispensable when learning things like new languages and computer skills or homeschooling children.

   I really like the idea of having blogs be a part of a library book club.  At the moment , Anna High School's book club meets on Wednesday mornings before school.  Several students want to come, but cannot get there because their bus doesn't arrive in time or they have athletic/band/cheer practice at that  specific time. There would not be any conflicts in scheduling if readers just had to blog about the book they are reading and everyone followed the blog.  Also students who are normally quite shy in a group setting might be able to open up and contribute their thoughts and insights in a blog.  One drawback to this is that it would be hard to monitor every post as it was posted to ensure it stayed within school guidelines.