New Directions & Current Issues

1. Section VIII addresses new directions and emerging technologies for IDT. Select three of the following and reflect on how you might apply them in your current or future position in the IDT field:

• distributed or e-learning environments
• reusable design or learning objects
• networks or Web 2.0 technologies
• rich media
• digital games or simulations
• virtual worlds

ELEARNING ENVIORNMENTS:
I would use elearning environments as a method to enhance learning in subjects when and if I thought more in-depth learning was required. I would allow the students to do their own research on whatever the subject was, but I would assign and use restricted web-sites depending on the grade level. Using elearning students can apply  blended learning with other forms of learning such as social learning. I have seen and used this method with slow learners and find they react and respond to this type learning. It could be because it is one-o-one and they can study and advance at their own pace. A student who I was assigned to, who could count but did not know that numbers meant something, actually started to learn at a rapid pace once he learned to play math games on the computer.

REUSABLE DESIGNS:
The way I understand reusable designs is it is more or less a template where my information would be placed on a form. This way I could be reminded constantly that I had added the necessary information to each lesson. From the lesson in our text book they are, interchangeable, flexible, reusable, and shareable. This system makes it a little less time consuming when planning for a class. It does seem important not to infringe on someone's copyright, so I would need to make sure everything was legal. This system is a good means to make use of more experienced instructors and insure the students got the benefits of my instructions and that of others. It is just making the students get the most they can get from instruction. I see nothing wrong with using proven methods in instructions especially proven lesson plans.

RICH MEDIA:
Making use information gathered from media sources keeps up with the thought of using someone's else's knowledge and forwarding it to the students. Here we can use it in many forms, real player, Microsoft media player, apple quick time player , just to name a few. It has been proven time and time again that videos can and do enhance learning. In the second grade we used it often for a variety of reasons. Number one, it excites the students, 2. they stay focused, 3. they retain the information.
www.washington.edu.accesit/articles?1146 is another source of information concerning what (rich media) is all about.

What learning goals or objectives could the technologies you selected help learners foster? Could the technology facilitate attainment of that learning goal better than traditional instruction? Why or why not?

Keeping everything student centered is the objective for teaching. These methods make learning more fun and enjoyable. It is a tough assignment for an instructor to teach and entertain students for a complete day. Using these methods gives the student several different avenues to learn. One good why is the teacher can observe everything the students are involved with if they are on a computer, watching a video or occupied by some other means than just having to set there and listen to the instructor. For instance, a very experienced teacher I was assisting was teaching third grade students a math lesson. Remember third graders are not allowed to use calculators in this district. Two of the students constantly used calculators while she was teaching. True they were sneaky, and knew they were doing wrong, but continued the process until I told on them. She might have known if she was using some sort of technology to instruct and could spend some time observing the students. The instructor was very good and experienced, but it is a real challenge to observe 22 or more students constantly. It is true these students know how to cheat.

2. Section IX focuses on issues related to instructional design, rather than new technologies: professional ethics, diversity and accessibility, the nature of design, and providing instructional guidance. For each of the technologies you selected above, discuss what ethical issues using the technology might present. Does the technology enhance accessibility and accommodate diverse learning needs? How and/or can you design instruction using that technology? How much guidance would instruction with that technology require? What kinds of guidance would be necessary?

Making use of the above technologies the user should have a code of conduct and an ethical awareness, and well as know the true complete meaning of integrity. Copyright infringement would be of the utmost concern and the person using the other persons information should always be aware of the policies. It is very important to give credit to anything borrowed in order to teach a class. Any mistrust such as saying it is your own, lying, cheating, will lead to the students not believing anything you taught them if you become discredited. So, always give credit where it is due and maintain your own integrity.

Making use of the technology we have today is so good as compared to thirty years ago. Learning from many points of view can be easily studied with the tap of a button, or the click of a mouse. Point of view is a good area to pursue. Like if I want to know what a former president's view on the economy was, I can look it up and compare it to another past or present president's point of view. Whatever and whenever someone has a need to find information it is there on the internet. All one has to do is just put information into the search engine or the url, something will come up it may be necessary to change some words, but it is amazing what it can do.

Designing instruction using technology is an added asset to designing instruction. Honestly the computer will almost do the work for you. I would use a template, create the objective, transfer the information to Microsoft word and fill in the blanks. After the objective I would design a path to reach my learning destination. Assessment must be included also otherwise how would I know if the subject was learned or unlearned. I would look up the TEKS to insure my plan all came together and I was able to prove all the subject according to the TEKS required by the state.

