Well, I'm not going to try to hide the truth, I admit that I'm not as far along as I should be in tangible elements of the course project. However, that does not mean that I'm not pretty far along in the planning process, it has just been done mentally. So, "mentally" I pretty much have the following done: needs analysis, learner analysis, context analysis, course objectives and outline, task analysis (partially), and lesson objectives. What I plan to do by this weekend is get all of these different "pieces" posted to my wiki pages.
I need to do a more thorough treatment of the task analysis in order to finish completing the course outline and development of content, but I DO already have a skeleton plan of what I'm doing, I just have to fill in the gaps. The implementation of the web-based instruction will occur the first week of april (conveniently coinciding with the NCATE accreditation visit), so I plan to have all the content and materials, as well as the the formative evaluation instrument ready by the end of Spring Break. Then, after implementation, I'll be ready to get my assessment analysis and evaluation report completed by the end of April.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
ID Research Precis 2
Robinson, D. H., Corliss, S. B., Bush, A. M., Bera, S. J., & Tomberlin, T. (2003). Optimal presentation of graphic organizers and text: A case for large bites? Educational Technology Research and Development, 51 (4), 25-41.
The purpose of this study was to examine the best configuration for presenting graphic organizers (GO’s) to students who are studying chapter-length text . GO’s were presented to students in three ways: as a comlete set (large bites), interspersed throughout the chapter reading (small bites), and in animations of cells within each GO. The GO’s were also presented either before or after the text reading. The study found that it is best to present GO’s as a set, before chapter-lenth text is presented.
The purpose of this study was to examine the best configuration for presenting graphic organizers (GO’s) to students who are studying chapter-length text . GO’s were presented to students in three ways: as a comlete set (large bites), interspersed throughout the chapter reading (small bites), and in animations of cells within each GO. The GO’s were also presented either before or after the text reading. The study found that it is best to present GO’s as a set, before chapter-lenth text is presented.
Why the Critical Incident Analysis
I wasn't really sure about the critical incident analysis until I had finally chosen a topic, and then began to think about what the text says on pg. 91 about how analyzing processes that vary from instance to instance are more difficult than a concrete procedure.
Even though the buttons to click to create a website may seem like a concrete process, the actual practice of web-design definitely is approached differently from one person to the next. What helped me finally understand the purpose of the critical incident analysis was what was also said on pg. 91: "A critical incident analysis can identify the commonalities of various approaches."
Now it makes more sense. While many people design websites differently, I need to identify what is commonly done in creating "GOOD" websites.
Even though the buttons to click to create a website may seem like a concrete process, the actual practice of web-design definitely is approached differently from one person to the next. What helped me finally understand the purpose of the critical incident analysis was what was also said on pg. 91: "A critical incident analysis can identify the commonalities of various approaches."
Now it makes more sense. While many people design websites differently, I need to identify what is commonly done in creating "GOOD" websites.
Final Project Topic
For the ID project, I am planning to build an online-version of the web-design unit that is taught in EDTC 3123 (Ed Tech for teachers). This is hopefully a first step to having this course available completely online. Instead of reinventing the wheel, alot of the "how to click the buttons" instruction will be delivered through tutorials that the students will have access to through an online training site called atomiclearning.com. That way I can focus on more quality in the overall unit design, instead of spending all my time on creating the tutorials from scratch.
I feel that I know the learner and context pretty well already, since I have taught this course 2 semesters, however alot of consideration will need to be given to what changes will occur as a result of this being offered online. Would there be a certain demographic of students more interested in taking the online version of the class? What level of prior computer skill can I expect the students to come into the class with? Many questions such as these are difficult to predict a black and white answer to, but at least giving it thought can help me avoid gross oversights that otherwise might not have been foreseen.
