New Directions in Instructional Design and Technology

This last section focuses on E-learning and Instructional Design.  As the authors stated, even though the internet is still the main source of learning so many other avenues have emerged that cannot be ignored. Virtual social learning communities and personal technologies shed new light on E-learning.  With proper use instructors can open can introduce real world problems to students while opening up the world globally.  As instructors though we just need to make it is just not the tool we use, but that students are experiencing effective learning.

Picture courtesy of:  http://goo.gl/LkVAi

Distributed learning is a term to describe learning environments that can be customized to meet different learning styles whether students are on campus or off. Students receive instruction that in an interactive and collaborative environment with a variety of technology tools.  They are able to learn at their own pace and at a time that is convenient for them.  While our library doesn’t offer specific learning online, the library does offer opportunities for the school employees to use the library computers for continuing education.  This is so helpful since the demand for education not offered in our district, can be completed online.  We have several teacher aids working toward their teaching certificates and others who are working to complete their GED or improve their English.  As a librarian I could provide a list links to educational websites that promote continuing education.  The list could be accessed through the library webpage at work or home.  Some other sites I felt would fit in a library were: 
1. Goodwill Community Foundation - provides free lesson to help you create opportunities for a better life.  http://www.gcflearnfree.org 
2. The Global Virtual Classroom - which offers free, online educational activities and resources.  Their purpose is to assist governments and educators around the world incorporate technology in their lessons in productive ways. http://www.virtualclassroom.org/

Picture Courtesy ofhttp://goo.gl/qYaCU

Reuseable -I remember using an interactive response system when I taught 7th Grade Science called Quizdom. The kids loved it because they each had their own remote and when they answered correctly their race car would move ahead of the others.  When I was first introduced to the program it came with prewritten programs.  They were really good but didn’t always fit everything we were studying or there was more information that we had covered.  I learned to take the program and add my own questions, import pictures and design my own reviews with the material provided.  The other science teachers loved it and I would share with everyone.  The kids also enjoyed it because so many were visual learners and the pictures helped explain some of the questions or gave clues about the answers.  In the library, my aids used the tutorial on the Dewey System at the beginning of the year to help them reshelve books.  The online tutorial, Order In the Library, could be considered a type of practice object. Students practiced their knowledge of the Dewey System using skill and drill with feedback that led to understanding of the process.

Picture courtesy of http://goo.gl/2JKYp

Rich Media is described in the book (p.310) as “instructional programs that incorporate high-end media such as video, animation and audio”.  When the instructor integrates these into the lesson the student becomes engaged in the learning process. In the library I have used Animoto to make book trailers for students to view.  These involve audio, text and visuals which if properly designed draw the user into learning the information presented about the book. When our new district website is finished I plan to post links to the Animotos for students to view from anywhere. Glogster is online poster tool that students could use to create book reviews to use in the library to help others.  In their review, they could add text, pictures and videos all related to the book. With Glogster you click on the different areas of the poster to find information about the book. If others found the review interesting they would be encouraged to check the book out. 

The knowledge and use of Emerging Technologies in the 21st Century Library is so important for schools.  Our students are digital natives and they want to use the technology tools they have grown up with in their education. There are wiki’s, blogs, Google docs plus many others.  Information about books could be used with these as well as research for the Google Docs.  No paper to carry around or notes to take, the document stores it all and it can be accessed anywhere. Any school library would fit in here so well, because so many of the Web 2.0 tools students have been using may not have been used safely and it is our job to educated them on the correct use of emerging technologies while helping keep them safe.  Soon our school library will change to allow students to access information from the library and Web with their Student ID number.  Now we have passwords which give them access to the library’s catalog and EBSCO database from anywhere.  I can see in the future a type of artificial intelligence card catalog system that will suggest books based on the students past selections and other information stored about them. There are so many definitions of cybernetics out there but one that helped me understand how it fit into the role of learning was this definition, the “Science of regulation and control in animals (including humans), organizations, and machines when they are viewed as self-governing whole entities consisting of parts and their organization. It was conceived by Norbert Wiener, who coined the term in 1948”. They compared it to computers that are almost human like.  This reminded me of those services that you call about your credit card and you answer the questions the computer asks. I can see the use of these type systems in the future in the library also as it seems to be closely related to artificial intelligence.

