As mentioned in our last discussion, starting this project was very intimidating. I didn’t know anything other than your traditional education topics. Our client is a first time professor and is teaching Supply Chain and Logistics. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Within the last couple of weeks myself and team have developed a great relationship with our client. I have learned that if you understand your client and your audience the rest will fall in place. Our bi-weekly meetings with our client are such a rewarding experience. We are able to see how these relationships are able to build something greater. Her wins are our wins and vice versa. This experience, well project, has really shined a light on the importance of the client/designer relationship.

Within the last couple weeks, I have been really struggling with work, a side job, curating a small business, and managing the course load from all of my classes. I’m usually pretty good in these situations, I don’t really know how to handle having time off, I blame my ADHD. With all that being said, when I was doing my homework and research on learning theories and applying them to the course my team and I were designing for Project B, I would reflect on my teaching styles. I preach and preach how all students learn differently and we need to cater to their needs but am I doing that in my class? I tend to use a constructivist and exploratory approach in my classroom and so far I have been successful but when I think about the student’s struggles, I began to question how my preference of teaching methods has possibly hindered their success. 

As per my VARK Questionnaire my results were Mild Kinesthetic and my preferences are practical exercises, experiences, examples, case studies, trial and error, things that are real. I completely agree with the statement, if I can’t connect what i’m learning to something in the real world or a previous experience I put that information in a box that is just meant to be a placeholder. I often find myself looking for meaning in things. Which isn’t always the best, since this results in me asking a lot of questions. I plan on using the VARK questionnaire in my classes and find out how I can change my preference of teaching to align with my student’s preference of learning. 

These past two weeks have been challenging but I have definitely learned a lot. When friends, family or colleagues ask me how school is the usually want to know how much work I have or when I’m graduating but never ask what am I learning? I was hesitant when I found out we would be working in groups. I’ve only worked with partner a few times and didn’t know how I would feel working in an actually group. I have enjoyed having teammates and working with one another. I feel like we bring the best out of each other and are always willing to lend a helping hand.

With having such a big project as the focus for these first three weeks, I feel like I am putting the discussions and readings on the back burner. I feel the responsibility of a thousand moons making sure that our client is receiving the help that she needs and am putting aside my needs. What I have learned while reflecting is how I need to use the acquired knowledge from readings and discussions and implement that into my project.

Creating Project A was a struggle but yet so rewarding. Before this. class, I had never designed an instructional program from start to finish. Being that I am one of the youngest teachers on staff, it’s nerve-wrecking to think that I would be instructing the same teachers that once taught me. I think one factor that played a role in easing my anxiety, was being in constant communication with my client. I kept in mind that she was the appraiser and I needed to please her. The goal of the training program was expose the Career & Technical Education teachers to more instructional web tools so that they can integrate the technology into their class and in my opinion, we were successful.

Being that we are still shut down as a school district, collaboration and communication is hindered. My client, Mrs. Gonzalez had suggested, after reviewing my project proposal that we consider having an open zoom conference. We went ahead and opened the zoom conference to the teachers where they were able to log on during campus wide planning. Not all teachers logged on consistently but a solid 40% of the staff was on, on a regular basis. When facilitating, teachers were asking each other about about lesson ideas and weren’t afraid to call for help. This was a big help for myself as the facilitator and also the teachers.

Teachers were able to complete their modules successfully and showed great responsibility. One area of concern were teachers who were more tech savvy were finishing in or two days. In situations like that it was hard for those teachers to accept the feed back since they were technically done. A number of teachers enjoyed how it was asynchronous and were able to work on the modules at their own pace. After reviewing the end of course surveys I was alarmed in how many wanted to continue on with weekly modules. I thought to myself….well there is always Project B!

For my next project, one of the main goals is to ensure that all teachers are working on the same module at the same or at least working together as a whole so that some teachers aren’t finishing in a matter of minutes. I’m hoping we can use this experience to grow from and improve and implement some of the reflections in Project B.

