Blog Reflection 7

• From Chapter 28 locate 5 examples of distributed learning. You may pick and choose from the following list.

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• Corporate distributed learning

IBM appears to use distributed learning to train their employees. https://www-304.ibm.com/jct03001c/services/learning/ites.wss/id/en?pageType=page&c=a0000914

• Academic distributed learning

Texas A&M Commerce uses academic distributed learning for many of it’s courses. I have been able to complete all of my coursework using online learning.

• Hybrid classes

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee offers hybrid courses. http://www4.uwm.edu/ltc/blended_courses/ courses are designed so that at least 20 percent of the coursework is delivered online, along with face to face classes.

• Virtual classes

The Virtual High School offers many courses online for high school students. http://www.govhs.org/Pages/Welcome-Home One benefit mentioned on the website is that they offer courses that may not otherwise be available to students at their high school

• For-profit distributed learning

I found this website which gave good overall information about profit vs. non-profit distributed learning.

http://www.greatdegree.com/articles/For-Profit-vs-Non-Profit-Colleges-What-s-the-Difference-36.html

DeVry University is an example of a for-profit distributed learning college. They have degree programs through 5 accredited colleges. Classes are offered traditionally and online. There are 90 locations nationwide.

• Chapter 29 discusses the concept of reusability. Think back over the courses you've had over your educational career and identify one with poor reusability characteristics. Explain how the course could be redesigned to improve reusability without changing the underlying content.

The course that comes to mind is a Children’s Literature class that I took when I started graduate school. Part of the course was to read and create a bibliography of children’s books from a variety of genre’s. We also had to design a lesson for a one of the core subject areas that would utilize the book and match a specific TEK. I believe this course could be redesigned to improve reusability by creating a template for the students in the course that would be stored online (Google Docs) that would allow for everyone to enter their books and teaching suggestion. This would not change the underlying content, but would make the information learned in the course accessible beyond the semester and become a collaborative effort among the students.

• Chapter 30 takes a look at using rich media. Find or create a visual for instruction describing its surface and functional features.

I have chosen this visual explaining the phases of the moon. I recently taught this to my 4^th graders and is a very difficult concept to grasp without visuals. I like the surface features of this video such as the color animations. However I believe the functional features make the video a learning tool. The video is clear, concise and shows the positions of the earth, sun and moon during each moon phases. I also like how it addresses popular misconceptions early in the video.

Phases of the moon animation

• Chapter 31 discusses the future of instructional technologies in the near future from metadata to nanotechnology. Describe how nanotechnology could be used to improve a specific job or task you are familiar with.

As a classroom teacher I am familiar with the large amounts of paperwork that occurs for each student. It’s easy to get lost in a sea of 504 data, special education paperwork, and day to day RtI information. Nanotechnology may one day provide a way for all of this information regarding a student to be kept on a small microchip. This microchip could be inside the student i.d. badges that many districts require their students to wear. Teachers could access the necessary information on a student in one location. This would save time and paperwork. Of course this information would need to be held in strict confidentiality so the technology would need to allow for that.

• And finally! Chapter 32 provides two points of view on the direction of the field - the straight and narrow road and the broad and inclusive road. Which point of view do you agree with and why?

The goal for the future of instructional design and technology is “designing and using technologies/resources to improve learning and performance.” (Table 32.1) However the road taken to arrive at that goal is focused and narrow or broad and inclusive. I tend to lean toward the broad and inclusive road. I believe the more inclusive road leads toward more opportunities to create and find resources that improve learning and performance. The source of new ideas on the broad road is open to several different sciences, professional practices and even humanities. The technology world is changing so quickly that you must be willing to use these new innovations to reach the stated goal. The broad road will have a far greater reach in our increasingly global world.