In the final days of this Fall 2009 semester, I returned to the course syllabus and realized that through this personal blog outlet, we were supposed to examine some questions that pertained to this subject matter: "What is technology? What does an 'instructional designer' do? How would you explain to your friends, work associates, or mother-in-law what it is that you are learning and what you will be able to do with your future degree?" I thought I'd utilize these extremely relevant questions as a framework to structure (what I believe will be) my final post related to this course.
What is technology? And I might add: How is it massaged into instructional design?
In our first day of this course, when asked what first comes to my mind when I think of technology, I wrote "computer" in my notebook. I now know that response to actually be rather narrow. Instead, technology is any tool that aids in the successful achievement of the instructional objectives. While a computer (hardware) and its related programs (software) may in fact represent a form of technology, it is just that--one form--and not an all-encompassing definition of the term. Flash cards, paper/pens, whiteboard/dry-erase markers, overhead transparencies, etc. all constitute various tools that an instructional designer may choose to utilize. Given this newfound denotation, it seems evident that instructional designers rely heavily on technology to satisfy the three paramount values: efficiency, effectiveness, and appeal. Of course, one could always design content that includes only lecture and/or discussion, but these values--in my opinion--are what inevitably link instructional design to technology. As a designer, you want to generate a product that is concise (i.e., efficient), competent (i.e., effective), and can captivate (i.e., appeal). Technology can facilitate and encourage these feats. But I contend that the designer must carefully consider which technology(ies) best suits his/her instructional project, as the temptation to automatically incorporate computer-aided instruction may prove unreliable or even detrimental to the overarching objectives.
What does an "instructional designer" do? How would you explain to your friends, work associates, or mother-in-law what it is that you are learning and what you will be able to do with your future degree?
In my handwritten notes on Sept. 29, I wrote that an instructional designer serves as a bridge between learning theory and teaching praxis. I might expand that to suggest that an instructional designer is a theorist, pragmatist, marketer, and a consultant all in one package! The ADDIE model necessitates the merger of these seemingly independent roles.
When in the Analysis stage, the designer becomes a theorist and considers the theoretical elements and descriptive actions of the instructional project: What will the participants learn? Why do they need to learn it? Where will they learn it? How will they know that they have learned it? Part of this contemplation involves a discussion about learning theory and which one(s) likely inform the resultant materials. For instance, a need that requires a mental, organizational component may contain some instruction that focuses on schema, or connection to prior knowledge. A need that asks the participant to create meaning or personalize the material may offer some hands-on activities that allow for experimentation and/or application. In the end, before he/she can determine the best pedagogical strategies to employ, the designer must first understand various learning theories and how they predict learning occurs in an individual.
Once in Design and Development of the instructional project, the designer transitions into a more pragmatic role. Who is our target audience? What makes these learning goals feasible? What technology(ies) can facilitate the broader objectives? How will instruction promote learning and achievement? At this point, the designer must ponder the precise pedagogical processes and protocols practiced in order to produce a product that parallels the primary values.
The instructional-designer-as-marketer "hat" emerges in Implementation. Here, he/she should understand the basic factors that influence adoption that Ev Rogers articulated: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. For relative advantage, how does this product benefit the recipient (e.g., the instructor) or participants? In other words, why should the target audience want this product? For compatibility, how does this product conform to the target audience's lifestyle? For complexity, how difficult is it for the target audience to use/understand the product? For trialability, can the target audience experiment with the product before it actually adopts it? And for observability, how will others likely perceive the target audience for adoption of this product? At this stage in the ADDIE model, it seems to me that the instructional designer needs to be able to "sell" his/her product to the target audience he/she theoretically developed it for in the first place.
Finally, the instructional designer morphs into a consultant once he/she enters the Evaluation phase. Now it's time to be somewhat critical (or allow somebody else to be) of the initial product. What are the strengths of this product? Where can it be improved? How? With all of these roles that comprise the existence of an instructional designer, it becomes apparent to me that he/she must possess a patient attitude and mindset palatable to numerous ideas and suggestions.
And this is easier said than done. I'm much more accustomed to my own lesson plans, which is really just instructional design for myself, and that's much easier b/c I already know what I'm willing to try and what I'd rather avoid, and I have a pretty decent idea of what will and won't work with my students. That background knowledge/understanding really expedites the ADDIE model for my own teaching. But what we did in this course--an instructional design project for somebody else--requires much more consideration of potential circumstances and participants, mainly b/c you may not already know what or who they are! Indeed, it's been quite an illuminating experience for me.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
blog reflexivity statement
For this post, I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity to augment my 6430 blog from this semester before I generate my final, conclusive comments toward the course and instructional design in general. I need to identify whose blog(s) I've enjoyed the most, who's provided me with the most comments and/or feedback in my blog, and my personal evaluation of my own blog on a scale of one to 10.
