Capstone Video

Final Class Project 


http://www.screencast.com/t/kP5AGpIZQav8


http://www.screencast.com/users/DemitraWilliams/folders/Jing/media/0874fdff-f5e9-4482-93bd-05e60f0a8b49

Section 7 New Direction in Instructional Design Technology

Section 7: New Direction in Instructional Design and Technology (Section 8 in 3rd Edition)

This section of the textbook addresses new directions and emerging technologies for IDT. For your final post, reflect on how you might apply each of the following in your current or future position in the IDT field:

• distributed or e-learning environments
• reusable design or learning objects
• rich media
•  emerging instructional technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cybernetics, Web 2.0, virtual worlds, electronic games, etc.

The classroom is a canvas of opportunities when it comes to instructional design technology. State standards and testing has made it a little more challenging to add as much technology as possible to the content that is given in the classroom. I implement assessment and use virtual tools, audio sound, and pictures to bring the objective to life for my audience. When utilizing learning objects the goal is to foster student’s curiosity and also you can alter the information for the different learning capacities of the students. The advanced students are able to explore further into the lesson with supporting research that will lead to more learning moments. Introducing familiar student appropriate gaming materials in the classroom can catch the attention of many of your students. A positive benefit to examining game simulations is that teachers have the advantage of knowing the exact material to which their students will be exposed; especially given the wealth of options and scenarios that modern games present to players. Discussion questions and learning opportunities can emerge when you ask the students to differentiate in the different levels that the games provide. In the future I would like to work on inventing my own virtual world for the early childhood age group that would help them connect science and mathematics in a constructive manner. My goal is to research and join many technical forums and groups that will help improve my knowledge and outlook on instructional design technology practices.

Section 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

Begin your post for this week with some background: what is your current job, what program are you enrolled in, what brings you to that program, and what do you expect when you graduate (change jobs? obtain a promotion?). My current job is a benefits specialist in the insurance industry. I come from an educational background in early childhood, biology, and accounting. The program that I am enrolled in is the training and development curriculum, and the global e-learning aspect of the program is what interested me in pursuing my master’s degree. When I graduate I hope to use my skills in the non-profit sector or to advance in my current position.

Next, describe the kind of work that you want to do and the type of organization or institution in which you want to work. Use the WorkMatrix^TM in the chapter titled “Getting a Job in Business and Industry” to help organize your thoughts. Do you most desire first, second, third, or fourth level service? Or would you rather design or develop instruction? What features of work are important to you? What economic sector do you want to work in? Personally, I would like to use my expertise in the non- profit sector to help people in low socioeconomic situations, elderly, and foster children. My first desire is helping others, second is building relationships, third is giving back to the community, and fourth is empowering others. The features of work that are important to me are the portions that deal with the client base or patrons. Military and the consulting sector are areas that I would also like to work in, but as a contractor.

Based on these intentions, explain what you need to learn. What skills and qualifications do you need? Will you obtain the skills you need in the required courses in your program? What electives might you need to take to help you develop skills specific to your aspirations? To be successful in any of these fields I will need to sharpen my interpersonal skills, technical skills, management and leadership effectiveness training. Many of the skills that I need I can learn different aspects of them in my program, but most of them are things that will be a personal challenge. The electives that I need will have to include leadership, foreign languages, and organization based courses to succeed.

Finally, what organizations would best support your continued learning after you graduate? Do you think you would benefit from joining those organizations before graduating? Explain why or why not? The organizations that I think would help me after I graduate are The United Way, Red Cross, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. I think an internship would be very helpful before I graduated so that I may have the chance to see the demand for the responsibilities needed to perform the job.

Sections 5: Trends & Issues

Sections 5: Trends & Issues

Chapters in Section V identify trends and issues in IDT in various contexts: business & industry;
military; health care education; P-12 education; and post-secondary education. Select at least 3
of these 5 contexts and compare/contrast the IDT trends and issues. Then explain how they are
similar or different from the IDT trends and issues in the context in which you work.

Business

1)        Trend: Assessment techniques                                        

                   Issue: Assessment techniques for individuals

  2).             Trend: Learning efficiency                                                               

                  Issue: What actions need to be in place for the learning efficiency to be at optimal levels

 3).      Trend: Social media

            Issue: How to make it enjoyable for the employees; where should it include making employees want to participate

4).     Trend: Conducting research                      

          Issue: Will the instructional design increase barriers to the research process?

