Week 9: Google Maps

The lesson I have in mind would be for an Art Appreciation class. I have chosen famous artists from around the world. I have pinpointed them on the map according to their native country and included information on each artist. On the Picasso one, I was also able to embedd a famous painting that he drew. I would continue and embed pictures for each artist along with their biographical information. I would hope that seeing a famous drawing along with a description and also seeing where in the world they are from would be an interesting art appreciation lesson.


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Reflections on Chapter 21: Trends and Issues in P-12 Educational Change

The first issue that particularly hit home with me was when the chapter talked about creating strategic alignment. One of the three things that strategic alignment accomplishes is it ensures that everyone is working toward the same goals and vision for the district. Secondly it “weaves a web of accountabilities that makes everyone who touches the educational experience of a child accountable for their own part in shaping that experience”. Thirdly, “it forms a social architecture that is free of bureaucratic hassles, dysfunctional policies, and obstructionist procedures that limit individual and team effectiveness”. Not only would school districts benefit from such a strategic alignment, Universities need to have the same goals and vision for its institution. Everyone from the superintendent (or president of a University) to the maintenance staff need to be accountable to every child they encounter in a learning environment. Everyone needs to have the same vision and be responsible to carry out that vision as part of their job description. If you’re not on board with the goals and vision of the district then you need to check out. If a person’s goals don’t align with the goals and vision of the district in which they are employed, then there is going to be hassles and dysfunction going on within the institution. It is not pleasant to work in an environment that is filled with dysfunctional policies and obstacles. Once strategic alignment is achieved evaluation must take place to measure everyone’s effort to educate children. It takes a strong and dedicated leader to sustain improvement and continuously manage the performance of the school district. I wholeheartedly agree with the statement that “achieving high performance is a lifelong journey for a school district.”
Another important issue in transformation would be involving the community. When the Decatur Township initiated a systemic change in their district one of its first steps was to involve as many stakeholders as possible. The widely held publicized meetings were to get as many students and community members on board with the change. Systemic transformation can also be very expensive and the district may have to seek financial support from outside sources. Once funded, it will still need a permanent budget in order to sustain the transformational process. In today’s economy and with so many school districts’ losing enrollment and therefore losing funding, systemic reform will just not take place….maybe piecemeal isn’t effective, but it may be the only affordable alternative available.

Week 8: Chapter 18 Reflection

I found it interesting that the nature of instructional design practice in business today included work environment. I never thought of the two (instructional design & work environment) going together until I read this chapter. Of all the different careers I have held and in my current position, I consider the work environment to be an important element to my success. I would not thrive in a position where I would have to be a "sole designer" and have the success or failure of the project all on my shoulders. I much prefer a team approach. I find myself leading on some projects, but I need my team members to work along with me for efficiency and success. All members bring something unique to the table and I value a team approach all the way.

Legal issues are something I think about daily in my current position, more so than any other job. In higher ed we are constantly being reviewed and updated about FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) rules. FERPA governs and protects students' rights to their individual education records. I am sure the training I have received and the written information and updates I receive almost weekly are something the Instructional Designers took very seriously and I bet the university employed consultants when designing, producing, analysing, and evaluating FERPA training sessions. What happens if we don't comply to FERPA? LAWSUITS--that cost money and time.

Chapter 18 states that over 70% of training in the US is still delivered classroom style, with nearly 20% of the training delivered via the computer (Industry Report 1999). Since that time I would guess that percentage is much higher. I am sure the author is correct in stating that on line delivery is likely to mushroom--it has tremendously in just the last 4 years. If one just goggles the words "on line training development" you will see an endless list (page after page) of websites that offer just about everything a business would need/want for technology-based training. Another thing I noticed when I went to a couple of these websites is that the designers have built in assessment and evaluation, proven effectiveness and continuous updates to keep pace with changes in the way people learn. It's the only way for business and industry to keep up with the trends and globalization of today's world.

