Week 5
New Directions & Current Issues
Wilgus Burton
June 2013
1. Section VIII addresses new directions and emerging technologies for IDT. Select three of the following and reflect on how you might apply them in your current or future position in the IDT field:
distributed or e-learning environments
reusable design or learning objects
networks or Web 2.0 technologies
rich media
digital games or simulations
virtual worlds
What learning goals or objectives could the technologies you selected help learners foster? Could the technology facilitate attainment of that learning goal better than traditional instruction? Why or why not?
Response:
Distributed or e-learning environments:
In general, e-learning has evolved from just using technology to involving the scientific knowledge and fields of psychology, learning, and methods of education. No longer are we just "toy doctors".
Yes, I am just as guilty as most starting in the ID field of using technology just as an aid. Powerpoints, videos, and use of the "sage on the stage" mentality. But as my advancement through this field of ID continues, I'm finding that there's more to learning than just talking, or rather, show and tell.
In our school, we are currently working on a "student-learner" concept where the student is supposed to actually do the learning rather that the teacher being the source of all information. This is actually a little more difficult in my present classroom situation. I teach my classes in a Planetarium theater where students/public enter a room, sit, and see stars and learn about the Universe. No desks, high backed tilted seats, and slightly subdued lighting. Even I admit it's not really an ideal situation for the learning process. There is more to teaching about the Universe than looking at the stars. Yes, that includes math <gasp!>.
So, what about YouTube? Well, some of the videos are, indeed, simple lectures in the classroom, some are workshops and talks from Universities, and some are videos from reputable stations like PBS, National Geographic, etc. Copyright problems? Recently, our district has ok'd the use of YouTube. But, there are restrictions to what can be seen, and it's true that some videos on YouTube are pseudoscience or worse. Here, I have to make the decision what to use - mostly partial clips from reputable videos.
There is an alternative to YouTube that can be used for the partial e-learning concept. Our school district has use of the website Safari Montage ( https://www.safarimontage.com ) where we can find appropriate video clips or older full-length videos from PBS and Discovery and National Geographic. With Safari Montage, we can pick and choose to add items and be able to place use of those clips and videos on our lesson plans. It's a great site!
E-learning is a concept that has its advantages. There are lots of information to choose from, but, some of that information is dreary, and questionable. The classroom teacher has to use common sense before resorting to the E-Learning as a full-time tool. I wouldn't recommend it.
Networks or Web 2.0 technologies:
Our school district is fully networked. Not just email, but the use of a unique program located at our high school; we have a TV magnet program. There is a complete TV station at Lakeview Centennial HS with a program that allows students to all aspects of video production - hardware and software, interviews, public events, and school-wide announcements. We have the capability of having a district-wide and cable access to events, announcements, educational programming, and introducing new administrators to the entire district. Until the facilities were built 5 years ago, I had the most expensive room in the building - the Planetarium.
The current "buzz-word" amongst teachers at Lakeview Centennial HS is Web 2.0. We have some teachers that wonder where Web 1.0 is. There are reluctant teachers afraid to use the newest technology and concepts associated with learning with the technology. As an "elder" teacher (I'm nearly twice the age of some of the newer teachers) I embrace the newer concepts and technologies.
A few years ago, I was introducing my Planetarium to a group of new teachers, when one of them asked me if I had taught at a small private school. I said, yes, that was until 1992. The teacher then told me his name in front of the group (including a Principal); it turned out to be one of my Math and Science students from long ago. I really felt proud and, of course, old. That student that I had taught Math and Science for 4 years, had become a teacher (English - but I didn't hold that against him!) I feel that I actually made a difference. Imagine how proud I was - and this was at a time prior to PCs as being a part of the school systems. All we had were 16 mm film and projectors, slides, and records. The internet had not yet been publicly available. I consider that to be Web 1.0.
