SECTION 1: DEFINING THE FIELD
1. I never thought about defining technology. According to dictionaries, the word technology many definitions. With that in mind, it's no surprise that working in the field of technology would also be defined in more than one way.
As a classroom teacher, I would fully agree with the 1970s definition that instructional technology is the “media...used for instructional purposes alongside the teacher, textbook, and blackboard”. (Commission on Instructional Technology, 1970) As a future librarian, however, I have learned to think outside the box (classroom). Therefore, the 1977 AECT definition, for example, sounds more in tune with the reality of the field. It is not cut and dry. It is “a complex, integrated process involving people, procedures...organization, for analyzing problems and...managing solutions...in all aspects of human learning.”
As an educator I would define our field as
a link between the classroom and the current world and whose purpose is to facilitate, support, and enhance the learning process in order to achieve an institution's goals.
Clip Art2. The six characteristics of instructional design are the following:
*learner centered
*goal oriented
*focus on meaningful performance
*assume outcomes can be measured in a reliable and valid way
*empirical, iterative, and self-correcting
*a team effort
(Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, 2007)
In view of these characteristics, I found the Dick, Carey and Carey model of instructional design to incorporate all six very effectively. It was a difficult task for me to make any changes, but after breaking it down to my specific work environment (low income and high LEP population) I simplified it.
[This is where my flowchart shoutld go]
Based on the Dick, Carey and Carey model of instructional design
Based on the Dick, Carey and Carey model of instructional design
3. Can we keep up with new technology? Not a chance. As educators, however, we always hope to take advantage of any resource that will improve student achievement and help reach campus/district goals. Just as history has shown, it is not such a simple task to efficiently integrate all types of technology into the learning environment.
However, I think we are headed in the right direction. Technology is aiding in the inclusion of students who would otherwise have to be home-schooled and isolated due to lengthy recovery periods. Technology has made continuing education attainable for parents and full time employees—“attending class” and “submitting assignments” from home. Even websites once thought to be purely social and entertaining are being utilized as avenues to accomplish formal goals, such as higher education.
For example, I foresee educators in higher education sharing their expertise in the design and implementation of long distance learning with secondary educators. Hopefully it will eventually trickle down to the elementary level. Online courses will not necessarily be only for students unable to physically attend class. Teachers will set up the course and be available to answer questions and guide students through individual and cooperative assignments. Each age group, of course, will have its own level of expectations. That is where instructional design and technology comes into play.
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The innovative educator…. |
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will always welcome innovation. |
