Instructional Design and Technology Revisited

Instructional Design

Instructional design deals with the architecture of a classroom. No, not just the physical layout of desks, projectors, and the like (although that is something you have to consider...the technology you have access to), but it is the strategic process you will follow for developing a course, carrying it out, and revising it for future use.

Development revolves around coming up with course objectives, content, assignments/assessment tools (quizzes, essays, rubrics, etc), and everything you need to get the class started. You also have to have  technology chosen for managing the learning environment. For instance, if you're teaching online, then you need to have a content management system (CMS).

Carrying out a course involves having an appropriate teaching strategy. When it comes to a teaching strategy, here are some questions to consider: Do you want to stand and deliver lectures in an instructor-centered classroom? Do you want the students to collaborate and share knowledge in a learner-centered classroom? Should student work simulate real world projects, or do you want students to be involved in service learning activities, where they will actually complete assignments for a real client? There are many more questions to consider pertaining to the nature of the work students will perform, the method of instruction, and the modes of interaction between members of the classroom. This all has to be thought out in the development stage, and you have to actually carry out your strategies in the implementation phase. The implementation phase is where you're actually in the trenches seeing first hand and in real time if your plans are coming together or unraveling at the seams. Be prepared to make adjustments along the way.

Revision of a class after having the experience of teaching is one part of summative assessment. In order to make sure the course was successful and can be executed again smoothly, instructors should reflect upon the pros and cons of their teaching experience. Students should also give feedback with end of the semester surveys and reflections. All of the feedback collected at the end of the semester can be reviewed along with formative evaluations that are given over the course of a semester. All of this assessment can then inform an instructor about what elements of a class will need to be improved and what had the most success.

Here's a brief video that also sums up what you need to know for an overview of instructional design. The narrator focus on the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation). My three part model above incorporates analysis, design, and development in the first stage.

Instructional Technology

As mentioned earlier, instructional technology is a focused look at the tools used for managing a course, giving instruction, and assessing student work. This includes having a content management system (CMS) for distributing information (like the syllabus, assignments, and more). It also includes all other mediums through which information is passed and collaboration takes place. These mediums might be web 2.0 tools (email, blogs, wikis, forums, presentation tools, videos, and more), personal digital devices (tablets, cell phones, smart phones, e-readers, etc), or even virtual worlds. We shouldn't limit technology here, for as web 3.0 artificial intelligence gathers momentum, there will be new challenges to face.


Change of Opinion?

I can't really say that I've changed my opinion of the field now that this semester is almost over. I still enjoy the subject matter, and I have learned more regarding theories and the history of the field. Here's a timeline I created to help document some aspects of the history of the instructional design and technology. The timeline was created using Dippity:

http://www.dipity.com/lightrhetoric/History-of-Instructional-Technology/

I've put more thought into important historical figures like Gagne. I've learned about Human Performance Instruction (HPI) and how it is used to improve job performance in a business setting. I can list out many other concepts and scholars, but that's not the bigger issue. The real question is...am I any closer to becoming a competent instructional designer in my own right? Am I piecing everything together what I've learned so far in the IDT program, and will I be able to turn this into a career?

That's a tough question to answer. I have taught before, and I will probably teach again at some point in the future. But how has IDT helped me out?

When I last taught a few years ago, the classes were far too instructor-centered. I would like to do more to get students to become active learners. I would try to have more of a constructivist process, where students are actively working to compile knowledge at the front end and then apply what they learned in a project. In the past, I think I did more to try to give students knowledge through lectures (that might have been too boring), and then have students apply it in a project. I now want students to be more involved upfront with class discussions and perhaps by having them lead discussion more. I have to do more to make sure they are engaged in the first half of class.

I also think that I can now do more to integrate new media, web 2.0 tools, and technology in general into the learning process. I don't want to use technology just for the sake of using it. However, I can now do a somewhat better job of helping students find tools for collaboration and making multimedia documents.

I suppose that what should come next is an opportunity to put this into practice. While I may have made several presentations in my classes, it's not quite the same as working in front of your own classroom filled with students that look at you as the instructor and not just one of them. I guess it would help to get back into that environment. That's the real issue.

I believe that I understand the concepts of the field. I may need to work more getting names correct for different IDT theories, but that's a matter of memorization right now. That's not really the big issue. Making the connection between what is taught and how it can be applied in reality is the issue. And while a lot of the concepts are obvious, it still helps to actually go out and perform a task in an authentic setting.

I guess it helps to practice. I am worried about the day to day tasks of grading papers, being less robotic and stiff, being more user-friendly, and just helping students succeed. I need to practice more...