I feel that I know the learner and context pretty well already, since I have taught this course 2 semesters, however alot of consideration will need to be given to what changes will occur as a result of this being offered online. Would there be a certain demographic of students more interested in taking the online version of the class? What level of prior computer skill can I expect the students to come into the class with? Many questions such as these are difficult to predict a black and white answer to, but at least giving it thought can help me avoid gross oversights that otherwise might not have been foreseen.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Sample Task Analysis
Task Analysis:
New Employee Orientation:
- Pay Schedule
- Benefits
- Dress Code
- Call-in procedure
- Tardy Policy
- Performance appraisal
- Acceptable Use Policy
- Intercultural awareness
- Sexual misconduct training
- Confidentiality and the victim
Job Essentials:
- How to work a floor
o General Procedures
§ Shift 1
§ Shift 2
§ Shift 3
o Roundup
o Inmate phases
§ Phase characteristics
· Clothing
· Priviledges
· Responsibilities
§ Moving between phases
o Marching procedures
- What NOT to do
o Things to know that you don’t know that you should know
- How to write a 225
o Definitions
o Examples
- Situation Control Techniques
o Verbal Judo
o Handle with Care (PRT)
- Gang Training
o Recognizing signs, evidence, etc.
o How to handle situations
New Employee Orientation:
- Pay Schedule
- Benefits
- Dress Code
- Call-in procedure
- Tardy Policy
- Performance appraisal
- Acceptable Use Policy
- Intercultural awareness
- Sexual misconduct training
- Confidentiality and the victim
Job Essentials:
- How to work a floor
o General Procedures
§ Shift 1
§ Shift 2
§ Shift 3
o Roundup
o Inmate phases
§ Phase characteristics
· Clothing
· Priviledges
· Responsibilities
§ Moving between phases
o Marching procedures
- What NOT to do
o Things to know that you don’t know that you should know
- How to write a 225
o Definitions
o Examples
- Situation Control Techniques
o Verbal Judo
o Handle with Care (PRT)
- Gang Training
o Recognizing signs, evidence, etc.
o How to handle situations
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Objective Domains Analogy
The other day I was working to create an online version of the evaluation we have cooperating teachers and university supervisors complete to assess our student teachers. As I was going through the questions, I realized that the 3 categories sounded familiar. The 3 categories that we assess our candidates on (in accordance with NCATE guidelines) are Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions. Sound familiar? Yeah, it's the objectives domains: Cognitive (Knowledge), Psychomotor (Skills), and Attitudes (Dispositions). I just thought this connection was interesting.
Can we have multiple objectives?
http://www.ibstpi.org/Legacy-Gagne/chapter%205.pdf
I came across this link to an article that is actually a chapter from a documented conversation between Gagne and Merrill about instructional design. I was most interested in how this article dealt with one of the issues we’ve brought up in class: whether or not a lesson can have more than ONE objective. This particular chapter is about how instructional design should encompass integrative goals (a.k.a. multiple objectives) into an “enterprise schema”. From this article’s explanation, I see the enterprise schema as a way to communicate to the learner where they’re at in the big picture, so as to not miss the forest for the trees, so to speak.
This paragraph pretty much sums up the article:
“We propose that integrative goals are represented in cognitive space by enterprise schemas whose focal integrating concept is the integrative goal. Associated with the integrative goal is an enterprise scenario and the various items of verbal knowledge, intellectual skills, and cognitive strategies that must be learned in order to support the required performances. These performances are brought together in a purposeful activity known as enterprise. Examples of enterprises are: operating X equipment, teaching a science topic, counseling someone about applying for a job, giving directions about how to use a weedcutter. The schema representing the goal of the enterprise and including the goal-related knowledges and skills is an enterprise schema” (pg. 9).
Something about the article, revealed in the paragraph above, also caught my attention. If you read close, it sounds really familiar. That’s because it is talking about involving learners in a relevant task to provide context for the content to be learned. Hmm, that sounds like constructivism, but the last time I checked, Merrill and Gagne were NOT constructivists. So, what’s all that talk we always hear about “authentic learning” being one of the characteristics that sets constructivist approaches apart? I’m starting to wonder if there’s really any validity to this whole idea of a “constructivist classroom” or maybe it’s just a catchy phrase some people are using to sell books. Makes you wonder.