Reflect on the Method of Loci in your blog. What worked? What didn’t? How could you use such a cognitive activity, mental or visible to users, to improve the acquisition of knowledge in your designs?

The Method of Loci, was something that I had never heard of. When reading the instructions and activity requirements, I became extremely intrigued. I convinced my sister to do the exercise with me and let’s just say I was more relaxed. When counting my breaths, I didn’t realize how zoned out I became. My sister told me she opened her eyes to “make sure” I was doing it correctly and told me that I was swaying side to side and looked like I was in some kind of trans. I am someone who struggles with ADHD, and find my mind always racing. Focusing on counting my breaths and relaxing allowed me to actually step back and mentally take a break.

During the second activity, we were asked to mentally place ourselves in a room and walk around it trying to memorize what was in the room. This reminded me of an exercise my physicians had me do when recovering from a head injury I had in high school. I. With that being said, I did not find this exercise as challenging. I decided to change it up and move room to room in my house and “walked my laps” as I recalled and placed all the decorative pieces in my home.

One way I can use The Method of Loci in my design is by having the participants at the beginning “Walk the room”. Since my program design focuses on the integration of technology in the classroom, I feel like this would be a great way to start the training. When working with veteran teachers more than half the time they are closeminded when it comes to being introduced to technology or new methods of teaching. I believe this activity will open their minds and allow them to see the potential they have.

Reflect on the implementation and evaluation: What changes will you make before implementation? Why? What did you ignore in the client’s feedback? Why? What did you ignore in your peer’s feedback? Why?

After receiving the results from the training, all were analyzed. About 65% of the teachers marked that all their objectives were met. Some teachers stated in the area or suggestions to implement a course where there were different levels of rigor, such as “Beginner, Intermediate, and Advance”. The targeted area of veteran teachers showed great growth and have requested another training. After evaluating the program some areas of improvement consist of facilitator/participant interaction. Being that the course took place asynchronously, I as the facilitator felt that participants were timid when it came to ask for help or had concerns. If time was not a concern, I would like to implement a hybrid program where participants would be assigned to groups and have some group activities before breaking out. This would help uplift the environment. Overall the course was considered a success and has help the teachers in need. I feel like there is always something that can be improved or better executed. I chose not to ignore anything that the client suggested. My Client, Mrs. Gonzalez, is someone who knows what she wants and is not one to say something that she means. Mrs. Gonzalez’s feedback consisted of pairing and grouping veteran teachers with the more tech savvy teachers within the department. This is something I agree with and plan on implementing. I am greatful for my peer reviewer. I have always been one that types fast and am prone to grammar and mechanical errors. I made all the changes my peers suggested and appreciate the feedback. When reviewing my peer’s work there are a few activities that I thought were brilliant and would consider adding to my future endeavors. Overall, I had a positive experience. I enjoyed implementing and evaluating the training. I appreciated along with incorporated all and any feedback. 

Instructional Design from the outside looking in can be intimidating. As a teacher you are faced with never ending professional development. Some of it is interesting and some not so much but one thing that all Instructional Design Programs have in common is the goal to educate others. From our textbook, Rapid Instructional Design by George M. Piskurich, “One of the purposes of instructional design is to provide both an appropriate destination, and the right road to get you there…” Instructional design is a constant revolving door that is always looking for ways to improve. Instructional Design isn’t just compiling information and teaching a lesson, there are many factors that go into designing an instructional program. Instructional Design targets creativity, psychology, and creativity. 

When it comes to my experience in designing, there is slim to none. This class has been the first class I take, along with the first situation I am in where I am planning a program from start to finish. In my experience in this class, it has challenged me to think from different perspectives. Being a teacher you think “I know how to teach, I do this everyday” but that is not the case. Instructional Design challenges you to think of the different minds that you are planning to reach. It challenges you to target the different domains of learning which include Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor.

This week we were asked to review our peers work, and it was a wake up call for me in more than one way. For starters, my partner’s project focused on a Tax Company that is targeting newly hired employees. I never once considered how individuals in different fields faced training programs and definitely never considered the different factors that went into designing training programs.

