The Future of Teaching

Section 7: New Directions for Instructional Design and Technology

Examples of Distributed Learning

Academic Distributed Learning:

www.tamu-commerce.edu
Distributed learning in academic environments includes established institutions that have branched out into online learning as well as virtual institutions that have never provided traditional classroom settings. I have loved the fact that I have been able to earn my Master's Degree from TAMU-Commerce online. At age 50, the thought of heading back to a college campus located 100 miles from home would have been prohibitive. I feel that I have learned as much or more than I would have if I had attended onsite classes. I have been able to form relationships with instructors and peers even though I may have never met them in person, and learning has been accomplished through numerous, flexible avenues.

Hybrid classes:

http://www.smc.edu/csis/hybrid/index.htm

Santa Monica College, Department of Computer Science and Information Systems

Hybrid courses are presented in a unique way designed to give the student an integrated and flexible learning environment using a combination of traditional on-campus classes and the Internet.

Skills-based training:

Existing and emerging technologies will help to provide flexible and adaptable training to the globally distributed United States Marine Corps. Lt. Col. Steve Jones, head of the Marine Corps Distance Learning Branch, points out that "The transition to a distributed online learning environment in the Marine Corps is as much a challenge to our conventional thinking on training and education as it is a technical challenge to implement. Therefore, my objectives during the early phase of the Distance Learning program are to deliver training solutions that add value, that our Marines can relate to, and that are easilty adaptable. The capabilities of instructional and information technologies today will enable us to meet those objectives." Moving forward, Lt. Col. Jones and the Distance Learning Branch staff will focus on delivering high-quality, interactive, online training to all Marines.

MarineNet Distributive Learning Infrastructure

Distributed Learning via virtual institutions:

http://www.mivhs.org/

The Michigan Virtual School is an online resource that enables Michigan high schools and middle schools to provide courses (all taught by certified teachers) and other learning tools that students wouldn't otherwise have access to. It was funded by the Michigan legislature in July 2000 to be operated by the Michigan Virtual University, a private, not-for-profit Michigan corporation. MVS works in cooperation with individual school districts to grant course credit and diplomas.

Virtual classes:

http://www.iconlogic.com/VirtualCourses.htm

Attend a live, online (virtual) training class from the comfort of your home or office. All you need is a high-speed internet connection, the software, a headset/microphone or speakerphone and one or two days to learn the essentials of Adobe Photo Shop CS5 Essentials.

Reusability

Reusability is defined as the ability to use the same resource multiple times in multiple ways and in multiple contexts. I believe that, for the most part, most of the courses I've taken throughout my educational career have been reusable. I guess the ones I don't consider to be reusable would be the ones that presented a huge amount of new technology in such a short amount of time that I was unable to "absorb" it to the point where I could reuse it. LIS 557 (mini-term) was my first technology class. This course presented a massive amount of information in a very short time, and since I'm not a digital native, I struggle with technology. I felt overwhelmed, and I'm sure I missed out on a lot of good information and resources that would be useful in my present job. Possible solutions would be for me to retake the course or to have taken this particular course over a longer period of time after I had learned the eCollege system better. The questions from the chapter in the text ask: "Can I find it?" "May I use it?" "Will it work?" "Can I use it in a way that works for me?" Since my answer to all four questions is "not easily", I would need to revisit most of the information presented in the course.

Rich Media

One example of rich media that is used at our elementary school is Study Island, a web-based product that presents students with academic content that is both fun and engaging. All programs are built from state standards and effectively support learning objectives through this "rich media". Reading Eggs, Study Island's early literacy program for learners ages 4-8, engages students with video, interactive animations, sound and simulation. Even though the authors site studies that have found that there is no significant difference between learning from a series of still visuals and learning with animation, I believe that when it comes to motivating and engaging young learners, rich media is a huge asset.

Nanotechnology

What do the libraries of the future look like? Is it possible that tomorrow's students will have instant access (possibly voice activated or implanted under the skin) to the world's vast knowledge anytime or anyplace? With ever smaller consumer technologies becoming available as a result of unique properties of nanomaterials, the face of information management is changing. In the future, I can invision miniscule "pocket libraries" available to all individuals. What will that mean for the role of librarians? Will we be needed? Will we simply serve as guides?

I tend to agree with Brent Wilson that we should encourage openness in ideology and method, or "The Broad and Inclusive Road" when it comes to the direction of the field. I believe that flexibility and openness to change brings about innovative ideas and creativity. With more informal methods of sharing, the opportunity to go beyond established rules and implement broader boundaries, open communciation and collaboration are more likely to occur. The benefit, as stated in the text, is finding innovations to adapt and move forward.

