Module 7 Reflection

Studying Beth Owens' case in this module was a very enjoyable experience for me. It focused on a real obstacle that I face in my own instructional design practices. That obstacle is my own educational philosophy and beliefs about how learning best occurs. Spending time with Owens' case caused me to reflect on instances where I know such stubbornness jeopardized the learning goals of a project or unit of study that I was responsible for teaching. Similarly, I have corrupted the learning experience of my students by adopting a results-only mentality as seen with Chef Reiner.

While there are no clear answers to situations involving educational preferences and whether the process is more important than the outcome, we should always work to be cognizant of such needs. Doing so reflects a learning-focused mindset which, though it will make mistakes, will generally benefit students by enhancing the teaching and learning process.

A strong realization that I had in the course of completing this module is data's ability to help us approach instructional design with objectivity. Though still subject to interpretation, data keeps our instructional design practices grounded and focused on learning and achievement. I once heard an administrator share that he does not care whether or not a teacher feels like Johnny is growing in reading comprehension. He cares about the data that shows that Johnny is growing. This isn't meant to be interpreted as callousness or objectification of students as data points. Rather, it is intended to communicate that the narrative of a student's learning and achievement tells a clearer story when it is quantified and measured instead of supposed from intuition.

As an instructional designer and classroom teacher, I want to welcome research and data on students' learning, growth, and achievement into my professional practice more systematically. Rather than paying attention only to the data that supports my feelings about how students learn or how something should be done, I want to base my beliefs and decisions on what research says is working best for each individual learner. Only then will I be able to design instruction with objectivity toward the most successful teaching and learning practices.

Module 6 Reflection

While is it natural to devote much attention to the instructional delivery and production of materials for any given lesson, just as critical to meaningful learning to occur is consideration to motivation. Rather than simply the result of an intrinsic or extrinsic loci of control, there are ways that instructional designers can structure their lessons and learning environments to support student motivation.

John Keller's motivational design activities and ARCs model is a tool, new to me, that offers much value in my continued instructional planning and design. As a complement to effectively structuring curricular content into a comprehensive lesson or unit, Keller emphasizes the need to also include strategic elements of student motivation throughout the sequence of instruction. From definition to design to development to piloting learning activities, Keller proposes a series of subcategories and process questions to guide instructional designers in the process of devising high quality learning experiences.

Looking at my own instructional design project through the lens of Keller's methodology has helped me to further consider the tapestry of a comprehensive and cohesive instructional effort. While I have been giving ample attention to the content and delineation of learning tasks and objectives, I had not yet heavily considered the ramifications of designing elements to support student motivation. I suppose that I was relying on content materials and instructor charisma to provide for that.

Now that I have a better understanding of the ARCs model and Joh Keller's motivational design activities and process questions, I will be able to approach the subsequent planning of this course's project design, along with future endeavors into instructional design and deliver, with a less myopic point of view. Rather, I will approach instructional planning for students in a way that considers the driving forces that engage them in learning, or motivation.

Module 4 Reflection

This module has really forced me to look at my instructional design project from a more comprehensive standpoint and consider its implications more deeply. Before, I would have been entirely comfortable designing this unit without delineating objectives and outlining their Bloom's Taxanomical levels. However, I now understand that the quality of my instructional design would have potentially suffered as a result of not doing this.

Having taken the time to patiently align my learning objectives with levels of required thinking, I am now aware of the need to scaffold and differentiate learning for prospective students. A one-size-fits-all approach is seldom effective or appropriate in learning. This module has helped me to identify areas of learning and performance that I must focus on to meet the needs of all of my students. This refers to not only the instructional deliver aspect of the project design, but the assessment tasks as well.

By publishing my analysis in Moodle, I was able to receive some very helpful feedback from classmates who looked at my project with a fresh perspective. Because of this, I will be able to optimize the overall design of my project. This symbiotic effort enables the best learning experience for the audience targeted by my instructional design project. Overall, I appreciated the opportunity to develop my thinking and actual project in the context of our online sociomoral environment during this module. Obviously, I have benefitted greatly from my study and work these past two weeks.