Picture courtesy of http://www.onlineschools.com/blog

At this time in our library does not support virtual worlds or online gaming but both can be an asett to younger and struggling readers. They both promote information and problem seeking skills.  In Eric Meyers’ article, ”Virtual worlds, real learning,” he states  “virtual worlds offer a plethora of educational tools, decoding and encoding processes, exposure to information visualization, socialization opportunities, and communication developments”.  He goes on to state this is not to take the place of literacy tools already in place but it should complement print books, audio books, e-books and others.  These online sites promote reading comprehension and allow the development of information seeking.  When many people tease me about the library going away one day I see this as proof there will always be a need for librarians to connect people with information whatever form that may take.
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Cybernetics - http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cybernetics

Meyers, E. M. “Virtual worlds, real learning.” School Library Monthly, (2009)26(3): 50-52.

Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

Picture courtesy of http://goo.gl/d4V2F

I feel so blessed to serve as the librarian for Mount Pleasant Junior High.  I had taught science for seven or eight years before and always loved working with technology in addition to working one on one with students.  Our district wants teachers to read to their classes stories whose subject can be tied into the curriculum.  This helped engage my students and helped promote a love of reading.  In the fall of 2009, our librarian decided to retire at the beginning of the year.  I have always loved libraries and bookstores and told a friend of mine I would love that job.  I knew I would have to return to school for my masters degree but she encouraged me to apply. I discussed this with my principal and applied to the Texas A&M - Commerce Library Science/Educational Technology program. That was almost three years ago and now I am enrolled and about to complete my masters degree in May 2013.  I plan to keep working at the Junior High when I graduate, but I expect to take on more duties within the district and help the District Librarian.

Picture courtesy of http://goo.gl/d4V2F

 
After graduation I want to stay in the education field.  I plan on keeping my job as a librarian and I hope to receive a  small raise since I will have my masters. Even with the same job, I would like to work in a little higher capacity eventually.  Using the WorkMatrixTM I feel like I fell within the 1st and 3rd  levels of service. Since I have been working in the library, I now have a better relationship now with most of the staff on our campus and I would like to use this connection to hold workshops offering teachers training on more ways they can incorporate technology into their instruction.  Right now I do not have an aid to keep the library open when I am gone so I feel limited when I think of all the things I would like to accomplish in the future.  After taking these classes though I feel as if I have the skills to help with designing instructional models to use in the classroom, especially in the area of science. I love working with technology and would also like to redesign our library website, making it user-friendly and as a way to communicate with students,parents, and faculty. One reason I love this job is the location-it is close to home, the salary here is higher than most other school districts in the area and from workshops and conferences I learn skills to help with my job and share with others.

I feel I have all of the skills and qualifications needed for this job.  I have finished my library classes, passed the exam and have worked closely with the District Librarian the past two years.  Even though the instruction was very beneficial, the hands on training at the same time helped to reinforce the lessons.  I have really enjoyed the Educational Technology classes, they have given me examples of how to tie technology specifically into learning projects I can use with students in the library or share with teachers.  Next semester I will be taking one extra ETEC class to fulfill the hours I need to graduate.  In all of the educational technology classes I have learned so much to help me in the future. 

Picture courtesy of http://goo.gl/pLwAA

My membership in the Texas Library Association (TLA) Association has been a big asset in my job as a librarian.  The state meeting is so informative and you come away with lots of information on legislation, ideas for the library, using technology in the library and of course lots of good books.  In the field of Instructional Design I found the following organizations that I felt I would fit into best. The Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is a professional organization consisting of educators and others whose activities are directed toward the effective use of technology to improve learning. One piece of information I found interesting was this group dates back to the mid 1980 with it’s origins in audio-visual design and development.  Back then their total membership was about 20,000 but today that membership is closer to  2000.  This is due to suffering from poor economic times and the development of newer organizations and technology conferences. The benefits offered to students and educators who join before graduation can be especially helpful.  According to the AECT website, if I were to join as a graduate student I could enjoy using a specially designated division known as the Graduate Student Assembly which is open to all graduate students.  Also an Open Content Portal, developed by interns and operated by the Graduate Student Assembly, provides a resource by which educational technology scholars and researchers can share how they teach and what they teach in their courses. I might be eligible for awards and scholarships (selective) available through the Educational Communication and Technology (ect) Foundation, paid internships (selective) are offered at the AECT Annual International Convention, mentoring opportunities and finally members qualify for a discount on Geico automobile insurance. (I had to include that one, although it is nice it just didn’t seem like it fits in with the others.) Their conference this next year is October 29 - November 2 in Anaheim, California.  This next year's convention theme is Innovate! Integrate! Communicate!  From the title they want educators to walk away with information related to Innovative applications of new and emerging technologies, educational applications of current research in related disciplines, implications of current research in Neuroscience for learning, application of learning analytics, the state of social media as a tool for learning, methods for influencing educational policy and research methods for new and emerging technologies.  Between the organization and the conferences I would gain so much information to help me with my studies and future work in the field of Educational Technology.

The Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), founded in 1981, is an international, not-for-profit, educational organization with the mission of advancing Information Technology in Education and E-Learning research, development, learning, and its practical application. The organization serves a variety of fields including researchers, developers, professors, trainers, administrators, directors, evaluators, graduate students, policy decision-makers, trainers, adult educators, practitioners, and other specialists in education, industry, and government with an interest in advancing knowledge and learning with Information Technology in Education and E-Learning.  As a graduate student I would be eligible for a  membership at half the price of a professional membership.  The benefits from a  AACE Student Membership includes a subscription to one AACE print Journal, full online access to all back issues of the Journal selected, online subscription to the AACE Journal (formerly Educational Technology Review), discount on AACE conference registrations and proceedings, discount subscriptions to additional AACE journals, full access to the Career Center and Job Board, and all the benefits of AACE Membership.  All of these would give me an opportunity to participate in the organization, make connections with older members and learn of new advancements in the field.  There are about five conference groups I saw associated with this organization.  The one I thought looked most promising is called SITE. The Society of Information Technology and Teacher Education is a society of AACE.  It is is an international association of individual teacher educators, and affiliated organizations of teacher educators in all disciplines, who are interested in the creation and dissemination of knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education and faculty/staff development.  They are holding a conference this year March 25 - 29 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  According to past attendees, I would be introduced to learn and share innovative ideas about integrating technology for the classroom from USA and the international community. Insight on impacting on how to impact the teacher education program would also be provided.

Picture Courtesy of http://goo.gl/YBnMd

This last group is the one that sounded most interesting and would one that would fit what I am looking for in an organization. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)  is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving learning and teaching by advancing the effective use of technology in PK–12 and teacher education, according to the website.  This group represents more than 100,000 education leaders and emerging leaders throughout the world and informs its members regarding educational issues of national and global scope. An affiliate of this group is TCEA which meets in Austin each spring.  I have not had the opportunity to attend but would love to in the future.   As a graduate student, the membership is $45 in ISTE which would give me access to following:  Learning & Leading with Technology magazine (online), 30% ISTE books discount, 60% ISTE webinars discount, Access to NETS resources, Access to ISTE's member communities and special interest groups (SIGs) and ISTE annual conference and exposition registration discount. Their conference this year will be held in San Antonio,June 23 - 26.  Those attending will be able to choose from hundreds of professional development sessions, try emerging ed-tech solutions, make connections with others in the field and collaborate with like-minded professionals. I have been a librarian for a few years now, but this organization would be helpful for young librarians or teachers who just starting to incorporporate technology into their instruction.  They would learn from others that it is not just about the tool, but how to use that tool in instruction.
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Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) -http://goo.gl/xRgOr
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) - http://www.aace.org/about.htm
International Society for Technology in Education - http://www.iste.org/about-iste

Trends and Issues in Various Settings

I am very close to finishing my coursework in order to be a Certified Librarian.  I actually work right now in a Junior High library and so much of what I have learned in all my classes has helped me with my job. I believe school libraries provide information and ideas that are critical to working in today's knowledge and technology based society and study after study can make a connection between student achievement and school libraries.  I love helping students pick out books and suggesting books to others who are unsure.  I feel there is a book out there for everyone from graphic novels, biographies to any type of fiction.

Chapter 18 dealt with instructional designs in Business and Industry.  Addressing all the changes that occur in the corporate world is not easy task and quite a challenge to instructional designers. Today they are expected to work with less time in designing, yet deliver the training quicker plus insure that the stakeholders will make a profit.  One technology tool that stood out as a big help in the corporate world would be Rapid Prototyping. Specifically Rapid Prototyping involves developing “a working model of an instructional product that is used early in a project to assist in the analysis, design, development and evaluation of an instructional innovation”.  At the beginning of the year I removed two bookcases and weeded a tremendous amount of outdated books.  I then rearranged the furniture and this really opened up the library. Soon after that the principal came to me with the idea of putting in a media center.  I am not sure how much room he needs exactly but I believe it would fit in the back part of the room.  If this idea becomes reality I think a Rapid Prototyping tool like Google Sketchup would be a great asset in the beginning.  We would be able to create a quick fabrication of a physical model using three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) data. We could place windows, doors, furniture, locate flaws, while checking for form, fit and flexibility in the plan.

