ETEC 524: Reflection #2

I chose to look at the International Society for Technology in Education because the organization is more comprehensive and respected in the field than others I looked at. ISTE has a very thorough strategic plan outlining their values, mission and the organization's objectives. The focus of the organization is on advocacy, diversity, collaboration and advancing teaching through technology. The mission is, "ISTE advances excellence in learning and teaching through innovative and effective uses of technology." The vision is, "ISTE is globally recognized as the premier partner in advancing educational excellence through innovative learning, teaching, and leadership. We are a diverse worldwide community of educational leaders actively creating a world in which all learners can achieve their creative and intellectual potential."

My definition of educational technology is the facilitation of learning using hardware, software or other technological means to complete tasks and processes for one's advancement of knowledge. I chose this definition because it correlates the relationship between technology and education but does not constrain "educational technology" to a classroom or formal learning environment while still building a teacher/learner relationship in the delivery.

Below you will find my concept map demonstrating a relationship of various sources including my philosophy and definition of educational technology, in addition to language from ISTE's website and Rey Junco's article on The Effect of Twitter on College Student Engagement and Grades.

I really liked how this one separated out "technology" but I felt it was disconnected so I ran Wordle through again.

A snapshot of my brain in this course.

ETEC 561: Section 7- New Directions for Instructional Design and Technology

Reusability 
While completing my MBA I had the pleasure of completing a few accounting courses (notice the tone). When I logged into the course using an online LMS I noticed very few materials. We were to acquire the text, complete quizzes and exams via a third party website and listen to MP3 pre-recorded lectures. I considered this one of the most un-reusable courses I've ever completed. It should be noted that this course was a foundation course for more advanced accounting concepts. The result was two assets which were limited in learning functionality since the MP3 recordings were a one-way communication tool with no "bookmarks" and a lengthy text book that was not integrated clearly into the tasks which were being asked of the learners. I would have preferred that the audio had been coupled with a visual (I'm deaf, visual clues are a major PLUS) aid that allowed for tracking the audio and providing context.

The learning component was executed through a third party broken down by chapter which allowed the learners to focus on one section at a time and allowed for possible reusability since the material was reviewable with the correct answers once the assignment was completed. Oftentimes I printed the results out and kept them on file for future accounting courses. I would have loved some informational objects referencing formulas, forms, tables and processes to be used in "real life". Upon completion of the course I was underwhelmed by the amount of materials I could "take away" with me.



Rich Media
Rich media allows users to relate learning subjects or topics to visual or audio context points. I've provided two versions of a How-To for the popular educational tool, Voicethread. The video was originally created for another course and the PDF version was created just for this blog post. Both of these examples are graphic representationals of Voicethread. As the text states studies show that the surface features of photos and text and video have similar results in learning. Learners with physical or learning disabilities may have a stronger preference or need than other learners.

Below is an image of the PDF. Click the image to download the PDF document.

Nanotechnology
I would love to see nanotechnology technology expand to GPS. As the text mentions Warwick used nanotechnology to implement a series of tasks. I dislike getting lost as the next person and having to use an external device is cumbersome. Walking around in Manhattan with my smartphone or while driving is clumsy. The idea of determining my destiny through a thought or nervous system action is more appealing. While images of "big brother" and Minority Report come into play imagine how many lives could also be saved. From those who are kidnapped, lost in the mountains, etc. They may even be able to detect/report the conditions of the human body (body temperature, distress, alive/deceased, etc.).

The Future of ID
I was in high school when I knew I was a "designer" and "teacher" by nature with no inclination as to what instructional design is/was. I think there are amateurs and professionals in the field in combination with best practices and mastery of research and theory. Are you only an ID professional if you have a degree in the field? I would have to disagree because through history we know that access to education is not mutually exclusive to ability or knowledge level. We would be at a loss of some great products and businesses if this was true. Are ideal candidates individuals with a working knowledge of theory, research and skill? Of course! I would love a basketball player who can dribble, dunk and do a crossover layup. As individuals in the job market it is important not only to embrace all aspects of the field and education but to emphasize how we are versatile and understand the blueprint of instructional design and learning processes. As budget dollars become tighter and under a more watchful eye assessment is the buzzword of ID and our actions on the university level. Having a "proper" education helps me as a designer or manager understand how to evaluate and measure effectiveness to justify the position, the work and the need for an education in theory and research.


Closing notes:
This is the last blog for the ETEC 561 course. Check back in January for more on social media, educational technology and student affairs awesomeness. Have a safe holiday season and new year!

ETEC 561: Section 1- Defining the Field

Defining instructional design (ID) has become an evolving process much like the subjects and mediums it strives to encompass. As a result definitions for ID began by describing the mediums which were used to deliver educational content. As time progressed the other side of the spectrum was a focus of definition, the subject learners and the learning pro0cess which took place during instruction. As a result in the late 1970s the Association for Educational Communication Technology (AECT) began to define ID as a process and the use of technology mediums for instruction (Resier & Dempsey, 2007). Leading in to the 1990s and millennium the ID definition included a combination of the learning process, the mediums/resources used, evaluation, measure of learning improvement and the evolution of the creation process.

When I discuss ID and educational technology with my university colleagues they are initially perplexed by what I am referring to. As I continue in my explanation I find that I lean towards defining ID as part creative development process, part expansion of learning to initiate a higher level of learning application and demonstration, part evaluation and assessment and part the utilization of tools to execute learning instruction and tasks. 