My EDT 5410 Experience

On October 1-4 I went to a NACADA Convention in Chicago and I headed to all the "technology-related" sessions I could!! Over and over I thanked and blessed this class I was taking. Almost every session I attended they asked the audience to raise their hands if they had ever utilized wiki's, blogs, pod casts, social bookmarks, facebook, etc., and also asked if we knew how powerful Web 2.0 was. Not that many hands went up in the air. As I reflect over the last 8 weeks, I feel awesome about what I have already learned and the idea's I hope to incorporate into my profession. I have more vision's of creating pod casts for our students, having a facebook account for advising purposes, sharing bookmarks with my co workers, starting a freshmen blog. I would never be thinking and incorporating these awesome tools into my professional life if I wouldn't of enrolled for this course. The hands on learning is fun (scary at first) but a definite confidence builder as we continue to grow.

Week 7

The podcast I selected is one created by WMU's Arts and Sciences Department. This podcast is for college freshman who need to understand general education requirements. Every University has a general education curriculum and students will not graduate without fulfilling them. This would be an effective podcast during freshman orientation. The Arts and Sciences Advising Office has this podcast and other's available on their website. Students are usually confused on the rules of general education requirements. This podcast explains it very well and students will be more apt to watch this on their ipod then to sit and listen to a person. Students can download this podcast and when they need the information, it will be at their fingertips and in the most updated version. This would also be helpful to helicopter parents that want to follow their college student's education and help them pick out their general education courses (and this does happen).





Reflections for Week 7 (chapter 14)

Ideas from Chapter 14 that apply to my job as an academic advisor are:
Vision--to achieve through people successful accomplishments that are cost effective and efficient. We guide the students through the degrees offered.

Mission--To be recognized as a leader in high quality business education that meets the technological, innovative and ethical challenges of the global environment.

Desired end--to see our students graduate with a 4 year degree and have a fulfilling career and life.

The idea of being a lifelong learner really applied. I agree that life long learning is a necessity for both worker and organizational survival. With instructional technology we all learn more effectively and efficiently in today's workplace.

I also believe in incentives (monetary and non-monetary) along with career development opportunities to improve human performance. The human resources (HR) department is one of the most important departments in an organization. The field of HR has grown in recent years. I have seen the Human Resources Major in the College of Business become more popular and more and more students are going into the field. Many students who go into HR also earn psychology minors or double major in both. People's behaviors at work effect the work environment and it is important to understand how and why people react the way they do.

Not only does the USA want to achieve workplace success, many other countries also are looking for ways to achieve a happy and efficient place of employment.














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Week 6: Static Image

My kids: Brittany, Brooke and Forest at the Paragon in Martinsville, LA summer 2008. Awesome place to stay!

Week 6: A History of Instructional Design and Technology (Chapter 3)

I read chapter 3 first and then found this YouTube clip. The clip actually sums up the reading, but with better visuals and much better audio.

Week 6 Application Question 1a.

I believe that the Internet and Web has had and will continue to have a major impact in higher education.

Students attending college these days are using some sort of technology. They are plugged into an iPod, hooked up to a laptop, surfing the internet on an iPhone or text messaging on a cell phone. As an advisor in higher education I need to utilize this technology when communicating with the students or I’ll never reach them. It’s been reported that students will check their Facebook account numerous times per day and go several days or even weeks without checking their email account. We have come a long way in just the last 4 years.

Our Millennial-generation students use Facebook, Instant Messaging, YouTube, Podcasts, Blackboard, blogs, wikis, social bookmarking etc., the list goes on with the popular Web 2.0 applications in higher education. I believe all these applications have had a major impact in higher ed. In my career as an advisor for college students it is a must to learn strategies on how to blend traditional advising with collaborative, online tools--that is how I am going to reach many of these students. Podcasts are an innovative way of disseminating information and many universities use podcasts as an efficient and effective way to get the information in the hands of both current and prospective students.

The use of all this technology does impact higher education in a positive and efficient way. With more and more on-line courses being developed, it is possible to get a degree from home. I am so thankful I decided to take this class because it has taught me so much in such a short period of time. Most definitely the Internet and the Web has impacted higher education.

I was born and raised in Bismarck, North Dakota. I remember growing up and Interstate 94 was out my back yard. My older brother would jump the fence and hitch a ride to Valley City where he attended college (about 150 miles away). Google map is another cool tool I enjoyed learning.



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