Guidance would be provided to each individual, or group, as needed. I would use groups if I thought each group was on the same level, or close to the same level. After the elearning was fulfilled I would give assessments to see where areas were low in understanding, then I would do whatever necessary to bring the understanding to the appropriate level. Extra lab time could be utilized or work at home if the student had facilities at home for research. The amount of guidance required would depend on the grade level, the subject, the level of the students performance and the assessment results.

Little or no guidance would be requires with a GT class, but more may be necessary for a class with several inclusion students. One class of 5th graders I taught might not need any assistance at all. The other two 5th grade classes would require some guidance. The 2nd and 3rd classes would need help as there were many inclusion students there. Several were slow learners, others were ADHD, some were just plain ornery and did not care whether they learned or not. Being classes are what they are the teacher must decide on an individual basis exactly what is required and needed. Some just need motivation, others need on-on-one. Despite all the problems associated with learning, most all of these students knew how to use a computer.

One concern I have concerning use of technology is this: How you going to teach "COMMON SENSE" if they are not being taught with hands-on experience? There are probably multiple means to accomplish this, and I do believe it is necessary. I like the way PE is taught in these modern times, I believe it helps. Another is, doing things with their hands. Pottery is a good way, woodworking is another, welding, gardening, I place these up there with good learning and just, if not more, important than knowledge obtained by way of elearning.
My point of view on technology is that it is a tool although it is the best tool for education since the invention of the text book, but it is a tool. Without the guidance of the teacher learning will be limited. Assessments by the teacher reveal what they need to know and if they learned it or not. Through these assessments the teacher will know how to improve knowledge.

Trends and Issues in IDT

 

 

1. Chapters in Section V identify trends and issues in IDT in various contexts: business & industry; military; health care education; P-12 education; and post-secondary education. Select at least three of these five contexts and compare/contrast the IDT trends and issues. Then explain how they are similar or different from the IDT trends and issues in the context in which you work.

 

Business and Industry is profit based, for that reason the approach has to be based on profit and loss or time lost or gained. Some businesses are so large they must include globalization, that is a little too much so we will stick to business and industry close to home. In B&I the first person involved is the Industrial designer who has the job of training of individuals and being aware of the laws concerning training individuals and governing specific industries. Included in their job are the procedures and materials necessary for training and must be sure to include safety in all areas. They must not discriminate any person and should respect the intellectual properties of others. What the Industrial designer is looking for is cycle-time reduction, increased effectiveness and efficiency. Training in business in ongoing and will continue as it has for the past thirty plus years. Employee training is continual.

 

 

Saving lives, healing the ill, and sick, preventing illness, maintaining health is the job of the health care professional. As such there is and must be a continuation of research. My estimation is the health care profession is the most expensive training as well as the most extensive training of all. This is truly a business where one must take the proper steps to go up the ladder or get to another level of professionalism. Whatever the position of the health care specialist they must possess and maintain as well as constantly improve skills to make analysis of situations. They must know how to evaluate any given problem and find a solution. On top of all this they must also know how to protect themselves from litigation in case of anything that goes wrong.

 

 

The role of the military is so far reaching it would take the complete blog to enter the information. Constant threats by our enemies, known and unknown, make the job of the industrial designer as challenging as any field. Some of the major issues and challenges include keeping up with the constant changes, like the equipment used by the different branches, one reason is that new equipment is often considered obsolete before the troops even learn how to use it. As we have learned in some other classes the industrial designer must often work backwards to address training because he is called upon to create a path to a destination that has never before been done. Train personnel for different climates, terrain, weather and hope he or she were able to do it correct since it has probably never been done before. Possibly the most difficult challenge is to teach soldiers to take the life of someone, the enemy, to save their own and maintain our freedom.

I am proud to say I was a soldier for many years. I love my country and I salute all the present day military, the past military, and the future military.

 

For approximately four decades I earned my keep as an auto technician for General Motors products. Our job was to "Keep American Rolling" and that is what we were able to do. The last thirty years or so we were in almost constant training all because of the invention of computer technology. It is a good thing by all standards. By using technology we were able to push a few buttons, print out instructions and get the job done quick. Prior to computers it was necessary to find a book for the  product one was working on if you could locate it and it was either lost, or someone else was using it. Having one's own PC made the job much more efficient in all areas. Besides finding information to deal with the repair concerns we took training classes online and the more one took and passed the more one was rewarded. By rewards certificates were issued, but the best thing is it was a way to earn more money as the higher the certified level the more money. I should say and remind myself of the personal satisfaction obtained from being ASE Certified at the top level for twenty five years. Computer technology also helped the customer in other ways as well. Getting the issue solved saved time and saved the customer money, also by getting the customer finished quickly and efficiently they were able to get on with their jobs so they could be more productive as well.  