Informal Modes of Communication in a Formal Classroom

Are you an art aficionado? Have you spent any considerable time in an art museum? Are you familiar with some of the different styles of art that you might see inside any major museums? Are you a fan of contemporary, modern art?

Timothy Hicks
blackonblue, 2011
media on screen, 400x300 px

I guess you should know that there aren't necessarily any rules as to what can be considered art. I guess that one benchmark as to what can be considered to be high art is to go to a reputable art museum and have a look at what is situated inside each gallery. Now what would you think if you saw a McDonald's hamburger wrapper placed inside of a simple glass picture frame hanging on one of the walls? I'm sure some spectators would press their fingertips to their lips and use words like "profound" to describe the work. Others might smirk and say "Really? This is art?" before walking away in disgust.

In a similar vein, what happens when we have informal modes of communication introduced into a formal, academic setting? Does this elevate the informal mode or does it simply drag down the learning environment?

For instance, if you take classes online, then there needs to be a content management system (CMS) in place so that synchronous and/or asynchronous communication between the participants and instructor can take place. If you're taking online classes at Georgia State University, then chances are that you are using the Blackboard Collaborate (aka Elluminate) system for synchronous class meetings. Elluminate (old habits of calling it by that name die hard) allows users to speak to each other one at a time through a microphone/audio system, and it also has a whiteboard area where the instructor can write text, draw/make markings, and present slides or images. There are other capabilities (like leading the class online in a pop up window), but the one truly informal mode of communication offered by the courseware is the chatbox. The chatbox is basically just a small module where participants can send text messages to each other during the course of a class. It's easy to frown upon text messaging because it tends to be informal and spelling/grammar mistakes can't be edited in Elluminate's chat area after it's been sent. Despite being so informal, it still allows everyone to rapidly share ideas and links to resources. Very rich and informative discussion often takes place in the chatbox, so how can anyone deny it's educational merit in this context?

Sure, it would be weird having a chatbox in a classroom where everyone is meeting face to face and should be encouraged to just talk and learn to expand their comfort zone if some students simply don't like to talk in a crowd (it's a social skill worth developing, especially if you're in higher education). Nevertheless, an informal mode of communication can be useful even in a formal setting. It mostly depends on how the technology is used.

Now if you can agree with that last paragraph, can you also agree that a hamburger wrapper in a glass frame can be considered high art if it appears in an art museum? Well, I for one would laugh if I saw that hanging in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Maybe if the wrapper was used as part of a larger piece, but the wrapper in and of itself is forgettable. I guess it's what you do with the wrapper that counts.

I'd rather make a sandwich at home anyway.

Introduction to Instructional Technology

Okay, I disappeared from this blog for a while. I want to keep up with it much more regularly, so I'll try to tie it in with my current academic pursuits at Georgia State University. Right now, I am trying to get into the PhD Instructional Technology program. I've been taking classes since last year to get the hang of it, and now I need to apply and get into the program. Yes, I should have applied sooner, but it's extremely competitive since there are very limited spaces. Hopefully I've made a good impression on my instructors so far, but that can all change in the blink of an eye. I still have something to prove and will continue to have to prove myself until the day I graduate from the program (provided that I get into it)...

So enough about me and more about just what the field of Instructional Technology is about and how it relates to New Media.

Figure 1: Robot taking over the computer lab.
Beware. Original images from here and here.

What is Instructional Technology?

In a few words, Instructional Design and Technology (IDT or IT) is a field that focuses on the meaningful integration of technology into classroom instruction so that more opportunities for learning, communicating, and collaborating can take place between all participants in a class (students and instructor alike).

The IT program at GSU is completely online, so there is a great emphasis on using Web 2.0 Tools/New Media. This is not to say that an IT course has to focus on online/distance education. An IT course is meant to generate ideas for how a course (whether it's in a traditional classroom setting, lab, online, or anywhere else) can use technology to assist the learning process. It is also not an issue of technology replacing teachers, but one of instructors and students using technology as a system of support.

So what is the purpose of technology in the classroom? Can't instructors get the job done with a chalk board, projector, screen, and transparencies? Maybe they can, but our society is much more heavily dependent on the use of computer mediated technology than it has been in the past, so it's up to educators to follow suit in order to prepare students to understand and become adaptable to a technologically advanced world that they will have to interact in currently and when they prepare to enter the workforce. Not only is it about getting students adjusted to using technology, but it's also about finding new ways to help students learn course specific content in ways that are advantageous and engaging.

