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Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Dale's Cone of Experience - Reading 12
According to the article, the various stages of Dale’s Cone of Experience are more or less appropriate to each project on an individual basis. That is, in the case of the preschool-aged children, it would probably be more appropriate to use a one of the elements in which the pupil is an active participant. The children are more likely to remember the steps of the p.b.j. process if they perform them rather than read them.
For our example, direct participation might not be the most appropriate. In fact, if we are trying to instruct someone on a subject in which they are unfamiliar while they are trying to drive an automobile, it could be dangerous. This is why first we could utilize still pictures and recordings. We could assure that all international students are on the same level of understanding about basic definitions, such as what an intercom/speaker at a drive-thru may look like. The second useful element of this stage would be audio recordings. Possibly one of the most difficult concepts for our process is interacting with the teller through the intercom/speaker-perhaps because the teller is not visible, or that one need not press a button to speak. It may be the most difficult step simply because the quality of sound on most intercom/speaker drive-thru systems is poor. Though the recordings would not be able to fix this problem of poor sound quality, it would help the student realize what he or she will be confronted with. The first step of good instruction is to try to prevent problems; the second would be to prepare your pupils with the knowledge of how to deal with problems that could arise.
The second type of experience we could utilize for our pupils could be motion pictures. After we break down the individual elements necessary for all drive-thrus(intercom/speaker, automobile, window, menu, etc.) with still pictures, it would help the pupil perceive the flow in which the whole drive-thru ordering process is completed. It would further instill the basic concepts from the audio and visual aides in the pupils head while seeing each basic concept’s role in the grand process.
The third and final stage that would be most useful from the cone would probably be a field trip. Once we have familiarized the pupil enough with the process, we could combine two stages of the cone into one-the field trip and the direct, purposeful experience. I would suggest that first the student watch how I go through the process, then I would take the student through another drive-thru and have them go through the process with me in the car. In future trials, I would not be in the automobile, but it might be helpful to have a small, concise reference card in the automobile. Even though the pupil might not need it, it could make him or her more comfortable and increase his or her confidence if there is a fall back. Eventually, the student would outgrow the needed security and would be able to complete the process without any assistance at all.
According to the article, the various stages of Dale’s Cone of Experience are more or less appropriate to each project on an individual basis. That is, in the case of the preschool-aged children, it would probably be more appropriate to use a one of the elements in which the pupil is an active participant. The children are more likely to remember the steps of the p.b.j. process if they perform them rather than read them.
For our example, direct participation might not be the most appropriate. In fact, if we are trying to instruct someone on a subject in which they are unfamiliar while they are trying to drive an automobile, it could be dangerous. This is why first we could utilize still pictures and recordings. We could assure that all international students are on the same level of understanding about basic definitions, such as what an intercom/speaker at a drive-thru may look like. The second useful element of this stage would be audio recordings. Possibly one of the most difficult concepts for our process is interacting with the teller through the intercom/speaker-perhaps because the teller is not visible, or that one need not press a button to speak. It may be the most difficult step simply because the quality of sound on most intercom/speaker drive-thru systems is poor. Though the recordings would not be able to fix this problem of poor sound quality, it would help the student realize what he or she will be confronted with. The first step of good instruction is to try to prevent problems; the second would be to prepare your pupils with the knowledge of how to deal with problems that could arise.
The second type of experience we could utilize for our pupils could be motion pictures. After we break down the individual elements necessary for all drive-thrus(intercom/speaker, automobile, window, menu, etc.) with still pictures, it would help the pupil perceive the flow in which the whole drive-thru ordering process is completed. It would further instill the basic concepts from the audio and visual aides in the pupils head while seeing each basic concept’s role in the grand process.
The third and final stage that would be most useful from the cone would probably be a field trip. Once we have familiarized the pupil enough with the process, we could combine two stages of the cone into one-the field trip and the direct, purposeful experience. I would suggest that first the student watch how I go through the process, then I would take the student through another drive-thru and have them go through the process with me in the car. In future trials, I would not be in the automobile, but it might be helpful to have a small, concise reference card in the automobile. Even though the pupil might not need it, it could make him or her more comfortable and increase his or her confidence if there is a fall back. Eventually, the student would outgrow the needed security and would be able to complete the process without any assistance at all.