As a science teacher, in the classroom, I have many decisions to make about which technologies I can use with what I have available. Yes, I have computers for productions and presentations, video projectors for powerpoints and videos and conference viewing. I do not yet have the capability for using complete video-conferencing. It would be great for my students be able to talk with the Astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Or to have lessons with a professional Astronomer or Volcanologist.
One of the newer technologies is associated with the tablets and cell phones (smart phones). It's the use of applications, or apps. I found this neat graphic of the types of apps that can be used according to the SAMR Method:
"The Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition Model offers a method of seeing how computer technology might impact teaching and learning. It also shows a progression that adopters of educational technology often follow as they progress through teaching and learning with technology". https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model and http://www.hippasus.com/ . I wonder how many of my students are familiar with or actually use some of these applications?
Of course, one of the Web 2.0 tools that are available for us to use is exactly with we are using right now - blogs. Creating a blog turned out to be relatively easy, once I got the technical difficulties out of the way. Use of a classroom blog is starting to make sense to me. Students, after setting up a bit of security to the blog, can log on to the class blog and review information I used for class. If a student has missed a day, this would be a great way for them to get caught up! And, it would be a great way for students to ask questions if they are confuse on a topic and not take away from class time. That's a path I need to get approved so that the students will be able to get to the site without it being blocked.
The use of our school network, and many of the Web 2.0 (and Web 1.0) tools are making our job a little easier at time. Over time, the tools should be making our jobs a lot easier and more fulfilling.
Digital games or simulations:
As a teacher of Seniors, I don't really use a lot of digital games, except or an occasional use of a Jeopardy-type of powerpoint. But, I have used simulations a lot with my students.
A simulation is a way to visually show information about a particular topic that aids students that learn "better" through graphics and other visual cues. A simulation can be one of showing how clouds are formed, or how the Solar System was born and how it works today.
I have 3 programs that are the most useful to me. The first is called "Starry Night" from Simulation Curriculum. http://store.simulationcurriculum.com/collections/software .
This site has all three programs that I use extensively. These are simulation programs that are extremely well organized and useful.
Starry Night is, of course, about Astronomy. It is what's known as a Planetarium simulation. With my theater (classroom) and it's 30-year old equipment, I can still show the night sky the way they can be seen from your back yard or the parking lot at the Mall. However, the system I have is also known as an analog system. No digital components at all except for the programmed shows with slides and audio. I had to do all the programming line-by-line similar to DOS with a touch of Windows buttons added.
The Starry Night program allows me to add to the analog system a digital portion that I am not able to show any other way. Imagine flying out to Jupiter or through a galaxy with the Starry Night program. It can be done! This simulation program is a fantastic tool for teaching the Astronomy and Earth & Space Sciences classes. One drawback is that this program is extensive and therefore expensive.
Also, the company has now made two new software programs geared towards the Earth Sciences. I can still use Starry Night, but now, I can show accurate, detailed simulations for the Earth Sciences. The software programs are: "The Layered Earth Geology" and "The Layered Earth Meteorology". These simulations show what happens to causes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, thunder storms, types of clouds, and the physics of both the Earth and sky.
There are two other Planetarium simulation programs that are free and to a very nice job of showing some of the physics of the Universe - It's great for those on a limited budget and knowledge of the Universe. One is called Stellarium http://stellarium.org/ and the other is Celestia http://shatters.net/celestia/ . Both are free "open source" Planetarium Simulation software. And, they allow programmers to add their own pieces to the software. And, they both have Educational Resources and additional simulations that are free as well. I happen to know one of the co-producers of Stellarium from the company Digitalis
http://www.digitaliseducation.com/index.html that produces portable planetariums. One of the producers is bringing the technology and supporting hardware to an impoverished country in Africa to enhance their educational system. This includes facilities, electric and other aspects of a school that can be introduced.
Simulation software is advancing rapidly. Within the field of Physics, Astronomy, and other subjects, there are simulation programs that show information and techniques if there is no way for a "hands-on" approach to the learning process. I am very grateful to be in the field I am in and to be able to change the way I teach my students. It is an exciting time to be a Teacher and an Instructional Designer (to be).