 

 

I do not believe for a minute that working on vehicles is nearly as important as the Military, or Health fields. However different the fields are the modern training methods are able to improve the efficiency of all areas. First off they all must have a client, then someone to take the role of leader or industrial designer. After that we incorporate team members and team leaders and in some cases there is an external designer or consultant. The methods are constantly being improved upon and as things get better the cost will be lower.

 

 

2. Chapters in Section VI discuss global trends and issues in IDT. As the world's population grows exponentially, we face unprecedented challenges that have implications for learning. How and can we prepare our youth to address the problems of living in a world with 9 billion people when the earth's resources cannot sustain that many? Does our current education system, curriculum, and instructional practices help learners foster the complex problem-solving skills necessary to tackle these issues? Are there methods and practices used in European and Asian countries that we should use here in the US? Why or why not?

 

Education is the answer to the question of "how and can" we must first teach our students to think on their own in their own way. In some areas this is one of the best times to be alive and allowed to be here on Planet Earth. I was one of the fortunate who were allowed to grow up in the 1950's with all the blessings bestowed upon us. Like 'rock 'roll, fast cars, cruising the streets, duck tail hair cuts, that was a great time. Now we are faced with new challenges. Who is going to furnish the food? Where is the food coming from? What are we going to do with all the waste created by this many people? Think deep about this one; how and what are you going to do with the people who die, where you going to place them?

 

A real way to get an education outside of a book, classroom, PC and so forth is to get outside and grow a garden. I have and will continue to raise food for myself. Doing this for yourself teaches one what will grow, why it will or will not, all one has to do is store the information and there is an education on that part of the subject. Although the work is hard, it is rewarding. This year some of my tomatoes did not do well, so I consider it a loss, but I learned not to use that variety again. One will experience both success and failure raising a garden of vegetables, but the work is more satisfying than an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.

 

Some of these answers are being solved as we communicate right now, today. People the world over are learning new methods of growing their own food. There are so many ways to supply one's own food from a garden to container gardening, to raised bed gardening. All one has to do is search the internet, information is there waiting for you to look. Any clue will do, from food, vegetables, canning, freezing. Just look the information is there. We are not positive that the Earth will not sustain 9 billion people mostly because it has never been proven or disproven.

 

Some present day schools are growing their own food right at the school, preparing it and serving it in the cafeteria. So, this added curriculum is helping solve one of the future problems. Another is "Think Green" where water is being saved by new plumbing methods. That is by redesigned water saving commodes, urinals, shower heads, water filters. In some parts of the world the issues of the future are being studied and information is being used to get the people ready for the future. One really good method I studied is from Africa where farmers are planting a certain kind of tree to fertilize the fields, and it is working. Chemicals are no longer used and production has increased. Interested people can just type in the words "schools growing own food" into the search engine and a wealth of information is right there where one can pick and choose where, why, how, it is very informative and interesting.

 

I say yes instructional practices are being  developed right here right now to address the issue of what are we going to eat when the population gets to be too many. By way of the internet I took a journey to Europe, Africa, Australia, Belgium, England, Asia they are preparing as well in some areas. I found some methods similar to those practiced here in the USA. Although I noticed some did not mention anything at all concerning food, just education. Some of the school designs in Europe are very interesting and should be considered for use here. There is one in Sweden that has no walls, the windows are designed to allow the correct lighting and help control the temperatures. There are about 39 different education systems in Europe, so it would not be feasible to include all here. All one has to do is click on ec.europa.eu/education to obtain information.

 Many of the designs of school building are designed with learning in mind, safety and comfort of students learning. Very interesting designs, just too many to mention here.

 

One thing I have always known and said, the USA needs to have a rail system like Europe. I have been there, traveled all over Europe and never missed a train. Thanks to the great system they have there. Through education we can get there, but we will probably never have such a system. Take my word for it, it is great.

 

Why or why not? I think we need to study the designs of their school buildings to find ways and means to  conserve our energy, and  enhance education. We should also gather all the information that is available and make good use of it. From the looks of things I found it appears they borrowed from the USA. Some of the schools around the world are also growing their own food. I think it is the wave of the future in education.