I am excited with all the information that we are acquiring. It has not only inspired me to be a better student, but has inspired me to be a better teacher as well. I will continue to build on my design project and hope to shed some light on the participants journey toward integrating more technology into the classroom.

References

Kozma, R. B. (1994). Will media influence learning? Reframing the debate. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 7-19. doi:10.1007/bf02299087

Piskurich, G. M. (2006). Rapid instructional design: Learning ID fast and right (2nd ed.) San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

Overview of learning styles. (n.d.). Retrieved October 02, 2020, from https://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/

When designing an instructional program, there is a lot to consider. You have an idea and you have some direction and as good as that idea is, it all comes down to execution. As Kozma Said“ ..we must think about media not in terms of their surface features but in terms of their underlying structure and the causal mechanisms by which they might interact with cognitive and social processes..”  (Kozma, 1994) With that being said, after analyzing my program I have found room for improvement. Something new I would like to add to the training program is a pre-test. Our textbook states that we should ensure that all our or trainees or on the same level or should be grouped so. “ Plan your classroom design so all your trainees are at the same level of knowledge before the class begins ” (Piskurich, (2006)Doing so will allow the learners to feel more comfortable with each other rather than getting discouraged from the level of rigor or new information in general. As stated in in the TAP the targeted group or learners the target is the veteran teachers who may not have enough experience with technology. Yes this program is designed to allow the learners to take what they have created and implement it in the classroom but it also to boost the confidence of those who are intimidated by technology. To better reach the learners needs I’ve decided to do weekly surveys to measure satisfaction and motivation. It is important that the learner is able to reflect on their own progress and see how much growth they are able to to accomplish. 

Analysis and design go hand and hand. In order to design a program that fits the needs for the client you must know what those needs are. Completing a needs assessment is crucial but analyzing the data and thinking of ways to assess what is found is how you successfully execute the project. As the textbook indicates there are two analyses that need to take place. The Needs Analysis and Learning Needs analysis. The Needs Analysis aids the process of ensuring the main concerns and the reasoning for the program.  The Learning Needs Analysis targets what is needed to benefit the learner in particular.  From the textbook, “The purpose is to begin to delineate what the parameters and boundaries are for what you are going to design  to meet this particular training need.” (Piskurich, (2006) Analysis allows for the designer to make sure he or she is not teaching something the learner doesn’t need to know along with making sure they are teaching something that the learner does need to know.  The chapter readings along with the lessons have taught me that without  analysis, being a successful  designer is slim to none.  

References

Kozma, R. B. (1994). Will media influence learning? Reframing the debate. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 7-19. doi:10.1007/bf02299087

Piskurich, G. M. (2006). Rapid instructional design: Learning ID fast and right (2nd ed.) San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.

Learning is an essential function of life that occurs naturally. According to the Constructivist Model, learning is defined as “The formation of abstract concepts to represent reality.” (Leidner & Jarvenpaa, 1995) Everyone is able to learn, finding out the learner’s preference is more obsolete of a personalized study. 

There are multiple models of learning including objectivism, constructivism, collaborationism, cognitive information processing, and socicultivism. In my own opinion, I believe that we use all five models to learn, rather than one specifically. These methods of learning that were previously mentioned are mainly focused on teaching styles and the student feedback that is later received. 

Think about infants, they provide an action and receive a reaction in return.  From then on they associate that action to the reaction and develop a relationship.  “…an infant’s brain gives precedence to certain kinds of information: language, basic concepts of number, physical properties, and the movement of animate and inanimate objects. In the most general sense, the contemporary view of learning is that people construct new knowledge and understandings based on what they already know and (Chapter 3 When Thinking Begins 1952)

