Week 4 Reflection: Human Performance Technology

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 that I have encountered at work was students being excessively
        tardy to school. This is a problem because depending on when the student arrives at 
        school dictates how much instruction they are able to receive in a particular content area.
        To combat this situation, as a campus we could have a competition where the winning
        classes receive an extrinsic motivator at the end of each six weeks. We could track the
        progress for each class by posting the days that each homeroom has perfect
        attendance on the outside of the classroom in the hall for all participants to see so that
        they can track their own success as well. This could motivate not only the students to be
        on time,but the staff also.

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.

           I believe that EPSS have not been widely used because the technology has been
         somewhat of a threat to the people who are to use it. Alot of companies introduce new
         systems without getting input for devices from the very people who will be using them. 
         Corporations tend to tell you that this is what your going to use Also it makes employees
         feel inferior. In order to get help from one of these systems you must figure out first how
         to word the question just right or the keyword that will direct you to the answer that you
         are needing assistance with. Once you have done this, quite a bit of time could pass you
         by and that time could have been better spent on doing the actual task.
 
    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? 
        
          A problem that the faculty was having at the school that I worked at was integrating
        technology into their instruction in content areas such as in Science and Social
        Studies. In these areas teachers felt limited to watching videos. Due to the courses that I
        have completed at Commerce, I had been exposed to a few methods that I thought would
        assist with this issue. The one that I chose for this situation was having a Wiki that the
        teachers could assess and add to when they found sites that would be beneficial for the
        students use. For me personally it enable me to not have to search for sites to use each
        school year because all I had to do was use the ones that I had added from the previous
        year. Furthermore, once I shared the Wiki with the other teachers, having access to the
        Wiki minimized the frequency in which people asked me for different websites to go to.
        Most importantly the students were more engaged in these subjects and the teacher had
        a better understanding of the content that they were required to teach. 
            
          http://interactivelearning4kids.pbworks.com/

    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?
      
           One of the best types of informal learning that I have been exposed to in my life would
         have to substitute teacher. I feel that there is no better way to learn how to be an
         effective teacher. When I was subbing I would look around the room to see if there were
         different types of work on the wall to get ideas for when I would have my own classroom.
         I would look in the different classroom as I walked up and down the halls of the school.
        This experience was I eye opening because I was able to see first hand which grade levels
        that I was better suited at teaching. I was in the role of the student because I was being
        taught by both the teachers and the students. The teachers taught me how to use my
        substitute teaching as a platform to secure a teaching position. The students taught me
        that they deserve quality instruction both in their teachers absence and presence.            

Week 3 Reflection: Evaluating, Implementing, & Managing Instructional Programs and Projects

1. Search for at least two other models used for evaluation and summarize these models. Describe how you would use them to evaluate your instruction.

Flashlight Triad Model

My description of use for the Flashlight Triad Model

2. 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?

The innovation that I attempted to adopt was an AT&T Quicksilver Data connect device. The relative advantage of this item was that its compact design is ideal for on the go use outside of home or  the workplace. In the beginning had you asked me was the Quicksilver compatible with what I perceived it attributes to be I would have totally agreed that it was.

That's until about two months after I received the device. I call myself putting it to the test by trying to use it while I was out and about. I was unable to get a connection. I assumed that maybe it was because I was somewhere there were alot of machines in operation. So after sometime I noticed that this kept happening no matter where I went. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to get connected to the internet out in public I finally contacted the tech support team. Basically they explained to me after numerous attempts of trying to troubleshoot the device, get a replacement SIM card for it, you name it ,etc... That the real problem was that it wasn't the device, but that it was my computer and that the device was not compatible with certain Dell labtops. Please keep in mind that I had been paying seventy dollars a month to be able to use this device. Not only that, but this device was considered to be like having a cell phone so if I decided to return the device before two years I would have to pay an early termination fee of two or three hundred dollars. 
       
In terms of complexity, the device wasn't hard to operate. One simply needed to plug the device into the USB port and install the AT&T Communication Manager program and you will have instant access to the web. As far as trialability is concerned I was lured into trying the device out because after the purchase of the device I would receive a hundred dollar AT&T promotion card. So it was literally like I was getting the device for free. Finally, the observability of the device was that I thought it would promote me to complete task from any location only to be disappointed and be out of hundreds of dollars for a device that didn't half work.
                                                               

   3.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?
The project in which I used Situational Leadership was last year when I was asked to teach the faculty what Jing presentations are and how they could be utilized in the classroom.
Phase 1- I created a Jing presentation that would assist teachers with learning how to create a roster for EnVision Math. This process would enable the students to take their Quick Check on the computer vs. paper. This benefits the teachers on my campus in multiple ways: 1.) They would be able to assess the needs of the students quicker. 2.)Minimize the number of copies needed weekly. 3.)Progress can be printed out and utilized for students' grades.  

