Advanced Educational Design - Ed Tech

Back in school again, with many of the same people - great group. There will be a group project and several of us are already talking about working together: LaVar, Sara, Laura, Barbara. Rich may already have a project.  I am determined to increase my software skills after the tough summer classes, so I will be looking at a project along that line and may do some outside work as well related to my work at Westminster College.

Best Websites

As part of the Web 2.0 assignment, I visited two websites and contributed to one. Although my kids are grown, my favorite site is still Sesame Street, http://www.sesamestreet.org/. The simplicity and yet richness calls out to young children, their parents and anyone who loves color, friends and life. The connection to education is obvious. I know there are many newer, hipper, educational sites for young children, but this one is still award winning. The Save the Day with Science is an example of good instruction that stimulates imagination. Sesame Street has evolved with the web - the interactive elements on this site are delightful.

Most importantly, it captures attention with the best of web 2.0, while teaching a wide range of concepts and topics, uses good pedogogy, engages both children and parents.  The tie to education goes without saying, but I will - its great!

I was happy to find http://guardian.co.uk/. I enjoy the news, both electronic and print, but worry that our U.S. news is myopic and biased. It is nice to see news reporting with a wide angle, from a different country. My vote is still out on what type of jounalism this is, but I think it is good to see things from other perspectives; I think our learning is stifled if we do not. The site is wonderfully easy to navigate to the latest news or information.

I also discovered Delicious!  I have long saved websites and links in Favorites, but now have a way to easily find them from any computer and share them. My goal with this site, as I learn to use the tools, is to create a repository of educational information and tools for the people in my department who develop programs and curriculum; we will be able to research and share useful sites. I have already added some sites I use regularly and will be on the lookout for more. Here is a link to My Delicious: http://www.delicious.com/defa.rose

I was intrigued by the Kozma/Clark debate. Cognitive questions versus mediated solutions... My position (assigned) ended up being my position. I think learning is absolutely influenced, perhaps for both good and bad, by mediated information. How can your synapses not be burned by vivid 3-D color images of a war, or landscape? Those images will in some way affect the learning process in which they might be incorporated. It seems summed up that media can faciliate learning in different ways for different learners, but increases the options the brain has to encompass and internalize new information.

The Age Old Battle

In Gentry (1995) the author attempts to differentiate between education, instruction, training and educational technology, instructional technology, etc. I think the name is not so important as what the learner can do at the end of the learning, er, I mean instruction, no - education!  It does appear that the framework for much of what we do today involves technology. And since, ...bevavioral science is to technology as physical sciences are to enginering," the theories, the processes and systems are what is important to the designer "...all human actvities apply the findings of behavioral research to the probem of instuction."(Finn)

Instructional Systems Design

Re Instructional Design Systems - Five View of the Field (Shiffman) it seams to me that each model builds on the previous. The Media View focuses on media selection, which need to be done and then the Embyonic View on media production, a natural progression. At some point the content becomes important and does so in the Narrow Systems View where sequencing of content is paramount. Needs assessment and evaluation are left out of the three previous, but emerge in the Standard Systems View which represents generally current ISD theory.  Has the development of ID been that linear?  Perhaps these "views" were the dissertation of a doctoral student and then became the "theory."  Regardless, it is interesting to see the components of instructional design segmented in multiple ways and I think leads to better crtiical thinking when the realities of a design problem are presented.

Backward Design

If we reflect on students as clients where all the work of curriculum and instructional design results in the client achieving their desired learning, then beginning with that outcome makes sense. Just as any type of designer has to visualize the end product in the context of the client, good instructional design leads to the goals through thoughtful purpose, activities and achievement.

In other words, the lessons taught are inferred from the results sought and derived backwards.  Not withstanding the discussion about "understanding" in our class, it is understanding that is the focus of good design rather than information.  A content-focus asks "what shall we teach?" rather than "what needs to be learned and why?"  The "twin sins" of  activities as learning and coverage - both miss the mindful engagement related to desired performance. The lessons simply may not meet the goals.

Designers start with the priority learnings (the goals), how achievement will be measured and what it looks like to achieve the goals.  The three stages of this backward design are: 1) Identify the desired results, 2) determine the acceptable evidence of achievement, and 3) plan the learning experiences and instruction. Stage 1 examines the content standards and curriculum expectations and clarifies the purpose and then before moving to design, in stage 2, asks the question, what assessment will validate that the learning has taken place?  Stage 3 is now possible - with clear results identified, a designer can select the appropriate knowledge, skills, activities, and teaching methods. 

I found it interesting that over 60 years ago it was recognized that "Educational objectives become the criteria by which materials are selected, content is outlined, intstructional procedures are developed..." (Tyler, 1949) What is presented in the article is a process for successful backward design. I used the template for the ADDIE project and found it to be surprisingly helpful (once I had spent the time moving through it), so I agree that it provides an overall guide and framework.  The design standards were useful for quality control and could be used for peer review or to examine existing curriculum

Reading through the "Backward design in action with Bob James" helped congeal the steps outlined in the article and reinforced that the "intelligent" tools presented really are a guide through a process that is not at all linear or step-by-step, rather is iterative and back and forth, but results in a product that facilitates effective learning.

Instructional Goals

This chapter focues on the elements of Analysis and various steps or methods used dependent on the the identified need. Performance analysis, a description of the problems to solve and suggested solutions may or may not reveal the need for training. If training is indicated, a needs assessment identifies the goal, actual state and thus the gap between the two.  Kaufman (1998) frames it as a "means to an end."  In the work world, what is more often used is a job analysis (DACUM, job profile) to describe what people do in their jobs. This requires organizing tasks into duties and involves a process of screening, revision and validation.  The goal must also be clarified to identify the learners, context in which they will use the skill and the tools available for the training.

I liked that there is a criteria to frame the analysis question: Will it solve the problem that led to the need, are the goals acceptable to those who must approve the training and are there sufficient resources to complete the goal through insturction?

Honing and clarifying the goal is illustrated in the customer service and writing sentences scenarios which leads nicely to the reading, Understanding by Design, Chapter 1, Wiggins. Wiggins views students as clients whose goal is a desired learning. He compares design to software - it enhances the learners ability to efficiently learn a concept or skill; it fascilitate effective learning. It is "Backward Design" in that the lessons are inferred from the results sought. Understanding is the focus rather than the inputs needed to implement the design. He compares it to results focused design versus content focused design.  The quetion to ask is why this training or curriculum or "so what?" 

Wiggins compares the "twin sins" -  activities and coverage as learning.  Rather, teachers must be able to ask, "What will students be able to do.?"  "What will student's understand?" and "How should the curriculum be shaped to accomplish the goal?" Design should identify the methods to answer these questions.

First framing the goal (s) is critical so that achievment can be measured.  The stages of design then are, (1) Identify the desired results, (2) Determine the acceptable evidence that the goal has been achieved, (3) Plan the learning experiences and instruction. The template provided by Wiggins follows this process and helps guide the designer to use design standards, using quality control to regularly review the curriculum and a set of tools:  Template, Dssign Standards and Design Tools.