Self-discovery Video

This video goes along with the Discovery Learning Unit Plan. http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=23142
Watch this video in conjunction with the Self-discovery Essay station.

Educational Photostory

I made this video on Photostory for my class, Integrating Technology in the Classroom.
The video is meant to show the culture of Israel and relates to the Geography Standard 2, Objectives 1 (Option A) and 3 (Option A) in the Utah Core Curriculum.

Web 2.0

I'm in my second semester of the IDET program. For my class Integrating Technology in the Classroom, I explored three interactive sites. Here's what I thought:

1. TV.com

This website is great for finding something that you already know about. Otherwise, it could take a long time to find a show from just a keyword search. For example, I searched for educational shows and it gave me a big results list. While TV.com was awarded for being a well-done site, it doesn't offer much for educators.

2. Delicious.com

There are definitely more possiblities here. Teachers and students can use the search capacities to find anything. I created an account for myself. The directions are easy to follow. The one downside is that is easy to get distract because there's so many interesting website to find!

3. Twitter.com

While I didn't sign up for an account, I like the idea of what Twitter does for blogs--adding small updates or interesting side notes. I read an blog called "Twitter as Courseware." Students use Twitter as a means of class discussion. The author's biggest argument for using Twitter is that it balances the discussion between verbose and reticent students. Talkative students have to write less and shy students aren't forced to write a lot.

Twitter allows people to connect with anyone else who uses Twitter--even President Obama. Yep, he's using Twitter to get people interested in his issues. My grandpa probably never thought it would be possible to get your own updates on the President's activities. Shows you the power of Web 2.0

What is Instructional Design?

At the end of my first semester, I need to change my definition of Instructional Design (ID). Now I put more emphasis on teaching instead of on computers. But the focus on teaching isn't on the teacher but on the students. If instruction doesn't work for the students, then it isn't worth it. (I wonder what public schools would be like if they used only instruction centered on the students.)

My lastest defintion of Instructional Design:

Instructional Design is creating/building/designing curriculum/instruction using principles that ensure the curriculum works for the students.

Instructional Design (ID) begins with an analysis of the situation--what is the problem? Can instruction fix it? Then ID analizes the students to make the best decisions on the kind of instruction and delivery. Before finishing the instruction, designers must test it with students and then revise. After students use the instruction, designers must test it again to make sure the instruction solved the problem. These principles (analysis, design, revision, testing) and processes that could make any project successful.

That's my definition for now. I'm sure it will change again with each successive semester and that's what I'm looking forward to.

The Reason for the Seasons

I survived this semester because I had two awesome partners: Brenda and Claudia. I want to thank them for their good ideas, hard work, funny comments, flexibility, and Saturday meetings. I needed their teaching experience because some parts of instructional design are more familiar to them because they have teaching experience.

Our final project was "The Reason for the Seasons." We made a week's worth of lesson plans about teaching sixth graders why Earth has seasons. It was a lot of work! But it was a worthwhile project. One memorable part were the subskills analysis: sitting at my computer at night and thinking about all the bits of information about seasons. Another memorable part was the formative evaluation: seeing the plan in action and getting honest feedback about it. I realized that my opinion about the lessons was not the same as the opinion of my target audience. It was helpful to know what my audience thought and then change our instruction.

As we looked at our finished project, I was proud to see all the work we did over the semester. Doing the project probably expanded my opinion of IDET more than anything else this semester.

Business Meeting

My office is working on a new product so we had a meeting about it. My manager has a degree in Instructional Technology. He directed the meeting just like an instructional designer would. He asked all the big questions:

What is the product?
What is the need for this product?
What are our goals?
What is the content?
What are the risks?
How do we know we have accomplished our goals?

In a sense the produce will instruct people. I enjoyed seeing a real meeting discuss IDET principles. (So it does happen in real life!)

More Lessons Learned

Some general bits of wisdom I realized while doing our final project:

1. Ask a lot of questions
2. Give yourself plenty of time
3. Carefully choose wording for objectives
4. Criteria and conditions are important to measure behaviors
5. My thoughts are not the students' thoughts, nor my biases their biases

6. Backing up all my work is important--especially with old computers--thanks Claudia!

7. Evaluations can be fun (Is it really going to work?)

8. The Three R's: Review, Rewind, Revise

9. Even graphs take a while to make

10. The textbook does know what it's talking about

11. The Three E's: Evaluate Learners, Evaluate During, Evaluate After (they really are important and do work)