 

One class I had with the second grade I told them that by the time they were my age everything would be different especially about food and the cost. Our discussion lead to one of my favorite areas, gardening, several knew what it was and do help with the work. Although some help with the grocery shopping they had no idea where the food actually came from. We had a good talk about how vegetables are grown, how cooked and why they needed certain things in their diet. Although I am sure some of this will be covered in health classes and others I think some classes on survival would benefit the future students. I know, and have seen hunger in schools and I know first-hand that a child cannot learn if their stomach is empty. That is just one more reason to grow your own food, it is already happening here in Texas, the United Stated and around the world. I think we should all jump on the bandwagon and educate the people of the world how they can grow their own things, food, clothing, and other necessities and learn some methods of survival. In my opinion they better know these things by the time the population gets to 9 billion.

 

Along with our textbook good information is here at these websites and others.

 

 www.southalabama.edu/coe/bset/Dempsey/courses/trends1/what isidt.html

www.buildingeurope.eu/

eceuropa.eu/education

vivo.cornell.edu/display/individual16732

A website I use quiet often is www.UnderwoodGardens.com I recommend is and it has a video section where lots of new information can be found concerning growing your own stuff.

 

Some more of my opinions; All things are possible through education. What good is a missile if your stomach is empty? Why is there no more research towards finding an alternative fuel to fossil fuel? How do you get there if you don't know where you're going? You cannot see the future, but it is there, waiting, so get ready. Best way to learn is to get out and do something.

Thanks for visiting, I do hope you check out the www.UnderwoodGardens.com especially the video section.

Stanley Smith

 

 









Evaluating Programs & Human Performance Week Three

All to often instruction is developed with little thought as to how learning or the effectiveness of the instruction will take place. When evaluation is considered on the front end of the instructional design process, it is often limited to evaluating whether the instructional design is more effective than traditional models.

 

For this week assignment we will focus on the reasons and methods as well as what we wish to accomplish. Two basic forms are Formative and Summative. We are searching for the value, the merit and the worth of any and all evaluations.

 

For this week's reflection activities, I would like for you to concentrate on the following:

 

Chapters in Section III discuss evaluation in instructional design and provide you with three evaluation models: CIPP, Five-Domain, and Kirkpatrick's Training Evaluation model. Search for at least two other models used for evaluation and summarize these models. Describe how you would use them to evaluate your instruction. Reflect on what other questions that instructional design evaluation should address besides whether the instructional design leads to comparable amounts of learning and learner satisfaction as traditional methods, Should return on investment and management of recourses also be considered in evaluations of instructional programs? What other measures should/could be considered?

 

I was not clear on whether to use the other two in Section III of our textbook, so I went online and found some really good sites. The one I like best is (www.tpep-wa.org) just about all areas are covered here. The teacher section gives details to the observations, self-assess, artifacts, reflections, and gives a summary as well. The evaluation is called eVAL and it guides the instructor through the process if you are a Principal, Teacher, or a District Administrator. According to the information on the web-site the primary goal is to facilitate communication between the Principal and Instructor. This program is set up with ease of use as the design. I think it would be great to step in and use a system like this that has already been proven and successful. It appears to be Improving Student Learning Through Improved Teaching and Leadership.

On this site there is an area for student growth where student growth is kept up with. Although I know little of the cost of this type operation I feel like it would bring a good return. I know of no other measures that need to be considered. I am impressed by the latitude of the information.

 

An easy site to follow and learn methods is www.ovcttac.gov/taResourses this information is excellent because it takes you through the whole operation of managing a program to find if you are meeting the needs of your client and achieving the overall goals of your program. This program will guide you to develop an evaluation plan, establish measureable goals as well as objectives, design and conduct the program evaluation, and identify measures to reflect the impact of your program's activities. The main objective here is to do a formative evaluation concerning if the training and instruction was successful, to assist in changes necessary to fulfill the desired learning.

 

The next site of my choice is (www.idmbestpracticesca/pdf/evaluation-framework-revisedpdf) here I found evaluations concerning just about all anyone could think of. I had to go all the way to Saskatchewan, Canada for this one. There is just too much information here, one must look at the site if interested in learning more about Evaluating Programs and Human Performance.

