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 underutilizingit. 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
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.
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.
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
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
"The
education process in its new form becomes a supervised process, rather than a fully controlled
process since virtual learning changed the education process pattern represented by the triangle
(student, teacher and content) by increasing the importance of both “student” and “content”
factors and transforming the main task of the “teacher” from “Teaching” to "Tutoring”," (Aldikanji & Ajami, 2016).
I feel that the quote above is a good summary of virtual learning. Although virtual learning in the K-12 environment is still in its infancy, there is no denying the impact it has had on education. It has helped to transform the learning process for those involved. I would like discuss some of the aspects I consider to be either surprising or concerning, and would like to address a few questions I still have. I focused this review based on Virtual Schools offering full-time enrollment in programs. This information may not include blended/distributed learning environments.
Surprise
Accessibility
"According to the National center for Educational Statistics (2012), approximately 11% of all undergraduate students have some kind of disability requiring support services and/or accommodation," (Simonson, Smaldino, Zvacek, 2015, p. 291). This was a surprising number for me. Combine that with the requirement that courses must be accessible by all students, and it becomes very difficult to administer distance education.
State Cooperation
I have always thought about the differences in K-12 institutions between states, but I had not thought about the post-secondary. I was surprised to find that state authorization is required for colleges to enroll students in online programs. (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 295) With so many ads for Phoenix and Grand Canyon, I had assumed it was open to anyone in the country.
Class Size
Although Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek cited that even experienced teachers should only have between 20-25 students in a course. I found in my research that the average virtual program has a 34:1 student to teacher ratio. This is both a surprise and a concern, but I found it more shocking than anything if the teacher is willing. This number climbs to 44:1 when looking specifically at the for-profit institutions. (Barbour et al., 2017)
Concern
For-Profit Institutions
Online instruction has led to a host of new education providers across the United States. Some of these were founded as non-profit and some hosted by public education, but the lion's share of students are enrolled in full programs are using for-profit institutions at both the K-12 and Higher Ed. This does not necessarily include the students enrolled in a blended-learning program. These programs have less accountability and typically have a higher drop-out rate. (Barbour et al., 2017)
Graduation Rate
The graduation rate for students enrolled in virtual programs is far below the national average for traditional programs. This could be for a number of reasons, but I feel it is predominately due to lack of student readiness to take distance courses. Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek recommend "that incoming students have the appropriate level of readiness, including commitment, self-discipline, and time management skills to be successful in an online environment," (2015, p. 300).
Question
I learned a lot about virtual learning throughout my readings, but I probably have more questions now than I did to begin with. I guess the biggest question would be related to government oversite. Should virtual schools continue to be managed at the state level even though they stretch across state lines, or should the federal government set more rigid guidelines that have to be met by any program that operates in multiple states?
References
Aldikanji,
E., and Ajami, K. (2016). Studying Academic Indicators Within Virtual Learning
Environment Using Educational Data Mining. International
Journal of Data Mining & Knowledge Management Process, 6(6). Retrieved
from: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1612/1612.01090.pdf
Barbour,
M., Davidson, C., Gulosino, C., Huerta, L., Moron, G., Molnar, A.,… Shank, C.
(2017) Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2017. Retrieved from: http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/virtual-schools-annual-2017
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015).Teaching and Learning at a Distance (6th ed.). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing,
Inc.
"A course management system allows teachers to manage their classes, assignments, activities, quizzes and tests, resources, and more in an accessible online environment,"
(Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 138).
During my time in education I have had experience with several course management systems (CMS). Students have been taking ACCESS through the state of Alabama for several years. Our system also maintained a Moodle account for several years. Our students have used both Compass Learning and Edmentum software for online course work and credit recovery. We have never had a uniform system that everyone used. At this time I feel that Google Classroom would be a good fit in our system.
Instructional Design
Atsusi Hirumi stated in 2005 (as cited by Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015) that "a system is a set of interrelated components that work together to achieve a common purpose," (p. 146). Google Classroom fits that description. Google Classroom uses all of the G Suite apps and tools to provide the teacher with a user friendly management solution. We have already begun making the push into the G Suite apps. We have used Google Calendar and Drive for years to share events and documents across the district. All students and teachers have a G Suite account and we are moving to Gmail this summer.
Google Classroom allows teachers to not only combine these tools in an easy to use system, but it allows them to build class rosters and set up each course individually. To make things easier the teachers and the students are already familiar with the individual programs.
Teaching
"In general, teaching has moved away from traditional approaches in classroom settings,"(Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 167). K-12 instruction has been a little slower in this transition. There are still a large number of students who benefit from the "traditional classroom" setting. Not every student is meant to be a distant learner. Bibb County has taken steps to offer courses through online instruction. We are currently using Edmentum's online courses. Google Classroom would allow teachers to do more hybrid, distributed learning. Students would still come to a traditional classroom, but teachers would have the option of including assignments online. This would help to end forgotten or lost assignments and would help prepare the students for computerized coursework.