Would you have a better experience while sitting in a classroom and taking note while a teacher narrates class material or would you retain more information from a multi-modal source that integrates some combination of audio, video, text, and graphics while giving users the opportunity to add their own ideas, ask questions, and converse with others all within one system? Even if you argue that these things can be done in traditional classrooms to some extent, at least the discipline of Instructional Technology is putting the idea of collaborative learning and interactivity more to the forefront. It doesn't just have to be about learning with computers, but empowering students to work together, showcase their work, and generate knowledge that can be understood and used by others.

At least that's part of what I'm taking away from this...


Future Career in IT

So if I get a PhD in IT, what will I do with it? Good question. Perhaps I will become an instructor in a department of Education at another university or community college. Maybe I will just return to a department of English and teach Professional Communication or Rhetoric. Teaching higher education courses is the plan, but I'm open to working in the private sector.


Recommended Readings

Here are some blogs that focus on Instructional Technology in case you would like additional readings. Hey! That doesn't mean you can't still check back here.

Free Technology For Teachers gives information about New Media devices and online resources that could be of interest to instructors. The blog raises awareness of different applicaitons and gives somre reviews or ideas on how to use them in the classroom. There is more to the blog, but that is one of it's major purposes.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/search?updated-max=2011-08-26T07%3A00%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=5


The Innovative Educator gives reviews of technology but it also provides articles about other ongoing issues in education. It isn't strictly about technology, but it is an interesting blog to anyone involved in education. Most of the posts deal with educational issues, such as what the author may consider to be outdated modes of instruction (like standardized tests or the constraints of traditional classrooms, for instance).

http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/


Elearn Space is more of a personal interest blog by someone that works in the Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute at Athabasca University. I just happen to find a number of the posts to be interesting, not because he goes in depth with reviews of technology or teaching practices, but because he just gives his own take on a topic related to IT.

http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/


Feel free to leave a comment about any topics that you would like for me to cover in future blog posts. If you have any questions or comments about this post, then definitely leave those as well.

Technology Worth Including in Classroom Education

The following video gives a brief discussion on New Media Literacies and what skills students will need in order to be competitive in modern society. The video encourages us to be users and creators of media and to think critically about the media we encounter in our everyday lives. These are all very good teaching points for any instructor to consider.

But what specific tools do students need to know how to use? The video describes a lot of skills that consumers of New Media need to have (judgement when deciding what online resources are trustworthy, understanding of the different social skills needed when communicating in different contexts, etc), and they are all important abilities that students need to develop. So what specific tools are useful for helping students share their creativity, interact with other social groups, conduct research, and perform other tasks that are relevant for education (collection, creation, and distribution of knowledge)? Well let’s see what technology can be used to push the ideas of RCPCI (Research, Collaboration, Publication, Communication, and Innovation). *Please note that this discussion is just a starting point. There are so many other resources available out there.

Research

Figure 1: The Computer Lab
Original image found here

Developing library search skills is a great place to start if you need to conduct research while working on a project in any field of study. If you’re a Georgia State University student, you can go to the library website and access articles through Galileo.

You can find many other databases online for scholarly articles. JSTOR is one great place for finding articles from academic publications.

Students can even begin to conduct their own research online by setting up polls and surveys. Polldaddy is one site that allows anyone to conduct research easily online.

Collaboration

Technology can be used for collaboration when people use a program that allows multiple users to set up individual accounts but still share the same workspace simultaneously or make edits one at a time. A wiki would be one example of this. There is also PBWorks, which is similar to a blog and file storage system, but it’s meant for group activities.

Collaboration can also just occur when individuals just have somewhere to post their ideas even without sharing a workspace. A forum or email system, like Hotmail, is somewhere that brainstorming can occur, but each participant will just have to read through and keep track of what is said in every post. It’s probably not as effective as a wiki, but it’s still possible.

People can have video conferences online if they use Skype.

Publication

A blog is a very easy way to present text and graphic based information online. Blogs can also embed or link to audio and video files. Blogs.com is one place where anyone can set up a free blog.

For sharing videos, YouTube is the leader and most heavily used resource available. An educational variant of YouTube would be TeacherTube, which is more appropriate for finding and posting educational videos.

Communication

New media technology is all about sharing ideas and encouraging a dialogue, so satisfying a need to communicate is at the heart of all the technology that is being discussed in this post.

