D/B 9

• Previous assignments (R/D9*): As a kind of check in, I would like to hear a somewhat summative reflection on your experience in the course so far, particularly related to the technology-related tasks you have tackled.

I have found that some of the tasks could be very beneficial in my classroom.  Podcasting was new for me and I have already thought of some great activities that I could do with it that I have posted before in my blog.  Social bookmarking has some interesting uses in education.  I have heard of mapping and creating maps but did not really look into it that much.  With this activity I found some great uses as well.

• How challenging have you found them?

I would say that they are of appropriate difficultly.  I never felt overwhelmed or that any of them where a waste of time.

• What support you did not get that you would have appreciated (or what support did you get that you did appreciate)?

The support portions of each website, forum on Blackboard, and Google have helped for each assignment.

• Are excited, frustrated, both? Do you think you will find ways to incorporate some of what we have done in your professional work?

Excited.  See above comments.

D/B 8

• Reading Chapter 21 (R/D8*) : Pick out two trends or issues that particularly surprised you and/or hit home and explain why.

The idea of systemic change really hit home with me.  It makes sense that if you want to improve that it requires a change in the whole system.  Also the inclusion of all stakeholders really helps a district see what is wanted or needed.  We use the NCA (North Central Accreditation) process at our high school where I work.  We are in the first year of the continual process where we are identifying improvements for our school.  While I was reading I was trying to see if NCA was an ecological systemic process.  After thinking about it I would have to say no.  It does not include all stakeholders (parents, students, and support staff) in the process.  It also does not include the entire district in mind.  I do see that from their website they do have a district wide accreditation process.  While looking at the NCA website it lists what schools and our districts must do to meet accreditation.  It also states that an accreditation fees, “are used to provide accredited schools and school systems with research-based standards, nationally-trained quality assurance review team chairs, high-quality resources and tools, and ongoing professional development. The annual dues for the school system are based on the number of schools under the jurisdiction of the school system. Additionally, the school system is responsible for a District Accreditation Quality Assurance Review Visit fee assessed once every five years to offset the costs associated with conducting the Quality Assurance Review.”.  I know the reading made a difference between piecemeal and systemic change.  They also stated that some programs tell schools what they need to be like with no way or system to get there.  To me it seems that NCA is similar to both.  It contains what a school will be like and provides a means to get there however leaves out valuable stakeholders in the process.  It also makes me wonder if some systems were really put into place to help improve schools or to make money on the accountability movement.

D/B 7

• Reading Chapter 18 (R/D7*): What are, in your mind, two unique or interesting or different or noteworthy ways Instructional Design/Technology has been used in business & industry that you believe could be usefully applied to your own professional work? Explain.

The Roles of Instructional Designers in Business and Industry are very similar to what teachers do in the classroom.  The teacher is sometimes the sole designer if they teach a class no one else teachers.  Sometimes teachers work in teams to design classes so that they are the same among teachers.  Teachers can also network with other teachers that are not in their building or district and can use these other teachers as consultants.  I feel that teachers can also use people in business and industry especially elective/hands on skills classes because learners are learning how to do that skill when they leave.

Evaluation is also very important to education.  In business and industry evaluation is looked at in a different way.  In education we evaluate student learning with tests, quizzes, or projects.  In business and industry evaluation is looked at in return of investment (cost of training vs. money saved because of training) and decreased work time or increased productivity.  It is measured in dollars and cents.  However, I feel that we can take the advanced evaluation methods and apply them to our classrooms.  I really like the confirmative evaluation method which looks at what the learner still knows later after given the training and some time to apply that training (Cognitive approach to learning?).  I look at education and can only think that a final exam is similar. I feel information in the classroom is given in a chunk, test, new information, test, etc.  How much old information is remembered? We use a final exam as a confirmative evaluation method or do we?

GIS/Mapping Activity

For this activity I chose to do option 2:

Come up with an idea for a lesson in which your students would create their own maps.

I have a couple of ideas that came to my mind for an idea for a lesson Where students Create maps.

Idea 1: Renewable Projects in the State of Michigan (Engineering)

Idea 2: House Style/Architecture of city or State (Architecture)

For both projects it would reinforce content already taught.  Students would use Google maps to locate renewable energy projects in the state/House styles in our town.  Students could take there own pictures and geotag them in Picasa and add them to their map.  The could also add a video taken from there phone and upload it to YouTube and add it to their map.  I have in the past used Google Earth where students go on a guided architecture tour of the world so I think it would be cool to have them design their own architectural/renewable energy tour!

I will post a map ASAP!

