Section 5

• Chapter 18 discusses instructional design in business and industry. Give an example of rapid prototyping and discuss how this could be used in education.

An example of rapid prototyping is a math teacher creating a prototype of a geometric figure, so the students will have an example of an end result for an assigned project. This prototype would be a workable model because the teacher needs to be able to take it apart and show the students how it is pieced together. When I was in geometry class our teacher gave us a project every six weeks as an alternative to a six weeks test. The project that she assigned consisted of us creating a different figure each time depending on what we were learning at that current moment. A prototype would have been useful then because I would have had a 3D example of what I was making, but I had a picture with step-by-step instructions on how to create it instead. In my opinion this made the assignment difficult for hands-on learners and visual learners. The workable model would have made it possible for the teacher to take the example apart and let the students who are hands-on or visual learners to experiment with it to see how their project would be created.

• Chapter 19 discusses instructional design opportunities in military education and training environments. I had the opportunity to work two summers in Orlando on a faculty fellowship in the advanced distributed learning lab (ADL) discussed in the book and saw first hand some of the constraints placed on some of the tools that could be used for learning. Pretend you are hired as a consultant for the military. They want to use technology in its training, but electronic access is not always available. Using the Full Spectrum diagram, what alternatives could you suggest for a successful program?

In order to incorporate technology into military training using the Full Spectrum diagram I would start with the classroom. The classroom is the easiest place for electronic access, so I would have all the available technology there to train the soldiers on how to use them. In the classroom the soldiers would have computer-based simulations for training as well as internet access to complete all their personal studies. This technology can be used at the base as well. Once the soldiers are deployed mobile devices would be better to use, such as PDAs with access to the internet to continue their personal studies and if necessary when electronic access is unavailable to charge the PDAs simple pen and paper can be used.

• Chapter 21 looks at radical educational change in P-12 settings. I visited the Chugach School District in Alaska and know Richard DeLorenzo very well. I can assure you that this change can occur in our schools. Review the Step-Up-To-Excellence methodology and the GSTE. Outline a staff development activity that will introduce both methodologies to your colleagues. 

When we have staff development meetings at my school we are always divided into groups by our departments. An activity we could do to introduce both methodologies would be to then take the department groups and make then into two teams. One team would be the GSTE team and the other team would be the Step-Up-To-Excellence team. The tasks of these two teams will be to learn each step thoroughly and come up with a presentation to teach it to the other team. This will take one meeting to complete. The next meeting the teams will then take the processes they learned and create their own plans for the schools using each step. These plans will then be presented to the rest of the staff.

• Navigating through the ranks of a faculty member in higher education can be tricky. A good institution has support for its faculty and provides faculty development opportunities to grow and learn. Research three different university offices for faculty development. Answer the following questions for each office:
• What are the different names used for faculty development?          

1)    Harvard University  Development and Mentoring

2)    Stanford University- Faculty Development

3)    Texas A&M- Faculty Development

• What division is it under?

1)    Office of Faculty Development and Diversity  

2)    Faculty Development and Diversity Office

3)    The Office of the Dean of Faculties

• What services does it offer?

1)    Faculty mentoring, published resources, staff development

2)    Resources, programs, initiatives, reports, and publications

3)    Orientation and resources

• How often are programs given and what specifically are they?

1)    A new faculty institute is available yearly, and meetings are available almost monthly they are mostly social gatherings for staff

2)    Programs are given almost every other month and they are for scholarships, and incentives for continuing education

3)    Seminars for faculty development are available and they are given by each term, such as spring or fall

Section 4

1. Chapter 14 discusses the concept of the evolution of human performance improvement. Several sections of chapter 14 present a variety of non instructional solutions to performance problems. Identify a performance problem in your area of work and provide a non instructional solution to solve the problem. 

A performance problem in my area of work is students’ submission of assignments. My coworkers and I have discussed the grades of our students and we have seen a trend of several students failing. These students are the same students in all classes and the reason they are failing is because of missing assignments. The students that we have at our campus are from low socioeconomic backgrounds and are low level learners. I believe that these students have a lack of motivation to excel in school. These students do not have the parental support and guidance they need to want to be successful in school. The non instructional solution to this problem I believe is rewards for good grades. At school our schedules are hectic and we have so many students that it proves difficult to reach every student. If we had a celebration every six weeks to celebrate those students that made A or AB honor roll the students would know that we care and we appreciate their efforts in class. We could even have the students that may not have made the honor roll, but still made a great improvement in grades from one six weeks to the next. Everyone likes to be rewarded, and a simple pizza party to show the students our appreciation for them, I believe, would be a great reward to help solve our performance problem.