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
My future in ISTblog entry for Reading 11
Strictly based on the list of options in the given article, Employment profiles and compensation for educational technologists, I would have to say that the IST positions I would most likely end up in would be Instructional Technology Specialist or Curriculum/Instructional Developer. It is a little difficult to choose from this list based on the job titles, because the job titles themselves are relatively vague. However, I am not an education or telecommunications major, therefore, I could eliminate a few of the titles right away. What I am left with, it seems, are the titles that deal specifically with instruction and information.
When considering my professional career, I always see myself in terms of where I want to be in the future, not necessarily exactly what I want to be doing. I know that I do not want to have a “desk job,” because mobility is very important to me. After I finish at IU, I will be going abroad on some sort of technical internship. I must complete an internship in accordance with the school of informatics graduation requirements. I chose to complete mine abroad because I am with an international organization, AIESEC, whose mission is fulfilled through the internships it provides.
After graduation, I will most likely be working for a company as some sort of instructional trainer or consultant. To be honest, I haven’t put very much thought into what I would actually be doing in my professional career. This is a combination of two main reasons-as I mention before, I always see myself in terms of where I want to be, not necessarily what I want to do, and my field has not existed for very long. For example, if an individual majored in biology, he or she would know that a biologist is the next logical step, or possibly some sort of teaching position in which he or she would teach biology. Computer science majors know they will be dealing with programming and scripting, regardless of what job title they possess. There are an endless number of studies that show certain majors feeding into certain careers. Informatics, being a relatively new concept compared with these fields, however, is not one of them.
In the following years after graduation I am willing to sacrifice job satisfaction in order to work with a company that will provide a larger salary. One alternative to this would be if I found a company that allowed or forced me to travel as part of my job responsibilities. This is so I can save up enough money in a fewer number of years. I will eventually be using this nest egg to travel to the places I want to see before I “get too old.” That is, before I start to become too tied down in any one place. Though it is not inevitable that people eventually settle down, it is the natural evolution of people to settle down and acquire more responsibility as they grow older.
After traveling on my own, I will start to look for a position with a company in which there will be opportunity to grow-for the company, as well as my position in the company. Always in consideration, also, is the opportunity to travel within my job even after my own travel adventures. This opinion could change, however, once I am older.
Strictly based on the list of options in the given article, Employment profiles and compensation for educational technologists, I would have to say that the IST positions I would most likely end up in would be Instructional Technology Specialist or Curriculum/Instructional Developer. It is a little difficult to choose from this list based on the job titles, because the job titles themselves are relatively vague. However, I am not an education or telecommunications major, therefore, I could eliminate a few of the titles right away. What I am left with, it seems, are the titles that deal specifically with instruction and information.
When considering my professional career, I always see myself in terms of where I want to be in the future, not necessarily exactly what I want to be doing. I know that I do not want to have a “desk job,” because mobility is very important to me. After I finish at IU, I will be going abroad on some sort of technical internship. I must complete an internship in accordance with the school of informatics graduation requirements. I chose to complete mine abroad because I am with an international organization, AIESEC, whose mission is fulfilled through the internships it provides.
After graduation, I will most likely be working for a company as some sort of instructional trainer or consultant. To be honest, I haven’t put very much thought into what I would actually be doing in my professional career. This is a combination of two main reasons-as I mention before, I always see myself in terms of where I want to be, not necessarily what I want to do, and my field has not existed for very long. For example, if an individual majored in biology, he or she would know that a biologist is the next logical step, or possibly some sort of teaching position in which he or she would teach biology. Computer science majors know they will be dealing with programming and scripting, regardless of what job title they possess. There are an endless number of studies that show certain majors feeding into certain careers. Informatics, being a relatively new concept compared with these fields, however, is not one of them.
In the following years after graduation I am willing to sacrifice job satisfaction in order to work with a company that will provide a larger salary. One alternative to this would be if I found a company that allowed or forced me to travel as part of my job responsibilities. This is so I can save up enough money in a fewer number of years. I will eventually be using this nest egg to travel to the places I want to see before I “get too old.” That is, before I start to become too tied down in any one place. Though it is not inevitable that people eventually settle down, it is the natural evolution of people to settle down and acquire more responsibility as they grow older.
After traveling on my own, I will start to look for a position with a company in which there will be opportunity to grow-for the company, as well as my position in the company. Always in consideration, also, is the opportunity to travel within my job even after my own travel adventures. This opinion could change, however, once I am older.