This is the child constructing meaning on his or her own terms, which is a representation of the socioculturalism model. As children begin to grow older, they are developing pre-existing knowledge.  This pre-existing knowledge is key in learning new material. When you are able to tie a memory to something current you are activating pre-existing knowledge along with acquiring new knowledge from this connection. It is crucial that learners are able to take information and turn into a connection rather than a direct approach. This ensures that the learner has developed a personal relationship with that information and is able to use it in more ways than one. “There is a good deal of evidence that learning is enhanced when teachers’ pay attention to the knowledge and beliefs that learners bring to a learning task, use this knowledge as a starting point for new instruction, and monitor students’ changing conceptions as instruction proceeds…” (Chapter 1 Learning: From Speculation to Science 2000)

Students who are able to take control of their own education are able to explore more concepts and develop more connections when being given information. Examples of students taking control of their own learning is a form of collaborativism and constructivism. “Learners tend to generate higher-level reasoning strategies, a greater diversity of ideas and procedures, more critical thinking, and more creative responses when they are actively learning in cooperative groups than when they are learning individually or competitively (Schlechter, 1990)”

With that being said, people are able to learn in more than one way, putting  the different models of learning up for discussion. “Students’ interest or engagement in a task is clearly important. Nevertheless, it does not guarantee that students will acquire the kinds of knowledge that will support new learning.” (Chapter 1 Learning: From Speculation to Science 2000) I do not believe that one model exceeds the other but that it depends on the learner’s engagement, perception of information and how he or she chooses to process the information.

References

Bransford, J., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). Chapter 1 Learning: From Speculation to Science. In How People Learn Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Expanded Edition. Place of publication not identified: Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse.

Leidner, D. E., & Jarvenpaa, S. L. (1995). The Use of Information Technology to Enhance Management School Education: A Theoretical View. MIS Quarterly, 19(3), 265. doi:10.2307/249596

Mcleod, S. (n.d.). Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html

Piaget, J. (1952). Chapter 3 When Thinking Begins. In The origins of intelligence in children. New York: International Universities Press.

Well, If you. haven’t been living under a rock you would be aware that we are currently living through an Environmental Emergency. Millions around the world are being affected in one way or another by COVID-19 (Corona Virus). Now you may be thinking what are the other ways you are being affected by a virus if you don’t contract it? Think about all the of the precautions that your country, state, or city are taking? How has your everyday life changed?

One of the many ways my life has changed has been how I do my grocery shopping. Remember the toilet paper shortage? We had our own little Hunger Games here in the Rio Grade Valley. If we were told to stay home and limit our contact why were the stores flooded with people buying toilet paper? Same reason why our cases were over 1000 for weeks. But with all this craziness going on did you notice how well our Grocery stores were adapting? Think about having to go to the store and realizing that something that you came for (such as toilet paper) is out of stock. Wouldn’t it had been nice to know before you made the trip? Several Grocery stores have had mobile applications available in the android and apple app store. With technology users, such as you and myself, we are able to download the store’s application and check for items in stock. Another thing you can do with the stores application is actually order contactless curbside with has a store employee bring it out to your vehicle. How does this benefit you? Well, think about the different ways COVID – 19 is transmitted or think about the elderly and disabled that are not able to get down and push a heavy cart. Those are all positive ways technology has allowed us to stay informed and continue to be an active citizen even during a pandemic.

Now moving towards a more civic approach. The year 2020 has not only been a rollercoaster of emotions but it also the year of the census. Now the census has never been anything to strenuous and often didn’t take much effort to complete. We usually check our mailbox, receive a survey to fill out, count your household, check some boxes and your done! This year the census was advertised in more than one way, snail mail, door to door representatives and online. The online form has made collecting census data not only easier but also more accurate. During the pandemic we have been told to limit all outside exposure to help stop the spread but the census determines funding for a number of things such as, head start programs, wildlife refuges, public schools, and other needs within city areas. Without the completion small cities such as my own would lack the proper funding to run. I thank technology and the promotion of information for our city to be at a 70% completion rate.

Instructional technology isn’t just learning management systems or informative blogs. There is technology everywhere we turn nowadays and information at the palm of our hand. We literally are able to learn as much as we want when we want. If there is something we learned during this pandemic is how technology is the future and how vital it is in our everyday lives.