Phase 2-The teachers would begin by setting up free accounts with both Jing & Screencast and downloading the free software to their computers. Once they have accomplished the initial setting up process, they begin discussing in groups the type of presentations that they could do to promote increased technology use. As they are doing this I would walk around the room to give teachers feedback and make sure everyone is keeping on task.  

Phase 3-As encouragement the teacher who finished the task successfully would be rewarded with a voucher that was good for them to cash in for a little free time during their instructional day. Some of our support staff immediately come up with good Jing presentations. For instance, the Math Coach utilized Jing presentation to teach us how to program ActiVote devices while the media specialist created a guide for logging into ActiveDirectory which is a system for the students to email other students throughout the district and access various programs that can only be used remotely. 

Phase 4- Within 2 weeks of the original presentation demonstration each teacher is expected to contribute at least one Jing presentation that would assist the teaching staff or student population with accomplishing a task. Once they have completed their presentation, the teachers must save a copy of them for their use and turn a copy into a electronic folder marked shared resources for Dillow staff. 

Week 2 Reflection:Theories and Models of Learning & Instruction

The learning goal would address mathematics topics that students struggle with in the 4th grade. This would include multiplication & division of larger numbers, fractions, and Elapsed Time. The learning theories that I would utilize are Schema Theory and Situated Learning Theory. In the activity students would have to think back on skills that they have learned some time ago and create a flipchart. By the student learning how to create flipcharts themselves it enables the student to engage in instructional design. The student would include examples of the math problems that students would work on the board. They would have to think of real-life situations in which being able to multiply large numbers are critical to a person's job.(e.g. Before a grocery store stocker can place products on the shelf he/she has to know how much of the product came in, if any of it is damaged, how much of the product is currently on the shelves, etc...)This would be an example of Cognitive Information Processing Theory. 

2. This video is a perfect example of how we as people transfer knowledge to others daily and don't realize it.

3. Whole Task Approach-Teaching the student how to create a flipchart by modeling for them what to do in order to create the chart. Taking the construction of the chart further by taking snapshots of items that they may want to include in the chart or linking videos to the chart.  

Scaffolding-Trying to get a student to remember a specific method for solving a multiplication equation. I would ask them if it was easier for them to use the box method or breaking apart the number into smaller numbers that they are able to work with.

Mathemagenic methods-Reading directions for creating a flipchart.The student not only has to comprehend what s/he has read, but be able to apply. 

4.

 5.One of the benefits of engaging in design is to see how others think. With this lesson it enables you to look at different ways of interpreting information that has been taught. One is able to find out what has been successful in terms of learning. Also engaging in design promotes change to come about in one's own views of using future instructional design methods.

Week 1 Reflection: Defining the Field

1. Reflect on the definitions the book has provided and develop your own definition as it relates to your work environment.                                                                                                               Instructional design and technology is the process of transferring knowledge to the student by a faciliator through various learing experiences and instruction.The student demonstrates their facets of understanding when they are not only capable of utilizing multiple types of multimedia resources, but also new types of resources that have yet to be explored.

    2.   Next, study the Dick, Carey and Carey model of instructional design. Redesign the model
          excluding and/or adding components as needed. Describe how the model adheres to the six  
          characteristics of instructional design and how it fits in your work environment relating to your   
          definition of instructional design.
          It adheres to the first characteristic of instructional design because it meets the learner
         at whatever level of instruction that they are working on as opposed to the learner
         having to struggle through something that is not appropriate for them to be working on  
         skill wise. It is goal oriented because the activities are to be developed in such
         a manner that it is a map of the direction in which the students learning is directed not
         only in skill, but in standards, and in connection with concepts that have been
         previously taught as well as those that are to come. As far as meaningful performance is
         concerned it enables both the student/faciliator to witness the real-world connections
         that the student can make as a result of the first two characteristics being considered in
        development. The design is measurable because one can create a criteria and rubric for
        which individual performance can be judged by. The design is empirical, iterative, and
        self-correcting in that it allows for one to change whatever is causing a disconnect in the
        students ability receive knowledge regardless of if it is the daily activities or the
        cumulative assessment. Finally it is a team effort in that all involved have to do their
        part. All participants that are involved have to be open to change and making the
        necessary adjustments for the learner to experience mastery in the content area.
         
              

   

3.   Based on what you know about the technological innovations combined with what you have 
          read about the history of instructional films, television, the computer and more, discuss how 
          technology is generally used in the field of education and how you foresee technology being
          used in the future in the following areas: K12 Education, Higher Education and Adult Education  
          (continuing education). For example, think about how we are using the blog to capture learning in 
          higher education. How could it be used in K12?
          Within the school district that I worked for technology was used daily due to each 
          classroom being equipped with Whiteboards in 2009. The Whiteboard enabled 
          teachers to present the content being taught in a new unique way(i.e. flipcharts). 
         

           In elementary I think that the blog can be a good tool to get students engaged in  
           writing.The teacher could use it as an electronic journal. Also the media specialist  
          could enlist the assistance of students by having them to write book reviews for new
          books that come into the library.