Chapter 19 dealt with challenges instructional designers have in working with the military.  Our servicemen are so dedicated to our country, putting the needs of others before their own.  To help insure their survival, proper training of these men and women is critical.  I found the Full-Spectrum design serves as a good guide when preparing our troops.  Instructional designers  work to create “train-the-trainer” materials for the delivery of their product.  In addition to making sure the materials are effective and efficient, researchers also study the various ways ethnic groups learn best  when preparing material for various jobs.  The design takes trainers  through the classroom training, garrison/base then on to deployment.  The instructional material also discusses the theories underlying the design and why they were chosen. The instruction is accomplished using technology and other forms of available resources such as guides that can be printed when deployed to the field. According to the design the more skills you possess the higher your rank and the more capabilities you develop.  Once finished these Trainers are then prepared to train the troops below them. 

Photo courtesy of http://goo.gl/kcmDo

The Full-Spectrum design training would work very well for me since I am the only librarian in our library.  I only have student aids and I must train them very well at the beginning of the year in order for library to run smoothly.  Many of my student aids know very little about the library at the beginning of the year.  I give them a short introduction to the Dewey System, explain how the system works and how books are organized in the library.  I then let them practice with a computer program called Order in the Library.  This is a simulation type of learning where individuals sort books based on their spine labels.  Once they feel confident we practice putting books on the shelves.  I also show them our cataloging system Destiny for checking out books on the computer.  This usually does not take very long.  I let them watch me a few times then I let them work with supervision at first.  I have been very blessed this year the students who work with me catch on quickly and we have very few errors checking out material. Just as in the army once these students are trained they hold the knowledge to train any new students aids who come to work in the library. One area I could improve in would be to prepare a folder with all the information I teach them at the beginning of the year, then they could refer back to it if needed.  This would be like the printed guides the army uses when men have been deployed to the field.

One other area I read about was the medical field.  It is so interesting to read about especially today because of all the changes in the healthcare area and new laws.  Although technology and instruction are a very important part of this field, the one approach I found most interesting deals with an area we try to present in our schools today.  This is applying learning in a problem-solving context rather than applying knowledge to solve problems just as they do in constructivist classroom.  In the field of medicine, it is known as the Post-Flexner Phase in Medical Education. It focuses on “problem solving and cognition in addition to science”. (p.198). The reasoning behind this phase of medical school was to enables students to synthesize information from several areas and “develop transferable problem solving competence while also learning self-study skills for lifelong learning” (textbook, p.199).  Cases are presented to a group of medical students who study the problems of the patient, come up with hypothesis, gather data and discuss information directly related to the case. The only issue the textbook discussed with using problem based learning were proposed differences between what the curriculum teaches what the exam measures. Research is looking into ways now to better assess clinical solving on licensure exams.

Photo courtesy of http://goo.gl/Lz7BH

This year I have worked with different classes which come in to the library to help them incorporate more technology into their classes.  The first project we worked on together dealt with a science activity.  Students worked in groups of three on a vocabulary project for force and motion. I constructed an Animoto video to explain to students what their teacher expected. My video was just 30 seconds and I went through step by step explaining how to set up pictures and slides and create the video.  Working in their groups they defined the words, found pictures which demonstrated meaning of the word and then used the work in a sentence.  The students would explain to each other how they thought the word would look in a picture and using knowledge they had gained from each other use this word in a sentence.  They were able to use the internet site Sweet Search which is just for students.  The sources here are reliable and helps them find sources quicker.  Their teacher was present to offer guidance and advice.  

Instructional designers in Higher Education are very close to other faculty and staff members at the school.  From reading the chapter I noted the instructional designer must be a leader, possess critical thinking skills and be experts at problem solving.  Many worked with other faculty members with varying backgrounds in education.  They collaborated together to analyze learners and come up with an environment which would engage learners in the learning process.  Some universities in Australia were still focusing on teacher led lesson which instructional designers worked to turn around into more student centered learning models. Others worked to introduce the faculty to distance learning production process. Overall in these institutions of higher education the use of instructional designers became “critical to the success of organizations where faculty members are trained in content but not pedagogy”. (p.218) This is just what librarians try to achieve today, training teachers to engage students with the latest type of technology to include in instruction.