Module 3 Reflection

Instructional design is a much more focused and systematic process than I had believed at the beginning of this course. Though I was aware of my incompetence for the specific field of ID, I am now becoming more acutely aware of how much about ID I really don't know. Perhaps, though, that is evidence of learning occurring.

The readings from this week helped me to gain a better understanding of the various domains of possible learning as put forth by Gagne. In the high-stakes accountability era which we teach and learn in today, a disproportionate focus is given to students' demonstrations of declarative and cognitive strategy outcomes. However, in order to teach to the whole learner, we must create opportunities for, and make an effort to observe learning outcomes related to attitudes and psychomotor skills. What struck me about this portion of the reading is the realization that none of these potential learning outcomes must be mutually exclusive. Rather, they can and should serve as a sequence for higher levels of thinking and learning.

Such a sequence of possible learning outcomes became apparent in this week's information processing analysis assignment. Visually organizing learning tasks and prerequisite skills served as a valuable learning experience for me as I continue to accommodate and assimilate practices and ideas into my schema of instructional design and delivery. As I produced my own task analysis and viewed those created by others, a general pattern of declarative knowledge preceding intellectual knowledge appeared. A possible conclusion to be made about this relationship is that establishing a familiar context and a common vocabulary for a given content area before learning about the theoretical applications of its subordinate concepts is the equivalent of putting the proverbial ox before the cart. As I continue with my project analyses for this course and eventually take this learning into the field, an understanding of Gagne's 5 types of learning outcomes will serve as a valuable framework from which to approach instructional design.

Currently, I am able to relate this week's reading and my module learning to my work by giving more attention to systematically designing instruction for my online students. This will emphasize the various modalities of assessment described in this module. As much attention has tended to be given to objective paper-based summative assessments, optimal data and learning can crop up from utilizing strategic formative assessments throughout the instructional process. As an online middle school teacher in a school that relies on a third-party instructional software program, data is on student progress and learning is readily available. The challenge for an online educator in this capacity is to interpret the given data to build on students' strengths and intervene to help overcome students' weaknesses. Assessment not only plays a role in identifying these opportunities, but in also determining optimal courses of action to take along with the effectiveness of instruction.

Module 3 Discussion - Learning Task Analysis

ID Project Description: After three hours of instruction, a group of 7th grade students will be able to design and program a single-level car driving game using Scratch programming software.

Learning Goal: Learners will be able to program digital assets with conditional statements by using Scratch programming to navigate a two-dimensional car safely through a defined course.

Type of Learning: Intellectual Skills (Procedural Knowledge)

Learning Objectives:

1. Learners can identify design pane and script pane.
2. Learners can use design tools to paint a sprite (car).
3. Learners can use design tools to illustrate a stage (backdrop).
4. By selecting appropriate control and motion scripts, learners can program a conditional statement.
5. Learners can extend understanding of programming to create four different scripts involving conditional statements.
6. Learners can determine appropriate degree of rotation in scripts for turning sprite.
7. Learners can program conditional statement to show a textual message when sprite goes off course.
8. Learners can program conditional statement to relocate sprite to a given point on a coordinate plane.
9. Learners can verbally communicate effectiveness of script design.
10. Given a sequence of scripts, learners can identify problems and apply problem-solving strategies to create a solution. 

Module 2 Reflection

Through my exploration and continued learning of Instructional Design this week, I have come to understand how systematic the practice of ID actually is. From the identification of a need for new approaches to instruction, all the way to assessing and revising a design after implementation, effective instructional designers are thorough and comprehensive in achieving optimal learning.

I was struck by the extensiveness of assessing learner characteristics. Before Module 2, I would have been comfortable defining learner characteristics as nothing more than learner readiness. Nevertheless, relevant learner characteristics for instruction goes far beyond prior content knowledge and mastery. It also includes assessment of the learners' emotional and cognitive ecosystems.