Section 6: Getting an IDT Position and Succeeding at It

I searched http://www.careerbuilder.com/ to locate the following position of interest:

VisionCor is a professional services firm specializing in Learning Devleopment Solutions and Facilitation: Content Management and Delivery and other Web-Based Solutions. The company is based out of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Position of interest: Instructional Designer

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a leader of cross-functional (curriculum, video, multimedia, SME) teams to design, develop, and deliver training using multiple delivery methods
• Analyze existing products and e-learning language courses for issues in both usability and learning efficacy
• Liaison between SMEs and in-house or external design and development teams
• Determine the appropriate interactivity to meet learning objectives defined by the SMEs
• Develop design documents, course/lesson outlines and storyboards
• Create learning aids and interactive reference sections for courses and products
• Develop sound objectives, lessons, engaging activities, and valid assessments
• Conduct user testing to identify usability issues in current and future products
• Be actively involved and interested in online learning trends and be able to make decisions about future directions in regards to LMS and e-learning tool choices

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Instructional Systems Design, Instructional Technology, Adult Education or related discipline
• Five or more years experience (preferred) in curricular-based instrutional design; applying adult learning theories, assessment, and evaluation to course design, development in diverse content areas; applying different technologies to instructional activities.
• Demonstrated project management experience and experience working as member of a project team
• Competence working in online environments for communication and/or development
• Possesses strong interpersonal written, and oral communication skills , with the capacity to distill complex and/or technical information into concise, influential communications for technical and non-technical audiences

I believe that I possess many of the skills required to be successful in this position. With a background in Business Administration (Bachelor's Degree) and Education (20 years of experience) along with a Master's Degree in LIS/ETEC I have the experience and ability to work with subject matter experts and design teams to design and develop materials and academic courses grounded in sound educational theory and best practices in instructional design. I have knowledge of media technology; media development tools and course management systems; an ability to interact and effectively communicate; presentation skills; and the ability to work in a team environment.


I searched http://www.jobtarget.com/ to locate the following position of interest:

Position of Interest: Instructional Designer, Office of Distance Education
University of Nevada, Las Vegas - UNLV

The Instructional Designer is responsible for ongoing training and support of individual Distance Education faculty. In collaboration with the instructional design team, this position assists in the selection, design, production and implementation of distance education strategies.

Responsibilities:

• Teaching various distance education technologies to faculty including Blackboard/Vista 4
• Collaboration with the instructional design team to identify objectives and prescribe instrucitonal strategies based on analysis of client needs and goals
• Matching faculty abilities and objectives with appropriate technology and production methods
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Effective handling of multiple projects simultaneously

Qualifications:

Qualifications include a Master's Degree in Instructional Technology, Instructional Design, or related field from an accredited college or universtiy and three years experience in related work environment with distance education technologies and instructional required.

This job position is appealing to me for several reasons. I love the college atmosphere and feel that I possess the qualifications required for this job. After earning a Master's Degree through the distance education program at TAMU, I feel that I have seen evidence of what is entailed in a good distance education course. Instructors have used various methods and technology, some have been more effective than others, and I've been able to see first hand how important effective communication and course management is to distance education learners. I feel that I'm a good collaborator and with strong communication and interpersonal skills.

I searched www.astd.org to locate the following position of interest:

Position: Manager of Training and Education, S.D. Myers, Inc.

This position will oversee and be responsible for the overall operations - production and delivery - of SDMI's training and education to external customers. They will be responsible for organizational structure, product development, product delivery, student experience, strategic direction of offerings and department, establishing SDMI as the leader in training and education in the transformer marketplace.

Responsibilities:

• Overall strategic direction of the SDMI Training & Education business in alignment with Charter and strategy of SDMI
• Development, delivery, and enhancement of offerings in terms of technical training/education,overall curriculum, instructional mehtods, delivery media
• Part time instructor and curriculum/content developer

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Instructional Design, Program Development, Adult Education or related field
• Electronic and web-based education development and delivery
• Operational experience in technical field (developing curriculum, training, leadership, etc.)
• Strong project management skills
• Ability to form and maintain relationships at all levels within the company
• Ability to work independently and problem solve

I believe that I possess most of the skills that this job requires. With my business background in addition to the years I've spent in the field of education and curriculum, I feel that this would be a very exciting position. With a strong sense of commitment and a desire to work with a team, I believe I could be an effective leader with much to offer this company.