I came across this link to an article that is actually a chapter from a documented conversation between Gagne and Merrill about instructional design. I was most interested in how this article dealt with one of the issues we’ve brought up in class: whether or not a lesson can have more than ONE objective. This particular chapter is about how instructional design should encompass integrative goals (a.k.a. multiple objectives) into an “enterprise schema”. From this article’s explanation, I see the enterprise schema as a way to communicate to the learner where they’re at in the big picture, so as to not miss the forest for the trees, so to speak.
This paragraph pretty much sums up the article:
“We propose that integrative goals are represented in cognitive space by enterprise schemas whose focal integrating concept is the integrative goal. Associated with the integrative goal is an enterprise scenario and the various items of verbal knowledge, intellectual skills, and cognitive strategies that must be learned in order to support the required performances. These performances are brought together in a purposeful activity known as enterprise. Examples of enterprises are: operating X equipment, teaching a science topic, counseling someone about applying for a job, giving directions about how to use a weedcutter. The schema representing the goal of the enterprise and including the goal-related knowledges and skills is an enterprise schema” (pg. 9).
Something about the article, revealed in the paragraph above, also caught my attention. If you read close, it sounds really familiar. That’s because it is talking about involving learners in a relevant task to provide context for the content to be learned. Hmm, that sounds like constructivism, but the last time I checked, Merrill and Gagne were NOT constructivists. So, what’s all that talk we always hear about “authentic learning” being one of the characteristics that sets constructivist approaches apart? I’m starting to wonder if there’s really any validity to this whole idea of a “constructivist classroom” or maybe it’s just a catchy phrase some people are using to sell books. Makes you wonder.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Affective Domain Objectives...
I've been racking my brain about this concept of objectives in the affective domain. No wonder the section in the text is so short, there's just not much to say about it I guess. Yet, I find myself trying to imagine how you could legitimately state a behavioral objective that would reveal learning in the affective domain. So, if I say that students will "choose" a certain piece of art over others, does that reveal to me that they've learned to "appreciate" what good art is? I've seen alot of different kinds of art, and I gotta tell you, what some people call famous, I call slop.
In light of all this, how in the world can you make a concrete statement such as a behavioral objective that works in the affective domain? Now, I think that a good example of learning in an affective domain is when someone who hears a sermon at church begins to live a better life. I'd say that the preacher (whether realizing it or not) was instructing in the affective domain, and the "learner" achieved the objective. However, when I attempt to port this over to a classroom situation, I keep catching myself focusing on aspects of the cognitive domain. For example, if my objective is for the learners to be better conservationists, I catch myself focus too much on environmental science concepts. Anyway, just documenting some thoughts as I'm thinking through this...
In light of all this, how in the world can you make a concrete statement such as a behavioral objective that works in the affective domain? Now, I think that a good example of learning in an affective domain is when someone who hears a sermon at church begins to live a better life. I'd say that the preacher (whether realizing it or not) was instructing in the affective domain, and the "learner" achieved the objective. However, when I attempt to port this over to a classroom situation, I keep catching myself focusing on aspects of the cognitive domain. For example, if my objective is for the learners to be better conservationists, I catch myself focus too much on environmental science concepts. Anyway, just documenting some thoughts as I'm thinking through this...
Thursday, February 02, 2006
ID Research Precis 1
Moreno, R., & Valdez, F. (2005). Cognitive load and learning effects of having students organize pictures and words in multimedia environments: The role of student interactivity and feedback. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53 (3), 35-45.
This study examined the effects of dual coding and learner interactivity in an instructional multimedia program on learning efficiency. Learning efficiency was defined by a measured relationship between performance (retention and transfer) and cognitive load. The study found that dual coding did increase learning efficiency, i.e. presenting words and pictures, instead of only words or pictures. It was found that the interactive version of the program had a lowering effect on learning efficiency as compared to the non-interactive version. Further testing revealed that requiring learners to self-assess their responses before receiving system feedback increased learning efficiency in the interactive version.
