During my student teaching the school district I was in decided to implement a district wide behavior program called Positive Behavior Support. I do not know for sure but I do not believe any teachers or parents were included in the initial "leadership team." It seemed to me that only after it had been decided that they were going to implement this program was it brought to the individual schools where every teacher and aide was required to sign up on one of the different committees to implement the change. The district brought in trainers to show how it was to be completed and then it was up to the school personnel to do it. Needless to say, anytime there is change there will be resistance. It is human nature. But that resistance seems more profound to me when everyone who will be effected by the change does not have a voice representing them in the initial planning. It is hard for this type of change to be successful particularly in the first year or so because of the resistance and resentment that comes with not being involved in the planning process. To me NCLB is one of those systematic changes that did not go well and is now being "piecemilled" in many places.
Ths small charter school where I am teaching this year implemented a reading program last year that was supposed to be a systematic change. However, it ended up being piecemilled in some classrooms and ignored in others. When this school year started, the teachers were told in no uncertain terms that they would implement this reading program, and implement it completely and correctly, or else.
Is there any wonder that there is resistance to change?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Week 8, chapter 18 reflection, and overall course reflection
I believe on-line training for businesses is one note worthy way Instructional Design/Technology has been used and is already making an impact in my professional career. I would not be enrolled in a Master's program right now if not for on-line classes. Particularly since technology has evolved to the point of linking documents, videos, etc. so that students do not have to go to the university library to get video tapes! I am too exhausted from straight classes for the last four years to register at a near by college and drive there every day and sit in class then have homework - projects, readings, papers.
Industries' globalization of training is another note worthy way IT is being used. I am not sure if, or how much, this is being used in education, but I hope to see this idea spread through out our education system, not only with schools within a district, but all schools in a state to schools across the US on to link us globally to each other in more ways than just sharing lesson plans. I would like to see us teleconferencing in training sessions on a variety of subjects, our classes joining classes from another country via ITD, possiblly even observing other teachers in real time from other countries.
I have totally enjoyed this class so far. I did not know how to use any of the tools we have worked with, some I did not even know I could use, and some I did not even know existed. Yes, some of the tasks have been challenging and I need much more time to play with each of them, but overall I have learned alot. I like being able to have the experience of each of my classmates in writing to go back to when they tell about a tool or how they accomplised something. I hope my classmates will not discard the posts they have placed on their blogs so that the resource these reflections have become will not be lost.
Industries' globalization of training is another note worthy way IT is being used. I am not sure if, or how much, this is being used in education, but I hope to see this idea spread through out our education system, not only with schools within a district, but all schools in a state to schools across the US on to link us globally to each other in more ways than just sharing lesson plans. I would like to see us teleconferencing in training sessions on a variety of subjects, our classes joining classes from another country via ITD, possiblly even observing other teachers in real time from other countries.
I have totally enjoyed this class so far. I did not know how to use any of the tools we have worked with, some I did not even know I could use, and some I did not even know existed. Yes, some of the tasks have been challenging and I need much more time to play with each of them, but overall I have learned alot. I like being able to have the experience of each of my classmates in writing to go back to when they tell about a tool or how they accomplised something. I hope my classmates will not discard the posts they have placed on their blogs so that the resource these reflections have become will not be lost.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
podcasts and human performance technology
Again, something I knew nothing about - podcasting. Sure I know you can listen to sermons recorded and posted on websites but I guess I did not know what to call it nor did I know there was such a variety of subject matter out there to listen to. I actually subscribed to two different podcast on my rss but I had trouble finding the feed codes I needed to add it to my blog as a "gadget." How do I link my rss feeds to my blog so I do not have to go to two different places? Any way, I did get NPR Education linked to my blog so I will profile it. This podcast is on different topics in education such as "Thriving with ADHD" and they also had special podcasts highlighting the presidental candiates views on the different education topics. Podcasts would be a benefit to me but I do not think my students would sit still and listen to one of them - no visuals! Sometimes they can't even sit through an educational video.
As far as Human Performance Technology in education, this has been going on for a while particularly with the deaf and hard of hearing, the blind, and other special ed. students. There are many devices being used that "achieve, through people, increasingly successful accomplishments that are valued by all organizational stakeholders . . . ." With out some of this technology many students could not function in a regular classroom and many could not show improved performance in an EC classroom. However, everyday as I plan instruction I am considering, maybe unknowingly, I am planning improveed human performance by all the ways I try to differeniate my instruction - computers, videos, manipulatives, etc. I guess that is why Winston Salem State University calls their education department the School of Education and Human Performance. After all, at least in America, every day in every thing we do, we are looking to improve human performance.