Human Performance Technology

On our campus this year the administration wants students involved in constructivist activities where they can be creative, interact with others and construct knowledge. The staff have been conducting walk-through evaluations, collect data concerning use of these activities and they report the results at staff meetings about every three weeks.  There have been many improvements since instructors in core curriculum classes went to IPad trainings last summer and were able to bring back five IPads each to use in the classroom. However over half of the walkthroughs still show most instruction is still teacher led with passive activity on the part of the students. Chapter 14 which deals with Human Performance Improvement (HPI), that is to achieve through people increasingly successful accomplishments, directly tied to organizational goals, that are valued by all stakeholders, . . . (p. 135).  Through reading I was able to identify several non-instructional solutions that might help solve this problem. 

courtesy of Flylib.com -  http://flylib.com/books/en/3.398.1.14/1/

The first is Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model which focuses on changing the barriers to employee performance in organizations.  Gilbert understood that workplace performance usually requires both employee and environmental interventions.  From the picture to the right you can see the questions Gilbert felt necessary to modify the situation.

Another evaluation model I felt would be good to consider was created by the International Society for Performance Improvement.  They began in the 60’s with views based on behavioral psychology and Instructional Systems Design.Today they have expanded their views to include productivity and performance in the workplace. This model is shown to below:

courtesy of Advance HR systems - http://goo.gl/sCvkY

And the last evaluation model I thought would be helpful is in the book, Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space in the Organization Chart (Rummler & Brache, 1995) (p.141).  The book gives a detailed account on how to bridge the gaps between organization, processes and jobs.

Chapter 15 introduces us to Performance Support Systems are defined as a system which allows performers with varying levels of access to support information and tools at the moment of need (p.148). In the situation of our school, we would be using an Electronic Performance Support System. This would all teachers access to an electronic environment immediately with individualized online access to a full range of information including software, guidance, and learning assistance whenever they needed it. Instructors would be able to perform their job with a minimum of support and intervention by others. The Electronic Performance Support System would be an excellent idea to help teachers incorporate more constructive learning experiences into lessons and I think it would be a great idea in the problem  at our school. The system might include instruction materials that would include lesson plans, a teachers guide and software to be used in teaching. Links to sites where examples of constructive instruction for classroom use could be added.  Multimedia databases such as EBSCO and Discovery Education could be used for material to create lessons and as reference.  That would be wonderful since I know the textbooks in the Science classroom are at least 8 years old. Instructor schedules could be arranged where one period a day teachers within core subjects could meet and discuss ideas or problems they are having with more active activities in the classroom.  Working collaboratively would help solve many of these problems.  At our school, teachers used to have a team period to discuss ideas such as this, but this has been taken out allowing teachers only one class period a day for planning.  Much of this is taken up with grading, parent conferences or planning lessons.

Chapter 16 gave me a look at Knowledge Management Systems and their importance in solving problems.  They are defined as “the creation, archiving and sharing of valued information,. . .”(Reiser & Dempsey, p.159). In the case of teachers creating more constructivist learning activities in which students interact with students, this would be so helpful.  Many times teachers don’t always listen to or remember what they learned at trainings. Having the tools organized and within easy reach in an instant would be a great asset for teachers. The knowledge needed would be information and links from workshops on techniques and teaching resources using the IPads.  Websites which support curriculum and offer examples of lessons and ideas.  An area would also be nice for teachers to voice concerns or offer advice about other information they found. Also included could be rubrics to help grade projects and databases such as EBSCO and Discovery Education.  These databases would help teachers plan future lessons with current information and teaching suggestions.  All this information could be collected by a curriculum coordinator, organized and placed in a Wiki.  

Far Side by Gary Larsen

Teachers on the campus would have access to this instantly for ideas, past training information in addition to suggestions from others. This would give them time a great chance to collaborate even if they could not all meet together.  They could even join with other schools in the town or surrounding area and share ideas.  Using a wiki would not limit them to a particular space.  They might even group the wikis according to the core subjects, math, science, reading and so on.  A wiki dedicated to each topic. “Learning through knowledge management - in the workplace and in real time - is essential for a smarter, more productive enterprise.” (Reiser & Dempsey, p.167).

The chapter on informal learning, (Chap. 17) led me to reflect on all the opportunities I have missed guiding students when I realized how much of this type learning goes on in the library.  I read through several articles on the internet to help find a definition that I thought was short, sweet and to the point.  I basically came up with informal learning comes from activities and interests in which we participate.  Another definition from Michael Eury’s blog Stickylearning is one I found quite amusing.  He said, “people become so engrossed in what they are doing that they don't see that they are learning - until they have learnt (if this makes sense?)”.  I especially liked the picture with the fish he displayed with this thought, “The benefit of Informal learning is that fish are the last to recognize water”.