2. Section IX focuses on issues related to instructional design, rather than new technologies: professional ethics, diversity and accessibility, the nature of design, and providing instructional guidance. For each of the technologies you selected above, discuss what ethical issues using the technology might present. Does the technology enhance accessibility and accommodate diverse learning needs? How and/or can you design instruction using that technology? How much guidance would instruction with that technology require? What kinds of guidance would be necessary?
Response:
What started out in 1923 as National Education Association’s Department of Visual Instruction developed into an international system to monitor the ethics and improving learning through the use of media and technology. Today, it is called Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) http://aect.site-ym.com/ .
Of their Code of Ethics, there are 3 sections and their categories:
Section 1: Commitment to the Individual
- Diversity
- Technology and Resources
- Personal rights
Section 2: Commitment to Society
- Representation
- Personal Gain
- Professional Service
Section 3: Commitment to the Profession
- Professional Interactions
- Research and Dissemination
- Responsibilities related to Copyright
Distributed or E-Learning Environments:
Ethical issues that may be associated with this realm of technologies starts off with one big concern - Copyright Infringement.
I love photography and documentary videos of all subjects. Fortunately, most of the images I download and use are from NASA related sites that I can use freely for use in my various subject topics. I have written, by email, or phoned to other persons or companies to have the right to use their pictures in my classes. All have said yes - especially to educators. Other images I like, I download for my own personal use as small slideshows for myself. Not for use any other way. Occasionally, I use graphics that are available for use in classes, such as ones that I have used in this course.
Video use is another problem area. The phrase "fair use" is used a lot at my location and that is a small source of contention amongst teachers, librarians, and IT personnel. From Safari Montage, we can use small video clips to help explain or expand upon a topic. As far as full videos, we are not supposed to be using them without permission of the producers, etc. Thus the FBI warnings.
Pirating music or videos for public or financial use is definitely out of bounds. I don't go there. If I want to see a video for home, I can outright purchase the video and see it at home. I don't even, nor am I allowed, to show a "movie" in my classroom.
With all its potential (and problems), e-learning can be a genuine tool to utilize within the classroom. E-learning can be a very useful too for an extremely diverse setting. Conferencing with a person on societal events and news, discussions with professionals, and district-wide conferences can reach a large diverse population.
The use of videos or video clips from websites like Safari Montage reaches a large classroom with a diverse set of students. It can be a boom to the learning process, but it can also be a burden to a teacher. What if a chosen conference setup or video is not sensitive to one ethnic group, but ok with others? As an ID person, I need to be aware of the type of audience that is present. The same concept has been mentioned about an ID person having to be careful with training within a corporation; setting up training sessions relating to a particular language or ethnic group and not reaching everyone is a problem that may not be easy to rectify.
Designing instruction with e-learning is a matter of caution with both the Instructional Designer and the teacher. So much of the e-learning concept has been misused and overly used as a substitute for the teacher. This is where the lesson plans have to be specific about what is used and how. Unless there is something unusual happening that was not planned, but is of significance to the topic, there should be enough wiggle-room in the planning that can accommodate the sudden use of an aspect of e-learning. This, of course, has to mean that the individual teacher has both access to the technology and has been trained on its use.
It makes sense to me that with the new technologies that become available that all teachers need to be trained on all aspects of both the hardware and software. This responsibility falls to both the ID and the Administration. Within our school district, each school has their own "Master Trainers". It is their job (volunteer) to be trained on the software that is used by the district. If necessary, the Master Trainers can guide the teacher on the use of the hardware itself, but that task is for the IT department. If there is a technical problem with the equipment, the IT department is responsible for fixing the problem - work orders, new equipment, etc. The bottom line is that someone is training someone else. It must work for teachers to be successful in their job.
WEB 2.0:
Web 2.0 seems to have become a panacea for some teachers. A band-aide to fix all ills. To others, it has become a beacon of possibilities. In on sense, it can free up the teacher to be able to help the students that don't have access to all that the Web 2.0 has to offer, or it can aid in making the concepts easier to learn and visualize in a way that cannot be done with a chalkboard.