As far as Human Performance Technology in education, this has been going on for a while particularly with the deaf and hard of hearing, the blind, and other special ed. students. There are many devices being used that "achieve, through people, increasingly successful accomplishments that are valued by all organizational stakeholders . . . ." With out some of this technology many students could not function in a regular classroom and many could not show improved performance in an EC classroom. However, everyday as I plan instruction I am considering, maybe unknowingly, I am planning improveed human performance by all the ways I try to differeniate my instruction - computers, videos, manipulatives, etc. I guess that is why Winston Salem State University calls their education department the School of Education and Human Performance. After all, at least in America, every day in every thing we do, we are looking to improve human performance.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Week 6 - Chapter 3
In my area, the Internet and the World Wide Web has made a nominal impact on K-12 education. Sure teachers use it for research more than going to the library, but as far as use in the classroom with the students, not much change. Higher education is using it for distance learning and administration, and college students rather use the web for research instead of the library even though some of the sites are not good sources for research. Adult education has probablly been impacted the most so far, particularly the military and business training. For the education areas to be impacted in a significant way, more technology classes are going to have to be taught and cover a broader area than just Micro Soft Office. Teachers can not teach their students to use the web when they themselves do not really know how to utilize it. As of right now, the Internet and the WWW is not a major influence on the way instruction is presented to learniers in K-12 education, and only in a limited way in higher education. I would like to see this change; that is one of the reasons I registered for this degree.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Photo Sharing and Chapter 2 Reflection
If I used photo sharing at school it would be only me and possibly parents or administrators doing the sharing. Pictures of field trips or projects in each stage of completion could be posted and shared with parents and the rest of the school. My first and second graders are too young for this by themselves.
The process desctibed in Chapter 2 of the Trends and Issues book follow exactly how I was taught to develop a lesson plan. What do you want to teach, what outcome do you desire, what learning styles are you addressing, what differentiation are you facing, write measureable objectives, how are you going to assess, select instructional materials, plan the lesson, evaluate the students and self reflect, revise. Nothing surprising, usefull - yes, however, very time consuming, particularly for me. I get caught up in the details.
The process desctibed in Chapter 2 of the Trends and Issues book follow exactly how I was taught to develop a lesson plan. What do you want to teach, what outcome do you desire, what learning styles are you addressing, what differentiation are you facing, write measureable objectives, how are you going to assess, select instructional materials, plan the lesson, evaluate the students and self reflect, revise. Nothing surprising, usefull - yes, however, very time consuming, particularly for me. I get caught up in the details.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
social bookmarking and definitions for ETD
I found the social bookmarking tool extremely useful. It saves me time when researching for lesson plans and activities. Although I can see where it will be important for me to use appropriate tags, tags others might use, to link my interests with others. I can see how I could also use it to help my students in research. I could bookmark sites that I find acceptable for their research which if left to them might not include scholarly articles. This will also help parents who are trying to help their children. Teachers and administrators can also share new information with each other about theory and practices, interesting articles, professonial development sites, grant opportunities, etc.
I have to admit that the reason I registered for this program was to learn about the "media . . . which can be used for instructional purposes alongside the teacher, textbook, and blackboard." That was my definition of educational technology. However, after reading the definitions in Trends and Issues, I find myself realizing "instructional technology goes beyond any particular medium or device." A device or piece of software or hardware in and of itself does not guarantee learning which is the goal of education. I should have been able to think about this more clearly after fifteen years in fast food management and employee training which include videos. Also, having just granduated with my BS in Elementary Education where I was taught about learning styles, differentiation, evaluating, reflective learning, objectives, and research. Although the definition has become more technical, at least to me, I find the two 70's definitions, "a systematic way of designing, carrying out, and evaluating the whole process of learning and teaching in terms of specific objectives, based on research on human learning and communication, and employing a combination of human and nonhuman resources to bring about more effective instruction" and "a complex, integrated process involving people, procedures, ideas, devices, and organization, for analyzing problems and devising, implementing, evaluation, and managing solutions to those problems, involved in all aspects of human learning," to be the most clearly stated and reflective of what I agree with. As a teacher, I can not just be looking for software and devices to use but must be aware of my objectives and my learners needs with the goal of facilitating learning.
I have to admit that the reason I registered for this program was to learn about the "media . . . which can be used for instructional purposes alongside the teacher, textbook, and blackboard." That was my definition of educational technology. However, after reading the definitions in Trends and Issues, I find myself realizing "instructional technology goes beyond any particular medium or device." A device or piece of software or hardware in and of itself does not guarantee learning which is the goal of education. I should have been able to think about this more clearly after fifteen years in fast food management and employee training which include videos. Also, having just granduated with my BS in Elementary Education where I was taught about learning styles, differentiation, evaluating, reflective learning, objectives, and research. Although the definition has become more technical, at least to me, I find the two 70's definitions, "a systematic way of designing, carrying out, and evaluating the whole process of learning and teaching in terms of specific objectives, based on research on human learning and communication, and employing a combination of human and nonhuman resources to bring about more effective instruction" and "a complex, integrated process involving people, procedures, ideas, devices, and organization, for analyzing problems and devising, implementing, evaluation, and managing solutions to those problems, involved in all aspects of human learning," to be the most clearly stated and reflective of what I agree with. As a teacher, I can not just be looking for software and devices to use but must be aware of my objectives and my learners needs with the goal of facilitating learning.
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