I took this realization into consideration as I began working on my project as well as on our first case study analysis, and it has surely broadened my focus with consideration to approaching the field of instructional design. As stated before, to effectively design and implement a plan for achieving learning objectives, we have to by systematic in how we do so, being cognizant of the effectiveness of the design and its relationship with learners through every step of the design process.

Already as an online teacher, I have viewed my work and the computer-based curriculum through the lens of ID. Doing this has caused me to ask some very important questions. A few of these are 1) what is the objective that needs to be met here?, 2) what instructional strategies are being used?, 3) do they take into consideration learners' cognitive styles?, and 4) how can we assess the effectiveness of our chosen curriculum and teaching methodology?

This adventure through the field of Instructional Design is just beginning. Nevertheless, I feel as though I have already accumulated a lot of knowledge and thoughts to process and synthesize into my own personal application of the study of ID. This module has been wonderful in helping me to continue to do just this.

503 ID Job Posting

Dave Guymon
EDTECH 503 ID Job Posting

Part I - SYNTHESIS
You will apply your understanding of Instructional Design as you work with organizational personnel to identify professional development needs within the organization/department, assess current levels of proficiency, and determine, design, and implement needs-based training programs and curricula aligned with organizational goals and standards. Such programs and curricula will be innovative and adaptive, ranging from instructor-led classes to individualized mastery-based eLearning programs. You will also assess the effectiveness of designed programs during and after implementation to determine and execute needed improvements to training.

The candidate will:

• Work closely with organizational personnel to identify organizational goals and needs
• Design various staff development modules and curricula across multiple mediums
• Write and publish training materials for module facilitators to use independently
• Facilitate training of coaches and instructors
• Sit-in on/participate in classes and modules to determine efficacy
• Constantly assess the ability of designed programs to meet specific needs of learners and the organization

Required skills/knowledge/background

• Bachelor's Degree in Education or Instructional Design
• Experience in Microsoft Office and Google Drive
• 3-5 years of Instructional Design experience

Preferred skills/knowledge/background

• Experience with various delivery tools/systems (such as Articulate, Captivate, etc)
• Technical writing skills
• Interpersonal communication skills
• Understanding of group dynamics and organizational leadership

PART II - REFLECTION

1. What are teachers expected to do that instructional designers are not?

While there are many similarities in both job descriptions, teachers, unlike instructional designers, are often expected to follow a previously designed curriculum, along with administering accompanying assessments, with fidelity. Where an instructional designer focused on the current needs of learners with consideration toward organizational goals, teachers can focus on deficiencies in learners with consideration toward high-stakes standardized assessments.

2. What are instructional designers expected to do that teachers are not?

Whereas teachers are generally expected to deliver instruction from a previously designed curriculum, instructional designers are given the task of identifying needs within an organization, aligning them with the organizations goals or standards, designing adaptive personnel-centric modules and programs, actively participating in their own curriculum as a teacher and student, and conducting post-assessments to determine the effectiveness of their training programs. 

3. What are the three major differences between a teacher and an instructional designer?

Though the overlap in responsibilities between teachers and instructional designers is evident, as a result of my experience in the classroom, I see three points of divergence between the two professions. The first is long-term focus. Speaking in generalities, teachers focus on the needs required by high-stakes testing, whereas instructional designers are more able to focus on performance-based needs of members of the organization. Second, instructional designers are  expected to make executive decisions which will affect the direction and momentum of the organization toward achieving their goals. Teachers, on the other hand, are given instructions to follow a knowledge-based curriculum and testing schedule without the leverage to make administrative-level decisions on how to most effectively do so. Third, data collection and progress monitoring on the part of an instructional designer is performed with the objective of leading individuals and teams toward mastery of job-specific skills. Conversely, teachers acquire similar information regarding learners in order to determine areas of deficiencies, track students accordingly, and devote the majority of their energy towards Tier 2 students (those on the cusp of proficiency). 

PART III - JOB POSTING URLs

• http://goo.gl/WSUxj5
• http://goo.gl/oFrUJb
• http://goo.gl/FwDeUX