Courtesy of Sticklearning -   http://goo.gl/PAkb0

One type of informal learning that could be found in the library is in the magazine section which is just for teens.  Last year my principal came to me and wanted to order more magazines with interests for our student population.  He suggested magazines that dealt with electronics, sports and teen magazines for girls.  Right now we carry Sports Illustrated for Kids, Boys Life, BMX, Wired and J-14, Popstar and Girls Life for girls.  I was able to order four soft bean bag type chairs for students and I have arranged a small seating area near a sunny window where kids love to sit and read when they visit the library.  This is great for students and they do not realize they are strengthening their reading skill which are not just necessary when they are a teen but good reading skills are critical to future success in the workplace. These students may happen upon information about a career they may be interested later in life or just current information in the world. This would give them a chance to have a conversation with their parents or friends about something they learned about. They could also share this information through a social networking site or an Edmodo site if any teacher has this setup to aid in her classroom management.  One way to share this knowledge would be through a school library webpage.  The librarian could find out from students maybe in a survey about what they have read and why did they find it interesting.  I don’t think this information could be codified but it could be managed through a newsletter created by the librarian and made by the website Smore. This newsletter could then be attached as a link to the library webpage. The librarian could update the page each month with new information on what students are learning in the library.  Since the newsletter would be linked to the webpage these informal experiences could be shared with other students, parents even other librarians. Everyone would have access to the types of informal learning experiences in our school.

Evaluating, Implementing and Managing Instructional Programs and Projects

This week I looked at evaluation models in Instructional Design and was asked to find two models I could use in evaluating my instruction.  The first model I found was the Addie Instructional Design Model. It is probably one of the best know instructional models that was originally developed in 1975 to help  instructional designers and training developers.  Since it’s beginning there have been over one hundred variations of the model.  It was one of the first instructional design models to propose an organized process for developing and improving instruction.  ADDIE is an acronym for analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation. 

Analysis phase - The problem is identified, goals and objectives are established and the environment and learner characteristics are identified.
Design - The instructional strategies are identified and the media choices are made.
Develop - The materials are produced according to the design phase.
Implement - At this point, prototypes are tested with the intended audience putting the product into full production.  Trainers and learners are also instructed on how to use the product.
Evaluation - This consists of the Formative and Summative Evaluations. Actually the Formative is present in each stage and the Summative consists of criterion related referenced items and providing opportunities for feedback from others.
One unique feature of this model is each step has an outcome that feeds into the next step. If the instructor follows these steps exactly it will help insure important issues are not overlooked or forgotten.  The concerns with the ADDIE model point toward it’s age.  Even though it has been redesigned several times, critics still feel it was developed at a time when instructional design was very new and the design courses had to be created quickly to meet the demand. Many think in the beginning, there were fewer expectations about what the training should accomplish.  Still others  argue this model produces passive type training activities and there is a lack of learner input..  Turning these around toward active learning takes a tremendous amount of effort, which is something many teacher are not willing to do. An evaluation using this model in my instruction will take a look at the different steps in a Heredity Lesson. I designed the lesson earlier this year with the Science teachers to use in their classrooms.
Analysis Phase - The purpose of this instruction is for students to learn about dominant and recessive traits in heredity.  Students will be instructed how create a Wordle word cloud and insert different characteristics of dominant and recessive traits they learn from instruction. The purpose/objectives for this lesson are:
1.  Make a distinction between inherited and acquired traits.
2.  Relate genes to the inheritance of traits.
3.  Inherited Traits are observable characteristics passed from parent to child.
4.  All traits an individual possess makes them unique.
5.  Although individuals may share traits with others, traits between family members are more common.
The learners were 7th graders with diverse learning abilities.  The diverse abilities include visual and auditory learners, ESL students and students with learning modifications.  To address these problems the script of the video will be read aloud, materials will be provided to assist in identifying traits and the teacher will act as a guide to answer any questions.  The room will be set up to give the learner the best possibility of success and computers and a printer will be available to students to complete their project.
Design -  The Instructional Objective for this lesson involves using Wordle as an active learning strategy.  Students will complete a list of the dominant and recessive observable traits discussed and seen in the classroom with 100% accuracy.  Students will also learn to use the Web 2.0 tool Wordle. The teacher will act as a guide walking around the room, asking guiding questions and offering help or assistance as needed.
Develop - Students will produce a word cloud.  The dominant traits will be listed with Capital letters and the recessive traits will be listed in lower case letters.  Information for the traits is obtained from the Design phase. Copies will be made of the Wordles to display on the wall in the Science classroom. The instructions for producing the Wordle will be presented by the teacher using an overhead projector and a laptop to demonstrate the activity and answer any questions.
Implement - This lesson will be presented in the 7th grade science classroom. Students will need access to the computer and the Web 2.0 tool, Wordle. The instructions for producing the Wordle will be presented by the teacher using an overhead projector and a laptop to demonstrate the activity and answer any questions.  A finished copy of a Wordle will be shown to students to verify what is expected in the activity.
Evaluation - Evaluation of the students will be the finished product in addition to a teacher student discussion.  Characteristics of traits, the appearance of genes in the passing of traits and what is needed for certain traits to appear will be included in the discussion.  With the availability of laptops a Web program called TodaysMeet may be used with the discussion to increase participation.  This will also help answer questions, highlight areas of misunderstanding and give students a chance to make comments.
 

