Blog Reflection Week 1

1. Reflect on the definitions the book has provided and develop your own definition as it relates to your work environment.

The definition of instructional design and technology seems to be one that, much like technology itself, is constantly changing and evolving. The definition of the field began as one that focused only on the instructional media itself, the pieces of technology used in an educational setting.  Our text describes an early definition as “the enrichment of education through the ‘seeing experience’ (p. 3).” As time and technology advanced, the definition began to not only include the means used to present, but also instructional technology as a process. A later definition described the definition in two parts. One part described it as the “media born of the communications revolution which can be used for instructional purposes.” (p. 40.  A second part then included the concept that instructional technology is a “systematic way of designing, carrying out and evaluating the learning process.” (p. 4) In recent years the definition has continued to change and broaden its scope to include the idea that instructional technology facilitates learning rather than controls it and it is used to create and manage rather than design and evaluate learning. As I reflect on this chapter it seems that with the amazing technological advances available to educators, it has been necessary to offer up a definition that is all encompassing.

For my own working definition of instructional design and technology, I go to my core idea that as a teacher I want to create lifelong problem solvers that are able to adapt to an ever changing global society. Instructional design and technology is the idea that educational experiences are created using the process of looking at the end in mind, and then working backwards to manage learning experiences that assist students in arriving to the intended goal, using technology resources available.

1. Next, study the Dick, Carey and Carey model of instructional design. Redesign the model excluding and/or adding components as needed. Describe how the model adheres to the six characteristics of instructional design and how it fits in your work environment relating to your definition of instructional design.

As I study the model given in figure 2.2 illustrating the instructional design model of Dick, Carey and Carey I see it through the eyes of a teacher since that is my work environment. I grasp the overall concept of the process, but for the purposes of the classroom teacher I can see where some steps may be given more priority than others in the instructional design of classroom learning. The 6 characteristics of instructional design can be seen in the process. In the education world we often attempt to design instruction with the “end result” in mind. This concept matches the 2^nd characteristic that instructional design is goal oriented.  Often times in education we are asked to take note of our students and their individual learning styles. This can be seen in characteristic 1 which states that instructional design is learner centered and in the second potential step in the model which asks the designer to assess learners. Another characteristic discussed was to offer design that is focused on meaningful performance. Authenticity and performance is emphasized in this area. In education many are striving to make learning experiences relevant to what students will face in the real world. This matches with my above definition desiring to create lifelong problem solvers. Therefore, the step of selecting and conducting formative evaluation would be important to the overall process. The most difficult characteristics of instructional design are dealing with the assumption that outcomes can be measured in a valid and reliable way. As a teacher I can see where this step in the process could lead to a continuous never-ending loop. Children and learning is a very dynamic thing and many different factors can affect the validity of an outcome. Lastly the idea that instructional design is a team effort is important to grasp. Often times in the process of instructional design the teacher is simply the deliverer of a design they had no hand in creating. This can lead to disconnect within the process. Much of this process goes on behind the scenes in a school district’s curriculum department.

I have attempted to re-write the model from the perspective of a teacher, using my initial definition of instructional design. I have eliminated steps that I believe occur outside of my control as a classroom teacher, such as designing the formative assessments and conducting an instructional analysis.

In no way am I trying to deny the countless amount of time an energy that went into the development of the model given in the text. I am simplifying it for the purpose of my workplace and overall understanding of the process.

http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/kiddesign/cof.shtml

I thought this article was informative to the see many parts of the process of instructional design in action.

1. And finally, in chapter 3, there is discussion on how the internet and world wide web will have a major influence on the way instruction is delivered to learners. Based on what you know about these technological innovations combined with what you have read about the history of instructional films, television, the computer and more, discuss how technology is generally used in the field of education and how you foresee technology being used in the future in the following areas: K12 Education, Higher Education and Adult Education (continuing education). For example, think about how we are using the blog to capture learning in higher education. How could it be used in K12?

The technology ball began rolling down a hill, and has continued to gain momentum exponentially over the years. I believe that technology will only become more and more prevalent in our classrooms in the coming years. I do believe that much of public education will increase the use of technology at a slower rate than private schools due to issues with funding. However, I do feel that many types of technology will become commonplace in the classrooms. In the K-12 classroom I see a future of only online textbooks, laptops issued to individual students, interactive white boards in every class, and a surge of online learning and collaboration. I believe instruction will become more project based learning and problem solving. I also think that many upper grade level classes may become more online learning experiences. In higher education and adult education I believe that online learning will become more and more popular. The asynchronous characteristic of online learning is extremely appealing to our very busy culture.