 

Since I have never been completely in charge of an assessment evaluation I can only comment of what I have assisted with. During the past semester with the 2nd grade my job was to assist the teacher. I was instrumental in improving the math performance by an average of 10 points per student due to the methods used in the grading of papers. I do not know what the name of the assessments were, but whatever we done it worked. Maybe because I spent time with each student to explain the problem and have them correct the paper.

 During my time as an auto technician I was assessed yearly by the ASE to keep my certification. One thing about these assessments you knew where you were weak soon as you read the test scores. I might add that I was successful in keeping my certification for 25 years. I am familiar with testing, but I have a lot to learn, so I will.

Students as he evaluators: I think in the higher level grades like the 5th or 6th and up the teacher could allow the students to evaluate some of the creations or activities students do. Examples might be science projects, art, theater. Doing this they would need to be organized and give feedback to each other. This method would be up to the teacher in charge as problems could arise. This can be beneficial because a student may just feel more comfortable discussing something with a fellow student where they might be intimidated by the teacher.

Questions about Instructional Design compared to Traditional Methods.

Are the students involved?

Is there anything keeping the students focused on something other than instructions?  Like a leaky roof, a noisy air conditioner, volume too loud on the video, other students distracting?

Are the students allowed to be a large part of the instructions and give feedback?

Is the lecture boring?

 

Section IV focuses on human performance, performance support systems, knowledge management systems, and the concept of informal learning. Not all problems in learning and/or performance require an instructional one. Many times a non-instructional approach is more appropriate solution. Identify a performance problem in your area of work and identify non-instructional solutions that may help solve the problem. Would better performance support systems, knowledge management systems, or opportunities for informal learning solve the problem?

 

What is informal learning?

Playing is one method of learning without instructional feedback. Almost all development book I have studied refer to playtime as learning time. More and more schools are turning to the PE class to teach children new and exciting things.

I had a student who could count to a hundred but had no idea what he was counting he was just saying words he had learned. Once I learned he had no knowledge of what numbers meant we started playing with some dominos. We also used different treats like one for you and one for me. Pretty soon he realized numbers meant something. He was a troubled child who had been in eleven schools by the time of the second grade. He is also a talented artist, although he moved again #12, he has a chance.

In the case I just mentioned he needs all the formal instruction he can get as well a play time with children his age. I think it might be informal, but he can draw all sorts of cartoons, Superman, etc and does it with ease. I think it is a natural born talent, too bad he has such a bad home life.

 

Sure hope I covered everything, I am just not sure about the return on investment. I think if it works leave it alone and let the higher-up worry about the budget. The main objective should be to get the students to learn how to think for themselves. Above all else, be creative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Theories and Models of Learning and Instruction

 

     As soon as I looked at the instruction for the week I knew I was going to learn some new things. First off look up the word epistemology and find out that it has been here since the Greek and Roman times. Even in my long-term memory never can I recall hearing of seeing the word. To keep it simple for me the definition I will use is this; the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with its limits and validity. Some important issues are; is knowledge possible, can knowledge be present at birth, or is it acquired through experience.

Reference: Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

 

    Basically epistemology is a philosophy whereby the focus is on the mind and how it functions in the pursuit of knowledge.  Instructional methods or theories are the methods which make use of the learners behavior from external conditioning. External conditioning can take in a large amount of information; such as hearing, listening, feeling, making use of the five senses. Any information that comes from outside ones own mind is considered external as far as I can understand. My understanding of the instructional method is someone actually teaching someone else something. for a better analysis of this we can use Gagne's Theory of  Instruction (p39) as he proposes an integrated and comprehensive theory of instruction that is based on two foundations: cognitive information processing theory and Gagne's own observations of effective teachers in the classroom.

 

Three components of Gagne's theory are:

• a taxonomy of learning outcomes that defined the types of capabilities humans can learn:
• internal and external learning conditions associated with the acquisition of each category of learning outcome; and
• nine elements of instruction that each facilitates a specific cognitive process during learning.

    Contradiction is the key here between the "positivist" the "relativist" and the "contextualist." Each have their own place and methods and can interact with the other. My method is "hands-on" and has been since I was a child. So I think I learn best by way of the contextualist method. That may be one reason I spent more than four decades as an auto technician. I do know that when I had the opportunity to teach classes the students learned as well if they were doing something with their hands. So, maybe I teach better that way, although I am sure the ability to learn from the other methods is fruitful as well.