The next model I found was the ARCS Model. This was a very interesting model of Instructional Design to research.  It is based entirely on motivation skills to help learners succeed. Before the ARCS Model was introduced, classroom instructors did not have the information or models available to use in motivating learners.  John Keller(1983,1984 & 1987) is an Educational Researcher who created the model. Its purpose was to help educators meet their objectives by designing activities and strategies as a guide to stimulate students and help them develop knowledge.  The model has been extremely popular and used around the world in schools, corporations and government.  The ARCS acronym stands for attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction.  The words were chosen from research human motivation.
Attention - In this phase different activities should be made available to students to spark their interest.  This can include active participation, humor, brainstorming or specific examples.  I remember a science teacher at our school who would begin many of the units he taught with jokes and riddles to capture the students attention.  They loved the humor and you could hear them repeating the jokes in the hallway.
Relevance - This is where the benefits of the study are explained to the learner.  They will understand what they learn and how it can be applied to their lives.  This can include present work or adding the knowledge to skills they already possess.
Confidence - This strategy explains to the learner what can be expected from the activity. Sharing this with the students should motivated them to have a desire to study.
Satisfaction - The experience the learner will receive once the activity is completed.  This sense of achievement can be recognized by praise from a higher up, special activity or entertainment.  Our school used to take students on a trip to the movies in December for those who had maintained a B average or above and had met the behavior objectives since the beginning of the year. This was quite successful; the students looked forward to a small break from school near Christmas.  
As with any instructional design there are strengths and weaknesses. The strengths with this model include:
1. This is a very easy model to follow.
2. It provides the students ample time for research and completion of the project.
3.  Students are allowed to choose the material they are to learn.  The teacher is present to help solve problems.  
4.  The teacher is accountable for the activity and the outcome.
The weaknesses identified were:
1. The teacher may not be familiar with the audience.  If this is the case, gaining the interest of the group and motivating them may be difficult.
2. The instructor needs to be creative with the material in order to keep the students interested.  I remember teaching my class about the different areas of the brain and how they perceived objects.  We studied pictures of illusions as the lesson went along and the students were so involved.  They loved the effect the different illusions had on their thinking.
3.  There must be funding for the instructor if necessary.
To illustrate how I would use this model to evaluate my instruction, I will take a lesson I recently completed with a science teacher.  The lesson discussed elements, namely understanding the nature of protons, and neutrons and electrons and where they are located within the element. In the Attention phase before I began the lesson I would begin with some humor about elements.  A good website for this subjec can be found at http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/jokes/chemistry.html .  We learned about this technique in a teacher training before at the beginning of the year.  Many teachers at our school that have used this introduction and had great results.During the Relevance phase I would explain how important it is to know a little about each element.  This is something that I would add to the lesson I had planned.  I can understand how it might help the students understand the importance of studying this material.  Some elements mixed together can be very poisonous such as ammonia and bleach (sodium hypochlorite).  I then give a few more examples of chemicals they may be familiar with  before I began the Prezi presentation.  In the Confidence phase of the lesson, I would stress how important it is to use the Periodic Table when working with these elements.  The table gives so much information that is expected of them to be learned.  They just have to know a few rules to correctly find the information needed for protons, neutrons and electrons.  This could help them with worksheets or a test later. They just need to be able to read the periodic table. They would then complete a group activity by putting the elements in different stations around the room based on specific information. This was basically what I had planned for this stage of the model. Finally in the Satisfaction stage I would have them create a model of an element with the protons and neutrons in the middle and the electrons circling around the outside. The class could then try to name the elements that were made with the use of the periodic table.  Each model would be held up and students could raise their hand to answer. This would be the activity to replace the worksheet I had planned. The class studied the first twenty elements so each student could complete one himself or work with a partner.  Positive feedback and reinforcement should make each student feel good about their accomplishments.