After completing "Your Career Positioning System", a self-assessment tool located in the ASTD Career Navigator website, some of my strengths and weaknesses were identified. The assessment that I took was aimed at entry-level manager positions. I wasn't really surprised by the results since I rated myself, and I am aware that my strengths are interpersonal relationships and management. My weaknesses, as evidenced by the self assessment, are analysis and evaluation of data. In the Business/Management category, my proficiency level met the Target Proficiency Level with the exception of Item #2 (Applies business acumen by building a business case for the organization's learning agenda). In the Interpersonal category, my proficiency level met or exceeded the Target Proficiency Level with the exception of Item #7 (communicates effectively, both orally and written). I realize more than ever that communication is an area I need to improve upon. The results for the Personal category revealed that one of my strengths is Item #12 (models personal development by building new knowledge and skills). In the Improving Human Performance category my proficiency level fell below the Target Proficiency Level in two areas (Item # 13 -analyzes systems related to the performance gap and Item #15- Conducts cause analysis to determine basis of performance gap). In the Measuring and Evaluating category results show that I am not proficient in analyzing and interpreting data. Coaching, Managing Organizational Knowledge, and Managing the Learning Function are my strengths while there is need for improving two areas in the Designing Learning category (Item 60-Designs a curriculum or program and Item 61 - Creates designs or specifications for instructional material). In the Delivering Training category, my proficiency level met or exceeded the Target Proficiency Level in all areas. Overall, I learned that my strengths are training and managing people. My weakness are analysis, evaluation, and curriculum design.

Professional Organizations:

Association for the Advancement of Computing In Education

Mission: To advance the knowledge, theory and quality of teaching and learning at all levels with information technology.

Cost of Membership: Professional Membership $115 Student Membership $35

Publications: Journal of Interactive Learning Research, Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, International Journal on e-Learning

Conferences & Meetings: ED-MEDIA - World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications; and E-Learn - World Conference on e-Learning in Corporate, Government, Health Care and Higher Education.

Opportunities for professional development: AACE Digital Library - thousands of journal articles and conference proceedings to assist members in their efforts to conduct scholarly research, keep current on the latest research and publications in their field, and maintain their academic interests in the area of information technology in education

Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)

Mission: To facilitate humane learning through systematic development, utilization, and management of learning resources, which include people, processes, and media in educational settings.

Cost of membership: Regular membership $125 (with ETR&D $170) Student membership $75

Publications: Educational Technology, Research & Development (bi-monthly journal), TechTrends (bi-monthly journal), Quarterly Review of Distance Education

Conferences and meetings: annual international convention, summer conference focused on specialized topics

Opportunities for professional development: international conventions, publications, job placement center, summer conferences focused on specialized topics

Professional Publications:

Educational Technology Magazine

Focus/goals: This publication is not a research journal. The editors' goal is to include articles which interpret research and/or practical applications of scientific knowledge in education and training environments.

Submission guidelines: State facts succinctly, explain implications of research, applications, suggestions. Style of writing should be informal. Identify opinions as such. No length restrictions (most are under 3000 words). Charts/photographs are permitted. Submit two copies with stamped/self-addressed envelope. All papers should be typed (double-spaced) on standard paper. May submit electonically as e-mail attachment. The author should be identified by his/her current job title.

Is this a peer reviewed journal? No

Is the journal online? No

TechTrends

Focus/goals: To provide a vehicle for the exchange of information among professional practitioners concerning the management of media and programs, the application of educational technology principles and techniques to instructional programs, corporate and military training, and any other kinds of information that can contribute to the advancement of knowledge of practice in the field.

Submission guidelines: APA format, 1000-4000 words, submit in Word or RTF, Times New Roman or Arial 12 pt. font. For detailed guidelines see "Instructions for Authors" on the website. Submit to TechTrends by email or paper mail.

Is this a peer reviewed journal? Yes

Is the journal online? Yes

I was vaguely familiar with the publications of these two organizations. In fact, I have read Information Power while working on my degree and was surprised to see that it was co-authored by AECT. I have begun to understand how important these organizations are to the field of educational technology, and I will make it one of my goals to be more informed and stay abreast of current issues in the field through these organizations and publications. Too many times when I've come across some of the publicatons mentioned in this chapter and in these websites, I've laid them to the side to read later when I have time...which usually never happens. The field of technology is constantly in a state of change and innovation, so I must take time to be aware of what is happening.

If I were responsible for identifying the domains, competencies and performance statements for a performance technologist they would include:

• Good communication skills since their job entails communicating with clients, employers, and other professionals. The performance technologist must be able to communicate well in order to help employers and organizations make decisions about training, job applicants, evaluating personnel, etc. This position requires the ability to share skills and knowledge with other professionals.
  
• Systematic approach to problem identification and problem solving. The performance technologist would need to clearly see the "big picture" in order to solve performance problems. Once problems were identified, the performance technologist should possess the skills necessary to address the needs, develop a plan and lead clients in working together to solve the problems.
• Ethical and honest behavior in reporting data and handling clients' personal information.
• Strong interpersonal relationships and willingness to form partnerships and collaborate with other professionals.