This applies to me and my position because I am not a "classroom" instructor. I work in student affairs and enrollment management. Often times it is my responsibility to educate our students prior to their arrival on campus, during the enrollment process and while students are enrolled. I love working in co-curricular education which allows me to engage with students in a passive manner while ensuring their success at the university. My position is fairly new and is evolving in itself so one day I may be studying marketing strategies for recruiting prospective students while the next day I may be working with health and counseling services to develop an educational module regarding alcohol and drugs or the orientation office to develop online modules. The definition I have provided helps me stay focused when beginning project management and working with content experts. 

The model is centered around four main ideas of identifying the learner and the environment they will be completing the task in (i.e. classroom, online, etc.), the criteria for assessment (goals & objectives), the development of the actual ID component (i.e. module) and the performance of the assessment measures. The fifth component, revisions, is to ensure that the ID does not become static in nature but dynamic to adjust as needed for the learner and instructor. To tie in with my ID definition this revised model emphasizes a learner centered approach focused on development and assessment. 

When analyzing the six characteristics of ID the revised model easily identifies these concepts. The learner is the center of the audience, goals/objectives and assessment ideas which help develop an appropriate ID for a user centered experience while incorporating the units for measure (characteristics 1-4). With a dynamic revision process built in the design allows itself to be self-correcting, flexible and adaptable to the learner's needs (characteristic 5). Additionally, the easy break-out and clear partitions of the revised model allow individuals or small teams to take on a component to allow for intense collaboration and cohesiveness (characteristic 6).  For example, the development component would likely require a graphic designer, content expert and media expert at a minimum.

The internet is the ultimate vehicle for information dissemination. The ability to communicate synchronously across cities, states and countries is amazing. With this in mind we can now combine all of the media types (tv, radio, etc.) into web based content. This allows learners and educators to capture content anywhere online and contribute content as well. 

My favorite example of educational technology in higher education at the moment is The Open University.  The focus is on open "source" education, sharing and collaboration of learning tools. In K-12 students are diving into multiple web 2.0 tools such as Glogster and completely online public schools such as Florida Virtual School. In the future I see students completing more "core" or basic materials at home for homework including tests and reviews using Moodle or another LMS. Class time would be used for group work, presentations and "workshop" style learning. Continuing/adult education is already being dramatically impacted by the internet and software to complete online courses. In the future I see online courses evolving into more interactive tasks that employ a learner centered experience versus a syllabus and lists of tasks.  Regardless of the age of the learner I believe strongly that technology will help instructors complete core education standards online and use classroom time to explore those "higher level of thinking" areas. For online education I would like to see it evolve into a more interactive experience with face-to-face time (Google+ Hangout, Skype, Voicethread).

Five Friday Focus: A Batch of Technology, Education and other cool links

This is something I intend to post regularly on Friday afternoons. I will try not to repost links that have been shared for the week on #sachat and that are timely/current. Suggestions are always welcome!

1. Former President Clinton, MTV and College Board are teaming up to bring a scholarship social media tool to facebook.

2. ed Social Media: Exploring the Role of Social Media in Education

3. Why Social Media Can and Is Changing Education

4. Social Media Club Education Connection
                  Does your college/university have a faculty/staff social media club? The University I am currently at has a small one. We take turns presenting for each other, sharing tools and exploring different uses of technology and social media and their potential. It's essentially free monthly professional development!

5. Association for Social Media & Higher Education

Digital Advertising on Campus

This past week I invited REACH Marketing to do a webinar for my colleagues and I. I first became aware of REACH Marketing or similar services through my work with campus recreation at two other universities.

The concept is simple. Use TV monitors to advertise on a network all across campus. Now I know those of us in higher education are cringing at the idea of spending money especially on TVs, computers and a software license.

However here is something to consider:
- The cost of paper.
- The cost of ink for printers and copiers.
- The shelf life of flyers around campus.
- The man hours spent discarding old or torn down flyers/posters.
- The effectiveness of flyer/brochure centers

The alternative:
- No paper/ink costs for flyers/posters.
- Interactive marketing and advertising in full color.
- Ability to capture audiences with video "commercials".
- Ability to generate revenue to cover expenses.
- Ability to condense flyer/brochure racks/centers.
- Ability to display a scrolling calendar for the area.
- Ability to utilize touch screens with features such as on-demand printing, registration and emailing.

During the webinar we saw demonstrations of all this great technology and the softwares abilities. As we progressed I saw the eyes of my colleagues light up with the potential. Suddenly this concept for our department is branching out into a campus wide possibility.

The things my colleagues and I were most interested in:
- The amount of compartmentalized control over various sites on campus.
- The ability to display the site's calendar. (i.e. great for conferences, reservations, etc.)
- No more paper, litter and old announcements being posted.
- Possible sustainability advantage.
- The ability to generate revenue from student organizations, campus departments, career services, etc.
- In short we were really looking at the campus wide buy in.

REACH typically services recreation centers, gyms and some student centers. We are considering using REACH for housing across 12 different facilities.

Questions for the audience:

1. Are students ready for a flyer free residence hall? campus?

2. Is there a positive carbon offset between printing flyers and using digital advertising?

3. Is your campus using anything like this?

4. Would Student Orgs, Departments or Local Businesses pay to advertise?

If this sounds like something your campus might benefit from like 300+ other campuses visit REACH here.