ETEC 561 Section 7: New Direction in Instructional Design and Technology

Section 7: New Direction in Instructional Design and Technology

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.

Distributed or E-Learning Environments

Currently, I am the one receiving most of the distributed/e-learning. However, now that I am a little more comfortable with blogging I am considering creating some online learning for my American History Class. This would allow me to test some ideas with a captive audience. As far as distributed/e-learning we are using more and more technology every day in class. However, I am not creating the learning on the technological devices. They are more being used for knowledge seeking. If I get a job as an educational technologist, then I would be creating digital lessons for district staff to help them use technology more successfully or conducting face to face training using technology to support professional development.

Reusable Design and Learning Objects

One of my classes this year has several students that are also English language learners. I am not bilingual and lend to talk a little fast. What I discovered through a couple of formative assessments was that these students along with a few others were struggling with my traditional style of teaching. What I am doing to help these students is actually simple. I slowed down and decided that I needed to show them more as we discuss history. I am redesigning my lessons so that they incorporate more pictures, short videos, and diagrams. Through Chapter 30 I have learned that these are reusable learning objects. I plan to take what I am doing for this class and incorporate it into all of my lessons as I am seeing great returns. I think that learning objects help reinforce information and encourage greater learning. When I move on to my next challenge I plan to take with me the idea of using learning objects, especially using short videos.

Rich Media

Rich media should not be used unless it compliments learning. We are able to produce or acquire amazingly high quality media but, this media can be too much for the learner. In my current position we use America: the Story of Us, which was produced with a large budget, by the History Channel. If I use this media only showing full episodes then my students will enjoy it, but I will not get maximum impact. What I do instead is break it up into small chunks that supplement my lessons. I have also found that if I use a diagram and it moves or does something my students seem to remember it. Making rich media is something that I would like to learn how to do. I think that as I transition into producing original instruction for professional development that using rich media in a beneficial way it will enhance engagement and learning.

Emerging instructional technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cybernetics, Web 2.0, virtual worlds, electronic games, etc.

As an educator and hopefully a future educational technologist I am trying my best to stay on top of emerging instructional technologies. There are many programs and games that have elements of artificial intelligence incorporated into them. It has been my experience that AI makes me work hard and increases my learning when it comes to a challenge. I could see this being very useful in simulations. Working with AI is learning in virtual worlds. In my robotics program we are starting to use virtual worlds along with AI to produce effective learning at a lower cost and in less time. My students see these virtual worlds as games not learning. The really nice thing about using these virtual worlds is that there are already lessons designed to accompany them. The challenge that I have is making the lessons fit my middle school students. I know from experience that doing equals learning and these emerging technologies are making it easier to do over distances or make the product more reusable. The great thing about a simulation or virtual world is that they are easy to reset and start over, where creating in the real world uses up materials and resources. I will always try to keep up with emerging technologies and incorporate them into my design.