Technology - Are you using it correctly?

   

     Many people today could not function without their technology. Kids and adults are surrounded by it all day long. I have personally driven 35 miles back home before work to get a cell phone I left on the kitchen counter. No matter your opinion it is part of our lives and it is not going anywhere. I know the panicked feeling when my battery starts getting low and I do not have access to a charger. The struggle is how to effectively utilize this for instruction in this ever increasing digital age.
   
     Take a moment to look at this website showing some the statistics for students we are currently teaching.  Also take a moment to look at this chart about adult media use.

     No matter if we are teaching children or training adults, if we are not using some form or technology or media, we are missing the boat.  So we must ask what is the correct way to use this media?

     As a school administrator I observed many types of instruction. I have seen the traditional teacher-led lecture style classes as well as student centered learning environments. I have seen teachers who didn't even like using a computer for entering attendance and grades and would never consider adding it to their curriculum. I have also witnessed classes where technology was the main focus. Everything they did in the class revolved around using an internet connected device.

     During my 14-year educational career I have also participated in numerous training and professional development meetings. Many of these were face to face and many were virtual online courses. Just in the past year I have been part of a wide array of meetings. I was forced to sit through a 45-minute speaker who used a sharpie and a flip chart. I attended an interactive virtual training in which we had a sandbox version of the software on half of the screen to use as we followed along with the speaker demonstrating on the other half. I also almost fell asleep as a speaker flipped through a 2-hour Power-Point as he read it word for word with little added.

     The question becomes "What is the perfect balance and best approach for using technology for instruction?" Many times we find that people take the technology "and design instruction to accommodate these capabilities," (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 259). Other people choose to avoid the technology completely. Dempsey and Reiser tell us that we should be asking "How can we adapt rich media to aid human learning," (2017, p. 260).

   

The push to use technology in the classroom has been great over the last 10-15 years. Many teacher evaluation tools include technology integration. Both policy and administration push out new devices or purchase new software. They expect the teachers to use it effectively without regard to how prepared the teacher is, or how effective the technology may actually be. One of the saddest things I have witnessed is the teacher who used his nice laptop and $4000 interactive white board to display scanned copies of his 20-year-old overhead laminates. "Perhaps the most important consideration when deciding whether and how a particular technology might be employed in a particular classroom situation is to first think about whether the use of that technology will enhance teaching and learning," (Demsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 182).

     There are ways to enhance your instruction with technology properly without going overboard or underutilizing it. It can be used to support project or problem based learning, aid in individualized learning, flipped classrooms, online or blended learning, and game based learning. See the video below about the benefits of game based learning.

   
 
     There is no way to avoid the impact of technology on education. We as technology leaders must be able to train our teachers on the best practices of using it in the classroom. We must model this use in our professional developments and within our own classrooms.

References

Dempsey, J. and Reiser, R. (2017) Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. Pearson, New York, NY.

Industry American. (2017, July 2). Video Games the Future of Education? [YouTube Video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6ISSllvHY8

Motivating Learners

     We have all participated in required training before. Whether we like the topic or not, being told we have to attend can sometimes dry out our enthusiasm and enjoyment. Lee vs. Macon training comes to mind for me. Lee vs. Macon is loaded with excellent tools and graphic organizers, but being forced to participate in a poorly developed curriculum was not a fun experience. It gave me a negative attitude even though the material was very useful. My extrinsic motivation completely overshadowed any intrinsic reward (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 79).

        So what can we do to ensure that our training sessions do not feel like a jail sentence for learners? The correct use of learning strategies can work with professionals just like it does with students. There are hundreds of different strategies and strategy variations available for you to use and adjust to fit your training needs. I will give you a couple of suggestions that have really enhanced meetings I have attended.

     Graphic organizers can go either in a lesson. Used correctly they can simplify data and present information in an easy to understand format. There are literally thousands of ways to organize your information graphically. You can use a T-Chart, Venn Diagram, Chain of Events, Flow Diagram, Concept Map, and numerous other varieties. The good thing about graphic organizers is that they are customizable to fit your individual needs, such as this graphic organizer depicting the benefits of graphic organizers.

Find more information on graphic organizers here:

http://www.inspiration.com/visual-learning/graphic-organizers

http://www.sc-ccccd.net/Training/Blog/?p=1127\

          Jigsaw is another effective method I have seen in instructional training. Jigsaw allows you to break information into groups, each group then shares their information back to the whole. This allows small groups to digest bits of information. This can help improve engagement with the participants. Learners can be motivated to learn what the other groups say about the topic. As stated in the text, “Motivation to learn is promoted when a learner’s curiosity is aroused due to a perceived gap in current knowledge,” (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 80). Jigsaw helps to build that curiosity. They learn their section and want to know what the other groups learned to help fill the gap.

            Find more information on Jigsaw here:

https://www.jigsaw.org/

http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/leaders-link/principal-as-staff-developer-the-jigsaw-and-its-alternatives/

          You can use either of these two methods or one of the hundreds of other learning strategies out there. Always remember that the age of your learner does not change their desire to be motivated in what they are learning. No one wants to listen to you stand in the front and read a power point. “Instructors and instructional designers try to create conditions for meaningful learning in classrooms and courses, and on the job,” (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 61) Make sure however you present lessons or training that you make it meaningful, without that your learners will have no motivation. 

References

Dempsey, J. and Reiser, R. (2017) Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. Pearson, New York, NY.

Cult of Pedagogy. (2015, April 15). The Jigsaw Method. [Youtube video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euhtXUgBEts

   

Instructional Design - What is it, why is it important and how do you design instruction correctly?

What is instructional design?  

     Wikipedia defines it as "Instructional design (ID), or instructional systems design (ISD), is the practice of creating "instructional experiences which make the acquisition of knowledge and skill more efficient, effective, and appealing," (Instructional, n.d.). Another description used in the text states "Instructional design is a system of procedures for developing education and training materials in a consistent and reliable fashion," (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017).
   
     When I hear the phrase instructional design I immediately picture a poorly designed presentation. I don't know why. It makes me think about a blog I wrote in February about effective presentations. Within that blog I talk about the dos and don'ts of effective presentations. Instructional design takes this a step further. An effective instructional design may include an presentation, but it encompasses the entire body of work not just that one facet.

Why is instructional design important?

     Instructional design can make or break a lesson. Good instructional design can engage students and streamline instruction, whereas poor design can lead to headaches and nightmares in the classroom. It could determine which of the following represents your classroom.

How do you design instruction?

     There are numerous resources and models available for effective instructional design. In my experience as school and district administrator, I have encountered numerous classroom teachers who needed assistance with their instructional design. I think there are far too many teachers who still rely on their knowledge alone to carry a lesson through. 

       

     John Dempsey and Robert Reiser describe three of these models in the text: ADDIE, SAM, and Pebble-in-the-Pond. "ADDIE is an acronym for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate," (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017). SAM, Successive Approximation Model, tends to be a little simpler than ADDIE. The main attractions of this model focus on continuously repeating review of the design and understanding that no design is ever complete, (2017, p. 43). Pebble-in-the-Pond focuses primarily on the instructional design more than development. SAM and Pebble are both considered good alternatives to the ADDIE model which can be slow and complicated.

     See the following infographic for a clearer comparison of ADDIE and SAM.

 References

Balasubramaniam, C. (2015, January 7). [Learning and Development Models – ADDIE vs. SAM]. [Infographic]. Retrieved from http://hrcoffeetime.kakushinwebinars.com/2015/01/learning-development-models-addie-vs.html

Dempsey, J. and Reiser, R. (2017) Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. Pearson, New York, NY.

Instructional Design. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 12, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructional_design