Let me begin with the admission that I loved the idea of a personal blog at the start of the semester! While I've read many blogs prior to the creation of my own, I'd never before taken initiative to maintain a digital record of my thoughts and opinions, and this course afforded me (if not coerced!) the chance to explore that uncharted territory. Which is so contrary to my personality! When I teach, for instance, I usually take copious notes that acknowledge what flied and flopped in my class. I'll also note--when time permits--my reaction(s) to certain pedagogical endeavors. I know that I'll need and benefit from this information when I reach that point again in a subsequent semester, so I try to diligently make handwritten notes whenever possible.
That said, I'm not quite sure why my passion for and interest in my own blog dissipated as the semester progressed, although I have my suspicions. One need only look at it to discern that my voice hasn't made the transition into electronic dialogue for almost two months! However, that harrowing and embarrassing fact shouldn't indicate that I had nothing to say; indeed, it's quite the contrary. I think that, in short, I resorted to my "old" habit of writing my thoughts and sentiments in my course notebook, and I just never took (or made) the time to transfer them to my blog.
I believe this happened for a couple reasons: shifting priorities, overwhelming conversation mandates, and preferring simplicity.
You'll notice that I made an admirable attempt to publish substantive posts through our fall break, and that's when the bottom sort of fell out. Of course, this brings into question the debate over quantity versus quality, and I'd like to believe that I made some thought-provoking, insightful statements in my intitial posts. Indeed, as I reread them, I was pleased with the content and structure presented. But by October, with the semester in full motion, I had two academic conference presentations for which to prepare within a one-month duration. And I suspect that the traveling, lodging, and presenting obligations associated with both of these professional development opportunities led me to push this personal blog to the "back burner," and in consideration of my handwritten notes made in my course notebook, I think I probably felt satisfied with my internal struggle/comprehension of course materials and the documentation of it. Unfortunately, I failed to bring this personal blog off of the "back burner" and front and center as we neared the conclusion of the fall semester.
However, if I can be critical of the curricular requirements for a moment, then I'd like to admit that I felt overwhelmed by the number of conversations that occurred at once in this course. I found it especially challenging, as I already noted, to just maintain my own blog let alone comment on those kept by my colleagues. Moreover, we also needed to contribute to discussions had on WebCT. Personally, I found all of this dialogue to be a bit overkill, and if I may be so bold, might I suggest that students either do one or the other in the future: WebCT or personal blogs? That may allow for better maintenance records and a higher volume of comments.
I only received three comments from my peers--each from a different person (Carter, Ashley, and Christi). To be fair, I didn't exactly provide them with much material in the first place, but I think this exiguous number might support my previous point. And I noticed scant comments on other blogs as well, although I didn't follow some as regularly as others. I tended to gravitate more often to Angela's and Christi's blogs, most likely because they existed through WebCT, which I needed to visit anyway in order to download e-reserve texts and participate in online discussions/debates. Angela offered chapter summaries and her personal commentaries toward the material on her blog, which I found very useful, especially when I had limited time to thoroughly read the chapter on my own. And Christi's brutal honesty resonated with me, if only because she often said overtly what I felt internally. I remember certain posts that began with, "My head's going to explode!" and "I have such a headache!" I really appreciated her willingness to share her vulnerability from time to time; graduate students don't often want to admit to such a feeling let alone declare it publicly.
Finally, the third reason why I believe my blog evolved the way it did relates to my personal preference for simplicity. Here we are--about to enter the second decade of the 21st century--and I still view the computer as a more formal communicative vehicle than I probably should. In my handwritten notebook, I just jot down my primitive thoughts without much regard for lines, grammar, spelling, formatting, spacing, etc. On the other hand, when I sit at the computer and try to do the same thing, I feel compelled--why I don't know--to "clean it up" and pay more attention to the presentation of my content than just the substance behind it. This is a personal attribute that I should certainly explore down the line if only because it's so contradictory to what I know to be true. As I said, I enjoy journaling and writing; in fact, I've devoted my entire scholarly career to the communication discipline! Oh, the irony of my life!
So there is my qualitative assessment of my blog. And, just to reiterate some finer details that I need to articulate: blogs I've enjoyed the most: Angela and Christi; and only three comments from others in my blog: Carter, Ashley, and Christi. Now for the final quantitative note: I'd give my blog a 7-8 out of 10 because while I feel disappointed in my lack of sustained posts through the second half of the semester, I know that I made personal comments/questions/acknowledgments in my handwritten notebook, and even though those may not have made it into a formal, typed blog, they nevertheless served a similar purpose.