2. Chapter 15 presents several definitions of electronic performance support systems. In addition to these definitions, locate a few more and indicate your preference explaining why you prefer it. Additionally, describe why you believe EPSS have not been widely used and if they are more likely be become more prevalent in the future. 

The following are a few definitions that I found online of electronic performance support systems:

Definition 1 - any computer software program or component that improves user performance.

Definition 2 - a computer-based system that improves worker productivity by providing on-the-job access to integrated information, advice, and learning experiences.

Definition 3 - systems used to provide support for performing a task

Definition 4 - a system that provides electronic task guidance and support to the user at the moment of need.

I would prefer definition four out of all of the definitions that I found for EPSS because I believe it sums up EPSS best. The definition states that EPSS is electronic support available to the user at the moment of need. The moment of need would be when the user is at work and needs assistance with a task. The electronic support is when the user goes online and gets assistance to complete the task, such as wizards that give step-by-step instructions or online databases where they can retrieve client information. This definition tells you the purpose of EPSS. I believe that the reasons EPSS are not widely used are lack of awareness and cost. Many companies are not aware of EPSS and do not know the many resources that are available on time. If the companies are unaware of the resources they cannot utilize them. Also some of these resources online may cost the company money and the companies are not willing to pay for a resource if they are unaware of the benefits. I believe that EPSS will become more prevalent in the future as more research is done on the actual benefits to companies. Once research is done to prove the effectiveness of EPSS to companies they will be more willing to utilize the resources.    

3. Knowledge management is the way we manage information, share that information, and use it. Organizations, such as schools, are full of information/data and we must organize that data in a way that we can make sense of it. We use data to make decisions and good data=good decision making. Identify a real or hypothetical problem in your line of work. How might a blended learning approach, including the use of a knowledge management system, be use to solve the problem? 

An example of a real problem in my line of work is trying to get all students’ scores on the TAKS test to be passing or higher. A blended learning approach to this problem would be having teachers from the same departments sit in one another’s classrooms to observe effective teaching strategies that are being used as well as having these teaching strategies demonstrated at staff development meetings. These methods would be formal learning. The teachers would learn from one another and then take these strategies and put them into practice in their own classroom. After attempting the teaching strategies in their own room the teachers can then discuss the results. These discussions can take place in brief meetings over lunch, or we can have a conversation through an online blog. These discussions would be informal learning. Combining all these different methods together to help improve students’ ability to receive a high score on their TAKS test would be a form of blended learning. The use of a knowledge management system would come into play in this approach by taking all the students’ TAKS scores from previous test and organizing the data. Fortunately for us the students’ TAKS scores are already codified. These scores are in a database where all of the core teachers’ of these students can access them. The scores are easy to sort through and they are broken down into categories, so the teachers are able to see which students are at risk of failing and what objectives they need help with. Collaboration comes into play because all of the teachers in the department will be working together. All of the teachers will be contributing their skills to teaching these students the information they need to master these objectives that they struggle with. Finally, access is a part of this approach because all the teachers will have access to the students’ scores, the strategies that will assist the students’, and be able to track the progress of the students.

4. Describe the types of informal learning you have been exposed to in your adult life. What was the purpose? What was the experience like? Was it engaging? Social? What role did you play? What role did the instructor play? 

I have been exposed to different types of informal learning in my adult life, such as my father showing me how to check the oil in my car while he was checking it himself, a friend showing me how to use a weight machine at the gym, my cousin teaching me how to drive his jeep, and learning a new teaching strategy when discussing school with a friend while having coffee at Starbucks. The ladder experience was most helpful to my line of work. The purpose of this informal learning was to discuss our experiences at school because we both work at different schools in different grade levels. This visit with one another was a time to discuss techniques we use with students in not only teaching, but in rewards and incentives for students behavior. The experience was enjoyable because it wasn’t set out to be a learning experience it was just a time to catch up with a good friend. It was engaging because we both found that there were several things that we did different that could be beneficial to our students though they are in different grade levels. This was a social interaction and my friend and I both took turns as the student and the teacher. She taught me about her teaching strategies that have proved to be effective and I taught her about mine.  