There is a risk with Web 2.0, and it also has to deal with copyright issues. What if someone creates their own website that has exactly the same content, links, and graphics as someone else but claims it as their own? This is a concern that bothers a lot of both teachers and ID. Giving credit or getting permission (better) to use the parts is what's necessary to remove all doubt. I know this is a massive generalization, but that concern would make me cringe.
The same problem would be with the applications that are becoming so abundant. Challenges to ownership of the app is something the legal system has to be a part of, as well.
What about reaching a diverse group of people/students? Yes, the new applications can be ethnic specific, but most are made "for all". But language problems can exist here as well. What app works in, let's say, Germany, may not be usable for someone here in the US - unless they speak German. That can become an issue within the classroom. With this issue, teachers need to know how to, or who to, go to go to for help in that situation. An ID person may not be the right person to help this situation. But, if the ID is working to reach a large diverse group of people, they have to be able to find that compromise that will satisfy everyone (difficult to do at times).
That scenario would be an ideal situation for the ID to go outside their realm and get an outside source (consultant) for help. Together, they should be able to train the teacher (s) in a way that would ease the angst the teacher would have for that situation. And from their, the teacher can teach others with that same method to solve similar problems. Within a school system, I think that the idea of the ID being the only trainer, would not, or should not, be the only solution.
Digital Games and Simulations:
Digital Games and Simulations also have the copyright problem.
How to prevent pirating. For simulations, a single person may have a license to use that software on one computer or a number of computers (2 or 3). And some software distributors allow for the creation of a back-up copy for the purchaser. However, it is not for the purchaser to give their copy away or to sell a copy too someone else. If that piece of software gets passed around and each person has the same "key", there may be some problems with registering and using that piece of software.
Most school districts purchase software licenses for digital games or simulations based upon the courses and/or textbooks used. This does require a lot of money. In my case, I purchased my own copy of Starry Night and with a verbal agreement from the company during training, I can install it on any of my computers I use frequently. That, however, does not allow me go get the software installed on the school servers to be used by everyone in the school. With the other two simulation programs I have, the Science department purchased them with the same stipulations. Unless the school or district purchases the licenses to those simulation programs, they an only be used within one setting.
Now, with the two open sourced simulation software, Stellarium and Celestia, that I mentioned earlier, they can be used within an educational setting. My plans for the next school year is to get one of them and their educational resources installed on the school servers so that all my students can access the activities within a lab room setting. It also becomes available to other teacher's as well.
Once again, lesson plans need to show that the software will be used at "the given lesson times" and that the teacher has to reserve the computer labs for that purpose. If the labs aren't available, then single-use with projection is the only way to accomplish the use of the software. The teacher needs to be flexible.
Would ID be involved here? Not necessarily. With a specified simulation software for a specific course, the ID may not know how to use it enough to explain it to other teachers. This is where we get a "teacher trains teacher" on the software. This frees ID up for taking care of the overall setting of the learning processes.
Diversity? Yes! Simulation software can reach a large population. And if language is a barrier, then if the software is extensive, it may have different language settings that enables the software to be even more reachable. But, what about culture? Usually, the ID won't have much of a problem in the school setting. How many ways can you show subduction of tectonic plates that could offend or be confusing to another culture?
The one challenge I can see for using simulation software is that if it becomes too complicated for a learning challenged student. It can overwhelm some students with too much information at one time.
With any piece of technology, there are both positive and negative aspects to using them. Whether it be hardware or software, an ID needs to be able to work the technology into the system so that it becomes useable by everyone and that the information can be taught from one teacher to another if necessary.
Being flexible and using the scientific models and theories of learning will enable the Instructional Designer to be a positive part of a larger team and may become invaluable to a larger group than thought possible. I am looking forward to my advancement into that field and the challenges it may offer.