Let me begin with the admission that I loved the idea of a personal blog at the start of the semester! While I've read many blogs prior to the creation of my own, I'd never before taken initiative to maintain a digital record of my thoughts and opinions, and this course afforded me (if not coerced!) the chance to explore that uncharted territory. Which is so contrary to my personality! When I teach, for instance, I usually take copious notes that acknowledge what flied and flopped in my class. I'll also note--when time permits--my reaction(s) to certain pedagogical endeavors. I know that I'll need and benefit from this information when I reach that point again in a subsequent semester, so I try to diligently make handwritten notes whenever possible.
That said, I'm not quite sure why my passion for and interest in my own blog dissipated as the semester progressed, although I have my suspicions. One need only look at it to discern that my voice hasn't made the transition into electronic dialogue for almost two months! However, that harrowing and embarrassing fact shouldn't indicate that I had nothing to say; indeed, it's quite the contrary. I think that, in short, I resorted to my "old" habit of writing my thoughts and sentiments in my course notebook, and I just never took (or made) the time to transfer them to my blog.
I believe this happened for a couple reasons: shifting priorities, overwhelming conversation mandates, and preferring simplicity.
You'll notice that I made an admirable attempt to publish substantive posts through our fall break, and that's when the bottom sort of fell out. Of course, this brings into question the debate over quantity versus quality, and I'd like to believe that I made some thought-provoking, insightful statements in my intitial posts. Indeed, as I reread them, I was pleased with the content and structure presented. But by October, with the semester in full motion, I had two academic conference presentations for which to prepare within a one-month duration. And I suspect that the traveling, lodging, and presenting obligations associated with both of these professional development opportunities led me to push this personal blog to the "back burner," and in consideration of my handwritten notes made in my course notebook, I think I probably felt satisfied with my internal struggle/comprehension of course materials and the documentation of it. Unfortunately, I failed to bring this personal blog off of the "back burner" and front and center as we neared the conclusion of the fall semester.
However, if I can be critical of the curricular requirements for a moment, then I'd like to admit that I felt overwhelmed by the number of conversations that occurred at once in this course. I found it especially challenging, as I already noted, to just maintain my own blog let alone comment on those kept by my colleagues. Moreover, we also needed to contribute to discussions had on WebCT. Personally, I found all of this dialogue to be a bit overkill, and if I may be so bold, might I suggest that students either do one or the other in the future: WebCT or personal blogs? That may allow for better maintenance records and a higher volume of comments.
I only received three comments from my peers--each from a different person (Carter, Ashley, and Christi). To be fair, I didn't exactly provide them with much material in the first place, but I think this exiguous number might support my previous point. And I noticed scant comments on other blogs as well, although I didn't follow some as regularly as others. I tended to gravitate more often to Angela's and Christi's blogs, most likely because they existed through WebCT, which I needed to visit anyway in order to download e-reserve texts and participate in online discussions/debates. Angela offered chapter summaries and her personal commentaries toward the material on her blog, which I found very useful, especially when I had limited time to thoroughly read the chapter on my own. And Christi's brutal honesty resonated with me, if only because she often said overtly what I felt internally. I remember certain posts that began with, "My head's going to explode!" and "I have such a headache!" I really appreciated her willingness to share her vulnerability from time to time; graduate students don't often want to admit to such a feeling let alone declare it publicly.
Finally, the third reason why I believe my blog evolved the way it did relates to my personal preference for simplicity. Here we are--about to enter the second decade of the 21st century--and I still view the computer as a more formal communicative vehicle than I probably should. In my handwritten notebook, I just jot down my primitive thoughts without much regard for lines, grammar, spelling, formatting, spacing, etc. On the other hand, when I sit at the computer and try to do the same thing, I feel compelled--why I don't know--to "clean it up" and pay more attention to the presentation of my content than just the substance behind it. This is a personal attribute that I should certainly explore down the line if only because it's so contradictory to what I know to be true. As I said, I enjoy journaling and writing; in fact, I've devoted my entire scholarly career to the communication discipline! Oh, the irony of my life!
So there is my qualitative assessment of my blog. And, just to reiterate some finer details that I need to articulate: blogs I've enjoyed the most: Angela and Christi; and only three comments from others in my blog: Carter, Ashley, and Christi. Now for the final quantitative note: I'd give my blog a 7-8 out of 10 because while I feel disappointed in my lack of sustained posts through the second half of the semester, I know that I made personal comments/questions/acknowledgments in my handwritten notebook, and even though those may not have made it into a formal, typed blog, they nevertheless served a similar purpose.
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