Section 3

1.     Chapter 10 discusses evaluation in instructional design and provides you with two evaluation models, the CIPP and Kirkpatrick models for evaluation. Search for at least two other models used for evaluation and summarize these models. Describe how you would use them to evaluate your instruction.

The ADDIE model is made up of five phases analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. I would use this in my classroom to evaluate instruction by following the steps. I would first analyze the needs of my students based on test scores from the previous school year as well as a pre-assessment that I would administer. Then I would design my lesson based on learning objectives set out in the curriculum. Next, I would develop the lesson by choosing materials to use that meet the needs of the students. I would then implement the lesson and evaluate the lesson to determine if the students’ needs were met. If the students struggled with the objective I would begin the process again starting with the design phase.

The Smith and Ragan model is a model made up of three steps analysis, strategy, and evaluation. In the analysis step I would design my classroom and arrange the seating to fit the students’ needs. Then I would determine the teaching strategies I would use to meet the needs of my students’, such as hands-on activities or group activities. In the strategy step I would design my actual lessons and organize how I would conduct the lesson. For example, I would decide the introductory activity, the guided practice, the independent practice, and the concluding activity. After my lesson has been implemented I would move to the final step of evaluation. I would evaluate my students to determine their mastery of the objectives and revise my instruction accordingly.

2.     Think about a technological innovation within your social system that was recently introduced (social system = place of work, home, etc.). Any innovation has what is known as perceived attributes - relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. Describe these attributes of the innovation and which of the attributes assisted and/or hindered adoption of the innovation. For example, was it not compatible with the existing beliefs of the system or was it overly complex to use or understand?

A technological innovation that has been introduced at the school I work at is an online book study through the use of a blog. The relative advantage of this blog is that it can be done at the convenience of the staff members. Prior to the use of the blog the book studies had to be done during weekly staff meetings and were very time consuming. Now that the blogs is set up teachers can log on when they find a free moment and view the presentations and post responses. This innovation offers compatibility because it is a goal of our school this year to become more technology minded. There is not too much complexity to the use of the blog. The technology teacher on our campus demonstrated the use of the blog to the staff at one of our meetings and if anyone needs additional assistance she is readily available to help. This blog has trialability for us because this is our first online book study and if we find this method too difficult we can go back to our book studies being part of our staff meeting’s agenda. Finally, the blog has observability because as staff members we can view one another’s posts and presentation to get new and interesting ideas.

3. Chapter's 12 & 13 focus on project management and how to manage projects when resources are scarce. You have been assigned to develop a series of professional development sessions focusing on technology use in the classroom for teachers. How will you use Situational Leadership to facilitate this project?

In order to use Situational Leadership to facilitate the project of creating a series of professional development sessions that focus on technology use in the classroom I would first plan the sessions out in five meetings. The first day of the training I would introduce the staff to all of the technologies that are available at our campus. The second day of training I would explain more in depth about each technology and how they would be useful to instruction. During these first two days I would be in phase one of Situational Leadership by being directive and detailed. The third day I would have the staff brainstorm how they could use the technology in their content area with their content group. This day I would be in phase two and three of Situational Leadership because I would be showing teachers how they can function on their own using the technology and how they would be rewarded by making their lessons more effective for their students. The fourth day and fifth day would be devoted to the teachers presenting their lessons they made to all the other staff members. This would give them hands-on practice with the technologies and give other staff members great ideas. This would be when I would take on the final phase of Situational Leadership by monitoring the staff presentations.

Activity 2

• Identify a specific learning goal and how you would incorporate two learning theories highlighted in Chapter 4 to achieve this goal.