Teachers could add students from their traditional class to a Google Classroom. They could post reminders, links, announcements, and assignments to this classroom. Students would always have access to due dates and submissions. Teachers would benefit from not having to worry about giving out make up work to students who were absent. This would also help children who have discipline or medical issues.
Almost all of our students today are familiar with Google. Students use Google Search and YouTube on a regular basis. Google Classroom allows students to utilize these programs in their instructional setting. As stated above, for now Bibb County would be mostly interested in using Google Classroom for distributed learning i.e. "face-to-face instruction that incoporates some form of technology-based learning experience," (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 170). This facilitates not only the students who need the face-to-face instruction, but also the ones who thrive with modern technology. It allows for more differentiated instruction. Google Classroom allows teachers to assign activities to individual students, groups, or entire classes. This gives students prior experience with online instruction to help them succeed with future distance education courses. (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 193)
Support Materials
With almost the entire Google App arsenal at their disposal, teachers have many choices on distributing support materials. Teachers can share videos through YouTube, documents and presentations through Drive, and use Blogs and Drive for collaboration. Teachers have a centralized place to post their syllabus, schedule, rubrics, etc. Students can elect to print the material or just refer to the digital copy within the course. Google is limited in some of the design elements and some teachers may prefer this simplicity. Others can always elect to use Google Sites to create a free class webpage that offers much more to site design.
Assessment
In my opinion student assessment is the biggest drawback of using Google Classroom. There are many tutorials dedicated to building quizzes and tests using Google Forms, but you are still limited in what you can assess using this. Many math and science teachers would find it hard to use Google for any assessments beyond multiple choice and essay. It also takes a lot of work to set up automatic grading. Bibb County already has an English teacher who "distributes" his entire English 10 course through Google. Students collaborate on assignments, blog reflections, and create content all using Google Apps.
I hope to continue the movement to Google Classroom. As more teachers get familiar with the platform I want to offer more Google Classroom workshops. I have to get the teachers onboard with the transition. Teachers and students could benefit from the embedded online instruction and organization. It could save time for teachers and give the students more control over their instruction. It would also allow students in Bibb County who do not take ACCESS classes the experience they need with online courses.
Teaching in the 21st century does mean teaching 21st generation. It means helping and monitoring the students to learn and implement 21st century skill. So teachers must be very welcoming to any new technology to ensure the best learning in the virtual classroom besides the physical classroom. (Iftakhar, S. 2016).
Check out this quick overview of how easy it is to use!
References
[Google for
Education]. (2017, March 15). Classroom 101 [Video File]. Retrieved
from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIN-EtPa0lw&feature=youtu.be
Iftakhar, S. (2016).
Google Classroom: What Works and How? Journal
of Education and Social Sciences, 3. Retrieved from: http://jesoc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/KC3_35.pdf
Simonson, M.,
Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching
and Learning at a Distance (6th ed.). Charlotte, NC: Information
Age Publishing, Inc.
"Distance education can be as effective as any other category
of instruction," (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 9). This is a
very bold statement that is backed up by research. Looking at this statement,
the phrase 'can be' jumps out at me. Just as traditional face-to-face learning,
online learning is only as effective as the presenter.
I have
experienced distance learning on many different topics. This experience ranges
from how to use a new state department tool, all the way up to using virtual
machines to manage a district network. As with any course you take, some online
training sessions are much more effective than others. It states in the
textbook "Interaction in distance education is important," (Simonson,
Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 72). This is very evident in most of the
sessions of which I have participated. I find it much more effective if I can ask
questions or be trained on specific items.
First I would
like to look at "the ugly" online training. Since moving up to
district technology coordinator I end up in more ugly trainings than good ones.
I consider an ugly training to be one that may have good information, I just
can't follow or stand to watch. This can be due to a bad presenter, poor sound,
or poor video. I have attended several of these live and have had to watch
prerecorded sessions and follow up with questions. Take a look at the following
quick video to see what I consider an ugly training.
I consider this to be an ugly video because there is no voice-over
or captions and the music is annoying to me when I am trying to solve a
technical problem. This is a short video, and if you are an expert at group
policy, then surely you should know how to add captions to your screen
capture. Although this is not online training by definition. It is a video linked from an online training I was participating in.
Next I would like to talk about
"the bad" online training. We all probably have a long list of
trainings we have sat through we would consider bad. Each one of these would
have different criteria of what we consider bad. On page 72 in their book,Teaching and Learning at a
Distance,Simonson, Smaldino,
and Zvacek list 22 best practices in distance education. I personally feel that
it only takes missing one or two of these to be considered bad.