Innovation

Being innovative can mean that someone is creating something that has not been around before (in which case the creator would be either building a piece of technology from scratch or using some form of New Media to simply publish information about their innovation) or it can mean that someone is using an established technology in a way that is unique. If someone is going to post something new to the World Wide Web that hasn’t been seen before, then that person would simply need some web space to host their product. Anyone can sign up for free web space through a site like AwardSpace.

Disclaimer: I’ve never used AwardsSpace, Skype, or Polldaddy, so you’ll have to let me know if they’re not up to par.

 

The Future of Technology in the Classroom

Figure 2: Student Machines
Original images found here and here

So where do you see technology taking education in the future? This is a long topic in itself, so maybe there will be a post on this in the future. For now, I will say that it seems likely that we will see more and more integration of media types into one source. For instance, we will not have to go to one site for video conferencing and another for collaboratively composing music. It seems like we will see more sites consolidating different capabilities or just trying to make their existing functionality easier to control.

Introduction to New Media

New Media Technology for Education

After reading that heading, the first question you may ask is…just what is New Media? No, it’s not just media that was published this morning. It goes a little deeper than that.

Figure 1: PDA for accessing new media
Original Image found here

New Media is a term used to distinguish media types that have different levels of functionality to promote interactive communication. Old media would constitute an archetype where information is published in some form (like a newspaper, film reel, etc) that only really allows for ideas to go from the publisher to the audience. New Media, on the other hand, tends to be more interactive since it allows for the audience to have a voice in the communication process. For instance, viewers of a video can leave comments and have discussions on the page hosting the video. New media tends to create a more active and social environment with opportunities to be hands-on if you so choose.

The following video gives a good explanation of what New Media is and how it’s useful. I would tweak Dan Brown’s initial definition to say that New Media does not have to be online. Cell phones, for instance, give consumers the chance to communicate via text messages and voice/video mail. They also have a lot of functionality through the Internet, but they are not exclusively online. You can even watch some TV shows live and vote using text messages or Twitter…so we are even seeing New Media capabilities influence and enhance older media formats.

Brown does make a good point about New Media enabling anyone to present their ideas to the public and potentially gain a very large audience. So what tools are available that can allow people to interact online?

Technology for Gathering and Sharing Ideas

This blog is meant for educational matters, so lets start to make some connections between New Media and academia.

At the heart of all media is the transfer of information from a source to an audience. Education is not just the transfer of knowledge from a teacher to the student, but also the creation and distribution of knowledge by students. New Media can help enhance the educational process by giving students tools that they can use to conduct research and find information, collaborate to create projects, publish their work online for others to see, communicate back and forth with others, and potentially create an innovative product. I guess we can sum this up with an acronym...RCPCI (Research, Collaboration, Publication, Communication, and Innovation).

This doesn’t all happen magically or automatically though. It takes students with know how and creativity to effectively use new media products to the best of their ability. We can get students to this stage by 1.) introducing students to New Media technology and 2.) encouraging them to exhibit advanced communication and research skills.

Simply handing new media technology to students will not replace the need for traditional education. Technology is just a tool to enhance what educators are already teaching, after all. New Media is also a topic for discussion and technology often needs to be taught to students since they will need training on how to use it at some point. Teachers can integrate instruction in the use of a particular technology while showing students how it’s helpful for accomplishing a task that’s relevant to the subject matter of the course. For example, a composition instructor could introduce students to blogs as a tool for writing journals and getting feedback (in the form of comments) from outsiders that happen to read the blog. The feedback could then lead to a dialogue and the further construction of knowledge.

Well that's a start to an ongoing debate on including technology in traditional education. I don’t want to burn out the subject matter on my first post. The next entry will give ideas on what kinds of New Media technology can be useful for education and the concepts of RCPCI.

See you next time! Oh, there isn’t a rule saying that blogs have to be too formal. :-)

Resources worth checking out that add to this discussion

-What’s New, New Media? This is a wiki about topics related to New Media. The information here is compiled by anyone with an interest in the subject matter. http://newmedia.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

-What’s New Media? This is a blog that collects articles related to New Media http://whatsnewmedia.org/

Figure 2: Sources with no ID
Original Image found here

-“Embracing the new media landscape.” The Hill. This is an article about how technology is allowing US citizens to interact with politicians. It highlights a positive impact of New Media in its ability to open lines of communication. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/166063-embracing-the-new-media-landscape

-“ Hackers Gain Force From New Media.” CNBC. This article gives some insight into the downside of New Media…cyber crime. It’s about Hackers that use technology to pool their own resources and cause a great deal of pain for Sony, the CIA, and other organizations. This would be one downside of New Media. http://www.cnbc.com/id/43504896