Links
Archives
Journal Entries and Reflections for R311
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Response to Reading 8
One point that comes to mind when reading this article is that one of the headings talks about Instructor-Independent Instruction. Under this heading how effective media can be used in formal education is discussed. The article claims that the “use of self-instructional materials allows teachers to spend more of their time diagnosing and correcting student problems.” However, the article does not delve into further detail about what exactly those student problems could be. Are they specifically related to the material or are they somehow related to the technology? Each learner has different experience with technology, and I would be interested in knowing how the article would address the question of students having an issue strictly with the technology used. This could result in having a negative effect on the learning process and possibly cause students to have a negative attitude toward technology itself. What if, then, similar technologies were utilized in other classes and those students come into the class already with a defeated attitude?
On the other hand, one of the most effective techniques of teaching that I thought the article addressed was the problem solving technique. I especially enjoyed the situation where a group of students was given the “ebola problem.” I realize that the various techniques cater their strengths to various types of learning, but I still lean toward the fact that this specific technique is one of the most powerful regardless of content of material. Problem solving is most powerful simply because it is so engaging. It has the students up out of their seats and “experiencing” a real-life situation.
One issue I found rather intriguing that relates to all these instruction-learning techniques is that the article emphasized the instructor finding out “if the instructional method matches the learner’s background only by analyzing learner response.” I found it odd that for as much importance the article places on feedback, it does not give clear, detailed suggestions as to how to obtain such useful feedback. This could be addressed sometime earlier or later in the work and we do not have that information in our reading; but, if the issue is not addressed, the article definitely loses some of its practical use.
One point that comes to mind when reading this article is that one of the headings talks about Instructor-Independent Instruction. Under this heading how effective media can be used in formal education is discussed. The article claims that the “use of self-instructional materials allows teachers to spend more of their time diagnosing and correcting student problems.” However, the article does not delve into further detail about what exactly those student problems could be. Are they specifically related to the material or are they somehow related to the technology? Each learner has different experience with technology, and I would be interested in knowing how the article would address the question of students having an issue strictly with the technology used. This could result in having a negative effect on the learning process and possibly cause students to have a negative attitude toward technology itself. What if, then, similar technologies were utilized in other classes and those students come into the class already with a defeated attitude?
On the other hand, one of the most effective techniques of teaching that I thought the article addressed was the problem solving technique. I especially enjoyed the situation where a group of students was given the “ebola problem.” I realize that the various techniques cater their strengths to various types of learning, but I still lean toward the fact that this specific technique is one of the most powerful regardless of content of material. Problem solving is most powerful simply because it is so engaging. It has the students up out of their seats and “experiencing” a real-life situation.
One issue I found rather intriguing that relates to all these instruction-learning techniques is that the article emphasized the instructor finding out “if the instructional method matches the learner’s background only by analyzing learner response.” I found it odd that for as much importance the article places on feedback, it does not give clear, detailed suggestions as to how to obtain such useful feedback. This could be addressed sometime earlier or later in the work and we do not have that information in our reading; but, if the issue is not addressed, the article definitely loses some of its practical use.
Preconceived Notion of IST
My view of what IST was before taking this class would have to be somewhere in-between the narrow systems view and the instructional systems design view. Being an Informatics major and having a pretty solid foundation of what IT is already helped me to bypass some of the more narrow preconceptions about IST. I would even go so far as to say I had a pretty good idea of the instructional systems design view in the back of my head when it came to IST, however, I definitely did not know such terminology as diffusion. That is, I realized how important relationship building was in the process, but did not exactly know how to define or label it in the IST process. After reading this article, I believe I have a solid hold on what the IST design process entails and I am getting even more eager to try it out.
My view of what IST was before taking this class would have to be somewhere in-between the narrow systems view and the instructional systems design view. Being an Informatics major and having a pretty solid foundation of what IT is already helped me to bypass some of the more narrow preconceptions about IST. I would even go so far as to say I had a pretty good idea of the instructional systems design view in the back of my head when it came to IST, however, I definitely did not know such terminology as diffusion. That is, I realized how important relationship building was in the process, but did not exactly know how to define or label it in the IST process. After reading this article, I believe I have a solid hold on what the IST design process entails and I am getting even more eager to try it out.
Thursday, September 04, 2003
Information vs. Instruction
"By its basic definition, information is the collection of knowledge such as facts, data, processes, figures, case studies, and best practices." Though these building blocks of instruction are vital, by themselves they are not enough to produce a valuable learning experience. Just as knowledgeable architects and construction workers are necessary to utilize bricks and morter to construct a building, a knowledgeable instructional designer utilizes information to construct a valuable training session.
Instruction then, is "a process that uses information to expand the learner's ability to perform." That is, information is the tool by which instruction can create a learning change. In addition to information, one must have the right team, well- defined processes, and various technologies to make this change possible. Though common practices that can decrease development time exist, every project is different and must be looked at as such, but one thing remains constant-"information informs, instruction changes."
"By its basic definition, information is the collection of knowledge such as facts, data, processes, figures, case studies, and best practices." Though these building blocks of instruction are vital, by themselves they are not enough to produce a valuable learning experience. Just as knowledgeable architects and construction workers are necessary to utilize bricks and morter to construct a building, a knowledgeable instructional designer utilizes information to construct a valuable training session.
Instruction then, is "a process that uses information to expand the learner's ability to perform." That is, information is the tool by which instruction can create a learning change. In addition to information, one must have the right team, well- defined processes, and various technologies to make this change possible. Though common practices that can decrease development time exist, every project is different and must be looked at as such, but one thing remains constant-"information informs, instruction changes."