    One teacher I recall, and still get upset, who must have been an extreme relativist. Here is what she done wrong. At the end of the first six weeks she had the nerve to write on my report card "student needs more homework" well that just about destroyed my self esteem because I studied daily and was doing well. To say the least we never got along after that, never spoke and truly could not stand each other. I passed the class and went to another teacher as soon as the semester was complete. I never knew what the reason was until today as I was studying this lesson. I wonder if she knew or knows what a blunder she made. I bet I never do anything like that. Yes we had a real conflict.

 

    How do the problem solving methods differ from the behaviorist and constructivist? For the behaviorist methods I turn to B. F. Skinner, his belief is that learning can be understood, explained, and predicted entirely on the basis of observable events, namely, the behavior of the learner along with the environment that signal the appropriateness of a given behavior. Explaining the constructivism is a little more complex and complicated, but I'll give it a shot. Learning in this method is mostly learning from the outside in. An example would be like this, the learner receives information from the environment, transforms it in various ways, and acquires knowledge that is subsequently stored in memory.

   

    Where does motivation come in? Some can be self motivated to learn and do, others sometimes have to be motivated  With the behaviorist method these students may feel less motivated if the do not receive sufficient feed back, or perhaps verbal rewards of some sort. The constructivist mostly use  a method to have the students direct their own learning and go after their own knowledge. Finally; each method has its own merits, values, and uses This leaves me with the question. Will I be able to recognize and use the correct method with each individual? What if I do it wrong? We are all human, so it is okay to make a mistake as long as it is recognized and taken care of.

Thanks to all of you from Stanley Smith





Definitions?

1. How do the definitions in the first chapter compare to your own definitions of instructional or educational technology?
Answer: At this point in time I am almost a novice as far as technology is concerned. I have used some of the new technology while learning. However, the definitions are interesting to say the least. Many new terms to learn  as well as many new skills to develop.
What experiences or other influences have shaped your definition?
Answer: Well, I was enlightened just by reading the chapters 1, 2, 3, as well as sorting out the multiple definitions used in the chapters. My best description of learning technology is that it is a tool to use to aid in the education of students. It can be anything from writing on the chalkboard to using the smartboard, showing overhead, drawing pictures as well as be audio. Technology instruments are not the be-all and the end-all but are tools to use. Technology will never replace the teacher, so in my opinion it should always be considered a tool.
How has your definition changed from examining the definitions in the first chapter of this book?
Answer: Oh yes! I learned lots of new words concerning technology. I really like the one on page 4 which states: Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.

2. Next, think of a lesson or unit that you have developed. Or , if you haven't ever taught or developed instruction, think of one that you have received.
Answer: The best one I have created so far is the lesson I gave to a fifth grade class on the water cycle.
I incorporated video from the dust bowl of the 1930's to show what it was like to be without water. Then we had a class discussion on all the things that caused the problem. The video I chose was in black and white. I think they were not familiar with the B&W, they watched the entire video without making a sound.
How does that lesson adhere or fail to the six characteristics of instructional design?
Answer: The lesson fit the first four characteristics well, it might be a little weak on number 5 and 6. It fit student centered mostly because it was entirely for their benefit. I was goal oriented in that it showed how we can use the past to make the future better. For sure it focused on a meaningful  purpose because the whole idea was to instill the importance of out water. How we use it, why and how to make it better. The outcome could be measured from the samples we used showing how water does evaporate, condensate, turn into rainfall and all the other  interesting things about the water life cycle. The lesson was complete in that it got the students attention opened up a good amount of class discussion.
How would you redesign it to better adhere to the six characteristics?
Answer: The only thing I would change would be to have the students read some of the text, I would add a story about what it is like to be inside a raindrop. If time were to be available I would add a skit with the children pretending to be in different kinds of weather. And maybe even have them draw a weather map and explain all the weather symbols.
3. In the 3rd chapter, Reiser distinguishes instructional media from instructional design, excluding teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks from the definition of instructional media. Why?
Answer: I think it is so that he can clearly describe the history of the media. At least that is what I understand from the second paragraph on page 17 of our book.
Would you consider teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks instructional media?
Answer: No, I consider them to be the foundation of teaching. They deserve their own spot in history as the foundation and have their own place in the education hall of fame. If there is such a thing as an education hall of fame.
Is the purpose of instructional design to incorporate media into instruction?
I would say yes to this question. One can read the second paragraph on page 23 under History of Instructional Design to find the answer.

ETEC 561.01W Summer I 2013

I sure hope this is the blog I need for my Summer I class. I had previous blogs from a class in 2012 and they keep popping up with the new one.