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106423828449163787505.00048c7951e2d3e3c297b&ll=43.179144,-84.405212&spn=1.295824,3.164062&z=9

D/B 6

What are some ways the ideas/concepts/principles discussed in this chapter could be applied in your professional work? Do you see opportunities where these ideas could help you or your students?

I use visual media a lot in my classes.  Drawings, pictures, and directions dominate my classes.

I see YouTube as well as United Streaming a hybrid between TV and Film mentioned in Chapter 3.  I use both a lot in my classes.

Since text and the teacher are not considered Instructional Media I will be brief.  I use text sparingly in my classes and use it to guide my curriculum.  I am luck in that I teach in a lab with 30 computers and I use mostly the internet to get students involved in the subject matter.  Exploring websites, videos, images, and other points of view make it more interesting the reading from a text.

As described above under Option 1, profile the podcast(s) you chose to subscribe and listen to (you do not have to do this if you choose Option 2. Link to the podcast's site and profile (describe) this podcast so your classmates can learn about it and see if it might one they would want to check out.

I subscribed to http://edtechtalk.com/ . I found it in iTunes.  EdTechTalk is a community of educators interested in discussing and learning about the uses of educational technology. They have several different types of shows including 21st Century Learning, K-12, Elementary, Parents, Teachers Teaching Teachers.

What added value might podcasting have in your professional setting (company, school, etc.)?

I never really got into podcasting  and this activity has really ot me interested.  I found some of the information very helpful.  I really like the on about the oil spill and if our students will find it compelling.  I tied in an assignment to my engineering class asking students to find how technology and engineering are helping or hurting the cleanup in the Gulf.  It received mixed results from students some more interested then others.  But I fell if I would have incorporated the podcast with teachers from Louisiana and others who are there I think it would have make a bigger impact.  The video the reference is heartbreaking!

Reiser, Robert A and Dempsey, John V (2007) 2nd edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall

D/B 5

How will the Internet and the World Wide Web make a  major impact on:

A) K-12

According to Chapter 3 Instructional Technology has had little success in affecting public schools.  Each moment (Visual,Film, TV, Computers) prior to having computers hooked up to the Internet and the World Wide Web showed great interest/promise and experts made very outlandish predictions about how each would change the face of education.  However after a few years each type of technology lost ground and reports indicated that these technologies had little affect on learning.

I agree with the author at the end of the chapter that recent data is showing that more and more teachers are using computers and the Internet for meaningful lessons.  However, I disagree with the author when he says that the growth will be slow and steady.  Although his prediction is based on data collected from studies conducted from  2001-2003 I see this trend declining. The main reason I see this trend declining is lack of money in the schools (equipment and training teachers) and teacher reluctantcy to use technology.

I feel that it can be helped by a couple things.  Schools need to train teachers on how to incorporate technology and how to lesson plan using these technologies.  I see too many times technology being put in the classroom and no training being given in how to use it!  Also schools need to look for grants that support technology integration and training.  I feel that parents can be more involved in this process and help school look for the dollars to be successful instead of reling on the State for funds.

Reiser, Robert A and Dempsey, John V (2007) 2nd edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall

B) Higher Education

I see continued use of online classes and degree's.  I feel that it a real money maker for the colleges and they have already been using it for awhile now.


C) Adult Education

I see my friends and siblings having to do training more and more online.  Most of which is self paced and their is no facilitator.   I see more and more companies using this technology to save money and train more people at a time.  The mention of human performance as a branch of instructional design and technology has me very curious about the subject.

Google Map Post

Here is a map of Grand Island off Munising, MI.  My wife and I biked about half the island on your visit last year.  Lots to do and a great place to visit.

Again EDUblogs will not let me embed code since I am a free user. Again they blame spammers!

HERE is a link to my map.

Static Image

Here is my static image.

Video Post

Here is a YouTube video I found related to the future of Educational Technology.  Do you feel this is an accurate description?

So EDUblogs has removed the ability for free users to embed video because of misuse by spammers!  Maybe they should have tighter restrictions?  Is this a good site for educational use then?

I know I was not supposed to like to the video but this is my only choice.

I found this video HERE interesting.  Do you feel this is an accurate description? Is it even possible?

Photo Sharing

I use photo sharing for robotics. You can see our photo sharing HERE.

D/B 4

3) How might you incorporate photo sharing into a educational activity or unit? What might be some concerns you would have about allowing students play with these services? What might be a great benefit of such services?

Photo sharing Activity/Lesson:

• Drafting
  
  
  
  • Line Styles Quiz. Use Photos to do line type Identification since most students will not have a drafting program at home.
  
  
  
  


• Architecture
  
  
  
  • House styles quiz.  Students would use my file sharing website to study for my house styles quiz.  I could use the descriptions to provide details about the photos.  With Picasa I could even geo tag famous examples so students can see where these types of homes are.
  