A specific learning goal that is part of my curriculum every week is for the students to make complex inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding. One of the theories in Chapter 4 that I would use to achieve this goal is the cognitive information processing theory. This theory relies on internal processes of the learner to ensure learning. The learner must first take in the information and store it in their sensory memory, short-term memory, or long-term memory. In sensory memory learners take in information from organized patterns in the environment then recognize and code the patterns. Through short-term memory the learner is enabled to take in information briefly in order to make sense of it and connect it to information in his or her long-term memory. Long-term memory enables learners to access and apply information long after it is learned. In order for the information to be stored in memory learners must be paying attention and focused. Second, after information is taken in it must be encoded, meaning the learner must make meaningful connections between new information and prior knowledge. Finally, the learner must be able to retrieve the information so that it may be applied and feedback can be provided. I would start my lesson with activating prior knowledge that the learners have about making inferences from text. I would then bring out a high-interest reading passage to ensure that I have the attention of the students. Ensuring that I have the attention of all learners will enable all learners to take in the information being learned. I would then teach students the strategy of solving inference problem and have them share previously learned strategies to connect the information to prior knowledge. I would use keywords the students should look for to ensure the questions are inference questions and information to look for in the passage to solve the problem. The final step would be to have students answer the inference question to retrieve and apply the information that was given. As students are answering questions they will circle keywords and highlight important information in the text. I would provide feedback to each student to ensure they were using the strategy correctly. A different theory I would use would be constructivism. Constructivism involves the learner constructing information by finding organization and meaning in his or her surrounding environment. The goal of this instruction is for learners to engage in constructing knowledge, test their understanding, and reflect on their learning. In order to follow this theory I would first start with teaching the students the strategy for solving inference problems. The students would put this strategy into place and test their ability to use the theory. The learners would then reflect on what they have learned and set goals for improvement or advancement.

• Find a reference (other than the book) that describes Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction. Then create a table or chart that compares and contrasts those events with the first principles described in chapter 7 and describe how you would apply each of the first principles to the goal you've developed from the first activity in this reflection.

Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction:

http://www.citt.ufl.edu/toolbox/toolbox_gagne9Events.php

I would use the first principles of instruction to achieve the goal of teaching students to make complex inferences by first engaging students. I would have students take a comic strip with dialogue covered and have students infer what the characters are saying. This activity would gain the attention of the students. I would then activate prior knowledge by having students discuss what they previously learned about making inferences. The students will observe as I teach and demonstrate how to use the strategy to solve inference problems. The students will then apply what they have learned by completing an inference worksheet. As a whole group the class will discuss how this knowledge is useful and when it can be applied to their work.

• Develop a new goal or using the one you've already developed, briefly describe how you might use the whole-task approach, scaffolding, and mathemagenic methods to help students learn to perform a task.

I would use the whole-task approach by teaching students to determine meaning of unfamiliar words by using their knowledge and skills of using context clues and maintaining a positive attitude towards learning. I would use the scaffolding method by having students first demonstrate the application of using context clues to determine unfamiliar words. I would then have students complete more difficult tasks as they progress in their learning. I would use the mathemagenic method of teaching students to determine meaning of unfamiliar words through a variety of tasks. I would have students complete several different tasks to ensure they know how to apply the knowledge on more than one level.

• You have been hired to design a course for a topic in your area of specialization. Using Table 9.2 as a template, what would you incorporate into each subcategory to motivate learners?

Essay Writing Course

Attention-

Perceptual Arousal: I would capture the interest of the students by picking high interest topics for writing prompts.

Inquiry Arousal: I would stimulate an attitude of inquiry by having students choose topics of interest to research.

Variability: I would use a variety of tactics to maintain attention by having students do several different types of writing activities, play writing games, and incorporate technology.

 Relevance-

Goal Orientation: I can best meet the needs of my learner’s by assessing their writing level and ability. I will set goals that match these needs.

Motive Matching: I can provide learners with appropriate responsibilities based on their learning styles and abilities that I assessed.

Familiarity: I can tie instruction to the learners’ experiences by having writing prompts that draw on their personal experiences.

Confidence-

Learning Requirements: I can build a positive expectation for success by giving positive feedback to students and encouraging all students to not be afraid to ask any questions.

Success Opportunities: I will assign the writing tasks based on the students’ ability levels so that all students are set up for success.

Personal Control: I will provide students with rubrics for their writing assignments so they will know what is expected of them to ensure their success.

Satisfaction-

Intrinsic Reinforcement: Students will use their newly acquired knowledge and skills by writing their essays.

Extrinsic Reinforcement: Students will have positive reinforcement to their success by the grade they receive in the course.

Equity: I will assist students in anchoring a positive feeling about their accomplishments by discussing their improvement in writing from the beginning of the course to their final assignments.

• Finally, after completing these activities, discuss the benefits of engaging in design research.

Design research is beneficial to engage in because it helps educators to learn and grow. This research helps educators learn new strategies to use and different methods to teach students. As the research continues educators can advance every day by knowing what strategies are beneficial to each type of learners.