In my workplace most of the assessment techniques are introduced from an outside organization that has no real connection to the daily tasks of the employees. Our social media has the CEO of the company participating and he responds too many of posts daily from employees.

Military

1). Trend: Real Live settings                

Issue: The live settings would have to incorporate more simulation/video game programming that may be quite a task for instructional design creators.

2). Trend: Increasing understanding for specific tasks    

Issue: Soldiers are encountering dangerous or life threatening circumstances, therefore it may be difficult to create something for specific duties that would relate to their job descriptions.

3). Aggressive problem solving challenges 

Issue: Instructional design may not be at the point right now to include enough information that would improve problem solving challenges for the whole organization, only a few job sectors would benefit.

My workplace has more capability to establish instructional design that would benefit percentages or probability for military type programs. The visuals would have to be the most beneficial method of programming or tools with learner controlled options.

P-12 Education

1). Trend: Dedicating more time for core subjects

Issue: The core subjects must have design that students are able to internalize the information since the core subjects are tested.

2).  Trend: Environmentally friendly campuses

Issue: The usage of paper materials and large textbooks is slowly decreasing in the public schools. The text must contain sufficient graphics and programming that can engage the students in a positive learning experience.

3). Trend: Interactive learning

Issue: The interactive learning can help with science objectives, psycho motor activities, and improved video quizzes for students.

The P-12 sector can have more options for electronic portfolios, and student submissions that they can take with them through the remaining portions of their educational journey.

 

Week 4 Human Performance Technology

Section 4: Human Performance Technology

Not all problems in learning and/or performance require an instructional solution. Many times a non-instructional approach is a more appropriate solution. This week's reading and reflection focuses on human performance, performance support systems, knowledge management systems, and the concept of informal learning.

            Chapter 14 discusses the concept and 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 identify non-instructional solutions that may help solve the problem. A problem performance that was in a former workplace was initiative from the employees from burnout. The software was outdated and the manpower was not sufficient to support the clientele. A non-instructional solution used to improve the moral was the implementation of same time messaging, a notepad to introduce solutions to problems that they see affecting their jobs, and a weekly appreciation slot to get free time away from answering phone calls for their dedicated work ethic.

            Chapter 15 presents performance support systems. Define performance support systems and explain how a performance support system might (or might not) help solve the problem you identified above. The definition given for performance support from the text states that performance support was a continuum that included constructs ranging from those embedded in the work itself, such as menus, dialogs, and on-screen instructions, to those that are separate from the work, including tutorials, computer-based training, peer support and help desks. In many words it means any program or software used to improve the user performance. A problem in the workforce that I have endured is the change from the overhead projector to the smart boards. The student interaction, intensity, and access to information was easier to maintain than the older sheets that used markers to write on and the heat from the light bulbs used in the older method.

            Chapter 16 explains knowledge management: the way we manage information, share that information, and use it to solve organization problems. Organizations, such as schools, accumulate a great deal information/data, which must be organized in a way that we can make sense of it in order to use for making decisions. What knowledge would help solve the problem you identified above and how would that knowledge need to be collected and managed to help facilitate problem solving? Personally, I wouldn’t say knowledge was the problem of the overhead it was the available technology during that time period. The knowledge was the researching and analyzing the efficiency of the smart board in the district that made the most difference. In e-learning the simulations used would help to accumulate the information for the audience. Information accessed would be easily available to update, current, easy to navigate, and would help with the different learning styles that were present in the classrooms.

Chapter 17 describes types of informal learning. What informal learning experiences have you participated in at your organization? Could those informal learning experiences be shared with others? Could the knowledge gained in those settings be codified and managed? And should it be managed or should the informal experiences be replicated or broadened for others? I see informal learning as learning endured through youth organizations and life experiences. My first memory of informal learning is the process of farming and producing milk as a child. This has been shared with my children also when we visit the rural areas that my father’s family resides in. The process of harvesting crops has been improved with better machines and types of seeds that make time cut almost in half from the times when we participated. All children and adults should have the experience of learning how to grow their own food so that they can appreciate the hard work and dedication goes into making sure healthy food comes to their homes.