This study examined the effects of dual coding and learner interactivity in an instructional multimedia program on learning efficiency. Learning efficiency was defined by a measured relationship between performance (retention and transfer) and cognitive load. The study found that dual coding did increase learning efficiency, i.e. presenting words and pictures, instead of only words or pictures. It was found that the interactive version of the program had a lowering effect on learning efficiency as compared to the non-interactive version. Further testing revealed that requiring learners to self-assess their responses before receiving system feedback increased learning efficiency in the interactive version.
Needs Analysis and "The Apprentice"
As I read about needs assessment and goals analysis, I was trying to imagine being patient enough to do all this preliminary work before getting started on the "important stuff". Then, I started thinking about one of our favorite TV shows, The Apprentice. On this show, it is very obvious that the successful teams are those that do the fact gathering up front to be sure they are creating what the task actually needs. It is very entertaining when a team is totally off track because of their lack of obtaining the necessary background information. One of my favorites is when the team did the Star Wars display and you couldn't even find Darth Vader, even though the execs clearly told the other team (that bothered to ask) that they wanted Vader to be central to the theme.
I also think an analogy can be drawn to the army performing reconnaissance before planning a mission. If you send in tanks, but you're fighting in a swampy forest, well, good luck with that!
So, I guess if we fail to plan, then we plan to fail, right?
I also think an analogy can be drawn to the army performing reconnaissance before planning a mission. If you send in tanks, but you're fighting in a swampy forest, well, good luck with that!
So, I guess if we fail to plan, then we plan to fail, right?
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Like reading a page out of my history as a teacher...
Ok, I was just rereading some of Ch. 1, and caught something I didn't really think about the first time through. On page 15, the authors start to discuss the benefits of ID to P-12 teachers.
On page 16, they write, "Implementing these approaches (project-based, cross-curricular, cooperative, authentic, etc.) obviously requires well-designed expeditions and projects. Where do they come from? For the most part, that responsibility falls on the individual teachers."
Wow! So that all of a sudden puts my "flop" of a first year teaching much more in perspective for me. I went out with the grandiose idea that if I taught the "right" way, I'd never have discipline problems, my students would love learning in my classroom, they'd carry me on their shoulders through the halls chanting my name, yada yada yada. Well, reality hit pretty quick that I didn't have a lick of resources to use to make "that kind" of teaching happen.
It was very frustrating to me to know what I was trying to make happen, but it just wasn't working right, but now I see a bigger picture. What I realized just now after reading page 16 is that the problem wasn't that I didn't have a solid understanding of the instructional strategies. I see that understanding the instructional strategy is only one piece in the larger puzzle in being able to design quality instruction. I was not prepared to fulfill the quote above: that the "responsibility" fell on me to create what really should have been professionally designed and developed already, and I as a new teacher should just have been implementing.
On page 16, they write, "Implementing these approaches (project-based, cross-curricular, cooperative, authentic, etc.) obviously requires well-designed expeditions and projects. Where do they come from? For the most part, that responsibility falls on the individual teachers."
Wow! So that all of a sudden puts my "flop" of a first year teaching much more in perspective for me. I went out with the grandiose idea that if I taught the "right" way, I'd never have discipline problems, my students would love learning in my classroom, they'd carry me on their shoulders through the halls chanting my name, yada yada yada. Well, reality hit pretty quick that I didn't have a lick of resources to use to make "that kind" of teaching happen.
It was very frustrating to me to know what I was trying to make happen, but it just wasn't working right, but now I see a bigger picture. What I realized just now after reading page 16 is that the problem wasn't that I didn't have a solid understanding of the instructional strategies. I see that understanding the instructional strategy is only one piece in the larger puzzle in being able to design quality instruction. I was not prepared to fulfill the quote above: that the "responsibility" fell on me to create what really should have been professionally designed and developed already, and I as a new teacher should just have been implementing.
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