  
  • Student built House Styles Database.  In class project where students create different albums with the different types of house styles and can add descriptions and details about why that house is a particular style.  Students could then use it to study from.
  
  
  • Students go out and take pictures in our town and try to find an example of as many house styles as they can.
  
  
  
  

• Concerns
  
  
  
  • What types of photos they may find on the way.
  
  
  • Copyright issues
  
  
  
  

• Benefits
  
  
  
  • Student created database.
  
  
  • Access photos anytime anywhere.
  
  
  
  

4) In reading Chapter 2, what similarities and what differences did you identify between the process the authors describe and the processes you have used to develop educational lesson plans? If you have not developed educational lesson plans, were there aspects of the process described in this chapter that you found particularly surprising, useful or unnecessary?

In college we learned the Madeline Hunter ITIP lesson plan format so I will compare it to the ADDIE Method of instructional Design.

Similarities

• Learning and Lesson Objectives (ITIP), Anticipatory Set (ITIP), Input (ITIP) Analysis, Design, Implementation Phase
  
  
  
  • Have to consider
    
    
    
    • Learners
    
    
    • Outcome
    
    
    • Delivery
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Creating Lesson Plan
  
  
  • Implementation or Delivery of content
  
  
  
  

• Checking for Understanding (ITIP) and Evaluation
  
  
  
  • Checking effectiveness of lesson (Implementation or Delivery)
  
  
  
  

D/B 3

1) What value (if any) do you think social bookmarking might hold for teachers and/or students?

• Students sharing with each other
  
  
  
  • Students are able to share things that interest them like music, pop culture, news, etc.  Less of a social sharing and more of an information sharing.  Could be used for a group project to share resources.
  
  
  
  


• Teachers sharing with their students
  
  
  
  • Teaching sharing information about a chapter or unit.  Teacher could list websites and ask students to answer questions using the following websites.
  
  
  • Extended learning or outside of school learning opportunities.
  
  
  • Pro/con, For/Against for presentations on subjects.
  
  
  • Fact of the day
  
  
  • Current study/research in subject area.
  
  
  • Show real world examples of subject matter being used in the real world.
  
  
  • Information Database
  
  
  
  


• Teachers sharing with other teachers
  
  
  
  • Share resources about subject area.
  
  
  • Chapter/Unit research
  
  
  • Lesson Plan Collaboration
  
  
  • Information Database
  
  
  
  


• Administrators sharing with teachers
  
  
  
  • State/Federal Laws
  
  
  • Educational Research
  
  
  • P.D opportunities
  
  
  
  


• Sharing with parents
  
  
  
  • Sharing examples of how course material is being used in the real world.
  
  
  • Show parents your class reflects current study/research in subject area.
  
  
  
  

2) Back to the Trends & Issues reading, to what degree do the definitions in this chapter correspond with what you have thought about this area and what it is your hope to do in your line of work (or in a future career)? Does is there anything surprising or very new you read in this chapter? Does something seem to be missing?

I have taken a class on Instructional Design while I was at MSU and the reading confirms what I learned at MSU.  However We did not discuss the varied definitions and how they evolved with instructional design and technology. It was very interesting to look at what was considered media 40 to 50 years ago.  What was new to me was human improvement.  The fact that they are looking at instructional and noninstructional ways to improve performance in the workplace.

We also used the ADDIE method.  It does not included other models or methods we learned however, I found ADDIE the best one to use and understand.  I switched from MSU because I wanted to focus more on becoming a Technology Coordinator for a school or district as well as how to use different technologies in the classroom.  Learning about Instructional Design and the different types has really helped me to see how to use it in my own teaching but also help other teachers use it when incorporating technology in their rooms.

Del.icio.us Link

You can view my del.icio.us social bookmarking site HERE!

D/B 2

D/B 2

• What are your early impressions of using a blog and what was your experience using an RSS Reader this week? Any surprises, pleasant or otherwise?

Blogs are a good way to get out your own personal point of view.  I also see why bloggers are so popular.  I see it as a way to get out information that is not filtered by the mass media.

RSS Readers are a convent way to have all the information that interests you in one location.  No longer do I have to go to each individual site to get the information.  I can just click on feed if that subject interests me.  I am also alearted when new information becomes available again saving me time and energy.  The only negative I see is that it limits you to information that you want so you could miss other things that may interest you.

• Which part(s) of Dale's Cone do you think each tool (Blog, RSS) lends itself best to and why?

Blogs: Direct Purposeful Experience. Because Blogs "involve our feelings and perceptions (Dale 1969)".

