ETEC Week 1 Blog post Chapters 1 - 3

Hello, here is my first blog on Chapters 1 - 3:

     After reading the first chapter, I can say that my definition of educational technology is similar in that I would also say that technology would provide facilitation rather than the technology “controlling’ the learning that is supposed to occur. This creates a definition that identifies the necessary student accountability that needs to be present in classrooms. As well, the systematic part of the definition is a way that I would also describe my view of educational technology. It is a process that takes place over a period of time and takes many factors into consideration in order to be effective. 

The experiences that I have had regarding educational technology have helped open my eyes to the in-depth planning and systematic processes that take place prior to implementing any type of technology in a classroom.  I have experienced technology being implemented thoroughly and productively with kids learning through the use of a specific technology and yet I have seen the contrast where students have been told to use a technology (IPad) in the classroom and they did not gain any knowledge of the content supposedly “being taught” through the device. This was a sad thing to see on a regular basis but this has helped me learn what true implementation of educational technology should be. As well, with anything in life, I have used my own experiences as a student to help me learn what can be a productive design and what isn’t effective for learners.

After reading and realizing that instructional technology has evolved greatly over the last fifty years, I can conclude that, as our technology slowly continues to evolve even more, my own view of technology design and implementation will evolve along with it. So far, I have noticed that as I learn more about the ways to utilize various techniques and methods into my classroom, I can also keep some of my more traditional educational roots mixed in with the new and hopefully provide my students with a well-rounded experience of a technologically integrated classroom.

One lesson that I developed had my students completing a book project that had a written, a visual, and a technology piece included. After reading a novel, the students were to create each of the written and visual parts on paper and then submit them to Google Classroom for feedback from their peers. The third component had the student choose to either create and video a skit of their favorite scene, create a symbolic image collage of at least 8 images relating to the themes in the novel, or create a video of them reciting an original poem about the book or a theme in the book.

This lesson adhered to the following characteristics (5/6): 

1.    Student centered: Yes, all parts of the unit were student-centered.

2.    Goal Oriented: Yes, I will be able to assess if students understood the novel and practiced thorough reading skills.

3.    Meaningful performance: Yes, students are learning various skills through the process of the project completion.

4.    Outcomes can be measured: Yes, I was able to document which students created a low or high level project.

5.    ID is Empirical, Iterative, Self-correcting: Partially, the students would submit their information and I was able to collect the information on who completed what and when they completed it.

6.    ID is typically a team effort: No, this unit was not designed with a team.

I certainly could have designed the project with a team and the extra input could have helped to create a more in depth and thorough unit. 

Reiser decides to exclude teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks from the definition of instructional media, it seems, because he feels that since these would be considered the basis for instruction in schools as we knew them in history, then there would need to be a dividing line to what is going to be considered as the “new” within educational technology. I feel that teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks are not instructional media, per se, but simply instructional tools that have been used since day one. The purpose of instructional design is certainly meant to include some type of media into the lesson, otherwise, the whole concept of instructional design/media would be null if there wasn’t something to distinguish it from the old school days of instruction. Our world, along with our educational system, business systems, etc. are moving quickly into a media filled world that will eventually create its own place in history, just as us teachers, chalkboards, and textbooks have already done.