Reading through the textbook I thought of several questions that should be asked when looking at instructional design.  These questions are not directed toward how much the learner will acquire through instruction, but rather based on other areas of the design.

1.  What are the education needs acting upon this training project?
2.  How will you define success for the student and the program? You must set achievable
    goals.
3.  Was the model easy to use?
4.  Are the individual content units complete, accurate, and up-to-date?
5.  Will the teacher deliver the instruction face-to-face or online? Will it be instructor led unit or
    will it be self-paced?
6.  What technology best promotes the particular learning goal in an efficient manner?
7.  Has sufficient time been allotted to design the program?
8.  Can the training/instruction be improved?
9.  Is it worth improving?
10. What are the risk factors associated with this investment?  Factors that need to be looked at
     are multiple stakeholders, lack of leadership or a change in leadership, rapid changes in
     technology and misalignment of objectives.

I am always trying to get teachers to try new technology tools to use in lessons in the classroom during this time of economic decline, in addition to the fact kids love technology.  This is such a relevant topic today and I was so glad to see it as one of our questions. I just attended a Library Academy workshop this week and learned so much about Google Docs and the interactive tools you can use with it in the classroom.  Everything from students creating presentations, using note taking tools, teachers worksheets, interactive tools to use during discussions and teacher created tests. The tests can even be graded by a program called Flugaroo.  Using the Situated Leadership Theory.  According to the theory, successful leaders can use more than one type of leadership style.  The style needed is based on the maturity of the people on the team and the task details. The four styles or phases are:

Phase I - The leaders tell the group what to do and exactly how to accomplish it without being overbearing.
Phase II - The leaders still provide leadership and direction but they move to a role where there is more communication with the group, they clear up any misunderstandings and acknowledge improvements. At this point the leader wants to “sell” the group on his idea, product or service.
Phase III - As the group becomes more confident, the leader now focuses more on relationships within the group and the results they are achieving.  Decision making is also shared.
Phase IV - The leader passes most of the responsibility to the follower or group. they have learned to work together to produce the main idea, product or service. The leader still but is less involved in decisions.

Since I used to teach science, I can see how these would be so helpful to a science teacher.  More up to date facts for teachers to use in class and students to use in presentations.  The leader will be the a teacher on another campus who is skilled in the use of the Google Docs and has used them in his classroom. He will be explaining to the eight other 7th & 8th grade teachers on our campus.  

Leadership Style	Description
Telling/Directing	The leader makes the presentation explaining the benefits of using Google Docs in the classroom and giving teachers a preview of the ones they will use. He explains  the benefits and how it will involve the students more actively and at the same time save work for the teachers and money for the district.  He then explains to teachers which docs, or applications, would be useful giving an example of how to use each one.  He leaves teachers with a detailed Smore website page, he has designed, which gives teachers all the websites they visited with the information he has given.  They may use this information to refer back to when setting up the docs to use in the classroom.
Selling/Coaching	The group meets back in two months.At this meeting the leader still provides direction but at the same time starts moving to making relationships with those in the group and wanting to hear what they have to say. He begins by asking about problems they may have which need to be cleared up.  He then praises their use of the tools and asks if they don’t agree many have made instruction easier and more organized.  He asks others to share their experiences to help those that are not quite on board.
Participating/Supporting	The group will meet in another two months.  By this time all teachers are familiar with the tools.  The leader focuses on hearing what has been going with using the tools in instruction.  He does not direct, but listens more as the group begins to make decisions about the use of Google Docs in instruction.
Delegating	In another two months when they meet, the leadership role has now moved to the teachers.  They are very familiar with the product and have begun to use it daily in their classes.  They work more as a team solving problems that come up between themselves.

_______________________________________________
ISU College of Education - http://ed.isu.edu/addie/

Learning-Theories.com -  http://www.learning-theories.com/addie-model.html

Online Teaching Tips - http://goo.gl/YEG5e

Motivation Design - http://goo.gl/In7tC

Learning Theories.com - http://goo.gl/YnyTl

Upside Down Learning - http://goo.gl/Rt9W1

ADDIE model - http://goo.gl/fbl3H

ARCS model - http://goo.gl/XIDB2

Questions image - http://goo.gl/f3jCG

Situational Leadership - http://www.heftfaculty.co.uk/node/589