RSS: Verbal Symbols. Because an RSS Reader only provides words, it is up to the reader to interpret the words.  If a user were to click on a feed it will take them to the information directly which could contain other visual symbols like charts, maps, and diagrams.  I would even say that the direct information could fall under still pictures, drawings, radio, and recordings.  Since most sites included hypermedia there could be video, audio, and images.

• Considering Siegel's concept of "computer imagination", what do you think would be at least one "imaginative" educational use of each tool (blog, RSS) that takes advantage of each tool's inherent strengths? That is, what do you think you and/or your students could use these tools for that they might not be able to do with other more simple or low-tech tools? Or, as Postman might ask, what is a problem to which each of these tools is an answer?

Well the answer to the Postman's question would be personalization, collaboration, and effectiveness.  Blogs and RSS Readers allow users to personalize the information they want to receive.  Users otherwise have to go to a book or newsstand to search out information that interests them.  There would be no other way (other then the internet) to find information they want through the mail.  Users can search and subscribe to information that they want to learn or know about.  It is much easier to collaborate with these technologies.  A user would have to send separate letters to each collaborator then wait for a response from each then infor the others of the others responses.  Blogs and RSS feeds create one central location for sharing information.  Blogs allow comments and RSS readers allow you to view all blogs and information in one central location.

Class Wiki

My EDT 5410 Wiki can be found at  http://teachingindigital.pbworks.com/.

D/B1

I believe technology when used correctly and effectively be teachers can be a great learning tool.  From a teaching stand point I find that using/integrating/transforming teaching with the use of technology can be a difficult path.  I find myself going back to the two articles:

Reigeluth, C.M. & Joseph, R. (2002). Beyond technology integration: The case for technology transformation.Educational Technology, 42(4), 9-13.

Postman, N. (1993). Of Luddites, learning, and life. Technos Quarterly, 2(4).

Reigeluth and Joseph speak very optimistically about the use of technology but really talk about using it to transform teaching.  This becomes very clear in all of the educational technology classes I have taken as well as a class I am talking out at the ISD about teaching and learning online.  The role of students and teachers change dramatically online. “…teacher has to be more of a “guide on the side” rather than a “sage on the stage” (Reigeluth & Joseph, 2002).  The teacher is no longer the one source of information.  Students are no longer just receivers of information but transmitters as well.  I feel that as a teacher you can become overwhelmed in the amount of information available about how to teach online.

As a student in online learning I have had good and bad experiences.  When I have had instructors who follow these dos for becoming an online instructor things go well.  A teacher becomes more of a facilitator of information then the main source of information.  They become the social director as well.  Directing the conversations and supporting student responses to discussions questions.

I think the statement Joseph makes in regards to the following sentences is what really stuck out at me. Joseph states, “This “technology integration” movement generally focuses implicitly on how to use technology to support the way teaching is currently done in the schools.  But perhaps there would be greater leverage if we invest in finding ways that technology can transform the way we teach, ways that technology can allow us to teach that weren’t feasible before.”  I feel that technology is allowing us to teach in ways that were feasible before.  Online Education has made it possible for learners across the globe to come together and become a learning community.  Already in my masters program here at WMU I have had several classmates from different countries and different states.  Each one brings their own point of view and knowledge to the class and I learn from this. “Fellow learners can be powerful agents of learning. It is often said that the best way to learn something is to teach it.  Peer-assisted learning and collaborative learning can take many forms, but they all facilitate the social construction of knowledge.” (Reigeluth & Joseph, 2002).

I think the statement Joseph makes in regards to the following sentences is what really stuck out at me. Joseph states, “This “technology integration” movement generally focuses implicitly on how to use technology to support the way teaching is currently done in the schools.  But perhaps there would be greater leverage if we invest in finding ways that technology can transform the way we teach, ways that technology can allow us to teach that weren’t feasible before.”

As for the Postman article I found that he was both right and wrong in that was said.  Yes, one of the responsibilities that schools have been trying to instill in students is becoming a productive member of society.  “One of the principal functions of school is to teach children how to behave in groups. The reason for this is that you cannot have a democratic, indeed, civilized, community life unless people have learned how to participate in a disciplined way as part of a group. School has never been about individualized learning. It has always been about how to learn and how to behave as part of a community. And, of course, one of the ways this is done is through the communication of what is known as social values.” (Postman, 1993).  Schools do see students more then parents do during the school year and so it makes sense for schools to do such.  I do also agree with him in the fact that schools need to be around.  School is a social experience that cannot be replaced by computers. However, I feel that traditional school may not be for everyone and so an online alternate is an option.  However, I have questions whether emotional and social needs of an online student are being met and if those values of becoming a productive member of society are still there.