Reflections on A History of Instructional Design and Technology Parts I &II
Part I of Reiser's article did a clear job of establishing a context for me of what instructional media has tried and failed to accomplish in the field of education. I chuckled to read the boasts of Edison and the editor of the NEA, that basically proclaimed the demise or replacement of books by film and radio. Although, the editor was closer in his predictions than Edison: radio, films and television have drastically changed the daily routine of the classroom. As an English teacher and lover of books, I think that instructional medias role is to improve, augment and differentiate teaching methods but not replace texts. I am also always slightly suspicious of the next big thing phenomenon in American education. Whether discussing technology, best practice or grammar instruction, I don't see one antidote for the problems teachers and students face in the classroom.
The comparison of the success of troop training films in World War II was interesting but in my opinion not apt to the classroom. The Army Air Force and military personnel had a strong motivation to learn from any medium presented to them--to return home alive after facing a war zone. The age, maturity and patriotism of the men and women involved in the trainings also make the military a unique group, particularly at that moment in time. The role of motivation, I believe, plays a large role in the effectiveness of instructional media.
Finally, the discussion of computers in the classroom really rang true. What good is technology if you teach your class in the same tired way? A computer plugged into a wall, whether is stocked with software or not, cannot be "a catalyst of deep and radical change in the educational system'" (Reiser 9). Teachers are the essential link in making the computer an engaging method of instruction. My school district loves technology. Students have access to wireless laptops and a plethora of software but the extent the laptops, flashdrives, digital cameras, and internet subscriptions are used depends on the individual teachers. Some savvy teachers do an amazing job and some computers collect dust. I personally like technology but I am no guru and often need help. I have a science teacher friend who informally mentors me on the latest trends. This year she helped me create Reading Blogs for my students on think.com, a great educational blog site. Without peer support, I would struggle to create exciting lessons for my incredibly tech savvy students.
Part II of Reiser's article seemed to be mostly common sense. Process formative evaluation reminded me a bit of the writing process. Editing, revision and getting feedback are the most difficult and cumbersome parts of the writing process, but also the most crucial.
I also thought that the fact that our math and science programs were carelessly revised to compete with the Russians was absurd and introduces the incredible amount of politics involved in education.
I am curious about the idea of "Rapid prototyping", does this include many of the quickly designed grading programs teachers in many districts are required to use? I also am curious about the impact of such programs on grading? How does constant student access to grades change the grading scene?
Two Noteworthy and related links...
www.nytimes.com/learning/index.html
This is part of the New York Times Learning Network and often has great technology lesson plans.
www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/200
This is about increased filtering on the incredibly popular "My Space"
Part I of Reiser's article did a clear job of establishing a context for me of what instructional media has tried and failed to accomplish in the field of education. I chuckled to read the boasts of Edison and the editor of the NEA, that basically proclaimed the demise or replacement of books by film and radio. Although, the editor was closer in his predictions than Edison: radio, films and television have drastically changed the daily routine of the classroom. As an English teacher and lover of books, I think that instructional medias role is to improve, augment and differentiate teaching methods but not replace texts. I am also always slightly suspicious of the next big thing phenomenon in American education. Whether discussing technology, best practice or grammar instruction, I don't see one antidote for the problems teachers and students face in the classroom.
The comparison of the success of troop training films in World War II was interesting but in my opinion not apt to the classroom. The Army Air Force and military personnel had a strong motivation to learn from any medium presented to them--to return home alive after facing a war zone. The age, maturity and patriotism of the men and women involved in the trainings also make the military a unique group, particularly at that moment in time. The role of motivation, I believe, plays a large role in the effectiveness of instructional media.
Finally, the discussion of computers in the classroom really rang true. What good is technology if you teach your class in the same tired way? A computer plugged into a wall, whether is stocked with software or not, cannot be "a catalyst of deep and radical change in the educational system'" (Reiser 9). Teachers are the essential link in making the computer an engaging method of instruction. My school district loves technology. Students have access to wireless laptops and a plethora of software but the extent the laptops, flashdrives, digital cameras, and internet subscriptions are used depends on the individual teachers. Some savvy teachers do an amazing job and some computers collect dust. I personally like technology but I am no guru and often need help. I have a science teacher friend who informally mentors me on the latest trends. This year she helped me create Reading Blogs for my students on think.com, a great educational blog site. Without peer support, I would struggle to create exciting lessons for my incredibly tech savvy students.
Part II of Reiser's article seemed to be mostly common sense. Process formative evaluation reminded me a bit of the writing process. Editing, revision and getting feedback are the most difficult and cumbersome parts of the writing process, but also the most crucial.
I also thought that the fact that our math and science programs were carelessly revised to compete with the Russians was absurd and introduces the incredible amount of politics involved in education.
I am curious about the idea of "Rapid prototyping", does this include many of the quickly designed grading programs teachers in many districts are required to use? I also am curious about the impact of such programs on grading? How does constant student access to grades change the grading scene?
Two Noteworthy and related links...
www.nytimes.com/learning/index.html
This is part of the New York Times Learning Network and often has great technology lesson plans.
www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/200
This is about increased filtering on the incredibly popular "My Space"
posted by Mary at 6:43 AM
2 Comments:
I agree with you that technology should be used to enhance education, not replace it. My concern is in this fast paced, gotta have it now world, children are losing the desire to work for their education. Everything is presented to them quickly and in a fun/exciting presentation. Textbooks and teacher presentations cannot give that type of flashy show and I worry that some children will lose motivation if things aren't presented to them fast and flashy.
I think a lot of it is a generational thing. For instance, I've heard colleagues say "I wouldn't want to grow up in today's world, with all the hi-tech gadgets," etc. My parents used to say the same thing to me in regards to the first Nintendo and CDs (both pre-historic in today's context). And although I have zero evidence to prove this, I'm sure people said the same things 20 years ago with VCRs and 50 years ago with overhead projectors and film strips.
I don't see students ever losing their desire to learn, but you're right, they can have a tendency to lose interest. That's why a class like this is important, where will learn how to incorporate some of this technology. It needn't be flashy necessarily.... like you said, it'll just be used to enhance what we're already doing.
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