In my opinion, some of the worst trainings I have had to sit
through are part of the MyActiveHealth Heatbeats with PEEHIP. You may disagree
with me, but sitting through some of those videos and quizzes makes me want to
get healthier to just not have to watch anymore. I get very little out of them
because they are such a time drain. You get no interaction other than quiz
grades, and if you have any questions you have to call in. That defeats the
purpose since calling in can replace the heartbeats anyway. These would be much
better if they offered a chat session and a little more user freedom.
That brings
me to "the good" online training. I have had several of these through
the years. I would consider my experiences with the University of Montevallo to
be good sessions. For me they meet all of the 22 Best Practices. I have also
had good experiences with some vendor training. I have had several online
trainings on software that went above and beyond. They were interactive and
taught by experts. For me quick feedback is a must. If I have trouble with
something, I do not like sitting a waiting for ever to get help. I like to
figure things out for myself, so when I do ask for help I have usually wasted
all my patience trying to figure it out myself.
Herbert Rau
stated in his 2014 paper Learning Styles and Online Discussion Posts that
"it is apparent that online instruction presents different challenges for
effective teaching and learning as compared with face-to-face instruction, and
it is important that the instructor recognizes these challenges to be
effective," (Rau, 2014). This is the major factor that presenters need to
understand. An online audience that may or may not be watching a session live,
will have different needs and understanding than in person. You cannot use facial
expressions and context clues to guide your instruction. Rau, H. (2014) Learning Styles and Online Discussion Posts. Sage Open, 14,1. Retrieved from: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244014527988. Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015) Teaching and Learning at a Distance (6th ed.). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc. [Tricks that Make you Smart]. (2015, March 26). Retrieved June 12, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UZXYMVCkMw&feature=youtu.be
"Social media is the telephone for this generation of teens (and, increasingly, adults)" (Hicks, 2013). The use of social media can be a very powerful tool for education both for the educator and the student. I have traditionally been a social media skeptic. I have steered clear of the traditional networks in favor of the more observation friendly areas. I have had a Twitter account using an alias for years, but I was 39 before getting my first Facebook, and it is set up for maximum privacy with no friends.
Used correctly, I cannot deny how beneficial Social Media could be in the classroom. However, I find myself being very pessimistic in this regard. "Sharing of personal information on social media makes it easy for predators to quickly propagate rumors and share
content and photos," (McNeill, Rice, & Wright, 2016). I know it is not going anywhere; therefore, I must put away my bias and as Hicks said, "think of all the possibilities for using it in our classrooms," (Hicks, 2013). Hicks also told us that we as educators are responsible for training on the proper use of technology. (2013, p. 138).
With all of this in mind, what is the correct way to use social media as a mentor text? I would like to look at the following re-tweet by Dion Norman:
I found this article using Flipboard. Tweets should show up well in a reader's feed. The tweet uses hashtags (#) and references a longer article with more information, (Hicks, 2013). This tweet was posted through another program so it shows up on Twitter and on Flipboard where they see a preview. The illustration catches your eye and makes you curious to read the whole product.
This is a re-tweet, but Mr. Norman had a different audience in mind and edited the tweet so that it did not reflect the political motivation behind the original post. He recognized the educational benefit of the article referenced in the tweet.
I do think that he could have done a little more with this post. I personally like to share articles directly from their source when possible. Within the tweet itself I think the grammar and picture could have been edited a little more. It would have been a little more appeasing to see the full illustration. Here is the final version of what I used to re-tweet this on my school account:
We have the ability to move education forward for both the educator and the student. Teachers can learn a great deal of knowledge within their field by growing their PLN and staying current on feeds. Students are already using many forms of social media, but many must learn responsible use. We must move them from consumers to producers of digital literacy.
It is argued that
social media has the potential to bridge formal and informal learning through
participatory digital cultures. Exemplars of sophisticated use by young people
support this claim, although the majority of young people adopt the role of
consumers rather than full participants. (Greenhow & Lewin, 2016)
Greenhow,
C. & Cathy L. (2016) Social media
and education: reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal
learning, Learning, Media and Technology,
41(1), 6-30, DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2015.1064954
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting Digital Writing: Composing Texts Across
Media and Genres. T. Antao (Ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
McNeill, L., Rice, M., & Wright, V. (2016) Advantages and
Barriers to Using Social Media in Online Education. Distance Learning
Administration 2016, ANNUAL.
Retrieved from: http://tiffanireardon.com/documents/2016-dl-proceedings-updated.pdf#page=143
Values4life. (2013, August 1). Social Media Etiquette. [Video
File] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=social+media+etiquette
